A resolution that would allow Clifton Park’s director of parks, recreation and community affairs adjust the terms of programs, facilities and events without approval of the town board sparked debate among board members at the Wednesday, Jan. 2, meeting.
Under scrutiny was the director’s ability to raise fees for programs or facilities run by the parks and recreation department.
Councilman Scott Hughes, who created the resolution said, Our goal was to empower the parks and recreation department to make small adjustments to user fees, if necessary, to ensure that we can cover our costs.
He said that because of the open meetings law, the board is not able to meet in private to approve such fees, which makes seeking approval of small fees cumbersome.
`We hire good people, and it is a common sense measure to make town government more efficient,` Hughes said.
The final amended resolution, which passed despite lone dissenter Councilman Sandy Roth’s opposition, authorizes the director to make small changes to `existing or previously budgeted` program, facility and event costs.
Roth, who argued against the resolution, said, `I have a responsibility to the community to ensure that everything we do in this town is budgeted.`
He said he has the utmost confidence in Myla Kramer, director of Parks, Recreation and Community Affairs, but that the community elected the board to manage the money.
Kramer, who has served as director for two and a half years, said she estimates her budget based on the previous year; however, she cannot always anticipate the costs of supplies. Therefore, it is often necessary to raise fees.
She said that a couple of years ago, when buying chemicals for the pool, she noticed a rise in the price that her budget did not reflect. In that instance, she said, it would have been convenient to have the ability to raise the fee for pool use.
She said she wanted the resolution for clarification.
`It was too much of a gray area,` Kramer said. She said it was difficult to know what was within her power.
There was some question over whether the board was able to delegate this power, but Town Attorney Thomas McCarthy said that vesting the power in the director would not be a fiduciary breach of town law.
Barrett said the debate was really over expectations and that adding a clause to the existing resolution would be beneficial.
Kramer said she was satisfied with the amended resolution.
`However the board wanted to do it; I would have been satisfied,` she said.
The town also passed two other resolutions at the meeting. The first accepts a donation from Timothy Bishop of .5 acres of land on Moe Road Rear. Barrett said that the piece of land, adjacent to town-owned open space, might be of `some strategic use in the future.`
Kate Maynard, the town’s director of planning, agreed. She said that the land is a trail connection point and wetland preservation.
The board also hired Mark Kazmierczak as assistant building inspector at the Wednesday meeting.“
