If there’s one thing Bethlehem leaders agree on, it is the town’s staffing levels won’t be going up anytime soon.
That was the takeaway from a Wednesday, Aug. 8, meeting of the Town Board at which a long list of potential cuts were discussed, though no specific decisions were made. Also included in the list were breakdowns of the average salaries and benefits costs of town employees.
“Most of the major savings here tie in to personnel,” said Supervisor John Clarkson, who is scheduled to present his tentative budget next month. “Most of the money I think we will save going forward … is taking advantage of staff attrition.”
That could include recent retirements in the police department, where the average officer collects a $90,000 annual salary (including overtime) and costs the town an additional $34,000 in benefits and payroll taxes. Two line officers, a sergeant and two detectives have recently retired.
One way a detective slot could be left open would be to end the DARE program at Bethlehem Central — that officer could then be reassigned from the schools. Clarkson said he’s already approached BC Superintendent Thomas Douglas about the possibility but hasn’t heard back yet.
Other options were put on the table, too. They include making cutbacks in the Parks Department (such as shutting off night lights at Elm Avenue Park, trimming the pool season, reducing playing field maintenance or closing the Colonial Acres Golf Course), the Highway Department (closing or reducing hours at the transfer and compost facilities or ending leaf pickup), in the Department of Public Works and in the Police Department.
On the whole, the board tacitly settled on increasing the suggested donation for senior transportation trips to Colonie and Albany (from $10 to $15 — the in-town suggested donation would remain at $5) for an estimated $22,000 revenue bump. There was also support for increasing the fee at the transfer station from $1 per trash bag to $1.50. Support for the latter was founded upon a survey conducted of the approximately 500 people who use the station in a week that found 98 percent would still use the station with the increase, which would net the town about $40,000. That survey can be viewed on the town’s website.
Town leaders were wary about ending leaf pickup or cutting back too far on recreational programs, especially when it comes to the pool.
“I’d like to see us continue doing a lot of the little things and see them add up instead of cutting something that people enjoy,” said Councilman Kyle Kotary.
Things were less certain when the Colonial Acres Golf Course came up. Though no decision was made, several on the board were quick to note the course operates well below break-even and the number of rounds played there have fallen by half since the town took it over. It is rented from the Open Space Conservancy for $1 per year, leading Kotary to wonder if its operation could be outsourced for a considerable profit.
Adding to the uncertainty is the fact $100,000 in improvements are slated for Colonial Acres. Councilman Jeffrey Kuhn, like others on the board, noted many of the proposed cuts spur philosophical debates about the role of government.
“Whether we need to operate a money losing par-3 golf course adds another dimension to it,” he said.
The town’s lease on the golf course expires at the end of August, but the Conservancy will continue to rent it on a month-to-month basis until a decision is made. Town officials figure shuttering the course would save $50,000 in 2013.
Even if the board adopted all of the immediate cuts on the list for 2013 (including closing the transfer and compost facilities, ending leaf pick up, closing the golf course, dramatically cutting recreational opportunities, increasing fees and trimming police services in many areas) the savings would add up to under $800,000. Some previous estimates have put the town’s budget gap at $3.5 million.
Perennial debate codified
One resolution the board did pass Wednesday was a formal policy to guide what membership dues the town will pay for its employees.
The Town Board for the past few years has trimmed the list of dues paid to professional organizations and the like for employees or the town as a whole. In 2010 the town paid $16,413 towards dues, this year it expended $13,135. Under a new dues structure approved with the policy, it would pay $11,235 next year.
The policy should make the process less hands on in the future by setting criteria for any new memberships — the board spent weeks in 2011 batting cuts to the list back and forth.
“There has never been a policy of how to address this, it’s simply been at the board’s discretion,” Clarkson said.
Department heads identified the most recent round of subtractions while the policy was being researched. Notable among them was the town’s membership in the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and numerous judicial or law enforcement-related organizations.
“Sixteen or 18 years ago this was still a topic, and this is the most complete list of memberships I’ve ever seen,” remarked Councilman George Lenhardt.