Berne budget passed
Super says no, merger halted



BERNE — After a four-hour workshop Monday night, Berne has an approved budget, and the highway department has fewer funds than first budgeted.

The vote was 4-to-1 with Supervisor Kevin Crosier opposing the plan. He had favored merging the town’s highway department with the county.

Responding to widespread citizen opposition to the merger, no council member seconded Crosier’s motion to apply for a state grant totaling $597,500, which could have been used for the merger.

Crosier and Highway Superintendent Ray Storm supported the merger. All seven highway workers opposed it.

Monday night, beginning with the highway department expenses, the board studied the budget line by line, and made cuts in the highway’s general repair and machinery funds. Storm had told The Enterprise earlier that the longer repairs are put off, the more they will cost.

After the cuts, the tax increase, which started at 28 percent, was reduced to about 20 percent. As the budget now stands, taxpayers will pay an additional 80 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation in 2007, a tax rate of $4.71.

Prior to the Monday workshop, taxpayers were to pay an additional $1.09 per $1,000, totaling $5.

At the opening of Monday’s meeting, Crosier, concerned with the budget’s 28-percent tax increase, addressed the board and residents.
"We’re looking at about a $250,000 increase, and we need to find ways to reduce spending," he said.
"If we’re going to make cuts, we need to look at where the largest increases are, and the biggest increases are in the highway department," Crosier said.

Emphasis on highway spending

The highway department, which was budgeted $851,500 in 2006, was slated to spend about $1.1 million in 2007, a 29 percent increase.

By the end of the meeting, the department was funded $1.02 million.

Storm said more money was needed because of increasing in the cost of materials, and because of the poor condition of town roads. He said more funds are allotted for town roads in Rensselaerville, which has a comparable road system.
"He’s got $255,000, and he’s crying he doesn’t have enough money," Storm said of Rensselaerville Highway Superintendent G. Jon Chase.

Councilman James Hamilton, said that the department, which was slated to receive $158,000 this year for personal services, had spent $88,000 thus far to pay employees, and he said the department spent $40,000 less last year than was budgeted.
"You’ve got to hope it doesn’t snow," Crosier said. "Don’t shortchange the personnel line"If we have a rough winter, we can go through that money quickly. We’ve tried to average these (past numbers for services), but you can’t predict the weather," he said. "You can’t shortchange or you won’t have any money to pay the people."

Crosier recommended the board look at lines where it can control spending. He pointed to contractual services.

Hamilton suggested the general road repair fund for the department be lowered from the proposed $255,000 to $170,000.

Councilman Wayne Emory later proposed $190,000.
"If we were to throw you a life ring, what do we need"" Councilman Joe Golden asked Storm.

Storm said that the condition of the roads is poor.
"The bases are deteriorating," he said. Storm later said that town roads, which total 28 miles, should be repaved every 10 years; the department should be paving 2.8 miles each year.
"I should be repaving roads every 10 years. It’ll be 22 years before the CHIPs money kicks in," he added, referring to Consolidated Highway Improvement Programs support.
"We have a town with a lot of road miles, and not many people to support those miles," Crosier said.

After discussion, with the board sitting on $190,000 for road repair, Crosier asked for the board to make a decision.
"Can you live with that"" Hamilton asked Storm.
"I’ll do the best I can," Storm replied.