We see a need for engineering services that are not currently provided
To the Editor:
Our efforts to improve the safety and quality of Berne highway projects are not politically motivated as has been suggested. I have worked for a number of years carefully documenting practices that I know need improvement and bringing those practices to the attention of the town.
I have considerable experience in the highway engineering field and I am confident that this experience can improve town operations. But this depends on the cooperation of the highway superintendent. We are proposing that, as a first step, we begin to involve a professional engineer in objectively evaluating our CHIPs [Consolidated Highway Improvement Program] funded overlay practices and making recommendations.
We simply hope to improve processes and outcomes with this effort. I personally think this should be required by the state.
There are no qualifications, experience, or credentials necessary for an elected superintendent of highways. And we don’t necessarily need an engineer in that position.
What we need is someone objective who recognizes and respects engineering judgement, public safety, and applicable regulations. We need someone who always considers the best interests of the town, its residents, and the safety of the traveling public. We don’t need political interference in decisions that impact the safety of the traveling public.
Engineering consultation enhances the capacity of the town to make better decisions and provide a better product. I think I have earned a sufficient degree of support from Supervisor [Sean] Lyons and board members and we are going to move forward with our proposed first step to reach out and incorporate engineering judgment into our operations. Lamont Engineers will recommend a consulting engineer based on the attached .pdf.
We regularly see a year-to-year rollover of state funds that have not been used up and it would be very beneficial if the town could use those rollover state dollars, or use CHIPs funds directly, to offset costs for engineering, surveying and design where and as needed.
Our highways mostly evolved in place so the right-of-way necessary to accommodate modern standards were never a consideration. There are segments where there is inadequate room to provide standard lane and shoulder widths somewhere in most of our highway projects.
Without engineering consideration in those segments, we can create unnecessarily dangerous situations and expose the town to liability. We can target those areas for engineering evaluation and recommendations.
We simply intend to improve the safety and quality of these projects while providing improved highways where the applicable criteria have been carefully considered by an engineer (and such consideration is documented). This documentation addresses town liability concerns and helps protect the taxpayer while providing a better product.
Another related proposal under consideration is the establishment of a dedicated reserve restricted to the purposes of the consultation of professional engineers for the highway department. This will help address this issue in a permanent way.
Our general fund balance grows year to year (due to careful, cautious budgeting) and we see a need for engineering services that are not currently provided. We need to use the ever-increasing rollover funds where we see needs as a first step in controlling the size of the unappropriated fund balance.
The superintendent suggested a larger dedicated reserve for the town park and we are looking at a number of improvements there. This is a good idea.
We should look carefully at dedicated reserves and get things done using the tax money we have accumulated efficiently. Our fund balance is too big and we could have been using this tax money with new or larger dedicated funds and making needed town improvements without increasing the budget.
These dedicated reserves give us spontaneity in addressing issues. These balances allow us to to pay for improvements that are later reimbursed by grants.
I don’t take credit for these ideas. These thoughts were inspired by opinions expressed by the supervisor, board members, and the senior account clerk during the budget process. We, as a board, don't want to over-tax and we don't want to ignore needs. We are better understanding this and more closely looking at that balance.
Joel Willsey
Berne Town Board
Editor’s note: Joel Willsey copied the other members of the Berne Town Board on this letter.
Councilman Dennis Palow responded that he “does not support Joel’s recommendation or his ideas on this matter.”
Supervisor Sean Lyons responded with a letter of his own. (See related letter.)
Willsey is a Democrat. Palow and Lyons are Republicans as is the highway superintendent, Randy Bashwinger, who chairs Berne’s Republican Party.