Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Supervisor's Annual Report - Executive Summary


The full report will be up on the Town website this afternoon.
 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

            In our campaign last year we made a promise that the Town Supervisor would issue an Annual Report to the people of the Town as part of our plan for increased transparency.  This report fulfills that promise.

Human Resources
*        Town employees hired exclusively on merit.
*        Created full time position of Human Resources Manager.
*        Made conditional job offers to two police officers.
*        Appointed a full time dispatcher, code enforcement officer and assistant building inspector.
*        Appointed a new Assessor.
*        Assigned two police officers to the Detectives Office.
*        Hired two new employees in the Department of Public Works.
*        Developed comprehensive Workplace Violence Prevention and Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Policies and trained all Town staff on the new policies.
*        Approved organizational chart and staffing plan for the Department of Public Works.

Information Technology
*        Replaced network servers, purchased 12 computers (6 for Town Hall, 6 for Police Department) and a Point of Sale computer for the Town Clerk.
*        Contracted to redesign and update Town website.
*        Contracted to index and reconsolidate Town Code and add eCode 360 to the website.
*        Implemented structured cabling installation in Town Hall.

 Town Finances
*        Maintained positive fund balances in our General, Highway, Sewer and General Water Funds. 
*        Completed NYS-OSC audit of the Justice Court.
*        Had an independent audit by UHY, LLC of 2015 financial statement.
Began single-purpose audit of 2013 Capital Project by UHY, LLC.
*        2017 budget includes 1.47% tax increase, repayment of interfund borrowing and independent accounting of Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) fees.
*        Received $2,589,000 in grant funding.
*        Reduced reliance on consultants, including a 22% drop in spending on engineering consultants.

 Town Board
*        Changes in public meetings: moved pre-board meetings to evenings, added public comment to pre-board meetings, restored question-and-answer format to board meetings, tightened requirement for Financial Impact Statement in resolutions, tightened rules for late submission of agenda items for board meetings.
*        Raised sewer rates by 69% in General Sewer District, 50% in Hampton Manor Sewer District, and 35% in 3rd Avenue and Couse Sewer Districts. Renegotiated industrial discharge permit with Garelick Farms for a 35% increase in fees.
*        Passed a revised and strengthened Code of Ethics.
*        Successfully negotiated new labor contracts with the three unions that represent Town employees - East Greenbush Police Officers Union, Local 1951, of Security and Law Enforcement Employees, Council 82, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (term: January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2018); CSEA Local 1000 AFSCME, AFL-CIO, Town of East Greenbush Unit #8257, Rensselaer County Local 842 (term: January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2018); The East Greenbush Emergency Communications Association, Local 3708, Council 82 AFSCME, AFL-CIO (term: January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2019).
*        Worked with Hampton Manor community to improve the quality of drinking water: held two public meetings, surveyed attitudes and preferences, and evaluated the Hudson Avenue water tanks.
*        Demonstrated support for important causes, raised awareness of issues such as breast cancer, domestic violence and childhood cancer, and opposed the Pilgrim Pipeline and Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct (NED) pipeline.
*        Implemented an Honor a Veteran program.

Departments
*        Saw a sharp reduction in lost commercial value in tax certiorari cases.
*        Improvements to Hampton Manor Park: new playground equipment; Clean the Park Event; replaced the gazebo; sponsored a mural painted by students; controlled the goose population.
*        Successful summer camp with increased attendance for the 3rd straight year.
*        Expanded programs for seniors.
*        Successful Music in the Park and Town Festival programs.
*        Established a process for handling planning applications in a fair and equitable manner.  
*        Increased reliance on in-house staff and the Planning Board as advisors to the Town Board on development issues, increased the quantity of technical meetings on projects and reduced reliance on consultants.
*        Revived the Luther Road sidewalk project.
*        Issued an RFP for engineering services and selected eight firms based on specialty.
*        Formed a GEIS Committee to oversee accounting, policy and project selection.
*        Developed the outline of a Rapid Action Plan for Columbia Turnpike.
*        Facilitated the demolition of the Weathervane building.
*        Replaced the heating system in the Police Department.
*        Replaced the Ridge Road 800 MHZ radio antenna system.
*        Required the Police Chief to seek accreditation under the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.
*        Removed the underground fuel tank at the Highway Garage.
*        Doubled the paving budget.
*        Entered cooperative agreements with Rensselaer County for snow and ice removal, and East Greenbush Central School District to help pave the Little League/Softball parking lot on Gilligan Road.
*        Declared a local state of emergency after sinkholes developed on Hydor Drive and used trenchless technology to repair the entire storm water system on the street.

Wastewater Treatment Plant
*        Issued $1.6 million in bonds and notes to finance the final phase of the plant upgrade.
*        Reached substantial completion of the upgrade to the plant itself.
*        Bid and awarded a contract to Wm Keller & Sons for $1,237,000 to complete the Outfall Piping phase of the WWTP project.
*        Closed on long-term financing for $15.6 million with the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation.

Appendices
This report also includes six appendices:

Appendix 1                 Justice Court Audit Response Letter
Appendix 2                 Fund Balance Analysis
Appendix 3                 Cost to the Town of Engineering Consultants in 2015 and 2016
Appendix 4                 Development Projects Under Review
Appendix 5                 Town of East Greenbush Vehicle Inventory
Appendix 6                 2016 Paving List