MALONE — Close to half of the 1.91 percent tax-levy increase proposed in the 2013 Franklin County budget will go toward raises for non-union employees if the spending plan is approved.
Department heads and management-level workers have not had a raise for three years, and for some, it has been nearly five years, depending on their hiring date.
The proposed budget stands at $99,740,402, which is 11.4 percent less than this year. The levy, which is the amount to be raised by taxes, is $14,875,816, an increase of 1.91 percent.
Every $148,758 the county spends equals 1 percent of the tax levy.
Legislators have budgeted $156,778 in raises in the coming year. They expect to adopt the overall spending plan at their next meeting, on Thursday, Dec. 6.
VALUED
The legislature’s Finance Committee proposed the compensation, something members have wanted to do for a few years but felt they were unable to because of the overall economic picture.
They froze management salaries three years ago.
“Some of them haven’t had a raise for four or five years,” said Committee Chairman Timothy Burpoe (D-Saranac Lake). “We do appreciate what they do, and they have gone above and beyond the call of duty.”
He said he understands taxpayers may question the decision, “but we have to compensate our employees.”
Burpoe said the committee looked at each person’s work history, length of service and how long they had been without a raise in determining how much each employee would receive. Raises range from $971 to $3,500.
TURNOVER
Burpoe said offering more money may curb the longstanding problem the county faces in keeping employees who can make more money taking jobs in the state-prison system.
“We have a huge turnover of employees going elsewhere,” he said. “We’re training them, and then they leave us to go to the state.
“They cost us money to train, and the state of New York gets a fully polished person. Then we have to go train someone else and go through the whole process again.
“And we lose all that institutional knowledge,” he said. “We’re trying to do the best we can.”
PROPOSED RAISES
Here is a list of Franklin County department heads expected to receive raises, along with their 2012 salary and proposed 2013 rate of pay:
- Gloria Valone, clerk of the Board of Legislature, from $24,664 to $25,635 (part time).
- Glenn MacNeill, chief assistant district attorney, from $85,500 to $87,500.
- Thomas Soucia, county public defender, from $73,364 to $76,864.
- Lorelei Miller, conflict defender, from $70,550 to $72,550.
- Frances Perry, county auditor, from $42,500 to $44,500.
- Jeanette Tummons, director of Real Property Tax Service, from $43,575 to $45,575.
- Jonathan Miller, county attorney, from $65,353 to $66,953 (part time).
- Paul Duffee, personnel director, from $44,000 to $47,500.
- Veronica King, Board of Elections commissioner (Republican), from $45,267 to $47,267.
- Kelly Cox, Board of Elections commissioner (Democrat), from $45,267 to $47,267.
- Darrin Rubadeau, superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, from $54,513 to $56,513.
- Rob Green, director of information services, from $79,357 to $81,357.
- Denise McLane, Probation Department director, from $58,000 to $61,500.
- Patrick White, undersheriff, from $47,047 to $48,047.
- Bruce Bannon, County Jail warden, $46,002 to $48,002.
- Katie Strack, director of Public Health, from $81,000 to $83,000.
- Suzanne Goolden, director of Mental Health, from $82,500 to $84,500.
- Lesley Lyon, commissioner of Social Services, from $72,472 to $75,972.
- Bonnie Stewart, deputy director of Veteran Services, from $39,464 to $41,464.
- Brad Parker, director of Weights and Measures, from $43,861 to $45,861.
- Susan Wilson-Scott, director of Office for the Aging, from $46,456 to $48,456.
- Rebecca Preve, director of CARES unit, from $42,000 to $44,000.
- Mary Shanty, director of Public Transportation, from $38,969 to $40,969.
- Jonathan Hutchins, Highway Department superintendent, from $62,000 to $64,000.
Email Denise A. Raymo: draymo@pressrepublican.com
