Current highway superintendent supports DPW

I would like to address the upcoming special election on May 19 in the Town of Tusten. I feel that appointing a superintendent of highways and creating a department of public works (DPW) will have a positive impact for the Town of Tusten.

In establishing a DPW by combining water, sewer and highway, we will save money by not replacing a current employee after his planned retirement. Based on the current salary and benefit package, a minimum of $56,500 per year will be saved and allow for the hiring of a temporary part-time position as required. By using all of the manpower as a combined workforce, overtime can be reduced in many areas. For one example, during one of the many prolonged storms we experienced this winter, we would have been able to run two shifts with employees from the water and sewer department to save a minimum of $500 per storm in overtime alone.

Further savings can be realized by coordinated purchasing that will eliminate duplicate equipment. Jointly owned equipment will reduce the financial burden to both the town and the districts. Combined equipment purchases will facilitate the purchase of labor-saving equipment. Should either department need additional manpower, workers and equipment can be reassigned to minimize overtime and the need to hire outside contractors.

The highway superintendent is responsible for the spending of $1.01 million—the largest percentage of the town’s budget. We need to ensure that when these monies are spent, it will be done so by a qualified, knowledgeable and professional individual. With an elected highway superintendent, no hours of work can be imposed and no job qualifications can be set. By changing from an elected to an appointed highway superintendent, performance standards will be established, qualifications set and hours of work will be standardized to maximize service to the township.

The superintendent of water and sewer and I both agree that since no substantial additional duties will be undertaken, the new position will warrant no increase in salary.

By addressing these issues, I hope that people will vote for this change. An appointed highway superintendent and a DPW is the right thing to do for this town; the departments will still be run by the same dedicated and experienced people and allow for better coordinated scheduling, thereby saving you, the taxpayer, man hours and real dollars. In this struggling economy, we need to save everywhere we can.

In closing, I would like to ensure the people of Tusten that I will continue to work hard for them however they vote.

(George Kinch is the current superintendent of highways for the Town of Tusten, NY.)