The DeWitt Town Board Monday night agreed to hire a new code enforcement officer and is exploring the possibility of contracting out brush and leaf pick-up.
Maureen A. Wafer was selected out of a pool of 13 applicants for code enforcement officer, replacing Jim Conlon, who moved to the planning board. Conlon announced the decision at Monday’s meeting and the board approved.
Wafer has experience in the field, as she has held the same position in Parish and Cicero. She will begin her new job on Feb. 6, so she can give her current employers the standard two-week notice, Conlon said.
“She presented herself very well,” Conlon said. “We looked for people with backgrounds in the field, and she was chosen. We need someone with her experience to come into the position in DeWitt.”
Wafer’s annual salary will be $32,000, and will have a six-month probationary period. During that period, she will be paid 50 cents less per hour, which breaks down to $14.88 per hour. Upon successful completion of probation, she will earn a 50 cent raise, bringing her up to $15.38 per hour, equivalent to her annual salary.
“She will be a great benefit,” Conlon said in addressing the board. “She will feel very comfortable here.”
Wafer will use her own car during work hours and will be paid mileage.
Brush and leaves pick-up discussed
Town Engineer Mike Kolceksi brought up the issue of whether the town will contract out brush and leaf pick-up beginning in the fall.
Currently, the town picks up brush and leaves. Kolceksi said by contracting out, the town will save about $75,000 on the highway budget, money Supervisor Ed Michalenko said can be doled out to other budget areas in need.
The way it would work, according to Kolceksi, is that each household would have to pay between $20 and 25 for the service that requires leaves to be bagged and brush to be bundled for the twice-a-month pick-up. Kolceksi said he wanted to add an opt-out clause for those residents who do not want the service. Some members of the board agreed with that, while others felt it should be a mandatory fee.
Michalenko brought up the point that some residents may see this as an opportunity to save money on their own lawn care by having lawn care providers leave brush and grass remnants left behind for the town to collect, saving the homeowner and provider money. He called it a “subsidy” of the lawn care provider, and said the issue needs to be addressed.
The contract would be of the town’s standard three-year variety. Kolceksi said he hopes by summer the town can start taking bids from outside contractors.
Board, resident come to agreement
In other town news, resident Ed Szlamanczynski and the board agreed on a way to pay his family’s $2,410 outstanding water bill. The homeowner had been fighting the charge, claiming there were leaks in piping the town owned.
The agreement states Szlamanczynski will pay 10 monthly installments of $241. The board also said it is not forcing Szlamanczynski to pay any late fees, and that the town will install two new meters in hopes of discovering if there is a leak, and where it is.
Neil Benjamin Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
