TOWN OF DEWITT – The DeWitt Town Board held a pair of public hearings at its Oct. 25 meeting.
The first of these concerned the preliminary budget for the fiscal year beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

Requiring approval by Nov. 20, said budget shows a “slight” increase in taxes in the words of DeWitt Supervisor Ed Michalenko. However, the town will be able to stay under the tax cap for another year, he said.

One point of contention during the hearing was the in-place 42.9% jump in the town supervisor’s yearly salary, with some calling the leap unnecessary, suggesting it should have been done incrementally.

Councilor Kerry Mannion defended the budget committee’s decision by saying that the DeWitt supervisor’s new $52,500 salary is still below the $55,034 figure found to be the average of the pays given to the supervisors for the six surrounding large towns in Onondaga County.

Mannion added that in the case of Michalenko, his refusal of raises for the last 14 years balances out the salary boost, since an annual two or three percent increase over that time would have taken him to approximately the same amount in earnings.

Under Michalenko’s watch, the town put a system in place that gradually increases the salaries of municipal employees rather than starting them at top pay, a measure followed to avoid an unsustainable budget.

The budget as it stands is available for public inspection in the office of the town clerk at 5400 Butternut Drive during its regular weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The second public hearing of the night was a continuation of the board’s Sept. 27 informational review regarding marijuana dispensaries and lounges.

Through the opting-in scenario, 3% of collections from the 13% state tax on retail sales would go to the town, 1% would be received by the county and the rest would be accepted by the state.

Chief of Police Chase Bilodeau said he expects an increase in fatal drug-related accidents no matter whether marijuana is sold by dispensaries and lounges in DeWitt, since people will still be driving through the town if they purchase from elsewhere nearby. He said the portions of revenue from these businesses taken in by the town would partly help to cover investments in marijuana-specific breathalyzer technology made for roadside tests.

The board closed the public hearing, but it did not decide to opt in or out of the allowance of dispensaries and lounges on Oct. 25 as it is continuing to gather information touching on the topic, including anything about yet-to-be-revealed regulations related to these establishments.

“We want to hear from all sides on this issue,” Michalenko said. “We know that it’s complex and that the state has kind of put the cart before the horse.”

Comments pertaining to the marijuana issue can be sent to the email [email protected].

During its Oct. 25 meeting, the town board also held a moment of silence for EAVES Ambulance director Vincent Stevenson, who passed away on Oct. 18.