Town Board debates pay raises, purchase of backhoe

AMENIA — After an intense debate, the Town Board passed a salary increase for town Assessor Ronald Gazzoli and Assessor Clerk Donna Morrison during a special meeting Sept. 6.

Gazzoli will receive an extra $2,500 and Morrison will receive an extra $1,500 this year.

However, Councilman Wayne Euvrard objected to the raise for Gazzoli.

“Maybe the clerk deserves the $1,500, but I am against giving the assessor a raise mid-term,� Euvrard said. “I think this assessor is well-paid compared to other towns and a lot of taxpayers are on fixed income.�

Reagon disagreed, and said that both Gazzoli and Morrison deserved a raise.

“I think the assessor has done an amazing job,� Reagon said. “We are the only town in Dutchess County that underwent a [property] revaluation that had so few people show up on grievance day.�

The raise passed 3 to 2, with Euvrard and Councilwoman Victoria Perotti voting against.

Gazzoli will now be paid $26,180 this year and Morrison $12,700.

New backhoe

In other business, a plan to purchase a backhoe for $5,000 for the transfer station was tabled.

The backhoe was going to be purchased from the highway department in order to compact waste at the transfer station.

However, Euvrard questioned the usefulness of purchasing an old piece of equipment.

“How much will it cost to maintain the backhoe?� Euvrard said. “We are talking about an old backhoe. How much would it cost in repairs if it needed it?�

Councilwoman Vicki Doyle said it would be worth it to the town to purchase the backhoe, even if the backhoe broke down after a year’s worth of use.

“If you save $5,000 a year by compacting trash with the backhoe, you still got something at the end of the day,� Doyle said. “It’s a no-brainer.�

The motion was tabled in order for Reagon to do more research on the purchase.

Mechanic Street update

Preliminary conceptual design plans for the Mechanic Street sidewalk project were passed by the board.

Kurt Johnson of Zarecki and Associates, who presented the plans to the board, said that all plans were still preliminary and dependent on agreements from property owners.

The project will include repair work on the sidewalk and various new shrub and tree plantings along the street.