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Town Board seeks sanitation control
By John J. Hopkins Times
Continual complaints about the Cheektowaga Sanitation Department has prompted the town board to remove the sanitation supervisor duties from the highway superintendent's responsibilities.
The decision is not without controversy.
Board members say the move will save money while returning control and accountability of the department to the board.
Noting the timing of the move, just after the general election, some observers believe political maneuvering is involved. However, Supervisor James J. Jankowiak said the move was under consideration before the September primary.
"It's not about personality, it's not about paybacks, it's not about issues about elections or primaries, or whatever," said Jankowiak. "We need accountability in sanitation. Sanitation is one of our trouble spots. Ask any board member and they'd have to admit it."
The switch has been a topic of discussion in recent weeks on at least one local political Web site.
The town combined the sanitation supervisor job with the highway post, an elected position, several years ago when Chris Kowal served as highway superintendent.
Jankowiak and board members said creating a separate sanitation department head makes sense because it makes that person accountable to the town board, similar to other department leaders.
"We found out there was one glitch in this situation," Jankowiak said. "No one's there to take responsibility."
Jankowiak explained that because the highway post is elected, the board has no control over the superintendent's actions. The council could make recommendations, but the decisions are up to the highway head.
Kowal was "very cooperative" with the board on highway matters, Jankowiak added. However, when there are problems in sanitation, the board could never receive "a straight answer," Jankowiak stated.
Part of the problem, Jankowiak said, was an unclear chain of command when attempting to resolve issues: the foreman would point to the highway head, and the highway head would point to the foreman.
"We were experiencing a passing of the buck between the head of highway and the head of sanitation," added Councilmember Tom Johnson, "on issues that arose in the community."
Jankowiak said sanitation frequently takes up the board's time. Appointing a department head would make that person accountable to the town board, just like any other department head.
The position will be filled through the town's unions. Job specifications were posted on a bulletin board in town hall on November 15, and applications will be accepted through today (November 29).
"The job has been posted, and we will interview all the people who bid on the job," Jankowiak said.
Joan Adams, president of the Cedargrove Action Committee and a vice-chair of the Town Democratic Party, questioned at Monday's town board meeting how splitting the duties will save money for the town.
"It's not an issue as much as dollar savings," Jankowiak said. "It's an issue of accountability where we can now call in a department head who works for the town board, not the highway superintendent."
Jankowiak said the anticipated move will leave a general foreman and working foreman in sanitation, with a pay difference between $5,000-6,000. Removing the financial stipends the highway superintendent and deputy highway superintendent received from supervising sanitation, and there's roughly $14,000 in savings.
Highway Superintendent-elect Mark Wegner disputed the financial figures, and told the board it will pay more for the post.
Wegner added it's "not fair" for him to lose an opportunity to operate sanitation after he has researched the department and found ways to save fuel costs and vehicle wear and tear. He noted that he shared his plans with the board, and the members appeared receptive to his ideas.
"I showed you how to save $50,000; you said what a great idea, and two weeks later I'm losing the department," Wegner said. "They were there 10 years and couldn't figure it out."
Jankowiak said that the move is the latest in a series of "tough decisions" the town board has made in 2007. He pointed to changes in the town attorney's office as an example. The board named a new attorney and deputy attorney as well as new prosecutors in February.
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