Delaware County approves pay raises, 2024 budget

Vicky Klukkert, The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
·4 min read

Nov. 21—The Delaware County Board of Supervisors approved the 2024 budget and pay raises for several department heads.

Public hearings about the proposed budget and pay raises were held at the beginning of the meeting, but no one from the public spoke.

Before supervisors voted on the budget and the local laws approving the raises, Hamden Town Supervisor Wayne Marshfield spoke about both.

He said he tallied up all the wage increases for the department heads and elected officials and most of the raises are between 4.25% and 4.5%. However, the raise for Director of Real Property Tax Services II Sherri Falcone was 9%, the Commissioner of Social Services Sylvia Armanno was 8%, Sheriff Craig DuMond was 7%, and Personnel Officer Carrara Knoetgen was 6%. He said he had questions about the raises and was told Armanno's and Knoetgen's raises also included steps achieved. He said it was DuMond's third raise of the year in order to keep him earning more than staff members under him. He said Falcone negotiated the raise and initially wanted more of an increase, but agreed to the settlement.

Each salary increase was linked to a local law. Marshfield voted against Local Law No. 28, salary increase for Public Defender Joseph Ermeti. He was joined by Walton Town Supervisor Joseph Cetta in voting no to Local Law No. 31, the salary increase for Falcone. After the meeting Cetta said he couldn't comment why he voted no. Andes Town Supervisor Wayland Gladstone and Colchester Town Supervisor Art Merrill were absent.

The department heads and elected officials who will receive a raise in 2024 are: Douglas Elston, director Community Mental Health, $108,061; Judith Garrison, election commissioner, $60,000; Stephen Hood, director of emergency services, $74,724; Joseph deMauro, director of information technology, $98,124; Wayne Shepard, director Office of the Aging, $85,377; Knoetgen, personnel officer, $90,832; Joseph Ermeti, public defender, $187,650; Amanda Walsh, public health director, $113,654; James Thomas, commissioner of public works, $115,515; Falcone, director of real property tax services II, $90,000; Armanno, commissioner of social services, $114,056; Mark Dunlop, director of veterans services agency, $55,845; Deborah Goodrich, county clerk, $81,127; DuMond, sheriff, $104,690; and Beverly Shields, county treasurer, $81,127.

In addition, the board approved next year's $120,872,577 budget. Marshfield, who is on the finance committee, said when they started working on the budget, it would have been a 23% increase. He said the county decided to not fund the positions that are currently vacant.

Franklin Town Supervisor Jeffrey Taggart, who is also on the finance committee, said the county didn't cut the positions, but decided taxpayers didn't have to fund the salaries and benefits if the position was vacant. He said it affects 31 positions. If someone is hired for the position, the county will find a way to fund it.

The county will raise property taxes 1.9%. The budget will also use money from reserves and $500,000 from the sales tax revenue to offset the increase.

In addition to passing the budget and salary increases, the board approved:

—Accepting a $30,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The grant was to help pay for hosting the Innovative Readiness Training event in July.

—Accepting a $110,778 grant from the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to develop and/or maintain snowmobile trails. The monies will be will be divided between the Hamden Hill Ridge Riders, Delaware Valley Ridge Riders, Central Catskill Trail Association, Big Valley Trail Breakers, Maywood Snowriders, Delaware Otsego Chenango Snowriders and the D & D Snowdiggers snowmobile clubs.

—Approve spending $620,000 to replace a bridge on county Route 7 over Spring Brook in the town of Colchester. The county may receive state and federal funding for the bridge.

—Authorize a four-day work week for the Department of Public Works for bridge crews from Jan. 1 through March 16, and Nov. 10 through Dec. 31; and all other employees not excluded from the four-day work week from March 17 through Oct. 12.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.