Collins board adopts 2015 organizational resolutions, sets pay and departmental appointments

The Town Board of Collins formally adopted its 2015 organizational resolutions during an organizational meeting Jan. 5, approving a slate of administrative rules, salary schedules and appointments.

Supervisor David Tessmer called the meeting to order and the board voted to adopt Resolutions #1–60, which set the towns official banks (Community Bank NA and First Niagara), meeting schedule (typically first and third Mondays, with variations for summer months), the mileage reimbursement at $0.50 per mile, and a range of petty cash and bond requirements for town employees and offices. The votes carried unanimously 5
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The board set salaries for elected and appointed offices for 2015, including the Supervisors salary at $18,000 annually plus $1,500 for water-department oversight (total $19,500), councilmembers at $6,000 each, the full-time budget officer at $20.40 per hour, and specified hourly or annual wages for many highway, recreation and court staff. Appointments confirmed included James Musacchio as Town Attorney and Susan Gamel as Budget Officer/Bookkeeper; the Town Clerk appointed her deputy; and other departmental appointments were recorded in the minutes.

The board also approved internal administrative policies including an investment policy, procurement policy and rules of procedure for board meetings. The Town Clerk was designated to retain certain petty cash funds for program offices (for example $225 for the Town Recreation Program). The resolutions included authorization for the Highway Superintendent to rent equipment at rates not exceeding New York State rates.

Why it matters: the organizational resolutions set operational guardrails for the year and fix compensation and chains of responsibility that affect budgets, procurement thresholds and who can sign or manage specific town programs. They also created a publicly recorded baseline for personnel pay and the towns internal controls for financial matters.

Whats next: the minutes show the board moved immediately into other routine business (agenda and minutes approval, voucher abstracts and departmental reports), and work groups formed for park, personnel and finance duties that carried through the year.