November 17, 2005

GATES AUDIT EXPECTED SOON
The town has adopted a $14.5 million spending plan for 2006.
By Christine Carrie Fien / cfien@mpnewspapers.com

The state comptroller's audit report on the town of Gates should be ready in about 60 days, according to town Supervisor Ralph Esposito.

He hasn't really telegraphed what the report might contain, but little hints have slipped out here and there. After his re-election victory Nov. 8, the supervisor said he'd start negotiating with the town of Greece to consolidate some highway functions. The strategy is on both the town and comptroller's lists, he said.

The Town Board will also consider updates of its purchasing, vehicle and investment policies at the board's December meeting. These, too, stem from the audit, Esposito said.

"They didn't see anything wrong with the three policies, but they did say they need to be reconsidered by the Town Board on a more regular basis than they have been, and I have no problem with that," he said.

Esposito's political rival, Democrat Susan Swanton, has said she expects the audit to back up her claims that the town is in perilous financial condition.

Finances were the hot-button issue of this year's election and some of that energy spilled over to the public hearing on the 2006 budget Nov. 9 - the day after the election.

The Town Board unanimously adopted the $14.5 million plan, which raises taxes about $70 a year for the average taxpayer in Gates.

Swanton asked a number of questions about the budget, many of which were fielded with one-word responses by the supervisor.

Esposito criticized Swanton's tactics during the campaign and said her line of questioning on the budget was nothing but an extension of those tactics.

"You're out here because you want to denigrate this Town Board and this town and I'm not going to let that happen," he said. "You ought to be ashamed. You won't be, but you ought to be."

Swanton didn't really respond to Esposito's barrage, only urging the supervisor to take a lesson from the movie "Bambi," about not saying anything if you can't say something nice.

The 2006 budget raises spending about $2.6 million, or 22 percent.

The tax rate will be $6.38 per $1,000 of assessed value. That's a 78-cent, or 13.9 percent, increase over the current year. The owner of a $90,000 home in Gates will see his or her town taxes increase from $504 to $574.20.

The tax levy for 2006, or the amount to be raised by taxes, will be $8,178,899, an increase of about $1.1 million, or 15.1 percent, over the $7.1 million levy in 2005.

The town supervisor's salary next year will be $85,980. Each of the four council people will make $15,441. The administrative town justice's salary will be $30,038 and the town justice will earn $29,080.