The Little Falls Common Council Tuesday night voted to open discussions on increasing the annual salary paid to the city’s alderpersons and mayor.
The vote to bring the matter to the council’s Finance Committee for consideration and exploration was 6-1, with Second Ward Alderwoman Betty Deming casting the lone no vote.
Third Ward Alderman Keith Chrisman was absent from the meeting.
“We do not have figures or percentages in mind, we simply want to bring this up for discussion with members of the finance committee,” said Common Council President Mark Ruffing, Third Ward. “None of us do this for the money, but the council members and mayor have not received a raise in the past forty years while other city employees receive annual raises. When you factor in all the time involved serving on various committees and attending various meetings we certainly put a lot of time in.”
Common council members currently receive an annual salary of $1,200.
The mayor is currently paid an annual salary of $3,800.
“I do not serve for the money,” said Deming after the meeting. “I serve to try and help the people of this city, and that’s why I voted against discussing the salary increases. With everything that is going on I do not think the time is right to talk about increasing our salaries.”
“Nothing was decided by the vote,” said Ruffing. “The purpose of the vote was simply to take the matter to the finance committee to discuss exact amounts and things of that nature. The vote did not approve salary increases, it only brought them up for discussion.”
In other business Tuesday:
•Christine Cadle and Ralph Renzulli were appointed to the Little Falls Urban Renewal Agency.
•The council contracted with Avalon Associates for preparation of applications for federal grant funding and administrative services required to complete all activities under the state Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships programs for program year 2010.
Application fees will be paid from local funds when each application is submitted to the respective funding agency. All other fees for program development, general administration and program delivery services will be paid from grant proceeds based on established hourly billing rates plus reimbursement of expenses or at fixed fees allocated to each approved project.
•Public hearings were scheduled for March 2 and April 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Common Council chambers at City Hall to discuss the city’s Community Block Development Grant application and the city’s application for HOME Investment Partnerships program funding.
Little Falls, N.Y. —
