Donnelly Delivers State of the Town Address for Ossining
Ossining Town Supervisor Susanne Donnelly delivered her annual “State of the Town” address at last week’s town board meeting.
“The town board and the administration have been dedicated to accomplishing the goal of keeping services at the high level that the residents deserve, while being fiscally conservative with expenditures,” she said.
Donnelly’s speech was highlighted by three major categories—staffing, structuring, and savings.
“One of this board’s top priorities is to maintain appropriate staffing levels within the town, as well as ensure that every job is performed efficiently and effectively,” said Donnelly.
In the past year, the town hired a new assessor, a new highway laborer, a new assistant court clerk, and a part-time paralegal.
Donnelly also expressed gratitude to unions for allowing employees within the town to create a hard working environment. “We could not say this so confidently without the support of our unions, both of whom have been extremely cooperative during hard financial times and have been true partners in making the town run smoothly” she said.
New contract negotiations with the Civil Service Employee Association will begin this summer.
The town has also made changes to its structuring. One of the more significant changes comes with the town’s new contract with the Village of Ossining. This contract is for new engineering services after the town had to discontinue its partnership with its former consultant.
“The results of this have been hugely beneficial in terms of saving taxpayer money on all fronts,” said Donnelly.
The category of savings and finance was highlighted by Town Comptroller Thomas Warren last week.
According to a report given by Warren, the town’s three primary operating funds rose by $308,000 in the past year to $2.78 million. These funds consist of the Town-wide General Fund, Unincorporated Town Fund, and Highway Fund. The $2.78 million is 25 percent of the 2013 budget.
“The available fund balance at year-end does not necessarily equate to cash, and has to be sufficient to finance town operations for the first three to four months of the 2013 year until the April property tax bills are sent out and collected,” said Warren in the report.
Warren’s report also highlighted an estimated $58,000 increase to what was estimated for 2012.
The full State of the Town Address can be found at www.townofossning.com.
By Robert Christie
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
