Town Board members unanimously approved a lengthy list of items at their annual reorganizational meeting on Jan. 5, setting appointments and salaries for officials, including Town Supervisor Sheila Meegan, whose requested pay increase triggered a backlash from taxpayers in the fall.
Meegan’s new salary of $72,500, an increase of $9,404 over last year’s $63,096, is $7,596 less than the $17,000 she had originally sought.
The increase has been a point of bitter contention between the supervisor and residents, who attended board meetings late last year in large numbers to speak out against it prior to approval of the town’s budget.
While Meegan argued that the raise was deserved, due to over 10 years without an increase and a reduction of staff in her office, residents pushed back, arguing that Meegan knew what her position paid when she ran for office, and called anything above a 2-percent increase unreasonable.
When the budget finally passed on Nov. 14, Meegan’s requested raise had been cut almost in half.
Along with the supervisor’s increase, two other officials received marked raises.
Police Chief Daniel Denz, who made $135,066 in 2016, will be paid $147,201 this year. His assistant chief, Michael Boehringer, who made $118,530 last year, will make $130,251.
Highway Superintendent Matthew English and Senior Code Enforcement Officer John Gullo will see only slight increases, their salaries rising from $84,994 to $86,694, and from $83,594 to $85,266, respectively.
Town Clerk Jacqueline Felser, as well as Town Justices Shannon Filbert and Jeffrey Harrington, will also get slight pay increases of approximately $1,000 or less.
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