oh where oh where has my DCO REPORT GONE

[Wehner]

Ever since the reductions in the dog control operation took effect. I have had to either request in person at the board meetings or call the supervisors office in order to see a dco monthly report. Why ? Is it that if i had not requested the reports, not one would be available today. Where is the transparency. Without these reports checks and balances go right out the window. I fully realize that dog control is a tad low on the priority pole. But if the town clerk and supervisor are so cavalier about dog control how can we be confident with the handling of more serious matters!!!!

[Wehner]

By the way, i recently requested the DCO reports for FEBRUARY,MARCH AND APRIL. So far March and April. STILL waiting on FEBRUARY.

[4248]

Either the Town Clerk isn't being forth coming or the Dog catcher is remiss in their duties. Its basically a no show patronage appointment any way.

Everyone gets a slice of that budget line - vary little actual work to do !

[gorja]

The town clerk has been putting out a summation memo regarding dog licenses and dog census, it seems monthly. Considering Supervlsor Fudoli saved the taxpayers approximately $60,000 with the dept revamp, I think any monthly synopsis will do. The revenues are always listed in the clerk's monthly report. It's not like the DCO is a full time employee with a lot of time on his hand.

[WNYresident]

Ever since the reductions in the dog control operation took effect. I have had to either request in person at the board meetings or call the supervisors office in order to see a dco monthly report. Why ? Is it that if i had not requested the reports, not one would be available today. Where is the transparency. Without these reports checks and balances go right out the window. I fully realize that dog control is a tad low on the priority pole. But if the town clerk and supervisor are so cavalier about dog control how can we be confident with the handling of more serious matters!!!!

If that whole department was eliminated would anyone notice? There are SO many volunteer rescue groups including the SPCA of Erie County. Why duplicate services?

[4248]

By the way, i recently requested the DCO reports for FEBRUARY,MARCH AND APRIL. So far March and April. STILL waiting on FEBRUARY.

So I guess Mr.Wehner is just making stuff up - he says he cant get the reports - Why ?
Also are you sayin there's only one employee there now ?
He feels he could do a better job -

[gorja]

Aren't they all just on-call employees?

[grump]

Is it just dog control or do they respond to other animal issues eg skunks etc? From experience I know it can take SPCA awhile to respond.

[4248]

Aren't they all just on-call employees?

Please explain what you mean by "On Call" - explain their hours and how much each one makes and how many are there ! Thanks

[gorja]

Please explain what you mean by "On Call" - explain their hours and how much each one makes and how many are there ! Thanks

I'm certainly no expert. This is what I read. there are a total of 6 on-call dog control officers.
When a person is on-call, they are on-call for a 24 hour period and get paid $50. for that period whether called in or not.
One of the six gets paid $100. per week for scheduling and adoption work.

The salaries for the dog control department prior to Mr Horn's death were -

Horn - $47,577
Asst DCOs - $45,000
Total salaries- $92,577 plus Horn's benefits

Now, Dog control departments salaries -
Total Asst DCOs - $35,000

That's all I know

[4248]

Look - I agree Supervisor Foduli ended a long history of wasted tax dollars in the Dog Control Department. For far too many years it was supervised by Mr.Horn who was a nice man.

The problem was the controlling members used it as another "Patronage Reward Post" - the "Part time employees" there were for the most part "No show tax paid Players".

That's why Councilman Stempniak blocked any examination of its inner workings after Mr.Horn passed. She said, "WE need time to get our records in order" - then later threw him under the bus saying, "He wasn't good at keeping records". That was a mute point because payroll records were created in Town Hall and never exposed.

Now - I am not saying there hasn't been savings - its easy to save money when so much was previously wasted.

Mr.Wehner claims he can do better - well here's his chance to explain how he would do that .

We know how many employees are now there - one scheduler (6 employees)- approximately how many calls are received each month(he has seen past monthly reports).

Well I say "Break it down Mr.Wehner - tell us how you can do better?" - Tell us besides late reports - "what would you do better?"

Lets face it - you want the job - that's why your complaining.

One could ask - what did you do different when you did work there - how many "Part Timers did you have - how many dogs did you catch and are all your records obtainable and in order"

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Now Breezy will say this is me attacking his buds - I say this is just using facts and the names just to show those involved. If it was just made up or actual slander I could be sued - I feel confident I stated the truth and wont be sued. I may be attacked by "Party Loyal" for exposing this - but if its factual and shows the factual habits and history of this group - why is it wrong ?

[Dan Roman]

If that whole department was eliminated would anyone notice? There are SO many volunteer rescue groups including the SPCA of Erie County. Why duplicate services?

Dco has to respond to dog bite, aggressive dog etc. Volunteer rescue groups are not in that line of work. Maybe spca but then that would probably have to be a contract at who knows what cost.

[WNYresident]

We should have county level person to take a reports of a dog bites. The guy that babysits the rats issues could handle it. I'm going to assume there are actually very few that each town would require a department more or less a full time person for this.

Does every town in Erie County have a dog control officer?

Anyone know how many dog bites are reported to each DCO for each town per month/year? Why can't a police report be created when there is a dog bite instead of hiring a person to take the report?

Remember the property owners are not a job employment agency for the local political parties.

[4248]

This is what the taxpayers and voters have come to accept over the years.

Its hard to believe - but at one point 11 people were getting paid to be "Dog Catchers" - but the only one anyone ever knew or remember seeing was Mr.Horn.

The Party Players invent a need for something - dog catcher - emergency preparedness group - crossing guards and so on. It usually starts small so it appears it wont cost much - some times the first person is said to be "Voluntary - or just a Part Time Employee" - then it slowly grows into another "Tax Funded Department with a budget line"!

Like the Emergency Preparedeness Group - first it was all "Volunteer" - then one "Part Time Employee" - then two guys getting "Part time pay" - In Lancaster they were brothers. Both vary loyal "Party Players" - what a coincidence !

Then that Department grew steadily into a $300,000.00 dollar tax funded Department - with SUV's, motor home style hightech Command vehicle and stationed in the old Depew Library Building(before it was sold).

The weird part was the "Volunteers" who started it were pushed out and replaced by paid "Party Appointees" -
The County provides this service to the Towns - its already included in your County tax bill.

Even still the Controlling Members defended its growing budgets and their "Party Players" they appointed to run it.

Now the past Supervisor and Town Councilmembers were fully aware that this was a duplication of services - totally unnecessary !

When people bring up any one Department or Patronage appointment - the administration says things like - "When you look at the overall budget - this is mere pennies" - or things like, "If this saves just one life - we support it" - but the truth is they don't "Support it" - the taxpayers are forced to !

Tax payers know these things happen - when ever these type patronage stories surface - the typical response is "Patronage is part of the game" -

Yet, what tax payers may not understand - its all funded by their property taxes ! The Dems play down the fact Supervisor Foduli saved $60,000.00 a year simply by cutting the size of one small department.

The Dem Board Members were against any loss of "Patronage" - so they still over staff it - the ones they appointed - the "On Call Patronage" is smaller and they get smaller cookies(pay checks).

But the "Game" continues as long as we have one Party Control

[Breezy]

We should have county level person to take a reports of a dog bites. The guy that babysits the rats issues could handle it. I'm going to assume there are actually very few that each town would require a department more or less a full time person for this.

Does every town in Erie County have a dog control officer?

Anyone know how many dog bites are reported to each DCO for each town per month/year? Why can't a police report be created when there is a dog bite instead of hiring a person to take the report?

Remember the property owners are not a job employment agency for the local political parties.

While this is definitely a good idea, that is having Erie County take reports of dog bites; we need to remember, though, that for every added function there is a cost. And a cost that folks seem not too keen to accept in the form of higher taxes.

Sure someone could come up with a computer program or portal that directly adds up these bites throughout the county, and hopefully such a task would not be too costly as to impact the property tax rate.

Problem is, WNYresident, one could simply look back to last winter's terrible snowstorm and see what such difficulties Southtowns' town supervisors and town highway superintendents had with the on-line county system set up to record requests for assistance in disasters. Some of these folks do not like computers, which came out in the Buffalo News following the storm, while others just did not go downtown to learn the system in the first place. Some were said to not even pick up a telephone because they were opposed to county help yet they whined after it was all over, blaming the county for their own shortcomings.

Then there was, years ago, the then-county executive Chris Collins and (sadly ) then-legislator Dino Fudoli-supported short-sighted county policy that shuttered the "Vector Control Office" that not only baits with larvicide to kill West Nile-carrying mosquitos and target other rodents like rats, but does education as well. Mr. Collins wanted the County out of this "non-mandated" business and let the towns fend for themselves.

Just think of the cost for each and every town to open their own vector office or contract out for these important services.

Naturally, the ensuring increased cases of West Nile in people and an explosion of rats in suburban communities led Democrats (see Mark Poloncarz and Terry McCracken) to reopen this important County service.

Perhaps you are onto something with regard to dog bite recording, and that should not be too costly, either.

These current county vector control positions, from what I was able to see after a small amount of research, are all Civil Service and not direct appointees (political patronage), so that's cool.