I attended both meetings where public input was permitted with respect to the merger and did speak both times expressing the opinion that a merger is not necessary. What is necessary is better communication inside Town Hall and better oversight by those in charge. I requested a copy of the \"study\" that was completed but have never seen it. My understanding is that the original study completed by Mr. Giorgio back in 2009 was \"updated\" at some point to include specifics on where the savings would come from. To this date no committee person has publicly said where the savings is coming from.
Is it in "anticipated savings on overtime"?
Is it in anticipated savings due to not hiring additional staff to replace those who have left?
If those are the cases, why not state it?
And really, given our current financial climate would the town actually hire additional staff when other towns are cutting staff?
If you want to merge these workers, why not take away maintaining the Board of education properties as well and lump it all together?
There can be one "super department\" taking care of township grounds. I don't really suggest this) Someone (I believe it may have been Gabriel) asked a question regarding the change of positions of Mr. Ferramosca and Mr. Sheridan with respect to this topic.
Last year, Mr. Ferramosca stood up at the meeting discussing the merger and spoke out against it. In fairness to Mr. Ferramosca, he did say he did not have access to the study and once he became a committeeman he did and that helped change his mind. Well, once again, we the citizens who are represented by the elected officials do not have access to the information they have and so we go on what we know.
What I know is our parks and recreational fields are always well maintained and safe for all of our children. What I know is our public works people do an excellant job in the winter with snow and ice and leaf pickup in fall. They maintain our roads and pick up our sanitation, so where is the disconnect?
Can we have more staff picking up leaves when we only have a certain amount of machinery to work with?
Can we have more staff plowing snow than we already have?
Do we need another person on the garbage trucks?
Frankly, I do not see the need for this merger and do not support it. I believe morale in both departments has already suffered as the effectiveness of both staffs is called into question, even if it is subliminally. I have spoke out against this merger in public (at TC meetings) as well as privately to specific committee persons, but it is obvious a select group wishes this to happen and it does not matter what the public cares for in this. I hope the decision is the correct one and that I am one of those "eating their words" down the road.
