Jamestown Salary Review Commission during its Dec. 5, 2018 meeting.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Salary Review Commission has made a recommendation for salary adjustments for elected officials in the city.

On Wednesday morning the commission met for just over half an hour to discuss and vote on its recommendation for changes to the salaries of the office of mayor and all nine Jamestown city council seats.  It was the second meeting of the commission, with the first taking place last month.

The current annual salary for the office of mayor is $72,000. The annual salary for the nine city council members is $5,000 – with the council president receiving an additional $1000 in pay.

The last time the office of mayor received a salary adjustment was in 2008, while the last time the city council received any salary adjustment was in 1984, more than 30 years ago.

After reviewing what the salary would be if it followed a trajectory of an annual 2 percent increase, the commission voted 5-0 to recommend an increase to the mayor’s annual salary to $85,000 and increasing the council’s annual salary to $10,000, with the council president still receiving an additional $1000. The total increase to the city spending would equal $58,000.

During the discussion, commissioner member Peg Cornell said the salary adjustments are overdue.

“When [this recommendation] is presented to the city council I think we have to talk about the question of equity, because that’s so important. There hasn’t been another employee working in the city of Jamestown that hasn’t received some increase in their salary and I think that’s very important to state, because this is about equity,” Cornell said.

Other commission members pointed out that even with the recommended increase the salary for the mayor’s position would still be in line with other communities of similar size across the state and what they pay their mayor and/or city manager.  And the issue of attracting the best qualified candidates was brought up, with the commission agreeing that a higher salary will bring in a larger pool of potential candidates for the mayor’s office and city council in future years.

The recommendation will now be brought before the city council for its consideration. The council can either act on the recommendation as it is or adjust it. The council also has the option to not take any action at all, in which case the salary would remain unchanged.

If the council were to adjust the salaries, they wouldn’t go into effect until Jan. 1, 2020 – following the 2019 elections that includes the mayoral race in addition to the nine council seats that will also be up for a vote.

The last time commission recommendations were brought forward was in 2014. At that time it suggested the council salary be bumped up to $6,000 per year. It also recommended the mayor’s salary increase to $90,000 over a four-year period.  Once the recommendations were made, the council opted not to change the salaries due to ongoing financial challenges facing the city.

The salary review commission is created every four years in accordance with the city charter to review salaries for elected officials and bring forward a recommendation. Its members are selected by the Mayor and City Council president.

The six city residents serving on the 2018 commission are Cornell, Howard Brook, Tyler Case, Cornell, Dr. Lillian Ney, Rev. Chloe Smith, and Catherine Way. Case was the only commission member absent during Wednesday’s meeting and recommendation vote.

The city charter calls for the creation of a salary review commission every four years to review the salary for mayor and members of the council.

Earlier this year the mayor and city council appointed six city residents to serve on the commission. They are Tyler Case, Peg Cornell, Catherine Way, Howard Brook, Dr. Lillian Ney and Rev. Chloe Smith.

The current salary for the office of mayor is $72,000, which has not been increased since 2008. Since 1984, the annual salary for members of the council is $5,000, with $6,000 being paid to the president.

According to the Post-Journal, no official recommendation was made during yesterday’s meeting, where members primarily reviewed the history of the salaries as well as the previous recommendations that were made four years ago, which the city council did not act on.

The next meeting of the commission will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5.

Any change in salary would have to be acted on by the city council in advance of the 2019 election and wouldn’t go into effect until January 2020.

Jamestown City Councilman and Finance Committee Chair Tony Dolce (second from left) shares details on the Salary Review Commission during the Jamestown City Council voting session on July 30, 2018.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council Monday Night acted on the appointment of all six members of the city’s ad hoc Salary Review Commission.

According to the city charter, the city is required to establish the commission in order to review and make recommendations on the salary for both Mayor and the nine members of the City Council.

The six commission members appointed on Monday are Dr. Lillian Ney, Howard Brook, Chloe Smith, Peg Cornell, Catherine Way, and Tyler Case.

Acting on salary recommendations for elected officials is always a touchy issue, especially when the city is facing major financial challenges, which the city is currently dealing with due to being at its constitutional taxing limit.  That’s why city officials have not acted on any recommendations that have come forward the past 10 years.

Since 1984 the base city council salaries have been at $5,000, while council president’s salary is $6,000. Meanwhile the salary for the mayor is currently $72,000. The last time that was increased was at the start of 2008.

The last time commission recommendations were brought forward was in 2014. At that time it suggested the council salary be bumped up to $6,000 per year. It also recommended the mayor’s salary increase to $90,000 over a four-year period.  Once the recommendations were made, the council opted not to change the salaries due to ongoing financial challenges facing the city.

Any recommendations that come from the current commission will be reviewed by the city council and if officials chose to adjust salaries the changes would not take place until a new city council and mayoral term begins, which would be in the year 2020.

The council has until early 2019 to receive the recommendations and act on any salary increase.

In other news, the city council also approved the appointment John LaMancuso to be a member of the city Planning Commission and Dr. Ney to be reappointed to the Jamestown Community College Board of Trustees.

JAMESTOWN – Local residents will now have an opportunity to learn more about Robert H. Jackson’s life while living in Jamestown thanks to a new exhibit at the Jackson Center. Starting tonight, a new exhibit entitled  “Jackson & Jamestown: 1909-1934” will be on display for the public. To celebrate the debut of the exhibit, an open house is planned from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served and there is no fee or reservation required to attend.

According to Jackson Center archivist Jennifer Champ, the exhibit will featuring stories, photographs and artifacts from a bustling era in Jamestown’s history – with Jackson – who was then a local attorney – serving as the centerpiece. Champ adds that a corresponding online exhibit will also be available.

The exhibit was supported by the generosity of RHJC board member Bruce Janowsky, and through collaborations with the Fenton History Center archives, Helen Ebersole, Jamestown High School, the Jamestown Lodge of Elks No 263, and the James Prendergast Library.

The exhibit will remain available for viewing up to Memorial Day, 2012. For more information, contact the Robert H. Jackson Center at (716) 483-6646.

We will hear more details on the exhibit from Jennifer Champ later today at 6 p.m. during our weekly Community Matters program right here on WRFA.

PRENDERGAST LIBRARY, CHAUT-CATT LIBRARY SYSTEM NAMES NEW DIRECTOR

JAMESTOWN – The James Prendergast Library and the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System will have a new director starting later this month. Linda Mielke of Oroville, CA will replace the outgoing director Catherine Way effective Monday, Nov. 14. Way announced earlier this year that she would be retiring from the position this month.

Mielke grew up in Detroit, where she began her career at the Detroit Public Library after earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in library science from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Since 2009, Ms. Mielke has served as director of libraries for Butte County Library, a Northern California public library system. She has also held key library positions in Florida, Maryland, Indiana, Texas, Oregon, Illinois, and Nevada.

As one of 23 public library systems in New York, the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Library System provides services such as ordering and processing to 36 members in the two local counties, including Prendergast Library in Jamestown and the Olean Public Library.

In making the announcement, Library System Board President Mary Bivens said they look forward to working with Linda and upholding the high level of service for which the Library System has come to be known.

HARMONY MAN CHARGED WITH DISORDERLY CONDUCT

HARMONY – A Town of Harmony man faces several charges after being arrested overnight on Button Valley Rd. Sheriff Deputies say 55 year-old Randall Lawergren of 57-77 Button Valley Rd. was charged with Disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, resisting arrest and criminal tampering following an incident that took place just after midnight in front of his residence.

Deputies responded to a report that Lawergren was allegedly acting loud and disorderly and upon arrival he was found in the roadway, playing loud music while yelling and swearing. Police say Lawergren then smashed a portable radio and a beer can on the hood of a sheriff’s car, causing damage and also resisted arrest. He was sent to the county jail with no bail and while being transported to the jail, deputies say Lawergren began spitting and kicking the windows in the patrol car. He will appear in Town of Harmony court on a later date to answer to his charges.

MAN CHARGED AFTER CAR-PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT INVOLVING TEEN DRIVER

FORESTVILLE – A Forestville man faces a child endangerment and other charges following an incident that took place Halloween night in the village. Sheriff Deputies say 27 year-old Jonathan Thompson is accused of allowing a 15 year-old to drive his vehicle from one location to another in the village. While driving the vehicle, the teenager lost control and struck a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk for trick-or-treating activities. The unidentified pedestrian was then taken to Lake Shore for treatment of injuries.  Thompson was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment  and permitting unlicensed operation. He will appear in the Town of Hanover Court at a later date and time.

PEEK’N PEAK RECEIVES TAX BREAK FROM COUNTY IDA

MAYVILLE – The new owners of Peek’n Peak Resort & Spa are in the process of planning a $4 million renovation project. That’s according to a report in today’s Jamestown Post-Journal, which says the County Industrial Development Agency passed two resolutions yesterday to assist with the project.

The action by the IDA will allow Scott Enterprises – the new owners of Peek’n Peak – to do a tax lease agreement, which will eliminate the sales tax on renovation materials and new equipment and help with mortgage tax costs. According to IDA executive Director Bill Daly, the incentives will lead to a ”couple of hundred thousand” in savings for Scott Enterprises.

The $4 million renovation project will include renovating the resort’s hotel with a new phone system and new reservation system. Also, the project will include buying new equipment like snow trail groomers and trucks for maintenance work at the facility.

CELORON TO HOST COMMUNITY MEETING ON WATERFRONT PLAN

CELORON – The Village of Celoron is sponsoring a public meeting tonight for its Waterfront Revitalization Plan. The meeting will take place at  6:30 p.m. in the village’s Community Center at 47 Dunham Avenue.

The Waterfront Revitalization Plan is an opportunity for residents and stakeholders to help shape the future of the community. The plan will develop a revitalization strategy for the future of the Village commercial district, Lucille Ball Memorial Park and the former Celoron Amusement Park site.

Residents and stakeholders are invited to tonight’s meeting to help identify a shared vision for the Village that will guide the redevelopment plan.