Highway superintendent makes plea for paving

By NEAL RENTZ

To fix a long list of deteriorating roads, the town can pony up now or pay more later.

That appeared to be the message from Highway Superintendent John Winter on Oct. 14 as he called on the Town Board to provide significant additional funding for road paving.

The meeting was the first in which the board heard requests from the town’s department heads for the 2027 budget.

“I need funds to take care of the town’s roads,” Winter told the board. “It’s time to properly fund the investment of maintaining our town’s infrastructure after years of neglect.”

His department receives comments from town residents about road conditions, Winter said. “Many people lecture us about how they pay a lot in taxes and want to see better roads,” he said. “I couldn’t agree more.” 

Winter added that 75% of local taxes go to fund schools.

Winter said the town needs to preserve its roads.

“It’s cheaper to keep the good roads good,” he said. 

Winter said there are 30 miles of road in town in poor condition, 11 miles in a failed condition, 14 miles in excellent condition, 13.8 miles in good condition, and 28 miles in fair condition.

“The longer you wait on a road, the more expensive it is” to fix, Winter said. 

This year’s paving budget is $600,000, Winter said.

Councilwoman Julia Hadlock asked what it would cost to do a one-time capital investment to take care of the worst roads. By borrowing, there would be an annual cost to repay the bond, and money from the annual town budget could be used to maintain the other roads, she said. Winter said Scarsdale did what Hadlock suggested; Scarsdale spent $5 million a year for five years on road maintenance, Winter said.

The town spent $1.2 million on fixing roads two years ago, Supervisor Tony Gonçalves said.

Winter also said he was not seeking additional staffing next year but would need more employees in the future.

Winter said he wanted to create a capital equipment fund “to replace our aging fleet.” 

The fund would allow him to plan for capital purchases in the future without the need for bonding, Winter said. If he knows that a new vehicle will be needed in a year or two, he will not purchase other vehicles and have enough funds to make a needed purchase, Winter said.

Most of the spending increases he is asking for are due to increased costs which he has no control over, Winter said. 

Also addressing the board this week was Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Nicole Caviola.

Her department is seeking alternative locations for its indoor programs, including Katonah-Lewisboro School District facilities other than the former Lewisboro Elementary School, which are no longer available.

Caviola said she is asking the Town Board to hire an additional groundskeeper and, through a transfer from the town’s Maintenance Department, a grasscutter employee who would work on all town’s parks. Doing so would make it easier for her department’s workers to do athletic field lining, Caviola said.

Councilwoman Mary Shah asked Caviola if the town could offer adult programs at times other than weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Caviola said her department provides an adult yoga program on Wednesday evenings. “I can work on it for you,” Caviola said. 

Councilman Richard Sklarin asked if there are adult programs offered by the town on the weekend. Caviola said pickleball can be played by residents at town facilities until the temperature becomes too cold.

Employee health insurance 

The board voted unanimously to approve a Memorandum of Agreement with the union representing the Highway and Maintenance department employees. The pact includes a larger employee contribution to health insurance, a move the Town Board is considering using for the town’s nonunion elected officials in an effort to cut costs.

The contract with Local 456 of the Teamsters Union will run through Dec. 31, 2030. Local 456 consists of 14 Highway Department employees and eight Maintenance Department workers. The salary increases included in the agreement are: 3.5% for 2027 and 2028 and 3.25% for 2029 and 2030.

Prior to the MOA with the union, 15% of the healthcare premiums were paid by union members with a cap of $2,000 per year, Gonçalves  said. The contract will raise the caps. 

Gonçalves said the proposed changes in the health insurance contributions are also being considered by the Town Board as part of revisions being considered in the town employee handbook.

“Health insurance annual premiums cost the town about $19,000 for single coverage and $44,000 for family coverage, per employee,” Gonçalves said.

Part-time paid employees are not eligible to participate in the town’s health insurance program.

The new agreement with Local 456 has changed how much the union’s employees will pay going forward, Gonçalves said. Members of the union who are on a single person insurance plan will now pay 15% of their premiums until retirement with a cap of $3,000 for all four years of the contract. Members on the family plan will pay 15% of their premiums but will have a premium cap of $3,000 for the first year of the contract; a $3,500 cap in the second year of the contract; a $4,000 cap in the third year of the contract and a $4,500 cap in the fourth year of the contract.Town Board members who take town health insurance contribute 15% of their premium, capped at $2,000 per year. The proposed change being considered by the Town Board is for part-time elected officials including the Town Board to pay the entire cost of their health insurance premiums with no cap, which is done in Bedford, Gonçalves said. Other local municipalities charge elected part-time employees to pay between 25% and 35% of their premiums with no caps, he said. 

At this week’s meeting, Gonçalves said, “We have a continued rise” in health insurance costs. 

Sklarin expressed concern about the proposal for part-time elected officials such as Town Board members. With the proposed changes in health insurance, if a part-time elected official chose to take the town’s health insurance coverage, “taking the compensation to less than zero,” he said. The proposal would cost him money even with the stipend for a Town Board member, Sklarin said. 

Hadlock asked if the insurance was attracting people to run for part-time elected official positions. She said one possibility could be to treat family coverage differently from individual health insurance plans. “Commitment to serve” could be discouraged by the health insurance changes, she said.The board did not vote on making changes to the employee handbook, which in addition to health insurance has proposed changes regarding flexible work time and employee holidays.