November 21st, 2018
HORNELL, NY – At Monday night’s monthly Common Council meeting a new 5 year contract was approved for Hornell’s Dept. of Public Works employees. According to Mayor John Buckley, the contract will be retro to April 1st, 2018 and continue all the way to March 31st, 2022. Under the negotiated deal, workers will receive a 2% raise in each of the first 4 years with the final year being a 2 ½ % wage increase.
Another resolution passed was to authorize the Mayor to negotiate a formal agreement with the Hornell Partners for Growth organization. In past years, the agreement between the city and HPG was pretty much just a handshake deal, but now a detailed agreement will be put down in writing. The city currently pays HPG with taxes collected from all businesses during the year and a percentage is allocated to them. HPG ‘s primary purpose is to promote businesses located within the city.
Also the city adopted a new optional savings plan for all city employees. The Deferred Compensation Plan (457k plan), similar in structure to a 401k plan, will be run by the state and save over half the administrative costs of the later plan and also relieve the city of all management responsibilities.
Two other resolutions were also passed after the agenda was waved. The city agreed to provide a stipend to retiring Fire Chief Dan Smith when he departs next year. Also an easement was granted to NYSEG to put a new electrical service at the water plant in the city.
And finally Hornell Mayor John Buckley was happy to announce that local voices were heard and the city has dodged a potential $100k additional expense of arraigning all perpetrators at the County Jail in Bath instead of locally.
