HANOVER – Outgoing Town Supervisor Todd Johnson did not hold back his frustration at a recent meeting regarding the lack of a contract between the Town of Hanover, the Village of Silver Creek and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department for police protection.
Commenting on the state of contract negotiations at the time of the recent meeting, Johnson said, “I think we can do better. Everybody wants police protection, and here we are, we’re going into the final hour, and we have nothing.
Johnson, who has been a member of the Silver Creek Fire Department for 32 years, was critical of County Legislator Thomas Harmon for not offering support to the council throughout the negotiations.
“I’m a little disappointed in our no-show County Legislator, Mr Harmon, who sits on all these budget and audit and financial control committees. He’s our local representative and I’ve never seen him at any of our council meetings,” said Johnson.
Johnson continued: “First and foremost, he should have a vested interest in the area he represents as a legislator. I’m not looking to make any political points, I’m looking at facts and reality here. He represents us and he has a vested interest in what we pay for police protection, but we never hear any comment. We never hear any rebuttal or any opposition to what we’re paying here, and I’m a little unhappy about that.
Councilman Bernie Feldmann, Jr. said one of the issues in the contract negotiations is a $60,000 raise that the council did not budget for. Feldmann and Supervisor-elect Lou Pelletter had a meeting with the department to ask for consideration of the raise, along with other concerns.
“Hopefully we can come to some kind of consensus here relatively quickly. … Hopefully we won’t have to go into contingency funds to do this, and hopefully we can come to some sort of resolution before our meeting on 11 December. If sooner, we can call a special meeting,” said Johnson.
Also at the recent town board meeting, Supervisor-elect Pelletter voiced his support for the recently approved Silver Creek senior housing project at the former Main Street School site in Silver Creek. A resolution expressing support for the project passed unanimously.
“This is exactly what I have been talking about for the last eight years, what the town of Hanover really needs,” Pelletter said.
The meeting concluded with a round of applause for councillor Wayne Ashley, who is retiring from the council at the end of the year after 20 years of service. He leaves alongside Johnson as supervisor and town clerk Tim Crino.
“I guess there’s three of us up here sailing off into the sunset,” Johnson said, addressing Ashley. “I appreciate everything you’ve done.”