2008 State of the Town of Hamburg

Presented by:          Supervisor Steven J. Walters

                              January 24, 2008

  I would like to thank the Chamber of Commerce for once again hosting this event, especially Chamber President Betty Newell and her staff.  Thank you for all the hard work you put into organizing this event.

It is hard to believe that this already is my third State of the Town Address.  A lot of things have happened between that first State of the Town Address and today:  new faces, new  ideas, new policies and new ways of doing business.  Some reforms have been accomplished; others continue to be in the works.  Last year I started this speech by saying there was reason to begin the year with optimism, optimism we would begin to see real and substantial reform with Town government.  I believe we have begun this path of reform and as a result, I can declare with confidence that the State of the Town is good.

Make no mistake, there is still much work to do.  I am here to tell you that your town government is up to the task. Last year, I presented a bold vision for the town.  I presented a direction I felt the town needed to go in.  Some ideas were welcomed, others were not.  Some people felt it was too ambitious, too much like a wish list.  I say think big and you will accomplish much, think small and accomplish little.  We must continue to think big.

Last year, I thanked the town board for its work in the sewer merger, but implored the board to continue the work in eliminating the small, inefficient sewer districts throughout the town.  I am happy to report that as of January 1^st, the town was officially out of the sewer business.  So I again thank the board for its work on this project. 

I also spoke of similarly merging the town’s water districts.  Although today I cannot say that task is complete, I am able to report that the town continues to move in the direction of consolidation.  Water and sewer:  not glamorous, but two examples that prove we can and are getting the job done.

I am also happy to report that the long process to merge the Village of Hamburg and the Village of Blasdell’s building inspection departments with the town’s building inspection department has been accomplished.  This reform, more than any other, demonstrates the ability of many levels of government working together to accomplish.

This measure took over a year and a half of hard work to get done but on November 1, 2007, it became official.  I am proud to say this is the first time in New York State that this particular arrangement has taken place.  But it would never have succeeded without the hard work of Senator William Stachowski and his staff, the hard work of Assemblyman Jack Quinn and his staff, the hard work of  Mayor Tom Moses and Mayor Ernie Jewett and their respective boards and staff, and of course the town officials, most notably Kurt Allen.  To all of you I say thank you. 

I have said before and I will say again, it is nice to talk about consolidations and mergers, it is better to see them get done.  

The past year also saw several internal changes in town government.  The most notable was the move to a single health carrier.  This represents a tremendous financial benefit to the town and is the result of the hard work of both town officials and the unions. 

Another change occurred in our finance department.  Last year I mentioned that with several retirements in that department, we had an opportunity to try something different.  I am pleased to report that we have done just that.  In April, we welcomed the firm of Drescher and Malecki to the town to manage the department and we are already seeing benefits.  Our finance department is running more efficiently and at a lower cost.  The staff of the department has proven they are more than up to the challenges that come with changes, particularly Mary Dosch, who is embracing her new role as office manager.

We have also consolidated the town’s accounts into one bank in an effort to improve our account management efficiency.  As part of this consolidation, our Town Clerk was able to work out an arrangement wherein our residents can make tax payments at local M&T branches.  The town clerk also has working on other ways to make it easier to do business with the Clerk’s office, including the use of online tax payments. 

An online system is in the works at the Recreation Department as well.  This system will ultimately allow residents to both register and pay for any of the many programs the recreation department offers.

The Recreation Department had a banner year, a trend we hope to continue.  The department was able to secure numerous grants, including a grant that allowed the town to upgrade several neighborhood parks, and has again received many awards for the town’s recreation programs, including a top five ranking nationwide with our “Hook a Kid on Golf” program.  The Recreation Department started four new programs this year, grew our many existing programs, and improved several facilities throughout town.  And after a one year absence, I made it a priority to return funding to the town’s summer playground program. The town must continue to be committed to providing top recreation programs in Hamburg. 

2007 also brought new faces to the town.  We said goodbye to three Councilmen, and hello to two.  I am very excited about the opportunity to work with Kevin Smardz and Tom Best, who will also serve as Deputy Supervisor.  Both bring new perspectives and new ideas, which will only serve to help improve Town Government.

The town’s Legal Department underwent a near complete change.  New to the town this year is Town Attorney Ken Farrell, Deputy Town Attorney Brian Doyle, and Prosecutor Carl Morgan.  Not even a month and I can already tell it is going to be a pleasure working with such a dedicated and professional team. 

We also welcomed a new Police Chief, Carmen Kesner.  Carmen’s impact was seen almost immediately, as the top administration was realigned allowing for a reduction in the top brass of the department.  In doing so, Michael Williams and Jon Conlon were named Assistant Chiefs. 

Over the past six months, I have been working closely with these men to come up with ways that the department can be more proactive in keeping the town safe.  Among the innovative initiatives accomplished by the department have been the acquisition of a license plate scanner, assigning a Detective to the DEA municipal task force and creation of a Citizen’s Police Academy to help create increased community involvement and support.  The Student Resource Officer program, now in its second year with Frontier has been a great success and we look forward to continuing the program.  We are also looking at ways to make better use of some of the technology available to us. 

The most interesting aspect of the Department in regards to improving its efficiencies is that I am finding a lot of the ideas are not just coming from the top.  All levels of the department are looking for ways to improve the functions of the departments and all ideas are being welcomed by our new chiefs.  We have a lot of smart people working for the town and it would be foolish to not listen simply because they are not administration.  I applaud Chief Kesner for taking this step.

As we begin 2008, I will continue to make public safety a priority in the town.  The 2008 budget increased appropriations to improve and enhance our Emergency Services and Public Safety Dispatch operations.  These are two programs that must be completed this year.  The safety of our residents demands no less.  In this regard, I would like to recognize Tom Partridge and Glenn Zawierucha, the Town’s two Emergency Services Coordinators, for taking on such a daunting task of revamping our emergency plan with such enthusiasm and dedication.  

 We also sadly bid our last farewells to three town employees this past year:  Donny Thiry, a long time recreation employee who served a great inspiration to many of us, Judy Neiman, our Domestic Violence Advocate, and Police Officer David Coffey.  I also unfortunately learned Tuesday that Bob Newell, Hamburg Volunteer Firefighter and de facto NIMS trainer for the town, died suddenly this week.  They will all be missed. 

To be sure, 2007 had its ups and downs, but I assure you that there were more ups this year.

The Days Inn at the Leisure land Complex is down.  The redevelopment of that site is well under way.  The redevelopment of the Briarwood Plaza continues and is on schedule.  The re-use of the former Myers RV location on Camp road has occurred.  Great Lakes Concrete has taken over the former Reiffler Concrete plant.  The McKinley Mall is continuing its facelift.  And yes, the windmills are still moving forward.  Businesses like what they see in Hamburg and they are coming.

As part of the Code Enforcement Merger I mentioned earlier, the town is moving its Planning Department into that same space so we will have a true Building Department.  This will make it even easier to do business in Hamburg.  We must recognize that the businessman is the backbone of this economy and that government must do everything it can to welcome investment, not put up road blocks to stop it.

I am again optimistic this new year will bring new changes to better the town.  I have mentioned a few.  Earlier this month, I requested a review of our Time Management Systems to determine how we can better manage our employees and their time.  I have also requested a complete review of the town’s Insurance Program.  Both already show promise of significant benefits.

During the last budget process we put into place an aggressive program to reduce the town’s debt.  We should not straddle our children with our obligations.  With this program in place, we will not.

The town is looking at ways we can work more cooperatively with the schools, the villages, and neighboring towns and yes, even the county.  For example, the town recently agreed to work with Frontier and Blasdell to look at a shared transportation complex.  A “go-it-alone” attitude will not benefit our community and it thrills me to see that the other leaders in our town agree.

The new Superintendent of Frontier, Ron DeCarli has not been in the position long, but I can already say we have a tremendous working relationship.   In as Superintendent with even less time is Mark Crawford of the Hamburg School District, who I look forward to forging an equally good relationship.  To both Superintendents, I bid you welcome.  And while I am welcoming new school administrators, I would be remiss to not mention Hilbert College’s new President, Cynthia Zane. 

Indeed, 2007 was a good year.  The town tax rate went down.  Let me say that again, the town tax rate went down.  For years the trend has been slight increases.  I hope to start  a trend; that the 2008 budget will be the first of many tax decreases.

So as we move forward this year, as winter becomes spring and spring turns to summer then fall, I challenge all of you to think big.  I implore all of you to look beyond were we are as a community and instead see what we should be; what we can be.  It is being able to see our true potential that allows us to achieve our true potential.  Do not be dissuaded by others when they tell you that ask or dream the impossible.  They are the one who will fail. 

I tell you this, our best days are not behind us.  We can and will turn this area around – it has already begun.  I caution everyone, though, it will not always be easy.  There will be bumps along the way, there will be those who play on emotion to prevent reform.  We cannot let those naysayers stop us.  We will move forward.

 

Last year I stated that the time for talk has passed, that it was time for action.  Hamburg acted and we have seen the benefits of that action.  Now we will and must continue to act, continue to move forward, continue to create a community that we can be proud of and that will provide opportunity to not just our generation but generations to come. 

God Bless all of you, God Bless Hamburg and God Bless America.