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A debate over salary hikes and who should get them broke out at Town Hall during last week's budget hearing. TOM GOGOLA
Jay Schneiderman’s view was pretty much that since almost everyone in town government wanted a raise this year, and probably deserved one — that nobody should be getting one.
The Southampton Town supervisor met with his fellow Town Board members on November 16 at a special meeting at Town Hall at which they approved this year’s capital budget and the $122 million operating budget, but with a few amendments, including two resolutions that requested raises for two town employees.
The operating budget aims to collect $77,986,590 of the total $122,109,537 spending plan in property taxes, with the remainder largely offset by $39,483,885 in expected revenues. The budget also sets a tax rate at $1.3905 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, a 1.04 percent increase. That rate is below New York State’s cap on tax levy increases. The property tax increase will translate to a tax bill increase of $14.30 for a home valued at $1 million.
Paula Godfrey is a legislative aide assigned to work with the Town Board. According to town documents, she makes $76,000 annually, and a board resolution asked that she get a $4,000 raise, along with a benefits bump valued at around $900.
The deputy superintendent of highways position, currently occupied by Marc Braeger, was also put in for a $3,022 raise to bring his salary to $90,000, according to the resolution requesting the raise that was offered by Councilman Rick Martel.
He supported the raise for Braeger, said Martel, after seeing him at work and said he was richly deserving of the hike. “He’s always on site,” said Martel. “He’s well worth the investment.”
In a follow-up email, Martel described Braeger as “a hands-on, essential part of our Highway Department. He handles our constituents in the field, face to face, and is on site for all programs, including any and all ‘cone’ projects. He does not get overtime but spends between 50 to 60 hours a week on the job.
“The requested $5,022 would have brought him to $92,000,” which Martel said was “the equivalent of others in an appointed position as a department assistant. Due to the budget constraints, we compromised to a yearly salary of $90,000 for that position. He is an invaluable piece of our Highway Department and has gone well above his job description every day.”
During the budget meeting, Martel signaled an irony of a town whose public posture has been to rail against the high cost of living for middle-class community members in the Town of Southampton — while pushing back against raises that would assist in mitigating that very problem.
“We’re not doing enough for people in the middle brackets as far as livable wages,” Martel said, “and this is how we can start.”
Martel also noted that town employees are putting themselves on the list for Southampton’s housing lottery for affordable housing, signaling an income and housing affordability gap on the South Fork that has led to employee retention problems at local businesses, schools and at Town Hall.
Town Councilwoman Cynthia McNamara highlighted her solid working relationship with Godfrey and that she had stepped in to do the work of two people, or more, earlier this year and ought to be rewarded beyond just getting a raise two years ago, when she was already going above and beyond the demands of her job portfolio.
Schneiderman said that 2023’s inflationary economy, and other factors, meant he couldn’t give raises and stay within the New York State-mandated tax cap — even if they were deserved. “We can’t just pick one person,” said Schneiderman, “when so many people across so many departments asked for salary hikes.”
Councilman John Bouvier said the decision to give the raise to Godfrey or vote against it made him “very uncomfortable to be put in this position,” but he ultimately voted with the two Republican board members to approve her pay hike, as he also noted that Godfrey “is doing the job of two and a half people,” owing to the departure of another legislative aide earlier this year who has not been replaced.
Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni reminded the board that “help could have been brought in” to assist Godfrey earlier this year, but a decision was made to hold off on any new hire until after the election. Martel and McNamara both noted that the Town Board had passed on the opportunity to provide a stipend to Godfrey in recognition of her contributions earlier this year, too.
McNamara explained the backstory in an email after the meeting. The council office, she said, has as many as three legislative aides at any given time. Godfrey was assigned to McNamara and Bouvier. “With two Republicans in the office once I was elected, Councilman Martel and I could have brought in our own aide,” said McNamara, “but I chose to work with Ms. Godfrey.”
Godfrey became the only legislative aide earlier this year, “and, due to the upcoming election, offered to run the entire office rather than bring in a new person — two were recommended, and the board didn’t agree on either — that she knew might ultimately find themselves unemployed due to a change in the political makeup of the board,” McNamara said.
Through the year, Godfrey handled the correspondence and schedules of the four council members, “as well as any special projects or legislation we were working on, and has done so in a confidential, nonpartisan manner,“ McNamara said. “Not an easy feat, especially if you take into account that in addition to being the go-to for constituent questions [and] concerns for the entire township, our office handles requests from every town department head, as well as 10 citizen advisory committees, and dozens of appointed boards and advisory committees. I felt it was important for the current board to recognize the work that Ms. Godfrey has done on our behalf especially this past year.”
In remarks made during the budget vote, Schneiderman said that he too was in an awkward spot, given that numerous people, including his own three full-time staffers, were deserving of raises: “There are so many worthy individuals who deserve raises and we’re picking one.”
McNamara encouraged Schneiderman to “just vote no” if he felt that strongly about pushing back against the Godfrey ask. And Bouvier noted that none of Schneiderman’s staffers were doing the work of more than two people.
Bouvier voted with Martel and McNamara to approve the raise for Godfrey while Schneiderman and Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni voted no.
“I was sad that a person who has been so gracious and nonpartisan had to watch what should have been a unanimous — at least from the council members she served — affirmation of her hard work turn into political grandstanding. She didn’t deserve that,” McNamara said of the 3-2 vote.
The board went on to vote 5-0 in support of the raise for Braeger, who was in attendance during the budget vote meeting.
The board also signed off on other budget amendments that added tens of thousands of dollars to town programs devoted to enhancing sidewalks and improving drainage at scores of culverts in town.
