AUBURN - Students from area high schools got a chance to see their local government in action Tuesday morning at the monthly Cayuga County Legislature meeting.
More than a dozen seniors from Auburn High School, Cato-Meridian High School, Port Byron High School, Southern Cayuga High School, Moravia High School and Tyburn Academy attended the meeting, where they witnessed legislators discussing topics such as an increase in salaries for the assistant district attorneys as well as the impact of the financial crunch on the 2009 county budget. They also got a chance to participate.
Liz Mahoney, of Auburn High School, acted as the Chairman of the Legislature and was responsible for calling on the other legislators during discussion and asking them to vote on the resolutions. Katie Deluca, also of Auburn High School, was assigned as Clerk of the Legislature, where she read appointments and re-appointments as well as proclamations.
The Legislature voted in favor of reducing a salary of the vacant assistant district attorney position and adjusting the remaining assistant district attorneys salaries with the money taken away from the vacant position. The resolution passed 11-3, with Patrick Mahunik, George Fearon and Francis Mitchell dissenting.
“The world, our nation and our state are at very difficult economic times. I don't support this at this time,” said Fearon, R-Springport. “We need to be conservative.”
With this new resolution in place, the unfilled position's salary will be reduced by $14,800, from $60,000 to $45,200 effective Jan. 1, 2009. The title will also be changed from an experienced assistant district attorney to an entry-level one. District Attorney Jon Budelmann will be able to adjust his employees salaries and distribute the $14,800 to reflect the additional case loads they have taken on, he said.
“I think a 5 percent increase is not reasonable. I would consider 3 percent. The impact is going to be eventually the fact that these people are taking a step up for not having a sixth ADA. When we get a sixth ADA, what are they going to do?” said Mitchell, R-Genoa.
However, other legislators believe that the redistribution of the money would help the DA's office.
Legislator Michael Chapman, R-Cato, said that although he was initially displeased with this proposal, he researched other counties and believes the salary adjustment will align Cayuga County with comparable counties.
“I think Mr. Budelmann is attempting to adjust salaries for his staff to bring them to the line with counties that are contiguous to ours ... I don't have a problem with that,” Chapman said. “We should be paying at approximately the same scales as other counties to retain employees.”
Legislator David Axton, R-Mentz, described Budelmann's proposal as a way of promoting from within.
“That's an extremely important thing as far as morale, being able to promote from within and identifying hard work from his people. He's worked hard to find somebody at the rate that we were offering for an experienced assistant district attorney,” Axton said.
The redistribution of the money would not affect the 2009 budget, Axton said.
Yet, legislators Mahunik, Fearon and Mitchell believe it will.
“I think it's time we start recognizing the fact we're going to have to be very, very reasonable about salaries. That doesn't include 5 percent increases,” Mitchell said.
He and Mahunik, D-Auburn, do not believe that increasing the salaries of the five current ADAs will solve the problem.
“I don't disagree with the idea that we need to maintain our employees, I just don't think that this resolution accomplishes what it's intended to accomplish,” Mahunik said. “A year, two years from now, we're going to be right here in the same spot ... but we're not going to have that little fund set aside.”
Mitchell's concern is that eventually, the county will have to raise the sixth salary as well, which will impact the taxpayers, he said.
Budelmann's staff has been working for nearly a year without a sixth assistant district attorney, he said at the Ways and Means Committee meeting last week.
“What I'd hate to see is to lose any of the five remaining ADAs because I can't fill one ... and I don't want to endanger the safety of this community by having inexperienced people that can't perform the serious cases,” he said.
Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net
Liz Mahoney, of Auburn High School, acted as the Chairman of the Legislature and was responsible for calling on the other legislators during discussion and asking them to vote on the resolutions. Katie Deluca, also of Auburn High School, was assigned as Clerk of the Legislature, where she read appointments and re-appointments as well as proclamations.
The Legislature voted in favor of reducing a salary of the vacant assistant district attorney position and adjusting the remaining assistant district attorneys salaries with the money taken away from the vacant position. The resolution passed 11-3, with Patrick Mahunik, George Fearon and Francis Mitchell dissenting.
“The world, our nation and our state are at very difficult economic times. I don't support this at this time,” said Fearon, R-Springport. “We need to be conservative.”
With this new resolution in place, the unfilled position's salary will be reduced by $14,800, from $60,000 to $45,200 effective Jan. 1, 2009. The title will also be changed from an experienced assistant district attorney to an entry-level one. District Attorney Jon Budelmann will be able to adjust his employees salaries and distribute the $14,800 to reflect the additional case loads they have taken on, he said.
“I think a 5 percent increase is not reasonable. I would consider 3 percent. The impact is going to be eventually the fact that these people are taking a step up for not having a sixth ADA. When we get a sixth ADA, what are they going to do?” said Mitchell, R-Genoa.
However, other legislators believe that the redistribution of the money would help the DA's office.
Legislator Michael Chapman, R-Cato, said that although he was initially displeased with this proposal, he researched other counties and believes the salary adjustment will align Cayuga County with comparable counties.
“I think Mr. Budelmann is attempting to adjust salaries for his staff to bring them to the line with counties that are contiguous to ours ... I don't have a problem with that,” Chapman said. “We should be paying at approximately the same scales as other counties to retain employees.”
Legislator David Axton, R-Mentz, described Budelmann's proposal as a way of promoting from within.
“That's an extremely important thing as far as morale, being able to promote from within and identifying hard work from his people. He's worked hard to find somebody at the rate that we were offering for an experienced assistant district attorney,” Axton said.
The redistribution of the money would not affect the 2009 budget, Axton said.
Yet, legislators Mahunik, Fearon and Mitchell believe it will.
“I think it's time we start recognizing the fact we're going to have to be very, very reasonable about salaries. That doesn't include 5 percent increases,” Mitchell said.
He and Mahunik, D-Auburn, do not believe that increasing the salaries of the five current ADAs will solve the problem.
“I don't disagree with the idea that we need to maintain our employees, I just don't think that this resolution accomplishes what it's intended to accomplish,” Mahunik said. “A year, two years from now, we're going to be right here in the same spot ... but we're not going to have that little fund set aside.”
Mitchell's concern is that eventually, the county will have to raise the sixth salary as well, which will impact the taxpayers, he said.
Budelmann's staff has been working for nearly a year without a sixth assistant district attorney, he said at the Ways and Means Committee meeting last week.
“What I'd hate to see is to lose any of the five remaining ADAs because I can't fill one ... and I don't want to endanger the safety of this community by having inexperienced people that can't perform the serious cases,” he said.
Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net
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