CHAMPLAIN — Property owners in the Town of Champlain could see less than a 1-percent increase in the tax levy if the 2010 budget passes.

The proposed levy, which is the amount to be raised by taxes, is $597,552 — up $3,836 from 2009.

Town taxpayers outside the two villages of Champlain and Rouses Point could see a 5-percent drop in their tax rate, decreasing from $2.19 per $1,000 of assessed property to $2.09. Village taxpayers would pay $1.07, the same rate they pay now.

The total proposed budget is $1,959,768, up $97,873 or 5 percent.

The average home assessment is $115,700. The total for tax-exempt land is $83,670,541.

CAREFUL SPENDING
"We've been very conservative in our spending," said Town Supervisor Larry Barcomb. "(We are) down what we had budgeted the year before.

"Our fund balance was greater. We had no unexpected purchases. Sales taxes were as good (and even) better than anticipated. That's always a guess-timate."

Barcomb said they anticipate doing two miles of paving next year but added that's always a guess based on blacktop costs, which they won't know until March.

Health insurance is also up 14 percent for the Teamsters union. Non-union members can buy into that plan, but it's not cheap, Barcomb said.

SALARIES
Town employees and justices would see a 3.5-percent pay increase.

Highway Superintendent Allen Racine would receive a 5-percent raise.

Michael Tetreault Jr., the building code inspector and zoning officer, would receive an additional $2,250 on top of that, increasing his salary about 9 percent from $39,914.

That raise is in response to Tetreault's request to be paid additional salary for attending Town Council, village-board and planning-board meetings. Barcomb said that totals about eight or nine meetings per month.

He was originally given compensation time for the overtime worked, as a salaried employee.

Barcomb equates that to about 130 hours a year, or roughly 15 additional days off.

"We're losing him on those days."

Tetreault said he originally asked for a raise of about $4,500 to bring his salary to $45,000.

During the budget workshops, Barcomb said, the Town Council decided on $2,250, which would bring Tetreault's salary to about $43,500. If the budget passes, Tetreault would no longer be granted compensation time.

"It's not a secret," Barcomb said. "It's part of the budget."

The total budget for Tetreault's salary is about $56,000, Barcomb said. That includes insurance, town-provided car and expenses, cell phone and training courses.

The Town of Champlain pays 50 percent of his salary, while the Village of Rouses Point puts in 40 percent and the Village of Champlain, 10 percent. That's based on the amount of assessed property value in the township.

A May 6, 2009, agreement signed by Barcomb and Rouses Point Mayor George Rivers acknowledges that the village "will not be responsible for any overtime pay to Mr. Tetreault. The village will not be responsible, now or in the future, for payment of any compensatory time for Mr. Tetreault, nor any other costs incurred by Mr. Tetreault's employment."

Tetreault said that in the past three to four years he's had between 100 and 135 hours of overtime each year, which needed to be compensated.

"My reason (for asking for a raise) was I was being compensated with comp time for all my extra hours. It accumulates to where I can't do my job effectively."

COST QUESTIONED
But longtime Champlain resident Joan Duquette said she doesn't feel this is being handled the right way.

"The 9-percent raise is ridiculous."

She argues that the money used for his raise could go toward other things.

"I don't think there's enough people that know what's going on," Duquette continued. "These things are being done, but no one dares to look into it."

She said that when she was on the Town of Champlain Planning Board, her time was volunteered. She thinks these meetings should be part of Tetreault's original salaried position within the township.

"I think that more people should be interested enough to go (to the meetings) to find out what we're paying for. They've just got to open their eyes and open their mouths.

"(Tetreault) is taking advantage of the situation, and it's not right."

Tetreault said there's never a good time to ask for a raise but added that he was required to go to all meetings and was obligated to "hang around" between sessions.

"Unless they decide I don't have to be there, I intend on being there. That's what's been required of me in the past.

"(The raise) was decided by the town board, and that's where I'm going to leave it."

"We did what we did," Barcomb said. "We did what we thought was right. It was the consensus of the full board. We adjusted his salary for a reason."

E-mail Michelle Besaw:
mbesaw@pressrepublican.com