$263,000 for combined job of Commissioner of Public Works, Building Inspector

$263,000 salary for one person to hold two jobs: Commissioner of Public Works/Building Inspector---I think it is impossible to work--asking for weekly info on inspections

Last week the Town Board voted 4-1 to appoint Frank Morabito as Commissioner of Public Works -replacing Rich Fon who is retiring. At last week’s meeting, the Board did not announce the salary. Last night the Board discussed the salary and decided (over my objections) to pay Mr. Morabito $183,000 as Commissioner of Public Works and $80,000 as Building Inspector. Total salary: $263,000. Some of the Board members claim it’s a cost savings -the combined salary is less than what it would have cost to have two separate department heads. I think the decision is irresponsible.

Frank is currently the Building Inspector and has served as Deputy Commissioner of Public Works. He is hard working, creative and smart. The Department of Public Works is the most difficult job in town government. There are daily reports of potholes that must be repaired quickly. Numerous water main breaks that must be repaired. Vehicles/trucks that get damaged. Many millions of dollars in capital projects. Grants that must be applied for. Significant paperwork. The E Hartdale Ave sewer break repair that must be completed. Building maintenance. Drainage issues. Snow removal. How is it possible for anyone to devote a significant amount of time to the Building Department when the Commissioner of Public Works responsibilities require so much attention? I am very worried that either Public Works or the Building Department will experience deterioration of services. I want Frank to succeed—don’t want to blame him for failures in either department. He is being thrown under the bus by the Town Board because they are going to blame him when things go wrong. Or, when services decline.

MY REQUEST FOR WEEKLY UPDATES ON INSPECTIONS IS BEING IGNORED

I am requesting weekly updates on inspections conducted by the Building Department. How many inspections each week? Name of properties inspected. Who conducted the inspections? How long did the inspections take? How long was the waiting period before permits were issued? Despite my requests for information – I have not been able to receive that documentation. I will continue to bring this up. The next meeting of the Town Board is a week from tonight at 7:30 PM. The Board needs this information to determine if the departments are functioning properly. If the Building Inspector is conducting many of the inspections – how much time is not being spent on DPW activities?

The Deputy Building Inspector, Liz Gerrity, is also an excellent public servant. I would like to see her appointed as the first female Building Inspector—which she is very qualified to be appointed to. She has asked the Board to also give her two jobs—Deputy Town Attorney and Deputy Building Inspector. The Town Attorney has so far not acted on that appointment, but he is getting pressure from the Town Board.

GREENBURGH BUILDING DEPT CURRENTLY HAS 3 VACANCIES –ONE INSPECTOR OTHER THAN THE COMISSIONER AND DEPUTY

The Greenburgh Building Department currently has only one full time inspector—years ago the department had six or seven. If the Building Inspector and Deputy take on other responsibilities the department will be very short staffed with only one other person doing all the inspections. The Board authorized the hiring of an electrical inspector recently. It’s impossible for all the inspections that should be done to be completed with inadequate staff. There are currently three vacancies in the Building Department—the vacancies have existed for a few years. Greenburgh has fewer inspectors than smaller communities –and a large territory to cover. I am very concerned. Over the past few years I have asked the Building Department to consider retirees and part timer’s if they can’t find full time replacements.

ETHICS BOARD WILL BE MEETING IN APRIL TO DISCUSS MY COMPLAINTS ABOUT CONFLICTS

I am writing to the Ethics Board asking if there are potential conflicts. The Attorney’s office defends cases against the Building Department. Is there a potential conflict if the deputy building inspector is also deputy town attorney?

The Commissioner of Public Works (DPW) is typically responsible for town infrastructure—roads, drainage, construction projects, etc.

A Building Inspector, on the other hand, enforces codes and signs off on whether construction (including public works projects) meets legal standards. If one person holds both roles, they could end up:

Approving or inspecting their own projects

Feeling pressure to overlook issues to keep projects moving

That undermines independent oversight, which is the whole point of inspections..

Government systems are designed so that:

One office builds or manages projects

Another office checks compliance and safety

Combining them removes that safeguard, which can lead to mistakes—or worse, abuse.

Both jobs are full-time in most municipalities:

DPW: budgeting, crews, infrastructure planning, emergencies (snow, flooding, water, highway,potholes, building maintenance, engineering,drainage)

Building inspector: permits, inspections, code enforcement, complaints

Even the most capable appointees may struggle to do both well.

Your thoughts wanted: E mail townboard@greenburghny.com

PAUL FEINER

Greenburgh Town Supervisor