DeVoe Road, Camillus
Given the current economy and budget crises at the state and county levels, which areas of the budget do you feel the town could cut back to alleviate the pressure on taxpayers?
Our highway department is a maintenance organization. We have always stretched our budget to make the best use of it. To address deeper budget constraints, I will extend the life of some of our equipment longer than normal; to try to get the most out of everything we can. We have an excellent mechanical staff, and there is no doubt we can do this. I also will try to ascertain that trucks are used to their legal capacity, using our resources to their full value, and eliminate unnecessary vehicle use.
In what ways do you think the town could consolidate services with villages, neighboring towns or the county to increase efficiency and keep costs down?
Shortly after assuming the Highway Superintendent position, I realized that coordinating work and equipment between government entities could save tax dollars. The Camillus Highway Department has shared work with all the other Town of Camillus departments, including water, parks, police, landfill, and schools. We’ve also had co-operative efforts with the Village of Camillus, Lysander, Geddes, Van Buren and Solvay. We help each other with trucks, equipment and ideas. I plan to continue this policy.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment thus far in your position?
My greatest accomplishment is to have the people of this department work every day as a team. If this were a privately held business we would make a good profit as well as do exceptional work. I think that every employee is proud of their contribution and the jobs that they’ve done. Everyone adds his or her own expertise to each project.
What specific projects or goals are you most interested in completing or pursuing in your next term?
My first goal is to keep the road re-paving on schedule, which is our greatest expense and main concern. I’m pleased with the progress we’ve made on our 5-year road program. Because of budget issues, we are now looking more to preventive maintenance instead of major road restructuring. We also have made excellent progress on drainage and although there are a couple of drainage issues that haven’t been completed, I plan on finishing these in the coming year. We must also continue with regular town maintenance of all projects: brush, drainage, signs, sweeping and all the housekeeping we do, in addition to winter road maintenance-sanding and snow removal. With the help of our community, I will do all that I can with what I am given to work with, and will continue to be forward thinking. I will strive to keep the Town of Camillus a model community and will keep doing the job with fiscal responsibility.
