The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan 

Peru – The Peru Town Board will vote on the 2021 Town Budget at a Special Board Meeting on Monday, November 16th at 6 p.m. The budget projects a 2021 general fund tax rate decrease from $2.33/M this year to $2.2461/M and a highway tax rate decrease from $2.42/M this year to $2.269/M. The water and sewer districts will also see small declines. The budget projects general revenues/expenditures of $1,596,434, a decrease of $31,899 from this year and highway revenues/expenditures at $1,778,777, up $135,365 from this year. 

The Board included several salary increases in the 2021 budget. Councilors cite the supervisor’s outstanding performance, several years when they didn’t take raises, higher counselor salaries in similar-sized towns, and the many ongoing town projects resulting in frequent meetings and important decisions. 

Supervisor Brandy McDonald said, “The Board asked me to leave the room when they discussed my salary. They wanted to have it compared to other towns. They decided it. The Town Board went many years without a raise.”  

Councilor Jim Douglass said, “We looked at the supervisor’s salary. Brandy is working so hard, putting many hours in and working way above the call of duty. Our counselor salaries are low.  We looked at other towns like Beekmantown.* The counselors didn’t take raises in several years (2013,2017,2018,2019). We also have several ongoing projects requiring many, many meetings.” 

Councilor Melvin Irwin said, “The reassessment gave the town more than we expected. We were able to lower the tax rate. I favored an across the board increase. We ended up with a compromise.” 

Councilor Rick Barber said, “We as councilmen have to look at the time we will spend in the next two to three years on major infrastructure projects coming up which are in the millions of taxpayers dollars. I believe the Board knows that once these projects start, we will be in the town hall on these projects daily and probably be called on to make decisions daily. I looked at what Peru has in store in the next few years and knew l would be called on for more and more time. I believe the amount that we voted in as raises is small compared to the time we will have involved in these projects.” 

Councilor Kregg Bruno said he agreed with the words expressed by the other counselors. 

2021 Budgeted Annual Salaries 

Supervisor – $30,000 (18.4% or $4,662 increase from $25,338) 

Councilman – $8,500 (10% or $792.98 increase from $7,706.50)

Town Clerk/Tax Collector $27,918 (6.2% or $1,633 increase from $26,285)

Highway Superintendent – $63,500 (4.5% or $1,784 increase from $60,716)

Water/Sewer Superintendent – $63,500 (3.7% or $2,289.31 increase from $61,210.69)

Board Secretary – $48,000 (6.9% or $3,095 increase from $44,906)

Dog Control Officer – $14,481 (6.2% or $841 increase from $13,640)

Codes/Zoning/Planning Officer $50,897 (4.2% or $2,041 increase from $48,856) 

Codes/Zoning/Planning Typist $20,584 (7% or $666 increase from $9,361)

All other employees are budgeted for a 2.5% increase 

The above does not include social security, medicare, retirement, or health care costs. Councilors are not eligible for health care. 

Story corrected to include the Dog Control Officer and Codes/Zoning/Planning Typist Increases

*Town of Beekmantown 2020 (not 2021) budgeted salaries: Supervisor $21,695**, Town Council $10,226, Town Clerk/Tax Collector $28,745, Town Justice $16,803, Highway Superintendent $65,108. Total General Revenues $1,237,402, Highway Total Revenues $1,392,219. **According to Brandy McDonald, the Beekmantown Town Supervisor’s pay is low because the position was denied a pay raise for eight consecutive years.

Click here to review Budget – 2021 Preliminary Budget