HANOVER - The Hanover Town Board decided it did not have enough information to move forward in declaring standardized workdays for employees for the purpose of retirement at its meeting Monday.
The town, in trying to comply with a 2009 state law for reporting retirement hours, is moving forward with determining standardized work hours for its employees enrolled in the retirement system. However, having just instituted recording actual hours worked on Nov. 19, the board was unable to move forward with any decisions.
Budget Officer Elmar Kiefer explained it is important to determine whether a standardized workday is eight, seven or six hours depending on the department. He explained an employee may be at work for eight hours but if they get a one hour unpaid lunch then for the purpose of retirement they only worked seven hours.
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OBSERVER Photo by Nicole Gugino
The Hanover town board tabled the matter of declaring standard workdays for employees due to a lack of information at its meeting Monday. Pictured are Councilman Kenneth Cross, Supervisor Todd Johnson and Councilman Fritz Seegert.
Silver Creek Village Trustee Nick Piccolo tried to explain the recording simply.
"They get credit for retirement for the hours they are paid," he said. "So if they get vacation time they get paid for the eight hours of vacation that day. If they get a paid lunch they get credit for it."
Piccolo said the village's situation is slightly different because it has unionized workers and the town does not but the principle is the same.
Kiefer said the board needs to be careful in setting standardized workdays because if it sets it at eight and the worker normally works seven, then in the long run the worker will lose a significant number of retirement days.
Town Justice Walter Klyczek said employees are looking to the town to see what it is they have to do to get full retirement. He also praised the town's employees for their hard work and dedication to the town.
In the end Supervisor Todd Johnson said the board needs more information before setting the standard work days.
The next town board meeting will be held Dec. 10.
In other business:
Assessor Darlene Fox encouraged seniors (turning 65 before 2013) seeking the Senior STAR exemption to sign up before the March 1 deadline. All exemptions including aged, low-income disability, ag building, business, non-profit and veterans are due March 1. Any questions can be directed to the assessor's office at 934-2552 or by visiting the office in the town hall.
The board approved a contract with New York state for plowing Buffalo Road within the Seneca Nation limits with a compensation of $5,767 or 118 tons of salt.
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