OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Arkwright Highway Superintendent Lisa Waldron serves a full-time, elected role with the town at a salary of $55,702.

ARKWRIGHT — With an emphasis on saving taxpayer dollars through reevaluating services countywide, the Town of Arkwright is looking into a way to cut back on the town’s highest salaried position, its Highway Superintendent.

After discussions between Highway Superintendent Lisa Waldron, Supervisor Brian McAvoy, and members of the Town Board, a local law is being drafted to redefine the role of Highway Superintendent. The local law, which is likely to be presented at the Board’s April meeting, would reclassify the role from a full-time, elected position to a part-time, appointed position.

“I think it’s really smart for the town,” McAvoy said.

If the local law is approved by the Town Board, following a public hearing likely held in May, it would then be listed on the ballot in November. If the local law were to pass in the November election, it would take effect following the conclusion of Waldron’s elected term, which comes at the end of 2027. Waldron could choose to resign from the role sooner if she wanted to.

Waldron is open to the idea of the role becoming part-time, and McAvoy stated that the details would be ironed out through negotiations if a local law were to pass in November. Waldron is a resident of the town, as required as an elected official.

“This is in no way, shape or form anything to do with Lisa’s performance in the job. Lisa, I think, has done a great job,” McAvoy said. “She came to us when we needed somebody and has worked really hard to learn the craft.”

If the position is changed to a part-time, appointed role, the Town Board would be tasked with hiring the new Highway Superintendent. One benefit to doing so is the Town Board would not be limited to residents of Arkwright, like the elected position is now. The Town Board feels the role would be much easier to fill with a qualified candidate on a part-time basis than it would be with the current residency requirements.

Waldron currently receives a salary of $55,702 for the role of Highway Superintendent. The Town Board believes that making the role part-time would save the Town quite a bit of money, while also allowing for the ability to redefine the duties of the job to more accurately describe what is required. The increased flexibility of a part-time role would also make it easier for the town to pursue shared service agreements for the role, if an opportunity were to arise, while also allowing for more freedom of the Highway Superintendent than there is currently.

“All towns are being challenged to think about efficiency and where we can save a little bit,” McAvoy said. “The Highway Superintendent job is the only full-time administrative job in all of Arkwright. … The structure of the job probably is a little bit dated. I think we have an opportunity now to change it to be more efficient, save the town some money, and still get everything done that we need to get done.”

McAvoy stressed that the duties of the Highway Department would not change, and residents would still receive the same services they pay for now.