With all due respect to the Town Clerk...

...she did get a $5,000 raise to take on the additional duties of the tax collector position...

AND

...the following resolution allowing full-time hours for a part-time worker in the town clerk's office during tax season was unanimously adopted by the town board at the January 11, 2012 town board meeting:

Town Clerk’s Office – change in employee status

Supervisor Tyksinski explained the need for a temporary change in an existing Part-time Clerk status to allow the employee to work more than 17.5 hours weekly during the 2012 Town and County tax collection period. Councilman Reynolds introduced the following Resolution for adoption; seconded by Councilman Woodland:

(RESOLUTION NO. 14 OF 2012)
RESOLVED that, in accordance with rules and regulations of the Oneida County Personnel Department, the New Hartford Town Board does hereby approve the temporary title change for Shelby Bohling, a Part-time Clerk in the Town Clerk’s Office, to that of full-time Laborer retroactive to January 3, 2012 and which temporary title change would allow Ms. Bohling to work up to 35 hours per week during the 2012 Town and County tax collection period, after which Ms. Bohling’s title will revert to Part-time Clerk. No benefits will be offered during this temporary full-time Laborer designation.

The Town Board then voted upon roll call:

Councilman Miscione - Aye
Councilman Woodland - Aye
Councilman Backman - Aye
Councilman Reynolds - Aye
Supervisor Tyksinski - Aye.

The Resolution was declared unanimously carried and duly ADOPTED.

Ward 2 Councilman Paul Miscione had it right when he said in today's Observer Dispatch article, New duties taxing for town clerk:

Miscione said he wouldn’t be in favor of hiring another person, but instead upgrading the office’s software and infrastructure to allow residents to pay their taxes online. He cited other municipalities, such as Ilion, as examples of government already utilizing an electronic system.

The problem is that many of the procedures in New Hartford town offices are inefficient, outdated and done because..."it's the way we have always done them". That excuse wouldn't work in the private sector.

Visit offices in other towns and you will notice just how backwards we really are in many respects, not just in tax collections. A member of Concerned Citizens had to show staff in one office how to make double-sided copies using a copier that had that feature built in as an option.

And they can't blame the problem on our FOIL requests anymore...the Freedom of Information Law has been changed so that resolutions and other documents that are discussed at town meetings have to be made available IN ADVANCE OF or AT the meeting to give the public an opportunity to understand what is being discussed during the meeting.