Letter To The Editor – Does it Make Cent$?

To the Editor:
Many Grafton residents are not aware there are plans to address the exterior of the Town post office, which is in a state of disrepair. At a recent Town Board meeting our Supervisor announced plans to re-side the building with an attractive composite siding. To install this product, it was stated, the existing clapboard siding would have to be removed, then the new siding installed. There are plans to hire a competent contractor as a temporary Town employee to preform the work therefore avoiding the need to pay “prevailing wage,” a significant savings to the taxpayers providing labor hours are carefully controlled.
At a subsequent Town Board meeting the Board was asked what tangible benefit the taxpayers received from using this composite siding as opposed to a material like vinyl siding, saving both labor and material costs; no answer was given.
Perhaps a better question would have been “What tangible benefit do the taxpayers receive for the $250 per month each we pay our four Councilpeople? It is difficult to believe they have all carefully considered this situation and come to the same conclusion. It appears they are more concerned about not “Rocking the Boat”  than they are with representing Town residents.
Are they not aware we are in an era of austerity? They speak with great conviction when congratulating the Town’s success in the sale of a few hundred dollars in Scrap Metal but sit silent as stones over an expenditure of $10,000!
Some of our Board members have been given the honor of representing Town residents for many years and received what amounts to a modest monthly car payment in return for their service.
Why should we pay for council people for what is routinely one opinion? Doesn’t make cents to me.
Rick Bly, Kautz Hollow Road, Grafton