Published: October 12, 2008 01:27 am            

PENDELTON: Clerks to collect taxes

Merger: Old-time elected post to be phased out, duties given to town clerk

LOCKPORT — By Joyce M. Miles

milesj@gnnewspaper.com

PENDLETON — Town Tax Collector George Mislin will see his job phased out of existence next year — and he’s all for it.

Don’t get too excited. Taxes will still be collected, just by different people. The town board voted unanimously this week to merge tax collection functions into the town clerk’s office, beginning next year.

The shedding of two part-time town jobs is a sign of progress in government reform, Mislin said Friday. He’s the one who suggested it, he adds proudly.

“There’s been a lot of conversation, every now and then, about consolidation of government efforts. To my way of thinking, this is a way to improve services to taxpayers and get rid of a layer of government,” he said. “If we had 10,000 more government employees like me in New York state, we’d be a lot better off.”

Closing the tax collection department won’t save a ton of money, Supervisor James Riester said, but having the town clerk’s office take on its functions will increase residents’ opportunities to pay their taxes in person.

Mislin and his deputy collector have office hours several days a week from late December through March, while the clerk’s office is open five days a week year-round. Clerks still will only accept payments during the three-month local collection season, but they’ll be able to answer tax bill questions any time.

Also with the merger, the town will authorize First Niagara Bank to accept tax payments on its behalf.

“It’s increased customer service,” Riester said, “and there’s one less lever to pull at election time.”

Mislin, 81, has held the elective post for 11 years, and Loretta Layer has been his deputy all along. They’re both ready to retire, Mislin said.

“(Layer) doesn’t mind this at all. In fact, she wouldn’t have minded it two years ago,” he said. “She’d like more time with her grandchildren.”

The collectors’ willingness to cede their posts — and the town clerk’s willingness to take on new duties — were “part of the equation” when the town board voted to merge the offices, board member Joseph Frawley said.

Town Clerk Terry Pienta said she’s “comfortable” with the merger. Her office already handles water and sewer billing, and she knows from talking with Mislin that it won’t need additional staff to handle tax collection and recording work.

“The cost of running that office won’t exist,” Pienta said. “A nickel here, a nickel there adds up.”

Layer will leave her appointed post at the end of this year. Mislin said he’ll remain at work through the end of his elective term, in December 2009, and will keep the tax collection office open its usual days and hours next year. He’s staying to teach the town clerk’s staff the ins and outs of the job.

The Town of Wheatfield held a referendum on a similar merger this past Tuesday. Voters approved it overwhelmingly, so as of Jan. 1 the town tax receiver position is abolished and the town clerk will take on collection duties.

The merger is done by town board resolution in Pendleton because of the town’s size, Riester said. According to state law, a town with population of less than 10,000 does not have to hold a referendum.

Over time, the merger will save the town about $5,000 a year, Riester said. Mislin’s current salary is $5,600, and Layer’s is $2,850. Pienta and her staff — a deputy town clerk and a water-sewer clerk — will receive pay raises for taking on tax collection duties, Riester said; the amounts are still to be determined.

Contact reporter Joyce Miles at 439-9222, ext. 6245.

        

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