By Nathan Mayberg
MONTICELLO — December 7, 2004 – Public hearings will be held tonight at 6 and Thursday at noon at the Sullivan County Government Center hearing room in Monticello on the proposed Sullivan County 2005 budget, which would raise county property taxes approximately 4 percent.
That figure is down from an initial 9 percent increase.
The budget pays off more than $4 million of a county debt totalling more than $60 million.
Under salaries, the budget includes:
• $131,500 for Sullivan County District Attorney Stephen Lungen
• $101,411 for County Manager Dan Briggs
• $101,404 for County Attorney Sam Yasgur
• $80,993 for Commissioner of General Services Harvey Smith
• $80,993 for Commissioner of Financial Management Richard LaCondre
• $78,984 for Commissioner of the Department of Public Works Peter Lilholt
• $70,628 for Commissioner of Personnel Pamela Rourke
• $70,000 for Commissioner of Family Services Gregory Feicht
• $68,841 for Probation Director Genevieve Dainack
• $67,768 for County Treasurer Olga Parlow
• $67,150 for County Clerk George Cooke
• $66,000 for Adult Care Center Administrator Pamela Hurley
• $66,750 for Director of Real Property Tax Services Paul Burckard
• $65,500 for Management Information Systems Chief Information Officer Richard Robinson
• $64,519 for Director of Solid Waste Management John Kehlenbeck
• $63,650 for County Auditor Brian McCabe
• $61,278 for Public Health Director Carol Ryan
• $60,533 for Deputy Commissioner of Family Services Robert Kuhn
In addition, hundreds of county employees belonging to Teamsters Union Local 445 have been offered a pay raise of 2.5 percent for 2005, 1.5 percent in 2006, 1.5 percent in the first half of 2007, and another 1.5 percent in the second half of 2007.
In addition, the employees would see a longevity raise of $100 a year for 25 years.