Mohan reintroduces plan for privatizing town facilities
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Would privatizing the compost facility, golf courses and Plant 16 be a cost-effective move for the Town of Amherst?

That is the answer the Town Board will be seeking in the new year.

Council members discussed the option at length during Monday’s board meeting only to come to a stop sign as Supervisor Satish Mohan withdrew the resolutions before voting.

Board Member Shelly Schratz said many towns and villages have privatized facilities, and Amherst needs to look at those trends and how it was accomplished.

“One reason to go private is because (the town) doesn’t have money for capital improvements,” she said, adding that the Audubon Golf Course alone needs $4 million to $5 million in improvements.

Schratz said she would write a request for proposal for the golf courses to be ready for an upcoming meeting.

Board Member Bill Kindel said before anything can be done to move forward with privatization, several questions need to be answered, including knowing exactly how much each facility costs.

“If we don’t know what (they) cost, there is no way in the world we can ever have a logical RFP,” he said.

He added that the board has to know what will happen to town employees, what the assets of the facilities are, and what controls will be put in place to ensure residents are not overcharged.

“We all have an obligation to provide the Amherst taxpayers with the very highest quality of service at the lowest cost,” Kindel said in a Nov. 28 resolution. “This philosophy is the same challenge that is on the doorstep of every business throughout the country.”

Kindel will also be pushing to allow town employees to bid on the RFP. When Amherst employees bid for the Pepsi Center contract they were selected — over nationwide businesses — and recently reported increased revenue numbers.

The Town Board appeared to be in agreement that any settlement would include the requirement to maintain town employees in their current positions.

Mohan said he visited each of the sites suggested for privatization — Audubon and the par-3 courses and the Oakwood Course, the compost facility at 560 Smith Road and Plant 16, off Tonawanda Creek Road, and everything is working correctly.

But the annual loss of revenue has him concerned about the future. Spending in the millions each year on maintenance — $18 million at Plant 16 alone — is a cause for concern, he said.

“If someone can do better, let them. We are brave enough, bold enough, to invite that challenge,” Mohan said.

Mohan’s resolutions for privatizing calls for an aggressive schedule, with public hearings in January and February and final selection of private companies in March and April.

Jeff Burroughs, town engineer, said he is opposed to privatization and knows what needs to be done at his facilities. He added that he needs the town board to approve requests when he recommends them.

The Recreation Departments did not return calls from The Amherst Bee. The next board meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8 meeting at Town Hall, 5583 Main St.