Board rescinds vote on fund transfers
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

A unanimous vote to transfer funds from the open-space fund to the Amherst Players and the purchase of Dumpsters has become a 7-0 vote to rescind that motion.

The Town Board voted on Monday to rescind its Feb. 26 vote to transfer $2,000 from the fund for the Amherst Players and $8,000 to buy Dumpsters for town fields.

Comptroller Frank Belliotti said the money had not been spent prior to the vote change, and he expects the Town Board will find the money for those items elsewhere in the budget.

The board did not formally state a reason for rescinding its vote but the decision came after town resident George E. Richmond accused the board of making an illegal transfer.

He said that money from the open-space fund must be used for the purpose of recreation and open-space facilities.

"Your - dare I say it - foolish action has shown how little you care for either the letter of the law or for open space. You should move immediately to rescind this action before an Article 78 suit or criminal complaint is filed," Richmond said.

Following Monday's meeting, Supervisor Satish Mohan said the board rescinded its earlier vote because the transfers did not follow open-space requirements. He admitted he was concerned that the Town Board was doing something wrong when the vote was taken on Feb. 26.

Belliotti said the $10,000 is not a lot of money considering the size of the budget, and he expects the Town Board will direct his office on where to find the funding.

During Monday's meeting, the board also approved the creation of a contingency account, which was removed from the 2007 budget during the budget process. In the past, the Town of Amherst has always had that account.

"We must have a contingency account for unexpected costs," Mohan said, adding that he will sponsor a resolution that the funds can only be used for real contingency reasons and not for increasing expenses in other line items.

He said the town will create the account through savings from other budget items - such as a letter he received this week from a telephone company that the town has saved $8,500.

The contingency account will also be used to hold money for unsettled contracts. If a settled contract includes salary increases, then the money from contingency is used to pay employees' back payments.

The next Town Board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 19 at Town Hall, 5583 Main St. For more information, visit www. amherst. ny. us.