Village Trustee Kingsley: 'Board was fiscally irresponsible'
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

The Williamsville Village Board was split Monday night when the issue of approving the severance package issued to former administrator Sally Kuzon last week was on the meeting agenda for approval along with other village payroll and vouchers.

In a 3-2 vote, Kuzon's severance, an amount totaling $72,875, was approved, with Trustees Jeff Kingsley and Brian Geary voting against the resolution.

In the work session prior to the meeting, Kingsley expressed his frustration with the board issuing a severance check to Kuzon within two business days of the termination of her employment, claiming that the board overpaid her, possibly in excess of $30,000.

"She may not have been entitled to everything she received," he said. "It should not have been authorized to go forward without going through accounting and our lawyers. What was the rush?"

Kuzon's contract stated that upon termination of employment, she was to receive payment for unused sick and vacation time. Whether the accrued time was to be accounted and paid for from the beginning of Kuzon's tenure as administrator, in 2000, or from the beginning of her current contract, signed in 2003, was the reason for the discrepancy.

Her contract was originally extended for 60 days after the annual reorganizational meeting in July and then extended an extra 30 days, at which point she declined the contract and terminated her service with the village.

While addressing the board as well as the public during the meeting, Kingsley called the board's actions regarding Kuzon's severance "fiscally irresponsible."

"We as village officials take an oath to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer money," he said. "The board failed in this oath."

Mayor Mary Lowther countered Kingsley's arguments, saying that the board was contractually bound to give Kuzon money owed to her from accrued benefits and unused sick and vacation time.

"I believe that we honored a contract that was binding on us," said Lowther, who noted that she had no reservations about approving Kuzon's severance.

"There will be a more modest contract for a new administrator because when you have a new person, that is the time to scale back," she said. "The money that was given to her was money that she earned and deserved."

Trustees Basil Piazza and Brian Kulpa both noted their reservations in doing so, but voted in favor of the resolution.

"It's best that the village move beyond this point," Kulpa said.

In other board news, the draft of the Williamsville Community Plan has been received by the village and will be presented to the Community Plan Committee at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Village Hall.

The next regular meeting of the Village Board will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24 at Village Hall, 5565 Main St., Williamsville.

e-mail: etaufa@beenews.com