Spring Valley 'deputies' get thousands in questionable stipends

SPRING VALLEY – For 15 years, the village has been forking over extra pay to some employees "deputy" stipends, even though their titles are questionable.

Fixing this glitch could cost the village $1 million, officials said.

The Rockland County Department of Personnel spotted the problem three years ago and informed Spring Valley officials that they needed to correct the situation. But village officials tell The Journal News that no change was ever made.

Mayor Demeza Delhomme, who became a village trustee in 1999, said he became aware of the problem after he took office as mayor in 2013. Village trustees were also made aware of the issue.

A dozen employees are awarded annual "deputy" stipends ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 in addition to their salaries, according to the village's 2014-15 budget. But a majority of their titles are not officially approved.

The law narrowly defines the use of deputy stipends, said county Personnel Commissioner Joan Silvestri.

"There's a limited, appropriate use of stipends. That is someone who acts in the place of another," Silvestri said. "However, to use it for the purposes of granting what appears to be a raise is not appropriate."

Delhomme said he believed the stipends have been used to give raises for certain employees outside the labor contract with the Civil Service Employees Association. One way to rectify the problem may be to give raises to all union members to fill the gap, but it would cost the village a significant amount of money, he said.

"If we correct it, according to the union, it's going to cost the village about $1 million," Delhomme said.

The stipends were never authorized by the union, said Jessica Ladlee, a CSEA spokeswoman.

"No bargaining unit member should be receiving a stipend, but they should receive overtime, where appropriate, per our contract," she said. "Village officials must follow the contract. If a worker is being assigned extra duties, overtime should be paid."

Trustee Vilair Fonvil, who has been leading the five-member all-Democratic board's majority, said a deputy designation for certain employees could be legitimate, but some are "bogus."

For example, Kenneth Sohlman has been paid $3,000 annually as deputy commissioner of public works, even though there's no commissioner of public works in the village.

"To have deputies, you need the officer who he or she's going to be the deputy to," Fonvil said, noting that the village never had a public works commissioner position.

Another example is Manny Carmona, whose title is assistant building inspector. He's paid a stipend of $6,000 a year as deputy building inspector.

The practice of paying the stipends started in 1999, said Village Treasurer Kuruvilla Cherian, and he's been authorizing the payments following the mayor's instructions.

Members of Cherian's staff have also been awarded deputy stipends. The bonuses for Mary Rhodes-Stephens, whose civil service title is senior account clerk/typist, and Vasthy Delencourt, whose title is listed as data entry operator, jumped to $15,000 each in 2014-15 from $10,000 in 2013-14.

Asked why they deserve the payments, Cherian said it was because of their added responsibilities.

"It's based on their workload," Cherian said.

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