Robert Brum

rbrum@lohud.com

If you're looking to drive or fly on Clarkstown's dime, get ready to follow a new set of rules.

Policies governing town-owned vehicles and overnight travel are being tightened as Supervisor George Hoehmann seeks to trim expenses and close an anticipated $1.7 million shortfall in next year's budget.

Spending on travel, training and conferences will require Town Board approval under a policy instituted this month. The recommendation came from town comptroller Tom Morr, who advised Clarkstown to follow Orangetown's lead.

"Why do we need to do go down to Texas or go down to Florida," Hoehmann said. "Can we get that training somewhere closer where it's going to be cheaper to go?"

He added, "We're not saying we're going to ban (travel), we just want to get some oversight."

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Over the past four years the town has spent more than $3 million for overnight travel, meals and training, according to the administration. None of those expenses went to the Town Board to review whether the travel was needed and where the employee was going. In the past those approvals came from department heads.

Clarkstown's policy restricting who can take town vehicles home is expected to be re-established by the Town Board at its Tuesday night meeting.

The new policy allows only two employees — the fire safety inspector and the assistant fire safety inspector — to have 24-hour use of their vehicles; four highway maintenance supervisors would be able to do so in the winter.

Under the current policy, 16 employees — including the senior citizen director, communication engineer and transit operations supervisor — have 24-hour use of their vehicles.

This policy doesn't apply to Hoehmann or Highway Superintendent Frank DiZenzo, but the supervisor said they often leave their cars at Town Hall when they leave work unless they have late night meetings or early morning functions.

No one in any department who lives outside Clarkstown will be allowed 24-hour use of a vehicle, regardless of position. "Really, it's not appropriate for taxpayers to be paying for people to commute from two counties away," Hoehmann said.

Police Department vehicles are covered by separate procedures.

Over the last four years the town has spent more than $4 million on gasoline. Take-home vehicles have accounted for under 5 percent of that, according to the town.

The policy bans use of the cars for political purposes such as attending fundraisers or collecting petitions.

'Change is difficult'

The new policies come amid a host of changes Hoehmann and the Republican-dominated Town Board have instituted since taking office in January. Hoehmann said this has included trimming his own staff as well as the Town Attorney's Office.

Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, an Orange-county based nonprofit, is reviewing the town's Department of Environmental Control, Parks and Recreation and Justice Court.

The supervisor also has brought in an upstate accounting firm to cut costs at the town's $50 million police department. The selection of the Bonadio Group to study the state’s second-highest-paid town force put him a loggerheads with Police Chief Michael Sullivan, who said Bonadio lacked the experience to handle the job.

The police study was supposed to ready by the beginning of July; Hoehmann's administration said the police administration was slow to turn over data and the report is now expected by end of August.

The feud over the study was just one of the issues dividing Hoehmann and Sullivan; the supervisor suspended the chief earlier this month on disciplinary charges accusing Sullivan of misconduct and incompetence. Sullivan has denied the charges.

"Change is difficult and can be painful," Hoehmann said. "People can't live here anymore. Government can't continue to spend the way in which its been spending."

Twitter: @Bee_bob