LEWISTON – After a previous town board and a pair of Lewiston police officers came under fire last year in connection with the theft of town-owned gasoline, the Town Board on Monday, under new Supervisor Dennis J. Brochey, unanimously adopted a pilot program for filling up the gas tanks in Lewiston Police cars.
Under the system, all officers will be issued a card which will allow them to fill up at any gas station. The system is the same used in Niagara County sheriff cars and state cars and provides data on each car when it is filled up.
“I think this is a great idea to get better data and allow the police department the flexibility to fill up anywhere, rather than have to go down to the town garage,” Finance Director Paul Kloosterman told the board.
Highway Superintendent Douglas Janese said, “This will also allow us to lock [the tanks] up securely at night so we don’t have people coming and going.”
The board also discussed, but did not approve a plan to add GPS units to a number of unspecified vehicles, but Councilman Alfonso M. Bax said he was skeptical of the projected cost savings.
The board also agreed to a plan that will lower residents’ New York Power Authority rebates, which are used as water bill discounts.
In the portion of the town outside the village, residents who have been receiving a $20 discount every two months will receive a $14.90 discount. In the Village of Lewiston, which has a three month billing period, the discount rate will go from $30 to $22.35. The money saved will be used to buy updated electronic water meters.
Brochey said each homeowner will pay about $30 more per year, but the town will have an additional $150,000 each year which be used to update all 5,000 water meters in the town and village.
The total cost for the project is $800,000, which will be done over four years. Brochey said town officials have asked the New York Power Authority to allow them to use electricity commodity money for water meters, but so far that has not been approved.
The new meters will allow the town to read meters in half the present time and also alert residents automatically if there are any water leaks.
email: nfischer@buffnews.com
Under the system, all officers will be issued a card which will allow them to fill up at any gas station. The system is the same used in Niagara County sheriff cars and state cars and provides data on each car when it is filled up.
“I think this is a great idea to get better data and allow the police department the flexibility to fill up anywhere, rather than have to go down to the town garage,” Finance Director Paul Kloosterman told the board.
Highway Superintendent Douglas Janese said, “This will also allow us to lock [the tanks] up securely at night so we don’t have people coming and going.”
The board also discussed, but did not approve a plan to add GPS units to a number of unspecified vehicles, but Councilman Alfonso M. Bax said he was skeptical of the projected cost savings.
The board also agreed to a plan that will lower residents’ New York Power Authority rebates, which are used as water bill discounts.
In the portion of the town outside the village, residents who have been receiving a $20 discount every two months will receive a $14.90 discount. In the Village of Lewiston, which has a three month billing period, the discount rate will go from $30 to $22.35. The money saved will be used to buy updated electronic water meters.
Brochey said each homeowner will pay about $30 more per year, but the town will have an additional $150,000 each year which be used to update all 5,000 water meters in the town and village.
The total cost for the project is $800,000, which will be done over four years. Brochey said town officials have asked the New York Power Authority to allow them to use electricity commodity money for water meters, but so far that has not been approved.
The new meters will allow the town to read meters in half the present time and also alert residents automatically if there are any water leaks.
email: nfischer@buffnews.com