The property located at 7452 Southwestern Blvd. received an assessment reduction of $80,000, all on the building. 

This is the property that is flooding out Ed Gleason & Gary Lawrence.

In 2007, the Ebersole Family vacant land on Cain Road was classified as vacant with improvements. Now it’s classified as vacant land. Is this another example of hiding the value of buildings to increase agricultural exemptions?

This web site allows replys to be posted. Lets see if Assesor Ebersole will explain these agricultural exemptions.

Dawn Avenue residents should call Fran Pordum at 549-5787 to express their concerns.

Pordum’s dream for the Town of Evans will be residents nightmare for generations to come. The water and roads improvements projects roll on with very little reporting by town officials. Are projects over budget? Only Pordum knows for sure since the Director of Finance quit back in August (2010). Pordum is spending millions in taxpayer dollars and has never reported in detail how this money id being spent.

As part of the water / roads project, Utica Street west of Reeves Road was paved. A water line that leaked all last winter WAS NOT REPLACED before improving the road. Next winter, after the first leak, crews will have to dig up the new road to make repairs. One resident returned home from work to find a notice that his trees would be cut down. The trees were removed before he returned from work! When will Pordum notify residents BEFORE their Quality Of Life is changed. Residents have a right to express their opinions BEFORE these projects go to construction.

At the August town board meeting, the town hired engineers to begin work on Dawn Avenue from Lenox to Harrison. Not one property owner was notified of these planned improvements.

Below is the August Supervisor’s Column. If your looking for a good local restaurant, it’s a good read. If you are looking to be informed on important issues, keep reading posts at TownOfEvans.com!!

NYS Committee on Open Government – Letter Dated 8-2-2010 – Page #1 Click Here!
NYS Committee on Open Government – Letter Dated 8-2-2010 – Page #2 Click Here!
NYS Committee on Open Government – Letter Dated 8-2-2010 – Page #3 Click Here!
NYS Committee on Open Government – Letter Dated 8-2-2010 – Page #4 Click Here!
(NOTE: Your Default Graphics Program Should Open Up To Display Page)

In the town of Evans, by the design of Supervisor Fran Pordum, the public is discouraged from attending meetings. Residents are required to remove belts and shoes while being required to pass through a metal detector. By removing Communications at Privilege of the floor from the agenda, Pordum has made it impossible for residents to communicate “On-The-Record” with its town board.

Evans was the first town to vote to approve a three man town board. The town board and residents must be vigilant to ensure the Open Meetings Law is strictly observed. Including the first year anniversary (6-3-2010) of the downsizing vote for countless other meetings, Fran Pordum HAS NOT adhered to the Open Meetings Law. It’s Pordum’s responsibility to ensure that the town board and all other boards comply with the Open Meetings Law.

Since the New York State Committee on Open Government is the authority on open meetings law, a letter was sent asking questions on the law and its application in the town of Evans.

Since many Evans Residents have a slow Internet connection, there are four links at top of this page to the 4 page NYSCOOG letter.

IMPORTANT NOTE:New York State Law does not require a town board to allow residents to speak at board meetings. (See Page #4) The press and voters ov NYS should ask candidates for State Senate ans State Assembly is they would support clarifying state law to require town boards to allow communication from their residents by requiring letters from residents be listed under communications on meeting agenda and allowing a minimum of 5 minutes for each resident to speak “On-The-Record” at public meetings.

Page #3 addresses issues with the town’s Board of Assessment Review which also MUST follow Open Meetings Law.

Click Here To Read The Entire Resolution

The above resolution shows hours per standard work day to earn credit towards pensions. While the above list contains eleven names, the names of the supervisor and three department heads are not on the list! Why aren’t Supervisor Fran Pordum, Russ Manguso (Parks), Charles LaBarbera (Building) and Jeanne Ebersole (Assessment) on the list?

The answer can be found all week long and especially after lunch on Friday by visiting the Evans Town Hall. The above resolution bases pension benefits on an eight hour day. Since the Town Hall parking lot is empty at 4:00 PM, this means Pordum and Ebersole must be working an 8 to 4 work day. It’s rare to see Pordum’s or Ebersole’s vehicle in the parking lot at 8:00 AM and just as rare on Friday afternoon. Are Evans Taxpayers getting short change by these two employees? Are Evans taxpayers paying salaries and pension costs that aren’t being earned? Lets take a closer look.

FRAN PORDUM

Pordum will claim that he works 7/24 and that he attends meetings out of the building. The truth is a little different that Supervisor Pordum would have you believe. For example: When the deal to bring Walmart to Evans was falling apart, Pordum was seen boarding a plane to Vegas! It’s a fact that Pordum, while supervisor, was a member of a weekday golf league and in cold weather months is a frequent visitor to local golf domes. The claim that he’s out of the office for meetings is easily proved inaccurate. Another town’s supervisor claimed it was rare to see Pordum at a meeting at county/state/federal level. Pordum’s 2008 expense report shows that he attended six meetings in 2008. That’s one every 13 weeks! Not what you’d expect from a well paid executive. If Fran Pordum was giving Evans Taxpayers an honest eight hour day, his name would be on the resolution.

JEANNE EBERSOLE

Several Evans and Non-Evans residents have reported that is a regular occurrence to see Ebersole’s vehicle at her Cain Road residence during business hours. By contract, she spends 1 ½ days a week in North Collins. The big question is why are Evans residents paying 100% of her pension costs when she’s in North Collins 30% of her work week? Why is she receiving a $6,000 direct payment from North Collins?

NOTE: As far as TownOfEvans.com can tell, Manguso and LaBarbera are on the job.

Until the Town of Evans post employee schedules and time and attendance reports, Evans taxpayers will continue to pay salaries and benefits for time spent off the job.

The abuse is so bad that to make a point, the email below was sent to the Director of Finance on 4-12-2010 just to make a point.

The calendar show Halloween is months away but Fran Pordum is wearing a hat that should scare the bejeebers out of Evans Residents. As a result of the resignation of Director of Finance Katra, Pordum has take over as the duties in the finance department. Pordum is a retired teacher / career politician. His forte is spending money not cost control. Pordum believes that if he says that he hasn’t raised taxes enough times that Evans Taxpayers will conclude he’s got the town if great financial shape. What Pordum leaves out of the conversation is how much money he is borrowing. Last year, he reported a $200,000 budget deficit. It disappeared! How? How much has he borrowed for the water project? New road construction? Unbudgeted raises for employees? Was enough overtime budgeted to cover all of 2010? Fran Pordum and his wife will retire to Florida with three pension checks while Evans taxpayers will be in debt so deep that it will take decades before they see the sun. If you see Fran Pordum, ask him if he will disclose all financial reports so Evans residents can see just how much debt he has got the town in.

In 2009, beach closings and advisories hit their sixth-highest level in the 20 years the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has been tracking them. The continuing high number of closing and advisory days, combined with a relatively constant level of bacterial contamination at ocean, bay, and Great Lakes beaches, suggests that our nation’s beaches require a more concerted effort to identify and control the sources of water pollution that put swimmers at risk. 

For the fifth consecutive year, we were able to determine not only the number of closings and advisories, but also the number of times that each beach violated current public health standards. The percent of beach monitoring samples exceeding national health standards remained steady at 7% in 2009, equal to the level in 2008 and 2007 and down from 9% in 2006. More frequent monitoring plus 17% fewer preemptive rainfall closing and advisory days due to drier weather in some parts of the country translated into a better beach season last year for swimmers in many coastal communities. But relying on dry weather to keep contaminated runoff from polluting beachwater is not a long-term public health protection strategy. When the rains return, so do the beach closings and advisories. For example, in the Delmarva Peninsula near Washington, D.C., wetter-than-average conditions contributed to nearly three times as many closing/advisory days in 2009 as in 2008. 

During 2009, stormwater runoff was identified as a source of more than 80% of the closing/advisory days for which a source was identified. This indicates that there are sources of human or animal wastes that are not being adequately addressed and that are getting washed into the ocean when it rains. 

Documents obtained by the Evans Taxpayers United show that some property owners received refunds. (See partial listing below)

Former Councilman Swyers received a refund. Ebersole gave Fran Pordum a $40,000 assessment reduction. In 2009, a $99,880 assessment reduction showed up to TE Connors (Hot Dog Stand / Karen Erickson). When Ebersole’s in-laws owned the vacant land on Cain Road, it had a property class code of Vacant with improvements. (A Barn?) When Erbersole owned the property, it was classified as horse farm. It’s currently classified as vacant land. What happened to the improvements. Did Ebersole play games with the property class code to increase her agricultural exemption?

The assessor should be non-political but a case for the opposite can be made against Ebersole. Since Pordum is her boss, he also has a responsibility to Evans property owners. When you see Fran Pordum, ask him why assessments and tax refunds are so political.

Dome Manual Accounting System

Another very important question for Budget Officer Fran Pordum is why the Town of Evans is running two sets of books. Why does Evans need a computerized fund accounting system AND a manual Dome check writing system?

Why did Supervisor Fran Pordum and Town Attorney / Town Prosceutor Grant Zajas allow the new lower speed limit signs to be posted when they both new law? Will the Town of Evans reverse convictions, reduced plee deals and refund fines paid? 

LINKS TO SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FOR THIS POST

7-21-2010 Evans Town Board Adenda 

NYS Law – Municipal Home Rule – Article 3 – 20: Procedure for adoption of local laws by legislative body 

20 – 3: Every such local law shall embrace only one subject. The title shall briefly refer to the subject matter. For purposes of this chapter, a local law relating to codification or recodification of ordinances or local laws into a municipal code shall be deemed to embrace only one subject. As used herein codification or recodification shall include amendments, deletions, repeals, alterations or new provisions in the municipal code; provided, however, that the notice of public hearing required by this section shall briefly describe the codification or recodification. 

Evans Town Board Minutes Of 3-31-2010 

Resolution 2010-101 Authorize Speed Limit Changes with Erie County DPW 

3/31/2010 Page 58  

Councilman Dash moved and Councilman Cooper seconded, 

WHEREAS, Chief of Police Masullo contacted Erie County Department of Public Works to request a reduction in speed limits on certain highways in the Town of Evans; and 

WHEREAS, Erie County Department of Public Works responded by sending permit applications for each request; therefore be it 

RESOLVED, that Supervisor Pordum is hereby authorized to enter into agreements with the Erie County Department of Public Works regarding the following permits: 

-request permission for furnish, install and maintain a “45 MPH Linear Speed Limit” on Eden-Evans Center Road (CR 32) between Delamater Road (CR 477) and Route 20; 

-request permission to furnish, install and maintain a “40 MPH Linear Speed Limit” on Eden-Evans Center Road (CR 32) between North Main Street (CR 9) and Delamater Road (CR 477); 

-request permission to furnish, install and maintain a “45 MPH Linear Speed Limit” on Eden- Evans Center Road (CR 32) between Route 20 and Townline Road; 

-request permission to furnish, install and maintain a “35 MPH Linear Speed Limit” on Lake Street (CR 5) between Erie Road (SR 5) and Lakeshore Road (CR 111);