Board approves pay raises for supervisor, animal control

During the town of Woodbury’s second meeting of the year, a resolution was submitted concerning a pay increase for Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani. This agenda item immediately followed a vote to increase the rate of pay for animal control officers (ACO), both of whom were hired in January of 2024 according to Luciani.

Luciani did not vote on this specific measure, because as she stated, her son was one of the recently hired ACOs.

No board member objected to the pay increase for ACOs or the resolution to increase Supervisor Luciani’s pay. The resolution to open public comment on the supervisor’s pay raise passed unanimously without discussion. A public hearing will now take place on February 1, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the pay raise.

Other business

During the meeting, Luciani introduced a resolution to create a disciplinary committee for the UPSEU union employees who work for the town of Woodbury. The supervisor claimed, “Since coming into my role as town supervisor, it is evident that the creation of this committee is crucial. There have been many issues that have been raised in my first two weeks of my term that need to be reviewed, processed, and dealt with accordingly.” The supervisor did not mention any specifics as to why the committee was needed.

Councilman Brandon Calore motioned to second the resolution to create the committee, and then voted to approve it. Calore stressed to the community that the disciplinary committee is required to be there. “It always should have been in place, but wasn’t. This is not something new. It’s something that needs to be done.”