Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Chronicle Managing Editor Cathy DeDe writes: Tuesday’s Common Council agenda included a resolution to make City Attorney Taylor Basford full-time while keeping part-time Deputy City Attorney Claudia Braymer serving the Planning Board and other duties.
At the start of her term in January, Mayor Diana Palmer divided the then-full time City Attorney’s job and salary into two part-time positions and said it would keep the cost to the City the same. The Mayor’s Chief of Staff Steve Thurston says the new one full-time plus one part-time won’t cost taxpayers any more money.
He said documentation alongside the proposed resolution “shows the various payments made to attorneys and law firms conducting work on various topics for the City,” totalling over $100,000.
“We will no longer be using their services when Taylor Basford, the current part-time attorney, becomes full-time.”
“That is a huge cost savings,” Mr. Thurston said. “We already pay Atty. Basford $35,000 per year. Her new contract will be $110,000. Instead of paying various attorneys and Ms. Basford just over $135,000 annually, we will pay just Ms. Basford $110,000,” with the added benefit, he says, “of having a full-time, in-house attorney.”
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