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Town adds civil‑engineer title to shore up highway and engineering functions; street‑light contractor vote tabled after union concerns
Summary
The board approved creating a civil‑engineer title to address impending retirements and succession needs; separately, the town tabled a contract to hire an outside firm for street‑light maintenance pending talks with the municipal union.
The Cheektowaga Town Board on April 14 approved Resolution 2026‑244 to add a civil‑engineer title to the town’s civil‑service inventory to provide overlap between the engineering and highway departments as long‑time staff near retirement.
Personnel Director Tammy told the board the title received county approval and would allow the town to promote from within or recruit candidates who meet the qualifications; supporters said the measure is a low‑cost step to retain institutional knowledge and reduce reliance on expensive outside consultants. Council members stressed succession planning given several key employees expected to retire in the next 18–24 months.
Separately, the board discussed Resolution 2026‑213, a qualifications‑based selection of Power & Construction Group (PNCG) to provide street‑light repair and maintenance. Council members raised concerns about the town’s obligation to consult the TCA union and whether in‑house labor could or should perform the work first. Several council members urged a formal conversation with the union before engaging the contractor; the board voted to table the contract for two weeks to allow labor‑management discussions.
What happens next: The civil‑engineer title was added to the inventory (county-approved). Staff will present job qualifications and a posting for recruitment. For the street‑light contractor, the board asked staff to consult the union and return with recommended language or an amended resolution that clarifies the process for offering work to the union before contracting outside vendors.
Representative quotes: Personnel Director Tammy said the town must “be proactive” to retain knowledge as longtime employees retire; a council member called the contractor option “a backup plan” and urged conversations with the union.
Context note: Board members noted prior attempts to create similar roles and stressed this measure is intended to allow the town to do more work in‑house and limit expensive outsourcing over time.
