CARMEL — Consolidation of local school districts and competitive bidding were on the minds of the Putnam Commission on Fiscal Vision and Accountability.

The group consisting of community leaders in the fields of business, commerce, education and elected officials met over the weekend in Carmel to continue discussions on tightening the county’s purse strings without adversely impacting Putnam’s 100,000-plus population.

Legislator Mary Ellen Odell of Carmel has been chairing the committee for the past year and periodically reports to her colleagues on the legislature about the volunteer group’s findings and recommendations.

In addition to discussing a plan calling for video arraignments of prisoners incarcerated at the Putnam Correctional Facility and the creation of a four day work week, issues centering on consolidation of school systems and the bidding process highlighted the four hour long session

Putnam Valley Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Space told the group surveys nationwide have indicated “taxpayer dollars would not be saved to consolidate a district with more than 2,000 pupils because support positions must be created. Compared to other industries education has one of the lowest employee-to-management ratios found anywhere. The research is out there. Communities don’t financially gain when large districts are consolidated.”

Dr. Space acknowledged smaller districts can consolidate. He cited three schools in western Putnam as a prime example. “Had this occurred in the late 1980’s, Putnam Valley, Haldane and Garrison could have combined forces into a single district. It didn’t happen and today I don’t see a cost savings to combine all three.”

Space indicated a cost savings would occur to consolidate Garrison with Putnam Valley. “Our district could take in Garrison today without having to add any administrators or teachers. There’s the cost savings as would be the case for Haldane and Garrison to merge,” he said.

Space estimated taxpayers could save about $400,000 annually with the consolidation without closing the Garrison School on Route 9D. “Central office functions could be absorbed and there would be no need to pay added tuition for high school students since they would become a part of the individual district,” he said.

Commission member Charles Melchner of Mahopac asked about the consolidation of school district transportation and maintenance departments instead of breaking up traditional school boundaries.

Space said some districts have combined services through the Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES.

The commission also spent a great deal of time discussing the competitive bid process following a bid being awarded to an Eastchester dry cleaning firm to provide the cleaning of deputy sheriffs uniforms.

For years, Ed Hengel of Carmel, proprietor of Carmel Cleaners was awarded the bid but this year the Westchester businessman submitted a bid for $25,000, $7,000 less than the Carmel merchant who lost the county’s business.

Hengel complained as did members of the commission including Patterson Supervisor Michael Griffin who called the bid process “totally unfair. We want to keep local businesspeople in business. By the county awarding the bid to the Westchester firm, Putnam lost sales tax revenue. The process needs immediate revision.”

Sheriff’s Department Inspector General Terry Intrary also testified at the meeting and asked Senator Vincent Leibell and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, who attended the session, to introduce bills to restructure “this archaic law. The county’s hands are currently tied but change is needed.”

Intrary forecast employee layoffs. “The exact fears that we were concerned about when the bid was awarded have come to fruition. Our first batch of uniforms has been returned—four with burned collar shirts and creases incorrectly pressed. The firm in Eastchester has credibility but it is not located next door where pickups and drop offs can occur anytime. This will result in the purchase of additional uniforms at a greater taxpayer cost than the $7,000 saved by the county’s awarding of the low bid.”