NIAGARA FALLS — The City Council sent a stark message Monday to two of Mayor Paul A. Dyster’s appointees, attempting to cut the salary of the city administrator and city engineer by $20,000 each and suggesting that the city needs to hire a new engineer.

The Council failed to gain the supermajority needed to override Dyster’s veto of the salary adjustments, but its disapproval of City Administrator Donna D. Owens and City Engineer Jeffrey Skurka was evident.

“It’s a waste of money,” Council Chairman Sam Fruscione said of the salaries. “I don’t know what [Skurka] is doing for $96,000. . . . It appears a minority portion of the City Council was willing to put the burden [of the salaries] back on the homeowners and business owners of the City of Niagara Falls.”

Fruscione and Councilmen Robert A. Anderson Jr. and Steven D. Fournier Jr. voted to lower the salaries, while Councilwoman Kristen M. Grandinetti and Councilman Charles A. Walker voted to sustain Dyster’s veto, citing the threat of lawsuits and potential instability within City Hall. Council overrides of mayoral vetoes require a 4-1 vote.

A later exchange between Skurka and the Council had Walker rethinking his vote. For the second time in recent meetings, the Council sparred with Skurka over his updates on projects pushed by the Council.

The recent dispute centered on the Center Court housing complex, which was unveiled last year despite not having streetlights around the buildings.

“I’m trying to fix problems from the past as best as I can, as fast as I can,” Skurka told the Council. “This is something that should have been done for the site plan, probably in 2007 or 2008.”

Planning Board Chairman Richard D. Smith told the Council that the approved site plan did call for streetlights. He suggested that a subcontractor of Norstar might be responsible for the oversight. Skurka was unaware of those site plans.

“I guess we’ve got to hire someone else, because you’re not doing the job,” Walker said.

Skurka declined to comment on the Council’s concerns or his working relationship with Council members.

A Norstar spokeswoman said the contractor believed that the streets surrounding the housing complex would be city streets and would require city lighting, while Dyster said the city planned to accept those streets after they had been approved as up to code. The project was headed by the Niagara Falls Housing Authority, he said.

“Because this is a matter of public safety, . . . we are going to make it our responsibility to get lights up as soon as possible,” Dyster said.

Owens was not singled out in the meeting, but Fruscione questioned why a higher-ranking city official did not brief Skurka on the city’s projects after his July hiring. “I don’t have to deal with her at all,” Fruscione said after the meeting.

Owens, who makes $110,000, declined to comment on the Council’s salary-lowering attempt or her relationship with Council members.

Dyster defended Owens and Skurka as key members of his administration. He cited Owens’ oversight of the transition to a new public safety complex, a special events task force and a health task force. “I was the first mayor to get re-elected in 25 years,” Dyster said. “To me, that’s not just an approval of me. There’s no person more responsible [for success] than the city administrator.”

The mayor cited the need for stability in the City Engineer’s Office, given that the two previous engineers were fired or resigned. He noted that the Council raised no issue with Skurka’s salary before his hiring.

Grandinetti, who voted against the pay cuts, said that Skurka deserved time to adjust to projects but that the Council’s patience was wearing thin.

For complete coverage, go to buf falonews.com/niagarafalls. cspecht@buffnews.comnull