The November 12 Town Board Meeting - with 4 Members - was a long meeting - primarily because the board ground through many of the 2025 Budget line items.
The public portion of the meeting began with a town resident explaining that recent requests to cut back on water usuage was inconsistent with water billing that the begins with a floor of 8,000 gallons, something that smaller households will never use, providing no incentive to cut back on water usage since they have to pay for 8,000 gallons. This led to a discussion about the Watch Hill water district.. the water source is the Fishkill's system ... formerly leaky pipes, and the lack of acceptance of water meter installations. Mr. Tremper of Camo Water Systems explained that the pipes have been replaced and he agrees that the billing methodology needs to be updated. (As an aside, the resident also pointed out that he had sent an email to each of the board members on this topic, but only received one reply. Hilariously, a vocal council member semi-apologized for not responding because "he didn't know where the resident lived". Please remember that the primary purpose of being on the Town Board is to problem solve. Finding out where a resident lives and what water district they are part of seems like a pretty straightforward thing to discern ... just saying).
Another resident used the pubic portion of the meeting to point out that with seniors making up 25% of the population in the town... a $500 decrease in Senior Programing Funding while Summer Youth Programming nearly doubled seems unequitable. She also questioned the purpose of a program of offering $10K to 6 non-union employees to not participate in the Town's medical plans.
So -- a bit of explanation -- the Town's Recreation Director pointed to the amount of sponsorships and support from the community which is funding Senior Programs. In retrospect, the full amount of the program requirements should be in the budget, with the sponsorships listed as a potential revenue. On the Youth Programs, the summer camps have been oversubscribed in the past few years, and building out another summer camp at Castle Point -- will require a duplication in the staff, equipement etc. Again, a long-time council member has had an epiphany now that he is a father on the importance of government providing services to Town residents.
Re: The Medical Buy-outs -- part of the supervisor's strategy is to be in a position when union negiotiations are scheduled for next year, to be able to offer significant incentives (please remember that medical plans are approx $44,000 per employee) to union employees to opt out of Town Medical Coverage. Currently the Teamster plan is $2500 to opt out and CSEA is $4000 to opt out. The county, as a benchmark, requires an employee be employeed for at least 3 years before they can take a buy-out. The Town's employee handbook, outlining all the personnel programs etc. will need to be updated once the Town Board settles on a policy decision.
Then there ensued a long line by line discussion of the budget.
HIghlights -
- 3% raises for employees
- debate about whether the comptroller's office should have another person - currently unfilled position to help with the workload
- Addition of a code enforcement officer to get trained to do fire inspections
- The use of stipends for reward certifications (Supervisor against the use of Stipends, prefers to have as part of job description - compensation)
- The funding needed to pay Sheriff's department for Town's police coverage
- Straightening out of billing from previous years for legal, engineering expenses -- a move to retainer system should help mitigate that.
Paying for Fire Deparment training (why not from taxes/budgets paid to Fire Departments..need to understanding this more)
$ for sports museum and Wappinger Historical Society ($7500 each)
This budget seems to be coming in below the State Mandated Tax Cap of 2% for the Tax Levy.... which a council member stated the town has been been able to do every single year - (this statement is not true... please look at your tax bills... especially the 2022 tax bill....where the Year over Year Town Outside Tax Levy increase was 5.8%!!... and we continue pay increases on that base.)
A Vote on the Budget Resolution was Tabled.
A vote on a Water Tenancy Agreement for Nature Preserve Home Owners Association - Condos (on of Old Hopewell Road/Route 9D after their water systems failed in the spring of 2023) - negotiations have been going on, with a question of securitization. Buy-in not connected to the water district, but rather when they are using the infrastructure. Apparently the previous administration left a mess -- the current Agreement was approved.
A resolution for the purchase of a vehicle lift for the Town's Building & Grounds - preferred/more affordable location is to place a lift a Oakwood Knolls. Councilmember said need to have a discussion where Bldg & Grounds should work. (PS -- when you have a chance, please take a ride to the location across from Marz Field, while acknowleding that a signficant amount of clean-up work has been done in recent months -- it is a disgrace -- for the neighbors, the workers, the town residents.) The town is fining residents/businesses for the state of their properties -- while having allowed this mess for years.
The Board wants the ward 1 council person -- who has been in office for nearly two decades -- the opportunities to see the sites - before a decision is made. Tabled.
New Business -
Proposal to upgrade Fleetwood and Castle Point Playgrounds.
New Signs - Town Parks/Town Signs, Digital Signs - (Bill Beale ok with violating Town Code --because for public communication) - Aesthetics Matter!!!! and don't plant plants that grown higher than the sign... that mantra was repeated over and over again. ARPA funding can be used.
"Real Fast" says the Council member who is very repeative:- State wide burn ban... which was then followed by a weather report on relative humidity, lack of rain and gusts of wind. Don't Flick Cigarettes. Resources from local fire departments to wildfires around the Hudson Valley Area.
Crazy Traffic Problem on 9D - sitting for long period of times - volunteer fire fighters can't get to the fire house, the fire chief spoke to the contractors and state DOT - have issued staff vehicles to two volunteers.. continuing with state DOT. Over 47 inquiries from ..... the State of NY and Central Hudson never notified anyone in the town, regarding the installation of the new Gas Lines - the state assemblyman, state senator have been notified -- but the public needs to continue to put pressure on state representatives.
The Fire Deparment has never been notified on this. Town has been in contact with Central Hudson daily.
Veterans Day - good ceremony honoring veterans.
Special Town Board Meeting Scheduled for November 20th at 6 PM - to adopt the 2025 Budget.
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