by Kieron Kramer
Two prominent families from Eastern Rensselaer County came to the Rensselaer County Legislature’s meeting on Tuesday, March 8, to be presented with copies of the resolutions passed last month honoring their departed loved ones. District 5 Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote, who represent the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls made the presentations.
The Delureys
Jeff and David Delurey joined Brownell and Goodermote in the well of the Legislature as Brownell read the resolution honoring their father, John L. Delurey, who died on January 7, 2011. John Delurey was a resident of Hoosick for almost 60 years. He worked for the International Harvester Company as a salesman for a short time before launching his own dealership, Delurey Sales & Service, in 1952. It became one of International’s most successful small dealerships in the country, and Delurey received International’s highest honors and awards over the years. Brownell said, “John was a community guy, and he has instilled that in his sons.” The Delureys sponsor little league and soccer programs. John Delurey was a communicant of the Immaculate Conception Church in Hoosick Falls, and he was an active member of Elks Lodge B.P.O.E. 178, leading a number of its charitable efforts. He served as Exalted Ruler and later rose in the statewide organization to become District Deputy.
Brownell has known the Delureys a long time. His uncle Harold Kyer and his father Wes were two of the first employees at Delurey Sales and Service, and, later, Brownell’s brother worked there.
Lester Goodermote also remembers John Delurey fondly. “My father used to do business up there,” he said. “When I bought tractor trailer trucks John was the kind of guy who took care of me. He was a true friend; I’m going to miss him from the bottom of my heart.” Legislator Ken Herrington, representing Brunswick and Cropseyville among other towns, added, “He was a sincere and honest man.”
The Gundrums
Five members of the Lois Gundrum family, including Lois’ husband Rynard and her children Ingrid and Rynard, Jr. and her grandson, joined Goodermote and Brownell in the well of the Legislature as Goodermote read the resolution honoring her. Lois Gundrum died on December 28, 2010. Lois was married to Rynard G. Gundrum and during their 47 years together, they built the Rynard G. Gundrum Lumber Company of Grafton, a family business that through Lois’ hard work and daily devotion continues to thrive to this day. She also devoted her time to the Town of Grafton where she was elected Town Assessor, served as a member and Past Chairman of the Grafton Planning Board and was a bookkeeper to the Town Supervisor during various terms throughout the seventies and eighties. She became an EMT and a tireless member of the Grafton Rescue Squad. She was also a member of the medical team for the Ski Patrol at Jiminy Peak. Goodermote added, “Lois Gundrum was an awesome lady. I’ve been to the Gundrum house; you always felt like you were home when you were there with Lois.” Brownell said, “Lois was an icon of Grafton. She and Ingrid helped me and Lester in our campaign for the legislature.” They were a “great” sponsor of the Gundrum Lumber softball team which brought home some championships. Herrington added, “When you called up there [to Gundrum Lumber] you always hoped to get Lois instead of Rynard; she was a heck of a nice lady.”
Panther Bowlers Honored
During the regular meeting a resolution commending the Hoosick Falls High School Bowling Team upon a Championship season was adopted. The resolution says, “It is consistent with the duty of this Legislative Body to recognize the contributions and achievements of the fine youth of Rensselaer County, particularly for scholastic or athletic ability; …The Hoosick Falls High School Bowling Team is deserving of such praise and recognition.”
The Panthers won the Adirondack League Southern Division Championship, the Adirondack League Overall Championship and the Adirondack League Tournament Championship as well as the Section II Class C-D Title at Boulevard Bowl. The members of the Hoosick Falls Bowling Team, under the guidance of Head Coach Bob Lang, are James Lynch, Chris Pelletier, Tim Tobin, Cody LaFlamme, Joey Wolfrum, Mitchell Andrew, Mikaela Marbot, Jordan Colvin, Charlie Stowell, Bryan Callahan, Josh Conn, Josh Reveal, Ken Marbot, Josh McCart, Jennifer Sargood and Stephen Surdam.
A copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, will be transmitted to the coaches and team members.
Local Snowmobile Clubs Get Less Money To Maintain Trails
The Legislature passed a resolution Tuesday amending the Rensselaer County 2011 budget to reflect a decrease in the amount that New York State will provide to municipalities and their snowmobile trail clubs to maintain snowmobile trails open to all snowmobilers. The County of Rensselaer, together with its snowmobile trail clubs, has applied for and received funding for the maintenance of snowmobile trails in the towns of Berlin, Grafton, Hoosick, Pittstown and Schaghticoke. The total amount of State funding for this purpose is now $48,065 which is $1,175 less than the amount in the adopted budget. This grant is totally state funded and will produce no fiscal impact to the County. The purpose is to provide recreational opportunities for County residents. The clubs will receive contracts in the following amended amounts:
• Rensselaer County Snoriders, Inc., Schaghticoke – $13,640
• Grafton Trail Blazers, Inc. – $17,450
• Hoosick Trail Masters, Inc. – $9,715
• Black River Raiders Snowmobile Club, Inc., Sand Lake – $4,290
• Stephentown Trail Riders – $2,970.
Dyken Pond Education Center Gets Grant
A resolution authorized an agreement to accept a grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center. The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is eligible for a grant in the total maximum amount of $15,000 from 4/1/10 to 3/31/11 for the purpose of paying environmental educators through temporary professional services.
Hoosick Falls-Albany Bus
A resolution authorizing a lease agreement with Yankee Trails for use of a bus passed unanimously. In a resolution in 2009, the County Executive was authorized to accept a grant of funds by the New York State Department of Transportation under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for the purchase of a medium-duty handicapped accessible bus for the transportation route between Hoosick Falls and Albany. In 2010 the Legislature authorized the purchase of the medium-duty handicapped accessible bus to be funded by the grant award. Since the bus has not yet been delivered the Rensselaer County Executive was authorized in Tuesday’s resolution to enter into a lease agreement with Yankee Trails, Inc. for the use of a medium-duty handicapped accessible bus.
Bipartisan Budget Task Force Established
At Tuesday evening’s session the Legislature voted to establish a bipartisan budget task force. Members have been selected for the task force by the Chairman of the Legislature, Martin Reid, and the Minority Leader Peter Ryan. Two were appointed by each party. Reid selected Vice Chairman for Finance Phil Danaher and Vice Chairman of the Legislature Stan Brownell to serve on the committee as majority appointments. Ryan will serve on the committee along with Deputy Minority Leader Louis Rosamilia. The first meeting of the committee will occur before March 31. A report will be issued by the committee by September 30, prior to the introduction of the budget by the County Executive in October. The task force will help review issues and fiscal factors related to the annual County spending plan earlier in the year. Task force members will be asked to track mandate changes, revenues and expenses and encourage a dialogue among legislators. While the County Executive proposes the budget in October, the task force will meet starting in late winter. The budget task force will mirror an informal process started in the review of the proposed 2011 County budget when legislators from both sides joined on several occasions to review the spending plan, and it will allow the Legislature to be proactive with the County Executive in the budgeting process.
Representatives Appointed To The Fish And Wildlife Management Board
One of the Environmental Conservation Laws of the State of New York, known as the Fish and Wildlife Management Act, established regional boards of volunteer representatives appointed by county governments, including delegates representing sportsmen, a landowner and a legislator, to preserve and develop the fish and wildlife resources of the state and improve access to them for recreational purposes by the people of the state. There are current vacancies in the sportsman, alternate sportsman and legislative delegate positions from the County of Rensselaer Fish and Wildlife Management Board. The following individuals were appointed to the Board for a two-year term commencing January 1, 2011 and ending December 31, 2012 – Paul Hyde, Tate Road, Hoosick Falls – Sportsman Delegate; Edward Sukuskas, River Road, Hoosick Falls – Alternate Sportsman Delegate and the Hon. Martin Reid, West Sand Lake, who will be the Legislative Representative.
A resolution passed at this session amending the account hitherto known as the Capital Project Fund of the Eastern Area Senior Center. The Eastern Area Senior Center, also known as the Everett Wagar Senior Center, is located in Grafton. The fund will now be known as the Capital Project Senior Center Improvements Fund. This will allow money in the fund to be used for repairs to the other four Senior Centers in the County. One of the repairs needed immediately is the connection of the Schodack Senior Center to the municipal water supply. According to Brownell, the Legislature recently discovered that that Center has had water problems and has been boiling the drinking water there for some time so emergency action was needed.
State Of The County
At 5:30, before the presentation period County Executive Kathy Jimino gave her annual State of the County address to the Legislature. The themes are the same every year because the County, and every county in the state, has been burdened by State unfunded mandates. Jimino called upon State leaders to join counties in the war against big and costly government and implement real mandate reform to reduce the crippling tax burden residents and businesses face.
During her address Jimino pointed to the recent New York State Association of Counties report that cited the nine state mandated programs that consume 90% of the local property tax levies of counties outside of New York City and amount to $4 billion each year. “To fund these nine mandated costs,” Jimino said, “Rensselaer County, with a current property tax levy of $57.3 million, is forced by law to pay the state 112% of this total tax levy, which amounts to $63.3 million in local taxpayer dollars. No one questions the need for these programs,” Jimino said.
Mandated Programs And Cost
Medicaid $30,609,967
Public Assistance/Safety Net $2,767,974
Child Welfare Protection And Prevention $12,671,916
Preschool Special Education $5,391,599
Early Intervention $1,349,867
Probation $4,115,733
Indigent Defense $1,565,217
Youth Detention $277,800
Pensions $5,500,000
Jimino called Medicaid the “largest and most costly mandate. This gigantic program has increased Rensselaer County’s mandated obligation to $30.6 million, an $800,000 increase this year alone even with a so-called Medicaid cap in place. This $800,000 increase is a 1.5% property tax increase by itself! This comes with a case load hike of 11% or nearly 2,200 additional clients, which translates to nearly one out of every six Rensselaer County residents being on the program. The only time the Medicaid cost didn’t rise was during the two and ½ years of the stimulus enrichment.”
Jimino also discussed the recent report that noted that “New York has the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest local taxes in the country due in large part, as noted by the Citizen’s Budget Commission, to the unfunded mandates that we have discussed which in Rensselaer County consume 89 cents of every tax dollar collected….nine of the top ten counties in the nation as measured by median real estate taxes as a percentage of home value are right here in New York State. As ranked against counties nationwide, locally Schenectady ranks 76th, Rensselaer ranks 95th and Albany County ranks 107th nationally.”
To garner true tax relief Jimino called on the Cuomo administration to “self correct” the practice of shifting costs to counties. A practice she pointed out that, “allows our State to spend by hiding behind counties such as ours for cover. One need only look at County Probation, where state reimbursement was cut 10% this year, with the mandated services not being reduced.”
In concluding her remarks Jimino called upon the state to make itself more accountable to the costs of the programs they mandate.