by Kieron Kramer
Due to space considerations in last week’s paper some department reports and announcements made at the Grafton Town Board meeting on Monday, October 20, were not reported. Here is the rest of the story.
[private]Perhaps the most interesting report at the Board meeting came from Grafton Assessor David Galarneau, who is in the process of revaluing the Town’s tax roll which was authorized at the Board’s July 8 meeting. The proposed timetable for the revaluation would allow it to take effect in the tax roll to be completed by May of 2016. In his report Galarneau made some observations about property valuations which affect the Town’s equalization rate.
His report said that he worked on land breakdowns for waterfront property. “This has to be done manually,” he wrote. He is also installing depth tables for valuing lakefront lands once the land breakdowns are individually calculated, and he will visit site sales to update inventories to properly determine what portion of a sale is for the land. Once a dozen or more sales are validated, inventories and land sizes properly coded, the actual land schedule can be produced.
Galarneau’s report says, “I did an analysis of sales over a 3 year period with the newly installed neighborhood codes. I found an interesting trend. Of course we all know our Equalization Rate is now 8.15%. Sales sorted by neighborhood show rural neighborhoods at 10.17% and neighborhoods surrounding lakes at 6.83%. Only vacant sales analyzed by rural neighborhoods are at 13.58% while lands surrounding lakes are at 4.29%. These are rough numbers with few sales, but it indicates higher valued land and/or improved properties are under-assessed when compared to rural properties. This is supported in the overall sales analysis of the Town as a whole…What it could mean for our rate next year is a definite increase. However, I should use caution in the process.”
Galarneau also submitted a letter clarifying a comment he made in the public informational meeting he held on Wednesday, October 1, in which he presented information about assessments, property sales and equalization rates. The letter says, “On October 1 I conducted a public meeting on assessments and the process. During this meeting a question was asked of me, that being ‘Who do you answer to as the assessor for the Town of Grafton?’ I replied, ‘The Town Board through the Supervisor as the person of contact.’ I later realized that my answer was not a complete one. Therefore, I would like to clarify my response for you and the public, as I understand it…As an employee for the Town of Grafton I answer to the Town Board through the Supervisor as their representative. As an Assessor I answer to no one. The State of New York through the Real Property division monitors the job performance of all Real Property Assessors, making sure rules, regulations and real property tax laws are followed. Failure to fulfill the duties as prescribed by law can be grounds for removal from office. There are no set rules for compiling inventory or developing assessments. Methods used to arrive at an assessment are in the sole judgment of an assessor, subject only to the scrutiny of the appeal and judicial process. Scrutiny begins with an appeal to the Board of Assessment Review, then either a Small Claim Assessment Review action or Tax Certiorari lawsuit heard in the New York State Supreme Court…Hopefully this clarifies the original question. As always, I welcome questions or input from property owners.”
Woman Of Distinction
On Wednesday, September 24, NYS Senator Kathy Marchione hosted her 2014 Women of Distinction ceremony at the historic Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs to honor the accomplishments of 15 local Women of Distinction from across Saratoga, Rensselaer, Washington and Columbia Counties. Berlin High School Principal Dr. Catherine A. Allain was one of the women honored. The certificates she received from NYS Senator Marchione and U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson were prominently displayed at this meeting on the table below the dais. Allain is married to Joe Allain, who is Secretary to the Grafton Supervisor.
Dog Warden Report
Dog Warden Dawn Niebuhr reported that she had responded to three calls in September. One dog was “confiscated” and taken to Creekside Kennel, which Niebuhr runs. She also “coordinated the treatment” with the owner of two dogs to remove porcupine quills. She reported that NYS Ag and Markets had inspected the kennel and given it a satisfactory rating.
Niebuhr also submitted a shelter report at this meeting which covers a three month period, from July through September. The shelter report says, “…An old female black Labrador with a huge mammary tumor was held 5 days, not redeemed, humanely euthanized by Dr. Robinson at the shelter and transported to Drumm Veterinary for group cremation. A black and white male pit bull mix found running at large near Madonna Lake Road was held 5 days; not redeemed; transferred to AARC for veterinary care and adoption. A chocolate and white husky male mix was found running at large near 56 Road, was held one day and redeemed by owner. A female corgi was held 7 days; redeemed by owner. The paperwork on this dog was previously submitted to the Town. A male pit bull owned by Tara Grugan was ordered quarantined by DCO, held 4 days and redeemed by owner. A male black Labrador running at large on Blue Factory Road was held 5 days, not redeemed and transferred to AARC for veterinary care and adoption.”
Rescue Squad Report
The rescue squad expended 28.6 man hours and travelled 216 miles in September. The squad answered 10 calls during the month – 2 mental health, 2 difficulty breathing and one call each for a motor vehicle accident, a cardiac problem, fainting, a lift assist, a medical alarm and a fall.
Code Enforcement Officer’s Report
Code Enforcement Officer Tom Withcuskey reported that there have been 60 building permits issued since the beginning of the year with five housing starts in the four weeks before this meeting.
Withcuskey also updated the Board on the progress of code violations. The building on the corner of Palitsch Road and Route 2 has been declared unsafe, and the lot needs to be cleaned up. He said that he had contacted the real estate agent for the bank which has foreclosed on the property. Withcuskey was told that there would be a new owner who would demolish the building and clean up the lot. The blue house across from the corner there also has a new owner now, and they are cleaning up that lot, he added. A property on Red Pond Road is being cleaned up by the cousin of the owner, who is in hospital. The cousin has been picking up the garbage bags that might have drawn rats. “The house is secure, and there are some things left in the yard but nothing to draw rodents,” Withcuskey said. The ongoing issue since July on a Mill Road property he visits weekly is being slowly resolved. There is junk on the property that can be seen from the road that “needs to be out of the way, like put in the garage,” Withcuskey said. The owner has been ticketed and taken to Town Court, but if the junk is disposed of and the yard stays clean for six months, the charges will be dismissed. The front yard of a property on the corner of Babcock Lake Road and Brock Road, which has been foreclosed by a bank, is gradually being cleared of “household stuff,” Withcuskey said. The bank was unaware that the maintenance firm had not completed the clean up and so, Withcuskey said, he recently saw a man with a U-Haul truck spending all day loading up the junk from the yard. Withcuskey also reported that he had received a complaint about dust coming from the Valente mine on Route2 and debris in the creek. He has contacted the Town’s attorney and the DEC about the complaints. “I will stay on top of it,” he said.
Odds And Ends
Connie Alderman reported that the Senior Citizens’ club will hold its last dinner on November 12, which will include a free dinner for members.
Highway Superintendent Herb Hasbrouck said the Department is building up “quite a pile of sand.” The turn around on Old Siek Road has been finished, he said, and the ditching on South Long Pond Road is continuing. Finally, the Town’s vehicles are being prepared for winter operation.
A letter from Bob Mayo of the Taconic Lake Homeowners Association was received updating the Board on the Association’s snow plowing plans. The members have pooled their resources to take care of plowing this winter, the letter says, and they voted at their summer meeting to plow the entire length of Taconic Lake Drive this year. Mayo’s letter ends, “We appreciate the great plowing of Taconic Lake Road by Herb Hasbrouck and the Highway crew.”
The meeting was adjourned in memory of Stanton Burdick, Lisa Chittenden, Scott Westervelt and Cindy Gentner; folks who died in the last month.[/private]