by David Flint
The Stephentown Town Board is hoping to get through the year and into January without having to take out a loan to pay bills. Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt said at the Town Board meeting on Monday that, “We’re coming down to the wire,” with only about $60,000 left to pay bills.
[private]On Wednesday, December 17, Eckhardt said he was pleased to see that checks for both CHIPS and Sales Tax have arrived. The amount of the CHIPS money from the State was $143,674.91. The sales tax distribution from the County was $74,391.89. Together they total $218,066.80. The welcome revenue means that the Town can avoid short term borrowing. The money enables the Town to finish paying December bills and cover the first two payrolls and other regular bills in January. Tax revenue will then start to arrive in the last week of January and first week in February.
The suspense was caused as the Town, in the past week, had to pay out almost $100,000 to the State Retirement Fund, including a one time catch up payment of about $30,000 for back due money for two employees who erroneously thought they could opt out of the plan. Huge payments have also been made for the Bert Hager Road bridge with expected reimbursement from FEMA not yet received.
Get Your Pink Bags Now
In an effort to reduce the cost of operating the Transfer Station, the Board passed a resolution changing the price of the pink plastic bags required for depositing garbage. The price of the bags was $2 each. They will now cost $3 a piece as of January 1, 2015.
Who’s Got The Parcel?
In October it was reported that the County tax map appeared to show a parcel of land in the midst of the Transfer Station as being under someone else’s ownership and that the County was now preparing to seize the land for back taxes. The Town Board then notified the County that, if that should prove to be true, they request that the County transfer the lot to the Town after the County takes over the title and they would pay the County the amount of the taxes owed.
Eckhardt said that Fred Haley, a surveyor, has since investigated the situation and has found that the County tax map is not accurate and that the parcel in question lies somewhere to the south of Route 43. Moreover, the Town has clear title to the Transfer Station land since 1961 and the parcel in question was sold in 1966. The Town Board has now notified the County that they have no interest in that parcel.
Road Materials
Bids were put out last month for providing the Town road materials such as gravel and sand. Four bids were received, from Richard G. Senter of Stephentown, Quality Construction of Cherry Plain, Peckham Industries, Inc. of Shaftsbury, VT, and Troy Sand & Gravel of West Sand Lake.
The Board Passed a resolution awarding all four bids and leaving the decision of purchasing materials on State contract or from any of the four bidders up to the discretion of the Highway Superintendent.
Budget Override Made Official
The Board last month adopted a 2015 budget with a tax levy increase of 9.7%. Before doing that they passed a resolution to override the State 2% budget tax cap, which actually was a 1.7% cap for Stephentown. The State Comptroller’s Office has informed the Town, however, that a local law is needed to override the tax cap. A public hearing is normally required before passing a new local law, but the Comptroller’s Office says the public hearing that was held in November on the budget will suffice. So to make the budget legal the Board now passed a resolution adopting Local Law #2 of 2014 “To Override the Tax Levy Limit Established In General Municipal Law §3-c.”
Fracked Gas Pipeline
Although Stephentown residents who own property abutting the National Grid right of way have recently been informed by the Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company that they now propose to use that route to run a new pipeline up from Pennsylvania and over into Massachusetts, Eckhardt said that the Town has not yet received any official notification of that intent. He said that a week ago representatives from the parent company, Kinder Morgan, had dropped off a packet of information. They were asked to attend the Board’s workshop meeting but they had another commitment.
Eckhardt was not sure what role the Town Board could play other than to try to keep residents informed of what was going on by posting information and residents’ comments on the Town website as they receive them. Eckhardt mentioned that National Grid’s right of way in Stephentown is assessed at between $250,000 to $300,000. He did not know whether that assessment could or would be increased if a pipeline is added to the right of way. This is one of the questions he said the Town will be asking when public meetings and hearings are held on the proposal.
Eckhardt said he believed the Town should not have to bear the burden of additional emergency services needed should there be a leak or some other failure in the pipeline. Many questions will have to be asked about public safety. This area, he said, has the experience of the Berlin propane disaster 52 years ago. A lot was learned in the aftermath about safely transporting propane and a lot of changes were made. We need to find out more now about the safety of gas pipelines, he said.
Resident Tom Peccoraro added that there are many issues surrounding the fracking process and reports indicate that there is always leakage at compressor stations along the pipelines. He said that a group opposing the pipeline is now seeking a place somewhere between Schodack and Stephentown to hold a public informational meeting on this matter. He also noted that the Town of Nassau has already posted on their website detailed information and maps about Kinder Morgan’s proposal.
Regarding Stephentown’s website, Peccoraro urged, also, that minutes of Town meetings be posted promptly soon after they are held. Some towns, he said, are streaming their meetings online so that residents can observe and respond. In any case, he said, maintenance of the Town website should be a high priority.
Peccoraro also asked for a speed limit on Wyomanock Road. He was advised, since that is a County road, to contact County Engineer Wayne Bonesteel or Superintendent of Highways Scott Gallerie.
Town Board Vacancy
Eckhardt said that applications had been received from three persons interested in replacing John Meekins on the Town Board. Meekins will begin serving as Town Justice in January. The Board will decide next month whether to leave the position vacant until November or to select one of the three applicants for a one year term.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk turned over the sum of $668.30 to the Supervisor for the month of November. The distribution from the Office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund was $926 for October and $837 for November. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $5,854 for November.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $67,771.48 from the General Fund and $62,500.55 from the Highway Account.
The Board set its year-end Reconciliation meeting for Monday, December 29, the Organizational meeting for Monday, January 5, their next workshop meeting for Monday, January 12 and their next regular meeting for Monday, January 19, all meetings to start at 7 pm.[/private]