Stephentown Starts Budget Process

by David Flint
Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt laid out the schedule for the 2016 Budget at Monday’s Town Board meeting. There will be a public workshop on Monday, October 5 to develop a Preliminary Budget. Discussion will continue at the Board’s regular workshop meeting on Monday, October 12 and at its regular meeting on Monday, October 19. A public hearing on the Tentative Budget will be held on Monday, October 26. [private] Discussion continues at the regular Board workshop meeting on Monday, November 9 and the 2016 Budget will most likely be adopted at the regular Town Board meeting on Monday, November 16. All meetings will start at 7 pm.
Highway Department
Eckhardt noted that expenses for the Highway Department were higher than usual in the past month and most of it went for chip sealing a number of roads in the Town. Most of this money, he said, would be reimbursed in CHIPS (Consolidate Highway Improvement Program) payments from the State.
The Highway Reserve Fund now has about $50,000 in it. This is down from about $282,000 in July. Eckhardt explained that the Board has set up a separate reserve fund dedicated for equipment purchases and repair or replacement of bridges. About $232,000 was moved into this dedicated fund.
The Town had to spend about a quarter of a million dollars last year to replace a bridge on Bert Hager Road where it crosses a tributary of the Kinderhook Creek. Eckhardt said that the Board now has received verbal assurance that 100% of the money spent will be reimbursed from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Sales Tax Revenue
The Board has received a check from the County in the amount of $74,776. This is the distribution of sales tax revenue for the second quarter of the year. Eckhardt said that the Board expects a third check in December. They are hoping it will be at least $61,000 so as to meet the amount projected in the current budget.
Farmedic
Training Program
Eckhardt reported that there will be a hands-on training session put on by the National Farmedic Training Program on November 13, 14 and 15 at his Kinderhook Creek Farm on South Stephentown Road. The Program, developed by Cornell University, is designed to train first responders in how to appropriately, efficiently and safely handle the type of accidents that happen on farms. Featured in this session will be a demonstration of how to extract a person trapped in a grain bin. Grain entrapment, Eckhardt said, is probably one of the biggest killers on farms nationwide. Eckhardt expects there will be 20 to 30 first responders participating in the session.
Flu Shot Clinic
Cathy Lawless, President of the Stephentown Seniors, announced that there will be a Flu Shot Clinic open to the community at the Fire Hall on Grange Hall Road on Thursday, October 1 from Noon to 1 pm. Sign up is necessary to insure adequate dosages are available. You need a Medicare or insurance card; otherwise the cost of the shot is $35. The clinic is sponsored by the Stephentown Senior Citizens Club. Call Cathy Lawless at 733-6508 or Edie Beach at 674-0485 to sign up.
Halloween Event
The Youth Commission and the Stephentown Library together with TRACS (Together Reducing Alcohol & Drugs in our Communities) are planning a Halloween event for children, teens and adults.
Sue Cass said there will be a teen dance with DJ, music and refreshments on Friday, October 30 at the Fire Hall on Grange Hall Road from 7 to 9 pm. There will also be a haunted house at Berlin High School and a haunted bus will transport teens back and forth between the dance and haunted house.
On Saturday, October 31 there will be a children’s and adults Halloween party at the Fire Hall from 1 to 3:30 pm. Everyone is invited to come in costume. There will be refreshments, games, a costume contest and a pumpkin carving contest. Admission is a bag of candy. Any excess candy will be sent to the troops in the military via Operation Gratitude.
At 2:15 pm the kids in costume will parade down to a haunted house outside the library. Along the way there will be “trunk or treating.” Folks in town who live up “long scary driveways” and don’t normally see many, if any, trick or treaters, can park their cars and view the costume parade, and offer some treats.
Deposits And Spending
The Town Clerk turned over the sum of $931.55 to the Supervisor for the month of August. The distribution  from the office of the State Comptroller, Justice Court Fund was $997. The Transfer Station report was not available.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $8,900.12 from the General Fund and $69,307.87 from the Highway Account.
The Board set a public workshop on the budget for Monday, October 5, and its next regular workshop meeting for Monday, October 12 and its next regular meeting for Monday, October 19, all meetings to start at 7 pm. [/private]