Manor Ink November 2019

TOWN & SCHOOL BOARD UPDATES
MANOR INK | NOV. 2019 |
9
Town tax increase under state cap at 1.12%
By Marge Feuerstein | Manor Ink Mentor
TOWN BOARD MEETING OF OCT. 3
Minutes: The minutes of the previous
meeting were unanimously approved.
Old Business
Roscoe Water Update: After testing,
it was determined that the presence of
manganese and iron in the town’s water
is causing it to appear brown in residents’
laundry when chlorine is used. The public
is urged to not use any chlorine products
for the time being. The town will do more
flushing of the system to correct the situation.
Hired: The town has hired two new
employees for the Water and Sewer Dept.
They are John Mulligan and Chris Bury.
Contract Renewed: After checking with
several companies, it was determined that
Constellation Energy, the town’s current
provider, offered the best electric deal. A
two-year contract was signed.
New Business
Resolutions Required: The following
issues required motions to be passed:
n Accept the renewal of the Western Sullivan
Transfer Station one-year lease at the
cost of $5,000.
n Waive a portion of the marriage
license fee for active military
n Pay an engineering fee to Bitin Gandi
for additional work on Roscoe sewer plant
n Set a public hearing for the 2020 Budget
on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m.
Dept. Heads: Ted Hartling, Highway
Superintendent, reported that two old, no
longer usable trucks were sold at auction
for $20K, and that town road paving had
LICENSED The Smoke Joint on Old Rte. 17, one of Livingston Manor’s new eateries, receieved
approval from the Board of its application for a liquor license. Manor Ink photo
been completed.
Approval of Bills: A motion to approve
the bills on Abstract #18 was passed.
Details of all dollar amounts can be
found on the town website at townofrockland.com
under minutes of Aug 3.
TOWN BOARD MEETING OF OCT. 17
Public Hearing on Budget 2020: Supervisor
Eggleton opened the public hearing
after the pledge of allegiance. He stated
that the tax increase will be 1.12 percent,
which is under the state cap. Since there
were no questions or comments, the hearing
was closed.
Correspondence: The Syracuse Environmental
Center will hold a funding
roundtable on Wednesday, Nov. 6, in
Hurleyville. Sullivan Renaissance is revising
requirements for its municipal grants,
which should benefit the town. The New
York Power Authority will be upgrading
its underground fiber optic cables. New
code books have been completed and will
be available online.
Old Business
The town’s Comprehensive Plan’s
third draft has been completed. It will be
reviewed at the next Planning Board meeting
and a public meeting will be scheduled.
The Plan will be available online.
Once it has had its final review, it will be
up for a final adoption vote.
The cost of $50K for a new roof on the
Court House should be completely covered
by a grant. The work on the Roscoe
sewer plant has been held up pending the
delivery of construction material and a delay
in required paper work. Pay rates were
set for the Water and Sewer Dept.’s two
new employees: John Mulligan will work
full-time for a salary of $60K, and Chris
Bury will receive $24 an hour.
New Business
Letters were received from a number of
residents complaining that their water and
sewer bills were too high. If it can be shown
that users’ excess water did not go through
the sewer system, the board will, according
to precedent, forgive that part of the bill.
The water usage must, however, be paid.
The bill was so large in one instance, that
the board voted to allow a four-month payout
to ease the burden on the user.
Resolutions Required: The following
resolutions were passed by the board:
n A liquor license and 30-day waiver
was granted to the Smoke Joint.
n A budget modification to pay the bills.
Department Heads: Ted Hartling, Highway
Superintendent: The new salt shed
is being made ready for winter. Glenn
Gabbard, Code Enforcement: A $500 fine
was issued and paid by some roofers who
were doing work without the required
permits. Mr. Gabbard is catching up with
fire enforcement after being absent due to
his recent surgery.
Approval of Bills: The bills on the current
abstract were approved.
Details of all dollar amounts, etc., can be
found on the town’s website, townofrocklandny.com,
under the minutes of Oct 17.
LMCS students honor Board
By Marge Feuerstein | Manor Ink Mentor
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING OF OCT. 16
Superintendent’s Update
Superintendent John Evans did not
attend this meeting as he was away on
school business, pursuing funding for the
district.
Presentation: Students Marlee Madison
and Giovanni Costantino, representing the
Livingston Manor Central School student
body, presented each of the Board members
with a small gift to show the students’
appreciation for all that the Board does for
the school.
DEHIC Update: Mr. McGuire gave the
Board a further update on the Dept. of
Education health insurance.
Action Items: The following items were
voted on and unanimously passed:
n Minutes of the previous meeting
n Treasurer’s report
n Revenue Statue and Budget Appropriation
Status reports
n Warrants
n CSE, CPSE and Section 504 recommendations
n Monetary donation
Consent Agenda: Upcoming events include
the PTSA Book Sale, from Nov. 4 to
Nov. 8; Thanksgiving break, from Wednesday,
Nov. 27 to Friday, Nov. 29.
All dollar amounts and the specific
details of all Action Items can be found at
lmcs.k12.ny.us on the Board of Education
website.
DEMS ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
LOOKING FOR VOTES Have
you ever attended a “meetand-greet”
house party?
Local Democratic candidates
chatted with potential voters
at the Grahamsville home of
Diana Weiner and Steve Story
on a warm October evening
over pot-luck dinner. Candidates
for countywide office
and the Town of Rockland’s
local legislative district office
made appearances. David
Sager, running for County
Clerk, right, posed with Judge Cynthia Dolan, who is running for County Court Judge. They
each had a chance to make their case along with Joe Colon who is a candidate for Legislator,
serving both Neversink and the Town of Rockland. Candidates for Neversink Town
Supervisor and Town of Neversink Justice were also on hand. Amy Hines photo