Greenville Pioneer - 2021-11-19

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adopt $1.7M town budget By Melanie Lekocevic council voted unanimously budget for 2022. “It’s a flat budget,” Town Supervisor Paul Macko said to introduce the budget during a public hearing. “The town tax rate for general, highway, library and chargebacks is down a minute part of a penny, so the budget is very flat and it is under the tax cap.” The amount to be raised by taxes in 2022 is set at $790,000 for the general, or A, fund, $833,000 for the highway department, and $117,880 for the library fund. An additional $11,224 is allocated for college chargebacks, which are paid for local students who attend community colleges other than Columbia-Greene Community College. The town tax rate is set at property’s assessed value for 2022, which is a fraction of a cent higher than 2021. “If you have a house assessed at $100,000, your tax bill Macko explained. The budget does not include any cuts in services or employees. Town workers will see a bump in salary in 2022 under the new budget. “Highway and town employees, with the exception of people at the library, are all getting Macko said. Several special districts have essentially remained flat, including the lighting districts. The ambulance district saw $1,000 assessed value of the ville fire district tax rate went in 2022. Keeping an eye on spending and taxes was important to the town council “because we were very concerned about our economy and specifically inflation going into the winter months,” Macko said. “It’s a slim budget and the only way it will possibly work is if everybody makes a concerted effort to watch spending next year,” Macko said. “This year we probably could have done a little better with the budget but we put nearly $48,000 into the roof in February or March on the old part of the town building.” The Pioneer building, at the juncture of Routes 81 and 32, along with a couple of other big-ticket purchases in years past, is set to be paid off in a little over a year and could provide an opportunity for the town in future budgets, the town supervisor said. “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” Macko said. “The mortgage on the Pioneer building will be paid off in 2023. The three trucks that were purchased used will be paid off next year, so we should be alright. The mortgage on this years ago. That will be some savings there.” With the town building mortgage paid off, there could be opportunities to improve the structure, he added. “My suggestion to the board is when the building is paid off, maybe we will work on redoing some of the replacement windows and other projects in the building to make it more energy efficient,” Macko said. Town Councilman John Bensen said funding might be available for a project like that. “There might be some public money for energy savings,” Bensen said.
By Melanie Lekocevic County judge denied bail for a state trooper facing murder and other charges. Christopher Baldner, 43, of Durham, will remain in jail af- He was indicted Oct. 27. Baldner is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to state Attorney General Letitia James. Baldner was on duty pa- Thruway in Ulster County in December 2020 when he is accused of using his state police vehicle to ram a car occupied by the Goods family of Brooklyn, according to the indictment. In the indictment, James alleges that on Dec. 22, 2020, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Tristan Goods was driving in the northbound lane of the Thruway on the way to visit family for Christmas. Goods’ wife and two young daughters were also in the vehicle. Baldner allegedly stopped the car for speeding and during the stop, the trooper sprayed pepper spray into the vehicle, according to the indictment. Goods drove away at a high rate of speed and Baldner followed, prosecutors said. “During the pursuit, Baldner twice rammed his police vehicle into the rear of the Goods car,” James said in a statement following the indictment. “Upon the second strike, the Goods car flipped over several times and came to rest upside down.” Monica Goods, 11, was ejected from the vehicle and died. It is not clear at this time why Baldner used pepper spray. Goods has said he sped away because he was concerned for his family’s safety. Association expressed disappointment that bail was denied. lived in this area for almost two decades,” Thomas Mungeer, president of the union, said. “He has a family, he has kids, he owns a house. He’s not going anywhere.” “I believe the Bail Reduction Act of 2019 has worked for everybody,” Mungeer continued, “but in this case, it didn’t work for my trooper.” The union is providing Baldner with legal representation. He has been suspended from the department without pay. Supporters of the Goods family demonstrated outside By Marisa Korytko 8 ways to support an Alzheimer’s caregiver mer’s Disease Awareness Month and Family Caregivers Month. To mark these events, the Alzheimer’s Association is encouraging people to lend a helping hand to the more members and friends serving as Alzheimer’s caregivers. “Caregivers are superheroes, but even superheroes can’t do it alone,” said Beth Smith-Boivin, executive director for the Alzheiprovides us an opportunity to celebrate the strength and dedication of dementia caregivers, but also recognize the special challenges they face. Whether it’s a friend, neighbor or co-worker, providing help and support to caregivers is easier than most people think. Even little acts can make a big difference.” The Alzheimer’s Association offers these suggestions for ways to support an Alzheimer’s caregiver: Alzheimer’s disease – its symptoms, its progression and the common challenges facing caregivers. The more you know, the easier it Staff will be on hand to assist residents with state-related matters, provide information on state resources and programs that residents may be eligible for, and discuss local issues. Walk-ins are welcome and no appointment is nechours. To protect communities during COVID-19, and friends who want to help with caregiving. The Alzheimer’s Association’s website (alz.org) can direct you to several free, online care calendar resources that families can use to build their care team. These make it easy to share activities and information within the person’s care for which assistance is needed, such as preparing meals, providing rides or running errands, and Helpers can sign up. a standing appointment to give the caregiver a break. Spend time with the person living with dementia and allow the caregiver a chance to run errands, go to their own doctor’s appointment, participate in a support group or engage in an activity that helps them recharge. Even one hour could make a big difference in providing the caregiver some relief. and dementia caregivers report feeling isolated or alone. So, start the conversation – a phone call to check in, sending a note, or stopping by for a visit can make a big difference in a caregiver’s day and help them feel supported. a list of errands that need to be run – such as picking up groceries or prescriptions. Offer to do yard work or other household chores. It can be complete these simple tasks that we often take for granted. Greene County are as follows: 411 Main St. Open-ended offers of support (“call me if you need anything” or “let me know if I can help”) may be well-intended, but are often dismissed. Be to the store, what do you need?”). Continue to let the caregiver know that you are there and ready to help. day celebrations are often joyous occasions, but they can be challenging and stressful for families facing Alzheimer’s. Help caregivers around the holidays by offering to help with cooking, cleaning or gift shopping. If a caregiver has traditionally hosted family celebrations, offer your home instead. son living with the disease and unteer with your local Alzheimer’s Association chapter, participate in fundraising events such as Walk to End Alzheimer’s and The Longest Day, advocate for more research funding, or sign up to participate in a clinical study through the Alzheimer’s Association’s Trial Match. To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and ways you can support families and people living with the disease, visit alz.org. Marisa Korytko is the public relations director for the Alzheimer’s Association Northeastern New York chapter. She can be reached at mekorytko@alz.org. includes Greene and Montgomery counties and parts of Albany, Schenectady and Ulster counties. Delgado named most bipartisan Democratic member of Congress sentative Antonio Delgado, D-19, has been recognized as Congress’s fourth most bipartisan member of Congress and the most bipartisan Democratic member of Congress in the Common Ground Scorecard. The Common Ground Scorecard, compiled by the Common model to assess the degree to which social and political issues through listening and productive conversation. leaders who are solutions-oriented ground, as opposed to being divisive and driven by partisan politics,” Delgado said. “We must work together to ensure our democracy can responsibly and effectively represent all Americans, irrespective of the fourth most bipartisan member Democrats.” “Americans are divided over the direction of the country and how to solve many issues we currently face. To make progress, leaders must be committed to working across address all our citizens’ concerns,” said Erik Olsen, co-founder of Common Ground Scorecard. “But while they are divided on issues, Americans agree that they want to see their representatives work together and solve problems. We hope that more lawmakers follow Representative Delgado’s lead and common ground.” The Common Ground Scorecard was released prior to the 2020 election and updated in October 2021 by the Common Ground Committee, a nonpartisan, citizen-led organization devoted to improving public discourse in politics. In addition to their commitments and personal actions, the ranking cial’s score in the Lugar Center/Mc- Court School Bipartisan Index and other public sources of data. Delgado has passed 12 pieces of legislation into law under both Republican and Democratic administrations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has twice awarded Delgado the Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship. Praise and reward go a long way By Charlene Marchand It is a good mental health exercise to remind ourselves each day of all the positive aspects of our lives, be they keep us balanced and positive. It is especially important to be grateful for loving families and close friends. As often happens, we can become complacent about the good deeds, generous people, great weather, et al. that surround us. To say it another way, most of us can take the upsides of our day for granted. And so it is with our companion animals – their good and desirable behavior, that is. The premier tenet of positive reinforcement is to reward all desired behavior – in other words, don’t take it for granted! If Hugo has been quiet by our side while we read a good book or watch a program or iron our clothes, remember to periodically reward that lovely, devoted, passive behavior with a word, pat or a treat. When Tommy Tom Cat explodes through the door at a blistering pace and Hugo leaps up to get in “his” practhat, IF he didn’t take those two hours of quiet time for granted. When mom and Hugo are out for their daily stroll and the perfect puppy has trotted merrily by her side, with a lot of “at attention” eye glances, it is then that she should be rewarding and reinforcing her canine son. Don’t take it for granted. When that tantalizing grey squirrel scoots across mom’s path and Hugo decides that he’s entered in the tractor pull at the Chatham Fair, a redirection IS probably in order – but the truth is that the lesson will be learned faster, and compliance with the rules will be more reliable, if we are thankful for and reward that gentle dog by our side. Don’t take it for granted. The same rules apply to Strawberry Shortcake. While she’s busy exercising those retractable feline nails on her posts or scratching boards, our praise should be lavish, effervescent. Falling into the trap of correcting Minnie’s manicuring enthusiasm when she heads for the new lounge, will render the lesson longer to learn. We took the desirable behavior, which was to have her nails done at the feline manicure station, for granted. Always a mistake. companion animal species for granted. Praise and reward. Is Herman sitting quietly waiting his turn at the dog doctor? Praise and reward. Did Polly the Puppy quickly squat and “do her business” while in the middle of a torrential downpour? Don’t take it for granted. Is Gorgeous George downtimes increasing with age! All adoptions at the Columbia-Greene Humane Society are sponsored for the month of October! Our food bank is open to any from the public in need of pet food or for those wishing to donate food from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Spay/neuter clinics are available for cats and dogs. Charlene Marchand is the chairperson of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA Board of Directors.
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Greenville Pioneer - 2021-11-19

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