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11/16/16 EG Town Board Meeting

The following were unanimously adopted except where noted.

·         212-2016 Authorize Purchase of a Point of Sale System Computer for Town Clerk’s Office

·         213-2016 Extend General Water District to Include 150 Ridge Road, owned by Kamal Swami and Avani Swami

·         214-2016 Local Law #4, Adopting/Ratifying the Land Subdivision Regulations of the Planning Board and Adopting an Amendment Thereto

·         215-2016 Refund of the Filing Fee for Small Claims Assessment Hearing

·         216-2016 Authorize Public Works Personnel Positions

·         217-2016 Agreement with Rensselaer County Concerning Snow and Ice Removal

·         218-2016 Purchasing Clerk to Solicit Bids for High Flow Articulated Compact Loader for Snow and Ice Removal on Sidewalks

·         219-2016 Provisionally Appoint Christopher Ochs Motorized Equipment Operator Heavy (MEOH) in Public Works Congratulations and welcome!

·         220-2016 Adopt Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 Councilor Mary Anne Matters voted “No”. 220-2016 included the following language “with dissenting votes cast by Councilor Matters, duly approved a preliminary budget” on 10/24/16.  I honestly don’t recall a person’s previous vote reflected in the body of a subsequent resolution. Seriously?

·         221-2016 Addition of CDPHP EPO 120 Plan to the Town Policy

·         222-2016 Refer Application for L. Browe Asphalt Services Pavement Batch Plant Planned Development District to Town Planning Board for Review and Recommendation

·         223-2016 Create Assistant Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer and Appoint Nicholas Petramale as Assistant Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Officer and Part-Time Fire Inspector Congratulations and welcome!

·         224-2016 Conditional Job Offer to Griffin S. Hotaling for Police Officer Congratulations and welcome!

·         225-2016 Honoring Gerald Middleton for Fifty Years of Service to the Best-Luther Fire Department Congratulations and thanks!

·         226-2016 Appoint William Mahan Bingo Inspector Congratulations and welcome back!

·         227-2016 Create Part-Time Operations Consultant and Appoint Terry Sharp to that Position Congratulations and welcome!

 

Pete Stenson

East Greenbush

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

ELECTION REFLECTION

Donald J. Trump has been elected the 45^th President of the United States.  Was his victory due to the polls, pundits, prognosticators or that he tapped into the angst many feel about being forgotten by Washington?  Who could blame them?

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican) said in late 2010 “Our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term.”  Too late to stop the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the Affordable Care Act (2010), but early enough to block any other Obama initiative.  Those feeling the angst weren’t forgotten – they were downright abandoned!

President Elect Trump made a good number of promises and walked back some during his campaign.  Will his tax cuts and program expansions, i.e. the military, be subjected to the same requirement that they be paid for by offsetting program cuts or will they grow the deficit a la the Reagan tax cuts?

Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will not likely support every Trump initiative but they won’t likely fight every one either.  I believe and hope they will support initiatives that are good for America and her people!  Pelosi has already indicated support for an infrastructure program (I assume provided it doesn’t include the “Wall”). 

“Good” is the operative and subjective word.  Political parties generally have the same goals but different approaches to achieving them.  Tax cuts or increased spending to grow a stagnant economy?  Help for the struggling or empowerment?  Fewer or increased regulations?  Critical choices all.

Regardless, we should all insist that the Washington “elite” work together to address the many issues this nation faces.  Their success will be our success!  Or will the masses be abandoned again?

Pete Stenson

East Greenbush

Remember those who served!

EG Town Board 11/3/16 Budget Hearing

Town Supervisor Jack Conway narrated a PowerPoint presentation illustrating the 2017 Preliminary Budget.  Historically, this task fell to the Town Comptroller, at least in my recollection.  Supervisor Conway did an excellent job.

The 2017 Preliminary Budget complies with the NYS Tax Levy Cap (thanks to available carryover), reportedly yields a Tax Levy (NOT Tax Rate) increase of 1.47% and includes:

• Accounting software and audits;
• 5 new DPW positions (all Town retirements will be reviewed for backfilling on a case-by-case basis);
• $500,000 for Luther Road sidewalks;
• Repays $683,794 in General Fund inter-fund borrowing (Couse and Mannix Roundabout cost over-runs);
• New Police and CSEA contract settlements;
• Security windows for Receiver of Taxes and Town Clerk’s offices;
• New Town Hall website and telephone system;
• Additional road paving;
• A cleaning process to reduce odor at the WWTP.

Absent from the Preliminary Budget is funding to allow the Receiver of Taxes office to remain open during normal 8:30AM-4:30PM Town Hall Business Hours for the full year, only for select months.  The Office will close at 3:00PM otherwise.  Customer service??

However, the 1.47% Tax Levy Increase is across-the-board, including all Town-levied taxes and two fire companies.  But no one pays this, as there are four sewer districts and two water districts in EG.

Including Bruen Ambulance at no increase, General Water/General Sewer District residents face a 2.5% increase; General Water/Couse Sewer +3.05%; General Water/3^rd Avenue Sewer +3.00% and Hampton Manor +1.44%.  Residents outside of the Sewer and Water Districts + 2.51% based on the General and Highway Funds alone.

Also, Best Luther Fire increases $2,040 (2.0%) and 3rd Ave Fire +$160 (2.2%)

Definitely not 1.47%.  Onerous?  I’ll let you decide.

FYI, Rensselaer County’s Budget Property Tax Levy increase is reported at 1.61%.

Pete Stenson

East Greenbush

Reminder!

10/24/16 EG Town Board Special Meeting

The following were adopted unanimously except where noted.

206-2016 Adopt Preliminary Budget for 2017 Mary Ann Matters voted “No”, based on numerous issues she identified with the 2017 Preliminary Budget.

207-2016 Award Outfall Upgrade Contract No. 1 and Reject Bids for Paving and Landscaping Contract No. 2 for Town of East Greenbush Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project

208-2016 Authorizing Supervisor to Execute a Memorandum of Agreement Between Town of East Greenbush and Council 82 AFSCME/AFL-CIO/Local 1571 – East Greenbush eliminating EGPD residency requirement

209-2016 Authorizing Purchase of FP PostBase85 Postage Meter

210-2016 Approving and Ratifying a Settlement Agreement Among Town of East Greenbush, Civil Service Employees Association, Inc., Local 1000/AFSCME/AFL-CIO, and a Town Employee

* * * * *

I have problems concerning 206-2016 Adopt Preliminary Budget for 2017 when viewed in conjunction with the 6:00PM 11/3/16 Budget Hearing.  The Budget Hearing is the earliest in my recollection, a full week before the 11/10/16 statutory deadline!, yielding a scant 10 days for public review.   

EG1ST’s (Conway/Grant/Tierney) website states “A lack of transparency has plagued our Town government.  Officials have failed to share the information that has shaped their decisions.  Public input has not been properly solicited and often ignored.” and “Seek and respect input from residents.” 

To quote Bob Dylan, “the times they are a changin”.

I requested a spreadsheet version of the published 2017 Tentative Budget via email to Supervisor Conway (10/19/16) to no avail or reply.  I also requested a spreadsheet version of the published 2017 Preliminary Budget at the 10/24/16 Meeting and via email to Supervisor Conway (10/26/16) to no avail or reply.  I FOILed same on 10/26/16.

Even if my requests were granted, there’d be precious little time to evaluate the 2017 Preliminary Budget.

Pete Stenson

East Grenbush