Stephentown Town Board Action – Board Seat To Be Filled By Special Election

by David Flint
The Stephentown Town Board convened its first regular meeting on Monday, January 18, under the leadership of Larry Eckhardt, newly elected Town Supervisor. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Eckhardt asked for a moment of silence in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. and in respect for the many victims of the ongoing tragedy unfolding in Haiti.
Board Vacancy To Be Filled By Special Election
Eckhardt heads up a four-member Board. His election to Town Supervisor left vacant the seat he had been occupying on the Town Council. The situation was discussed at the Organizational Meeting on January 4, but the Council found themselves at an impasse on the appointment of someone to fill the vacancy. Eckhardt and Councilman Mark Prescott were in favor of appointing John Meekins, since he had received the third highest number of votes in the election for two seats on the Council. Councilmen Chris Demick and PJ Roder, who were re-elected by a sizable margin in that election, were adamant that William Jennings should be appointed. The upshot, according to Eckhardt, is that the Board will probably forego making any appointment and a special election will be held in November to fill the vacancy.
Not Happy With Bank Of America
Eckhardt said there were several important meetings scheduled for the week. He will meet with representatives of the Bank of America Government Services Division to review the eleven accounts that the Town holds with that bank and the hefty fees that are being charged. Eckhardt has estimated that the Town may be paying out $1,200 quarterly for bank services. Bill Jennings, Fire Department Treasurer and Fire District Secretary, said that the Fire District had the same problem, finding that last year bank fees had gone “out of sight.” Told that the bank could not waive fees for a municipal entity, he said the District is now in the process of moving to Key Bank in West Sand Lake. Eckhardt said it was more convenient for the Town to use Bank of America with its locations in Berlin and New Lebanon, but the Board would also be looking into the option of moving to Key Bank.
Brian Baker noted that bank policies are not law and can be changed; sometimes “scorching letters” can help. He said he would be glad to assist in drafting such a letter. They don’t want to lose business, he said, and given the amount of business they have from the Town, there should be no fees at all. Andrew White agreed, saying that with eleven accounts the Town should certainly have some leverage.
Bridges
At another meeting coming up on Thursday, Eckhardt said that he and Highway Superintendent Aldy Goodermote will be discussing with County officials funding possibilities for several bridges in Town that are in need of repairs. Jim Cummings asked about the Pease Road Bridge and whether the Board had looked into the availability of federal stimulus money. Councilman Roder said they had but most of that money requires “shovel ready” projects. Eckhardt said that the Board would probably not act any time soon to dismantle the closed off Pease Road Bridge, and Roder said there are at least three other bridges in Town that have higher priority, including bridges on Newton Road, Black River Road and Grange Hall Road. The Pease Road bridge, he said, would “probably not make the cut this year.”
Health Insurance Woes
There will be a third meeting involving health insurance, which Eckhardt said is rapidly becoming a critical cost item for the Town. Right now, he said, it is budgeted for $51,000 but it could quickly escalate to over $70,000. Along with Town employees, including their union representative, he will meet this week with the Town’s insurance broker to discuss options for keeping these costs under control. Brian Baker suggested the Town might consider joining the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce and switching their HMO membership from MVP to CDPHP.
Transfer Station New Hours – End Of ERCSWMA?
Joan MacVeigh complained that there still was no sign at the entrance to the Transfer Station to indicate the new hours and the fact that the Station is no longer open on Monday. The new hours are Wednesday noon to 7 pm, Friday 1 to 6 pm and Saturday 8 am to 4 pm. Councilman Prescott said a new sign has been delivered and it would be installed this week.
Among bills approved at this meeting was one in the amount of $6,500 for annual dues for membership in the Eastern Rensselaer County Solid Waste Management Authority. Eckhardt said the Board has been looking into Transfer Station costs and will be considering other options. It is possible, he said, that the Board after this year might decide to dissolve the Town’s contract with ERCSWMA.
New Laptop & Printer For Highway Department
Councilman Roder said he has been researching purchase of a laptop computer and printer for the Highway Department. The cost, estimated at between $1,000 and $1,500 will be covered by the Department’s equipment budget.
Carbon Monoxide Alarms Required
Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer Dean Herrick reported that Amanda’s Law goes into effect on February 22 and requires that all residences, both new and existing, have carbon monoxide alarms. Existing one and two family residences will be required to have one carbon monoxide alarm installed on the lowest story having a sleeping area.
Town Web Site
Andrew White asked about the Town’s website. Eckhardt said the web site has been activated and can be reached at townofstephentown.org. The site is still a work in progress and anyone with any items to add should contact Court Clerk Debby Coppola. Her email address is sjusticeco@aol.com.
Controlling Oil Costs
The question arose as to whether the Town was paying a competitive price for oil. Eckhardt said that Aldy Goodermote calls around at the beginning of each season to determine the prices. Goodermote said the bottom line, however, is that unless prices are wildly out of line, he prefers to stay with Legenbauer, the company they have been doing business with for some time. Constantly switching around to get the absolute lowest price, he said,  results in poor service.
Eckhardt said he has been trying to control heating costs in the Town Hall by keeping thermostat settings down. Bill Jennings suggested installing a programmable thermostat as the Fire Department has done at the Fire Station. If someone moves the thermostat up, it automatically resets itself after a time to a preset default level. The Board said they would look into this.
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk reported she had turned over to the Supervisor the sum of $165.54 for the month of December. The Justice Court collected an amount of $5,170, of which $2,465 was remitted to the Office of the State Comptroller and $2,705 was retained by the Town.
The Board audited and approved claims for the end of 2009 in the amount of $12,367.02 from the General Account and $12,170.20 from the Highway Account and for the beginning of 2010 in the amount of $68,408.24 from the General Account and $5,283.30 from the Highway Account.
The Board set their next Workshop meeting for Monday, February 8, at 7 pm and their next regular Town Board meeting for Monday, February 15, at 7 pm.