Stephentown Town Board Action – Simple Matters Become Complex

by David Flint
Simple matters, when caught up in government and legal red tape, can get mighty complex. The Stephentown Town Board didn’t have much on their plate at their meeting on Monday evening, but a couple of issues they did deal with seemed to be a lot more complicated than one would have thought.
Changing Grievance Day
The first issue was a simple change of date for Grievance Day at which the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) hears complaints regarding assessments. Last month at the request of the Assessor, Tom MacVeigh, the Board passed a resolution to move up the date from the fourth Tuesday in May to the preceding Monday, May 24.  MacVeigh is also the Assessor for the Town of Nassau, and their Grievance Day is also held on the fourth Tuesday.
It subsequently became clear that Monday would not work and also that since Grievance Day is set by Town law for the fourth Tuesday in May, the Board could not just change the date by a simple resolution. They needed to change the law and that required a public hearing. So the Town Board held a special meeting on May 4 in order to pass a resolution to authorize the Town Clerk to advertise for a public hearing to consider passage of proposed Local Law #1 of 2010. The hearing was set for 6:50 pm on May 17 preceding their regular meeting at 7 pm. With the public hearing out of the way, at which there was no public input, the Board then proceeded to pass another resolution adopting the proposed Local Law #1 of 2010 which officially changes Stephentown’s Grievance Day hereafter from the fourth Tuesday in May to the fourth Thursday in May
The new law is now in effect so Grievance Day this year is next week, Thursday, May 27, from 2 to 4 pm and from 6 to 8 pm at the Town Hall.
Financing The Road Grader
At a special meeting of the Town Board on April 5, the Board opened bids on a new road grader and awarded the bid to Monroe Tractor for the price of $154,468, including trade-in and a five year extended warranty. Town Supervisor Larry Eckhardt announced at the last regular meeting that the Board would seek to spread payments out over time rather than drawing down Town reserves all at once. Deciding on the method of financing and keeping in compliance with General Municipal Law is where it apparently gets tricky.
Eckhardt did a thorough evaluation of financing alternatives and determined that the quickest and least costly way of financing would be to use a lease/purchase installment sales contract with a non-vendor. Monroe Tractor does not offer an installment purchase contract. Bonding the purchase would entail a lot more time and expense, including attorneys’ fees. Therefore the Board opted to make the purchase through a lease/purchase  installment agreement with Trinity, a division of the Bank of the West, at an interest rate of 4.1%. The first payment of $53,766 will be made next month followed by two more payments in June 2011 and June 2012.
The resolution to effect this and put it on the record that everything was done in compliance with municipal law was well over a thousand words of what Eckhardt characterized as “long winded legal jargon.” Eckhardt read the whole thing during which some of the few people attending began to nod off. One wag in the audience woke up and asked to have it read again, but Eckhardt declined.
In any case, the Town is now in possession of a new grader and, “It’s working fine,” according to Highway Superintendent Aldy Goodermote.
Highway Department Report
Goodermote’s Highway Department report was equally succinct. “Everything’s fine,” he said.
Lead Safe Work Practices
Deputy Code Enforcement Officer Owen Cassavaugh reported that training courses are available through the Cornell Cooperative Extension for contractors or home owners on Lead Safe Work Practices and Renovation, Repair and Painting. Effective April 22 of this year contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead based paint in homes, child care facilities and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Courses are available in both Albany and Rensselaer Counties. A schedule of classes can be found at www.ccerensselaer.org under the tab “Family & Consumer Science.”
Deposits & Spending
The Town Clerk reported she had turned over to the Supervisor the sum of $5,246 for the month of April. The Transfer Station deposited a total of $5,246.
The Board audited and approved claims in the amount of $13,661.54 from the General Account and $94,642.34 from the Highway Account. The latter amount includes the first payment for the new road grader, the check to be cut in June.
The Board set its next Workshop meeting for Tuesday, June 14, at 7 pm and the next regular meeting for Tuesday, June 21, at 7 pm.