Grafton Town Board Action – Concern Over Rescue Squad Suspension

by Bea Peterson
An issue that brought several people to the Grafton Town Board meeting on October 14 was a letter to the editor that appeared in the Eastwick Press regarding a certified letter sent to a member of the Grafton Rescue Squad suspending her from the Squad. The certified letter gave no reason for the suspension. Though the letter did not identify the suspended person, her name was revealed at the Town Board meeting. According to the letter writer, Suzanne Golden, who was interviewed by phone, the suspension letter was sent to Andrea Chittenden and was signed by Rescue Squad Captain Sharon Lecce. Lecce was not at the Town Board meeting. The Town Clerk said sixteen people came to the meeting and spoke on the issue. Golden said many of them wondered why, in a time when volunteer organizations are in such need of people, that something like this would happen.
Town Supervisor Allison Kirchner said that though the Town owns the ambulance, the Squad has its own Board and the Town has no jurisdiction over its operation. “We would be willing to set up a meeting between all sides to resolve this issue but that is all we can do,” she said.
Golden said those attending the Town meeting were unaware that a Rescue Squad meeting is a public meeting and that they could attend. She said several people are planning to attend the Squad’s November 10 meeting to get to the bottom of the issue.
Golden said she resigned as a driver from the Rescue Squad two years ago. She estimates the Squad may have a dozen members at this point in time. “They have probably lost six to ten members in the last couple of years,” she said.
Calls left for Rescue Squad Captain Sharon Lecce were not returned by press time.
Preliminary Budget Has 8% Tax Increase
The preliminary budget for the Town of Grafton was presented at this Board meeting. In a telephone interview this week Town Supervisor Allison Kirchner said the Board is working to reduce that amount before the final budget is presented on November 20. “We’re looking at a 44% increase in the New York State mandated retirement fund and a 12 to 14% increase in health insurance,” she said.
One of the largest increases, from $22,150 to $47,950, is the Assessor line. Supervisor Kirchner said the amount includes Assessor, clerk and data collectors. “We are in need of updating the Assessment Department in Grafton due to the fact that our Town has an equalization rate of approximately 8.5%, which is the lowest in the whole of Rensselaer County. She pointed out that a perfect equalization rate is 100%. She said that this last year the Assessors were able to put $380,000 of land values back on the books that weren’t previously recorded.
She is currently working on criteria and a job description and advertisement for a full time sole assessor to begin work in January. “We have already passed a law to hire a sole assessor,” the Supervisor said.
The next public hearing on the Town budget will be Thursday, October 28, at 6:45 pm.