by Thaddeus Flint
The Town Board of New Lebanon adopted a 2014 budget of $2,060,515 at its monthly meeting Tuesday. This budget has a .3% increase from the 2013 year. The budget, which passed with all in favor, provides for a 3% salary increase for Town employees.
[private]Property taxes for New Lebanon will fall in 2014 by $25,000. However $85,000 of the budget is financed with money from the Town’s unexpended fund balance.
The small total budget increase comes largely from the Highway Department which will augment spending by $54,000. The budget for just the Town expenses will actually be falling by almost $47,000. Fire Protection costs will remain the same as last year at $220,860.
Projects Continue
Even with such a bare bones budget, the Town still intends to continue work on its Town Hall. Councilman Bruce Baldwin said that work should continue on the original structure now that the new addition is largely complete. Renovations would include new lighting, the lowering of ceilings and painting for the first floor. The second floor of the elderly structure could see renovations to the Assessor’s office, a more modern facility for the Historical Society and the addition of some air conditioning units.
The price tag? “We have no idea what that might cost,” admitted Baldwin. “That’s why we have to put it out to bid.”
A vote was taken, and all were in favor of putting the project out to bid. “We are going to need to do it at some point,” conceded Councilman Doug Clark.
Whatever the costs are, Baldwin hopes to see the project as kind of a mini-stimulus to the area’s economy. “Local contractors are really encouraged to look at it,” said Baldwin.
Other improvements to the Town are now being visualized by the Recreation Commission. Katherine Levitan and Joe Ogilvie gave a brief update of the Rails to Trails project. The Commission is starting with a 2.5 mile long segment from Old Post Road to the Rensselaer County border. Levitan said that this section is the “easiest because its already there.” Stephentown has been hard at work on its trail going south, and there is hope the two Towns might one day amicably reach each other. The project appears to be moving along rather smoothly. “We have had no problems with private land owners not wanting this,” reported Levitan. The Commission expressed interest in having more members of the public participate in the planning and execution of the trails. Even snowmobilers, who are not always well received when it comes to public trails, are welcome. “We do want to involve them,” added Levitan. Ogilvie agreed. “It would be terrific for the community,” he said, “but we need everyone’s help.”
Noise, on the other hand, might not be so welcome. Of course in New Lebanon, when the term “noise” is brought up it means the Speedway. Baldwin pointed out that the last time the Town’s noise ordinance was adapted was 1982. Noise might be noisier now. Loud noise might be louder. Some would like to look into that. “I’m requesting, and a number of citizens are requesting, a review of [the noise ordinance],” said Baldwin. The matter was handed over to the Town’s attorney, Andy Howard, for review.
Burn Permits?
Howard is also going to be looking at fires. The New Lebanon Fire Department has expressed interest in moving toward a burn permit system like the one in place in Stephentown. There, if you want to burn some leaves, you have to go down to the Fire Department and fill out a permit, then take that permit home and right before you set fire to the leaves you have to call Rensselaer County Public Safety.
“My Uncle Larry isn’t going to like this,” laughed Town Supervisor Mike Benson. “He’s got a fire going every five minutes.” It looks like Uncle Larry will probably be in the clear for a while. Howard said he would look into Stephentown’s Law and how it applies to current D.E.C laws. If the Town then decided to go forth with its own law, a public hearing would have to be held first.
Change Of Assessment
One thing residents should not burn, however much enjoyment it might give them, is a letter they will be receiving from the Town’s Assessor, Kim Cammer. For the past months, Cammer has been out verifying all the properties in New Lebanon based on a 2007 assessment. A Change of Assessment Notice will soon go out. Residents need to return the form to Cammer by January 30 with any corrections they feel should be noted.
Good Riddance
Enjoyment comes in all forms and some residents will probably find some measure of it when the Town’s branch of Bank of America finally closes. Listed by Business Insider as one the 19 most hated companies in the U.S., the local branch managed to annoy even those it didn’t count as customers by painting its ugly branch an ugly shade of red. Berkshire Bank will soon take over the location, and Town Clerk Colleen Teal has already been at work setting up accounts there that will allow the tax collector to easily make daily deposits. Berkshire Bank will then do “daily sweeps” of the account said Teal, transferring funds instantly to the Town’s Municipal account at First Niagara to make sure that the balance never exceeds the $250,000 insured level.
The meeting ended with privilege of the floor. Supposedly some people have taken too much privilege with their floor privileges in the past so Teal is now tasked with reading the rules of the floor first. This way residents can adopt their behavior accordingly. Or not. The real point is to inform everyone that the Board does not have to respond if they don’t want to.
Behavior
The new regulations, strangely, seem to coincide with resident and Planning Board Member Trina Porte’s increased attendance at Town Board meetings. Porte, who recently ran unsuccessfully for a Board seat, is often at odds with Benson and likes to ask him long pointed questions about various decisions and projects in which he has been involved. This meeting was no different.
Porte took issue with “what is considered to be appropriate behavior” at meetings, pointing out that she had “concerns about the recent behavior” of the Town Supervisor himself. “I am concerned you lied to the public,” she said. This was in reference to statements Benson allegedly made at a Planning Board meeting in September. Porte said that Benson “made up a story about the Columbia County Board of Supervisors sending a letter offering a PILOT” to the supermarket developer Paul Calcagno. Porte said that PILOT programs are available to anyone, not just this one developer. Porte also called out Benson on implementing behavior rules at Town Board meetings when he himself “disrupted that Planning Board meeting to make completely false accusations against me and against our Planning Board.”
Benson’s response? A smile. “Anybody else?” he asked. “No? Motion to adjourn.”
Perhaps the smile was because he was sitting up front, and Porte was in the audience instead of sitting beside him as one of the Board members. The rules say that Benson didn’t have to respond and so he didn’t. Porte didn’t win her seat, that’s true. But it’s also true that Benson barely won his. Scott Larabee got up and reminded Benson, and everyone, of that fact. Larabee estimated Benson got 55% of the vote. “There was obviously a percentage of the people who are not happy,” said Larabee, brother of Councilman Matt Larabee who ran against Benson. “Look at the percentage you didn’t get.”
Looking at those percentages what you see is a town divided.
Future Meetings And Events
• Holiday Market, November 7, from 10 am to 2 pm at the Midtown Mall behind NAPA featuring singers from the Mountain Road School.
• Conservation Advisory Council draft Open Space Inventory meeting November 18 at the Walter B. Howard Elementary School at 7 pm.
• TRACS (Together Reducing Alcohol and Drugs in Our Communities and Schools) November 26, at the Town Hall at 6:30 pm.
• Holiday Market, December 8, from 10 to 2 at the Midtown Mall behind NAPA featuring Kobe, the famous missing alligator of New Lebanon and possibly Santa, if New Lebanon is good.[/private]