Budget, Noise Law, And Solar Law Passed
by Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Town Board passed the Town’s 2019 Budget at its meeting on Tuesday, November 13. It is unchanged from the preliminary Budget formulated at the Budget Workshop in October and presented at a Public Hearing on November 8. The Town’s allowed increase under the New York State tax cap law this year is 2%, and the Board has increased the tax levy by 2% so as not to exceed the tax cap.
Noise Law Passed
A Public Hearing was held prior to the regular meeting on the noise law that the Town Board has been working on for quite a while. The final version prohibits most noise greater than 65 decibels (measured at the property line of the emitter) between the hours of 10 pm and 7 am. Fines for violations start at $250 and escalate to $3,000 for repeated offenses. Certain kinds of noise are exempt, such as emergency communications, church bells or chimes when part of religious observance, agricultural equipment in an agricultural zone, snow blowers and plows, and municipally sponsored concerts. The law is 10 pages long and is available from the Town Clerk.
During the regular meeting the Board passed the noise law unanimously.
Revisions To
Land Use Law Passed
The Board also held a Public Hearing on Revisions to the Town’s Land Use Law. These are primarily to add a section regulating solar energy installations, but also contained revised definitions of junk yards and telecommunications towers, and added a reference to the Town’s new Noise Law. There were no comments on this at the Public Hearing, and the Board approved it unanimously during the regular meeting. It will now be sent to the County Planning Department for comment before being finally adopted.
Rock Cuts
The lovely beach area next to the Hoosic River just north of where Route 7 crosses, where the old wooden bridge used to stand, has been brought to the Town’s attention this summer because someone was spending time there and leaving a lot of trash. Volunteer cleanups were organized and the trash was picked up. The Town Board has discussed what to do about this area several times this summer and fall, and were stymied because no one seems to know who owns that piece of land. At this meeting Town Attorney Jonathan Schopf said he had done some preliminary research and he said it most likely is owned by Hoosac School, because he found language in one their deeds saying it went all the way to the river.
Hoosac Headmaster Dean Foster was present at the meeting, and he said he thinks that land most likely belongs to the State. He said he thinks that land was sold to the State by LeGrand Tibbits in 1933 when the old wooden bridge was taken down and the new Route 7 bridge was built.
Foster said the School is neither averse to owning the land nor desirous of owning the land, and is glad to cooperate with the Town on whatever they would like to do about the beach area. He also noted that students from the school have cleaned up that beach ten times this year.
The Board came to no resolution on this issue, and will continue to research who owns the land and to ponder how to forestall misuse of the beach there.
In other business:
• The Board approved purchase of a time clock and time cards for use by rink and pool employees.
• The Board hired Tyler Rondeau as the rink manager for the upcoming skating season at $17 per hour.
• The Board passed a resolution requiring that all Town of Hoosick vehicles be prominently marked as such with lettering. Town Highway Superintendent Bill Shiland said he thought it is a waste of money, but Councilman Jerry McAuliffe in particular was insistent that it should be done. Shiland said 8 vehicles need to be lettered and he expects the cost to be about $1,800.