Town Board Hears Plea From Highway Super’s Family and Friends
by Miranda Sehl and Doug La Rocque
Highway Superintendent Brandon Hill was injured in a work-related incident on January 28 of last year. His wife Ashley says since that time, they have been battling with the Town’s insurance carrier to pay Mr. Hill’s medical bills, but have met with constant refusals. She said her husband has lost the ability to make a living, and her life and the lives of their children have been adversely impacted. She and family friends pleaded with the Board to intercede on his behalf with the insurance carrier.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hill’s continued absence is a matter of concern to Town Supervisor Phil Herrington, who said a deputy, Ed O’Donnell, has been hired to run the department on a part-time basis. Mr. O’Donnell is retired from the town, and is limited as to how many hours he can work. Supervisor Herrington told the meeting hopefully Mr. Hill will heal and return to work. He did say some sort of decision about department management needs to be made soon, before the snow falls.
It’s Nearly Budget Time
Supervisor Herrington told the Board he is preparing his preliminary 2021 town budget, and will hold a short formal meeting on Monday, October 5 at 5:30 pm to present the preliminary budget to the Town Clerk. It is the Clerk’s job to assure the budget is balanced and sign off on it. It is a draft document, something the Supervisor and board members will work on during October before a final budget goes to the full board for approval.
Resolutions
The Board approved resolutions revising the Length of Service Award program as it applied to the Town’s volunteer fire departments and increased the award from $700 to $1,200. This is subject to a referendum. It also accepted a petition for a drainage district and to extend the water district to include a housing project under construction on Sharp Road, near the North Greenbush line. The project was approved last year by the Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals, but not without several complaints from neighbors that had to be worked out. There will be a public hearing on each proposal on Thursday, October 8 starting at 6:45 pm.
The Board also passed a resolution accepting the August 2020 Water and Sewer Roll.