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Town Board – September 2019

                                                            CLERMONT TOWN BOARD

                                                                    SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

The Clermont Town Board held their regular meeting on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 due to the Labor Day Holiday at 7:00 P.M. at the Town Hall.  Those in attendance were Supervisor Raymond Staats, Councilman Robert Desmond, Councilwoman Dawn Brownson, Councilman Evan Hempel and Councilman Kris Gildersleeve. There were two other resident present.

Supervisor Staats opened the meeting with a salute to the flag. 

MINUTES: The minutes were reviewed and a few minor spelling errors will be corrected on a motion made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Gildersleeve.  All in favor.  So carried.

TOWN CLERK’S REPORT: The Clerk read the August Town Clerk’s report and presented the Supervisor with a check for the General fund in the amount of $414.73 and for Trust and Agency in the amount of $250.00.

CORRESPONDENCE:

  • Keeping Identities of Seniors Safe shredding program will take place September 9 thru September 20.
  • Notice of Public hearing in Livingston for a special use permit and site plan approval for a wireless telecommunications facility on September 4, 2019 at 7:00 P.M.
  • A letter was received from Germantown Central School requesting the use of the Clermont soccer field while the work is being done on their capital project which will make their fields temporarily unusable. Supervisor Staats has spoken to Superintendent Susan Brown and the school has used the field a few times.
  • The board was given the budget and revenue reports for August.
  • Web Committee – There was no correspondence or comments.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

  • HIGHWAY: Councilman Desmond reported that the old highway truck was sold at auction.
  • WEBSITE UPDATE: Councilman Hempel reported that he has been working on the new website. Councilwoman Brownson had a few questions regarding departments that she did not see information on, such as the Planning Board, Board of Ethics and Board of Assessment Review.  Councilman Hempel will look into this.
  • GRANTS: Councilwoman Brownson did receive the check from Bank of Greene County for $750.00 for the park entrance. The NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation wrote that the application for construction design for the park did not meet the criteria for funding. She will call about this.

OLD BUSINESS: 

  • PARK SIGNAGE: Amy Parrella, a member of the park committee, contacted Supervisor Staats suggesting a kiosk for the sign with park rules. Supervisor Staats asked Councilwoman Brownson to work with Amy on an estimated cost for this. Councilman Desmond thinks there should also be a sign at the entrance to the park.
  • SALES TAX REVENUE: Supervisor Staats reported that the sales check received is $105,301.04, about $7000 more than last year at this time.  We are up about 5% over last year’s amount. Councilman Desmond asked if the county is looking at doing something in light of the stores closing. Supervisor Staats is not aware.
  • HIGHWAY: The truck on the auction site sold for $10,000.00.  When the check is received it will go into the highway fund.

NEW BUSINESS:

  • BUDGET WORKSHOP: The budget workshop will be held on Tuesday, September 17th at 6:30 P.M. and if necessary, Monday, September 23rd at 6:30 P.M. This will include any other business that may come before the board.
  • RESOLUTION #33-19 in Organizational meeting minutes: A motion was made by Councilwoman Brownson, seconded by Councilman Hempel to change the hourly rate from $10.00 an hour to prevailing minimum wage for Assessment Review Board, Trial Juror and Secretary – BAR. All in favor.  So carried.

SUPERVISORS REPORT:

  • MILL ROAD BRIDGE: The Mill Road bridge has been taken down and they will be putting additional guard rails to keep anyone from going over the edge.
  • COUNTY ROADS: Columbia County has in the past contracted with the State to plow roads.  The State is going to take back maintenance of Route 9 and Route 9G.  They were paying the County to maintain these roads in the winter in the past.
  • COUNTY BUDGET:  There will be an increase in the County tax and mostly because of the expenditures for health care, which is 3.7 million over budget. But the County says it will stay within the tax cap. Supervisor Staats has not seen the final numbers at this point.  They are looking at changing insurance providers.
  • RECYCLING: Councilman Hempel asked if there has been any discussion about recycling costs.  They reported that the costs have leveled out. The Solid Waste Director is happy with what has been collected to date.

ABSTRACTS:

  • A motion was made by Councilman Gildersleeve, seconded by Councilman Hempel to approve Trust & Agency abstract #9, voucher # 24 in the amount of $33.00.  All in favor.  So carried.
  • A motion was made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Gildersleeve to approve General abstract #9A, vouchers #238-257 in the amount of $5,145.94.  All in favor.  So carried.
  • A motion was made by Councilman Hempel, seconded by Councilwoman Brownson to approve General Prepaid abstract #9, vouchers #235 – 237 in the amount of $200.13.  All in favor.  So carried.
  • A motion was made by Councilwoman Brownson, seconded by Councilman Hempel to approve Highway abstract #9, vouchers #78-87 in the amount of $5,241.22.  All in favor.  So carried.

PUBLIC COMMENT:

Mary Howard reported that the Park committee have been meeting and working on a conceptual design for the Park in and around the Little League Field.  They will hold meetings on Monday, September 30th from 6 – 8 PM on the design for the Hettling Park: Sunday, October 20th from 2 – 4 PM for full review of the draft document and Sunday, November 17th from 4 – 6 PM for community input on the draft document.  They are hoping to present this to the Town Board at the December 2nd meeting. The volunteers have been watering the new plantings at the entrance and she thanked the volunteers for their work.

The committee is also requesting a budget of $20,000 to $25, 000 for engineering design work for a plan that would cover the project for the next five to ten-year period. It was also suggested that there be a line item in the budget for someone to coordinate the work getting done in the park, possibly in the form of a stipend. They will continue to look for grants to help defray expenses. 

Phyllis Heiko asked if there was any update regarding homes taken over by the state for persons with disabilities.  There has been no update. She also announced that Lindsey Shute received an award from the Columbia County Land Conservancy, one of three women to be honored because for her impact on landscapes and the community.

A motion was made to adjourn at 7:35 P.M. by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Hempel.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Helen Shannon, RMC

Town Clerk