Nov 5 Town Board Workshop to discuss 2023 Town Budget - didn't discuss Town Budget

The November 5 Town Board Workshop, referred to in previous town board meetings as an opportunity to discuss and help refine the 2023 Town Budget prior to the November 10 Public Hearing, did everything but review the 2023 Budget.

The first item on the agenda was a discussion of a resolution to update a section of the Town Zoning Code. Any discussion was pre-empted by the Town Attorney saying that a client/attorney meeting had to be held, as part an executive session. This was postponed until the end of the workshop, but effectively removed 30 minutes from the planned workshop.

The next item, understandable because of the need to act before the next Town Board meeting, was a lengthy discussion about the purchase of a pick-up truck with plow for the Buildings & Grounds team. The truck will be used throughout the year for towing and moving people and equipment, but also to help with plowing the Town's building's parking lots and park areas, enabling emergency equipment access. Half of the monies required to purchase the truck will come from unused Buildings & Grounds 2022 funds, and deferring additional equipment purchases until 2024. The resolution passed 3 to 1.

The board, attorney and engineer then embarked on a circular discussion around water and sewer projects, grant funding (where a side comment was made that the Town DID NOT receive a grant for extending the water line on the Route 9 Corridor), the American Rescue Plan Funding, the notice of violation for the Fleetwood systems, the need for MidPoint systems to be upgraded, the need for Woodhill Green to have water supply, the agreements made but not yet fulfilled with the Village of Wappinger, the potential of connections with Tri-Municipal, oh yes! the NYC Water Line with some past ides of connecting to New Hamburg and Chelsea -- but without specific bids for specific projects and the Town Attorney having to further explore the requirements of when the grant money already received has to be spent, and the engineering firm understanding what those distributing grants are looking for when awarding projects... one is coming away from the discussion that a lot of infrastructure work for water/sewer to update current systems is required, it would be great to extend water to some current residents and business and we don't yet have the facts to move forward on anything.

Next up was a discussion of Kent Road traffic safety, an issue that predates the current administration. Solutions were proposed, acknowledgment of the issue -- and that it also affected an addition 12 areas in the Town and yes! some additional $$ in the 2023 budget for some additional police patrols.

We then had a bit of a replay of previous board meeting from the President of the Sports Museum explaining that for the past 3 years they have been unable to hold fundraising events and that he and his wife have used their own funds to do some of the work. The board agreed that they could be reimbursed for their outlay of materials. It was acknowledge that there is $5K in the 2023 budget for the Sports Museum. They have opened the Ralph Holt Room with a grant from the county. There was no discussion of the $200K in county grant money that the town has yet to apply to Carnwath projects.

A resident then got up before the board to explain that there are flashing stop signs available on the market.

And the board went into executive session. The Public Hearing scheduled for November 10 will be interesting.