Minutes
City of
REGULAR
MEETING
The
regular meeting of the Beacon City Council held at the
Council Members in
Attendance were: Mayor Steve
Gold, Deanna Leake, Sara Pasti, Marlene Fredericks and Randy Casale.
Excused: Eleanor
Thompson and Charles Kelly
Also
Present: City
Administrator
City
Attorney Richard Wolf
Media
Represented by: Goldee
Greene, Beacon Free Press
Residents
at beginning of Meeting 20
First
The following
letter was read by Mayor Steve Gold:
Dear Resident,
Thank you all for attending. We want to hear what you have to say but here are some basic principles. The public has four opportunities to make comments at our City Council Meeting.
In order to conduct the business of the Council, rules do not permit a Council Members, staff or consultant to answer or respond to any questions or comments. Responses to comments can be made during regular business hours. Comments should pertain to issues or items affecting the city and not political in nature or critical of any particular member of the Council, staff or consultant. As always, voices should be kept at a professional level.
The four opportunities for public comment are:
1. Up to the first thirty minutes of the meeting are devoted to public
comments on any issue or item that is not on the day's agenda. The speaker may
take up to three minutes. We remind the public that the best way to discuss a
problem or issue in detail is to call City Hall and ask for the City
Administrator,
2. The second opportunity for comments is if there is a Public Hearing. Comments should be directed only to the matter of the Public Hearing being discussed. The speaker may take up to five minutes.
3. The third comment section comes after the Council gives its report. It pertains only to items on the agenda that will be subject to a vote. The speaker may take up to five minutes.
4. The fourth comment section is at the end of the meeting and can be on any issue or item. The speaker may take up to five minutes.
Wallace Glass,
Norman McCloud,
Mayor Steve Gold: We are having
a meeting here in this room on this subject tomorrow at
Betty DiPompo, 6 Pierce Place: I do want to thank the council for discussing the increase in the senior citizens tax exemption because it is very important that we take care of our senior citizens and that we provide for them because they have enough to worry about without worrying about losing their homes. Thank you.
Mayor Steve Gold: Thank you for bringing that subject to our attention.
Mo Baxter: I notice in the paper that the mayor made a statement that Beacon is financially sound and I am wondering why the taxes are going up in double digits next year. The other thing is I noticed again that there are two council members not here and are not representing the people that voted them in. You guys have been elected have a commitment. There are always two council members not here. I don't know why we are paying them. I don't know we are paying our council members when they are not showing up.
Mayor Steve Gold: To set the record straight, the city council has not set its tax rate for next year. The statement that says that the tax rate is going up in double digits is erroneous because we don't set our taxes until December. I just wanted to clarify that.
Michael DiPompo,
Hank Dutch,
Public Hearings: None.
Community
Segment: None.
Approval of Minutes: Special Council Meeting
Motion: Council Member Casale: Seconded:
Council Member Leake. All voted
in favor. Motion carried.
Reports: Text for the Reports of
Mayor's Communications read by
Mayor Steve Gold.
City
Administrator
City
Attorney – First Meeting of the Month
Council
Members read their Reports of Activities
Mayor
Steve Gold read his Report of Activities
Public Comments: Pertaining to This Agenda Only: None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Resolutions:
Local Laws And Ordinances:
Resolutions:
1. Resolution
No. 117 of 2008 - to Provide Increase in Senior Citizen Tax Exemption. Read by City
Administrator Robson.
WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that increased fuel costs and other higher costs of living are now and will continue to adversely affect senior citizens residing in the City of Beacon; and
WHEREAS, increasing the income limit for a 50% senior citizen exemption to $24,000 in compliance with New York State Real Property Tax Law 467 will have a very small impact on the tax rate for the City and will be in the best interest of Beacon’s senior citizens;
Motion to approve
Increase in Senior Citizen Tax Exemption:
Council Member Casale.
Seconded: Council Member
2. Resolution No. 118 of 2008 - to Provide Cold
War Veteran’s Tax Exemption.
WHEREAS, an assessed value property tax exemption exists for certain “Cold War Veterans”, known as New York State Real Property Tax Law 458B;
WHEREAS, the City Council has
determined that it is desirable for the City of
Motion to provide cold
war veterans tax exemption: Council
Member Leake. Seconded by Council Member
Pasti. On roll call, all voted in
favor. Motion carried.
3. Resolution No. 119 of 2008 - to Certify Base
Percentages and Proportions
for the 2008 Assessment Roll Pursuant to Article 19 of the Real Property Tax
Law.
RESOLVED,
that the City Council hereby approves and certifies the "Base Percentages,
Current Percentages and Current Base Proportions” and “Adjusted Base Proportions” as
set forth in the attached for the levy of taxes on the 2008 assessment roll
pursuant to Article 19 of the Real Property Tax Law.
Motion to certify base
percentages: Council Member
Fredericks. Seconded: Council Member Pasti. On
roll call, all voted in favor.
Motion carried.
Local Laws And Ordinances: (Local Law is available in their entirety on
the City of
1. Resolution No. 120 of 2008 - Set Public Hearing for Tuesday, September 2ND and
First
Motion to set Public Hearing for
2 Resolution No. 121 of 2008 - Set Public Hearing for
Motion
to set Public Hearing for
Ratifications / Appointments: None.
Announcements: None
Last
Mo Baxter: Under unfinished
business, I didn't hear anybody bring up about the sidewalks on
Hank Dutch,
Kathy Deutermann,
A couple of other things that I would like to discuss and one of them
is fences. They are looking for bids on
it.
Mayor Steve Gold: Thank you Cathy for everything that you did for National Night Out.
The council and the audience gave Cathy a loud round of applause.
Wallace Glass,
No further
comments.
Budget Amendments:
None.
Next Workshop:
Next Council Meeting:
Motion
to go into Executive Session: None.
Motion to adjourn meeting at
Text from Reports from the
Mayor's Correspondence:
DATE:
RE: Agreement Extensions
Agreement #C006177 - City of
Enclosed is a fully executed copy of an
amendment to an Agreement between the City of
Agreement #0006502 -
Transportation Planning for
Enclosed is a fully executed copy of an
amendment to an Agreement between the City of
Agreement #C006403 - Harbor
Management Planning and Design of Waterfront Facility Renovation
Enclosed is a fully executed copy of an
amendment to an Agreement between the City of
Agreement #0006303 - Beacon
Waterfront Rediscovery Riverfront Access Project
Enclosed is a fully executed copy of an
amendment to an Agreement between the City of
If you have any questions
please contact me at (518) 474-5559 or
DATE: July, 2008 –
RE:
Times are difficult for many of us here in
the
As the region's utility, we have an obligation to provide
continuous, reliable electric and natural gas service at a fair price.
We have had tough choices to make about how to adequately fulfill our obligations
to our customers and investors during these times of rising costs. We've reached a point where we
must raise our rates in order to recover the costs of providing the level and
quality of service that our customers expect and require, and to invest in the
region's electric and natural gas systems in order to meet rising energy needs
and improve the reliability of service.
Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation
filed a petition with the New York State Public Service Commission today to
increase delivery rates for electricity and natural gas, offer energy efficiency programs
to help customers in its eight-county Mid-Hudson Valley service territory
better manage their energy use, and implement a revenue decoupling mechanism.
The
delivery rate increases, if approved as proposed, would raise typical
residential electric bills by about 3.5 percent based on current market supply
costs for electricity, or an increase in the delivery portion of their bill of
approximately $3.50 per month;
an average residential
natural gas heating customer would see about an 8 percent increase in total
bills based on current market supply costs for natural gas, or an increase in
the delivery portion of their bill of about $14.70 per month when
averaged over 12 months. These changes are proposed to take place next summer, after an
11-month regulatory process that will include public hearings and other
opportunities for interested parties to submit comments regarding the proposal.
'We have had tough choices to make about how
to adequately fulfill our obligations to our customers and investors during
these times of rising prices. Considering the shortfalls in previously
authorized revenues, we've reached a point where we must raise our rates in
order to recover the costs of providing the level and quality of service that
our customers expect and require," said -Michaetr Mosher, Vice President
of Regulatory Affairs.
"This request comes from a need to
safely and reliably operate our critical energy systems. As neighbors, we know
times are tough for everyone, and we're minimizing our request as much as
possible. Central Hudson is controlling costs by continuously improving
productivity and working more efficiently — we are a lean company and extremely
cost conscious, and we took this step only because it was necessary," said
Mosher.
"We are seeking an increase in our
delivery rates for many reasons, including increased expenses for items such as
trimming trees, providing fleet fuel and paying taxes, as well as continuing
investments in the electric and natural gas delivery systems to improve the
reliability of our service and to meet the energy needs of the
"We
are also proposing energy efficiency programs, as our customers have told us
that they look to
'We understand how rising energy costs can
affect our customers, and seized every available opportunity to reduce
costs," said Mosher. "For example, we worked closely with our
employees to reduce the costs of pension and other post employment benefit
plans, with an expected savings of nearly $75 million over the next five years.
Also, productivity at
The filing made in
The
filing and additional information regarding this proposal can be found at the
utility's Web site at www.CentralHudson.com/EnergyAnswers.
DATE:
RE: Rebuilding
Rebuilding
This
year an important policy change will allow all eligible homeowners to apply for
assistance in the 2009 Program Year.
This is a change from our previous practice that alternated the North
and South areas of Dutchess. Projects
will be scheduled in April and in the fall of 2009 as we expand our programs to
meet an increased need. The deadline
for the receipt of applications in our office is
It is clear from information available
through the County Planning Office that affordable housing is at the top of the
list in terms of community needs. Our program not only assists individual
homeowners but also helps to maintain low-income housing stock in communities.
The enclosed announcement flyer may be useful in your efforts to let people in
your community know about this program.
I've also enclosed a copy of our recent
newsletter, which provides information about many of our successful projects
this year and the press release we recently sent to the local media. Copies of
this letter are being sent to your Clerk and Building Inspector in the hope
that they too will help get the word out.
If you need additional information, or would
just like to discuss our program in greater detail, please call me. I am can be
reached on weekdays between
Instructions for 2009 Project Homeowner Applications
The call for applications to receive
assistance for no-cost home repairs for the 2009 Project Year is now open. The
majority of projects will be scheduled for April 2009. Additional projects may
be scheduled for the fall of 2009. The following information will help you
determine if you may be eligible and also provides some key information needed
to complete the application process:
Key
Dates
Homeowners
are encouraged to complete and send the applications together with the required
supporting documents as soon as possible. This helps us to schedule home
inspections and provide the review needed to help us select the most needy
applications.
The
absolute final date for the receipt of the application and all documentation is
Applicants who do not meet the eligibility
requirements will be notified within two weeks of the determination of
ineligibility.
Home inspection/preview visits will be
scheduled within 2-4 weeks of the receipt of all required documents. These
visits give us an opportunity to meet the homeowner and determine the work
required.
Notification of the selected applications
will be made by the middle of February. The majority of repair projects will be
scheduled for
Home
Ownership Requirements
Applicants must own and reside in the home
requiring repairs. In some cases, a life tenancy or life estate agreement may
qualify for the program. The homes must be free of liens. The homeowner is
expected to reside in the home for a minimum of two years following the
repairs. Otherwise, repayment of the repair cost by the homeowner or their
heirs must be made to
Income
Guidelines
|
Household Size |
80 % of Median |
|
1 |
$43,050 |
|
2 |
$49,200 |
|
3 |
$55,350 |
|
4 |
$61,500 |
|
5 |
$66,400 |
|
6 |
$71,350 |
Please be sure your entire household income is below the 80% guideline before applying.
Documentation
Required
Documentation of income and proof of home
ownership must be submitted with the application. Some examples are listed on
the application on Page 3.
Where
to call for assistance and where to send the application
Please call our office and speak to our staff
if you have any questions at all about how to complete your application and
what documents you need to submit. We welcome the opportunity to help you in
this process. Call Monday through Friday between the hours of
The number to call is
845-454-7310
The mailing address for applications is:
Rebuilding Together
Applications can be hand delivered to
Home Repair Program Available at No Cost to Eligible Homeowners
We seek low-income homeowners who need
repairs around the house that they may not be able to make or afford on their
own. We particularly are interested in applications from seniors, veterans,
disabled and single parents of school-age children. Large and small jobs are
considered. Our community sponsors provide the materials and our volunteers
provide the labor... so it costs you, the homeowner, nothing.
An
important policy change for 2009 is the fact that homeowners residing in all
Our goal
is to help rebuild our community, one house at a time. Here's what we've
accomplished in our first 17 years of operation:
·
Over 300 homes restored to a safe, warm,
dry condition
·
Almost 100,000 hours of labor donated
·
$3 mil in repairs made
Please help us reach those who need us the
most. If you think, you qualify or if you know someone who may, please call for
an application. 845 454-7310, weekdays
An independent, locally managed affiliate of the Nation's largest
volunteer
organization preserving and revitalizing over 9,000 homes each year.
DATE:
RE: Certificate of the
I, Patricia L. Holland, hereby certify that
on
Note:
Since your municipality did not file a complaint with respect to the tentative
rate, the final equalization rate is the same as the tentative rate. Notice of the final rate will be filed with
the clerk of the county legislative body and in the office of the State Comptroller.
2008 Equalization Rate Status
(C)
(A) (B) Percentage
Change
2007
State 2008 State in Estimate
Municipal Municipal Equalization Equalization
Code Name Rate Rate
and Status
of
Full Value
City of
Town of
Town of
Town of
Town of
Town of Hyde Park 45.00 45.00 Final 0.00%
Town of
Town of Northeast 92.50 92.50 Final 0.00%
Town of
Town of Pine
Plains 34.00 35.00 Final -2.86%
Town of Pleasant
Valley 48.00 48.00 Final 0.00%
Town of
Town of
Town of
Town of