The State of New York has launched myBenefits, an all-in-one resource to give New Yorkers better access to programs available to help make ends meet — nutrition programs, energy programs, health insurance, tax credits, and other state and federal aid.
Visit myBenefits to find out about these crucial programs, determine if you are eligible, and learn how to apply. It is possible to apply online for some programs including submitting an online application for Food Stamps. For a detailed list of available resources visit the Governor's Resources Page for Working Families.
A reminder to Beacon residents: To facilitate snow removal, parking is prohibited on all city streets when there are two or more inches of snow.
There are ten municipal parking lots where residents can park their cars overnight rather than parking them curbside. Please do not leave your car in a municipal parking lot for more than 24 hours. City snow removal trucks need to clear the parking lots too. Cars left more than 24 hours risk being ticketed.
Locations of the ten municipal parking lots:
- South Avenue (by Loopers Plaza Tennis Courts)
- West Center Street (by Beacon Community Center)
- Cross Street (behind Hudson Beach Glass)
- Cliff Street (corner of Main & Cliff Streets)
- Main Street (next door to Pleasant Ridge Pizza)
- Church Street (behind Quinn’s Restaurant)
- Henry Street (behind Yankee Clipper Restaurant)
- Henry Street (corner of Main & S. Chestnut Streets)
- Van Nydeck (behind Brother’s Restaurant)
- Main/Verplanck (next to Moxie Hair Salon)
Polls open at Beacon High School on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 from 6am to 9pm
Voters who live in Dutchess County school districts have the opportunity to decide whether a new alternative high school should be built.
Dutchess County Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) is looking to build a $29.65 million 66,500-square-foot building on the Salt Point campus in the Town of Hyde Park, as well as renovate the Career and Technical Institute at the same location. This centralized campus designed to enhance current programs and encourage new programs to serve the needs of students in Dutchess County. If completed BOCES will no longer need to lease facilities on Route 44 which have cost upwards of $1 million annually.
”It's a money saver, job creator and a project that will bring the right kind of education to students and teachers,“ District Superintendent John Pennoyer said.
The cost of the bond will be shared by all districts in the county, Pennoyer said. While he said it was difficult to calculate a tax impact because each district is different, Pennoyer said the average increase in taxes for a homeowner is 67 cents per year.
For more information read the full coverage in the Poughkeepsie Journal or visit the BOCES website.
The city council has scheduled a secial town hall meeting to discuss the 2010 budget.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 7pm, at City Hall (1 Municipal Center) in the Court Room. All constituents are urged to attend and to voice their comments.
All Beaconites are urged to review the Proposed 2010 Budget Details. This file includes:
• Adopted 2010 Budget Summary (1 page)
• Effect Of Rate Increase On Tax Bills (1 page)
• 2010 Budget Request — Line Item Detail (28 pages)
Expense and Revenue of the General Fund, Water Fund, and Sewer Fund
• Explanatory Notes for Line Item Detail
Revenue Explanatory Notes (6 pages)
Expenditure Explanatory Notes (45 pages)
• Graphs (5 pages)
2010 Expenses
2004 - 2010 Expenditure History/Recommended
2004 - 2010 Assessed Values
2004 - 2010 History of Tax Rates
2004 - 2010 Tax Levy History
The Poughkeepsie Journal has featured these holiday art shows in the Hudson Valley:
Howland Cultural Center 477 Main Street, Beacon. A Look at the Beacon Art Salon through December 20, 2009. Gallery hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 1pm–5pm. Works by Claudine Farley-Davis, Carol Flaitz, Greg Georgi, Carla Goldberg, Susan Graves, Larry Guzman, Beth Haber, Barbara Kotacka, Mary Mugele Sealfon, Stacey Ward Kelly, Maureen Winzig, and Audrey Chibbaro. For more information call 845-831-4988 or visit www.howlandculturalcenter.org
Barrett Clay Works 485 Main St., Poughkeepsie. Holiday show/sale through December 12, 2009. For more information call 845-471-0407 or vist www.barrettartcenter.org
Tivoli Artists Co-op 60 Broadway, Tivoli. Holiday show/sale. through December 20, 2009. For more information call 845-757-2667 or visit www.tivoliartistsco-op.com
The Arts Upstairs Gallery 60 Main Street, Phoenicia. It’s About Time group show. Works by John Byer and family in solo room. For more information call 845-688-2142 or visit www.artsupstairs.com
Unframed Artists Gallery 173 Huguenot Street, New Paltz. Gaia: Earthmother group show. Also, works by Lubomir Tomaszewski. For more information call 845-255-5482 or visit www.unframedartistsgallery.com
Woodstock Artists Association and Museum 28 Tinker Street, Woodstock. Holiday show/sale through January 3, 2010. Also "Small Works" show by Craig Wood, and works by Agnes Tomaselli. For more information call 845-679-2940 or visit www.woodstockart.org
Read the full article in the Poughkeepsie Journal.
After a summer break from snow, here are a few reminders about the city ordinances for managing the inevitable snow falls this winter:
Parking after Snow Accumulations
It shall be unlawful to place, park or leave any automobile, truck or other vehicle on any public road or street within the corporate limits of the City of Beacon after any fall or accumulation of snow of two inches or more, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or when parking on said public road or street obstructs the removal of snow, unless such vehicle is at all times attended by a person legally capable of operating said vehicle. All vehicles left parked in violation of this Subsection A may be removed at the owner's expense. There shall be no parking in municipal lots within 24 hours of posting of same by the City Administrator. The violation of this provision shall constitute a violation and shall be punished by a fine of $100.
Removing Snow from Sidewalks
Every owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person having charge of any building or lot of ground in the City, abutting upon any street, avenue or public place, shall, where such building or lot of ground is within the established limits of the City, as they now exist or hereafter may exist, within 24 hours after the cessation of every fall of snow or the formation of any ice on the sidewalk abutting such building or lot of ground, remove or cause the snow or ice to be removed or cleaned entirely from the sidewalk abutting such building or lot of ground. ROUTES USED BY STUDENTS WALKING TO SCHOOL SHOULD BE CLEARED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. For additional information and laws regarding Snow Removal see the Beacon Code Section 191.12
Throwing Snow in the Road
It shall be unlawful for any person to blow or place snow or ice onto City of Beacon public streets or roads by mechanical or physical means. The violation of this provision shall constitute a violation and shall be punishable by a fine of $100 for the first offense and $250 for the second and subsequent offenses committed within 18 months of the first offense.
Now posted: Proposed 2010 Budget Details
Notes from Mayor Gold:
The 2010 "Mayor’s Budget" has been revised. The budget changes were officially announced at the Monday November 2nd council meeting. It includes the removal of the twelve-day work furlough and reduction in hours contained in the original budget. City workers will not be experiencing any reduction in work hours. In addition the revised budget significantly reduces the number of occupied positions to be eliminated from five to one. The tax rate increase for residential assessments in the revised budget is 14.59 %. The commercial rate increase is 6.66%.
The revised budget includes an additional $167,000 in revenue owed to the city by the state (for grants that were not distributed) and $26,000 of city account adjustments.
Much of the budget challenges were identified in the 2009 mid-year financial projection report. The budget has no increases in operating expenses. To help accomplish this, the city requests that all labor unions honor a 0% salary increase for 2010. The budget includes over $600,000 in additional losses of sales tax related revenue. It compensates for $1,250,000 taken out of the reserve fund to balance the budget in 2009 but not being withdrawn in the 2010 budget. Much of the revenue included in the 2010 budget is from recouping debt owed to the city by the State of New York. Keep in mind that this source will not be available in the 2011 budget. In addition, this budget includes a number of positions that will not be refilled in an attrition program.
I anticipate working ambitiously with the council to further reduce the tax rate increase as we meet with department supervisors and review the budget line-by-line. A town hall meeting will be scheduled for late November and as always public comments are welcome at city council meetings. The council will be making amendments between now and late December when the budget is adopted.
— These notes are also posted on Beacon Citizen Network where everyone can read and write public comments.
Update: The deadline to enter the lottery has been extended until Monday, November 16, 2009.
The City of Beacon will hold a public lottery drawing for eight (8) parking spaces in the Cliff Street Municipal Parking Lot as outlined in Resolution #06 of 2009. Said lottery drawing will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. in the City Administrator's office located in the Municipal Center, One Municipal Plaza, Suite One, Beacon, New York.
Those residents interested in submitting a form for the lottery should request a lottery form from the City Administrator's office no later than Monday, November 16, 2009. the parking spaces will be available for calendar year 2010 for each day of the week from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. The cost of each parking space is set at $30.00 per month.
Vote count as of 11/04/2009 03:54:19 AM with 100% of machines reporting as reported by Dutchess County.
BEACON CITY COUNCILMEMBER AT LARGE (Vote for 2)
Marlene M Fredericks (D) 1,198
George M Mansfield (D) 1,195
Justin Riccobono (R) 938
Kathryn Deutermann (R) 755
Louis J Amoroso Sr (Independence) 615
BEACON CITY COUNCILMEMBER WARD 1
Jerry Landisi (D) 382
Andrew Forman (R) 331
BEACON CITY COUNCILMEMBER WARD 2
Charles P Kelly (D) 331
Don Rich (R) 233
BEACON CITY COUNCILMEMBER WARD 3
Randy Casale (R) 507
Vane Lashua (D) 229
BEACON CITY COUNCILMEMBER WARD 4
Sara J Pasti (D) 315
Chris Bopp (R) 201
COUNTY COMPTROLLER
James L Coughlan (R) 25,171
Diane Jablonski (D) 24,364
COUNTY LEGISLATOR DISTRICT 16
Alison MacAvery (D) 997
Ori Brachfeld (R) 915
COUNTY LEGISLATOR DISTRICT 18
John Forman (R) 1,069
Ronald S Ray (D) 882
STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE 9TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT (Vote for 4)
Orazio R Bellantoni (R) 26,317
Charley Wood (R) 25,089
Charles E Stewart (R) 24,633
Jeffrey A Cohen (D) 24,308
David Steinberg (D) 22,114
Francesca E Connolly (D) 20,458
James Hubert (D) 19,883
William L Maher (R) 19,405
Mary N Clark (Right to Life) 1,558
James Alexander Burke (Right to Life) 1,446
Stasia T Vogel (Right to Life) 1,389
FAMILY COURT JUDGE
Peter M Forman (R) 30,950
Carole Cappillio has opened Batt's Florist and Sweets at 4 Eliza Street. Ms. Cappillio is also the owner of The Lollipop Tree Flower Shop in Poughkeepsie. Both shops offers floral arrangements, fruit baskets, homemade cookies and local delivery. For more information call (845) 831-2288 or visit the Lollipop Tree website.
