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2001-10-29 SPM10/29/2001.SPM A Special Town Board Meeting was held on October 29, 2001 at the Town Hall, 20 Middlebush Road, Wappingers Falls, NY. Supervisor Smith opened the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Present: Constance Smith, Supervisor Robert Valdati, Councilman Joseph Ruggiero, Councilman Joseph Paoloni, Councilman Gloria J. Morse, Town Clerk Others Present: Jay Paggi, Engineer to the Town Al Roberts, Attorney to the Town Graham Foster, Highway Superintendent Absent: Vincent Bettina, Councilman Mrs. Morse announced that Mr. Bettina called her this evening to inform her he had the flu and would not be able to attend tonight's meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to adopt the Preliminary Budget for the year 2002 and to set a Public Hearing. Supervisor Smith explained that with the library in the budget the Village rate would be $1.35, which would be a 25% increase. Without the library it would be $1.15 as opposed to $1.08 this year. That's a 6% increase. The town outside which is the Highway DB is $1.89 and would stay at $1.89. Town rate would go from $2.55 to $3.24 with the library, which is a 27% increase. Without the library, it would be $3.04 which would be a 19% increase for Homestead. Non -Homestead would be $2.76. Last year it was $2.24 which would be a 23% increase in the Village. Without the library, it would be $2.36 which would be 5.4% in the Village. Last years Town was $5.25 which would go to $6.57, a 25% increase with the library. Without the library, it would be $6.17. It was stated that if the referendum does not carry we would go back the figures without the library and moneys would be returned to our Fund Balance. COUNCILMAN PALONI wished to know the estimate for year end Fund Balance for A and Highway. The Comptroller explained that Highway DB would be $257,317.32 and the A Fund would be $744,932.02. These are Mr. Terwilligers actual numbers starting with the opening fund balance of $907,000. COUNCILMAN VALDATI wished to state that once this budget is adopted we have time between now and the actual file budget adoption to make cuts, and the board intends to work diligently to see where any further cuts can be made. If we do not act today in adopting this budget then the Supervisors Tentative Budget would go into effect. We still have time to work on it. SUPERVISOR SMITH said that the residents must understand if 1 10/29/2001.SPM they vote for the Library Referendum that the taxes have to go up because there is nothing we can do about that. The following Resolution was offered by COUNCILMAN VALDATI who moved its adoption . RESOLVED, that this Town Board does hereby prepare and approve as the Preliminary Budget of the Town for the fiscal year beginning on the 1St day of January, 2002 the itemized statement of estimated revenues and expenditures, agreed to on October 29, 2001, and hereto attached and made part of this resolution, and be it FURTHER RESOLVED, that such Preliminary Budget shall be available for inspection by any interested persons at all reasonable hours, and be it, FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Board shall meet at 7:00 p.m. on the 8th day of November, 2001 for the purpose of holding a Public Hearing upon such Preliminary Budget, and be it FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk give notice of such Public Hearing in the manner provided in Section 108 of the Town Law, and that such notice be published and posted in substantially the following form: NOTICE IS HERBY GIVEN THAT the Town Board of the Town of Wappinger will meet at the Town Hall, 20 Middlebush Road, Town of Wappinger, Dutchess County, New York on the 8th. day of November 2001 at 7:00 p.m. o'clock for the purpose of holding a Public Hearing on the Preliminary Budget of said Town for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2002. A copy of said Preliminary Budget is available at the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Wappinger, Town Hall, 20 Middlebush Road, Town of Wappinger, New York during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday where it may be inspected by any interested person. The proposes salaries of each member of the Town Board, the Town Clerk and the Town Superintendent of Highways are as follows. Supervisor $ 44,571.00 Superintendent of Highways $ 54,121.00 Town Clerk $ 43,510.00 Councilman $ 8,257.00 Councilman $ 8,257.00 Councilman $ 8,257.00 Councilman $ 8,257.00 Town Justice $ 22,227.00 Town Justice $ 22.227.00 Seconded by Mrs. Smith Roll Call Vote Vote Supervisor Smith Aye 2 10/29/2001.SPM Councilman Valdati Aye Councilman Bettina Absent Councilman Ruggiero Nay Councilman Paoloni Nay Due to a tie vote, the motion was stalemated. After the vote, COUNCILMAN RUGGIERO explained that in fairness to the Board,, we were handed a 52% tax increase and this past week the Supervisor a+ and Comptroller sat down and presented this Preliminary Budget to the Board on Friday with a 27% tax increase for town residents and 25%. He does not understand if they could spend this past week pairing down a budget why the budget did not come to us in this form, where we could have this budget as a starting point. We still have until November 201h to adopt a final budget as we have done in the last 4 years. We have not made agreements on revenues or what Fund balances need to be appropriated. Even without the library you have said tonight that the town outside the village will have a 19% tax increase. Say the Library fails, there is no reason for the town outside the village rates to be 19%. We have the largest surpluses out there and its ridiculous to think this is best we can do at this point. He can not support the 52% tax increase or 27% increase. To say I have to vote for it because it is law is not the law. The law takes into account if the board fails, to adopt the Preliminary Budget, that the Tentative Budget become the Preliminary Budget. Tonight is the last night for this action to happen because of the time frame of the publication of public notice. The last day to have a Public Hearing is November 8th and the last day for the Town Clerk to file any notice of Public Hearing is tomorrow. We had our first workshop October 17th, one subsequently after that and one on Friday. We are miles apart in revenues, expenditures, and he is not comfortable with this budget. SUPERVISOR SMITH announced that she would like to set the Public Hearing for November 8, 2001 at 7:00 p.m. There was no other business to come before the board. COUNCILMAN VALDATI moved to close the Special Meeting, seconded by Mr. Ruggiero and unanimously carried. t� .. i . M se 3