Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Halcott Grange
March 18, 2019, 7:15 pm

Present: Town Supervisor Alan White, Town Council members Yukari Day, Innes Kasanof, Judy DiBenedetto, Highway Superintendent Russell Bouton, Town Clerk Patricia Warfield, Town Justice Ken Williams. Absent: Town Councilman Alan Reynolds.

Call to order at 7:15 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Annual Reports: Town Justice Ken Williams presented his annual report for 2018. Judge Williams heard 6 cases for 2018, 2 are criminals cases which may go to a jury trial in 2019. As of now, there has never been a jury trial in Halcott.

Approval of the minutes of the February 25, 2019 Town Board Meeting: With the following correction: Only the well house roof will be replaced. Motion to approve the minutes as amended by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, Councilwoman Yukari Day: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Highway Superintendent’s Report: (A) The Mack truck is in need of new tires, the last time the rear tires were replaced was May 27, 2015. Supervisor Bouton received a quote of $3,235 to almost $5,500 for 8 tires. The Board gave approval to purchase new tires but asked Superintendent Bouton to consult with Deputy Highway Superintendent Alan Reynolds on the tire options before making a purchase. (B)Highway Superintendent Bouton tried to raise the weight limit on the Mack and submitted the necessary information, but there was a mix-up with the paperwork on the receiving end, and he was told the submission date was missed. Highway Superintendent Bouton is working on a resolution to this issue. He will consult with the Town of Middletown Highway Superintendent John Biruk to accurately determine the current weight limit for the Mack.

Voucher vote: General Abstract #G0319 – vouchers 42 – 47 = $1,630.14. Highway Abstract #H0319 – vouchers 48 – 52 = $5,750.69. Motion to pay bills by Councilwoman Yukari Day, 2nd by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Finance Chair Report: (A) Finance Chair Innes Kasanof did not present the finance report for February at this time due to the many bank transfers and resulting paperwork associated with the ongoing change over of accounts from Community Bank to the Bank of Greene County. Finance Chair Kasanof did report that interest paid to Halcott for the month of February by Community Bank was around $2.00, while the Town earned $200.00 in interest from the Bank of Greene Co. (B) The Town of Halcott AUD was submitted to the State on time.

Clerk’s Report: 1 Grange Rental @ $50.00, 1 Building Permit @ $75.00, 1 Certificate of Occupancy Search @ $25.00, Billy Haynes (Feb) $100.00, Garbage Tickets (28) $252.00. The Town collected and disbursed $502.00 for the month of February.

Other Business: (A) LFA Group discussion. Will be on April 15, 2019 at 7:15 p.m. with the Regular Town Board Meeting to follow. (B) The Town has the Highway Garage insured for $800,000.00 and the Grange insured for $584,000.00, with the contents at $62,000.00 and $63,000.00 respectively. Supervisor White discussed these numbers and the Town’s building needs with the insurance carrier,
and asked for a more realistic replacement cost for new buildings, which were figured to be $300,000.00 each. Supervisor White asked the Board to think about the validity of lowering the replacement value on each building and they could then revisit the issue at the next meeting. Town Councilwoman Innes Kasanof felt it would be a good idea to review the insurance needs of the Town.(C ) Highway Superintendent Bouton will contact DEC Natural Resource Supervisor Jeff Rider and ask him to start the process to secure the permits needed to begin work on the Turk Hollow culvert replacement when trout spawning season is over.

Next Meeting: Regular Meeting, Monday April 15, 2019, 7:15pm.

Motion to Adjourn at 7:54 p.m. by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, Councilwoman Yukari Day: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Halcott Grange
Jaunuary 28, 2019, 7:15 pm

Present: Town Supervisor Alan White, Council Members Yukari Day, Alan Reynolds, Judy DiBenedetto, Highway Superintendent Russell Bouton, Deputy Town Clerk Cindy Bouton, Tax Collector Robin White. Absent:Town Clerk Patricia Warfield, Town Councilwoman Innes Kasanof.

Call to Order at 7:15 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Annual Reports: Supervisor White presented the Town Clerk’s annual report for 2018.
Tax Collector Robin White presented her 2018 report summary and distributed the Tax binder/book for inspection and for the Board to sign.

Approval of the minutes of the December 17, 2018 meeting: Motion to approve by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilwoman Yukari Day, Councilman Alan Reynold: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Approval of the Minutes of the Organizational Meeting of January 7, 2019: With the addition of the following list of salaries: Town Supervisor: $3,587.00, Town Justice: $1025.00, Council Members: $793.75, Superintendent of Highways: $46,817.00, Town Clerk: $4,500.00, Tax Collector: $2,357.00. Motion to approve Minutes as amended by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilwoman Yukari Day, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Highway Superintendent’s Report: (A) The Highway Department has been having flat tire issues due to rim problems. Tires are in need of replacement so the current rims will not be usable.. There is no spare at the moment either. The problem needs to be addressed so it doesn’t become an issue during an emergency or storm. The cost of 2 tires and rims would be around $3,000.00, but still no spare. Highway Superintendent Bouton has Board approval to spend $3,500.00 for tires and rim repairs. (B) The dump body and Oshkosh need to be updated on the Highway Inventory list.

Voucher vote: General Abstract #G0119 – vouchers 01– 12 = $10,536.59. Highway Abstract #H0119 – vouchers 13 – 23 = $5,005.05. Motion to pay bills by Councilwoman Yukari Day, 2nd by Councilman Alan Reynolds, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Finance Chair Report: (A) Supervisor Alan White presented the monthly finance report. (B) The Town has begun using Green County Bank Corp as the official Bank but will continue to have local accounts at Community Bank for logistical reasons.

Clerk’s Report: Supervisor White presented the monthly clerk’s report: 1 certified transcript @ $10.00, 2 geneology searches @ $10.00 = $20.00, grange rental 1 local @ $50.00, 1 Non @ $100.00 = $150.00, building permits 1@ $75.00, 1@ $300.00=$375.00, 1 building permit renewal $200.00, dog licenses 5 (spay) @ $5.00 = $25.00. The Town collected and disbursed $855.00 for the month of December.
Other Business: (A) Motion to authorize payment of a $2,000.00 snow plow voucher by Councilman Alan Reynolds, 2nd by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, Councilwoman Yukari Day, Supervisor Alan White: aye. (B) Highway Employment Description: The Town is drafting a Position Description for the Town of Halcott Highway Position. A preliminary sample was distributed to the Board, with Board approval for Supervisor White, Highway Superintendent Bouton and Deputy Highway Superintendent Reynolds to continue to fine tune with the goal of having a final draft for the next Board meeting.

Next Meeting: Regular Meeting Monday, February 25, 2019, 7:15 pm.

Motion to Adjourn by Councilwoman Yukari Day, 2nd by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Organizational Meeting Minutes 2019 January 7, 2019
Grange Hall, 7:15 pm

Present: Town Supervisor Alan White, Town Councilmembers Alan Reynolds, Yukari Day, Innes Kasanof, Highway Superintendent Russell Bouton, Town Clerk Patricia Warfield, Absent: Town Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto.

Meeting opened at 7:15 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Deputy Code Enforcement Officer: Hiram Davis will finish his State certification in February2019, and will become the deputy CEO for the Town on March 1, 2019.

Deputy Superintendent of Highways: Councilman Alan Reynolds is now the Deputy Superintendent of Highways.

Planning Board: Nancy Reynolds will continue to serve on the Planning Board, her new term will run until 12/2023.

Zoning Board of Appeals: Bruce Rowe will continue to serve on the ZBA, his new term will run until 12/2023.

Board of Assessment Review: Mark Kugler will continue to serve on the Board of Assessment Review, his new term will run until 9/30/2021.

Official Bank: The official bank of the Town of Halcott will be Greene County Bancorp. Inc.Town Clerk: Office hours will now be Wednesdays 5-7 pm, and any other hours by appointment.

2019 Town of Halcott Terms of Employment: Highway Superintendent Russell Bouton asked for clarification in regards to overtime for weekend and early morning hours worked by a Town employee. Supervisor White informed Superintendent Bouton that in order to receive overtime, 40 hours needed to be worked in that week before any overtime could be earned, regardless of what day of the week or time of day hours were worked.

Motion to accept the Town of Halcott Organization Schedule for 2019 by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, 2nd by Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Councilwoman Yukari Day: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Motion to Adjourn at 7:29 pm by Councilwoman Yukari Day, 2nd by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes
Halcott Grange
November 19, 2018, 7:15 pm

Present: Town Supervisor Alan White, Council members Yukari Day, Alan Reynolds, Innes Kasanof, Judy DiBenedetto, Town Clerk Patricia Warfield. Absent: Highway Superintendent Russell Boston. Public: Andy Vlahos.

7:15 pm, Meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Local Law #1 of 2018, a local law to set Grievance Day. In 1995, The Town of Halcott passed a local law establishing Grievence Day as the fourth Wednesday of May, but in recent years Grievance Day in Halcott has been on the fourth Tuesday in May as per subdivision one of Section 512 of the Real Property Tax Law. It has been determined that a new local law must be enacted, changing the actual Grievance Day from Wednesday back to Tuesday. A public hearing on the local law will be scheduled for December 12, 2018, 7:15 pm.

Approval of the minutes of the October 15, 2018 meeting: Motion to approve by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilman Alan Reynolds, Councilwoman Innes Kasanof: aye, Councilwoman Yukari Day: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Highway Superintendent’s Report: The Highway Superintendent’s Report was presented by Town Councilman Alan Reynolds. (A) The Oshkosh is back, the plow and sander were put on, and it was put into use an hour later. Councilman Alan Reynolds was very pleased with the work that was done, stating that it was quality work. Payment for the work done will come from a loan from the Highway Reserve Fund. (B) Hammer Hydrolics was here to work on the Autocar, they took care of a few problems including repairs to one of the snow plows damaged last winter. (C ) The Greene County truck used by the Town of Halcott is still out for repairs; and while the County intends to send a replacement, the Town has not yet received one necessitating the use of Town trucks on County roads.

Voucher vote: General Abstract #G1118 – vouchers 148 – 159 = $18,924.51. Highway Abstract #H1118 – vouchers 160 – 163, 165 – 171 = $50,583.81. Motion to pay bills by Councilwoman Yukari Day, 2nd by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.

Finance Chair Report: (A) Finance Chair Innes Kasanof presented the monthly finance report.

Clerk’s Report: 1 Building Permit w/ fine @ $200.00, 1BP renewal @ $130.00, Billy Haynes: Sept – Jan 2019: $500.00, 1 dog license (spay/neutered): $5.00. Total money collected and disbursed for the month of October is $835.00.

Supervisor’s Report: (A) NYMIR was in Halcott for the annual inspection, finding a few issues the town needs to address. (1) the adoption of a Town Sexual Harassment Policy, (2) the adoption of a Facilities Use form ( for Grange Rental ) with an insurance procurement section which states the required limits of insurance as well as the required insurance documentaion that must be provided to the Town when the Grange is rented.. (3) the replacement of some of the older smoke detectors currently in use. (B) The Board was presented with a draft Town of Halcott Sexual Harassment Policy for review and discussion. (C ) Work on replacing the culvert on Turk Hollow Rd to allow access to
State Land will need to wait until spring. A permit will not be issued now as this is the time of year trout spawn and the stream bed can not be disturbed.

Other Business: After a review of the draft Town of Halcott Sexual Harassment Policy by the Board, Supervisor Alan White made a motion to adopt said policy. Motion to adopt the The Town of Halcott Sexual Harrasment Policy by Supervisor Alan White, Councilwoman Innes Kasanof: aye, Councilwoman Yukari Day: aye, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye.

Public Comment: Andy Vlahos asked the Board if there is a time period for a deck built without a building permit where it would be grandfathered in. Supervisor White informed him no.

Next Meeting: Public Hearing on Local Law #1-2018, A Law to set Grievance Day in the Town of Halcott, December 17, 2018, 7:15 pm, Regular Town Board Meeting to follow.

Motion to Adjourn at 7:44 p.m. by Councilwoman Innes Kasanof, 2nd by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Councilwoman Yukari Day: aye, Supervisor Alan White: aye.