Draft Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Halcott Grange
December 18, 2023, 6:00 pm

Present: Town Supervisor Innes Kasanof, Council members Alan Reynolds, Judy DiBenedetto, Eric Fronckowiak, Samantha Bouton, Highway Superintendent Russell Bouton, Town Clerk Patricia Warfield, Deputy Town Clerk Ariel Bogert, Town Attorney Tal Rappleyea, Code Enforcement Officer John Mathiesen, LUC Chairwoman Karen Rauter. Public: Warren Reynolds, Scott Moroff, Ida Piperisova, Sherri Reynolds.

Call to order at 6:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of the minutes of the November 20, 2023, meeting: Motion to approve by Councilwoman Samantha Bouton, 2nd by Councilman Eric Fronckowiak, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Supervisor Kasanof: aye, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: abstain.

Highway Superintendent’s Report: (A) There were two Peckham bills that were not received for payment in June but have now been vouchered for payment. (B) The latest snowstorm caused trees and branches to come down, the highway department has been chipping the debris to get rid of it. While clearing the mess, the truck became stuck and needed a tow. (C) The final 25,634.00 CHIPS reimbursement was received in December. (D) To combat road flooding, the highway department is working on cleaning out culverts in town; and trying something new, using the backhoe to pull a tire through the culverts to clean out debris. The Townsend Hollow culvert has been an ongoing problem, Superintendent Bouton will once again document the problems in hopes that funding will be made available at some point to help with replacing it.

Voucher vote: General Abstract #G1223 – vouchers 168 – 178 = $4,798.98. Highway Abstract #H1223 – vouchers 179 – 183 = $3,011.42. Motion to pay bills by Councilwoman Samantha Bouton, 2nd by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Councilman Eric Fronckowiak: aye, Supervisor Innes Kasanof: aye.

Budget Officer Report: (A) Finance Chair Innes Kasanof presented the monthly finance report. (B) Budget Officer Paul Tamaccio would like to pay the year-end bills before the end of December which means they would be paid and then vouchered in January. Motion to pay year-end bills before vouchering by Supervisor Innes Kasanof, 2nd by Councilman Alan Reynolds, Councilman Eric Fronckowiak: aye, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Councilwoman Samantha Bouton: aye.

Clerk’s Report: Building Permit (4): 2 @ 100.00, 1 @ 200, 1 @ 300, BP Renewal: 1 @ 12.50, 1 @ 50.00, C/O Search: 1 @ 25.00, Transfer Station/Nov: 538.00, Dog License/Unneutered: 1 @ 10.00. The Town collected and disbursed $1,335.50 for the month of November.

Other Business: (A) Organization for 2024: The Board discussed raising the yearly salary of both the Grange Steward and Webmaster to $750.00, Nancy Reynolds will be reappointed to the Planning Board, and Sean Penchoff will be appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals, taking the place of Bruce Rowe who is retiring from the position. Town Board Meetings will be the third Monday of the month except for January and February, the regular Board meetings in those months will be on the 4th Monday of each month due to Martin Luther King Day in January and President’s Day in February. Terms of Employment: the pay rate for a laborer will be $20.00 an hour and a part-time mechanic will be $25.00 an hour. (B) LUC Update: Work is completed, Nan will give a schedule of steps to the Board for the adoption process. (C) Resolution 4-2023: A Resolution on the Adoption of Exclusions of Untaxed Distributions Set Forth in the Federal Adjusted Gross Income for 2024. After consideration, the Town Board chose not to exclude untaxed S.S., IRA distributions or offset income by unreimbursed medical and prescription costs. Supervisor Kasanof: aye, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Councilman Eric Fronckowiak: aye, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Councilwoman Samantha Bouton: aye. (D) Resolution 5-2023: A Resolution to Declare the Halcott Equalization Rate as Listed in Greene County Resolution No. 331-23. After reviewing Greene Co. Resolution No. 331-23, the Town Board does declare the Town Equalization Rate to be as listed in Greene County Resolution No. 331-23. Supervisor Kasanof: aye, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Councilman Eric Fronckowiak: aye, Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto: aye, Councilwoman Samantha Bouton: aye.

Executive Session: The Board entered Executive Session at 6:46 p.m. and exited Executive session at 7:17 p.m.

Next Meeting: Organizational Meeting, January 8, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Meeting January 22, 2024, 6:00 pm.

Motion to Adjourn at 7:19 p.m. by Councilwoman Judy DiBenedetto, 2nd by Councilwoman Samantha Bouton, Councilman Alan Reynolds: aye, Councilman Eric Fronckowiak: aye, Supervisor Innes Kasanof: aye.