Mid Hudson Times Feb. 21 2018 | Seite 3

3 Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, February 21, 2018 Public hearing on city’s proposed sewer-rate hike Monday By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] City residents will have an opportunity to speak on a proposed sewer-rate increase at a public hearing scheduled for Monday, Feb. 26. The rate hike is being considered to pay for costs associated with a state consent order requiring separation of the city’s combined-sewer system. The city is proposing a 4-percent increase to the current sewer rate of $6.13 per thousand gallons of water. The sewer rate is being considered separately from the current water-use rate, which is also $6.13 per thousand gallons of water. The Newburgh City Council debated the proposal at a meeting on Feb. 12. “We are under a consent order to do these sewer projects,” said Mayor Judy Kennedy. “It’s not a choice not to do them. The price of not doing them happens to be some pretty steep fines.” The city signed a consent order with the New York State Department of Conservation to address overflows of storm water and raw sewage entering the Hudson River from the sewer system in 2016. Under a current work plan, the city has 15 years to carry out upgrades. Kennedy said the DEC-mandated project would be paid for through the city’s sewer fund. “Why wasn’t this brought our attention at the budget hearings?” Councilwoman Hillary Rayford asked. “This proposed local law ideally should have been tracked at the same time that the 2018 budget was adopted,” city Corporation Counsel Michelle Kelson said. She later elaborated. “You have a budget, and that sets your expenses and your revenues for the future year,” the counsel said. “Other than your tax rates, 16 arrested in major drug-ring bust By SHANTAL RILEY [email protected] A total of 16 members of the Newburgh-based “600 Gang” were arrested on narcotics and weapons- possession charges this month. Police say the group ran a major drug- distribution ring that trafficked cocaine, heroin and fentanyl, a deadly drug tied to increasing numbers of overdose deaths around the state. Charges include criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon. The defendants each face up to 25 years in prison. At least two of the ring members were already in police custody at the time of the arrests. “This takedown should send an unmistakable message: We won’t let our communities live in fear,” said New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in a February press release. “Our investigation uncovered a sophisticated drug-trafficking ring that we allege peddled cocaine, heroin and violence on the streets of Newburgh and throughout New York. The opioid crisis – and the violence that often comes with it – has been catastrophic for small cities and suburban and Upstate communities across New York.” Bulk amounts of heroin, cocaine The investigation, dubbed “Operation Yellow Brick Road” after ringleader Damion “Toe-Toe” Jackson, netted bulk heroin and hundreds of individual doses of heroin, some marked with brand names such as “Focus,” “Shine” and “X-Men,” the AG’s Office stated. A large quantity of bulk cocaine, one kilogram of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of marijuana, three handguns, one sawed-off shotgun, one shotgun and at least $36,000 were also seized. According to the AG’s Office, one ring member was found “flushing large quantities of cocaine down a toilet,” which eventually overflowed. The 600 Gang was named after a Chicago-based Crips gang known as the “600 Black Disciples,” the AG’s Office said, and engaged in “open air” sale of heroin and crack cocaine in the City of Newburgh. The operation began in May, 2016, when the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Drug Task Force began to investigate another drug-trafficking organization known as the “Untouchables,” the DA’s Office sa id. The state’s Organized Crime Task Force and City of Newburgh Police Department were investigating some of the same individuals, so the agencies Continued on page 4 your real-property tax rates, the fees you charge for services are generally codified in the city code. So, to legally be able to collect those fees, the code needs to be adjusted. Ideally, it should have been done at the same time.” “What happens if it doesn’t get approved?” asked Councilwoman Ramona Monteverde. “If we don’t make the adjustment in the code, you will more than likely have some shortfall in the revenues projected to be collected in 2018 for the sewer fund,” responded Kelson, noting she wasn’t the city comptroller, who was absent that evening. City Manager Michael Ciaravino said the rate hike would cover a projected $182,000 shortfall. “I would encourage our financial department to see where they could find the $182,000 for this instead,” Kennedy said. “Let’s have a public hearing and then we can make up our minds with some more information.” Councilman Jonathan Jacobson expressed opposition to the proposed hike. “I think that we’ve got to get our act together as far as figuring out what a real capital plan is and how we do things,” said Jacobson, who voted against having the public hearing. “Not only am I against increases, but I think we’ve got to have certainty as well.” “No one talks about the human elements,” Councilman Torrance Harvey protested, speaking about the city’s PFOS water crisis. “The people in this city paid for bad water. No one wants to talk about holding the federal government accountable… It’s wrong.” “I think we need to keep those two things separate,” Monteverde said, referring to the sewer rate and the water crisis, which came to light in 2016 when perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was discovered at Washington Lake. “I can assure you that our teams have been working internally at a feverish pace relating to an evaluation of all our legal rights,” Ciaravino replied to Harvey. Kelson said the water and sewer rates have not been raised since 2013. She said the proposed rate increase would be further discussed at the council work session scheduled for 6 p.m. at Newburgh City Hall on Thursday, Feb. 22. The public hearing will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 26. For the meeting location, check the City of Newburgh website at Cityofnewburgh-ny.gov. having imagine George Washington at your side. 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