Mid Hudson Times Nov. 09 2016 | Page 4

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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , November 9 , 2016

New Windsor adopts $ 34.6M budget

The Newburgh Town Board voted to adopt the town ’ s 2017 budget on Monday . The budget remains within the state-mandated , tax-levy limit , raising the tax rate by 1.82 percent .

The combined general and highway budgets amount to $ 28,380,016 . The budget is accompanied by a $ 14,572,496 tax levy , said town Supervisor Gil Piaquadio .

The town ’ s 2017 tax rate is $ 13.76 per $ 1,000 of assessed property value . A typical town household , assessed at $ 68,000 , will pay approximately $ 20 more in general and highway taxes next year . Various fire-district taxes are paid separately from these taxes , Piaquadio said .

“ The focus of this budget continues to be the same as it has been in the past ; to maintain essential services to

Average tax bill up by $ 13.27

By SHANTAL RILEY sriley @ tcnewspapers . com

The Town of New Windsor Board adopted a town-wide budget at Town Hall last week , approving a $ 34.6-million spending plan for 2017 . The new budget carries a 1.6-percent tax levy increase . The total property tax levy amounts to $ 14.7 million . The tax-levy increase stays within the state-mandated , tax-levy limit , said town Deputy Comptroller Doreen Casey at a public hearing on the town budget last Wednesday .

As a result of staying within the tax-levy limit and the state ’ s approval of a town efficiency plan , property owners can expect to receive tax freeze-credit refunds over the next few months , she said .

The new town-wide tax rate is $ 42.97 per 1,000 of assessed property value , excluding water and sewer-debt service districts . The figure is up slightly from $ 42.25 .

A sample property-tax bill states that a single-family home assessed at $ 40,000 will generate approximately $ 1,850 in property taxes in 2017 , up by $ 13.27 from this year .

All town property owners pay taxes for general , highway and ambulance funds , explained town Comptroller Jack Finnegan , and most also pay taxes for garbage , water and sewer districts .

The 2017 water-usage rate will be $ 8.89 per 1,000 gallons of water - down 3.3 percent from last year - with a quarterly , minimum charge of $ 39.90 . The cost for sewer usage in a single-family home will rise to $ 164 , up $ 2 from this year , billed in a quarterly charge of $ 41 .

The cost for garbage collection in the Beaver Dam area remains flat at $ 488 per single-family home , with a $ 122 quarterly charge for garbage collection .

Town of Newburgh adopts $ 28.4M budget

the residents of the Town of Newburgh without drastic increase to the town taxes ,” the town stated in a budget handout Monday .

This is despite a hike of more than 9 percent in employee medical benefit costs , Piaquadio pointed out . “ I think we did a heck of job ,” he said Tuesday . “ We shopped all our services . We re-bid all of our insurances , including workers ’ compensation and general liability .”

The budget maintains over 160 full-time and 70 parttime town employees , including 47 full-time and 13 part-time police officers . The supervisor noted the town maintains a Moody ’ s Aa2 rating .

Mount lecture to discuss breastfeeding rates for new mothers

Yasmine Kalkstein , associate professor of psychology at Mount Saint Mary College , will present “ Nurse Education Matters ! Increasing Breastfeeding Rates ” at the college on Thursday , November 17 at 4 p . m .

The talk , part of the college ’ s Investigating Research on Campus ( iROC ) series , will take place in Room 218 of the Kaplan Family Library and Learning center in the Dominican Center at the Mount , 330 Powell Ave ., Newburgh . It is free and open to the public .

Kalkstein will describe research undertaken at St . Luke ’ s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh with one of her students , a senior nursing major . The project was developed in partnership with Jeanne Boydston , director of the Birth Center at St . Luke ’ s . Data was collected before and after nurses were sent to become certified lactation counselors . According to Kalkstein , the education seemed to create a cultural shift in the hospital , changing the perception , knowledge , and attitudes of nurses and patients regarding breastfeeding .

Currently an associate professor of psychology at the Mount , she holds master ’ s and doctoral degrees in educational psychology from the University of Minnesota . Kalkstein ’ s work in recent years has delved into medical decision-making . Her initial collaboration with St . Luke ’ s led to a service project called It Takes a Village where more than 2,000 children ’ s books and educational materials were distributed to new mothers .

The goal of iROC is to “ provide a forum for Mount faculty , staff and students to showcase their research endeavors with both Mount Saint Mary College and the local community in a manner easily understood by attendees ,” explained series coordinators Evan Merkhofer , assistant professor of biology , and Jennifer Park , assistant librarian for access and outreach services . Presentations include research proposals , initial data collection , and completed research projects .

In Brief

Police investigate shooting

On November 2 , at approximately 10:55 p . m . City of Newburgh Police received reports of a shooting in the area of 190 N . Miller St . As police were responding , St . Lukes Hospital E . R . staff notified police that a man had just arrived who had sustained a gunshot wound . The man , whose name is not being released at this time , sustained a single gunshot wound to his back .

He was admitted to the hospital . He had been transported to the hospital by a friend . Police responding to the scene located and seized , from the curb , a loaded handgun . It is undetermined , at this time if the handgun recovered was used in the incident . This is an active investigation .

Anyone with information is urged to contact City of Newburgh Police at 561-3131 .

City searches for Christmas tree

The search for the perfect Christmas tree has begun ! The City of Newburgh has started to get calls from residents and some from outside city limits offering to donate their trees to decorate our beautiful Lower Broadway . Deputy Mayor Regina Angelo is excited about this time of year and its meaning .

“ The holiday spirit is starting to build and there ’ s nothing better to culminate that feeling but to have a beautiful tree right before Thanksgiving ” said Deputy Mayor Angelo . The Deputy Mayor ’ s vision is to have a 35 feet high blue spruce .

If you have that perfect tree , and would like to donate it to brighten Christmas on Broadway , please leave a message for Deputy Mayor Regina Angelo at DPW , 565-3297 or call Eliana Diaz at City Hall at 569- 7301 .

City to flush hydrants

The City of Newburgh will continue flushing more than 800 fire hydrants this week . The flushing exercise is part of routine maintenance required for safety and repairs .

“ Water quality is our main concern ,” said city Water Superintendent Wayne Vradenburgh . The flushing process will include flow tests and documentation of all hydrant issues , Vradenburgh said .

“ Customers may notice a discoloration of water or a change in water pressure for a short period of time ,” the city Water Department states . “ Please check water before use . Residents ’ cooperation and patience during this procedure will be appreciated .”

Flushing should end sometime this week , Vradenburgh said . Typically , the city flushes hydrants twice a year . But , due to the perfluorooctane sulphanate ( PFOS ) water crisis , flushing was skipped in the spring , he said .

For more information , residents can reach the City of Newburgh Water Department at 845-565-3356 .