T IMES
SOUTHERN
ULSTER
Vol. 16, No. 33
3
AUGUST 14 - 20, 2019
Mazzstock
Page 5
3
ONE DOLLAR
Science of
robotics
Page 31
SERVING HIGHLAND, MARLBOROUGH AND PLATTEKILL
State audit rips Lloyd’s fund balance Marlborough
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
Earlier this month State Comptroller
Thomas P. DiNapoli released his
department’s audit of the financial
conditions in the Town of Lloyd from
January 1, 2014 through January 15,
2019. The stated objective of the audit
was to determine if town officials have
been properly managing the town’s fiscal
affairs. The findings were critical of
procedures that have gone on for some
time in Lloyd and made recommendations
on how to fix the problems.
The audit revealed that the Town
Board’s budgeting practices have,
“resulted in an increase in fund balance
from $2.4 million in 2014 to $4.1 million
in 2018.” The audit further noted
that this total as a percentage of 2019
appropriations exceeded 53 percent.
The audit showed that the Town Board
from 2014 to 2018 tapped the fund balance
for a total of $1.4 million, of which
only $340,000 (25%) was used to finance
appropriations. It stated that town officials
increased the town property tax levy in
each of the five years under scrutiny,
“while experiencing surpluses totaling
approximately $2 million.” It concluded
that the Town Board also continued the
practice of increasing property taxes and
Continued on page 21
New firefighters
Mark Reynolds
Everett Erichsen [R], Deputy Director of Ulster County Department of Emergency Services, oversaw younger firefighters who graduated from
a 21 day Ulster County Firefighter Summer Program that was held at the Highland Fire Station. Pictured L-R Kevin Latimer, Michael Lucyk, Joe
Fauci, Alexander Wood, Dylan Sumski, Kevin Mullady, Lion Murray, Kyle Dunham, Colby Costa, Benjamin Drillings, Dan Watson, Ryan Craft, John
Strauss, Ryan Schmelz, Grant Shiloh, Joshua Hintz, Brendan McGovern and Deputy Erichsen.
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE - WWW.SUTIMESONLINE.COM
approves
$1.2 million
pier bond
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
At a special meeting on August 5,
the Marlborough Town Board approved
the issuance of $1.2 million in serial
bonds for a 20 year period to pay for
the reconstruction of the Milton Landing
South Pier. The vote was unanimous.
The total cost of the project is tagged at
$1,568,730.
The town has also received a grant
for $313,000 from the Empire State
Development Fund that will go toward
this project. Supervisor Al Lanzetta said
the ESD understands that reconstructing
the pier has tangible economic benefits
that will bring in revenue, create jobs and
boost economic growth in Marlborough
and the area.
Lanzetta said the town will pay $140,000
in engineering fees that will be offset by
$50,000 in recreation fees collected from
developers, $10,000 from the cell tower
company that will be building a tower on
the old town hall site, and $20,000 from
Danskammer Energy, that is proposing a
new gas-fired power plant next to their old
one in the Town of Newburgh.
Lanzetta said the board’s action is
subject to a permissive referendum, a
method by which residents can challenge
the expenditure within 30 days by
collecting signatures of 5% of those who
voted in the last Gubernatorial election.
Should that happen the matter will be put
Continued on page 3