TIMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 34, No 17 3 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
3
ONE DOLLAR
Gardiner
Open Studio Tour
is this weekend
Page 16
www.WallkillValleyTimes.net
Walden board approves 2.7% tax increase
By TED REMSNYDER
Short on the heels of a round of intensive budget
sessions, the Walden Village Board unanimously
approved a 2016-2017 budget at its meeting last Tuesday
that includes a 2.694% tax levy increase while preserving
the village’s fund balance. The $7,888,793 total adopted
budget represents a 1.2% budget-to-budget increase over
Budget
flub
last year’s spending plan.
Before the budget could be adopted, the board was
first required to pass Local Law 4 of 2016, which allowed
the village to override the state tax cap, which had been
set at a small increase of 0.32%. That measure was
also confirmed unanimously. The tax rate increase is
1.71%, which works out to a hike of $39.44 per year for a
residence assessed at $150,000.
The proposed budget formulated by Manager John
Revella and Treasurer Peter Sullivan originally included
total appropriations of $7,968,380, but nearly $80,000 was
shaved off the plan over the course of the five budget
meetings the board held earlier this month. “When we
have the budget meetings, we like it when people from
Continued on page 3
Spartan race
coming
Chief Chaplain
Shawangunk won’t waive
park fee for summer event
Montgomery village
treasurer resigns
By TED REMSNYDER
By RACHEL COLEMAN
Montgomery Village Treasurer
Heather Benedict has resigned her
post in the wake of a botched budget
presentation earlier this month.
The presentation hit a rough patch
when it was pointed out by village
residents that the mayor’s budget was
calling for a tax increase of 7.1 percent.
When some on-the-spot calculations
confirmed the observation, it came as
a rude awakening to the village board.
They had been told by Benedict—who had
prepared the budget—that the increase
was within the tax cap at less than one
percent.
Those attending the meeting said it
was evident that that the mayor and
village board were not happy with the
situation, but Mayor L. Stephen Brescia
Continued on page 2
Peter Haight
Rev. James Van Houten, (l) pastor of the Walden Baptist Church and chaplain for the Walden
and Montgomery Fire Departments, was elected Chief Chaplain New York State during the
annual Fire Chaplains Educational Conference last week. He is shown presenting a plaque to
Rev. Ken Hessell, outgoing Chief Chaplain of NYS. Story on page 33.
The Spartan Race company and
its signature grueling, will-testing
endurance competitions have amassed
a growing cult following nationwide,
and now the Boston-based corporation
wants to hold a public training session
in the Town of Shawangunk. The
group has submitted a request to hold
an event as part of its coast-to-coast
Spartan Workout Tour this summer at
Verkeerderkill Park.
The only catch with the proposed
event is that the fast-growing company
wants the town to waive the site fee
for use of the park, an idea the Town
Board rejected at its meeting on April
21. The proposed free event would draw
several hundred people to the park for a
two-hour training session with Spartan
coaches, as participants are run through
a slew of high-intensity exercises as
they theoretically prepare to take part
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL