2

Wallkill Valley Times , Wednesday , May 25 , 2016

PUBLIC AGENDA

WEDNESDAY , MAY 25

Crawford Planning Board , 7 p . m . Town Hall , 121 Route 302 , Pine Bush . Village of Montgomery Planning Board , 7:30 p . m ., Village Hall , 133 Clinton Street .

THURSDAY , MAY 26 Valley Central Board of Education , 6:30 p . m . School district office , 944 , Route 17K , Montgomery . Executive session to discuss employment history and potential employment of particular persons .

HOLIDAY DEADLINES

The office of the Wallkill Valley Times will be closed on Monday , May 30 in observance of Memorial Day . Deadline for all display , legal and classified advertising , as well as press releases and letters to the editor for the June 1 edition is Friday , May 27 at 4 p . m .

HOW TO REACH US

OFFICE : 300 Stony Brook Court Newburgh , N . Y . 12550

PHONE : ( 845 ) 561-0170 , FAX : ( 845 ) 561-3967

E-Mails may be directed to the following : ADVERTISING advertising @ tcnewspapers . com

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS calendar @ tcnewspapers . com

TO REACH THE EDITOR editor @ tcnewspapers . com

FOR THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT sports @ tcnewspapers . com

PUBLIC NOTICES legals @ tcnewspapers . com

WEBSITE www . timescommunitypapers . com

The Wallkill Valley Times , ( USPS 699-490 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , N . Y . 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y .. Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , N . Y . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Wallkill Valley Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . 12550 .

The Walker Valley Fire Department celebrated its 100th birthday last year .

Continued from page 1

with investing the money paid in for the department . Due to the poor economy , rather than their investment growing over the last few years , it has been decreasing .

“ We are facing limited opportunities out there and trying to keep the risk down ,” said Rodgers .

Rodgers said the fire department could choose to take more risks with their investments , but that could backfire and cause them to lose much more .

“ If the earnings don ’ t keep up , we have to make up the difference ,” said Supervisor Valk .

The town board is left facing these issues because unlike other fire departments , the Walker Valley Fire Department is not a fire district . Instead , they are more like a private company and contract for services with the town . They cannot levy their own taxes .

Like a department within the town , the fire department comes to the town board with their proposed budget and how much they would like to see in next year ’ s budget . The town also maintains and supervises the service rewards / investment program . Those expenses are part of the town budget .

Valk explained that the board has a “ fiduciary responsibility ” to ensure that the money is there when the town board , 10 years down the line , has to cut the checks .

If the Walker Valley Fire Department was a district , they would have a board of commissioners , administer the rewards program and set their own tax rate .

In essence , an increase in the contract with the fire department would affect the town ’ s overall budget , likely pushing it past the tax cap , which draws closer to zero percent each year .

Valk said the board would then have to override the tax cap in the fall — which would mean that the entire town would no longer qualify for the rebate checks , not just those in the Walker Valley Fire Protection District .

Meanwhile , Fiorillo said the department ’ s budget has already been cut as much as possible .

“ There is no easy solution ,” said Rodgers .

Valk suggested possibly instituting a tier system , where basically new members would get less from the program , but those already in the program would not lose anything . He asked Rodgers to look into it , adding that the board had asked Rodgers to the meeting to help find a solution , but that he “ didn ’ t really answer the problem ” they are facing .

“ The board still has the problem ,” said Valk . “ The weight still falls back on us .”

Rodgers is to report back to the board on the possibility of adding a “ tier .”

“ We lost money last year and you can ’ t

File photo

go back and get it ,” said Valk . “ We ’ ve got to move forward .”

HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT

“ The board felt that it was time to ask the voters ,” said Supervisor Valk .

The Shawangunk Town Board held a public hearing last Thursday regarding a proposed local law that would eliminate the elected office of Superintendent of Highways and replace it with an appointed position .

The move would give the town board oversight . Currently the board has no control over the Highway Superintendent , so when they receive complaints from residents , there is not much that they can do .

The position is currently vacant , following the recent resignation of Ed Byrne after just three months at the helm .

A mandatory public referendum must be held at least 60 days after the board approves the law . If the vote fails , the town will have to put someone up for election , so waiting to change the position until September is too late .

The board closed the public hearing and voted unanimously to adopt the local law .

In other business , the town board voted unanimously to appoint Alex Danon to the town ’ s planning board .