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Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Walden taking a stand against political signs
Continued from page 1
road,” Revella said. “The crossing at Coldenham Road is
supposed to be upgraded. They’ll be upgrading signaling
and the actual crossing itself.”
The board discussed the railroad crossing earlier
this year, and now the renovations are finally set to
commence. “It’s been kind of hazardous for cars crossing
the tracks,” Revella said. “The ties for the tracks are
actually kind of weak and it causes big bumps when
people are going across. It also has a sightline issue with
people going through, and there actually have been a
couple of accidents there. So it’s a safety issue.”
On Aug. 20, the board held a joint meeting with the
Town of Montgomery board to discuss the potential
annexation of the Amthor property into the village.
When the two boards voted to close the public hearing
on the issue, they had 90 days each to approve the
annexation if it’s to be finalized. With the clock ticking
and some issues in the deal still unresolved, Donovan
recommended the village form a working committee to
craft questions for the applicant to satisfy.
Trustees Brian Sebring, Lynn Thompson and John
Ramos all volunteered to serve on the committee, which
might also include Walden Building Inspector Dean
Stickles.
One of the year’s biggest days for Walden is right
around the corner, as the annual Harvest Festival will
usher in the fall season this weekend. “I’m encouraging
everyone in the village to stop by the Harvest Festival on
Saturday the 28th, it starts at 11 a.m. at Bradley Park,”
Walden Mayor Susan Rumbold said during the meeting.
“The committee works 12 months out of the year to
coordinate the events and get the day together. It’s just
nice if people in the village come out and support it. It
is a community effort and it’s nice when people in the
community come and participate.” The mayor also added
that she’ll be one of the judges in the event’s apple pie
baking contest.
Town of Montgomery Ambulance Corps in ‘dire need’
Continued from page 1
to serve the community they need to fund 24 paid staff,
vehicle maintenance, fuel, insurance, medications and
other essential supplies. They set a budget for about
$560,000 this year—the same as last year—but the costs
keep going up.
Shorette explained that at the same time, the funds
coming in are falling far short and insurance companies
are hurting them, looking to stop paying for transport
altogether or setting high deductibles that rest on the
taxpayers.
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In January, TOMAC received a statement showing that
approximately $240,000 in bills for service went unpaid in
2018. As they do not send taxpayers to collections, that
becomes a substantial hit to their budget. While they
noted that they do receive donations and some payments,
it is not enough to cover their expenses.
Adding to the struggle is having to contract with
commercial agencies like Mobile Life for backup and
Advanced Life Support (ALS) services. In 2018 they paid
$65,000 to Mobile Life.
If the town decides to support the agency, TOMAC
intends to pursue approval to become an ALS provider
and hopefully alleviate some of that cost.
The ambulance corps is asking the town for $300,000
to make up the gap in unpaid services. If they should
receive over an agreed upon amount through billing or
donations, they would return any excess funds to the
town.
Shorette stated that every agency in Orange County—
with a couple exceptions—follows the same model.
When asked if they were looking to form a taxing
district, they shied away from the idea, stating that it
would cost taxpayers more, in the area of $800,000. If
they were a taxing district, they would no longer be able
to bill.
The Montgomery Town Board intends to discuss the
proposal as they work on next year’s budget. Their first
budget workshop will take place on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m.
Supervisor Rodney Winchell spoke briefly about the
tentative budget, explaining his goal was to keep taxes
the same and do more.
While he did not provide the public with any specific
numbers, he stated he was “not over-budgeting expenses
or under-estimating revenue, analyzing employee
overtime” and that a “lack of segregation of duties” led
him to add six new departments to the budget.
Meanwhile, Bill Trainor, a CPA with Nugent &
Haeussler, said the town is “very stable” and “under no
threat of fiscal stress.”
Trainor presented the firm’s draft financial report on
Thursday, following a lengthy executive session with the
town board and their attorney, William Frank. Frank
said the session was simply for the board to confer with
counsel about the report.
The town’s budget for 2020 will include a new 5-year
contract with the Walden Humane Society, which was
approved unanimously by the board that same evening.
The non-profit agency, which found homes for more
than 600 cats and dogs last year, will receive $51,000, with
a $1,000 increase each year for the next four years.
Attorney for the town, William Frank, noted that the
contract could be for five years, but only if there was a
cancellation option so as “not to bind future boards,”
which he added to the contract.
In addition, the board approved a new rental lease for
the Town of Montgomery Food Pantry at a rate of $250
per month. The rate has remained the same since 1995.
“That’s fine with me,” said Councilman Dan Dempsey.
“I think they provide a great service.”
The first budget workshop with department heads is
scheduled for 6 p.m. on Oct. 3.
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