Reporting from Monday, March 2, 2009 :

Town Council Votes 3-2 to Take Over Comprehensive Plan

From the March 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

The Taghkanic Town Council Monday voted 3-2 to assume control of the town’s Comprehensive Plan.  Councilman Richard Skoda, a one-time member of the committee himself, introduced the motion to have the town board “take over” the comprehensive plan because, he said, it was time to “get it done already.” Skoda acknowledged that “the committee has worked its butt off” to develop a plan, but expressed impatience with the process and proposed that the town board “take it over.” Supervisor Betty Young and Councilwoman Carolyn Sammons joined in the majority vote, while councilmembers Tony LaSalvia and Erin Edwards opposed.  Edwards explained that the motion was unnecessary because the town board is already in charge of the plan and that the board would be responsible for the details of getting a plan in place if the CPC were not allowed to continue its work.

The supervisor herself formed the committee in July 2005 and appointed the six original members.  In 2007, the town board expanded the committee to 13 members plus a liaison member, and ultimately named Alice Platt as the committee’s new chair.  Under Platt, the committee brought in the services of an independent consultant and last summer presented a draft plan to the town board.  Since then, the board has conducted a line-by-line review of the draft.  The town board’s improper legal noticing of a joint CPC-Town Council meeting on Feb. 27 forced a postponement of a discussion of draft language concerning farmland protection, a provision Skoda and others have strongly opposed.  The board rescheduled that meeting for 6 p.m. Monday, March 16, and Young said she wanted Platt to “be involved.” No mention was made of the other CPC members.

A complete story covering Monday’s board meeting will appear shortly. 

Reporting from Thursday, June 19, 2008 :

Workshop Meeting

From the June 19 Special Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

The Draft Interview Procedures and the Records Retention and Access Policy were reviewed in detail.  The town attorney was to send a revised draft to the TC members before their July meeting.

Reporting from Monday, June 2, 2008 :

Draft Records Retention and Access Policy

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

Discussion tabled to a workshop meeting set up for June 19, 2008.

Interview Procedures

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

Discussion tabled to a workshop meeting set up for June 19, 2008.

New Town Hall Committee

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

Councilperson Sammons reported that she and 3 committee members had met with Mr. Richard Sands who would be willing to sell about 6-1/2 acres of his land across from the current Town Hall for $190,000—almost $30,000 per acre.  The TC took no action.

Real Property Tax Assessments

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

The Assessors’ Report said County Real Property Tax Services had received a grant to study the possibility of future assessments being done on a county-wide rather than individual town basis.  Councilperson Edwards also reported that the County Real Property Tax Services Agency was looking to post each town’s final 2008 tax roll on their own website after July 1, 2008; some town supervisors are proposing not posting personal exemption information and possible exclusion of the owners’ name(s).  The agency is also considering putting together and posting a sales report to allow research about comparable properties.  Audience member Audrey Koran commented on the long waits at Grievance Day this year; she asked that consideration be given to having separate days or appointments for professionals who are representing 10 or 12 parcels which they don’t themselves own.

PB Appointments

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

The TC unanimously appointed John Roberts PB chair, open following the resignation of Cindy Lu Hilscher.  The TC will interview candidates for the open membership positions (Hilscher’s and Martha Meier’s) before the July 7 TC meeting.

Wilzig Storage Building Litigation

From the June 2 Regular Meeting of the Town Council (TC)

Councilperson Edwards noted that while the Supreme Court had dismissed the Granger Group’s Article 78 petition, she thought the decision should be discussed because it was “quite damaging to the town.” She recommended reviewing it with a view to determining whether FOIL procedures were being followed, whether the ZBA was complying with requirements for holding public hearings and whether the ZEO is following the proper permitting procedures.  Councilperson Skoda said he could sum all of that up: that the “…ZBA got rid of that attorney and got Rob [Fitzsimmons] back in the seat.” Skoda said “…if there was a problem with that procedure, it was because (they) were ill-advised.” Ms. Edwards replied that “…at that meeting, there were people who weren’t listening to that attorney.” Mr. Skoda said they were to first decide whether to hear the appeal; if the appeal wasn’t timely, there was no need for a public hearing.  He said he thought that advice came from the attorney and that, so as far as he was concerned, they were following procedure.

[Note: the minutes of the ZBA meeting show that the lawyer advised the ZBA to decide whether the appeal was too late before addressing the merits of the storage building itself, but at no point did he advise that a public hearing was not required.  Besides, moving beyond the issue of the failure to hold the required public hearing, the judge went on to find that the ZBA was in error when it found the Granger Group’s appeal to the ZBA to be too late; that the decision of the ZBA was “arbitrary and capricious” and “lacking a substantial basis in the record.” The determination of the ZEO that the “final” permit for the entire building was issued on the date the plans for the foundation were approved, which the ZBA upheld, was found by the judge to defy “logic and case law.”]

Ms. Edwards then reported that she understood Mr. Wilzig’s appeal of the ZBA’s earlier decision (finding that a racetrack and associated structures for the storage of motorcycles, etc. was not a customary accessory use to a single family residence) had been dismissed in April.  She asked about enforcement of the ZEO’s July 2006 Order to Remedy.  The ZEO said the track was in before the Order to Remedy was issued and he can’t make them remove it.  He said “It’s not being used as a track right now so it’s not a track.”