Following the pledge of allegiance, Mayor Jeff Kaplan opened the meeting with a moment of silence for the late Luis Rodriguez, a longtime village employee who had continued his work to beautify the village long after his retirement. Mayor Kaplan also noted that they would adjourn the night's meeting in Rodriguez's memory.

Police Business
The village board moved the biweekly report from Police Chief Phil Mattracion to the beginning of the meeting to allow him to leave early to be with a convalescing loved one. In his report, the chief asked the board to accept a $13,000 grant from the Department of Criminal Justice Services, the majority of which will go to the installation of new cameras in the police department's cars, a move the chief says will cut down on personnel complaints and will help in drug and drunk-driving cases. The board accepted the grant, and also accepted the resignation of part-tie officer George Wilke.

Flower Power
Petitioners from the Shawangunk Garden Club asked the village board for $2,800 in funds to plant around the village, including the areas around the upcoming farmer's market. The board approved the funding, saying that the money had already been allotted to the group that year, and that they would make sure to deliver when the village next received revenue from bills sent out.

Rally Review
Representatives from Rally New York came before the board to thank them for their support for this recent race event, and that everything went off without a hitch. Rally representative Rich Otis thanked the village board for providing the event with a part-time officer, and reported that there was no interference from residents, unlike incidents that sometimes happen in other communities. Another representative, Ivan Orisek, reported that participants were saying that this had been the "best rally in the country," and that they managed to top last year's rally.

Budget Matters
The village board held a public hearing on the proposed 2008-2009 operating budget. During the hearing, Village Manager Elliott Auerbach showed that the celebrations, publicity, arts initiative, and farmer's market portions of the budget were cut down to zero. The manager cited Mayor Kaplan's oft-repeated "mantra of the five," saying that these budget items did not fall under the responsibilities of the village's reasons to exist, which are water, sewer, building, street, and police departments.

Auerbach also pointed to a 7% increase in village taxes. However, it was noted that, when compared with the state's legal ceiling for taxation which rises every year, village taxes will have gone from 95% of the ceiling to 82%. 2% of the tax increase accounts for money the village will collect to begin paying off its deficit.

When asked, Auerbach said that he didn't think that paying off the deficit by taking funds out of the "Mountain Money" — a $4 million fund that generates interest as revenue for the operating budget — is a wise move. Instead, he said that if the village tightens its belt, practices fiscal conservatism, stays within the five responsibilities of the budget, and should other "extenuating circumstances come to pass" (later specified to be the sales of properties like the former village hall building), the deficit will be paid off within 18 months. The mayor and other board members wondered if using the mountain money would still be a better move, which would allow them to wipe the debt out in one fell swoop, should the public approve the idea in a referendum. Mayor Kaplan asked that they would consult with a financial analyst for advice on which is the best course of action.

An in-depth report on Monday's hearing and the budget workshops from the last two weeks will be published in next week's edition of the Journal.

Retroactive Salary
The board voted to approve the retroactive replacement rate salary for a village employee who substituted as Wastewater Treatment Operator on many occasions from September 9, 2005 to February 17, 2008 for $6,777.75.

False Alarm Law
During the attorney's report, Village Counsel Phil Cataldi updated the board on different pieces of legislation; the False Alarm local law was moving ahead as planned, wherein owners of homes will be fined when their properties require repeated police attention due to multiple false alarms.

Skateboard Law
The village board also discussed the provisions within potential skateboard legislation, which was initially proposed at the last village board meeting. The legislation was suggested as a way to give police officers more power in enforcing safety codes among skateboarders who endanger themselves and others when they fail to comply with police directives. The language of the law, however, was set to ban skateboarders from streets and sidewalks, which several board members and the mayor found too harsh. It was said that the law was only supposed to allow officers to confiscate boards when offenders fail to comply with police, and Cataldi will revise the law for the next meeting.

The mayor also asked Village Manager Auerbach to see about getting a group of kids who represent the village's skateboarders to an upcoming village board meeting to try and work out the recent conflicts between the boarders and the police, and hopefully come to an understanding.

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