Hugh Reynolds.
There is, however, a direct Kingston-Newburgh connection, forged by former congressman Maurice Hinchey some 15 years ago. The so-called KNEC (for Kingston-Newburgh Enterprise Corporation) leveraged millions from federal and state coffers for, among other things, the EveretteHodgeCommunity Center in Midtown Kingston.
Charging Mr. Kilowatt
Kevin Cahill, former chairman of the Assembly Energy Committee, keeps a sharp eye on all things electrical. Last week Cahill, now chairman of the Assembly Insurance Committee, called on the Public Service Commission to give ratepayers a larger share of the booty from the sale of Central Hudson G&E to Fortis, a Canadian-based energy conglomerate.
Cahill, in a press release, references an administrative law judge ordering that $10 million, or $35 each, be set aside for Central Hudson ratepayers compared to $275 per ratepayer approved when NYSEG (New York State Electric and Gas) was sold to a Spanish utility a few years ago. “That’s little more than a rounding number,” Cahill sniffed.
At the risk of advising His Brilliance on political strategy, he might better influence the notoriously cloistered PSC by enlisting the dozen or so other state legislators in Central Hudson’s service area than in taking a (typical) lone-wolf approach.
Information, please
Bob Aiello, chairman of the county legislature’s Personnel Committee, reports his committee has made arrangements with the county executive to secure monthly reports on hiring, firing and retirements of county employees. Aiello and fellow committee member Carl Belfiglio clashed on whether a formal resolution by the legislature was necessary, but the legislature sided with Aiello, who believes informal agreements with the executive will suffice.
Still to be determined is exactly what information the legislature will be given on these public employees, other than name, rank and serial number. Aiello says there are “privacy issues” that need to be respected.
The chairman seems buried in the details here. All that information, name, position, salary, (but not date of hire, eliminated in the 2013 executive budget) is available in the executive budget, issued once a year. The sense of the resolution, now set aside, was that such information be available on a more timely (monthly) and more comprehensive basis and that it should be official policy. Now it’s just a handshake.
PILOTs challenged
It would appear the days of automatic PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) for developers are coming to a close, or that at least they are being more carefully scrutinized.
Witness the controversy in New Paltz over plans to build a $56 million student housing complex adjacent to the college. The Rochester-based developer is seeking a PILOT from the county that comes to about 10 cents on the dollar of the full taxes that would have been paid over the 25 years of the proposed agreement.
New Paltzians, many of whom struggle to pay their taxes, appreciate the $56 million tax base infusion, probably the largest single investment in the town since the tax-free college itself, but find the dime-on-the-dollar deal too generous.
Of some note is that none of this was mentioned when developers gave an informal presentation to the county’s Industrial Development Agency (the final word on PILOTs) earlier this month.
For sure, the New Paltz planning board will raise those issues before it decides to send this proposal to the county for consideration.
Full speed ahead
Apparently deciding discretion to be the better part of valor, Catskill Mountain Railroad enthusiasts seem poised to compromise on County Executive Mike Hein’s proposal to create a rail-trail on the former railbed, starting with the stretch between Kingston and the east end of the Ashokan Reservoir.
The executive’s plan is to tear up some of the track and sell the scrap for $700,000. Linked to a $2 million grant promised in the state budget by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the scrap sale would finance a pedestrian/bike trail through some of the most scenic country east of the Mississippi.
The railroad people believe the county can have it both ways by paving over the tracks (with Cuomo’s $2 million), thus preserving the potential of one day extending the railroad to the Delaware County line.
A newly-constituted Railroad Advisory Committee was appointed by the legislature last week to advance the plan. But legislators shouldn’t start crowing just yet. It was the legislature, after all, that dropped the ball in allowing appointments to the advisory committee to lapse for some 18 months. Into that vacuum charged the county executive, who for now seems to be holding all the cards.
The 1500 people signed the county wide petition. 283 signed the Shandaken petition. There were 70 signatures on the Shandaken petition that are not town residents based upon a 2010 census less than 8% of the Shandaken population therefore signed the petition. Those are the facts, your article and your conversation with yourfriend is therefore moot.