KNOX — Knox Supervisor Russell Pokorny opened the New Year’s Day reorganizational meeting by saying he disagreed with the sentiment expressed by 16th-Century philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli: The end justifies the means.

“In town government,” said Pokorny, “the means are the end.”

Looking across the dias at the other board members — a grandmother, a mechanic, a farmer, and a small-business owner — he went on, “We discuss things … We’re still friends.”

“Friendly,” corrected Councilwoman June Springer.

She and the other board members had been elected on the Republican line while Pokorny was elected on the Democratic ticket.

“We discuss things but don’t always agree,” added Councilman Karl Pritchard.

Still, democracy moved forward on New Year’s Day in Knox.

Pokorny went over some of the year’s accomplishments: securing the foundation and installing gutters on the Saddlemire Homestead, which houses the Knox museum; straightening the bridges in the town park; working towards updating the town’s transfer station.

“Don’t forget the fair,” said Springer of the Pucker Street festival.

Councilman Ken Saddlemire added, “We did the boardwalk,” referring to the rejuvenated pathways through the town park’s wetlands.

At the end of the meeting, the board agreed to spend $12,500 to re-side the back wall of the highway garage and fix its door.

Pokorny said he averages just one or two complaints a year from citizens.

Pritchard, whose garage serves as a community hub, added, “That’s all I heard — nothing major.”

Clerk Traci Shanz provided a plate of breakfast muffins since, she said, she’d requested the meeting start at 8 a.m.

The board is changing its usual meeting date from the second to the third Tuesday of each month, also at Schanz’s request, to make sure the bills are prepared for board members’ review.

“We’re always playing catch up,” said Schanz.

Appointments and salaries

The votes were almost all unanimous as the board members worked through a list of appointments to town positions and to the zoning and planning boards; the Board of Assessment Review; the Conservation Advisory Council; and committees for broadband, ethics, and agriculture — all of which are posted on the town’s website.

Saddlemire, who was sworn in as deputy supervisor at the end of the meeting, said he had reservations about reappointing Glenn Pulito as the youth-services coordinator, describing him as “kind of inactive.”

Pokorny commended Pulito for his work setting up a library at Town Hall from “a pile of nothing” but conceded, “I know he has issues approaching people.”

“I’ve talked to a couple of people,” said Saddlemire to which Pokorny added he had called three or four people “and no one wanted to commit.”

The board decided to postpone the appointment of a youth-service coordinator until February.

The board unanimously granted a $2-per-hour raise for workers with hourly wages and a 4 percent annual raise for other employees.

So, for example, the hourly rate for a transfer-station attendant goes from $16.96 to $18.96; for a laborer goes from $21.04 to $23.04; and for an equipment operator from $24.37 to $26.37.

Councilman Dennis Cyr, saying he spoke as a business owner, suggested that next year there should not be across-the-board raises but, rather, there should be performance reviews so that raises reward merit.

“There should be accountability,” Cyr said, noting that Pokorny had automatically granted the $2 raise for two years.

“I’ll try to break the habit,” responded Pokorny. He suggested, for budgeting purposes, it would have to be decided in September.

According to the state’s General Municipal Law, every local government must annually file a financial report with the state’s comptroller, which is known as the Annual Update Document or AUD. A town like Knox, with a population under 5,000 has up to 60 days after the close of its fiscal year to file its AUD.

Knox, however, is several years behind in filing its AUDs. Pokorny told the board that Vasilious Lefkaditis, who had been the supervisor before him, is helpful when called but simply can’t remember the details. “Vas has to think back five years,” said Pokorny.

Springer said Lefkaditis was busy.

“We’ll get there,” said Pokorny, who became supervisor in 2022.

When The Enterprise asked Pokorny after the meeting why Knox was years behind with the AUD, he said, “I wasn’t here and you have to do them serially, one year at a time.” He also said there had been a change in software and “COVID brought things to a halt.”

Broadband concerns

“They keep trying in earnest," said Pokorny of the broadband committee members.

He said that, while other towns have more carriers, “We have only Spectrum." Hudson Valley Wireless, Pokorny said, will work only with a line of sight.

Twenty percent of people in Knox, or about 200 homes, do not have wired broadband, said Pokorny, adding that it would cost $2 million to reach those homes.

“That’s outrageous,” said Springer.

“They did the easy ones,” said Pokorny.

Saddlemire suggested looking at towers in the area with different carriers, to which Pokorny responded he had taken pictures of likely places including a silo on Saddlemire’s farm.

Saddlemore said, “Spectrum has the monopoly.” He suggested the Hilltowns could work together to approach other carriers and perhaps activate “a rate war.”

Pokorny said he pays $85 per month for broadband at his octagon barn, which had a line of sight for Hudson Valley Wireless but that the company wasn’t interested in using new towers.

Cyr asked about having a conversation with the neighboring town of Berne and about applying for grants.

“We applied to Albany County,” said Pokorny of seeking grant money, “but they didn’t give it to us.”

Cyr suggested cataloging the needs of the 200 homes without broadband — such as if they housed sick or elderly residents — when applying again.

Beavers in the park

Beavers in the town park are wreaking havoc with the recently revamped bridges, according to Ray Weiler, the park maintenance manager.

“I’ve raised everything,” he said and also put in stone to control erosion. “We’re going to be back to square one in the spring,” he said.

Weiler estimated there are currently 40 or 50 beavers in the park.

Pokorny, who described himself as a “tree hugger,” said he’d gotten an offer from Gary Salisbury to trap the beavers at a cost of $150 for each location and $100 for each animal caught.

On the other hand, Pokorny reported that Lou Saddlemire said “trapping is a bad idea because it’s indiscriminate.” Saddlemire would get a permit to “shoot the big ones,” he said, and charge $15 per hour.

On shooting, Weiler said, “This place is packed with people.” The venue has become a favorite of bird-watchers.

Weiler reported that, when he had called the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, after a hole was ripped in the dam, “you have to jump through hoops to legally remove a dam” and also that trappers have to be licensed.

“What we need is to protect our park,” said Weiler.

Springer, citing property owned elsewhere by her husband’s family, said, if a beaver dam goes unchecked, “It becomes a mandatory wetland with unbelievable regulations.”

Pritchard said that the area in question at the town park “was a hay field at one time.”

“As a farmer,” said Saddlemire, “I’m probably the biggest conservationist out there. I’m not an environmentalist.”

He added, “We don’t want to eliminate the beavers; we have to control them.”

Schanz advised finding out how many traps Salisbury would set and how long it would take to catch the beavers. Pokorny responded that he would get more details.

Pritchard indicated that time was of the essence, staying of beavers, “They kick their young out,”which causes more damming upstream and hence more flooded areas.

Weiler noted that $11,000 had been spent on revamping the three bridges, after which Spring made a motion that the town hire Salisbury to trap beavers for an amount not to exceed $5,000.

The motion passed unanimously.