ALTAMONT — A local developer, hoping to keep costs down on a large senior complex, protested the village’s proposal to charge a fee for new hookups to the Altamont water system.

During a public hearing at a village board meeting Tuesday night, Jeff Thomas, who is planning to build homes for seniors along Brandle Road, just outside of the village, said the village’s plan is unfair to seniors and unfair to developers who make improvements to the water system.
"You have an opportunity today to do more than just submit information," Thomas told the board. "You have an opportunity to assist some seniors on their utility costs....I don’t want you to get hung up on numbers. I want you to get hung up on principle."

The water-strapped village is planning a two-phase project to improve its water system—over a century old in some places—at a cost of $2.5 million.

To help pay for the project and ease the burden on taxpayers, the village board and Mayor James Gaughan have proposed a fee of $2,500 per unit for each new residential unit hooking into the water system. Those already on the system would not be charged.

The fee would apply to users in and out of the village. An apartment would be considered a fraction of a unit, depending on the number of bedrooms it has, and commercial property owners will be charged by usage, one unit per 200 gallons of water used per day.

In material prepared for an informational meeting on the topic, Gaughan claimed that the so-called benefit-assessment fee is common for municipalities. Saratoga Springs charges $3,000 per unit and Colonie charges between $1,125 and $3,750 per unit for the Latham Water District, depending on location, he said.

At Tuesday’s hearing, Thomas countered that, according to his research, Saratoga and Colonie credit developers for improvements they make to the water system, subtracting it from the cost of the hookup fees.

Thomas said his project will generate $140,000 worth of improvements to the infrastructure, including bringing fire hydrants to the Brandle Road area. The benefit assessment fees would cost him $60,475, he said.
"I say it’s unfair," Thomas said.

The mayor told The Enterprise last week that the fees are not intended to target Thomas’s project or any other specific project, and Thomas told The Enterprise this week that he doesn’t feel targeted. However, the Brandle Road complex is by far the largest pending proposal for the water system.

The project is currently on hold as the village’s new source of water—a well on a five-acre site on Brandle Road—is tied up in litigation. The unwilling sellers, the village, and Thomas are involved in a lawsuit triangle.

Thomas said that, if the village approves the fees, the cost will have to be paid by his tenants and home-buyers.
"Any construction costs end up getting passed down to the end user," he told The Enterprise.

Thomas also proposed a senior discount for the fees.
"They’re retired and they’re on a limited fixed income," he said. "It seems like the village is all about senior services. This is a way that they can help upstanding, retired seniors, by setting up a senior rate."

A few elderly residents, who have spoken in support of Thomas before, spoke in favor of Thomas’s proposals or said Thomas was speaking for them. Gaughan noted that the village had received eight letters opposing the fees.

A few residents also spoke in favor of the fees.
"As a taxpayer, I think the water and sewer rates are pretty high right now," said Chris Marshall. "To have just the current taxpayers pay for all [of the improvements] will be a hardship for us."

Government response

The village board voted to continue the public hearing at next month’s meeting. Gaughan told The Enterprise he had hoped to have a decision this month, but that the extra month is necessary to consider the information given by Thomas.

In particular, Gaughan said, he wants to find out if the credits given in Colonie and Saratoga apply to projects outside of the town or city.

He noted that the village is considering several routes to attach the water system to the well on Brandle Road, phase one of the project. The route along Brandle Road, through Thomas’s project, is the most expensive one, he said.

Trustee Harvey Vlahos said he supported lowering the proposed fee.

Tim McIntyre, who heads Altamont’s department of public works, when asked by a trustee for his view, said Thomas should pay the fees because his project does not benefit the rest of the village.
"We don’t need an improvement out there," McIntyre said. "We’re all set."

Other business

In other business at the Feb. 7 meeting, the Altamont Village Board:

—Approved spending up to $7,000 for upgrades to the fire department’s security system and transferring $140,872 from the fire equipment reserve account for a new mini-pumper truck;

—Agreed to enter into a one-year contract with Metro Media to record village board meetings onto two DVD’s, one for the village and one for broadcast on public access television;

—Passed a resolution designating the village as a Hudson River Valley Greenway Community. Altamont was the last municipality in Albany County to join the Greenway, which assists municipalities in counties along the Hudson River in planning and development; and

—Authorized the village to co-purchase, with Guilderland, a property at 759 Route 146. The town and village will split the cost, 50-50. In total, Gaughan said, the property can be bought from the county for back taxes of about $45,000.

The property, known as the Crounse home, is in fair to good condition, Gaughan said. After an initial assessment, he said, the village could form a committee to propose uses for the building. The uses could include senior or youth functions, and historical and cultural activities, Gaughan said.