— Bill Sherman

VOORHEESVILLE — After months of negotiating an animal-control contract with the town of New Scotland, village leaders Tuesday night decided to terminate the contract at the end of June.

Mayor Jack Stevens told The Enterprise that village parking-enforcement employee Frank Pierro was hired on Wednesday to assume the animal control duties for the village.

State law requires the town to answer calls regarding dangerous or attacking dogs in the village. However, the village has long contracted with the town to perform additional animal-control duties such as enforcing the village’s ordinances on barking dogs, the leash law, and animal waste.

Last October, the village began negotiating a new contract with the town since the current contract was set to expire at the end of the year. It was not until February that the municipalities agreed to a new contract, which had the village paying $6,000 annually.

Recently Voorheesville was informed that two of the three New Scotland animal-control officers were resigning. Stevens said that town leaders were unsure what would be done with the department.
While expressing some frustration over the entire animal-control issue with the town, Stevens said it was better for the village to handle its own calls. Stevens said residents should call the village about animal-control complaints. The town will continue to take the "dangerous dog" calls, as required by state law.

Other business
In other business the board:
— Passed a resolution authorizing the submission of a state Justice Court Assistance Program grant. Stevens said the grant submission is an annual request under this program.

This year the village is requesting funding for new court chairs, file cabinets, calculators, a high security shredder, an electronic and hardbound thesaurus and to upgrade computer, printer and fax equipment.

Stevens said new village grant-writer, Anne Biese, prepared the grant. The village should receive an answer in about 90 days; and

— Scheduled two public hearings for June 15.

The first hearing will be begin at 6 p.m. The topic is the village’s new cable television contract.

The second hearing, set for 6:30 p.m., will be on a proposed amendment to a local law. Village Building Inspector Jerry Gordinier has proposed lowering the insurance rider required for companies performing residential electrical inspections from $10 million to $6 million.
Stevens said he hopes lowering the insurance requirement will "open up the market to new firms, which could lower the cost to homeowners." Stevens said Gordinier is reviewing all of the village ordinances to make them more "user-friendly."