Hilltowns Archives —The Altamont Enterprise, January 8, 2009

Nickelsberg votes “nay” as Dems and Lansing carry the day

RENSSELAERVILLE — In sharp contrast to last year’s contentious re-organizational meeting, this Jan. 1 the Rensselaerville Town Board voted unanimously on most appointments, with Republican Supervisor Jost Nickelsberg voting against a handful of motions.  The board’s three-member Democratic majority was able to pass all its appointments.

At the end of the half-hour meeting, Nickelsberg said, “We all had a tough year, cataclysmic in many ways, but one thing that was constant was that our veterans, mostly, are still with us and our volunteers are doing a thousand acts of kindness — day in, day out — and I’d like to thank all of you on behalf of the board for your service to your community and service to your town.”

The town board voted to appoint the following people in 4-to-1 votes, with council members Sherri Pine, Gary Chase, and Marie Dermody — all Democrats — along with Republican J. Robert Lansing voting for and Supervisor Jost Nickelsberg, also a Republican, voting against:

—   Joseph Catalano as the town attorney;

—   Jon Kosich as the deputy town attorney;

—   Roger Gifford as a member of the zoning board of appeals;

—   Joyce Chase as clerk to the highway superintendent; and

—   Nancy Class as the newsletter coordinator.

The board unanimously appointed the following people for a term of one year:

—   Diane Biederman as the town veterinarian;

—   Brian Wood as the civil defense coordinator;

—   Gerald Wood as the civil defense officer;

—   David Potter as the deputy town highway superintendent;

—   Tina Shaver as the water treatment officer;

—   Garrett Platel and Delwin Shaver as the deputy water treatment officers;

—   Tina Shaver as the sewage treatment officer;

—   Garrett Platel and Delwin Shaver as the deputy sewage treatment officers;

—   Richard Simons as constable;

—   Richard Tollner as deputy supervisor;

—   Rachel Chase as clerk to assessors;

—   Cheryl Tefft-Baitsholts as dog control officer;

—   Jon Whitbeck as the refuse and recycling officer;

—   Arthur McCulloch and Ronald Bates as the substitute refuse and recycling officers;

—   Irene Olsen as the town historian;

—   Mark Overbaugh as the building inspector and zoning enforcement officer;

—   Rachel Chase as the clerk to the building inspector and zoning enforcement officer;

—   Alden Pierce as the chairman of the zoning board of appeals;

—   Kathleen Hallenbeck as the registrar of vital statistics;

—   Dee Andrus as the deputy town clerk, collector, and registrar;

—   Gail La Plante and Lynette Tyrrell as court clerks;

—   Dee Andrus as the records inventory clerk;

—   Ronald Bates as the senior employee;

—   Georgette Koenig as the assistant to the town newsletter coordinator;

—   Ann Marie Vogel and Clara Potter as senior services coordinators; and

—   Arthur Pizzigati as the assistant senior services coordinator;

The town board voted unanimously to appoint Jack Long to the water and sewer committee for a term to end on Dec. 31, 2014.

The board voted to appoint Dorothea Cotter to the planning board for a term to expire on Dec. 31, 2015, and it appointed Muriel Frasher as the chairman of the planning board.

The board voted unanimously to set the rate at which town employees can be reimbursed for mileage at 58.5 cents per mile and added that the rate can be adjusted according to the deferral mileage allowance if it should change.

It also voted unanimously to name The Altamont Enterprise as the official newspaper and named The Bank of Greene County as the town’s depository.

The board set the official meeting date for the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in a unanimous vote with a work meeting to be held the Tuesday before the meeting at 7 p.m.

Also in a unanimous vote, the board designated Gary Chase and Sherri Pine as the town’s officials to go to the Association of Towns meeting in New York City in February, but, if they choose to attend, it will be at their own expense.  Last year, officials came under fire for spending town money on such items as bar tabs.

The board reaffirmed its investment policy in a unanimous vote and it also authorized the supervisor to complete a financial report 60 days after the close of the fiscal year and authorized the supervisor to make payments in advance for lights, telephone, postage, postage express charges, postage meter payments, and to pay principal and interest of indebtedness, stated salaries, compensation of various officers and employees regularly engaged to the town at the agreed wage, by the hour, day, week, month, or year and to pay amounts becoming law full due upon contracts for the periods exceeding one year for which provisions for payment has been made in the annual budget.

The board also voted unanimously to adopt the wage, salary, and schedule of payments for the year, which remains the same as last year, except for the highway department, which has a 3-percent increase due to its contract.

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