To the Editor:

Westerlo’s 2018 tentative budget, available for the first time at the Oct. 3 meeting, is once again an 11th-hour mystery that lacks the detail needed to make allocation decisions. It’s basically the supervisor’s business-as-usual copy of the current year’s budget.

The budget was not developed in public. Judging from the reactions of town board members, they had little or no input to it. They apparently received it that day “from the accountant” and had little chance to look at it.

We’ve heard all this before. Changes that were supposed to provide more detail, much needed financial transparency, and a readable format, didn’t happen. At a follow-up workshop meeting, it wasn’t the supervisor, but instead Councilman [William] Bichteman, having gained access to more information, who walked through the budget item by item.

There seems to be no real will within town government to work toward transparency. Improvement, such as it is, has come largely as a result of public pressure, not as a result of initiative by the town board.

Why doesn’t the board insist on budget detail? Why are there no ongoing budget reviews throughout the year? Why is it always too little, too late?

Fundamental processes need correcting before the public can be assured that our tax dollars are being well spent and that the town is on sound financial footing. There appears to be no real buffer, a restricted cash fund, set aside for future projects or true emergency expenses.

The supervisor doesn’t like the tax cap. Raising property taxes is easier than finding other ways to raise revenues or develop efficiencies.

He doesn’t seem to mind, though, that newer residents pay far more than their fair share of property taxes. There hasn’t been a town-wide reassessment since the 1950s. This is prejudicial and does not provide equal protection under the law.

I don’t want to see anybody’s taxes go up. I want to see creative, appropriate, dedicated, and effective effort toward solving the issues that face the town. Year after year, it’s the same old story.

When the water district was established, we were assured that its costs would not affect town taxpayers. The 2014 New York State audit of “Selected Financial Activities” uncovered the fact that $66,388 had been transferred from the town’s General Fund to the hamlet’s Water District Fund, which is separate and supposed to pay for itself. There is still no multi-year plan to repay this debt.

There is still no financial or economic development plan for the town and lack of sound financial planning leaves the town vulnerable. In April 2015, the Zoning Recommendation Committee, of which I was a member, as part of its report to the town board, recommended that the town “Create an economic development team to evaluate opportunities and recommend actions consistent with the town’s rural/agricultural character and with the key objectives of the Westerlo Comprehensive Plan.”

This team was to be “...non-partisan; produce timely and actionable recommendations, including, but not limited to: identifying business opportunities and supportive infrastructure that is compatible with our rural/agricultural character, developing grants, improving community involvement and volunteerism, attracting new residents, improving tax base, partnering with other Hilltown communities for better regional opportunities and representation in Albany County.”

No attention or discussion has ever been given to this report or to its recommendations.

There is no plan to attract business or residents. The one initiative that may have an impact in that regard, improving internet access, was developed by the Broadband Research Committee (BRC), not the town board. Instead of providing every possible support to this resident-led effort, the board canceled meetings, the town attorney did not respond to date-sensitive checkpoints, and one board member was openly antagonistic toward the BRC chairperson.

One thing the town board excels at is discouraging resident participation in local government.

I can understand why people give up in disgust. We are largely ignored, and met with defensive excuse-making, chronic inaction, and even hostility. There is little discussion among board members at meetings, which are dominated by one person, and by rubber-stamp approval of minutes and routine reports — reports that are not offered to the public.

Residents who want to know more have to attend workshop meetings. Even then, if you want any semblance of transparency, be prepared to pay for it. I had to use the state’s Freedom of Information Law to get one month’s copy of the supervisor’s report and had to pay $7 for it.

Minutes are never available within two weeks, as required by Open Meetings Law. The excuse here is that they are unapproved “draft” minutes. All New York towns are subject to this same law, and there are rarely any changes to Westerlo minutes. The town website, which could be a source of information for many residents, doesn't have timely and useful information that people can use to stay informed about town process and decisions.

We need a town board that is transparent, accountable, and fair to all the residents. We need a board that will welcome community participation and support people to share their knowledge, experience and precious time. We need a board that will take initiative to address today’s issues in a timely and effective way. It’s our town, not a sole-proprietor private business.

Dianne Sefcik

Westerlo