Submitted by Chris Rossi
(Hamilton, NY – Aug. 2013) The June 13 Hamilton Town Council began with an invitation from Mayor Miller to town and village boards to participate in the upcoming Fourth of July celebration. Earlville Trustee Jerry Hayes informed us that village meetings would take place on the second Monday of the month over the summer.
Five community residents presented their concerns over high volume hydraulic fracturing, expressed a desire for education and community discussion and asked what the council has done on the issue.
Council members spoke about the intent of the Town Council to work on HVHF and other energy matters in a way that maintains community while addressing the important issues of human health and safety, the natural environment and the economic well-being of the entire town.
The Council discussed the creation of our energy working group as a way of gaining insight through a diverse group of community members and how that action has led to the creation of the comprehensive plan committee. Work on the update of the comprehensive plan will include community dialogue on issues like HVHF and will invite input from all town residents on this and many other important topics.
The Town Council looks forward to more input from the community as the comprehensive plan process moves forward and reminded attendees that contact information and updates are posted on our website.
Despite the wet weather, the town of Hamilton Highway Department has been busy with road resurfacing and maintenance. Superintendent Glazier continues to implement our vehicle sales and acquisition schedule, saving us on equipment and maintenance costs.
Although the rain hasn’t stopped roadwork, it has set back our solar panel installation, with work now scheduled for the week of June 24.
Councilor Todd gave an update on the records retention work. With the help of our highway crew, the committee moved more than 100 boxes from the basement of the Town Office to a temporary work space donated by Colgate in the former Parry’s building.
The committee, along with Town Clerk Cathy Hotaling and Upstate Institute summer intern Mae Staples, is sorting through documents to be saved or recycled. Town records have been found dating back to 1859!
The Energy Working Group report included news about Rolling Upland Wind Farm’s possible siting in Madison through the Public Service Commission’s Article 10 process, which the state can use to site electric generation projects exceeding 25mw. Hamilton could be considered a participating agency as our town and its residents could feel serious impacts from the project, and could receive intervener funds to help with associated costs.
The County Board of Supervisors narrowly passed the proposed agreement between New York State, Oneida and Madison counties and the Oneida Indian Nation. Hamilton Town Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz reported that she voted against this agreement as it was inadequate in its compensation and protections for Madison County. This vote was made difficult by the understanding that the governor intended to move toward settlement with the OIN, despite negative effects on Madison County.
Notes from the July Hamilton Town Council
The July Hamilton Town Council meeting began early, to have business finished before the Symphoria concert starting at 8 pm on the village green. Hamilton Mayor Margaret Miller introduced Tim Collins. Tim has been hired by SOMAC to tighten up billing operations and identify ways to improve the financial stability of the service.
The intense rain and flooding have kept our road crew very busy. Hamilton suffered damage to twelve roads, with trees down, and roads and pipes washed out. The town will be receiving FEMA funds to cover a large percentage of the damage done between June 28 and July 11.
The Town Council passed resolutions to consider two new local laws. These laws would convert the positions of Town Clerk/Tax Collector and Town Highway Superintendent to appointed rather than the elected positions. As with other towns that have adopted this mode, the intent is to make town operations more efficient and professional. The complexity of the work for both of these positions has greatly increased in recent years, which highlights the need to fill vacancies on the basis of qualifications. Appointing the Clerk/Tax Collector and Highway Superintendent would eliminate the burden and uncertainty of campaigning every two years, and make the positions less vulnerable to the partisan politics of elections. The Town Council will hold a public hearing on the laws as part of our August 8 Town Council Meeting. The laws are subject to mandatory referendum and will be on the ballot in this fall’s elections. Visit our website for copies of the proposed laws.
An additional resolution was passed, to contract with Delta Engineering to create a road protection plan and road use law for Hamilton. This law would protect our roads from damage by large industrial projects creating road impacts beyond those usually felt by the town. The towns of Brookfield and Lebanon are considering joining us in working with Delta.
Work continues on the Records Retention project, with thousands of town documents being perused and classified for archiving. The work will continue through the fall and help is welcome. If you would like to volunteer with the Records Retention team please contact Councilor Carolyn Todd through our town website.
Our Comprehensive Plan Committee is moving forward in our work with planner Nan Stolzenburg. We are in the data collection phase, with baseline information on town demographics being assembled by Nan and Colgate Upstate Institute intern Mae Staples. The committee is also preparing for community surveys and meetings coming this fall.
The Hamilton Town Council meets on the second Thursday of the month at the Town of Hamilton office in the Village of Hamilton at 7 pm. Our next regular meeting is Thursday, August 8. We invite and encourage you to join us. For more information, visit townofhamiltonny.org/.
Chris Rossi is a member of the Hamilton Town Council.