Submitted by Chris Rossi, Hamilton Town Council
(Town of Hamilton, NY- Oct. 2013) Our September Hamilton Town Council meeting opened with news from members of the community. Jerry Hayes spoke about the need for volunteers at the Quincy Square Museum, which showcases the history of Earlville and the surrounding area. Debbie Kliman, Village of Hamilton Trustee updated the council on Colgate’s proposed museum project, which is still in discussion with the Village.
Highway superintendent Bert Glazier reported on roadwork done around town. Look for a new bridge and culvert on Hill Road. The long awaited solar photovoltaic system was installed at the Town Garage, and is officially working as of August 30. With the new system up and running the Town anticipates significant savings on the garage’s electric bill.
As work progresses on the Records Retention project, questions were raised over where to eventually store our Town Records. The Town Council is pondering a safe, climate regulated storage area, and if that can be achieved in the existing town office.
This will be a busy fall for the Town Council with 3 major tasks ahead. On the ballot this November will be a referendum on two new local laws which would convert the positions of Town Clerk/Tax Collector and Town Highway Superintendent to appointed (hired) rather than elected positions. The Town Council has been hard at work on the 2014 budget, and a public hearing for the preliminary budget is scheduled for October 28.
In addition, our Comprehensive Plan Committee is working on the community survey and preparing for public meetings, all to take place in October and November. Look for news on all of these items in the weeks ahead.
Supervisor Shwartz reported on news from the Madison County Board of Supervisors. The County is also working on its budget, with a potential rise in the tax levy, and cuts for many services. Local library funding may be seriously impacted, and the Town Council discussed the need to increase our support. Madison County’s Open farm Day was a huge success with hundreds of people visiting 40 of our local farms. The County has launched a “Buy Madison” campaign, emphasizing the gain when we keep our dollars local – good for local business, and good for our sales tax revenue. For more info, visit http://www.buymadisonny.com.
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, Oct. 10. We invite and encourage you to join us. For more info visit http://www.townofhamiltonny.org/.