Submitted by Chris Rossi
The October Hamilton Town Council meeting began with a discussion of the Town Office project. Town Council members explained that municipal building projects are subject to different regulations and standards, such as prevailing wage, which drive up costs. Modular building options are being investigated, and the town has contacted a company with experience in commercial buildings. The Town will investigate further to determine if going modular would provide significant savings and still meet municipal code.
A handout explaining the current projected cost of the building project is available on the town website. For more information on the town office and the referendum attend the public meeting Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at the village court house. The vote on financing the project will take place Thursday, Nov. 16, from noon to 9 p.m. at the regular polling places and is open to all registered town of Hamilton voters.
In preparation for the 2018 budget, a public hearing was held on a tax cap override. The Town Council approved the provision with no comments from the public. The budget public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9 during the regularly scheduled Town Council meeting.
The highway department continues its road maintenance around town, with ditching, creating shoulders, installing new signs and patching roads. Superintendent Florenz is working on the 2018 plan for road repair and maintenance. He also connected with Ted Halpin from county emergency services and will review and update our emergency management plans with his help.
The annual snow and ice agreement with the county was signed, once again allowing our crew to plow county roads and generate income for the town. The 2017 town fuel contract was awarded to Buell Fuels.
Town Clerk Reymers has been working on grants and adjusting timeframes to accommodate the town office vote. Mark Miller, our codes enforcement officer, recently completed his state codes certification program.
Councilman Holcomb provided an update on SOMAC, which is seeing an increase in services and revenue. The town helps support SOMAC and provides general financial oversight of this key community service. SOMAC’s final request of $55,000 for payment this year is less than what had been budgeted for. Madison County has studied emergency services statistics on ambulance services around the county. SOMAC’s is at an excellent 2.16 minutes—an improvement from last year, and better than many of the other area emergency services.
The County is providing education to emergency service groups and is looking into the possibility of consolidating services in the future.
As reported by Councilman Darby, the Partnership for Community Development is awarding housing grants to area applicants. The PCD is also planning a program to help young farmers get started.
Work on Climate Smart Communities certification continues for the town and the village of Hamilton. With help from Colgate University students, the municipalities are creating Green House Gas studies and hope to collaborate on a Climate Action Plan.
The Hamilton Town Council meets on the second Thursday of the month at the village court house in the village of Hamilton at 6:30 p.m. Our next meeting is Nov. 9. We invite and encourage you to join us. For more info visit townofhamiltonny.org
Chris Rossi is a member of the Hamilton Town Council.