Submitted by Chris Rossi
The January meeting is the Town’s annual organizational meeting. Appointments to the Town Office staff as well as boards and committees were made for the upcoming year.
One-year appointments for 2018 include:
Historian – Jack Loop
Dog Control Officer – Larry Butts
Code Enforcement Officer – Mark Miller
Deputy Town Clerk – Elisa Robertson
Town Attorney – Steve Jones
Bookkeeper – Bryn on the Books
Planning and Zoning Board appointments are still under discussion. Councilman Peter Darby was appointed Budget Officer and Deputy Supervisor.
The town opted to change its regular monthly meeting date from the second Thursday of the month to the second Wednesday of the month starting in March 2018.
Supervisor Eve Ann Shwartz also appointed town council members to various committees (see the town website for full listing). Councilmember Dinski is new to the board and will be overseeing the Recreation and Youth Committee. Dinski has expressed interest in working to find activities and a space for youth that offer an alternative to the drug culture.
Thanks to Town Historian Jack Loop for his work during 2017. See the Town Website for Jack’s report and information on the Town’s fascinating history.
Don Haight, Hamilton Town Justice, submitted his annual report. The court revenue has decreased from 2016 with a total of 187 cases. Justice Haight is no longer filling in for
Earlville’s justice, but still provides full-time coverage for the village of Hamilton while a replacement is sought. The county is working on a court-ordered arraignment plan to provide legal counsel for indigent defendants. All village and town court clerks must now take yearly training.
The New Year has gotten off to a snowy start keeping our town highway crew busy, making 39 runs from Dec. 14 through Jan. 11. The town is waiting to be reimbursed by the county for 2,038 miles of plowing—roughly $37,000. The Council resolved to purchase a Bobcat 5600 that will be used by the highway crew for a multitude of purposes. At the cost of $58,000, this expense has already been budgeted for in the town’s capital equipment plan.
Town Clerk Sue Reymers received requests for close to 100 early tax payments. Property owners submit their taxes to the county rather than the town. Instructions for doing so were included with the tax bills and can also be found online at the town website.
The town code enforcement officer’s annual report highlighted an increase in the number of building permits issued in 2017, which resulted in an increase in revenue of 39 percent.
The Town Office Building Committee has met numerous times over the last couple of months and is considering a 1-story building plan. The group visited a vendor in Richfield Springs to discuss modular possibilities and discovered some restrictions on this mode of building. The committee is also looking at a post-frame construction option and will consider the pros, cons and costs of both building styles. All information will be shared with the public once a design and estimate are solidified.
SOMAC has submitted its request for first-quarter funding of $30,000, as agreed and budgeted for by the town. The Partnership for Community Development has awarded eight local housing grants and six micro-grants for local businesses. The PCD is hosting a SNAP workshop for farmers and is working on a grant application for FOJO coffee for an expansion of their roasting facility with retail space.
The Zoning Update Committee is still working on solar zoning. A community member requested the group also focus on getting the Right to Farm Law enacted, and subsequently posting signs to that effect around town. The committee is working on actions such as the Farm Law, which were recommended by the town’s comprehensive plan. At the next town council meeting, the board will conduct its annual review of the comprehensive plan, assess what has been accomplished and what actions to focus on in 2018.
The town recently qualified for a $50,000 grant through participation in the Clean Energy Community program. The town will request the funds for an energy efficient geothermal heating system for the garage.
The Hamilton Town Council will now meet on the second Wednesday of the month starting in March. Meetings are at the village courthouse in the village of Hamilton at 6:30 p.m. The next regular meeting is Thursday, Feb. 8, with Wednesday, March 14, as the first meeting with the new schedule. We invite and encourage you to join us. For more information, visit townofhamiltonny.org
Chris Rossi is a member of the Hamilton Town Council.