During last week’s business meeting, the Cornwall-on-Hudson Board of Trustees introduced and then tabled a resolution which would aim to increase water rates for the taxing authorities, namely the Town of Cornwall and the Cornwall Central School District.

As the Water Authority for the greater Cornwall area, the village is responsible for some 50 miles of piping, five reservoirs, the well field on Taylor Road, and a number of water treatment facilities. The Water Department operates on a $3 million budget, about seven percent of which is used to pay taxes to the town, for water facilities on town property, and the school district.

Annual requests, by the Board of Trustees, to exempt the village from paying about $31,000 in town taxes and $157,000 to the school district, have been denied.

On Sept. 30, 1974, the Board of Trustees held a special meeting to raise the water rates, for users outside the corporate limits of the village, because it felt it shouldn’t be penalized for higher assessments of the water facilities in the town. The end result was a rate 80 percent higher than what village users paid, as well as an increase of hydrant rentals from $55 to $100 per year. The board agreed that 80 percent would make up the difference in any taxes paid to the town and school district.

The proposed resolution before the board breaks the rates up by village and town users, and creates a three-tiered system based on customer class: residential, commercial, and public entity consumers. Village and residential and commercial property owners will continue to pay $12 and $16 per gallon respectively. The school district pays the village rate for facilities located in Cornwall-on-Hudson and the town rate for the schools located in Cornwall. The in-village and out-of-village rate for public entity consumers (the Town of Cornwall and the Cornwall Central School District) will be $27.33 per 1,000 gallons should the board pass the resolution in the future.

The Board of Education president, school superintendent, and the town supervisor have agreed to sit down with the mayor to discuss a possible agreement - possibly bartering services in lieu of taxes. Should the three sides not be able to reach a deal, Gagliano said he’ll move ahead with passing the resolution.