The Highlands Town Board will hold a public hearing on overriding the New York State tax cap at its Monday, Oct. 14 meeting. However, Supervisor Bob Livsey said again last week that he will do his best to keep the budget under the increase limit set by the state.

The board started its budget work session last week, sitting with Recreation Director Aaron Falk and Assessor Jean Talman to talk about their budget requests, as well as talking about the Town Board, Supervisor, celebrations, seniors and beautification budgets.

To get to the tax cap limit, the board needs to reduce early requests by $352,000 – through their discussions that first meeting, they reduced it by about $10,000. In addition to cutting from the requests, the board can also take funds from a tax stabilization reserve fund and use its 2024 fund balance (monies left over at the end of the calendar year).

There wasn’t too much to cut last week, but the board looked line-by-line through the departments and trimmed where they could. For instance, from the Recreation budget, Falk had asked for $5000 to plan a summer concert series. The board ended up leaving $2000 in that line. Talman, who came in with a flat budget request, offered up $100 out of her $300 vehicle repair line, but otherwise said she needed all that she asked for.

In some places, revenue lines were increased to help make up that $10,000, but in other places more expenses had to be factored in. For instance, the salaries of part-time summer employees will need to increase as the state’s minimum wage jumps to $15.50 per hour in January.

At a special meeting this past Monday (Sept. 30) the board was to tackle the budgets of the Historian’s Office, machinery repair, Sanitation Department, snow removal, Dial-A-Bus, and water and sewer, among others. On October 7, they’ll talk about police, dog control, emergency management, the Town of Highlands Ambulance Corps and others.

After the budget work last week, the board held a regular business meeting. There, the board accepted the resignation of two Town of Highlands Police officers, Nicholas Torino and Colby Walters, and, per Chief Joseph Burns’ request, signed a memorandum of agreement with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to house persons awaiting arraignment in town court, when necessary.

The board also amended a policy regarding town employees driving town vehicles. Now, no one is allowed to transport non-town employees in those vehicles unless on town business.

Supervisor Livsey reported the town had paid $124,517 in bills that week. Among the larger amounts was $31,346 for workers compensation insurance, $28,409 in tipping fees to Rockland County Solid Waste, $12,279 to engineers Lanc & Tully for work at Town Hall, the Corbin Hill water tank and dog pound; and $6950 to West Point Tours for Summer Recreation (day camp) bus services.

Deputy Supervisor Rich Sullivan reported that a 3000-gallon a day water leak had been detected – and repaired – behind the Old Oak Inn in Fort Montgomery. He also said there is a problem with pressure regulation at the town’s master water meter (near West Point Mobile Homes) that needs to be repaired.

From the audience, Gary Louks, who serves on a committee which offered small grants to local families facing significant flood damage, said that the committee still exists, and some $1900 in funding remains in its account. He said applications for other hardships are accepted – the application forms are available in the Highland Falls Library and Town Hall.