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Letters to the Editor - Millerton News- 2-27-19

Facing the EMS dilemma

The town of Washington and the village of Millbrook, along with members of the Millbrook Rescue Squad, will be holding an informational meeting regarding Rescue Squad services in our community. The meeting will be held on Monday, April 8, at 7 p.m., at the Millbrook firehouse. 

The Millbrook Rescue Squad has been providing volunteer rescue squad services for over 75 years. We are at a critical juncture, as the squad currently has seven active members, and volunteers are desperately needed. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer with the Millbrook Rescue Squad should contact Laurie Olson at 845-527-7814. 

As you may be aware, local governments are faced with a tax cap of 2 percent or lower each year. The village has contracted with a private service to supplement daytime coverage. We are currently investigating options to provide additional paid services and will be discussing them on April 8th. Having received prices to extend a paid, private service, the Village and Town Boards are considering a two-year phase in to a fully paid 24/7 service, with the Millbrook Rescue Squad as a backup. These concepts will be discussed at the meeting, as well as the pros and cons of the different options. 

The safety of our residents is paramount to us. Having to weigh the cost of additional paid service and the impacts on the tax base versus providing stellar volunteer rescue squad service creates difficult decisions. 

We strongly encourage you to attend the meeting on April 8th, to learn how the decisions will affect you and your family.

Gary Ciferri, Supervisor 

Town of Washington

 

And they get a tax break

Dutchess County Comptroller Robin Lois (a rare Democrat in the county government)  conducted an audit of the Dutchess County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) in 2018. The audit revealed that the Cricket Valley Energy Center, now under construction in Dover Plains, received a $100 million tax break in 2017, and will receive similar tax breaks until 2050, totaling more than a billion dollars.

Under Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) programs, corporations bring jobs and other alleged benefits to a community. These PILOT payments are tax breaks, which constitute an enticement for businesses to set up shop.

Cricket Valley Energy is constructing an 1100MW power plant that burns fracked gas in Dover Plains. The DEC terms it a “major source” of pollution. The plant is 3/4 mile from the local high school.       

In 2017, in exchange for a local property tax break of $11.7 million, Cricket Valley Energy made a PILOT payment to the town of Dover of $109,521; under the same PILOT agreement, Cricket Valley Energy avoided $59 million in school taxes; their PILOT payment to Dover’s school district was $552,559.  Other taxes given up by the state and county will total about $23 million.

Members of the Dutchess County IDA  are appointed. Unelected and unaccountable, they give away public funds as they see fit; in the case of Cricket Valley Energy, to a corporation that will have 28 permanent employees and put hundreds of tons of pollutants annually  into the air of Dutchess County and nearby Connecticut.

Charles Davenport

Wappingers Falls

 

Lakeville Journal

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