Town of Hurley Updates

• Public Hearing on Historic Preservation Law Monday, Dec. 3rd, 6 pm, Town Hall. The proposed law is posted on the Town website. Read it, show up, voice your opinion.

• The Town Board passed a revised 2008 budget on Nov. 26th. The PDFs of the budget are on the Town website

• You can subscribe to news updates from the Town website by entering your email address in the box at the bottom of this page on the website. Remember to confirm your subscription when you receive the confirmation update.

Doris Licht and I are working hard to understand the mechanics of the Digital Towpath software that supports the town website so we can teach its use to the department heads and committee chairs. It's pretty clunky, so we aren't there yet. Bear with us as we sort through it. Meanwhile, this blog is meant for you to post your opinions on town news. Leave us a comment. Thanks.

Budget Hearing Rescheduled

A handwritten notice on the door of the Town Hall announces that the budget hearings will take place on November 1st and 2nd. The specific information states that the meetings will be: Thursday, Nov. 1 at 6:30PM - Hurley Town Hall Friday, Nov. 2 at 4:30PM -- West Hurley Fire Department Hall It might be more appropriate to post such notices on the Community Events Bulletin Board erected this June by eagle scout Jacob Lane -- who also donated a box of letters..

Budget Hearings Postponed

Apparently, the dates for the proposed budget hearing announced at the at the Town Board meeting did not leave enough time to publish in the media as prescribed by law. Consequently, the dates of Oct. 26 and Oct. 29 have been postponed. It is not clear how the new dates will be communicated other than small notices in the Kingston Freeman.

Tentative Budget Hearing Dates

Supevisor Shultis announced public hearings on the proposed town budget: Friday, October 26 at 7PM will be reserved for a public hearing on the budget at the Town Hall. A second meeting on Monday, October 29 at 7PM will be reserved for a public hearing on the budget at the West Hurley Fire Department Hall.

Budget Hearings

This note is to remind Hurley residents to thoughtfully look at the proposed budget. Hearings will likely be announced at the Town Board meeting at the West Hurley Firehouse this Monday, October 22 at 7PM. In 2007, the budget for Highway capital projects was cut in half -- to $150,000. The draft budget for 2008 will hold this amount flat, but will make provision for a major expansion to the West Hurley park on Dug Hill Road. According to Shingeviss Associates, the proposed park expansion is estimated at $686,750. Even if grant applications are successful, the Town's share of the cost would be $343,375 -- more than twice the budget for Hurley's highway improvements. Given the potential liability of NYC's tax litigation and the declining funds in the Watershed Towns account left to fight this suit, would we be better served with a rainy day fund, vs. a major park expansion? Or at the least, should there be a larger investment in the Town's highway infrastructure? After all, $150,000 buys less than 1.5 miles of road material. There are no doubt many different opinions on the subject -- please exercise your right to comment on the budget.