We shouldn't be discussing rates of tax increases.  We are told that inflation is negligible.  That is the reason that the
federal government is not giving a COLA to Social Security recipients.  We should expect our leaders to make the
difficult choices necessary to decrease taxes.  We are losing our businesses and our population as residents decide
that there are better and less expensive places to live.

Quoted from 713

We shouldn't be discussing rates of tax increases.  We are told that inflation is negligible.  That is the reason that the
federal government is not giving a COLA to Social Security recipients.  We should expect our leaders to make the
difficult choices necessary to decrease taxes.  We are losing our businesses and our population as residents decide
that there are better and less expensive places to live.

I agree, Abe, but what I guess I was showing is that at the very least, Duanesburg has done the best job this year of figuring out how to do what they needed to do.

Quoted from 713

We shouldn't be discussing rates of tax increases.  We are told that inflation is negligible.  That is the reason that the
federal government is not giving a COLA to Social Security recipients.  We should expect our leaders to make the
difficult choices necessary to decrease taxes.  We are losing our businesses and our population as residents decide
that there are better and less expensive places to live.

Maybe Abe would like to lead us out of NYS Tax Slavery......could we write you in?????

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DUANESBURG
Voters to decide on highway job’s status
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Steve Perog isn’t running for election, but his fate as the town’s highway superintendent nonetheless will be in the hands of Duanesburg voters next week.
    On Election Day, residents will decide whether the town should maintain his position as an elected post or have it become a civil service job that is appointed by the Town Board. Since taking offi ce in 2009, he’s had a stormy relationship with the Town Board and at times has been publicly admonished by its members.
    Still, the referendum isn’t about Perog, Town Supervisor Rene Merrihew insists. Rather, it’s about bringing continuity and accountability to a position that oversees one of the town’s most costly departments.
    “There’s too much at stake,” she said Tuesday. “We need someone who can manage a budget and understands how to stretch a dollar.”
    The issue of the switch has been somewhat contentious in the town. Few residents have offered support for Perog, but many have voiced strident opposition to the prospect of giving up their right to elect someone for the position.
    Perog agrees with this sentiment. He said the resolution is aimed at dismantling a fundamental democratic right.
    “I can’t believe anyone would ever want to give up their right to vote,” he said. “It’s OK to remove me, but use the voting box as the tool.”
    If voters approve the resolution, which will appear on the back of ballots during the general election next week, Perog will likely be forced from his position shortly afterward. A spokesman for the state Department of State indicated the switch would take effect immediately, meaning board members could remove him as highway superintendent even though he has another year on his term.
    Because of this potential change, the Town Board began advertising the highway superintendent position late last month. The job is advertised as full-time with an annual salary of $40,000.
    Merrihew said she’s received six applications for the position. If the resolution is approved, the town would chose among applicants who successfully completed a civil service exam.
    “They were all good résumés, actually,” she said. ...............>>>>................>>>>.............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1

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DUANESBURG
Town highway post to remain elected office
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Duanesburg residents refused to give up their right to elect a highway superintendent.
    Voters resoundingly shot down a resolution that would have abolished the elected position in favor of an appointed highway superintendent. Unofficial results had the resolution failing by a vote of 1,595 to 771.
    Highway Superintendent Steve Perog lauded the results. He said they reflect Duanesburg’s resolve to retain their democratic right to vote.
    “Democracy works, period,” he said after being informed of the results late Tuesday evening. “The people have spoken.”
    Town Supervisor Rene Merriew said she wasn’t surprised or bothered by the failure of the resolution. But she did express dismay that voters surrendered an opportunity to finally address long-standing management issues within the Highway Department.
    “It’s a shame, because it was a chance to improve,” she said. “But I’m really not disappointed.” ..................>>>>.......................>>>>.................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01201&AppName=1

2/3 of Duanesburg residents voted to retain the right to decide for themselves, rather than to abdicate the decision making authority to the Supervisor, who will serve them as Highway Superintendent.  I applaud their decision.

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Schenectady County will give land to town for veterans’ park
Monday, November 22, 2010
By Justin Mason (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

DUANESBURG — Schenectady County plans to turn over the former Check Marks Realty property to Duanesburg so the town can locate a small memorial park at the highly visible intersection of routes 20 and 7.
County Legislator Tony Jasenski said the once-blighted property would make an ideal location to honor the region’s veterans for their service. He will call on fellow legislators to deed the property to the town with the purpose of the park being established there one day.
“This location, at the main crossroads in Duanesburg, is the perfect location to serve as a constant reminder of the sacrifices made by the veterans in our community,” he said in a written statement this week.
The derelict property and small building were owned by the estate of Glen Marks, who died in 2006 and hadn’t paid taxes on the property since 1995. Before the cleanup last year, the former gas station contained five buried fuel tanks and some petroleum contamination.
The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority arranged a cleanup of the quarter-acre site through the Comptroller’s Oil Spill Fund. County officials initially considered the property for a substation to serve the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department’s road patrol.
But the land proved to be far too small for the substation. County spokesman Joe McQueen said the parcel was too small to include a septic system and water well in accordance with state Department of Health standards.
“The parcel was just not large enough,” he said.
McQueen said county officials are continuing to look for properties for the substation but have nothing concrete in mind. Sheriff’s deputies on road patrol now must travel more than four miles from the department to reach the edge of their coverage in Princetown.
Supervisor Rene Merrihew lauded the county for turning the property over to the town. Merrihew had initially suggested establishing a small pocket park, including a gazebo and garden to honor Duanesburg’s veterans, when county officials started planning the cleanup....................>>>>...............>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2010/nov/22/1122_vetpark/

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DUANESBURG
Supervisor: Highway chief overspent budget
Town clerk receives $90,000 in unpaid bills
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net.

    Duanesburg’s highway superintendent overspent the fund for road repairs by nearly 100 percent this year, Supervisor Rene Merrihew said.
    Merrihew said Highway Superintendent Steve Perog handed the town clerk more than $90,000 in unpaid bills this month, some of them dating back to August. She said the department’s budget of about $95,000 was already spent in addition to about $81,000 in state highway funding when he submitted the bills, meaning the town will need to face some tough decisions to compensate for the shortfall.
    “We are researching our legal options,” she said Wednesday. “We don’t have the money to pay it.”
    The bills range from a $2,185 expenditure for diesel fuel issued in September to $48,000 for materials purchased from Cobleskill Stone in August. Merrihew faulted Perog for submitting the bills so late, since she usually requires town offi ces to turn over payment requests on a weekly basis.
    “If it were a couple thousand dollars or if there were an emergency or a disaster … it would be understandable,” she said. “But $90,000?”
    Merrihew said the town will either need to borrow the money from a bank or dip into the general fund to compensate for overspending the highway fund. Borrowing the money would incur interest, while taking the money out of the general fund will mean hardly any road repairs will be completed next year. ..................>>>>..................>>>>..........http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01701&AppName=1

Quoted from Admin

Schenectady County will give land to town for veterans’ park
Monday, November 22, 2010
By Justin Mason (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

I overlooked this before, but I was just looking around at some sites.  Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but isn't this is the exact location that Judy's little boy was running to make sure became a satellite office for the Sheriff's Department to help to deter crime and help with quicker response time to those who live in the Duanesburg / Delanson / Princetown areas?

I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as they got into the office.  At least we see they're going to follow through on promises.

Quoted Text

The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority arranged a cleanup of the quarter-acre site through the Comptroller’s Oil Spill Fund. County officials initially considered the property for a substation to serve the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department’s road patrol.
But the land proved to be far too small for the substation. County spokesman Joe McQueen said the parcel was too small to include a septic system and water well in accordance with state Department of Health standards.

Interesting that this wasn't figured out until what, 2 weeks after the election of the person who stated he already knew what he was going to do with this area?  It's too small?  And it's bordered by what, the post office on Route 7?  Couldn't an agreement come together to allow these 2 to to work together to give the residents of the hilltowns what they needed there?  Or did they state that they didn't want / need it?

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Merrihew faulted Perog for submitting the bills so late, since she usually requires town offi ces to turn over payment requests on a weekly basis.

First....did Merrihew ask Perog weekly for any bills or did she assume there were none for 4-5 months?

Second.......the folks in duanesburg should not mind paying this extra money, since it was THEM who VOTED Perog into office.

Perogi should apply for a job with the City. He's spending would fit right in over there.

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DUANESBURG
Man sues town for $500K
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    A local mason has filed a lawsuit against Duanesburg claiming that he was badly injured after tumbling into an unmarked sewage-filled hole dug by town Highway Department workers.
    John Lescovich claims he was heading to work around 5 a.m. on Oct. 1, 2009, when he tripped on a piece of exposed pipe. He landed in the 5-foot-deep hole, becoming “covered and immersed in a semiconscious or unconscious state lying in raw sewage,” according to the lawsuit filed in Schenectady County Supreme Court this month.
    Lescovich claims that he remained in the hole for nearly two hours before pulling himself out and calling his wife for assistance. Attorney Donald Matusik said his client is demanding $500,000 from injuries sustained in the accident, which have since prevented him from doing the heavy lifting associated with his trade.
    “We’re hopeful that he’ll make a full recovery,” Matusik said Wednesday. “We’re also hopeful that the claim can be amicably resolved.”
    Supervisor Rene Merrihew and Town Attorney Jeff Siegel did not return calls for comment Wednesday.
    But Duanesburg Highway Superintendent Steve Perog insists that Lescovich’s claim is bogus and he is trying to bilk money from the town. And he believes he has the proof to show the lawsuit is frivolous.
    “He knew the hole was there,” he said. .....................>>>>..................>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01103&AppName=1

there are just too many things to say here.....

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Town suing highway chief for going over budget
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

Town officials have filed a legal action against Highway Superintendent Steve Perog in an attempt to void roughly $94,000 he spent over his budget for roadwork in 2010. The proceeding filed in Sche-DUANESBURG
nectady County Supreme Court claims that Perog entered into a number of contracts with area vendors between August and November, but didn’t present the invoices to the town until last month. Town officials also claim he failed to follow the proper competitive bidding process with the contracts, which spent nearly twice the amount allotted in his $95,000 budget.
    “Mr. Perog must have known that he drastically exceeded his budget for general repairs. He made no attempt, however, to follow the requisite procedures for requesting a supplemental appropriation of town funds,” the lawsuit states. “Rather he took it upon himself to purport to incur liabilities on the behalf of the town, which were not authorized and which exceeded the appropriated budget for the work to be performed. Due to Mr. Perog’s unlawful conduct, the contracts he attempted to enter into on behalf of the town are void as a matter of law.”
    If the town is successful in voiding the contracts, Perog could be liable for any expenditures made outside his budget in excess of $500. The lawsuit also asks that he be prevented from expending future funds.
    Todd Mathes, an attorney representing the town in the lawsuit, declined to comment.
    Perog continues to maintain his error didn’t harm the town and that his overspending will save money in the long run. He pointed to the continuing rise in gasoline prices as evidence that paving projects will be more costly this year.
    Perog said he’s also learned that a good portion of the overspent amount resulted from a clerical error.
    He said his department ended 2010 with more than $81,000 in federal funds remaining because he wrongly coded several of his expenses. .................>>>>....................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01002&AppName=1