Chester supervisor lays out 2025 agenda
Chester. Cutting taxes, establishing EMS services, and deciding the fate of the SLPAC were listed among his priorities.
Chester /
| 15 Jan 2025 | 02:10
Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge.
At the town of Chester reorganization meeting and regular town board meeting on January 8, Supervisor Brandon Holdridge laid out six items on his agenda for the new year.
His first priority is implementing an EMS service. Currently the board is working with Empress and hopeful to have something agreed upon by the end of the month.
His second item is to reduce taxes this budget season. The board raised taxes approximately 17% this year, partly due to the new ambulance tax district, and he wants to reverse that trends.
His third item is to complete the Kings Highway sidewalk project in Sugar Loaf, for which the town received a grant with the help of State Senator James Skoufis’s office. He hopes work begins on the project in May.
His fourth item is to determine the future of the SLPAC. He hopes for an RFP to be issued for the project soon. The town has options, including leasing the facility, selling it to the county, or continuing to operate it as a town-owned entity and hoping to increase revenue internally. An audit of the property found the town was losing in excess of $100,000 per year on SLPAC operations.
Holdridge’s fifth priority is to promote business opportunities in town and to invest in and improve town parks. He touted a $95,000 grant for improvements at Carpenter Field.
His sixth item is to continue to work as a full-time supervisor Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; something previous supervisors did not typically do. Holdridge said he’s, “Happy to do it.”
Holdridge was criticized by Councilman Larry Dysinger for making a list without consulting the rest of the town board. Dysinger said he “resented” it and that the board should be working together to build an agenda. Holdridge said each board member is welcome to put forward their own agenda and announce it to the public.
SLPAC
Jeff Zahn of the SLPAC advisory board presented a new rental fee schedule for the SLPAC facility that he hopes will bring more money in for 2025. He suggested that Friday through Sunday both commercial and non-profit projects pay $2,500 for use of the main theater property while on Monday through Thursday, usually quiet days, commercial projects be charged $1,750, while non-profits be charged $1,250.
He also proposed a $3 per ticket facility charge for main stage performances and a $1 per ticket charge for residential and non-profit performances. The town is looking to get away from free use of the property as was customary during 2024.
Public hearings
The board held a public hearing on Local Law 11, changing the billing of water use to quarterly and enacting a 10% late fee for late payments. The bill passed 4-0 with Antonio Ardisana absent.
The board set a public hearing for January 22 for the Kings Highway/Sugar Loaf sidewalk project.
Other business
The board approved a $87,014 bid on a Vermeer woodchipper for the highway department.
The board accepted two bids from Vanguard Cleaning Systems, one for $1,480 to clean the senior center floors and one for $1,950 to clean the windows at the town hall, police department, and senior center.
During reorganization discussion, the board discussed the need to fill several vacancies on the conservation advisory council, planning board, ethics board, and zoning board. They also announced Drake Loeb as the new attorney to the planning board.