Town of Goshen delays public hearings

The town board of Goshen delayed four public hearings at their April 10 meeting.

The hearings are on three laws extending the terms of supervisor, town clerk and highway superintendent from two to four years, and on a still-undrafted law either limiting or banning Air Bn’Bs in the town. The town clerk law also would see the tax receiver’s office folded into the town clerk’s.

The three public hearings on the terms were adjourned until April 24. Board members said they needed to change the language of the laws to reflect that the measures will be put on the Nov. 4 ballot and not a special election ballot as originally planned.

The hearing on the short-term rental law was adjourned until May 8. The town attorney said a copy of the law would be posted online by May 1.

This is the second time the board has delayed all four of the same hearings on the same night. At its March 13 meeting the board also had all four items on the agenda only to sideline the matter until a later occasion.

In other business

• The future of the Dial-a-Bus program was discussed by the board. There is concern the federal government won’t offer funding for the program, which would throw the question to the board of whether they can afford to run the program with local money.

The federal government funds more than $140,000 for the program, board members said.

• The board appointed Lisa Casiano as a part-time clerk to the supervisor at $23.50 per hour. She appears to be next in line to take the clerk to the supervisor position as the current employee is leaving because her husband got a job in Washington, D.C., under Lee Zeldin at the EPA.

• The board scheduled the IWS public scoping session for April 24. Environmental Review Board Chairman Neal Halloran told the public to show up for the scoping session, which he called a “drop-dead point” in the review of the project.