Town to hold special meeting on EMS district

The town of Chester passed a reform package that overhauls its code for the Board of Ethics. At the October 9 town board meeting the board voted 4-0 to approve the new law, which will see all ethics complaints go directly to the ethics board rather than first be referred to the town board.

Supervisor Brandon Holdridge touted the new law as a fulfillment of a campaign promise and said the former law was “unethical.” Board member Antonio Ardisana was absent.

EMS district

The board also set a special meeting for October 29 to officially create the new EMS tax district. They have to wait for October 28 to pass because the public had the right to submit a petition for a permissive referendum through that date.

The board agreed to pay Michael Bigg $10,000 for one month of consulting fees regarding the establishment of a new EMS district and information on how to set up its own ambulance service. Originally they had passed a plan to pay Bigg for five months of consultation but the village of Chester objected to using Bigg to set up a town ambulance service and wanted to revisit offers from other services. As such, the longer agreement with Bigg is on hold pending a decision regarding who provides service to the town.

Building moratorium

The board rejected an application for a waiver to the building moratorium by the Chester Agricultural Center. The center planned to build 12 apartments for seasonal farm workers, plus 12 additional apartments. The applicants reportedly filed the waiver because of time constraints relating to funding sources from Congressman Pat Ryan’s office.

After going into executive session, the board passed a motion denying the request, saying the applicants did not meet the standard showing financial harm and suggesting they just wait until the moratorium ends in a month or two.

Other business

Councilmen Larry Dysinger said the Comprehensive Plan Committee had made progress, submitting suggested zoning changes to the ZBA and waiting to hear comments back.

Resident Lydia Quadros questioned why water prices were increasing and why there was no public meeting about new water meters. Supervisor Holdridge said the new meters were voted on last year. There had been some concern in the public that new smart meters would emit EMF waves that negatively impact the health of residents. The board members said the technology is no different than a cellphone.

The board decided to table until October 23 a resolution to set a public hearing to change the local law on all water district rates, late fees, and billing schedules. The new law will charge residents $10 per 1,000 gallons and raise late fees. Currently taxes are used to supplement water rates so the general fund is sapped to pay for water. The board desires a consumer model that pays customers for what they actually use.

The board also voted to approve seven voting and three non-voting members to the new Parks Advisory Committee.