March 5th, 2017
CANISTEO, NY – A public Hearing was held Monday night and Canisteo Village Mayor Monica Rectenwald put forth a resolution to raise the 2% tax cap for the upcoming budget year. How much over the 2% cap the village goes remains to be seen as all the numbers are still not in. This was hardly a surprise as the village has been hit with many unforeseen bills since Recktenwald took office. A budget presentation will be held right before the 7pm monthly meeting on April 2nd and the final numbers will be known at that time.
In other news, there are still talks behind the scenes on implementing a full time police force. Recktenwald said she is still receiving correspondence from residents for and against the idea. During public comment one person suggested she work more closely with the town government on this issue with the Mayor replying, “When the time comes, I will be there to discuss the issue.”
The village could soon be looking at two more added expenses in the upcoming budget. The Railroad crossing will soon be inspected and it is now the village’s responsibility to bring it up to code according railroad policy. Improvements such as signs and pavement markings may be needed. Also a dump site on the Hammer Creek road will soon be paid a visit by the DEC. Any cleanup recommendations by the DEC will have to be funded by the town and village and Reckternwald said there is a possibility of just unloading the parcel.
A new change coming to village residents will be the ability to pay bills directly through the village’s website. The idea is currently under consideration by the board but all trustees seem to be in favor of the idea. There will be a slight surcharge of 2.75% if residents use this feature. Also water and sewer bills will now be coming in postcard form to save money. Late payment fees will now be in the 10% to 20% range.
Also improvements to the village will soon be coming in the form of LED lighting, electricity in the park, and city wide garbage collection. Those issues are still under discussion.
And finally Police Chief Kyle Amidon announced that they will be conducting an event called Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE). This event will provide strategies, guidance and a proven plan for surviving active shooter event. The event is free and will be held on March 20th, 2018 at the Canisteo Greenwood High School starting 6:30pm.
