Middleburgh Town Gets Ready for 2024

MIDDLEBURGH - With a new supervisor and a new councilwoman, Middleburgh town board members got ready for 2024 Thursday evening by making a slate of appointments and designations for the new year.

New Supervisor John Youmans, and Councilwoman Susan Makely, who returned to the board after a hiatus, joined board members Carrie Shaul and Pete Coppolo to make appointments at the annual re-organizational meeting

Town board members Thursday:

* Appointed Town Clerk Renee Schmidt as receiver of taxes.

* Named Mike West as town attorney.

* Named Fred Risee as planning board chairman and Denise Lloyd as vice chairwoman.

* Appointed Joe Durma as dog control officer.

* Named Charley Spikerman as town historian and Steve LaMont as assistant.

* Designated the following official banks for 2023: NBT, Key Bank, and National Bank of Coxsackie.

* Named the Mountain Eagle as an official newspaper.

* Set the monthly meeting for the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm at the community center on Cotton Hill Road. The August meeting will be held at the Huntersland firehouse. The joint meeting with the village will be held in June.

* Appointed Supervisor Youmans as administrator of the fire protection district funds.

* Set the mileage rate for all town businesses at 67 cents per mile.

* Agreed to give the VFW and the American Legion $300 each towards the maintenance of their rooms and memorial services. The town will also give the Golden Agers $600 each year. The board will verify if the Golden Agers are still active.

* Appointed the zoning enforcement office to do the annual junkyard inspections.

* Named the following people to the board of ethics: Gary Hayes, David Lloyd, and Pastor Jeff Kelley.

* Appointed Councilwoman Shaul as town representative to the Youth Commission and Supervisor Youmans as alternate. Bill Ansel-McCabe and Mike Wilkens are the citizen representatives.

* Agreed that there will be a six-month probation period for new highway employees.

* Approved the following holidays for full-time highway employees: Election Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Jr., Day, July 4th, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, Labor Day, President's Day, and Juneteenth.

* Updated the pay schedule for new town employees at the discretion of the highway superintendent, taking into account the increased minimum wage to $15 an hour starting January 1. The new rates are for laborer, temporary, $15 to $16.30 per hour; laborer, full-time, $15 to $17.80 per hour; equipment operator, temporary, $16.30 to $21.50 per hour; and equipment operator, full-time, $19 to $20, and $22 an hour after six months.

* Set the salary for the secretary/clerical for the planning board at $15 to $15.80 an hour.

* Named Supervisor Youman as town budget officer.

* Appointed Brenda Lawyer and Sydney Shoemaker as deputy clerk/tax collectors and deputy registrars of vital statistics.

* Named Mr. Spickerman as town bookkeeper.

* Agreed to continue the Marjorie and Randall F. Becker Community Service Award given by the Town of Middleburgh. The nominating committee consists of town board members Supervisor Youmans and Councilman Copolo, community members David Avitabile and Brenda Lawyer, Mr. Spickerman, and village representative Melanie Laraway.

* Approved the Volunteer Ambulance Workers' Benefits law for members of MEVAC for 2023.

* Appointed Councilman John Youmans as town board representative to the joint town-village planning board.

* Named Thomas Loucks as a code enforcement officer, zoning officer, building inspector, and fire inspector.

* Named Joe Nelson as Mr. Loucks' deputy at no salary.

* Authorize the town clerk/tax collector to attach a $20 charge for all returned checks if the town is charged for this service.

* Appointed Ms. Lawyer as court clerk and Marcia Guntert as assistant court clerk.

* Agreed to continue to carry Worker's Compensation for MEVAC to be reimbursed to the town by MEVAC.

* Named Mr. Ansel-McCabe, Supervisor Youmans, and Judge Mike Guntert as town marriage officials.