Town Board report 05-18-23
Months of work on a plan to preserve agricultural, natural, scenic, historic, and open space resources within the Town of Chatham culminated at the town board meeting on Thursday.
First, Ingrid Haekel, of the NYS Department of Conservation, gave a succinct but detailed summary of three new proposed town laws on a Community Preservation Fund, a Community Preservation Plan, and a new real estate tax to pay for them. The tax will go before town voters in a referendum this fall.
Then the town board completed a state-mandated review of any possible negative environmental impacts, as spelled out in the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Each of the three laws was the subject of both a SEQRA review and a public hearing seeking comment from the public.
The first proposed law establishes a Community Preservation Fund and a Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board. That board, which is independent of the Town Board and will consist of five residents of the town, will be responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to the Town Board on expenditures of money from the Fund to secure real properties within the town that meet criteria set forth in this law. This law was found to have no negative environmental impact, and was passed by the board.
The second proposed law creates a Town of Chatham Community Preservation Project Plan to help guide the town’s preservation efforts. A draft of this plan is found on the Town website; it was developed through a collaborative effort by the Town Board, the Chatham Agricultural Partnership, the Chatham Conservation Advisory Council, the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, and Cornell University. This law was found to have no negative environmental impact, and was passed by the board, effectively endorsing the draft CPP Plan.
The third proposed law allows the town to collect a 1.5% real estate transfer tax on real property in the town. There are numerous exceptions to this tax levy (see pages 6-7 of the proposed law), and for residential properties that are sold, the transfer tax applies only to the portion of the sale price of a residential property that exceeds the median price of real property in Columbia County. This law directs that revenues from this real estate transfer tax will be deposited in the Town’s Community Preservation Fund, and used to implement the Community Preservation Plan; these revenues may be matched by state and federal funding and will require full public disclosure of all spending.
This law was found to have no negative environmental impact, but remains open for public comment until June 1, 2023. Written comments can be sent to the board prior to that date. If the board passes this law, there will be a referendum on the November ballot that will approve (or not) the collection of a real estate transfer tax for purposes set forth in the Community Preservation Project Plan.
In other news:
The Farmer’s Daughter Gravel Grinder bike race will take place on Sunday, May 21, beginning at 9 AM at the Chatham Fairgrounds. Councilman Werwaiss said that as there are approximately 1,200 bicyclists registered for the event, drivers are likely to encounter bike riders around town and should exercise due care.
Chatham was awarded a Bronze Certification as a NYS Climate Smart Committee, thanks to the ongoing work of the members of the Climate Smart Committee.
Town of Chatham employees were granted a paid holiday on Monday, June 19, 2023, in recognition of the federal and NYS holiday Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Announcements of upcoming events and other town news are found on the town website; and a Town of Chatham Newsletter will be distributed soon to subscribers.