Amenia Town Board organizes for the year ahead

AMENIA — Calling their meeting to order at 7 p.m. sharp, the Town Board held its annual organizational meeting for 2022 on Thursday, Jan. 6.

Gathering via Zoom, the meeting was live-streamed on the “AmeniaTV” YouTube channel. Though the oaths of office was listed at the top of the agenda, Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner explained they were unable to administer the oaths by electronic means, so each newly-elected representative was given the oath by the town justices to be sworn into office before the meeting.

Klingner swore in returning town Supervisor Victoria Perotti; newly elected Councilmen Brad Rebillard and Leo Blackman; returning Highway Superintendent Megan Chamberlin; and her husband, newly elected Town Justice Christopher Klingner.

Clerk Klingner also informed the board about Town Justice Norman Moore’s retirement, which became effective on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021.

The board accepted Moore’s retirement with regret and thanks for his many years of service in court.

Maureen Eales’ resignation from the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) was later accepted by the board as well.

One by one, board members read aloud the town’s list of appointments and resolutions.

The board established its business workshop meeting for the first Thursday of the month and its regular meeting for the third Thursday of the month; both meetings will occur at 7 p.m. at Amenia Town Hall at 4988 Route 22.

Ian Lindars was appointed attorney to the town while Shane Egan was appointed attorney for tax certioraris matters.

Marge Arnold was appointed bookkeeper with Lorna Sherman as alternate per diem bookkeeper.

Michele Somogyi was appointed bank reconciliation clerk for the supervisor while Victoria Jasmine was appointed treasurer of the Water District and Nancy Nowak was appointed clerk of the Water District and as a typist.

Hilarie Thomas was appointed town court special prosecutor while Kimberley Rea was appointed attorney for the Old Amenia Landfill.

Perotti was appointed director of finance while Annette Culligan was appointed secretary to the supervisor.

Michael Segelken was appointed code enforcement officer (CEO), followed by Joan Roberts’ appointment as building clerk and Klingner’s appointments as tax collector and registrar of vital statistics.

Erica Howard was first appointed deputy town clerk, and later deputy tax collector and deputy registrar of vital statistics. Patricia Sawicki was appointed records management clerk.

Robert Boyles Jr. was appointed chairman of the Planning Board while John Metcalfe was appointed chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA).

Town Board members appointed the volunteer members of the Planning Board and ZBA later in the meeting and Judy Westfall as secretary of both.

Dawn Morrison was appointed as the assessor’s clerk with Amanda Chamberlin as assessor’s aide, while John Lloyd was appointed as a real property data lister.

After appointing the town’s constables, a resolution to authorize the constables to carry identified firearms was approved.

Klingner and Maureen Moore were both appointed justice clerks.

Paul Voorhees was appointed working supervisor and Darren Peterson, Preston Vincent, John Williams and Jay Spock were all appointed highway equipment operators.

Judith Carlson was appointed account clerk typist; James Morse as custodian; Shawn Howard was appointed recreation groundskeeper with Charles Mayville as an assistant recreation groundskeeper; Kelly Milano as recreation supervisor; Michael Flint as audio visual technician; Maria Genovese as animal control officer; and Michael Hagerty as grant writer.

The board executed an agreement to spend highway funds totaling $232,761.67. The highway mileage reimbursement rate was set at the federal rate of .585 cents per mile.

The town renewed its contract with SEBI Environmental Services Inc. for the Water District; it designated M&T Bank and Salisbury Bank & Trust as its depositories; and it designated The Millerton News as its official newspaper.

Town committees

The board appointed Blackman and Councilwoman Vicki Doyle to the Recreation Commission, Amenia Housing Board and Enhancement Committee; Rebillard and Councilman Damian Gutierrez were appointed to the Emergency Response Safety Committee, the Board of Ethics and the Industrial Commercial Incentive Committee; Doyle and Rebillard were appointed to the CAC; Blackman and Gutierrez were appointed to the Wastewater Committee; Doyle, Rebillard and Blackman were designated as emergency interim successors; while Perotti was appointed to represent Amenia at the 2022 Association of Towns meeting.

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