Town Board - Regular Meeting

Okay, sorry for that. Make a motion to come back into a regular session.

Second.

Motion made and seconded to come into a regular session from recess. We hope we have our issues taken care of. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, we're back. We took care of Julie, took care of Highway. I read that one. Reports of the supervisor and town board members. Councilman Holmes.

Met with Jason a couple times this month, went over the projects they're doing, went up and looked at the Hulls Apple Road on Saturday, Cart Road, and looks good. Good job.

Okay. Thank you.

Councilman Maluta. Good evening. First, on the 14th, we had the honor of, here at the town hall, of the Distinguished Veteran Program sponsored by the DAV in Dutchess County to honor our very own Helen Slocum-Mastichetti. That was a wonderful day. They are a great organization getting the eyewitness stories of World War II veterans that are still with us. um history forgotten is history repeated shame on us if we forget uh second eagle scout candidate ethan viola is near completion of his flagpole monument project at the um at the jh kitchen park and it's looking great and um have a good august everybody thank you thank you councilwoman jackson

As you know, we were dealing with the library humidity issue. So we've been in the library fixing that with the contractor. So it seems to have resolved a bit. We met with the landscaper at the library and we got the shrubs cleaned up and they avoided the pollinator garden and we took the vines down off the building. And also school is ready to reopen on September 8th. If anybody needs supply lists, the PTSA Facebook page has the supply list.

Thank you.

How are we making out with the pollinator garden? Was the person that maintains that reached out to?

I am not sure what the Board of Trustees decided about that.

Okay. Deputy Supervisor Murphy. Report for August by mention in school.

um so report for uh july it's been you know a pretty hectic month with heat and everything else but uh just a few things so planning board uh there were a couple meetings this month uh due to vacations i didn't intend but uh some positive things coming out of those meetings i urge everybody to go look at the minutes uh august we will not have any uh meetings for the month of august it's a slow month people are getting back from school and vacation so look for the website to include September meetings. So I urge everybody to attend those meetings. And this really is a shout out to Julie and her team. It was approached at a couple of residents in the Woodwinds and Country Mills area that send their kids to the camp. Great job. I mean, every kid is looking forward to going to camp. And that's why I bring up school. But again, great job. Nothing but good things coming out of that camp program. So everybody, great job.

Thank you, Jay. And yes, thank you, Julie. Everybody down there. My report this month, you're going to hear something read in a little while, and we'll have a discussion after that. We're going to talk about something for our veterans here in town, specifically our disabled veterans. I had a meeting, a lengthy meeting today with our representative and our representative from NYSEC, New York State Electric and Gas today. We had some good conversation and we had some quiet conversation on his end because I did it all. So he left here with several pages of notes. We talked about maintenance issues, billing issues, public relations or public service issues that I get called about because to talk to them it's sometimes impossible. So we left it at that. We are putting together a day, hopefully in September. It will be a mid to late afternoon where you can come and you can discuss your billing issues. You can ask them the questions of why major increases have happened unexpectedly or where it went from where it was. It's called the Community Connections. You can discuss bills and billing issues. You can come and sit and bring your bills that are in question with you. and representatives from New York State Electric and Gas will sit there and talk to you and explain things. We are gonna put some paperwork on our website. The clerk is gonna go ahead and put some information on our website. It's called Understanding Electric Bill Charges, and it's gonna tell you why the money and the charges are there, what it takes care of, the percentages of what part of your bill pays for what, and also there's some information here and actually a few flyers that we had left, billing assistance programs for New Yorkers. I stress the fact that some assistance is needed throughout our town, especially for our seniors. especially with the increases that they've experienced. Assistance programs are needed, and our seniors are a big part of that. So please, go to our website if you're able. If not, stop in, and our clerk's office will take care of you and get you a copy of the paperwork that we're gonna be posting if you can't get online, and hopefully that information will help you as well. But we will announce the day once we set a day for you to come here and meet with them, and we are shooting for a day during the week in September. We have that. Julie mentioned that Dover Day is coming. We have several projects that are gonna be happening. I've been talking about it all spring, and they're finally coming to fruition. We're finalizing our bathroom project here at Town Hall and redoing the men's and ladies' room. for ADA compliance. So that is almost ready. I'm going to thank our engineer, Joe Berger, for giving us a hand with that to figure out what we need to do to make some minor adjustments. But they will be going out to bid hopefully in the next month, six weeks maybe. The generator job at the library, we've owned that for quite a while and people have asked what are we ever going to do with it? Well, This year so far has been some holdups with litigation and everything else, so I had to hold off a little bit. But that job was granted. I got the prices. We sent out for some bids, and we've honored the guy that won it. All I'm just waiting for is a start date. He was going to get me a start date hopefully by tonight, but he never got back to me. Councilman Malutum mentioned the Eagle Scout project, the JHK Memorial. I got a good look at it today. I've been stopping in, but, yes, it does look very good. A couple things. I believe the plaque needs to be installed still. But good job by that young man. All right. And the one thing I'm going to end it with tonight is we had an unfortunate event. Somebody decided they could hang some signs around our town that were very inappropriate, anti-religious, I'll say. We don't approve of it. This board, they don't condone of it, and we won't tolerate it. Okay? You can come to me all you want and say it's your right to do whatever you want, but if I see it on the side of a road and I've done it before and I'll do it again, I will rip it down. Okay? We know who hung it. The camp that I'm speaking for knows who hung it. Okay? They took the higher road. We're not going to do anything about it, but we know who did it. All right? You know, act right They're your neighbors, whether you like it or not. That camp has been here a lot longer than I've been alive. $3,376.91. Approve the town clerk's monthly report for June 2026. Accept the town clerk's minutes from the town board regular meeting of June 24th, 2026. Approve the town supervisor's financial report for June 2026. Authorize this August 26th, 2026. Authorize the scheduling of a public hearing for the proposed 2027 Mills Drain District Assessment for August 26, 2026. Authorize the scheduling of a public hearing on proposed local law authorizing property tax exemptions for eligible disabled veterans to be held on August 26, 2026. Accept unanticipated revenue, authorized budget transfers, budget amendments, and payment of off abstract purchase orders as submitted by the town's bookkeeper. Accept resignation of a planning board. Usually it's done after the budget preliminary, but we could start it and hold it open. I had put September 30th, but we could just keep it open. All right, that's fine. And the TextMyGov, that was the other one. That's the subscription we had. Our website now does everything that that used to, correct, Nicole? Mm-hmm. So there's no sense paying that kind of money for something that our website can handle. Hit the clear.

Yeah, it says who's in need.

Yep. Anything else on that one? Who is authorized and approved? Seconded by Murphy, seconded by Holmes. All in favor? I'm sorry, any discussion?

Yeah, just a big thank you to Kevin and Recreation again for coming to the table. Just needed to get done. Big thank you. Yep.

Anything else? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? So carried. Resolution authorizing the settlement of a tax certiary proceeding in the matter of Wingdale Village Park Manufactured Housing Incorporated versus the Town of Dover Supreme Court County of Dutchess, index number 202653521. Whereas the town of Dover is a party respondent in a certain tax certiorari proceeding entitled Wingdale Village Park Manufactured Housing Incorporated versus the town of Dover currently pending in the Supreme Court State of New York County of Dutchess in which the total assessed valuation of certain real properties located in the town of Dover, New York and designated as tax map number 7059 assessment map of the town of Dover for the 2026 assessment roll are being contested. The town of Dover desires to fill vacancies on the town of Dover planning board and whereas the town board has identified qualified candidates to fill the vacant positions. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Town Board of the Town of Dover hereby appoint Stephen Vincent to the Town of Dover Planning Board for a term expiring December 31, 2027, and be it further resolved that the Town Board of the Town of Dover hereby appoints Joseph DelVascovi to the Town of Dover Planning Board for the term expiring December 31, 2013. Moving on with the agenda at this point in time is public comments. If there's anybody in the public that would like to make a comment, ask a question, please approach the podium. Seeing nobody approached the podium upcoming meetings.

All right, go ahead.

You can ask a question. Yep. State your name and where you're from, please.

Jay Emerson, Dover Plains. Go ahead. My question is, I'd like to know what the... No different than loading it up with town equipment and taking it to your house. But that's not the point of what I'm getting at. He works for the town. You shouldn't be allowed to do that. He's using town equipment. Now, if he's allowed to do that, okay, I take town taxes just as much as he does. I'm going to go to the town here and take a dump truck and use it then. Can I do that?

No. Why?

And now he's doing it, but it's okay with everybody on this board, seems to be, that because Jason Satori is all your friends.

That's your opinion.

He's not your friend?

That's your opinion that he's doing the same thing as Billy Eno did.

Yes, it is. And that's what he got fired for. Because he was using town equipment and town men to do... Certain things. Well, he's doing that. That, in my opinion, and I think if you put this out in the public, it would be too appreciated that he's using town fuel, town men, town equipment to deliver firewood to his house to heat his properties that he owns on his property.

And what would be the difference if he brought you a load of wood to heat your house?

You know what?

When?

A while ago, because I remember that certain people used to get delivered the sand that they picked up. They stopped it all because the people were complaining about it. So my thing is, you're a town supervisor, and to me, to use a town vehicle and town men to load a truck, now if he left the wood on the side of the road, and went there with his own personal truck, that's fine. But where do you ever see? I don't ever see any town where people take, especially any town, take people, dump truck with firewood or anything to people's houses. Because you know why? Because if they go on somebody's property and something happens, then who's liable for it? The person driving that town vehicle. So for you saying that, I don't believe it. Because I would never believe that. Because people would sue if something happened. You came on my property. Oh, Jason, come on my property. Dump it wherever you want. And then he took and ran over my septic and fell through. Who am I going to sue?

Yourself, because you told them where to dump it.

Who said I did?

You just said it.

Yeah, but that's to you I'm saying. But if the cops come, I never told them to dump it over there.

So you'd be lying.

Okay.

You're stressing your concern and your opinion and I'm listening to you. This isn't the only town that does that. That's got nothing to do with it, Jay. Towns do it, the county does it. I've delivered wood working for the county. So I'm just letting you know what happens.

You use that statement constantly. I work for the county. I do. And all your statements.

I do.

Yeah. Well, that's where it belongs in the county. This is town.

Okay.

Not county.

So bring me proof that other towns don't do it and we'll entertain it.

Go right over to East Highway. Go to Edmonton for people to come and pick it up. Now, if Jason went to that place, caught it up, picked it up with his own personal truck, I wouldn't be here.

Okay.

But being that he's using town equipment and he thinks he can do whatever he wants because when you ask him about it, oh, I can do that. I can do this. I can do that. Bullshit. Show me that in his contract.

Watch your mouth, please, or you're on public radio.

Show me that in his contract that he can do that.

He's not under a contract. He's an elected official.

Oh, so he's not under a contract. He can do whatever he wants?

I didn't say that. You're not the boss? You said show me in the contract. I said he's not under a contract. Nope.

Who is?

The people of this town. They elected him.

Exactly. Me.

Okay.

And I don't agree with him using town equipment for that.

Thank you for stressing your opinion and your statements.

So something better be done about it. Because if it's not, I'll make sure this goes publicly through this whole town. And you're the problem that didn't do nothing about it.

Okay. Bring the other towns that do it as well so I can use it as a comparison.

You know the other towns.

I just said that, and you disagreed.

You know it does.

Every town does it. You need wood? We'll get you a load.

See, you said that just exactly worded the way Jason Satori did.

Because I don't disagree with it.

No, they don't do that, man.

Okay.

They don't do that.

All right.

And you know it.

I don't know it because I've delivered it.

You do know it. I know what you are now. All right? I know what you are now. I remember what you used to be.

Okay. All right? Mm-hmm.

And now I know what you really are.

Giving you my honest opinion.

No. I know what you really are.

Okay.

You went from a guy that worked for the town, right? Didn't you work for the town?

For about six months.

Yeah. What happened?

I got fired.

For what?

Screwing up.

Doing what?

Accused of something.

Of what?

That's none of your business right now. Okay, so you know what it is.

And then you become the town supervisor, and then you turn, you know, cover him up and back him up.

Cover nothing up.

And you say this is okay. When you know.

There's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong with it.

Yes, there is. He's using town equipment to work and deliver shit to his house, man. That's the problem with it. Just like his personal vehicle. He shouldn't be allowed to ride his family in that vehicle. Now, should he be allowed to buy his personal, that vehicle, the town? If he gets in an accident with his family in there, who's he suing? The town.

They'd be covered. It's his vehicle.

That town truck?

Yes.

It's his personal vehicle?

It's his assigned vehicle. He's an elected official, and that's signed to him. The town.

So it's not his vehicle. It's the town. So the town would be sued, not Jason Sartori.

Okay. That's the way the world runs. Yeah, I guess you're right.

So you're telling me that that's okay for hitting the...

He is on call 24-7. I'm going to come here. 24-7. I'm going to come here. You're not an employee, and you're not assigned to that vehicle like he is. Is he driving the truck?

It doesn't matter. Yeah, it does.

Are you assigned to that vehicle?

Yeah, it does. See, you're trying to back up something that is not right, that's wrong. That vehicle is assigned to that vehicle.

That's your opinion. Jason or a town employee. They can drive that truck just like him.

Jason or a town employee. Now, if you drove a county truck, your wife's allowed to be in that truck?

She has been.

Is she allowed?

Didn't get told no.

No, she's not allowed. You know, Rich, I've been in the state system for a long time. If I drove a state vehicle, my family ain't allowed in that vehicle. And you know that. And saying it's okay. Well, it's not okay.

It's not okay in your opinion.

No, it's not okay in the laws.

Give me the law.

Because the family is not covered on our insurance as talent. Correct?

I'd have to look. You don't know. You're the town supervisor. You should know.

They would be covered if something happened. That is his vehicle. Correct?

Not families. That's the problem. I don't give a shit.