Mayor’s Message for April 2021
Hopefully by the time you are reading this, it will feel like spring and the cold weather will be behind us. I am still writing this from my home office, and we are all still wearing masks and social distancing. But, every day, more people are getting vaccinated and there is much cause for optimism. A big change from this time last year.
I am so appreciative of our community, and how we have worked together, cooperated and responded to this unprecedented COVID19 crisis. Huge thanks to the Rhinebeck Interact Club, the Starr Library and Rhinebeck Responds for helping get folks registered on the Dutchess County Vaccination Site. And, gratitude to everyone, vaccinated or not, who continues wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing. Dutchess County infections are rising again, so we must all hang in there just a little while longer.
To that end, the Village Board of Trustees has approved an expanded plan for outdoor dining and retail for the upcoming spring, summer and fall seasons. The Outdoor Dining Task Force asked for feedback from Village residents, property owners and businesses. Based on that input, the recommendations included some adjustments from last year. The Board has approved expanding the "Mask Required Zones," widening the reserved sidewalk area for pedestrians walking past restaurants and retailers, while leaving more of the south side of East Market Street open for traffic. The Outdoor Dining Permit Application has been updated, and an outdoor retail permit application is included. The proposed map will now go to the State DOT for approval. You can find the whole plan on our webpage: Outdoor Dining — Village of Rhinebeck
As we have since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Village Board has tried to balance the safety of our population with the economic needs of our local businesses. This is not an easy balance to strike. We so appreciate the patience, kindness, and understanding of the big picture that our community has shown throughout this crisis.
The Police Reform Task Force submitted its report to New York State by the April 1st deadline. You can view the plan on our webpage: Police Department — Village of Rhinebeck
The next step will be to determine how to turn the ideas and proposals into actual policy changes, if needed. As of July 1st, based on the Reform Task Force recommendations, we will begin that process with a committee which can be broken up into small working groups to study specific issues. The committee will include representatives of local law enforcement, government, and the community at large. People of color, young people, and those whose primary language is not English are encouraged to take part. An application will be posted on the Village Website soon.
The Village Treasurer has released a tentative 2021-2022 budget to the Board of Trustees on March 29th. Every Village Department including Police, Fire, Highway, Water and Wastewater, as well as the Courts and municipal budgets have been reviewed as part of this process. The good news is that we accomplished our goals of staying below the tax cap and lowering the tax rate. Individual Village tax bills may go up or down, depending on the assessed evaluation of your property.
Even as we faced increased costs from the COVID19 pandemic, the annual NY Fiscal Stress Monitoring System shows we score the same as the previous three years. This score is an assessment of the fiscal challenges facing individual local governments. Kudos to all for this accomplishment.
Below is a summary of the tentative budget.
General Fund Budget 2020-21 Budget 2021-22
Total Budget $2,470,922 $2,577,233
Revenues $795,450 $824,493
Amount to be raised in tax $1,675,472 $1,752,740
Assessed Evaluation $404,122,171 $557,709.511
Tax Rate $4.16 $3.14
Amount below Tax cap $21,268 $9,052
Water & Wastewater
Water $966,049 $1,052,312
Wastewater $816,782 $834,048
Carli Fraccarolli and Dorna Schroeter, members of the Village's Climate Smart Communities Task Force, put together Rhinebeck's first organized participation in the DEC's "Big Night" program. This annual event, where citizen scientists track migrating salamanders and frogs, protects these threatened creatures, a critical part of our ecosystem. It was a thrilling event with over 20 volunteers showing up on a warm, rainy night. A huge thank you goes out to the Rhinebeck Village Police who assisted with traffic safety along Mt. Rutsen Rd.
The Village has resumed our collaboration with Marist College Environmental Policy and Science students. We will be doing a “Trees for Tribs” riparian buffer planting May 2 along the Landsman Kill behind the Village Highway Garage.
The Town and Village of Rhinebeck have the opportunity to complete a full Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) via services of the DEC's Hudson River Estuary Program. This project, recommended by Bard graduate student David Chernack's internship, will build upon research gathered for the Town's 2009 Comprehensive Plan via Hudsonia. The Town has already passed a resolution to take part in the project.
The Hudson 7 group, which I chair, is dedicated to protecting the quality of water which our communities draw from the Hudson River. This past January, large amounts of muddy water were discharged from the Ashokan Release Channel into Esopus Creek upstream from us. All our water treatment plants reported high levels of turbidity in the water, meaning it was cloudy and full of sediment. To clean the highly turbid water, we had to change operations at the plant, which raised our costs significantly. The communities include the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, the Village and Town of Rhinebeck, and the Towns of Esopus, Hyde Park, and Lloyd. We serve 106,000 residents, three hospitals, three colleges, and major regional employers, providing safe water for human consumption, firefighting, industry, and more.
The Ashokan provides drinking water to 9.5 million people in New York City. But, solving their turbidity problem by releasing the water into the Hudson River is not a fair solution. The Hudson 7 is demanding that the state evaluate the impact of the discharges and find alternative methods of protecting the city’s drinking water that do not cause problems for our water supply.
The Village of Rhinebeck Autism Supportive Community (ASC) Committee is promoting April as Autism Awareness month, and continues to reach out to engage Village businesses and organizations. We will be holding more free virtual training sessions for business owners who are committed to the “Do One Thing” initiative which supports Rhinebeck residents and visitors on the autism spectrum. The Open Forums will be held on 4/7 at 9 am, on 4/13 at 5 pm, and 4/29 at 12 noon. If interested, you can register on the Village website. On Tuesday, April 20th, the Rhinebeck-Area Chamber of Commerce is holding an “Autism Awareness Open Forum” for its members.
The Village of Rhinebeck is currently looking for someone who lives in the Village and is interested in serving on either the Planning Board, or the Zoning Board of Appeals. Each position has a term of 4 years. Board members play an invaluable role in our Village. If you are interested, please submit applications to the Village Clerk, Martina McClinton. Appointments are made by the Mayor with approval of the Board of Trustees. Open Planning Board Position — Village of Rhinebeck
I would like to thank everyone who voted in the Village Election, and a special thanks to Village Clerk Martina McClinton and the dedicated poll workers who ran a safe and efficient election. I know I speak not only for myself, but for Trustee Lydia Slaby, and Deputy Mayor Ric Lewit, in saying what an honor it is to serve you for a new term. We will work hard to represent every resident of the Village of Rhinebeck.
Some anniversaries to honor. Congratulations to our Court Clerk Tricia Giacalone on 14 years employment, Chief Wastewater Plant Operator Brian Baccomo on 5 years, Wastewater Plant Operator Scott Rathjen with 5 years, and Village Clerk Martina McClinton with 1 year!
As always, please reach out to me with any questions or comments. You can reach me by phone 845-876-7015 ext 2 at Village Hall or via email to MayorBassett@VillageofRhinebeckny.gov
Mayor Gary Bassett