Mayor’s Message for September 2021
The Village of Rhinebeck came through our most recent major storm with no major flooding, damage, or road issues. We lowered the water in Crystal Lake as the storm approached to reduce the threat of flooding upstream along the Landsman Kill. The remnants of Hurricane Ida produced record breaking rainfall, and yet another reminder that climate change is no longer theoretical, but part of our lives. This was the third time this past month we had to lower the water level behind the dam, first for Fred, then Henri, and now Ida. Among the measures we are taking to prepare for weather events is the monitoring of runoff and flow in collaboration with the Marist Department of Environmental Science & Policy, Richard S. Feldman, Ph.D. Chair & Associate Professor focusing on Flood Mitigation and Monitoring on the Landsman Kill and Crystal Lake. Pictures of Releasing the water from Crystal lake at the end of the newsletter.
The Dutchess County Fair was back and as successful as ever. Youngsters are heading back to school, even as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. We continue to urge everyone to take precautions and follow the guidance of health officials. I am pleased to report that Rhinebeck is leading Dutchess County in vaccinations, 81% of our residents have gotten at least one shot, and more than 74% are now fully vaccinated! This will go a long way toward protecting everyone, so keep up the good work, wear your mask, and if you haven’t yet, please get the shot. For more information on the local situation go to COVID-19 Dashboard.
We are about to begin the conversion of Village Street Lights to LED, after four years of work by Trustee Lewit. A complete upgrade to high efficiency LEDs will save energy, save money, and last longer. Installation of the new lights will begin sometime after Labor Day and should be completed in less than a week. A total of 245 lights will be purchased from Central Hudson, and the new lights, installation, and a service contract have been facilitated by the New York Power Authority. If a streetlight goes out, a built-in sensor network will immediately notify the repair company. Until now, outages had to be reported by someone in order to be repaired.
In November we will be getting results of the study of Village water rates from the engineering firm Tighe and Bond. They are using a spreadsheet model that computes and compares costs and revenue. In order to fund necessary improvements to our water system, we may need to raise the rates. The Tighe and Bond model will focus on customer costs and financial impacts.
One of our goals is to make sure the costs are fairly distributed among everyone inside and outside the village. The water system serves 1,835 water accounts and 1,183 are Village residents, while 652 customers live outside the village. There will be public presentations and hearings once the report is completed.
With the help of Trustee Lewit, Trustee Slaby and Trustee Bertozzi we have completed the renewal of our union contracts with the Police Department and Service Workers Unions.
Highlights of the Service Union Contract include:
All anniversary dates for the awarding of longevity and other benefits will be moved to Jan 1. starting in 2022.
Annual base pay yearly increases: 2% per year for 3 years.
Longevity rates increase by $50 for each tier in year 3
Longevity is no longer paid in lump sums but will be calculated hourly.
Comp time limited to 40 hours per year with a maximum of 40 hours annual rollover.
Clothing allowances increased, but now subject to an agreed upon list of items
Health insurance benefits, co-pays and coverage remain unchanged
Total holiday count capped at 12, which is the current number
Highlights of the Police Contract:
The initial hiring rate shall be increased to $23.00 per hour
Annual Base pay increases over 3 years: 1.8%, 2%, 2%
Added shift differential for 3PM to 11PM- 2.5% and 11PM to 7AM- 5%
Holiday pay increased to 2 times the regular hourly wage and 3 times for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Thanksgiving
Increase in longevity pay for years 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service
Added sick leave up to a maximum of 13 days in a contract year
Added mandated training in accordance with Executive Order 203, New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, the Village developed a plan to improve deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices of its police departments to address the particular needs of the community and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.
Added Social media policy
Added "Community Relations" where unit members may be required to participate in community conversations, workshops or processes related to police reform and building community trust.
We are happy to provide better pay and benefits to all the people who work for the Village of Rhinebeck.
Trustee Bertozzi has begun an energy efficiency and air flow study of Village Hall. The study, made possible through a 50/50 match from NYSERDA's FlexTech program, will provide recommendations on how to bring down energy costs, as well as improve air circulation—a big concern with COVID-19. Village Hall not only serves as our congregation point for public meetings, but it's also an emergency heating and cooling place for residents experiencing difficulty during extreme weather. We hope to increase energy efficiency and make Village Hall a more comfortable and safe place for all.
Climate Smart Rhinebeck is encouraging our community to participate in Car Free Day – an international event with the goal of reducing traffic congestion and improving mobility and sustainability. Car Free Day 2021 will be celebrated across New York State on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. To participate, take the pledge , and then go car free or “car lite” on September 22 by riding a bus, carpooling, biking, walking, combining trips, driving an electric vehicle, or teleworking...Or if you're commuting to New York City, take a ferry, subway or train – it’s that easy!
The Village, the Town of Rhinebeck, and Town of Hyde Park are grateful to be receiving expert support and technical assistance from the DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program to jointly conduct a Natural Resources Inventory. We are finalizing a base map of our local resources, and our Cornell partners are drafting our first map layers for review. Trustee Bertozzi will present an update to the Village Board at the September 28th Village Board Meeting. For more information go to: Climate Smart Rhinebeck.org
Hudson 7 updates: The seven municipalities are continuing our efforts to protect the Hudson River as a source of clean water. The long awaited grant for the Drinking Water Source Protection Program DWSP2 was awarded and a technical advisor was assigned to us. For a review of the presentation go here: DWSP2 Presentation Aug 2021 H7.pptx
Allen Bateman - Water Plant Operator has passed all of the testing and is now a grade IIA-SW/GUI Filtration Plant Water System Operator. Congratulations Allen! It’s wonderful to have your expertise and dedication to keeping our drinking water clean.
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
Gary Bassett
Mayor Village of Rhinebeck
