Mayor’s Message for October 2020

October has always been a busy month in Rhinebeck. Leaves are changing, temperatures dropping, and the “leaf peepers” are visiting in good numbers. Of course, many things are not the same as most years, as we continue to work hard to keep the COVID19 virus at bay. Restaurants and stores are functioning, but with restrictions and social distancing in place. The use of tents and outdoor heaters will be the norm as we continue with outdoor dining and retail until November 30th, or the first major snowstorm. Halloween decorations are now appearing all over the Village. When making plans for trick-or-treating, please follow NY State Health guidelines.

The amazing incredible Leaf Vac Truck will once again be roaming the streets searching for leaf piles to Vac! To make leaf pickup easier and more efficient for our crews, please keep your brush and leaves separated when you put them to the curb. Fall cleanup will be conducted on a continuous basis between October 1 and December 1 of each year.

Early Voting begins in New York on October 24th through November 1st for the November 3rd General Election. For those who choose to vote early, the polls will be open at the Town Hall at 80 East Market Street. There will be COVID19 precautions in place. For times and other details, call the Dutchess County Board of Elections at 845 486-2473. In 2020 voting will be easier and safer than ever.

The topic of Rhinebeck court consolidation has generated a lot of discussion around the Village. It’s important to share why both Village and Town Boards decided to take this step. After careful study, the boards learned that, without question, the combining of the two courts into one operation will save taxpayer dollars and provide better services to the public. After combination, Judge Kane and Judge Sanchez will still have their gavels while court staff and offices will be combined. People requiring court services will find one place, one phone number, and a full-time staff at their service.

As Mayor I believe that it is my responsibility to provide the best services at the best value to our community. After revenues and expenses are counted, the Village Court costs Village taxpayers about $45,000 per year. The Town court operates most years at a small loss. Once the courts are combined, the total anticipated savings are $26,000 per year. We can accomplish this without modifying existing facilities, although should the town wish to upgrade in the future, there are grants which could cover the cost.

Using Dutchess County grant money, the Village and Town hired the Laberge Group to examine the current situation and make recommendations based upon their findings.The consultants spoke to court staff and learned that confusion is created by having two courts in Rhinebeck. The new court would have two full-time positions, thus maintaining court staffing at current levels while enabling full-time coverage Monday-Friday. The Labarge Group also found that our police and other law enforcement officers would benefit from having one courtroom in which to process suspects, give evidence, and provide security.

I recently spoke to our former Mayor Pete Sipperly and he said that he can see both sides of this, but “it is a good idea and something that should have been looked at awhile ago”. That endorsement means a lot.

We continue our efforts on NYS Executive order 203 requiring local municipalities with police agencies to engage in a public and open process to develop a plan that will promote policing that provides for equal treatment and protection of civil rights for all. We formed our local work group based on NY State guidelines to include key stakeholders from the community. With a deadline of April first, we had to act quickly to get the process underway. There was a community forum on September 26th where many local citizens were heard from, and that input will be included. If you want to contribute, please contact any of the people on the work group. And, there will be many opportunities coming up during community forums and public hearings in January and February. We want to make sure that everyone is heard in this process. Our Workgroup consists of: Albert Cousins, Debi Duke, Vicki Rivera, Father Richard Colgrim, Arun Lahiri, Yavette Bairan, Terri Hall, Margaux Epter, Radha Lahire, Pete Dunn, Trustee Ric Lewit and myself.

The financial review of the Village’s budget has been completed for the fiscal years 2019-2020. This is the 3rd consecutive year for this report. Having 3 years of information allows us to look for trends and provides clarity. The report can be found here at 09-25-20 REPORT: Financial Condition of the Village of Rhinebeck for FYE 5/31/20 - Karen Mclaughlin, Treasurer . We are fortunate to have Treasurer Karen McLaughlin and Clerk Krissy Denu who provide strong oversight and monitoring of the Village expenses. As a result we ended the fiscal year again with strong financials and within budget. The year was not without challenges as we completed the water infrastructure project and dealt with changes required for COVID19.

Welcome Vanessa Bertozzi as Trustee to the Village Board! Trustee Brant Neuneker was re-elected to his seat. Despite the COVID19 pandemic, the mid-September election had a good turnout of Village voters, and was carried out safely under health guidelines. A thank you to the voters who turned out, and a special thanks to Village Clerk Martina McClinton, and the dedicated poll workers who carried off the election safely and efficiently!

Trustee Bertozzi will focus on environmental issues and the impact of climate change. She has already assembled a strong team of volunteers dealing with waste reduction, organics management, policy and procedures. Her work and research is proving very informative. Did you know, for example, that the Village spends $40 thousand a year to haul solid waste from the Sewage Treatment plant 95 miles away to Connecticut where it is incinerated?

Trustee Neuneker will continue as Liaison to the newly combined Water and Wastewater Departments. Under one Liaison, both Departments will be able to benefit from recommendations noted in the Study by Delaware Engineering.

Lydia Hill Slaby was sworn on Friday to the Rhinebeck Village Board. Lydia is the Liaison to the Building-Planning-Zoning Board.

I would like to thank Paul Korczak for his hard work on the Village Board. The Village board meeting time has been moved to 6:00 PM on the second Tuesday of the month and will still be live streamed to Facebook and YouTube, and broadcast on PANDA.

New York State has introduced an important new tool in the ongoing work to contain the COVID19 virus. COVID Alert NY is a voluntary, anonymous smartphone app, which immediately notifies anyone who may have been exposed, thus reducing the risk to you, your family and others. It’s free and available to anyone 18+ who lives or works in New York. It’s important to note that the app uses Bluetooth technology, and not location data. If you are interested:

Download the app on your iPhone here.

Download the app on your Android device here.

Wear masks when in public spaces and continue to use social distancing! 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