T IMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 35, No 45 3 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017
Despite a political climate on Election
Day that seemed to favor Democratic
candidates across the nation, in the
Town of Montgomery, voters came out
once again in support of their Republican
candidates, sweeping the elections.
Political newcomer Rodney Winchell
will be taking the helm as town supervisor
in January, after unofficial election results
late Tuesday night indicated that he had
clinched the election.
According to the Orange County Board
of Elections, Winchell received nearly 65
percent of the vote with 3,246 votes, while
his opponent Bryan Paz received 1,756
votes.
When asked why he thought voters had
shown that support, Winchell said it was
because he is “restoring confidence that
the citizens have a voice and a confidence
ONE DOLLAR
Section IX
cross country
Page 38
www .W allkill V alley T imes . net
Republicans sweep in Montgomery
By RACHEL COLEMAN
3
of leadership in government.”
While there are a couple months until
Winchell takes office, he stated that his
first priority is the safety of the community
and he intends to focus on improving
communication and coordination between
the town and the three villages within it—
even if that begins with simply picking up
the phone and talking with each other on
Continued on page 4
Halloween patrol
Anita Vandermark
The Village of Walden Police, along with a few close friends, kept the streets safe during the village-wide trick or treat last Tuesday.
Shawangunk
stays within
the tax cap
By TED REMSNYDER
The Shawangunk Town Board
unanimously approved a 2018 budget at its
meeting last Thursday that stays within
the state-mandated tax cap and raises
$5,396,014 from taxpayers. The budget was
designed to arrive right at the 1.84 percent
tax levy cap, which allows the town to
collect an additional $72,730 in taxes in
2018. “We’re right at the dollar, because
if we don’t and there’s a year when we
have a catastrophe, I like to build up the
fund balance and start a reserve fund for
infrastructure,” Shawangunk Supervisor
John Valk said of the cap.
Most of the additional funds will go
towards the Highway Department, with
$1,695,398 to be collected from residents
for that agency, a $42,000 raise over last
year’s adopted spending plan. “The
highway is in very big demand because
of the bad winter, the salt and blacktop
costs,” Valk said. “The personnel didn’t
go up much. The union contract was very
reasonable. I think we got that settled
by the first of the year. That wasn’t a
major expense, but the materials are very
expensive.” The adopted budget includes
$780,000 for general repairs, up from last
year’s budget line of $718,324.
Under the adopted 2018 spending plan,
homes with an average value of $250,000
should see an estimated tax increase of
$14.85. The town’s fund balance outlook is
good, as Shawangunk will apply $140,163
from the general fund balance toward
the budget, leaving the town with an
unapplied balance of $566,991. “When our
general fund closes out at the end of the
year, that will go back up or go down
Continued on page 4
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL