LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — The opening talk at the November 12 Cochecton town board meeting was all about the November 5 public hearing held to review the town’s proposed 2015 budget. Board members agreed that the presentation they gave was interesting, detailed and accurate in every respect. Town residents will have to take their word for it. No one but the board attended the advertised hearing.

Because there were no objections to the proposed budget, the board voted unanimously (minus absent Anna Story) to adopt it as drafted. Supervisor Gary Maas outlined the 2015 budgetary challenges that resulted in a 1.5% increase, the first in three years. A 10 to 12% increase in town employee health insurance costs, a 27% increase in New York State retirement fund costs, a long overdue sewer plant upgrade, and soaring road salt prices topped the list and led to passage of two resolutions.

The first resolution was to pay the New York State and Local Retirement System invoice prior to December 15, affording the town a $996 early payment discount. It passed 4 to 0.

The second resolution was to increase spending in the contractual sewer operations line, from $35,000 to $36,500. The $1,500 increase followed a $15,000 increase earlier in the year, when the need for upgrading the sewer plant with new pump, housing and purification system first became apparent. If cost is not prohibitive, the upgrade may also include transitioning from chlorine-based purification to eco-friendly ultraviolet light purification. It passed, 4 to 0.

In sewer officer Michael Walter’s absence, Maas detailed sewer upgrade plans and reported that another unfiltered grease surge had hit the plant on November 8. Periodic grease surges in the past few months prompted consultation with sanitation engineers, who provided the town with tools to track the source of the surges. Once the source has been identified, the town will impose fines, accruing at a rate of $100 per day, until the property owner installs a filtration system adequate to handle the type and amount of grease discharged from that property.

The completion of the community center in the new town hall basement made possible the grand opening of the new Senior Nutrition Center (SNC) on October 30, which drew 54 people. For a $3 fee, seniors aged 60 and over with a photo ID card obtained from the Office of the Aging in Monticello are eligible to participate in the lunch program. Those under age 60 and/or without ID card may participate as guests, for a fee of $4.50. SNC serves from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

Although SNC was the first public-service organization to use the center, it is not the only one to have expressed interest in the space. A public hearing on use of the facility will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10.

For complete meeting minutes and full text of all resolutions, see www.townofcochectonny.org.