NARROWSBURG, NY — They thought the issue of how to assess the public’s interest in establishing an on-road constabulary had been settled last month. The town council had voted unanimously to pose the question as a referendum item on the November ballot.

Then legal counsel advised that this was not permissible, stating that to do so was to take an action for which the council has responsibility and remand it to the electorate.

So at the April meeting, the issue was reopened for debate over how best to determine the will of the people. Supervisor Carol Wingert suggested an exit poll at the time of the November election. Others thought that might be unworkable since the budget, with the costs of the constabulary included, would have to be voted upon prior to the exit poll. There was animated back-and-forth among the council members, with Brandi Merolla saying that the constabulary committee needs to do more research into the issue so that other considerations might be addressed. Jane Luchsinger noted that there are a lot of negative sentiments in the community regarding the program and asked that these be explored. Jill Padua agreed that a lot of information needed to be combed through. In the end, the council voted 4-1 to instruct the committee to gather additional information.

There was also vigorous discussion regarding how much the town should ask for a solar payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) from the proposed Delaware River Solar project. This item had been tabled for several months. Tony Ritter stated that much of the build-out of solar projects is funded by taxes and grants and that some towns are appropriating as much as 6% of the project’s revenue. It was decided that the issue would be discussed at a recessed meeting on May 1, at which the town attorney and assessor will be present.

A public hearing was scheduled for May 8 at 6 p.m. to consider the consolidation of the Narrowsburg and the Lava fire departments. Art Hawker, captain of the Narrowsburg Fire District, made a presentation to the council outlining the benefits of consolidation, one of which would be one tax rate for all who would benefit from the protection.

It was noted that Supervisor Wingert would be honored at the Upper Delaware Council awards banquet on April 22 (see below), where she would receive the Community Service award for her ongoing service to the town, fundraising success and weather emergency coordination. Council members and those present from the public agreed that the honor was well deserved.

The Public Service Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing at the Monticello Fire Department on April 25 to solicit input from the community on the March storm response. Wingert stressed the importance of providing testimony in either oral or written format. 

Wingert also stated that an April 27 symposium on storm response at the Narrowsburg Union will address the March storms as well as previous storms. She initiated this work session so that first responders, utility companies and public officials could come together to assess what went well, what went wrong and what could be done to prevent such a situation again. She noted that after Hurricane Sandy fixes were promised and not delivered.

A community litter pluck day is scheduled for April 28 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. That same day, a drug take-back session is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The town clerk can be contacted for details on both programs. 

Spring cleanup is scheduled for May 19 at the highway garage between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The council accepted with regret the resignation of Amy Lohman from the Tusten Youth Commission and thanked her for her years of service. A community yard sale benefiting the Youth Commission will take place on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, and a Kids Fun Day will be held on Memorial Day.