An Action More Towns Should Take: No To Militarized Police

Town board declares it will never accept any defense weapons

In the wake of aggressive police action against protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, and the trend of police departments obtaining military equipment from the Pentagon, Woodstock lawmakers passed a resolution seeking to assure residents that it won’t happen in this town.

“The Woodstock Town Board declares it has never accepted, nor will accept or procure military arms and/or heavy armor for its police department now or in the future,” the resolution, proposed by Councilman Jay Wenk reads.

The resolution also states “The Woodstock Police are trained to act in a rational, nonmilitary, non-abusive manner” and “The Woodstock Town Board wants to assure its citizens that the town does not possess military equipment of the type known to be an issue in other jurisdictions.”

Councilwoman Cathy Magarelli thanked Wenk for the resolution and said she was shocked to read that Ferguson, a small city of about 20,000, has about $4 million worth of military-type equipment. “It’s ridiculous to have that much armor for such a small town,” Magarelli said. The resolution passed by a vote of 4-0. Councilman Bill McKenna was absent.

Ethics changes

The Town Board also voted to forward proposed changes to its Ethics Law to the Ethics Board, despite Councilman Ken Panza’s objections. Panza said he voted against it because he was concerned that the changes weren’t marked to differentiate the amendments from the current law. Supervisor Jeremy Wilber said a marked version will be available for the public hearing, but Panza said the Town Board and Ethics Board should have the marked version to avoid confusion.

Proposed changes include reducing the value of a gift a town official or employee can accept from $75 to $20 in a calendar year and barring acceptance of any gift from anyone who may have dealings with the town; barring officials or employees from making political solicitations in the workplace or hiring decisions based on political contributions; and outlining policy for returning unacceptable gifts. Exemptions to gifts and financial benefit would include food and beverages at an official event, publicly presented awards, honorary degrees, discounts for goods and services offered to the general public, gifts from a family member and travel reimbursement for an informational event.

Other changes clarify notification requirements for Ethics Board meetings, notification of ethics violations, hearings and filing requirements.

The Ethics Board will review the proposed changes and make recommendations. Since it involves changes to a law, the Town Board will then schedule a public hearing.

The board also voted to change its procurement policy to allow it to “piggyback” on federal bids when purchasing merchandise. The town regularly purchases items already bid on by the state and county. This would expand that ability to include the federal government and any other state.

“This is really something that in almost all circumstances would apply to the highway department and the purchase of highway materials,” Wilber explained.

Hiking only, please

Residents continued to urge the board to allow hiking only on the New York City-owned parcel surrounding Yankeetown Pond.

Dharmaware founder Erik Holmlin, who has spoken on the issue before, told the board the city Department of Environmental Protection seems to be very open to ideas. Like any large bureaucracy, there is momentum and a desire to make everything unified, “but that does not suit this town,” he said. Holmlin has argued for making all DEP lands within Woodstock hiking only.

The town Environmental Commission recently recommended allowing hunting on the upland portion of the land to the north of Yankeetown Pond, some 814 out of the 828 acres. The panel used overpopulation of deer causing devastation of undergrowth as its rationale.

The town thought the matter was resolved in 2002 when it adopted Environmental Commission recommendations for hunting limited mainly to deer. The DEP did nothing with the land until late last year, when it posted the land on a website of available recreation and hunting areas, listing it as available for all hunting seasons.

While neighbors are amenable to limited hunting, the Environmental Commission felt the DEP would only allow an all-or-nothing approach to hunting.

Meeting the challenge

Mike D’Arcy, RUPCO’s outreach coordinator for NYSERDA, (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) updated the Town Board on the 10 percent Challenge.

The challenge is a call to make 30 Woodstock homes more energy efficient. That involves getting 295 of the 2,946 households in town a free or reduced-cost whole-house energy assessment. Out of the 295 assessments, the goal is to make 30 of them more efficient. To date, there are 61 residents in the program, 43 completed assessments and four energy retrofits. The 10 Percent Challenge was launched in February as a joint effort with the town, Transition Woodstock and the Environmental Commission. Homeowners can apply for a free or discounted assessment and take advantage of low-interest loans and income-based grants of up to $5,000. More information is available at nyserda.energysavvy.com or 845-331-2140, ext. 261.

Dispelling rumors

Councilwoman Magarelli attempted to counteract reported rumors that the planned Mescal Hornbeck Community Center renovation is postponed until next spring in order to avoid higher winter construction costs. Construction is expected to begin in October, Magarelli and Wilber said. The town simply can’t wait until next spring because construction would conflict with the summer recreation program, Magarelli said.

“All we’re waiting on is the bidding documents from the engineer,” she said. Those are expected Friday, August 22, and if all goes well the board will hold a special meeting the following week to officially put the project out to bid. After waiting 30 days, the board will meet again to scrutinize the responses and select a bidder. Work should begin soon afterward.

The $1.55 million renovation will nearly double the available space and split it into distinct areas, including a new stage and performance area. The plan also includes the installation of a generator to allow the center to serve as a shelter during power outages. Through the use of fund balances, the town expects to cap borrowing for the project at $997,000.

Budget time looms

Wilber reminded the public that he has to furnish the board with a proposed budget no later than October 5. Wilber remains confident the board will not have to adopt legislation to override the state cap on levy increases.

While the state imposes a limit of 2 percent on levy increases, he cautioned that doesn’t necessarily limit it to 2 percent in reality. Certain items, such as pension liability, capital costs and court awards are exempt from the cap.