The Town Board Lied Again

Hopefully everyone has received the postcard from the Town Hall about the “Important up-coming forums and meetings at the Wilcox Memorial Town Hall”.
Saturday 9/23/06, 10am Public Forum on New Wetlands & Watercourse laws.
The Town Board tells us, if we want more information on these new laws we can get it at the town clerk’s office.
THEY LIED; the town clerk has no information on these new laws.
When will Mr. Williams and his Turkey Hill Gang stop lying?
You had better find out what these proposed new laws mean, they will effect everyone in town.

Milan United's Web Causes Concern

In the September 7th issue of the Gazette Advertiser, There was an article on Milan United. The article printed Milan United’s mission statement which is “Milan United was formed to provide an alternative voice on issues affecting the Town of Milan. Our intention is to present information that might not otherwise come to the public’s attention. Milan United is made up of individuals of diverse political interests and backgrounds, who have been brought together by concerns over the management of the town’s affairs and direction the present town board is taking the town.”

Milan United has its own website and blog which has caused some concern to the town board members. It appears they are feeling very uncomfortable by being under the spotlight. It is time that someone was watching the store.

When Councilman Williams was asks for his opinion on the Milan United website, he said, “I stopped looking at it some time ago. It’s trash.” He was very concerned when he was accused of lying about his tax benefit on the land he put into forestry conservation. He did not mention that in the article that accused him of falsehood stated the proof that he is the recipient of a tax advantage.

Mr. Williams said he had stopped looking at the website. We know that this is not true. As of Tuesday, September 12th, Mr. Williams has been to the Milan United website, 36 times. Is Mr. Williams not being totally honest again?

Town Supervisor Talmage was upset that Milan United kept finding discrepancies in his bookkeeping. He said no one brought them to his attention. These financial differences have been brought to Mr. Talmage and the town board’s attention on a regular basis. The fact of the matter is they should not have had to be brought to his attention. If he was a true steward of Milan’s interests and finances these financial errors would not be occurring. The Milan town board is as reckless with the town’s finances as Mr. Talmage is careless.

There will be no Lemonade in Milan

Overview of Proposed Refreshment Stand Local Law
At the last town board meeting, the town board discussed a local law proposed by Diane May to regulate refreshment stands.  The law defines refreshment as “any food, fruit or other edible commodity or non-alcoholic beverages” and defines a refreshment stand as
Any business where any refreshment is sold or offered for sale at retail from a motor vehicle of from a temporary structure such as a tent, which is removed at the end of operation each day.
Refreshment stands would be restricted to the two hamlets and the Highway Business District along Route 199. “It shall be unlawful to operate a refreshment stand on any County Road within the Town or in the Town right-of-way.”
 (Editors note: That lemonade stand, a feature of a rural community, set up in the family driveway and operated by an 8 or 10 year old, is prohibited and subject to arrest and fines, under this law.)
To get a license, besides providing the applicants name, address, and the address of the location where the stand is to be located, the applicant will have to provide the following information:
            Place of residence for the past 5 years;
            Business or employer for the past 5 years;
“Whether or not applicant has ever been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor or violation of any municipal ordinance, except traffic violations, and if so, the date, court, ordinance violated and sentence of the court”;
“Name and address of the person, firm or corporation the applicant represents or is employed by”;
“The manner or means of conveyance in which said business or trade or occupation shall be conducted”;
Valid Dutchess County Health Department permit;
Certification by Dutchess County of any scales and measuring devices;
Proof of valid vehicle registration; and
Proof of a sales tax identification number.
The proposed law gives the town clerk the power to suspend or revoke the refreshment stand license.  The cost of the license is not as yet determined, but the proposed range is from $25 to $300 for six months. 
There is much more to the law, but the point is:
If this local law is passed, it will be easier to get a United States passport in these post-9/11 days then a permit to sell lemonade in Milan.  It exceeds the requirements to hold elective office. 
All this because of the occasional barbecue on Rocky Mancini’s land in Rock City.
In their zeal to regulate every aspect of life in Milan, Mr. Talmage, Mr. Williams, Mrs. May, and Mrs. Combe-Clark are turning Milan into the very thing they claim to be against.  (In order to get a copy of this proposed law, it was necessary to file a Freedom of Information application on the five town board members individually.  So much for open government.) 
(Click here to read the PDF draft of the proposed Refreshment Stand Local Law)