Milan's Financial Wizard
By now you have all received your tax bills; not quite what you expected? If you remember, Milan’s Financial Wizard, Mr. Supervisor Talmage stated there would be an increase in your taxes by 3.5% to offset the Gang of Four’s squandering of your money.
He Lied as you have figured out by now; your town taxes have jumped by 5.8%. But then, a miscalculation at your expense is not unusual for Financial Wizard Talmage. He has not come up with a correct calculation of your finances in the three years since he took office. Did you know Milan has a finance committee? Did you know the Finance Committee consists on Financial Wizard Talmage and Councilwoman May. That would be funny if we were not the victims of their buffoonery.
Why is Talmage unable to produce a Financial Report in time for the monthly meetings as required by law? Does not the rest of the Gang of Four have an obligation to see that your finances are properly handled? Isn’t that the reason they were elected? Not so according to Defacto Supervisor Williams. According to him, their job is to create laws that will place greater restrictions on the citizens of Milan. At the January Town Board meeting, Williams had the nerve to try and outline their accomplishments for 2006. This consisted of 12 laws, some they passed others they tried to pass, and all with one purpose, to place more restrictions on Milaners
This is the Bunch that will want your support next November. Support Milan United where the truth is.
posted by milanunited @ 11:30 AM
9 Comments:
So are you boys done fighting with each other - must have been quite a fight Jack vs. Jim - but it's nice to have you back, but of course, you are as wrong as were before about the facts - please see what was realy said at the meeting - "Williams then took the floor momentarily to address some of the statements made during the meeting.
"For months we have had people commenting about over-regulation by this Board and now, speakers from that camp are commenting that the Board has done nothing during its term," he said.
Williams then proceeded to list the laws passed and presented by the board in 2006.
"There were four that dealt with the Comprehensive Plan and the most urgent item on our agenda, the elimination of the Floating Light Industrial Zone, two that were passed at the request of the Highway Department regarding snow and parking during the winter, reflecting regular practice in Milan, and two enacted to ease the burden of highway business compliance imposed by legislation passed in 2001. Three were administrative in nature, to provide for alternate members to the Planning Board and Zoning Board; a local FOIL law to correspond with state law on this subject; and a new zoning map to reflect the change of the only light industrial parcel we had in town. There was also one at the request of George Carrothers to allow both ingress and egress from Rt. 199 to highway business properties fronting a second road. That hardly seems to me to be over-regulation," he said.
"There are a number of laws that we are still working on, such as a new draft of the wetlands law," said Williams.
Regarding the issue of the roadside stands not yet being a permitted use for properties in the town, he said, "if we ignore what are permitted uses, we'll get just anything. The law will further the rights of the people."
"The key point here is that the Town Board does face potential legal challenges whenever it acts. That is not reason not to act; it is reason to be thorough, thoughtful and careful in enacting new local laws, so that we can prevail when challenged," he said."
are you saying George Carruthers complains about too many laws and yet he gets a law passed that is only for him? I hear he is at town hall all the time - begging or bullying everyone from the supervisor to the building inspctor instead of just doing what he should be doing - following the procedures like everyone else. If you do things his way the whole town could look like that mess he calls a dance all. Do you guys support him? I hope not.
REWRITING HISTORY:
First of all, Mr. Williams never "takes the floor" he only relinquishes it temporarily to allow Talmage to be his front-runner…or the butt of jokes.
People in town are mad as hell at his “attempts” to over-regulate; no one “said” they over-regulated using the past tense. The fact remains they have done nothing of substance in 3 years except, perhaps, anger nearly every man, woman and child (oops, we’re supposed to whisper the word “child” when referring to Milan’s future.)
Williams list of 4 laws dealing with the Comprehensive Plan were far from “urgent.” The elimination of the Floating Light Industrial zone was directed at Red Wing Sand & Gravel, there has only EVER been 2 requests for LI, G&S Energy and Red Wing, and the latter has landed them in court because of his attempt to “over-regualte” that issue too. Hmm, the 2 passed at the request of the Highway Department regarding snow and parking…ooooohhhhh woooow! Now there is some legislative feat! Next, easing the burden of highway business compliance imposed by legislation passed in 2001. Hmm, well seems that they’re hot on Carruthers over his property but want to let everyone else slide…can we call say “selective enforcement?”
Now for his greatest accomplishments, (1) To provide for alternate members to the Planning Board and Zoning Board (never a real need); (2) a local FOIA (Freedom of Information Access) law (that has all but stopped government oversight by the public at town hall) and (3) a new zoning map to reflect the change of the only light industrial parcel we had in town (sounds a lot like taking credit for his first accomplishment twice.
When you’ve proposed 12 laws, rescinded 2 and withdrew 10, which sounds an awful lot like a failed agenda; there’s no lip-sticking the pig here.
From the “we don’t want to seem overbearing” department comes the “George Carrothers Law” which would allow both ingress and egress from Route 199 to highway business properties fronting a second road; that’s 3 properties folks, all in the triangle between old Moorehouse Road and Academy Hill Road. It was always that way…so, let’s all hold hands and say, “Way to go Ross!”
With tens of thousands of dollars already spent in legal fees, limitless escrow to re-hash the obvious and the entire Highway Business district in shambles we can all breathe one collective sigh of relief that Williams and Talmage are on the job!
…just 289 days till we can vote them out.
appaiser-bob - if you are pretending to be Bobbi Egan, at least spell appraiser right! But what I want to know is what happened to the Wilocx trust thing? Did Jack get it right, are those guys going to jail? Hope so - I know tom Odak is behind doing the right thing and supports Jack on this - let us know what the story is.
No, Jack was wrong again or as usual, too bad he had to drag Tom Odak out and through his mess - read your own link
that the town has since learned that the Bank of New York is the official trustee of the fund.
He also addressed the problem that Jack Campisi had brought up in December that the check stubs displayed the town drawing on the principal of the fund instead of solely on the income.
"For various tax reasons, they informed us that they must pay out 5% of the overall worth. What we're trying to decide is the appropriate action by the Town Board," Talmage said.
Anderson then said that she has read through Wilcox's will in its entirety, and "in the will, it says that only the income is to be distributed."
However, Anderson spoke with Kelly Roach at the Bank of New York, as well as various people in the tax department of the bank and other partners at her firm who work with trusts, and Carl DiStefano in the state Attorney General's office.
"There is a specific provision that in order to qualify as a charitable trust, at least 5% of the value must be paid out. If it's not income, then it must be principal. The law reads into her will that she wanted it to be a charitable trust and so do I," said Anderson.
In the town's first official comment on the issue, Williams asked that the board present a formal resolution that the receipt of 5%, either in principal or interest, is appropriate, and that the town is under no obligation to return the money that has been drawn from the principal thus far.
Combe-Clark then added that not only is the town not under obligation to return the money, but that they legally cannot do so.
"We will look into moving the fund to a higher-interest yielding account," said Combe-Clark after the meeting, but the board is not sure that they can do so under the terms of the will and trust.
No information was found by Anderson to address the issue of the trustees that was raised by Tom Odak at the December meeting.
Anderson found that the will did not stipulate any individual trustees.
How is it that my town taxes rose from $876 for 2006 to $1,150 for 2007. What about all that "surplus" that the financial wizard promised would be given back to the taxpayer?
To appraiser_bob: Is there any chance of you becoming Milan's very own supervisor_bob? You seem to have a real grasp of the issues! Think about it....I'm counting the days too!
Think about it Jim Jeffreys and Bobbi Egan - and Milan filled with gravel mines, strip malls and cookie cutter developements - good idea.
There were no subdivisions of any significance (cookie cutter or otherwise) during the previous adminstration; Roe Jan gravel was there for decades (long before the previous administration) and strip malls, in fact malls of any kind, were made impermissable in the zoning law. READ THE LAW, READ THE MINUTES AND GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.
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