Middletown Council meets Tonight at 7
You already know that the Glass Onion wants to move across the street, right? That's on tonight's agenda along with some other items worth watching. I'll be a no-show. Lots of rest works best for me right now. I'm also not supposed to be driving. I can live with that.
I've been keeping an eye on taxation cancellations. Owed taxes can get cancelled for a number of reasons, but the one I am currently eyeballing is "assess in excess of fair value." This would appear to be that if you sell your home for more than it's assessed (very probable today), your tax bill needs to be based on its selling price. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I do believe from the properties I see being forgiven tax monies that this is the case. Not exactly fair to all the rest of us who have also seen our home values dropped.
The town received blokc grants from the State. The Senior Center rec'd $4000. Is this to be deducted from their current budget or added on? We overfund the Center & have never rec'd an accurate account of current paying membership. I noticed in the Center's last meeting they want to increase membership. Good move. Why is it a local department anyone? Not so elsewhere.
I see that Joe Matose is also donating a painting to the town. He does nice work & I look forward to seeing it sometime.
Councilman "Tries harder" DiPalma has a resolution applicable to group homes. They would need a special use permit under this new law rather than the current right to locate anywhere that they now have. The Board of Review would have the right to turn down their application for a group home if it could be proven that it would have an adverse affect on the neighbohood. Parking availability would also figure into approval.
This would seem to trump state law designed to prevent such action, but I'm no legal eagle. Sets each group home up for a neighborhood fight. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Word may not have yet gotten out on this resolution yet, but it will. Nothing in this resolution applies if the group home is for under six individuals.
I have a group home in my neighborhood and I'd like to see more of these around. I'd rather see neighbors sitting down friendly-like & talking. This won't do it but perhaps it's a start. I also think that this will entail a legal fight with the State over whose law takes precedence.
There will also be some discussion on the new senior housing condos on Forest Ave. The neighbors have concerns. Good for them. They have a blog. See it at left.
There will also be more trash talk. There are 3 board openings. Two of them have only one applicant each. Sad. Especially when one is the Library. After all the public brouhaha over there recently, you'd think more people would step up to the plate when it counts.
Another appointment is partisan to the Board of Canvassers - this group ensures the validity of our elections. One "nomination" is from Don Lavine, current Dem. Party Chair. The Rep. Chair never makes any. This woman may be a saint for all I know. But she was a registered Republican for the last election & an Ind. before. She's been a Dem. for less than a month.
The Chair (neighbor of Senior Center Dir. ), was born in 1932 is a reigstered Republican. The second member (there are 3), born 1932 is a current Undecided voter (strange choice for a Dem. Chair) has voted in both Rep. & Dem. primaries. Hey, no problemo.
The new person put forth lives on Green End Ave. (near Senior Ctr.) and was born in 1931. Hmm, see a pattern here?
This board meets & posts agendas but no minutes. Why not? Why all the close connections to the Sr. Ctr. Director? Why ALL senior women? This group is supposed to be partisan to ensure that elections/registrations are run fairly. Sound fair to you? Was it advertised? How come no application is filled out? I doth protest.
I've been keeping an eye on taxation cancellations. Owed taxes can get cancelled for a number of reasons, but the one I am currently eyeballing is "assess in excess of fair value." This would appear to be that if you sell your home for more than it's assessed (very probable today), your tax bill needs to be based on its selling price. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I do believe from the properties I see being forgiven tax monies that this is the case. Not exactly fair to all the rest of us who have also seen our home values dropped.
The town received blokc grants from the State. The Senior Center rec'd $4000. Is this to be deducted from their current budget or added on? We overfund the Center & have never rec'd an accurate account of current paying membership. I noticed in the Center's last meeting they want to increase membership. Good move. Why is it a local department anyone? Not so elsewhere.
I see that Joe Matose is also donating a painting to the town. He does nice work & I look forward to seeing it sometime.
Councilman "Tries harder" DiPalma has a resolution applicable to group homes. They would need a special use permit under this new law rather than the current right to locate anywhere that they now have. The Board of Review would have the right to turn down their application for a group home if it could be proven that it would have an adverse affect on the neighbohood. Parking availability would also figure into approval.
This would seem to trump state law designed to prevent such action, but I'm no legal eagle. Sets each group home up for a neighborhood fight. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Word may not have yet gotten out on this resolution yet, but it will. Nothing in this resolution applies if the group home is for under six individuals.
I have a group home in my neighborhood and I'd like to see more of these around. I'd rather see neighbors sitting down friendly-like & talking. This won't do it but perhaps it's a start. I also think that this will entail a legal fight with the State over whose law takes precedence.
There will also be some discussion on the new senior housing condos on Forest Ave. The neighbors have concerns. Good for them. They have a blog. See it at left.
There will also be more trash talk. There are 3 board openings. Two of them have only one applicant each. Sad. Especially when one is the Library. After all the public brouhaha over there recently, you'd think more people would step up to the plate when it counts.
Another appointment is partisan to the Board of Canvassers - this group ensures the validity of our elections. One "nomination" is from Don Lavine, current Dem. Party Chair. The Rep. Chair never makes any. This woman may be a saint for all I know. But she was a registered Republican for the last election & an Ind. before. She's been a Dem. for less than a month.
The Chair (neighbor of Senior Center Dir. ), was born in 1932 is a reigstered Republican. The second member (there are 3), born 1932 is a current Undecided voter (strange choice for a Dem. Chair) has voted in both Rep. & Dem. primaries. Hey, no problemo.
The new person put forth lives on Green End Ave. (near Senior Ctr.) and was born in 1931. Hmm, see a pattern here?
This board meets & posts agendas but no minutes. Why not? Why all the close connections to the Sr. Ctr. Director? Why ALL senior women? This group is supposed to be partisan to ensure that elections/registrations are run fairly. Sound fair to you? Was it advertised? How come no application is filled out? I doth protest.
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