Unofficial summary. This is a community summary of the town's official minutes, provided so the record is searchable and readable. It condenses the meeting and may omit detail. The official signed PDF is the complete record of authority.
A note on the link above: the town’s PDF of these minutes is no longer available on the town’s website, so the “Official PDF” link is an unaltered copy we host. It is a scan, so the text in it is not searchable — our summary above is. For a certified copy, ask the Town Clerk.
The Town Board of the Town of Schaghticoke met in special session at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, for public hearings on the Hoosic Valley Fire Protection District contract and the 2025 town budget.
Present: Supervisor Salisbury and Councilmen Akin, Fogarty, Rustin, and Ward.
Public hearing — 2025–27 Hoosic Valley Fire Protection District contract
Supervisor Salisbury opened the hearing at 6:00 p.m. Representatives of the Hoosic Valley Volunteer Fire Protection District — Jim and Kim Boyce and Jeff McGreevy — were present. The contract carries no increase for 2025 and will rise 2% in 2026 and 2027. The Board closed the hearing (Akin · Ward · all).
Public hearing — 2025 town budget
Supervisor Salisbury opened the hearing and explained the main drivers: insurance rates up 13%, New York State retirement up $40,000 (towns are asked to cover state retirement increases), and a 3% Rescue Squad increase for employee salaries. There is no increase for garbage this year, and the preliminary town budget increase is 2%. The Board closed the hearing at 6:33 p.m. (Fogarty · Rustin · all).
2025 preliminary budget by fund
| Fund | Appropriations | Revenues | Fund balance | Tax to be raised |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General — town-wide | $970,542.00 | $406,100.00 | $52,846.00 | $511,596.00 |
| General — part-town | $152,769.00 | $23,961.00 | $2,440.00 | $126,368.00 |
| Highway — town-wide | $713,812.00 | $4,000.00 | $161,876.00 | $547,936.00 |
| Highway — part-town | $1,645,638.00 | $1,114,986.00 | $267,212.00 | $263,440.00 |
| Pleasantdale Fire | $218,550.00 | — | — | $218,550.00 |
| Melrose Fire | $540,887.67 | — | — | $540,887.67 |
| Speigletown Fire | $313,640.00 | — | — | $313,640.00 |
| Hemstreet Park Fire | $162,308.00 | — | — | $162,308.00 |
| Johnsonville Fire | $101,632.00 | — | — | $101,632.00 |
| Hoosic Valley Ambulance Dist. | $714,400.00 | — | — | $714,400.00 |
| Hoosic Valley FPD | $109,040.00 | — | $983.00 | $108,057.00 |
| Solid Waste Impr. Dist. | $651,020.00 | $11,000.00 | $1,830.00 | $638,190.00 |
| Melrose Light Dist. | $8,000.00 | — | $2,450.00 | $5,550.00 |
| Hemstreet Pk. Light Dist. | $11,500.00 | — | — | $11,500.00 |
| Pleasantdale Light Dist. | $16,000.00 | — | $1,200.00 | $14,800.00 |
| Consolidated Water #1 | $330,960.00 | $178,500.00 | $8,093.00 | $144,367.00 |
| Water District #2 | $153,626.00 | $81,900.00 | $19,408.00 | $52,318.00 |
| Water District #3 | $172,736.00 | $108,100.00 | $14,797.00 | $49,839.00 |
| Water District #3E | $5,285.00 | $1,420.00 | $675.00 | $3,190.00 |
| Consolidated Sewer 1 & 2 | $69,312.00 | — | $4,628.00 | $64,684.00 |
| Sewer District #3 | $221,433.00 | $77,100.00 | $12,168.00 | $132,165.00 |
| Totals | $7,283,090.67 | $2,007,067.00 | $550,606.00 | $4,725,417.67 |
The formal adoption of the 2025 budget and the fire-district contract took place at the regular meeting on November 13, 2024.
Respectfully submitted by Jennifer Molesky, Town Clerk.
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