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.
The Town Board of the Town of Schaghticoke met for its annual Organizational Meeting on January 2, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose.
Present: Supervisor Salisbury; Councilmen Fogarty, Rustin, and Akin. Absent: Councilman Ward.
The Board set its organizational information and 2025 salaries, reviewed town policies (procurement, fixed-asset, workplace-violence, and sexual-harassment — no changes), set water- and sewer-district buy-in fees, set the 2025 holiday schedule, renewed its 2025 contracts, set the annual audit schedule, raised certain water rates, and drew from the Town Hall reserve. All resolutions passed unanimously.
Organizational basics
- Meetings: second Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall; bill-signing work sessions begin at 6:00 p.m.; a workshop is held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month, as needed.
- Depository: M&T Bank and the NY Liquid Asset Fund (NYLAF).
- Official newspapers: The Record and The Express. Public notices also appear on the official town website and the Town Hall posting board.
2025 salaries (selected)
Elected positions:
- Supervisor — $28,390
- Councilpeople (4) — $6,945 each
- Justice Thomas — $12,280; Justice Ryan — $14,420
- Highway Superintendent — $73,310
- Town Clerk — $48,475
- Tax Collector — $6,435
Appointed positions (selected): Deputy Town Clerk $37,825; Clerks to the Judges $11,435; Budget Director $62,260; Attorney (general) $23,210; Assessor $53,070; Dog Control Officer $8,730; Building/Fire Inspector $28,905; Code Enforcement Officer (Scott Frisino) $11,580; Historian $1,170; Water & Sewer Operator $61,365; Stormwater Manager (Scott Frisino) $5,855. Planning Board and ZBA members and chairs, and Highway Department hourly rates, are also set in the schedule — see the official PDF for the complete list.
Appointments & reappointments
- Reappoint Ed McDonough to the Zoning Board of Appeals, term ending 12/2029.
Financial actions
- Water rates. Increase water rates for Water Districts #1, #3, and #3E by $0.50, to $4.95 per 750 cubic feet. Resolution: Rustin · Second: Fogarty. (Later water rate and meter fee increases are covered in our news feature: what’s behind the rising water bills.)
- Town Hall reserve. Reduce the Town Hall reserve by $30,000 for a new generator and new chairs in 2024. Resolution: Rustin · Second: Akin.
- Audit schedule. Audit the Judges’ books by January 20; the Town Clerk’s and Supervisor’s books by the end of February. Resolution: Rustin · Second: Akin.
Water & sewer buy-in fees (2025)
New-connection buy-in fees: Water — Consolidated District #1, $5,000; #2, $1,600; #3, $1,600; #3e, $5,000. Sewer — Consolidated District #2, $3,298; #3, $7,372. (Speigletown is in Consolidated Water District #1.)
Other
The Board renewed all 2025 contracts (see the official PDF for the attached list) and adopted the 2025 holiday closing schedule, with noon closings on Independence Day Eve, Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. It also reaffirmed its purchasing rules — the Highway Superintendent may make emergency purchases up to $500; purchases of $500 or more require a purchase order from the Supervisor’s Office — and travel per diem set at the current New York State mileage rate, with conference meal allowances of $15 breakfast / $15 lunch / $50 dinner.
The meeting adjourned at 6:42 p.m. Resolution: Fogarty · Second: Rustin · Ayes: All · Nays: None.
Respectfully submitted by Jennifer Molesky.
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