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 6, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Town Hall, 290 Northline Drive, Melrose.
Present: Supervisor Salisbury; Councilmen Akin, Fogarty, Rustin, and Ward.
The Board adopted its organizational information, set 2026 salaries, reviewed and reaffirmed town policies (investment, procurement, fixed-asset, workplace-violence, and sexual-harassment — no changes), set water- and sewer-district buy-in fees, set the 2026 holiday schedule, renewed its 2026 contracts, and made annual appointments. 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 Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System (NYCLASS).
- Official newspapers: The Record and The Express. Public notices also appear on the official town website and the Town Hall posting board.
2026 salaries (selected)
Elected positions:
- Supervisor — $30,000
- Councilpeople (4) — $7,200 each
- Justice Thomas — $12,650; Justice Ryan — $14,855
- Highway Superintendent — $75,750
- Town Clerk — $51,000
- Tax Collector — $6,630
Appointed positions (selected): Deputy Town Clerk $38,000; Budget Director $64,310; Town Attorney (general) $23,905; Assessor $54,660; Water & Sewer Operator $63,205; Building/Fire Inspector $29,770; Code Enforcement Officer $11,930; Dog Control Officer $8,990; Historian $1,205. 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 Elizabeth Hale to the Planning Board, term ending 12/2032.
- Reappoint Lettie Saheim to the Zoning Board of Appeals, term ending 12/2030.
- Appoint James LaValle as Deputy Town Attorney for the Town of Schaghticoke.
2026 community contracts
- Diver Memorial Library — $12,000
- Knickerbocker Historical Society — $3,000
- Entertainment Committee — $3,500
- Village of Schaghticoke (for the Youth Commission) — $6,790
- Hoosic Valley Athletic Association — $4,500
- Hoosic Valley Rescue Squad — $28,400
- Hoosic Valley Rescue Squad (EMT & paramedics) — $706,580
- Dog Shelter Agreement — $1,000 plus fees
- County Waste — $380,208.06
Water & sewer buy-in fees (2026)
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, $7,867. (Speigletown is in Consolidated Water District #1.)
Other
The Board also adopted the 2026 holiday closing schedule (with noon closings on several holiday eves), and 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 approximately 6:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by the Town Clerk (Jennifer Molesky).
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