OUR TOWN….
SUCH A NICE PLACE TO LIVE
AND RAISE A FAMILY.
I was going to rant and rave about
Town Hall, again, until I ran across an article in the Village Tattler, by
Jeffrey Thompson. I will post a few excerpts from the article and provide a
link to the complete article. Mr. Thompson has captured the sentiments that the
Town citizens might want to follow. This is all about our tax dollars, aka your
money, which is being stolen right out from under us by a corrupt
administration in Town Hall. It took me a while to find what I was looking for,
and another while to get through it all. What I did find is that our money is
going places you wouldn’t imagine in a million years. What follows is a listing
of some of the “low-lights” our Town government has given us just in the week
since the “head of beast” was re-elected.
Just two days after this year’s election, the Town Council
met to vote on next year’s Budget. Heaven forbid the meeting should be well
attended! Come on, folks, there should be standing room only at these meetings,
and, until there is, our Town government will exercise free reign on spending
our money.
From the Budget (short form):
11/8/2013 - Board Approves Petrone’s 2014 Budget
Proposal
“The Huntington Town Board has
approved Supervisor Frank P. Petrone’s 2014 Operating Budget, a $185.2 spending
plan.... By the same vote, the Board approved the $8.8 million Capital Budget”
Two very separate numbers that bring into play the
exempting of borrowing in the Capital Budget. This was stated in proposition #5
as being solely for the Sewer District. Don’t bet that you were told the entire
story on that one.
“Planned initiatives for 2014 and
beyond include: the completion of Coral Park, the reconstruction of the Gerard
Street Parking Lot, a new bulkhead at the Halesite Town dock, the construction
of a new rowing facility, funding for technology initiatives and for protection
of our environment.”
This all comes under the “Capital Expenditures”
category, which is separate from the main Budget. I didn’t know that everyone
in the Town of Huntington was into rowing. The Gerard St. parking Lot make-over
is going to yield perhaps four (4) more parking spaces. Technology initiatives
and protecting our environment are gray areas where the spending can be easily
hidden from the Public’s view, hence an increased possibility of misuse. I dare
anyone to try to find out just who is going to be doing all this
“construction”. There exists a past history of “crony-ism” that will probably
ensure that, for these projects, the correct construction company
gets the job.
“…authorized sending a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals
supporting the Huntington YMCA’s plan for a new building and the construction
of new parking facilities on Town land.”
Remember the ballot proposal #7 on the back side of our
paper ballots? No? I didn’t think you did. For those of us who did take a peek
at the back side of our ballots, the ink wasn’t even dry before the special
“eminent domain” kicked in for another expansion of the YMCA (on land the Town
owns, or has the developmental rights to).
Here’s another example of the Petrone administration
wasting no time exercising that #7 ballot proposal to deed land that the Town
owns, or has the development rights to, over to private business instead of the
stated public services option.
“The Huntington Station-related
resolutions set December 10 public hearings on zoning measures related to
two Huntington Station revitalization projects: the Columbia Terrace housing
development at Railroad Street and Lowndes Avenue and the possibility of a
hotel across the street, as supported by the community in the recently adopted
Huntington Station development strategy. If adopted, the resolutions would
change the zoning to a more appropriate category for
the envisioned 14-unit Columbia Terrace proposal and adjust the zoning on the
property that is now a municipal parking lot to allow for construction of a
hotel. Sitting as the board of the Community Development Agency, the Board
also approved hiring Jeffrey A. Hartman, P.C., for design and engineering
services for the Columbia Terrace development.
And, the lack of transparency never ceases to amaze.
“…set a public hearing for 9 a.m.
December 6 on a proposed local law that will grant one-time property tax relief
for homes damaged by Super Storm Sandy.”
December 6th is a Friday. And, who in their
right mind set a 9 AM as a time for a homeowner to grieve on relief of
anything? Come on, folks, are they treating this as a joke?
I find it unfortunate that folks in Huntington didn’t have
the foresight to check into this before the elections last week. Perhaps, next
year (2014) we can get the word out with sufficient lead time to educate the
population of Huntington, our “All-American Town”.
Would you buy a used car from this man?
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