Millbrook Village Board gets technical as it organizes for the year ahead

MILLBROOK — The Village Board met the evening of Wednesday, Jan 5, for its annual reorganization meeting. Mayor Tim Collopy swiftly got the meeting underway.     

Village Clerk Sarah Witt administered the Oath of Office to the mayor and the recently-elected trustees. Newly-elected Trustee Peter Doro was sworn in for a one-year term. Trustee Vickie Contino was appointed deputy mayor.

Collopy reappointed Kay Vanderlyn to the Planning Board (PB). Vanderlyn will serve until 2026; she will take her oath at a later time.

The  Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) reappointments were tabled for later.

Per shared services, the TOW will be used for additional snow removal, highway support and animal control.

The official daily newspaper is the Poughkeepsie Journal; the official weekly newspaper is The Millerton News.

The official depository is the Bank of Millbrook.

Business meetings will be held on the second and fourth (if needed) Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Millbrook firehouse, Village Hall, or via Zoom for virtual meetings. Special meetings may be called by the mayor or two trustees acting together. Board members must be properly advised; the village clerk must notify the news media to the extent possible, as well as the community, as per the proper channels.

The mayor shall preside at all board meetings; if absent, the deputy mayor, then the trustee with the most years of service shall preside. Minutes will be taken by the village clerk. The agenda will be prepared by the mayor no later than by the Monday before the meeting and will be posted on the website that Monday; trustees may add agenda items before or during the course of a meeting.

Each trustees has one vote. The mayor may vote on any item but must vote in the case of a tie. Motions may be made by any member of the board and require a second in order to be considered for a vote. As per state guidelines in-person public participation will be at all village meetings on agenda items as well as at the mayor’s discretion.

Others items  addressed included advance claims notices; vendor and labor charges, etc.

Attendance at school and conferences (including webinars) by any trustee or village official at annual training and conferences must be approved in advance by the Village Board.

Breach Policy; Civilian Complaint Procedure, Credit Card Policy, Computer Backup Policy; Official Undertaking, Procurement Policy & Quote Form and Health Emergency Plans may all be found on the village website.

Also on the website: Shade Tree Commission By-Laws: Electronic Devices and Information Technology (IT) Policies; and Violence in the Workplace Policy, which must be completed annually by all staff and board members; along with Sexual Harassment Training.

Code of Ethics: Conflict of Interest Forms are to be filled out annually by all members of the board and given to the village clerk. The Board of Ethics shall have the powers and duties prescribed by Article 18 of the General Municipal Law and any Code of Ethics adopted pursuant to such article under the rules and regulations as the board may prescribe.

The Community Review Board shall be comprised of the village’s police officer in charge or alternate senior officer, a Village Board member and an appointed resident of the village. This board will meet as necessary to review any complaints but at least once a year to make recommendations to the Village Board for changes in policy or procedures. A formal complaint form will be created for use to register any complaints by the deputy mayor.

The general responsibilities of the Shade Tree Commission is for its members to serve in an advisory capacity to the Village Board, to assist the village highway superintendent in management of the tree inventory, to plan and conduct Arbor Day activities and to participate in special projects such as tree plantings.

The fee schedule for Millbrook’s Building Department and water and sewer rates are listed on the website, www.villageofmillbrookny.com. VRI was designated as superintendent for both the water and sewer departments. The fees for the Building, Planning and Zoning Department are also listed on the website.