Budget concerns, HR issues lead the Oct. 7 town board meeting

The town of Monroe approved a 12-month subscription with GOGov for a branded mobile app that would inform citizens of town-related information and alerts. During the October 7 Monroe Town Board meeting, the town agreed to replace its current CodeRed system, which has an annual cost of $6,186 per year with the GOGov subscription priced at $4,800 per year. Town Highway Superintendent James Patterson said that not only would the change save the town money, but the new service would also be able to provide a more robust list of information to the public.

Budget

Monroe residents came before the town board to discuss the preliminary budget. One resident questioned whether the $11,000 allocated for updating the town’s comprehensive plan was a reasonable amount and requested that the town form a committee involving town residents in its efforts. Councilwoman Maureen Richardson shared that the comprehensive plan was an important issue for her and cited the ongoing demographic changes and growth of Orange County. She claimed that the town received a quote of about $90,000, which would cover the studies needed to be conducted, should the town seek to purchase development rights and create a preservation tax.

Another resident asked why the streetlight budget was so high and why it fluctuated so much from year to year. Richardson alleged that the cost was related to tax credits associated with a solar farm not being able to be used by the village of Monroe, because the village was not in line with the town’s taxes. She claimed that a large amount of tax dollars were going into the solar farm but the town was not getting a lot of credits out. She said she would like to see the credits go towards the street light fund. Supervisor Tony Cardone disputed Richardson’s claims, explaining that the solar farm was finalized by the previous board and that in 2020 the town negotiated an additional payment that was reflected in the budget. He refuted Richardson’s claim that the village of Monroe was using a different tax ID number, noting that Orange and Rockland states it must be under one tax ID number. He added that the village of Monroe is receiving a small amount of credit from the solar farm and that the town is applying credit to the lights. He also noted the town’s interest in applying those credits toward other electrical needs in the town.

Events

At the meeting organizers highlighted upcoming events including the Town of Monroe Food Truck Festival planned for October 19 at O&R Park, the Trunk or Treat at O&R Park on October 26 and the Smith Clove Park Fall Festival on November 2.

Councilmember disputes

During the meeting, the board approved a resolution, with Councilwoman Mary Bingham and Councilwoman Richardson abstaining, prohibiting Richardson from attending the Food Truck Festival. The resolution cites a complaint filed by a town employee who alleged that Richardson had engaged in an act of workplace violence towards them ahead of the June 15 Food Truck Festival. The claim, according to the resolution, was investigated by Public Sector HR, which concluded that Richardson behaved aggressively and directed foul language at the town employee who was attempting to set up for the festival. The resolution further claimed that the councilwoman in question declined to cooperate with the investigation at the time it was being conducted. Because this same employee will be assisting in the upcoming Food Truck Festival in a similar manner as the one at which the incident occurred, the town board determined that it was in the best interest of their safety to prohibit Richardson from attending the event. If Richardson violates this directive, the resolution authorizes Supervisor Cardone to execute any and all documents required of any police agency with authority over the Food Truck Festival location to initiate a trespass charge on behalf of the Town of Monroe.

Richardson responded to the resolution stating that she has filed criminal charges against fellow Councilmember Sal Scancarello and has filed a workplace violence complaint against him for the date of the Food Truck Festival. She further said that she had filed 165 HR complaints, among them ones against certain members of the town board, alleging harassment and other charges, which remain unprocessed.

According to Richardson, there are videos and emails and other evidence that need to be produced in an ongoing court case where the Orange County District Attorney’s Office is processing criminal harassment charges in the second degree against Scancarello on her behalf. She said she was advised by the assistant district attorney to not consent to a cross examination regarding the incident cited in the resolution. Richardson said she still needs to give her interview with the police and that she would be happy to provide evidence once her court case against Scancarello is concluded.

“I put my name and my livelihood on the line for this town every day and I have faith in the public that they know exactly what this is and thank them for their continued support while I continue to try to do my job despite repeated harassment,” said Richardson.

Other business

At the start of the meeting Cardone lead a moment of silence in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, which resulted in the killing of more than 1,100 people and the kidnapping of more than 200 individuals, of which about 100 remain in captivity.