Town of Crawford
County of Orange
State of New York
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Town of Crawford Town Board will hold a public hearing for the purpose of discussing the Town of Crawford Consolidation Plan on Thursday, August 15, 2024, 7:00pm at the Crawford Town Hall, 121 State Route 302, Pine Bush, New York. A copy of the Consolidation Plan may be examined on the Town of Crawford website and at the following locations: Town Clerk Bulletin Board in Town Hall, Pine Bush Post Office Bulletin Board, Thompson Ridge Post Office, and Bullville Post Office Bulletin Board.
The Town of Crawford will make every effort to assure that the hearing is accessible to persons with disabilities. Anyone requiring special assistance and/or reasonable accommodations should contact the Town Clerk.
Date: June 20, 2024
BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD
TOWN OF CRAWFORD
Jessica M. Kempter, Town Clerk
CONSOLIDATION PLAN
The stated goals of the Petition for a Consolidated Town of Crawford is to establish a village with the same boundaries as the Town of Crawford in order to give the Town government greater authority, flexibility and efficiency to provide services to its residents without increasing costs by authorizing the Town government to exercise the powers of a village while continuing to operate a single government as a town. The electorate voted to establish a new village having boundaries coterminous with the Town’s boundaries and to consolidate the new village and the Town of Crawford.
The State Comptroller’s office (OSC) subsequently informed the Town’s attorney that such consolidation would create a single government and would not accomplish the goals of the petition and that incorporation of the village with coterminous boundaries alone accomplishes the goals of the petition. Therefore, having established the new village having coterminous boundaries with the Town, the goals of the petition are accomplished, and proceeding with consolidation of governments would not achieve the goals of the petition.
Since the voters approved a consolidation, the state General Municipal Law §760 requires the Town Board to prepare a consolidation plan. In order to accomplish the goals of the petition and the voters, the plan is to maintain the status quo of a village having coterminous boundaries with the Town of Crawford.
The plan, in response to each of the items set forth in General Municipal Law §760(2), is as follows:
(a) Governments. The two government entities are the Town of Crawford and Village of Crawford, which, in order to achieve the goals of the petition, shall not be consolidated.
(b) Name of Governments. Town of Crawford and Village of Crawford, to be known as the “Town of Crawford”.
(c) Rights, Duties and Obligations. The Town/Village of Crawford will be principally operated as a town. The Town of Crawford shall possess all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of a town, together with the rights and powers of a village. In the case of conflict between the rights and powers of a town and a village, the Town Board may determine which shall be applicable. If additional rights, powers or privileges are granted in the future by New York State to towns and/or villages, the Town shall have such rights and powers.
(d) Territorial Boundaries. The territorial boundaries of the entities each shall be the boundaries of the Town of Crawford.
(e) Type and/or Class. The type of the local government entities shall be a town and a village.
(f) Organization and Officials. The Town of Crawford and Village of Crawford shall remain organized as a town and shall have the same positions for officials and employees, both elected and appointed, as the Town of Crawford. The role of each elected official shall not change. Officials shall possess any additional powers of corresponding village officials, with the exception that the Town Supervisor will not possess the chief executive powers of a village mayor. If there is a conflict between the powers of a town official and corresponding village official, the Town Board shall determine which powers are applicable.
To the extent that Town officials are required to also act as Village officials, the Town Supervisor shall act as a village mayor (except the Town Supervisor shall not have the chief executive powers of a village mayor), Town Board members shall act as Village trustees, and the Town Clerk shall act as a Village clerk. There shall be no separate elections for village officials, except to the extent required, in which case the same person shall seek election for the town office and corresponding village office. There is no need for a transitional plan and the schedule for elections and appointments of officials will be retained.
(g) Costs and Savings. There will be minimal transition costs. The intention is for the government to operate more efficiently and with increased powers.
(h) Assets. The Town’s assets are set forth in its annual report, incorporated herein by reference and publicly available in the Town Clerk’s office. This plan will not affect Town or Village assets.
(i) Liabilities and Indebtedness. The Town’s liabilities and indebtedness are set forth in its annual report, incorporated herein by reference and publicly available in the Town Clerk’s office. This plan will not affect Town or Village liabilities and indebtedness.
(j) Terms of Disposition. The Town will retain its assets, liabilities and indebtedness. The Village will not have independent assets, liabilities or indebtedness.
(k) Laws, Rules and Regulations. The Town’s laws, rules, regulations, orders and the like, as may be amended from time to time, shall remain in full force and effect in the Town and Village, and shall be administered and enforced accordingly.
(l) Effective Date of Consolidation. In order to achieve the purposes and goals of the petition, there shall be no effective date of consolidation.
(m) Descriptive Summary of Plan. This Plan shall also constitute a descriptive summary of the Plan.
(n) Notice of Hearing on Plan. A public hearing on the Plan shall be held on August 15, 2024, at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall, Route 302, Pine Bush, New York 12566.
Our Highway Department is responsible for the year-round maintenance of all town roads. They can be seen repairing road ways, trimming road side tree lines and plowing snow. Please show all of our Highway Department driving courtesy for everyone's safety!
Monday - Friday: 7:00am - 3pm Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 2pm
Effective from mid April until the first Monday after Labor Day Monday - Thursday, 6am - 4pm, closed Friday. Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 8am - 3:30pm, closed Friday.
As we approach the winter season we would like to make aware that nothing is more tragic than a child being hit by a snowplow! Snow tunnels in road side snow banks will be destroyed by the Highway workers! They are extremely dangerous, as plow drivers cannot see children playing inside them. Please warn children of the dangers of building them near roadways. Kids of all ages love snow! We want everyone to have a fun, but safe winter season.
Please remember that cars should not be parked on any Town road during a Winter Storm. Parked vehicles obstruct snow plowing operations and the vehicles may be damaged by the plows.
During and after significant snow storms, the Highway Department, in the course of plowing, receives phone calls regarding damage to mailboxes, either from snow plows directly or from the force of snow being thrown by the plows. If such damage is indeed caused by snow removal, It is not done intentionally but is an unfortunate consequence of snow removal. As far as the Highway Department replacing damaged mailboxes, it must be pointed out that there is no statutory or legal authority which grants a property owner or resident along a public highway any right to place a mailbox in a highway right-of-way. That the mailbox is on town, county or state right-of-way is a courtesy to the postal service. Thus, when the necessity of keeping highways open, conflicts with the individuals reception of the mail, the latter must stand aside. The owner might even be compelled to remove the box under Highway Law #319. From past experience, we have found that plastic mail boxes do not withstand the abuse of snow from the plows hitting them and are not recommended. Please check your mailbox for possible repairs. If your mailbox is damaged because of a rotten post or rusted box, the town will not repair it. As a courtesy, the Highway Department will place a temporary box so that a resident can receive mail if their box is damaged by the plow, but we will not replace any fancy mailbox or box. Mailbox posts with fancy supports are not recommended as they stick down under the box and give the wing plow something to get hold of. A standard metal mailbox mounted directly on top of a treated 4x4 post placed 41"-45" high to the bottom of the mailbox is the most cost effective and best solution to maintaining your mailbox during the winter seasons. If your mailbox is knocked down during the winter season we recommend the temporary use of a 4x4 wooden post and a metal mailbox cemented into a 5 gallon bucket. This will allow movement of the mailbox out of the town right of way during inclement weather.
Section 115-7 Depositing snow and ice in streets prohibited. No person, firm or corporation shall deposit, throw, place or strew nor shall any person, firm or corporation cause to be deposited, thrown, placed or strewn any snow or ice upon any street, avenue or roadway within the Town.
Section 115-8 Piling snow on streets or private land; visual obstructions. A. No person, firm or corporation shall pile, gather up, plow up or in any way force any snow or ice upon any street, avenue or roadway onto any other street, avenue or roadway within the Town. B. No person, firm or corporation shall pile, gather up, plow or in any way force any snow or ice upon any terrace or parcel of land within six feet of any street, avenue or roadway in such a manner as to cause the height of the snow and ice so piled, gathered, plowed or forced to exceed three feet six inches in height above the existing natural grade of said terrace or parcel of land within six feet of said street, except that it shall be unlawful to cover a fire hydrant with snow or ice. C. Any person, firm or corporation piling, gathering or plowing up snow or ice on any public street, avenue or roadway or to an excess height, as indicated in Subsection B, shall forthwith remove the same at his or its expense, upon the request of the Town
Section 115-9 Snow emergencies A. There is hereby declared to exist in the Town an emergency by reason of a heavy snowstorm whenever snow falls during any period of 24 hours or less to a depth of 2-1/2 inches or more, in that such storm constitutes a serious public hazard impairing transportation, the movement of food and fuel supplies, medical care, fire, health and police protection and other vital facilities of the Town. Such an emergency is declared to continue for a period of 24 hours or until such earlier time as snowplowing operations have been declared completed by the Highway Superintendent. B. Whenever, such an emergency exists and the Highway Superintendent shall have caused announcement thereof to be made by the local radio station, whose normal operating range covers the Town, it shall be unlawful for any person to park or suffer to be parked any vehicle of any kind or description between the hours of 9:00pm and 6:00am, inclusive, upon any street, avenue or roadway in the Town, provided that vehicles may be parked for a period of time not longer than three minutes for actual loading of passengers or 30 minutes for actual loading or unloading of property, provided further that no other ordinance or local law restricting parking as to place or time is violated thereby.
Q: I have a dead tree in my yard. Who is responsible for cutting and hauling it? A: The Highway Department is responsible if it is the town right-of-way (within 25 feet from the center of the road). Otherwise, you are responsible for the tree. We do not remove trees unless they are a hazard to the roadway. We also do not remove trees that have grown into utility wires. You will need to contact your utility company first.
Q: Who is responsible for the removal of dead animals? A: The Highway Department will remove the dead animal if it is in/within a Town maintained road. Dead animals on State or County Roads should be referred to the appropriate agency.
Q: When are you going to plow my road? A: We have 78 miles of road to salt and plow. Our plow routes take approximately 3.5 – 4 hours to complete. Your road will be addressed sometime during each plow run.
Q: Who fixes potholes and road damage? A: The Highway Department is responsible as long as it is a Town maintained road. Any State or County Road should be referred to the appropriate agency.
The entire Highway Department would like to express their sincere thanks to all of you who stopped to visit us at the Fall Harvest Festival. We introduced Touch-A-Truck for the first time in 2012 and enjoyed our visits by both Little and Big Kids. This year we had the pleasure of meeting more of our little wonders as well as those who returned, another year older and even more intrigued.
Knowledge is a wonderful gift and we want to provide the opportunity for kids of all ages to learn that their passion for TRUCKS doesn't have to stop at High School. Whether repairing or operating equipment it's a great privilege knowing that you are working within your own community and making a difference. This is the next generation of Machine Operators. Why not let them know how rewarding being a Machine Operator can be!