Votes at a glance: Rhinebeck trustees approve budget adjustments, personnel actions, events and bids

The Village of Rhinebeck trustees took multiple routine actions by voice vote during their March meeting. Below are the key approvals recorded in the meeting minutes.

Budget amendments and prepaids - Approved budget amendments to pay two invoices from 2021 for streets-department plow equipment: $15,004.58 (for a 2021 Ram 5500 plow) and $13,000 (for a 2022 Ram 3500 plow). Officials said the equipment had been received in 2021 but invoicing had been delayed. - Approved payment from the fire department capital for EMS stretcher equipment (third payment to Stryker) of $18,024 (payment line identified as 18024) and an apron/driveway payment of $152,600 for fire department work the board previously approved; officials said the physical work is complete. - Approved a set of prepaids and vouchers, described as bond payments, escrow returns and water/sewer transfers. Specific prepaid amounts cited included bond payments totaling $63,008.97 and an escrow return of $2,008.89. Vouchers were brought forward for board signatures.

Contracts, bids, and procurement - Approved an amendment to the Village of Rhinebeck fire contract to include the Town Protective District (covered in a separate article). - Approved a two-year streetlight maintenance contract with first-year routine-maintenance fee of $6,900 and second-year fee of $7,107, with the stipulation that the first-year $6,900 invoice be billed in fiscal year 2025'26 (see separate article). - Awarded the tree-planting bid to Colorado Landscape Management in the amount of $11,691.37. Trustees said the work is funded by a Frost Foundation grant that allows purchase of larger balled-and-burlap trees and that the locations were pre-cleared with regional DOT staff. Trustees also recorded that they received four bids and rejected two low bidders as not sufficiently detailed; the awardee provided the required scope and permitting coordination.

Personnel and appointments - Appointed Andrew McDermott from Wastewater Operator Trainee to Class 2 Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator and raised his hourly rate from $23 to $25, effective at the start of the current pay period. - Reappointed Tim Decker to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term ending March 31, 2030 (no other applicant applied). - Appointed Josh Stager to a regular seat on the Planning Board for a term ending March 31, 2030, filling a vacancy created when Jeff Christiansen declined to re-up.

Programs, events and community items - Approved Rhinebeck Central School District participation in the Dutchess County School Bus Safety (stop-arm enforcement) program; the village will receive a 10% revenue share of adjudicated $250 fines ($25) for violations that occur within village jurisdiction. The program is administered by Dutchess County and violations are adjudicated in county court. - Approved special-event requests: Rhinebeck Lions Club Easter egg hunt at Rockefeller Park on April 12, 2025 (rain date April 19) and the Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride route staging from the Fairgrounds. - Approved multiple training and conference attendance requests for staff and volunteers (water/wastewater technical workshops, fire-law conference attendance, and a Climate Solutions summit). The board approved reimbursements and asked that village vehicles not be used outside jurisdiction for those conferences. - Adopted the village organics management plan as submitted to support Climate Smart and resilience reporting.

Votes were recorded by voice; the meeting minutes do not include roll-call tallies for these items. If a reader needs the exact line-item or voucher numbers, the village clerk or treasurer holds the accounting records and the signed vouchers referenced at the meeting.