Middletown council approves Little League donation, pay changes, grants and South Street parking work; denies one sewer adjustment

The Middletown City Council on May 1 approved a series of consent and action items ranging from a $3,500 donation from the Middletown Little League to personnel pay changes, grant acceptance and authorization of additional construction services for the South Street parking platform. One request to adjust a water and sewer bill for 10 William Street died for lack of a motion.

Councilmember Rodriguez moved approval of the consent items and the motions were seconded by the mayor or by Rodriguez as recorded during the meeting. The council voted to accept the Middletown Little League donation of $3,500 toward infield clay; to approve adjustments to pay for part‑time permanent employees in the Parks Department; and to authorize a $40 hourly rate for Danielle, a year‑round certified American Red Cross instructor and water safety instructor who teaches Red Cross certification classes and lifeguard training for the city.

The council also approved naming for the Middletown Reservoir mountain‑bike trails as recommended by the Board of Estimate — the LYNE Line (or Line) Trail, Ouch Trail, Simon Says and Pitter Potter Loop — and approved an update to the city credit‑card policy that authorizes the Secretary to the Commission of Civil Service to possess a city credit card with a $2,000 limit.

On grants and budgets, the council: - amended an ARPA resolution retroactive to Dec. 31, 2024, to cover an O & W renovation contract that may qualify under ARPA rules; - amended Resolution 99‑25 to accept increased STOP‑DWI enforcement funding ($8,000, up from $6,210) for the enforcement period of March 10 through Jan. 1, 2026, and authorized signing of the agreement; - accepted reimbursable grant funding awarded to the Police Department from the New York State Office of Mental Health totaling $75,000 for a service coordinator position, authorized acceptance of $37,500 for the first half of 2025 to cover payroll costs, and amended the item to authorize the mayor to sign the employment contract when executed; - authorized the treasurer to transfer $90,000 within the city budget (approximately $80,000 to cover retiree payouts for unused sick leave and $10,000 for finance office postage and mailing for the remainder of the year).

The council voted to approve a proposed amendment to the contract with CPL (consulting/engineering) for construction‑phase services for the South Street parking platform in the amount of $92,000, and authorized the mayor to sign the agreement. The $92,000 is described in the meeting as part of an approximately $4.9 million total project cost. Council and staff discussed schedule dependencies tied to Orange and Rockland’s power‑line relocation work and required state approvals related to tree removal and bat roosting; staff said they will not send a letter of award until Orange and Rockland provides a construction schedule.

A request to adjust water and sewer charges for the property at 10 William Street was discussed; staff reported intermittent, difficult‑to‑detect leaks and an unusual billing jump on a later meter read. Council members discussed the plumbing receipts and whether the plumber was licensed in Middletown. No motion was made and the request “died for lack of motion.”

All other motions on the agenda were approved as presented. Remarks and roll calls during votes were brief; where the meeting record shows only “All in favor? Aye,” those items are reported here as approved without a detailed individualized roll‑call recorded in the transcript.

The meeting adjourned after the listed items were considered.