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Poestenkill board and residents press for answers on leaks, meters and a questioned $70,000 budget line
Summary
Residents and board members urged clearer accounting and remediation after officials reported a major water leak and debated whether a $70,000 budget contingency line reflected unmetered water costs; the board asked the water advisory group to help clarify meter/tap fees and future budgeting.
Residents and town officials spent a substantial portion of the meeting focused on water-district operations, unmetered use, and budget treatment of system losses.
Board members reported the discovery of several leaks, including a 3/4-inch service losing roughly "40 to 50,000 gallons a day," and that District 1 had averaged about "138,000 gallons a day" before repair work reduced usage. A council member summarized normal daily usage and recent reductions: "we're use usually between, like, a 150, a 160,000 gallons a day. Right now, we're right with, like, 96 to, like, a 110," indicating progress after repairs.
Several residents pushed back on the budget, asking why a roughly $70,000 contingency or unmetered-use line remained and whether new taps should carry additional fees to compensate long-time district payers. One resident said the $70,000 figure in the budget looked unexplained and suggested past accounting errors had not been fully corrected; board members said they would review budget lines, involve the water advisory committee, and pursue clarifications on meter locations and shutoffs.
Board members also discussed operational fixes (identifying shutoffs, tapping fees, and meter placements) and said they would recruit advisory-board volunteers and bring clearer budget explanations to a future meeting.
What happens next: The board asked staff to work with the water advisory group, catalogue meters and shutoffs, and present a clearer budget reconciliation and tapping-fee policy at a future meeting.
