County ties up tobacco bond deal

MONTICELLO — Sullivan Legislators on July 5 nailed several birds with one stone when they approved a resolution devoting 100 percent of the upcoming, anticipated $13 million bond sale of their national tobacco settlement to retiring county debt.

The panel earlier had approved a minimum 60-percent debt retirement amount, but legislators appeared to be headed for conflict in resolving which projects would be funded from the resulting $5-million pot.

Last Thursday’s Finance Committee decision avoided further conflict. The $13 million, with interest savings on debt repayment amounts to a $17.5-million benefit to Sullivan County. That money will now be freed from general fund appropriations the county would have budgeted over the next 20 years, Finance Manager Richard LaCondre explained.

In addition, the effort to reduce existing debt further will also bode well in future reviews of Sullivan’s bond ratings.

Chairman Rusty Pomeroy added rider to resolution, calling on this and future legislatures to devote 10 percent of the value of the county benefit from the bond sale to educational, health and anti-smoking programs. “I want an obligation… I don’t want it changed in four years,” he said.

TRR photo by David Hulse Susan Laverty Consumer chief named Susan Laverty was introduced on July 5 as the new director of consumer affairs for Sullivan County. Laverty comes to the position with 13 years experience at the Nassau County Consumer Affairs Office. She is an eight-year Sullivan resident, most recently employed as an office manager at P&N Alarm Company.

Sorensen offered Walden position

Legislators huddled in closed, executive session for more than an hour during last Thursday’s session of the Planning and Community Development Committee. Much of that time was spent with Planning Commissioner Alan Sorensen, presumably in discussion of a recent offer Sorensen received from the Village of Walden. The village wants to hire Sorensen, part-time to help revitalize its downtown area. No resolution resulted from the closed session.

Cell provider gets static

At the Legislature’s Consumer Affairs and Information Technology meeting, Legislators Jodi Goodman (RC-6), Bob Kunis (D-8) and Sean Rieber (D-9) took turns blasting a representative of mobile phone provider, Cellular One, for poor service, frequent dropped calls and the failure to change old “914” numbers over to the county’s new “845” area code. “Five years ago, the service was better,” Kunis said of the company’s recent change to digital service.

Masada could enter Sullivan waste plans

Rodney Gaebel (RC-5) told members of the Public Works Committee that Sullivan has been approached by Masada, the waste-to-energy company building a plant in Middletown, about building a plant in Sullivan County. “The discussion was very informal, very vague.”

Gaebel, however, also said Masada should be included in considerations legislators are making prior to committee discussion beginning next month about Sullivan’s future solid waste plans. The county must plan for the period after the Monticello landfill’s planned closing in six to seven years.