Highland and Lumberland start anew

By SANDY LONG

ELDRED AND GLEN SPEY, NY — Two neighboring town councils have seen substantial changes to their membership and both conducted their first meetings of 2010 with attention to those changes. Eldred Central School (ECS) superintendent Berneice Brownell attended both and reported at the ECS school board meeting later that week, “It’s definitely different in both towns now.”

New faces at the front table in Highland were supervisor Andy Boyar, and council members Scott Hallock and Amanda Scully. Boyar complimented the “excellent blend of experienced and new council members” seated with him. “We welcome the opportunity to show how good governance can be delivered,” he said. Boyar said the board will work to control taxes. He also announced that an audit will be conducted to assure the town’s financial welfare. “It’s always prudent to have an audit done when a new board takes charge,” he said.

In Lumberland, former council member Nadia Rajsz assumed her new seat as town supervisor, joined by new council members Jim Akt and William J. McKerrell. Rajsz announced that the council has established a new committee to oversee town finances. “We are all in agreement on forming a finance and audit committee that will be made up of three individuals, one board member and two people with financial background which would be Charlie Grant and Tanya McKerrell,” she said. “Councilman Shaffer will be the board liaison to this group. It will be like an independent auditing committee that will review the books monthly or bimonthly.”

One topic addressed at both meetings was the recently announced Solid Waste User Fee, with strong opposition raised by both supervisors.