Delaware announces tax decrease

HORTONVILLE, NY — The Delaware Township Board of Supervisors has announced a tax decrease for the 2012 budget. At the board’s October 26 meeting, the authorization to advertise the 2012 budget was given. The adoption hearing will be on Wednesday, December 14 at 7:15 p.m.

The budget has a proposed tax decrease of 1 mill. Chairman Ted Parsell said, “The supervisors have worked hard to be financially responsible over the last several years. Times are hard for every resident, and our treasurer, Ileana Hernandez, has been instrumental in achieving this goal.” Residents will see a decrease in their property taxes next year.

Rock Hill bar raided; liquor license may be denied

ROCK HILL, NY — Responding to complaints from residents of the Emerald Green and Lake Louise Marie subdivisions in Rock Hill, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers raided the Las Vegas Sports Bar and Grill located at 227 Lake Louise Marie Rd. on October 29. The establishment, formerly known as the Dodge Inn under a previous owner, was found to be serving alcohol without a valid New York State Liquor license.

The bar has been the scene of several disturbances and assaults recently, with some patrons observed to be wearing gang colors. “The Las Vegas Bar has been operating on a series of temporary permits while their permanent liquor license application is pending,” said Sheriff Mike Schiff. “The most recent temporary permit expired on October 22, 2011 and was apparently not renewed by the liquor authority as a result of a referral made by the state police,” he said.

Police agencies can report businesses licensed by the state liquor authority if they are disorderly or violate the law. Such violations could result in the suspension or revocation of a business’ license. In this case, it could result in the permanent license application being denied.

Deputies arrested the manager, Michael Carcamo, 25, and the bartender Blanca Fuentes, 53, both of Liberty, and charged them with the unlawful sale of alcohol. Ruben Hernandez, 32, of Newburgh was also arrested for disorderly conduct after he got into a dispute with a bouncer at the front door. All three were released on their own recognizance pending an October 29 court appearance before Town of Thompson Judge Martin Miller.

Pressure restored to Millenium Pipeline

REGION — After several weeks of testing, the Millenium Pipeline has received permission to go back to normal operations.

A U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) report released in July of this year showed that a weld near the border of Broome and Tioga counties had sprung a leak earlier in the year, releasing an estimated 1.3 million cubic feet of natural gas into the atmosphere. The report also showed that the inspection documents for the weld in question were missing, and pinpointed three other welds for which inspection documents were missing as well.

Millennium and PHMSA signed a consent agreement in late September in which the company agreed to conduct new weld inspections to verify the integrity of the suspect portions of the pipeline by the end of the year. During the inspection period, Millennium reduced pressure on the pipeline by 20%.

The missing inspection records were never found.

“We have received the stamp of approval to return to normal operating pressures,” said Millennium Pipeline spokeswoman Theresa Gibbon. “Our integrity confirmations revealed that no additional anomalies were found, no weld defects of any kind were found. Our digs didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary or unusual to be of concern.”

Grants target Main St. and agribusiness

MONTICELLO, NY — A countywide Microenterprise Assistance Program (MAP), made possible with a $185,000 grant from New York State’s Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Program, has been announced.

“The program will provide grants between $5,000 and $35,000 for business start-ups or existing enterprises with five or fewer employees,” said Jonathan Rouis, chairman of the Sullivan County legislature. It will target two types of small businesses: “Main Street” goods and services, located within downtown, village or hamlet business districts; and agriculture-related businesses.

The dual focus also leverages the existing funding available through the county’s Main Street Revolving Loan Fund and Agri-Business Revolving Loan Funds.

Conditions of the grant include requiring participating businesses to contribute at least 10% of the cost of the project and to create one new job offered to or made available to persons from low- or moderate-income households.