ELDRED, NY — Following a brief public hearing and the approval of a no-impact environmental declaration, the Highland Town Board on October 12 approved a six-month building moratorium on all multiple-dwelling projects.

Local Law Number Three puts a hold on all development involving educational institutions, multiple family dwellings, cluster developments and planned unit developments.

The public hearing’s only comment was a question from supervisor candidate Chuck Petersheim, who asked why the law was being considered.

Noting that the hearing was not a question/answer session, attorney Michael Davidoff read the “purpose and intent” section of the law, which noted the “speculative activity prompted by the approval of a casino in Sullivan County,” and said that the moratorium would allow Highland time to amend its zoning to “provide for controlled growth… that will not unduly impact the public welfare, community services, schools, infrastructure, and that will preserve open space and… a proper mix of residential and commercial development.”

Earlier this year, concerns were raised that some of the larger undeveloped forested tracts in the northern portion of the town could be targeted by developers for casino-related housing development, which could prompt overnight growth in the Eldred Central School student population, as well as related needs for additional public services, such as police, EMS and fire.

The board also held a budget work session following the conclusion of the regular meeting.

There has been no preliminary reporting on the progress of the budget thus far this fall. Supervisor Andrew Boyar, who is the chief budget officer, was absent from October 13 meeting, having encountered car trouble on his return trip from Florida.

What were termed as work-in-progress budget worksheets were provided to the board for that work session. They displayed a tentative 6.78%, $121,000 increase in the coming year’s tax levy.

During the regular meeting, the board approved Local Law Number Four, which would allow the town to override the state’s .73% tax ceiling, and scheduled a 7 p.m., October 29 public hearing on the budget to be followed by a special board meeting to adopt the 2016 budget.

During the October 13 public comment period, Petersheim complained that the board had not entertained public comment during the prior work session meeting and thus that the public hearing would be the public’s only opportunity to comment.

The board approved its annual resolution setting a Halloween curfew, beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, October 30, through 5 a.m. on Sunday, November 1.

Due to an Election Day conflict, the board’s monthly workshop meeting was rescheduled to 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 5.