The Peru Gazette

Drivers for the DAV van are still needed to bring Veterans to their appointments at the Stratton VA hospital in Albany. The process to qualify drivers has been streamlined. Anyone interested please call Greg Lee at 518-570-7253 or email him at greglee423@aol.com. It’s only once a month or whatever you can fit into your schedule.

AGENDA – TOWN BOARD REGULAR MEETING, March 27@ 7:00 PM
Call Meeting To Order

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll Call

MOTION: Approval of Minutes for the March 13, 2017 Regular Board Meeting.

Community Input

DISCUSSION/MOTION: Acceptance of Peru Youth Program Report.

DISCUSSION/MOTION: Set Peru Dog Law Public Hearing.

DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Approve Wastewater Pressed Sludge Contract.

DISCUSSION/MOTION: Town IT Contract.

DISCUSSION: Tobacco Product Use in Town Buildings/Vehicles.

DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Fund Transfers.

DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Approve Accountant Contract.

DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Approve MOA for CSEA Impasse Attendance.

DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Close Out H18 Safe Routes To Schools II Account.

DISCUSSION: Back Flow Prevention Device Compliance Issues.

DISCUSSION: Lakes To Locks Turning Point Program.

DISCUSSION: Other Business.

DISCUSSION: Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

DISCUSSION/RESOLUTION: Approve/Pay Bills.

MOTION: Adjourn

Source: Dannemora inmate fractures eye socket of guard who caught him smoking drugs, union says | syracuse.com

‘WAVE’ Project Connects New Yorkers with Health of Rivers and Streams and Hands-on Training

WAVE Volunteer Training Starts in May at Multiple Locations Including Plattsburgh & Willsboro 

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that DEC is actively recruiting volunteers for the 2017 summer sampling season to conduct water quality assessments in nearby streams and rivers as part of the Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) project.

“DEC encourages New Yorkers to participate in the WAVE program and get involved in screening-and better understanding-the health of local rivers and streams,” said Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Clean water is essential for healthy and prosperous communities. WAVE monitoring helps DEC identify New York’s waterbodies in need and encourages local residents to better understand the health of nearby waterways.” Read more »

The Peru Democratic Party meeting will be held on Thursday March 30th, 2017 at 7 00PM.
The location will be the Peru Town Hall.

· Discussion and plans for the upcoming election in November 2017.

· Discussion and planning for the Peru Dems “American Heritage Potluck Social” which will be held on April 7th,. More information will be sent out on this in the near future.

· Please bring sold April Raffle Tickets to the meeting and turn them into Jean Schiffler.

· The Next Clinton County Democratic Meeting will be on March 28th, at 7:00PM. Location. American Legion, Quarry Rd. Plattsburgh

WEDNESDAY, April 12, 2017 @ 7:00 PM
TOWN OF PERU
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL
APPROVAL of March 8, 2017 minutes.
OPEN FLOOR to public hearing
APPLICATIONS:
1. Site Plan Review: P-2017-002 R.L. Vallee Inc. – Maplefields
Site Plan Review
654 Bear Swamp Rd.
Peru, NY 12972
2. Merge: P-2017-003 R.L. Vallee Inc. – Maplefields
Merge
654 Bear Swamp Rd.
Peru, NY 12972
ANY FURTHER BUSINESS:
CEO REPORT:

Peru – A Town Hall room once occupied by Peru’s two town justices, two secretaries and court records has been transformed into a room suitable for board executive sessions, conferences and employee breaks. Executive sessions had been held in the small town supervisor’s office.
Supervisor Peter Glushko said the work was done by Water/Sewer/Parks Department personnel at a cost of about $2,000.

On December 6, 2016 Peru Town Court held its first session at its new Davey Drive location.

From the Office of the Superintendent of Peru Central School
Peru Central School District recently received Recognition for Excellence in Environmental Health through The ChildSafe School NYS Certificate Program.
ChildSafe Schools in New York State address health and safety needs, with school policies and practices that ensure reduced exposures and will lead to improved environmental health. Individual schools or school districts that meet or exceed the criteria are eligible to receive ChildSafe School certificates. This recognition program was created by Grassroots Environmental Education and is supported by the New York State Parent Teachers Association (NYSPTA), New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), and the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute.

The ChildSafe School provides a step-by-step framework to help parents, teachers and administrators make their schools as environmentally safe as they can be, by adopting policies that prohibit the idling of school buses and other vehicles, mandate the use of safe cleaning products, and eliminate the use of pesticides on school grounds and playing fields.

Today, my office issued a report detailing regional trends in education funding, enrollment, and conditions across the state. The report analyzes school district financial and demographic information from nine separate regions outside of New York City.
Investments in New York’s public schools are vital at both the state and local level. By examining regional comparisons and trends in school district revenues, expenditures and student demographics, we can better inform the decisions of state lawmakers, education stakeholders and taxpayers.
Some of the key findings in our report include:
In 2014-15, total school district revenues were $37.7 billion, which includes federal and state aid, the STAR subsidy and local revenue. Local revenue, overwhelmingly from property taxes, made up more than half of total school revenues (54.5 percent), an increase of 3 percentage points from 2004-05. Over the same period, federal and state aid (including STAR) each declined slightly, by 1.4 and 1.6 percentage points, respectively;
The median per-pupil spending for school districts in 2014-15 was $22,658. The Mid-Hudson Valley had the highest median per-pupil spending rate at $26,636, while Western New York was lowest at $19,776. This measure varied greatly across the state and can be largely attributed to regional cost differences. The report notes that significant variations in per-pupil spending exist within each region; and
The percentage of students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunch was 39 percent in 2014-15, and 17 percent of students were considered to be living in poverty. The regional differences in these measures were significant in the Mohawk Valley with 53 percent of students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunches and 26 percent of students living in poverty. Long Island had the fewest students receiving free- or reduced-price lunches at 26 percent and only 8 percent living in poverty.
You can read the entire report on my website, by visiting: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/…/re…/education/pdf/education.pdf
To view the report’s interactive regional map, you can visit: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/…/educa…/regionaleducationmap.htm
If you have any questions about the report, please contact my Division of Local Government and School Accountability at 518-474-4037 or via email at: localgov@osc.state.ny.us
I invite you to follow us on Twitter (@NYSComptroller) and Facebook (facebook.com/nyscomptroller).
Boost Post

Peru Central’s Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 2:45 PM in the Jr/Sr High School Community Room. The Board is expected to immediately proceed into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing employment history of particular individuals. No other school board or school district business is slated for this meeting.

Source: Trooper Brian Falb remembered as a hero, beloved father, and a role model | NCPR News

Assemblyman Billy Jones (D-Chateaugay) announced that the Assembly’s 2017-18 state budget proposal helps grow the economy, gives North Country communities the resources they need and invests in vital agriculture programs.

“During my recent district tour, North Country residents voiced their concerns with many of the governor’s proposals and local officials made it clear that a shared services mandate was unacceptable,” Jones said. “The Assembly stood up for our towns by rejecting the shared services proposal to protect vital services our families rely on.”

Investing in economic development

The Assembly budget proposal provides $90 million for the Restore New York Communities Initiative. The funding includes $10 million for the Community Restoration Fund to address vacant and abandoned properties that bring down property values and threaten public safety in neighborhoods across the state.

The proposal also provides $10 million for Strategic Investment in Workforce Development initiatives to help ensure employers have access to the skilled workers they need.

Supporting Direct Care Workers

The Assembly’s proposal ensures direct care workers are paid fair livable wages. The Assembly’s budget includes an initial $45 million toward a six-year plan to create a living wage for direct care workers. These professionals care for the state’s most vulnerable populations, yet recent increases in minimum wage, and an overall improving economy, have made service providers unable to compete with other private sector jobs. This critical support will enable these providers to offer compensation that is above minimum wage to ensure that facilities are adequately and safely staffed and can continue to deliver these essential services.

“Direct Care Services are in crisis mode in the North Country,” Jones said. “We need to make sure that we are providing adequate pay and able to stabilize the retention of direct support professionals.”

Small Business boosts, jobs, and tax cuts
The Assembly’s budget proposal reduces the income tax rate for small businesses earning $290,000 or less from 6.5 percent to 4 percent for corporate filers. It also allows personal income tax filers, such as sole proprietors, farmers and partnerships, to deduct 15 percent of their adjusted gross income (AGI) before the personal income tax rate is applied, up from the current 5 percent deduction.

The proposal would also double all research and development tax credits. Businesses that are personal income tax filers would receive a 14 percent tax credit for qualifying research and development property. Corporate filers would receive a 10 percent tax credit for the first $350 million of investment and 8 percent for anything above that figure.

The plan also expands eligibility for the Excelsior Jobs Program and increases tax credits for certain participants. The program incentivizes businesses to relocate to and expand in New York, as well as make capital investments in local facilities and create jobs. The Assembly proposal would make it easier to participate in the program by reducing the threshold for job creation and capital investment by 50 percent.

“People looking to start a new business or grow theirs will have more help from the state under the Assembly’s proposal, which is exactly what the North Country needs,” Jones said. “This plan encourages entrepreneurship and cuts the cost of doing business in New York.”

Improving roads and bridges

Most of the roads and bridges in the 115th Assembly District are maintained by dedicated local highway departments. However, despite their best efforts, many have fallen into disrepair. The Assembly is committed to helping the North Country repair its infrastructure. The Assembly’s budget proposal increases funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) to $488 million, a $50 million increase from the proposed executive budget.

“As a rural district, we depend heavily on our roads and bridges,” Jones said. “It’s important that we invest in necessary repairs and continue critical maintenance so children can get to school safely, families can get to work, farmers can do business and visitors can see what we have to offer.”

Further, the Assembly proposal strongly invests in the state Department of Transportation’s five-year plan for non-MTA transit projects with $114.5 million, $30 million more than the executive’s budget proposal. The Assembly proposal also increases upstate transit funding by $3 million.

Keeping local government local

The Assembly’s budget proposal includes $715 million in Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) – $50 million more than the executive’s proposal. AIM funding provides direct state aid to local governments. Further, the Assembly rejects the governor’s Shared Services Initiative proposal that would have tied AIM funding to a consolidation agreement between local municipalities.

“As a former mayor and chairman of the county legislature, I know the governor’s shared services initiative is not the solution,” Jones said. “Instead, the Assembly developed a proposal that puts municipalities first and makes sure they can continue offering vital services.”

Supporting farming communities

Farmers are vital to the North Country –in fact, Clinton County is the largest producer of maple syrup in the state. The Assembly proposal restores millions to fund agriculture programs to ensure farmers can continue to grow in New York.

The budget proposal allocates funds for an array of programs, including child care for migrant farm workers, a tractor rollover protection program, farm family assistance and agricultural research. FreshConnect, a program to make farmers markets more accessible to low-income families, will receive $625,000 in this year’s Assembly budget proposal. The Adirondack North Country Association Farm-to-School program will receive $300,000 to support initiatives that supply local food to schools.

Agriculture of all kinds, which Jones has been a longtime advocate for, will also receive funding to promote and support New York farm products.

“We must invest in programs that help farmers, preserve our farmlands and support innovative uses of agriculture,” Jones said. “These programs play a massive role in the North Country’s success.”

The Peru Central School Board of Education will gather Tuesday, March 21st at 6:00 PM in the Jr/Sr High School Community Room for their fourth public session budget workshop. At its budget workshop, the School Board is expected to:
· Review Budget Timeline
· Host an Encore of the Community Budget Forum
· Receive Overview of Budget Advisory Committee Activity
· Discuss Enhancements, Revenues, and Expenditures

The full agenda is available on the Peru CSD website at www.perucsd.org.

The meeting is open to all.

Source: 62 agencies and programs Trump wants to eliminate

Source: 62 agencies and programs Trump wants to eliminate

Source: Maple industry in Clinton County seeing liquid gold this year – Sun Community News & Printing

Source: Local trooper dies from 9/11-related illness – Sun Community News & Printing

LITTLE, SENATE COLLEAGUES ADVANCE BUDGET PROCESS
Propose tax relief, increased school aid and clean water funds

Senator Betty Little today voted in favor of a budget resolution that outlines the State Senate’s response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget and keeps the Legislature on course for adoption of an on-time budget.

The Senate proposal calls for an increase in school aid, tax relief and workers compensation reform to help small businesses and billions of dollars for clean water and sewer projects throughout New York State.

“Today marks another important step in the budget process, our chance to offer alternatives to the governor’s budget based on what our constituents have told us,” said Little. “From this point, we now negotiate with the Assembly and Governor.”

The Senate Republican plan would reverse changes made last year to the STAR, school property tax relief, program that had created confusion and caused the delay of payments to local taxpayers.

The Senate plan rejects a number of tax-and-fee increases proposed by the governor, including new Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) fees, new taxes on internet purchases and a new surcharge on pre-paid cell phones. In addition, to help avoid future tax increases, the Senate’s resolution imposes a statutory cap on state spending.

Little and her colleagues are advancing workers’ compensation reforms sought by small businesses, such as updates to duration caps and schedule loss of use awards.

School aid funding would increase five percent over last year, for a total of $1.2 billion, bringing the total investment in schools to a record level of $25.4 billion.

The State Senate proposes nearly $8 billion to ensure all New Yorkers have access to clean, safe drinking water by addressing extensive water quality issues and infrastructure needs. This includes: creation of a new $5 billion Clean Water Bond Act; support for the proposed $2 billion for clean water infrastructure; establishment of a new Drinking Water Quality Institute; and creation of the Emerging Contamination Monitoring Act.
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The budget proposal seeks to make college more affordable for more students, regardless of whether they attend a public or private college in New York State, by increasing the minimum TAP award from $500 to $3,000 and the maximum to $5,500. Income thresholds would also be increased to $100,000 in 2017-18; $110,000 in 2018-19; and $125,000 in 2019-20.

Little and her colleagues are also proposing $45 million annually to compensate direct care professionals who care for individuals with disabilities.

The Senate and Assembly will soon convene joint conference committees, which will work to reconcile differences between the budget proposals of both houses with the goal of adopting a new budget by April 1.

Source: Wait times long for some state records – Times Union

Peru – March 15, 2017 – Today’s Soup Kitchen at Si. Augustine’s Parish Center is cancelled because of the storm.

A message from the Peru Central School District Office: Peru Central School District will be CLOSED on Wednesday, March 15th.
Thank you.

L-R John Bernardi, Marge & Bruce Garcia

At the United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc. Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner on Saturday, March 4th, 2017, Bruce & Marge Garcia, were the recipients of the 33rd Annual Dorothy & Alan Booth Distinguished Citizen Award. John Bernardi, CEO of United Way of the Adirondack Region, Inc. said, “Bruce and Marge are outstanding people. Their kind and generous spirit is an inspiration to many and they give selflessly to the betterment of the Adirondack Region. They are both fine examples of what it means to be a distinguished citizen and we can all strive to be more like them.” Pictured is Bernardi with Marge and Bruce Garcia.