Friday April 26, 2024 
11/14/2019 – 12/19/2019
North Greenbush Historical Calendars Available
The 2020 North Greenbush Historical Calendar is now available. It contains old time pictures of Wynantskill, Snyder’s Lake and features a picture commemorating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Defreestville Fire Department and a photo of the Gardner Dickinson 8th Grade graduating class of 1993. The calendars are $10 and are available at the Town Clerk’s .in Wynantskill (283-4306 or from Town Historian Jim Greenfield (265-4254
11/28/2019 – 12/19/2019
Banners for Veterans in the Town of Nassau
The Nassau Town Clerk, Sandy Rings, is pleased to announce that the Town of Nassau, Villages of Nassau and East Nassau and the Chandler-Young Veterans Association are undertaking a new project to honor our military veterans. We will be facilitating the sale, production and installation of individual veterans’ banners to honor their service to our community and our country. The banners will be installed on power poles in several locations throughout the Town. Applications are available on the Town website at townofnassau.org, the Town Clerk’s Office at 29 Church Street and at the Chandler-Young Veterans Association at 7 Lyons Lake Road. We are hoping to be able to install banners whose applications are received prior to March 31, 2020 in time for Memorial Day, 2020. If you have any questions or need more details please feel free to call the Nassau Town Clerk’s Office at 518-766-2343, extension 1 or email sandra.rings@nulltownofnassau.org.
Sandra L. Rings, RMC
Nassau Town Clerk
Run Once
Rensselaer County Legislature Office of the Minority
December 2019 Meeting Highlights:
Health – The Legislature unanimously voted to accept additional grant money from the New York State Department of Health for Drinking Water Enhancement Programs. This funding is essential for assessing and identifying issues affecting the quality of drinking water in the County.
Criminal Justice Reform – At the November meeting, the legislature unanimously approved two resolutions, urging Governor Cuomo and the NYS legislature to review and reconsider the 2020 criminal justice reform and appropriate the necessary funding for the additional costs the county will incur by complying with the newly mandated legislation.
In December the County held the first of three forums to inform the residents of the impact this new legislation will have on public safety.
Social Services – The December meeting included many contract renewals for mandated Social Services programs with local agencies to provide support services ranging from family assistance, foster care, domestic violence, trauma assessment, secure and non-secure juvenile detention including the new Raise the Age (RTA) mandate to name a few.
Raise the Age (RTA) – On another note in October, New York State notified Rensselaer County that the RTA plan, after several modifications, was approved and that the County will receive reimbursement for the funding of personnel and other necessary expenses in the departments of Probation, Mental Health, Social Services, Youth, Employment & Training and Jail.
Cornell Cooperative Extension – The support of Federal, State and County funding is essential for the continued success of locally governed county cooperative extension associations. This funding has remained stagnant for 20 years; therefore a resolution was unanimously adopted to request an increase in financial support from New York State.
Run Once
An Update form the Rensselaer County Legislature Majority
The Rensselaer County Legislature hosted a public forum to discuss the NYS Criminal Justice Reforms in its Chambers on Monday, December 10th. The forum, organized by County Executive Steve McLaughlin included District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly and Sheriff Patrick Russo.
Chairman of the Legislature Michael Stammel welcomed everyone to the forum. In his opening remarks, Stammel said, “As we know, the Criminal Justice Reforms were snuck in during the adoption of the New York State budget. The reforms stripped judges of their ability to keep those charged with terrible crimes, behind bars. The reforms have also placed a large, unfunded financial burden on our County. Tomorrow night, the Legislature will be passing a resolution urging State leaders to amend and or delay the implementation of these laws before the end of the year. We are very concerned about the safety of our residents if our judges and district attorney can’t keep career criminals behind bars after an arrest. Tonight is a good opportunity for everyone to learn more about these reforms set to take effect on January 1st.”
Those who attended heard the concerns from county officials, and many were surprised to learn of the impending changes.
The final regular meeting of the Rensselaer County Legislature was held on December 10th. At the meeting, the Legislature unanimously adopted a resolution that urges New York State leaders to amend or delay the implementation of the controversial Criminal Justice Reforms that were discussed at the forum the night before. Similar resolutions were passed by other counties in New York State as well.
The members of the Legislature Majority would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy Kwanzaa. Best wishes also for a safe, Happy, and Healthy New Year.
Run Once
North Greenbush Report from Councilwoman Mary Frances Sabo
North Greenbush kicked off the holiday season with a festive parade and holiday party complete with a tree lighting, delicious cookies donated by the Cookie Factory, and presents and books for 150 children! Thank you to the YOUth Makes a Difference Committee headed by Deb Desso for organizing this event.
The town is now registered with NYSDEC as a “Climate Smart “ Community. This means that the town has joined the network of New York communities that have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emission and improve climate resilience. The town is now eligible to participate in state programs that will provide technical assistance and funding to adapt best practices for mitigating and adapting to climate change.
During December, the town experienced a number of problems with its drinking water supply, including low pressure and boil water alerts. Since the town does not have a Facebook page or provide access to an alert system such as Nixle, I would like to remind all residents that I regularly post updates about town happenings and noteworthy at my Councilwoman Mary Frances Sabo facebook page, @Maryfrancessabongcouncil. If you are a Facebook user, I would encourage you to “like” this page.
The town board said farewell to two long-time public servants in December. Both Supervisor Lou Desso and Councilman Al Spain will leave the board at the end of the year. Councilman Spain has served continuously on the town board with only 2 breaks since 1993. A dedicated public servant, he has led the town through difficult fiscal times to its present state of solvency. Supervisor Desso has served on the town board since 2008 and has been instrumental in starting the YOUth makes a Difference Committee which has funded numerous events such as the summer concert series, holiday parties, and summer camp. Good luck to both Councilman Spain and Supervisor Desso!
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Submitted by Councilwoman Mary Frances Sabo
Run Once
The Defreestville Fire Department Holds Annual Elections
Annually, the Defreestville Fire Department holds elections for Fire Chief officer positions. This year we’re proud to announce the members have elected a new leadership line up, from left to right:
· William Burkart has been promoted to DFD Chief (Car 1) from 1st Assistant Chief
· Brandon Galligan has been promoted to 2nd Assistant Chief (Car 3) from Captain
· Mike Russell has been promoted to 1st Assistant Chief (Car 2) from 2nd Assistant Chief
Congratulations to these outstanding firefighters. We are all wishing them the best as they lead our department in 2020 and beyond.
Please also join us in extending sincere gratitude to outgoing Chief Brian McCrae. After serving the last 11 years as a Chief Officer for DFD, the last five as Chief of Department, Chief McCrae is stepping down from a leadership role.
Chief McCrae set an honorable and high standard for all future leadership to follow. His service to the men and women of the DFD, the town of North Greenbush, and surrounding communities is greatly appreciated.
On the civil side, the Defreestville Fire Company also re-elected the following individuals: PJ Facteau, President; Erik Denny, Vice President; Jason Christie, Secretary; Jason Strosberg, Treasurer; and Bob Ewing, Membership Secretary.
We thank them for their responsible stewardship and thank them for their continued effort.
11/14/2019 – 01/02/2020
New Campaign Encourages Parents to “Talk2Kids” and Stop Problem Gambling Before It Starts
To raise awareness about the growing dangers of underage gambling in New York state, The New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG) has launched a comprehensive multimedia marketing campaign urging parents to talk to their young children ages 6-10 about the risks and realities of underage gambling.
The campaign, titled “Talk2Kids,” is designed to address troubling statistics that reveal that a staggering 39.5 percent of youth age 12-17 have gambled over the past 12 months. Thirty percent of these youth state they began gambling at age 10 or younger. Gambling is defined as risking something of value on a game of chance for a desired result. Some examples of gambling include betting with friends on sports, games of skill and dares for money or possessions; raffles; lottery and scratch off tickets (obtained illegally or received as a gift); poker and other card and dice games; and, gambling online in video games, or on the outcome of video game matches.
“The goal of Talk2Kids is to have parents and community leaders — those who interact with young children — to start a dialogue with kids about gambling so that youth can be better informed and make healthier decisions for themselves,” said Michelle Hadden, assistant executive director, NYCPG.
Parents can make an important difference in their child’s future by talking with them about gambling, even if they’re as young as six years old. By asking questions, listening and showing interest in what their child is doing on their phone, tablet or gaming system, parents can stop problem gambling before it starts.
For more information and to learn helpful tips and view brief educational videos showing real life scenarios of parents speaking with their children about the possible serious consequences of their gambling activities, please visit Talk2Kids.org.
Run Once
Notice of Tax Collecting Town of Nassau
Take Notice, that I Heather Werner, the undersigned Collector of Taxes of the Town of Nassau, County of Rensselaer and State of New York, have duly received the tax roll and warrant for the collection of taxes within the Town of Nassau for the year 2020, and that I will attend at 29 Church Street, in the Town of Nassau from 1/2/2020 to 1/31/2020 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 12pm to 2pm, Thursday 9am to 12pm and 6pm to 8pm, Friday 12pm to 1pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm, excepting Thursday 1/09/2020 and Saturday 1/18/2020.
Take Further Notice, that taxes may be paid on or before 1/31/2019 without charge or interest. On all taxes received after such date, there shall be added interest of 1% if paid on or before 2/29/2020 and an additional 2% for each additional month or fraction thereof thereafter until such taxes are paid or until the return of unpaid taxes to the County Treasurer pursuant to law.
Take Further Notice, that pursuant to the provisions of the law the tax roll of the Town of Nassau will be returned to the County Treasurer of the County of Rensselaer on the 1st day of April 2020.
Dated 12/27/2020
Heather Werner
01/09/2020 – 01/23/2020
Town of Schodack 2020 Tax Collection
The 2020 Tax Bills have been mailed. The Tax Office will be open to receive the 2020 Property Tax collection on:
January 3rd – January 31st; Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
January 1lth, l8th and 25th from 9:00 AM to 12 Noon
February – Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
March – Tuesdays & Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM
Payments received from January 3, 2020, thru January 31, 2020, are without penalty.
February 1, 2020, thru February 29, 2020, are assessed a 1% penalty.
March 1, 2020, thru March 31, 2020, are assessed a 2% penalty.
An additional $2.00 charge will be added to all bills not paid before March 4, 2020.
Payments may be left in the secure green drop box located near the entrance of the Town Hall addressed to the Receiver of Taxes. Only when the complete bill and check are enclosed, will a stamped receipt be mailed to the taxpayer after the payment has cleared the bank.
Checks should be made payable to Shawn Masters, Receiver of Taxes.
2020 Tax Bills and all Tax Payments paid through this office since 2005 are viewable on the Town of Schodack website at www.schodack.org under Departments/ Receiver of Taxes.
Rensselaer County Property Tax bills are now payable online with MasterCard, VISA, and Discover Credit Cards at a rate of 2.45%. VISA Debit Cards are also accepted, at a charge of $3.95 per transaction. Online checks or E-checks, submitted through the Town of Schodack website only, are another accepted method of payment, costing $1.75.
No payments will be accepted in person at the Town Hall or by mail after March 31, 2020. Thereafter, contact the Rensselaer County Bureau of Finance at (518) 270-2754 for delinquent tax information.
I look forward to serving you this tax season,
Shawn Masters, Receiver of Taxes Town of Schodack
Collector of Taxes of the Town of Nassau
05/21/2020
Meeting Dates for The Village of Nassau 2019-20
The following dates have been established for the Village of Nassau Board of Trustees Meetings. All meetings will be held at the Village Municipal Building, 40 Malden Street, Nassau, NY at 7:30pm unless otherwise posted.
November 13, 2019 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
December 11, 2019 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
January 8, 2020 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
February 12, 2020 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
March 11, 2020 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
March 18, 2020 Special Meeting Election 9:00pm
April 6, 2020 Annual Meeting 7:30pm
April 8, 2020 Public Hearing Budget 7:00pm
April 8, 2020 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
May 13, 2020 Regular Meeting 7:30pm
May 27, 2020 Year End Meeting 7:30pm
The Planning Board meets on the 1st Monday of each month (as needed) at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Municipal Building.
The Zoning Board meets on the 4th Monday of each month (as needed) at 7:00 p.m. at the Village Municipal Building.