Larkin vs Caruso

You may recall that Ralph Caruso insisted that State Law did not demand a disbandment of Woodbury's fire district if a village was created.

You might further recall that at the forum that the Fire Company had at the Union Hall just before the vote on forming a village, the attorney who specialized in fire districts disputed this, but that Caruso got up again and again to insist the fellow was wrong.

You may even recall that Caruso claimed later that the attorney came over to him after the meeting and admitted that Ralph was right (an impossibility in that the attorney left long before the meeting was over).

Well, as most of us knew Ralph was a) dead wrong, b) lying through his ass or c) both.

Now we hear from Ralph's boss, Senator Bill Larkin, who confirms it. Too bad Ralph never thought to ask Bill. But then, since when have facts had anything to do with what Ralph says?

Here's the whole article from the today's Photo News. You can read the whole thing or skip to the highlighted fun facts.

Village of Woodbury’s fiscal affairs come into focus
By Tony HoustonWoodbury — The new Village of Woodbury, created last August, got its financial affairs in order this April by adopting a $1.7 million general fund budget for the fiscal year that begins today.

Immediately upon passing the budget, however, the Village was faced with the problem of how fire protection, water and sewer service can be most efficiently and inexpensively provided to the Woodbury community.

Prior to the incorporation of the Village, these services were provided by the townwide Woodbury Fire District and Town of Woodbury water and sewer districts.

The fate of the Woodbury Fire District was debated two days before the vote to incorporate the Village. At that forum attorney Frank Simeone said village incorporation would mean that “the fire district would no longer exist and the board of fire commissioners would be replaced by the village government.”

He said: “On this matter, the state law is written in black and white.”

Ralph Caruso, chairman of Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury, disagreed with Simeone at the forum. Caruso’s group had previously distributed a Town of Woodbury Preservation Kit that, among other items, stated that there would be no changes to the fire district as a result of village incorporation.

In a May 24 press release, state Sen. William J. Larkin Jr., R-C-Cornwall-on-Hudson, said: “When the Village was created, according to current village law, the fire district could no longer provide fire services.”

Larkin sponsored legislation (S.1481), which, he said, “simply allows the residents of Woodbury to continue to be protected by the Woodbury Fire District.”

That legislation passed the State Senate and was sent to the Assembly.

As for the Town of Woodbury water and sewer districts, existing state law requires that they be terminated this Dec. 31 and be taken over by the Village. This could be costly to Woodbury’s taxpayers because of the town’s union contracts. These agreements require the town to pay workers their accumulated vacation and sick time upon leaving town employment. Woodbury Town Supervisor John Burke estimates this amount at $215,000.

Larkin has an answer for that problem as well. He introduced legislation (S.5845) to allow the Town of Woodbury to continue to operate the existing water and sewer districts. That legislation has been sent to the Local Government Committees of both the State Senate and the Assembly.

“The Town and Village have approved an inter-municipal agreement transferring the districts and employees from the Town to the Village, and, if the legislation (S.5845) passes, from the Village to the Town,” said Village Trustee Neil Crouse in a recent telephone interview. “The Town and Village are both working cooperatively toward this special legislation.”

The rest of the governing of Woodbury is being sorted out with much less fanfare. The library, parks, police and highway department will remain the responsibility of the town. Planning, zoning and the building department are the responsibility of the Village — starting today.

I don't want to call Ralph Caruso a liar...oh, wait a sec, yes I do.

By the way, how many of you got Village Tax Bills for $58?