The Woodstock Town Board adopted the 2024 town budget at a sometimes testy meeting that began with aggressive behavior followed up by word of a state complaint against the supervisor.
Supervisor Bill McKenna proposed increasing the available funds for town volunteer committees, commissions and boards by $8000 to $16,000 and increasing the salary for the supervisor, clerk and highway superintendent by $10,300 each. These increases are offset by an $18,900 increase to the property tax-levy and a $20,000 increase in projected sales-tax revenues.
Salaries will not increase yet, but the funds are there in case an upcoming study recommends adjustments.
Spending for the general fund, highway fund and all special districts is $25,000 short of ten million dollars.. The general fund tax levy is up $132,466, or 2.8 percent to $4,791,807. The highway levy is up $36,711, or 1.7 percent, to $2,241,307.
The budget was adopted 3-2 with councilmembers Bennet Ratcliff and Maria-Elena Conte voting against it.
McKenna and highway superintendent-elect Don Allen will both make $64,721 and town clerk Jackie Earley will make $62,721 before adjustments due to recommendations from the study of pay levels. .
An increase in youth center expenses by $6600 was offset by a $6600 decrease in youth center personnel. Youth center director Patrick Acker suggested the change so there will be more funds for food and new equipment.
Councilmember Maria-Elena Conte asked how the money for the boards and commissions will be distributed. McKenna said changes would be approved or denied by the town board. He didn’t elaborate., McKenna said a pressing issue was consuming his time.
“I spent so much time over the last couple of days responding to a frivolous lawsuit that I just got to this today,” McKenna said.
Ratcliff and Conte asked what lawsuit.
“Yours, Bennet,” McKenna responded.
It wasn’t a lawsuit, but a complaint filed by Ratcliff to the state Division of Human Rights alleging, among other things organized retaliation, public threatening, harassment, and intimidation for filing a similar complaint with the town.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Ratcliff leaned over the table in front of McKenna’s face and repeatedly said “Hi, Bill, How are you?”
Earley demanded Ratcliff stop because the behavior was harassment and an invasion of McKenna’s personal space.
Ratcliff had filed a complaint with the town board and ethics board in August alleging McKenna engaged in sexual misconduct with a town employee. At the August 15 meeting, several members of the public, McKenna’s wife and other family members came out in McKenna’s support and spoke out against Ratcliff’s accusations.
The town hired an outside attorney to investigate the complaints. McKenna and the employee were cleared by the outside attorney of wrongdoing.
Ratcliff attacked McKenna for breaching confidentiality by making the complaints to the town and state public.
“Last night [November 14], the supervisor chose to break confidentiality and share the complaint with others by bringing it up himself at the town board,” Ratcliff said. “I think the Town of Woodstock government does not respect confidentiality as a way of deterring people from filing complaints. This is one method that the supervisor uses to govern in Woodstock using intimidation and harassment. I have the right to complain, and have done so to the NYS Division of Human Rights.”
Join the family! 
