The last meeting under the Melinda McKnight administration in Hurley filled the town hall on December 27. Residents wanted to witness the drama.
The meeting was highlighted by arguments over budget allocations and by personal disputations. Tempers were short and discussion frequently defensive.
The most consequential order of business was the selection of Debra Dougherty for an eleven-month term created by the resignation of Jana Martin.
Councilmember and supervisor-elect Mike Boms wanted to know which account was funding the services of planning consultant Bonnie Franson.
McKnight called that a separate issue from the routine transferring of funds.
“We got a second. Can we just vote on this?” an exasperated deputy supervisor Pete Humphries asked.
“So I get it that this is an attempted gotcha moment. That issue does not have anything to do with this resolution,” McKnight scolded. “This is a budget line-adjustment resolution. If you want to make a change to this resolution, you’re welcome to. You either suggest a change, or we need to vote.”
A resolution to hire Greenway Environmental Services to develop and operate the town’s zero-solid-waste initiative drew the ire of Boms and some in the audience for a lack of information.
“Did we resolve the issues we had discussed before?” asked Boms.
Town attorney Cassondra Britton said waste haulage fees and the town’s responsibilities had been updated to be more clearly defined.
Boms felt left out of the loop.
“This is new to me. You got the resolution this morning. I just got it right now. I never got anything before that,” he said. Britton said the town didn’t get the agreement until that afternoon.
The agreement had been posted to the town website around 1 p.m. December 27.
Raleigh Green, resident and owner of the online publication Hurley Up, said resolutions were supposed to be posted 24 hours prior to meetings.
Britton said there were exceptions, especially when ironing out the terms of a contract.
Boms said he wasn’t necessarily opposed to the zero-waste initiative, but wanted a chance to read the details. He also noted other town-board members were part of a discussion of issues resolved a month ago, but he was not.
“You already approved it all,” Britton said. “The only reason that this resolution is coming forward is because … it was my recommendation that we do another memo and another resolution because I believe the town board should vote and discuss it. I apologize that you feel like you weren’t included.”
“What’s the rush?” several voices in the audience repeated.
McKnight gaveled the audience to silence. “There’s a motion and a second,” she said. “We’re in discussion. Would you like the town attorney to go through it?”
Boms declined.
“Table it,” chanted audience members again.
“We already voted for one that wasn’t good enough that [Britton] made better. I don’t know what the problem is,” Humphries said.
The audience mutterings continued. Boms eventually said, “Stop.” He said “Thank you” when it did.
Boms attempted to move to table the matter. McKnight said that wasn’t the question. Boms and Simpson then abstained, so the motion failed to get a majority.
In the final minutes of her final meeting, McKnight took the opportunity to defend her record.
She countered critics who say she has overanticipated revenues. She had underestimated them, she said.“So all of the fear-mongering and ankle-biting that I don’t know what I’m doing actually is not true.”
Welcoming people to address supervisor-elect Boms for Public Be Heard, McKnight left the meeting.
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