Mounting distrust and power struggles between an outgoing and incoming administration were evident as several measures were tabled or pushed until January, leading Woodstock supervisor Bill McKenna to cancel a transition meeting.
“She has done nothing but get in the way of the agenda these last six months. She’s been hostile about it,” McKenna said when asked why he canceled a meeting with incoming supervisor Anula Courtis’ team.
“Bennet [Ratcliff] basically accused me of stealing [American Rescue Plan] money, and she just sat there without saying anything. So, if she’s not going to trust me and she won’t move things forward that make sense for the town, why should I put an effort in?”
At the December 9 Town Board meeting, many resolutions faced pushback, including spending COVID-era federal relief funds, another attempt to get approval for a $14,580 generator plug and transfer switch for the town wellheads, purchasing a sewer pump truck and approving Family and Medical Leave Act (FLMA) leave.
The board rejected a motion to move $20,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds set aside for arts to the Woodstock Art and Cultural Alliance for a marketing campaign after concerns over the town’s handling of federal pandemic money.
Courtis wanted to move the matter to January when she can invite the Alliance to do a presentation to the board.
“So the money, you’ll have to send it back in January. It’s got to be committed this year,” McKenna said.
“You have had this for ages. Okay? So what I would request is to go and talk to the Art Alliance.”
A request by council member Bennet Ratcliff to give $40,000 in ARPA funds to HomeShare Ulster County fueled further confrontation when McKenna said no money was left.
“We allocated $40,000 in a previous year, and we allocated $30,000 in the year before that. This would be making good again on the $40,000 commitment that we made for 24-25. This is a program that we started in the town of Woodstock. This is a program that is expanding now to the county of Ulster,” Ratcliff said.
“There is no $40,000 in that account. And I don’t care what you do. You’re going to have to explain that in April when we’re $40,000 short. That money doesn’t exist,” McKenna said.
“There is money in the ARP funds. There is. Why don’t you show us? Show us where the money went,” council member Maria-Elena Conte said.
“You need to show us where the money went, Bill. Yeah, you need to show us,” Ratcliff said.
“It went to the housing project, and there’s $20,000 left, which we put into the trust-and-agency [account] for the arts,” McKenna said.
Ratcliff said the money can’t just be moved over to housing. McKenna said it was done by resolution, and Ratcliff said it wasn’t.
“Then go tell the attorney general to have me arrested,” McKenna said.
An ARPA spending report provided by McKenna shows all of the $591,485.39 awarded to the town since August 2021 has been committed. Early on, $63,293.09 went to pandemic pay for town employees. The town gave $50,000 to the Family of Woodstock hotline, $11,202.60 to the fire department and its various companies, and about $6,000 for equipment to conduct town board meetings via Zoom.
Earmarked but not all spent is $314,000 for studying affordable housing on town-owned land.
Several items delayed, rejected
McKenna has attempted for several meetings to get approval for the plug and transfer switch to allow a portable generator to provide backup power to the town well pumps. Incoming supervisor Anula Courtis, citing a large discrepancy between the low bid and the next bid of $38,000, said she would rather push it to January when she can discuss it with the water and sewer superintendent, Larry Allen, as part of the transition. That item was tabled.
Rejected 3-2 was the purchase of a truck needed to take sludge out of the area to be treated. McKenna said the truck is needed in lieu of reed beds that the state Department of Environmental Conservation has deemed insufficient and will not certify.
Courtis has said there is not enough documentation to support the purchase. Courtis, Bennet Ratcliff and Maria-Elena Conte voted against it, while McKenna and Laura Ricci voted in favor.
The board also rejected 3-2 a resolution to approve an unpaid absence under the FMLA, citing lack of paperwork.
“How can we vote on something when it hasn’t even been completed and turned in? We have no idea what we’re voting on,” Ratcliff said.
Courtis later said the item was placed on the agenda with no explanation and no documentation to show if the requirements had been met. She has requested the information be provided to the board.
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