Tempers flared as the Woodstock town board overruled supervisor Bill McKenna’s plan for a 17.5 percent tax cut, opting to restore a fund balance for emergencies and capital projects, while the supervisor said presumptive supervisor-elect Anula Courtis will inherit a “shitshow.”
The Town Board voted 4-1 on Oct. 28 to amend the preliminary budget, this time with council member Laura Ricci joining the majority and leaving McKenna the only one opposed.
Working tirelessly for several days leading up to the meeting, the town board drafted a compromise between a massive tax cut and a so-called “rainy day fund.” Instead of using $2 million in surplus, or fund balance, the 2026 budget will use $725,462 to offset the levy, resulting in a zero tax increase.
“What this does is it keeps the tax levy flat,” Ricci said.
“So instead of reducing by about two million, this proposal says we’re going to reduce [the fund balance] by about three-quarters of a million, which is kind of a compromise solution. Some people say drive it down. Some people say keep it there,” she said.
“It keeps a comfortable cushion in the unexpended fund balance while listening to the same people that said, ‘Hey, you’ve got a little too much.’ So I think it’s a compromise.”
The combined general fund, highway fund, lighting, sewer and water budgets are $11,120,906 — an increase of $611,311, or 5.8 percent — and the combined levy is flat at $7,279,872.
The board will hold a public hearing on the budget Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. at the town offices, 45 Comeau Drive.
Clerk kerfuffle
A resolution accepting the resignation of town clerk Jackie Earley sparked debate because it included the appointment of deputy clerk Meghann Reimondo as her successor for the remainder of her term.
“The New York State town law does not require that we do this. The first deputy assumes all of the duties and responsibilities of the clerk and possesses all of the powers and performs the duties of the clerk during the absence or inability or vacancy of the town clerk,” council member Bennet Ratcliff said.
“I’m absolutely disappointed in you,” Earley said to Ratcliff.
“There’s the idea of not influencing an election that’s going to come up very early next year,” Courtis said.
“You might not like it, and that’s okay, but everybody gets a voice at the table, including saying that you’re going to be a yes vote or a no vote. So we don’t need to disrespect each other at the table for our opinions.”
The board voted 3-2 against Reimondo’s appointment, with McKenna and council member Laura Ricci opposed.
“The hostility that [Courtis] has directed towards the town clerk in that office — it’s mind-boggling,” McKenna said later.
“I’m embarrassed by the way that Jackie is going out. She should be celebrated. And instead, we’re bickering over who we’re going to appoint for a year because they don’t want to tip the scales. They don’t want to do their job.”
Scrapping over metal
Highway superintendent Donald Allen’s attempt to sell off some broken trucks and repair manuals set off a fight over timeliness of communication and exposed trust issues.
The motion failed 3-2 when Ratcliff, Courtis and Maria-Elena Conte voted against it.
“You don’t get to sell your trucks, Donald,” McKenna said, as he chuckled.
Courtis said the board got the list five minutes before the meeting, then McKenna said she was being dishonest and in fact received the resolution at 8:56 that morning.
Courtis said while the resolution was sent that morning, the list of surplus items was handed to her five minutes before the meeting.
“Today was busy — working on the budget and resolutions and things like that,” she said.
“It will serve you better, Donald, if you will, in advance — not the day of — and ask the town board to meet and talk to us about it rather than sending these things forward,” Ratcliff said.
“Because we’ve been told we didn’t do our due diligence, and now when we try to do our due diligence, he says, oh, we’re not being honest,” Ratcliff said, referring to McKenna accusing the board of not scrutinizing his recommended hire of Level 3 sex offender Michael Innello for the maintenance department.
Allen fought back at being caught in the middle.
“I want to tell you, this is becoming a trust thing, and you guys don’t trust me, and I don’t understand it. I have never done anything to you folks,” Allen said.
“This is a no-brainer. I have two pieces of scrap metal sitting over there that can be auctioned off. And you guys, because you’re a dysfunctional board and can’t get along, are ruining my department,” Allen said.
“My department has done nothing wrong. I know you guys don’t trust Bill McKenna. But why am I getting sucked into it? You guys are dysfunctional. This is a no-brainer. Two pieces of scrap metal to be auctioned off.”
After the meeting was adjourned, McKenna focused his anger at Courtis that has been seething for a while, this time publicly lashing out at her.
“You are going to inherit a shitshow. You are going to have a mess to deal with,” he said.
Courtis said that seemed like a threat.
“You are not well,” she said to McKenna.
Acrimonious adjournment
After making the “shitshow” comment post-adjournment, supervisor McKenna clarified his position.
“I see now that I’m being accused of threatening [Courtis]. And she did say that night that I made a threat. And that is not at all what I said,” he countered.
“I did say she would inherit a shitshow Jan. 1 that she would have to deal with, and that she and Bennett [Ratcliff] are helping to create it,” McKenna said.
“Take a look at what’s been going on the last six months. They don’t want to pass or vote on anything. Everything is getting kicked down the road. They’re being difficult, and they’re not being truthful.”
McKenna noted that while Courtis and Ratcliff complained about the last-minute nature of a request to sell surplus highway equipment, her own amendments to the budget were presented that evening.
“We’re talking about $2 million. We’re not talking about whether we sell two rusty trucks and a bunch of manuals,” he said.
McKenna said a growing list of items the board majority has delayed has led to the “shitshow” Courtis will inherit. Candidates for a new town assessor, a cable franchise agreement and a pump truck for the sewer department are just a few.
“We’ve got ARP funding that I sent them a proposal for four months ago. Still haven’t heard anything. The maintenance department needs a new vehicle. We sent a proposal six weeks ago. Nothing. I sent them information on a generator hookup. Nothing. So all these things are piling up, and that’s what I mean by a shitshow,” McKenna said.
“And if she doesn’t start dealing with it, I probably will sit back and laugh about it as she fumbles around. She’s got enough on her plate with just the normal day-to-day stuff.”
Add to that union contracts with salary renegotiations and the highway workers’ contract that expires this year, he noted.
“I’m trying to get her to come in and sit down and at least get the foundation for an agreement. And she’s refusing. She said she’d come in, and now she says she won’t come in. And so, just one more thing that she’s going to have,” he said.
But Courtis fought back. She countered that half the items on McKenna’s list have never made it to the table, but were only communicated through emails.
“Bill’s public comment that I will ‘inherit a shitshow,’ followed by his attempt to explain it away as simply noting that the town ‘has issues,’ ultimately reflects on his own leadership as supervisor,” she said.
“The word ‘inherit’ means something passed from one person to another, and by his own admission, he acknowledges that what he is leaving behind is a mess of his own making.”
She accused McKenna of engaging in petty blame games rather than addressing the real issues of the town.
“He has attempted to drain critical reserves and spend against town policy by proposing a budget that would have blown through $2 million in fund balance, leaving Woodstock vulnerable to serious financial challenges in the near future. The town board instead passed a responsible budget that preserved stability while protecting taxpayers,” she said.
She said the town’s issues are largely the result of years of poor planning, lack of transparency and unilateral decision-making.
“His recent outburst came after a ‘no’ vote on his budget proposal, and it is clear that his frustration stems from the board’s refusal to rubber-stamp a fiscally irresponsible plan or approve a non-critical resolution shared the same day, providing the board no opportunity to evaluate cost versus value and to discuss other options,” Courtis said.
Courtis said McKenna failed to participate in the budget process, only attending the meeting for the town clerk’s office budget.
“Employee morale is at an all-time low, residents are on edge, and public meetings have become increasingly hostile under his leadership. He has become openly hostile and appears increasingly disillusioned, lashing out at those who question or challenge his decisions,” Courtis said.
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