Monticello sues water bill deadbeats By TOM RUE
MONTICELLO - Deadbeats who use Monticello village water but won't pay their bill, will have to ante up or lose their municipal service, if village officials get their way. Board members voted on January 6 to sue more than 10 town users whose arrears range from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Village attorney Michael Davidoff said the problem came to light when Hy Frishman refused to pay a $17,000 water bill for Rosewood Bungalow Colony, which is outside village limits on Old Liberty Rd. Officials then began to examine outstanding water bills of other properties outside the village.
Frishman, 69, could not be reached at his Monticello phone. Calls were referred to a residence in Delray Beach, Florida.
Bills for the 10 residents listed at the meeting -- not including Frishman's -- totalled almost $19,000, bringing the total to about $26,000.
"You ought to hear what they say," said village manager George Panchyshyn. "They're indignent that we're trying to collect."
"They don't understand that the village has to operate as a business," said Davidoff.
Suits will only be brought against water property owners outside village limits, said Davidoff, since other recourse exists when taxpayers get behind. If a taxpayers fall behind on water fees, the amount is tacked onto their tax bill.
If taxes remain unpaid, the municipality has the option of foreclosing on the property. No such leverage exists for out-of-village water users, Davidoff said.
Officials could not explain how the users -- most of which are private residences, according to Panchyshyn -- got village service in the first place. "It's a good question. We don't know. Some of these go back years," he said.
"If they don't pay, we're going to turn it off," Davidoff asserted.
Named to be sued were: Robert Manley, $3513.65; Egbert Shockness, $2876.09; Janina Obrebski, $2586.66; Bennie Dicarrado, $1964.07; SNK, $1756.38; Edward Kynyk, $1589.24; Elizabeth Branna, $1397.28; S.J. Dube, $519.93; and Itzik Barashi, $183.07.
Davidoff said the village is not seeking additional outside users. But trustee David Rosenberg disagreed, noting that a property owner "near Jamesway" had inquired about tapping into village water. Rosenberg urged discussing the request.
Police seek federal grant
Police chief Michael Brennan reported on a $12,936 federal Local Law-Enforcement Block Grant which he said is needed to purchase a new radar unit, portable radios, a omputer printer, and other equipment. Brennan said grant guidelines require forming of a local advisory board, which he proposed include himself, Tina Minauskas of the district attorney's office, and apointees of village justice Robert Kesten, school superintendent Eileen Casey, and Monticello Housing Authority director David Kaufman.
In a public hearing it was questioned whether the housing authority is a non-profit organization, as required in grant guidelines, or a government entity. "If there's a problem with that, I'll contact the Recovery Center," Brennan said. "Or a religious group," suggested mayor James Kenny.
Other business
In other business, Kenny announced, village officials would be meeting on January 13 with officials from Fallsburg, Mamakating and Thompson to form a Tri-Town Task Force on Casino Gaming.
Panchyshyn recommended the board authorize installing four street lights on Dollard Dr., at a projected cost of $761.50 per year. "It's darker than an armpit up there," he said.
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