At its November 5 meeting, the Town Board voted to override the state’s 2% tax cap for the 2027 budget year. The vote was part of a resolution to adopt Local Law No. 3 of 2026.

Veterans Day Ceremony

A Veterans Day ceremony will be held at the Elks Lodge in Napanoch on November 11 at 11 a.m.

The date and time commemorate the armistice that took effect in France on November 11, 1918, bringing an end to the fighting in World War I. Veterans Day became a federal holiday in 1938. Today, the nation honors all veterans, living and deceased, in recognition of their service and sacrifice.

Reviving a Local Business Fund

The Town of Wawarsing is looking to breathe new life into the Greater Wawarsing Local Development Corporation (GWLDC), a legacy funding program recently rediscovered by the town.

An audit of the corporation was conducted in 2023, and the Town Board now hopes to make it a more active source of financial support for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Board member Johnny Frost told the Shawangunk Journal that approximately $330,000 remains in the GWLDC account. The program originated with a 2009 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development grant.

As part of the effort to reactivate the program, the town is seeking to publicize the available funding and encourage small-business development projects. On September 10, the town issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), advertised in the Shawangunk Journal. One response was received, from Reservoir Studio.

At the November 5 meeting, the board agreed to engage Reservoir Studio to develop marketing and outreach materials to increase public awareness of the GWLDC. The work will include digital and print communications, along with in-person community outreach events.

Frost told the board that the studio anticipated approximately seven months of work. The board voted to approve the proposal.

Other Board Business

The Town Board will advertise a part-time Alternative Sentencing Crew Supervisor position (Parole) at a rate of $20 per hour for 17.5 hours per week. Applications must be submitted to Human Resources by 4 p.m. Thursday, November 19.

The board also approved a $13,491 payment to Fleet Pump & Service Group of White Plains for the replacement of a pump on Airport Road.

Supervisor Joe Stoeckeler noted that the pump was an outlier in the town's inventory because of its design and configuration. All of the town's other wastewater pumps use the same fitting.