Exact Change Needed to Pay Taxes in Gilboa

By Liz Page

GILBOA – If you pay your taxes in cash, you need to have the exact amount, as the Gilboa Town Board has adopted a resolution saying they will not be able to provide exact change, due to the fact the federal government is no longer minting pennies. The tax collector is not able to accept anything less than the amount due by law. Other towns will follow suit. They also passed a resolution appointing three members of the town's assessment review board. They include Jennifer Warner, Susan Morkaut and Sandy Hemsted. The town board will hold its year-end meeting on Dec. 29 at 8 a.m. and will re-organize on Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m..

Monday's regular meeting was routine, with little business, as the town prepares to close out 2025 and enter the new year.

There was some discussion about the halted project on the salt/sand shed, with the town attorney, the engineering firm and the contractor involved in working out the incorrect metal work for the new roof. The contractor for the project is AMZ and conversations are now taking place to see what can be done to rectify the situation. The work was stopped when Highway Superintendent John Wyckoff noticed the panels being installed were not lining up. Each panel is off and the fear is that by the time all the panels are installed, they will be off by feet. It is related to the cramping machine and specifications and is now in the hands of the town attorney.

In his highway report, Superintendent John Wyckoff said crews have been plowing and sanding roads. One member of the crew has resigned and he said it is his intent not to hire a replacement right away, but to wait until summer road work begins. "We are getting along with winter maintenance with the crew we have," saidWyckoff. He reported three crew members have been out with confirmed cases of the flu. He also received a letter from one resident thanking the crew for doing such a good job at plowing her road.

Town Clerk Linda Wyckoff said three people received cyber security training for the town, including herself and Supervisor Alicia Terry. She also explained the county has a new website and some changes have been made. Towns will now be able to post some of their own listings rather than having to make an appointment for the county IT to post it.

The town hosted the first Schoharie County Mobile Hub Food Pantry on Nov. 16 with 25 families participating. More are scheduled for other locations in the county. "It was very heartening," said Clerk Linda Wyckoff. She said a clothing swap also went well and another may be held in the spring.

The highway department did receive Public Employee Safety and Health (PESH) violations. The town was not notified of them in a timely manner. The town has sent a letter acknowledging the late receipt and has since remediated the citations, which the town attorney noted were not serious violations.

In her report, Supervisor Terry, said the county's Capital Resource Corporation will meet on Dec. 16. No decision has been made on the tax exempt bond application by camp Oorah, Inc. The corporation was awaiting completion of the State Environmental Quality Review Act paperwork before a decision can be made. She said she would keep everyone posted.

She concluded the meeting with photos of the equipment being used by contractors to install fiber optics cable to unserved or underserved areas of the county. The digging work can continue over the winter and will move to above ground work in the spring. It will bring broadband to all areas of the county. "When the project is completed, every location in Schoharie County that has commercial electricity will have access to broadband fiber optics.