Tax collector Nancy Talbot complained about only getting a 3% raise and that she did not get in the budget (draft) what she requested, (at 15:30).
Thomas Dubrey, (at 17:38):
“As a board when we met on the budget the determination was made that the hours ah.. that the wages available for the clerk hours along with your [Nancy Talbot’s] hours should be sufficient to run the department in a manner that is gone be open to the public ah.. at an adequate pace, that’s what we thought.”
Nancy Talbot:
“I don’t agree with that, at all!”
Later, Thomas Dubrey stated (at 18:34):
“As a Board and for the budget process we decided that increasing the salary to what you (Nancy Talbot) requested is probably not in the best interest of the town at this time, that’s what we decided.”
Nancy Talbot came recently under fire for a land transaction whereby her son Deric bought a building lot with deeded rights to the lake for $100 (plus back-taxes for one year.) The Holland Blog reported the scandal in the piece Holland Blog filed complaint with State Ethics Commission against Nancy Talbot, our elected tax collector.
To view the budget (draft) click here!
It is interesting to note that Wettlaufer’s fear mongering predictions in support of the sought — and by the voters defeated — proposition 2-1/2 tax levy override in the spring of 2008 did not become true.
The Finance Committee’s budget proves for the third year in a row that none of his predictions became true and that the tax levy override was nothing more than wishful thinking on Wettlaufer’s part.
Instead of his predicted necessary cuts to services or teaching positions etc, the town is still able to increase town employee’s salaries by 3% and fund unnecessary litigation as the case filed by the town against Northeast Concepts Inc. shows. The matter was recently lost despite the fact that the town hired super lawyer Tani Sapirstein (Justice Moriarty’s decision issued on April 22, 2010.)
The residents of Holland owe Thomas Dubrey and the rest of the Finance Committee appreciation and gratitude for their fine work!
The Finance Committee is seeking two members to serve on the Committee. The members are volunteers and are not compensated for their work. If interested, please contact the town clerk, Kristin LaPlante.
The video has at least one blackout and at times the wrong microphones are active, the video is shown here the way it was transmitted on the evening of April 20, 2010. The Holland Blog has no control over the quality of the recording.
May 6, 2010, Peter Frei