Housing Resources pulled from agenda

MILLERTON — Housing Resources of Columbia County, Inc., the applicant behind the proposed affordable housing project Millerton Overlook, was not on the agenda of the Village  Planning Board meeting that took place Thursday, Jan. 14, as announced in last week’s Millerton News. The reason was because Housing Resources’ escrow balance was below the required $5,000 minimum level.

Village Hall was filled with residents expecting to ask questions concerning the affordable housing project, but to no avail.  

After substantial, heated discussion about policy, the board voted to let Housing Resources appear on the agenda for a Wednesday workshop meeting on Jan.  27  to continue the application process, provided that the applicant’s escrow account balance was brought up to the required minimum of $5,000.

“Under the circumstances, since Housing Resources is letting the bills run so far behind, the escrow deposit should be increased to $10,000 so that the balance after bills are paid would not fall below the required $5,000 level,� Planning Board member Lance Middlebrook suggested.

Planning Board member Carol Gribble pointed out that they were supposed to have the money in escrow for two weeks before appearing on the Village Planning Board agenda. Board Chairman Greg Lanphear said,  in order to move forward, the board should be “flexible.â€� The new date of Jan. 27 was approved providing that the escrow balance of $5,000 was met by the next day, Jan. 15. Gribble and Middlebrook voted against the motion.

Millerton Mayor John Scutieri confirmed to The Millerton News the next day that a check had been delivered on Friday afternoon by Housing Resources Executive Director Kevin O’Neill in an amount sufficient to pay the project’s bills and to bring the escrow balance up to $5,000.

Next, Lanphear presented a folder of bills pertaining to Millerton Overlook and asked permission to pay them. This request precipitated another heated discussion among the Planning Board members and the audience since there was insufficient money in the Housing Resources escrow account to pay them. Resident Sam Busselle asked if the board members review the bills. Planning Board member John Gilmor asked for copies of the bills to get an idea of what it is costing the applicant to appear before the board.

There were questions from the audience, including Cathy Fenn, who asked who reviewed bills.

“I’m saying that everyone should take a look at the bills before they pay them,� she said.

Gilmor said that in his seven years on the board he had never seen a bill. Lanphear agreed to provide copies of bills by e-mail before the meetings for board members to examine. When asked later about the total amount of unpaid invoices, the chairman said the bills were “not public information until they had been approved� and refused to reveal the amounts owed.

From the audience Jeanne Rebillard returned to the question of the required escrow levels. “Is it $5,000 or $10,000?â€� she asked. Gribble agreed the board should be stricter.  Rebillard clarified that these unpaid bills are the responsibility of the village. Gilmor said repeatedly that this discussion was “not on the agenda.â€�

Casey McCabe, the newly elected town of North East justice, asked a question from the audience.

“If an application is brought before you, and it falls off the agenda, how long until the application is abandoned?�

“I am not comfortable answering that question,� Lanphear said.

Soon after, the meeting came to a close and those in attendance moved from the Village Hall to the Town Hall, where Housing Resources was also a topic of discussion that night.