Council OKs vehicle request

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

The Woodstock Town Council on Tuesday backed a request to replace vehicles for two departments with money from reserves.

Council voted in favor of amending the current fiscal budget by slightly more than $96,000 to cover the cost of buying four vehicles. Woodstock police sought two sedan cruisers and a sport utility vehicle, according to town officials. The Public Works Department also sought a pickup with a snow-removal blade attachment.

No one spoke during a public hearing held on the budget amendment, assistant town planner Angela Clem said Wednesday. Council needed to hold the public hearing because the amount of the request exceeded the town's budget by 1 percent, according to Clem. Council later in the meeting voted to amend the general fund balance of the current budget by the amount requested from the reserves.

Finance Director Mandy Belyea explained that council had discussed the departments' vehicle requests during their work on the 2013 budget but decided at that time to not include money for the purchases.

Council later in the meeting accepted bids from two dealerships for the four vehicles, Belyea said.

Also at the meeting, council:

• Approved revisions to the town's policies and procedures concerning collection of bills for water and sewer services to landlords and tenants to align with state regulations. The law allows localities that provide utilities to rental properties to seek repayment of outstanding bills from the property landlord. Council also approved increasing the required amount for a deposit to $225.


• Approved a request by the town finance department to write off, as allowed by state law, approximately $7,367 in unpaid personal property tax bills dating up to 2006, which included more than $3,509 in accrued interest. Council also approved a request to write off $1,109 in unpaid utility bills to 2006.


• Revised the town pool and park policy handbook, including the job descriptions for the pool manager and assistant pool manager, and the schedule of fees


• Revised the town personnel policies and procedures handbook to include employees' use of electronic communications such as Internet-based media or other devices. Clem noted the section of the town's handbook had become outdated in five years and didn't mention certain electronic media in use currently.