LaGrange Republican Committee
Dutchess County
New York
LaGrange Republicans
are committed to the future of Lagrange
SMART GROWTH - The Republican Town Board worked through the process of developing a new Master Plan. The process was an example of open government in action. Countless LaGrange Citizens were invited to be a part of the process and answered the call. Their opinions were recorded and used to develop the Master Plan. Overall build out in the Town has been reduced. The effect will be fewer homes built, less of a burden to our schools and our infrastructure. New zoning laws, designed to make the master plan work, have been enacted.
OPEN MEETINGS - Each and every meeting of the Republican Town Board is open to the public, including workshop sessions. Public comment is welcome and often used to guide the decision making process. During a recent workshop on the 2007 budget, numerous residents attended and heard first hand the deliberations of the Board. Workshop sessions are often informal and residents participate actively when they attend. Business meetings are preceded with an agenda that outlines each topic to be discussed, the agenda is posted on the Town Web Site. Public comment is always welcome and encouraged. Supervisor Wagner is working with our two cable providers to develop a town wide public access channel. The Republican Supervisor is also generating cost estimates to web cast Town Board meetings. Supervisor Wagner has also launched an "electronic newsletter" as a part of the Town's web site. to keep taxpayers up to date on issues that should concern them.
OPEN SPACE - In 2005 Republican Supervisor Jon Wagner (then a Councilman) gained the support of the Town board and instituted an Open Space Committee. That Committee consists of Citizen Volunteers and Republican Councilman Dale Borchert who continue to work hard toward the goal of preserving undeveloped land in LaGrange. That goal is being met once again through open meetings and public input. LaGrange under Republican Leadership has received tens of thousands of dollars in grant money from the Hudson River Greenway to support open space. The open space plan was presented to the public on May 23, 2007. A working committee with a goal of implementation of the plan will be named as soon as practical. Your Republican Town Board and Supervisor have consistently advocated for the preservation of our remaining local farms. Fair assessment of active farm land and tax incentives to keep the farmers farming are among the goals.
2008 OPEN SPACE UPDATE! Open Space Bond Proposition Passed 3-1 on November 4 2008. The Republican Town Board leads the way toward preservation.
TOWN CENTER - The Town Center plan is a good plan for the future of LaGrange. It will provide LaGrange with a "sense of place". It will also provide an opportunity for our residents to downsize if they desire. There will be smaller coach style homes, apartments over shops as well as a mix of traditional homes. The much needed development of a commercial tax base in LaGrange can happen in Town Center. The Arlington School District has been involved in many of the planning discussions for Town Center. Initial economic studies indicate that the project will have a very positive tax benefit to the Town. The tax dollars generated from the project will outweigh the burden to our schools. New assessment worksheets developed by the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp.(DCEDC) will be used to assess the impact of this development to our community. In general the DCEDC has indicated such a mixed use center will have a positive economic impact for our taxpayers.
The Town Center plan is endorsed by the Dutchess County Planning Department and Pace University Law School Land Use Center. The plan is an example of good planning. It is an example of Smart Growth.
Traffic is a real concern. The Republican Town Board has applied for Federal appropriations to fund traffic improvements along Route 55.Such an application is a first for LaGrange. Representative Kirsten Gilibrand has worked with Supervisor Wagner in a non-partisan effort to assist in that application. The developers also plan to absorb a portion of the cost for Rte 55 traffic improvements. NYS DOT is taking an active role in the planning. Route 55 improvements make up a major portion of this project, and are being considered carefully and openly. NYSDOT has identified over 6 million dollars to make improvements to Rte 55 between the Taconic Parkway and Freedom Rd. Careful planning by traffic engineering specialists is under way.
WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE - The Republican led Town Board continues to work toward a competent network of water and sewer districts. The plan for such utilities places them in the highest density areas of town. This placement affords the most protection to our natural resources and controls sprawl. Providing these utilities in conjunction with the Town masterplan supports smart growth. The Manchester Water source and the expandable sewer plant on Overlook Road acknowledge future growth. Your Republican Town Board and Supervisor have used a public/private combination of funding to pay for the infrastructure. This method has saved the taxpayers millions of dollars. The Titusville trunk sewer is under construction and will provide relief from a failing sewer plant for Titusville Sewer District residents. The trunk line along with the new plant ( stated for a late 2007 opening) will allow for additional much needed commercial properties to be developed along its route. The result will be additional positive tax revenue to provide relief from our over burdened residential base.
FULL TIME SUPERVISOR
LaGrange currently has a part-time Town Supervisor
Former supervisor Wade began the practice several years ago of gradually raising the Supervisors salary each budget to anticipate changing to a full time Supervisor.
In 2005, Mid - Hudson Pattern for Progress identified the fact that Town Supervisors should serve 4 year rather then 2 year terms. Pattern made that determination based on the challenges our towns face each day. They saw the need for consistent reliable management. LaGrange taxpayers agreed and approved the 4 year term. Your Town Board is continuing to prepare for the next logical step.
The Board is once again looking to the future and the long term success of LaGrange. Our Town is the equivalent of a 7 million dollar business. It administers over 2 million additional dollars in special districts, and is building multi - million dollar water and Sewer infrastructure to meet the long term needs of the Town.
A full time Supervisor to watch over your tax dollars is imperative to the future financial health of our Town. Consultants, contractors and other entities tend to believe that municipalities have "deep pockets" and all too very happy to dig in for their own benefit.
Having full time management allows for the identification and correction of situations where taxpayer money was being wasted. Long term changes have been made to ensure continued cost savings.
This election for Supervisor will allow voters to elect the right person for a full time role managing their tax dollars.
