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ECRWSS PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID DENTON PUBLICATIONS/ NEW MARKET PRESS PO Box 338 Elizabethtown NY 12932 Postal Patron

Saturday,ÊS eptemberÊ24,Ê2016

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www.SunCommunityNews.com

In FEATURES | pg. 9

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In BUSINESS | pg. 5

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In NEWS | pg. 2

Opening doors United Way and minds starts campaign

Westport gets unexpected visit

North Country celebrates MFG Week 2016

Polynesian voyaging canoe stops in town

Organization now 23.6 percent closer to goal

Chazy gets head start on 2017 budget

Town officials alarmed at tax cap, which at .68 percent, is the lowest ever By Teah Dowling

teah@suncommunitynews.com

CHAZY — Town officials are alarmed at the low tax cap and are getting a jumpstart on this year’s budget process. The board last week resolved to hold a public hearing on Oct. 11 to pass a resolution overriding the cap as a precaution. At .68 percent, the figure is the lowest since

the state implemented the policy in 2012. “I’m not against the cap,” said Supervisor Mark Henry. “But it’s going to be extremely difficult to stay below it next year.” Last year, the town’s $1.2 million budget came in at just a few hundred dollars under the .73 percent tax cap. But officials forecast $9,000 will be tacked onto the 2017 spending plan due to uncontrolled costs, including workman’s comp, sand and salt and heath care. “The cost of that alone will put us over the cap,” Henry said. Health care expenditures have been steadily increasing by about five percent annually,

Henry said. Next year’s spending plan is projected to see an 8 percent increase, tacking on an additional $15,000. The state has tied staying under the cap to rebate checks for taxpayers. Although residents won’t receive a reimbursement check this year, town officials said they want to avoid a hike and keep current tax rate of $5.44 per $1,000 in assessed value flat. Chazy officials are getting a head start on the 2017 “Staying below the cap gives us a better budget. The board plans on hosting a public hearing chance to keep those taxes lower,” Henry Oct. 11 to pass a resolution overriding the .68 percent

ÔV enetian

tax cap as a precaution.

>> See Chazy Budget | pg. 15

Whispering Maples receivership extended to end of year

SunsetÕ

State attorney general also looking into possible malfeasance of former nonprofit, reports Plattsburgh supervisor

Local author pens novel based on travels, art PLATTSBURGH — Gabrielle Ashley’s life turned upside down when an anonymous figure sent her a jeweled pendant in a silver box. The gift contained a threat took her on a journey filled with vengeance, love… and Teah even murder. Dowling Writer That’s the plot of Audrey Ashline Svec’s new book “Venetian Sunset.” The author, originally from Willsboro who now lives in Point Au Roche, begins the story in present time with characters Gabrielle Ashley and her friend Morgan Peterman, who own New York City art studio. Gabrielle, as an art curator, received countless opportunities to travel to places such as California and Italy. On top of her busy lifestyle, Gabrielle pondered whether her engagement to Andrew, a computer programmer, could withstand the genuine romance she craved. When the threatening note landed on her lap, everything changed. “The book is filled with mayhem and excitement,” Ashline Svec said. “It’s really entertaining and fun to read.” >> See Venetian Sunset | pg. 13

Photo by Teah Dowling

By Pete DeMola

pete@suncommunitynews.com

ELLENBURG — The towns of Plattsburgh and Ellenburg will not take over a group of ailing cemetery properties until the end of the year. “At this time, all parties have agreed that an extension of the receivership is the best course of action for the continued organization of operations at the mausoleums and crematory as well as for the construction bidding period,” Plattsburgh Supervisor Michael Cashman said last week in a statement. The state-appointed receivership is now scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, a full six months after the initial June deadline. Cashman said the receivership will assist in staff transitions and financial reporting. Authorities are continuing to wade through the damages accrued when the state declared the facilities run by Whispering Maples Memorial Gardens, a former nonprofit, abandoned in February 2015 following reports of neglect. Initial repair estimates for the freestanding mausoleum on Tom Miller Road, just behind Champlain Centre, clocked in

“Venetian Sunset” by Audrey Ashline Svec. Photo by Teah Dowling

>> See Mausoleum Update | pg. 12


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