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Editorial
Essex County faces its own fiscal cliff. Page 4
December 15, 2012
A Denton Publication
N News ews
Enterprise E En nterrpprise
2011
4 192
Essex Co. OKs 2013 budget with 1.13% tax bump
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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
ELIZABETHTOWN — While the bodies were close, the tentative 2013 Essex County budget was passed easily under weighted voting, adopting a spending plan that represented a 1.13 percent increase to the tax levy. The budget was passed, 2,077-718, during a special county board meeting Dec. 10, with the average tax rate expected to increase 5 cents up to $2.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The budget calls for $95,000, 115 in spending with $71,689,099 in revenues and $6,850,000 in fund balance, leaving a tax levy of $16,461,016. County Manager Dan Palmer said the tax levy was a decrease from 2.68 percent to 1.13 percent when chargebacks from the towns were added into the budget. “This is the flat amount that is applied to everyone, and then you look into the charge-backs and other factors,” Palmer said. “If there were no charge-backs, we started with 2.68 percent. Once the town puts it as a charge-back against the
Former Johnsburg Town Supervisor Bill Thomas drives the North Creek Business Alliance’s Main Street Courtesy Shuttle, which runs daily in the summer. Thomas and other volunteers meet Saratoga & North Creek Railway passengers at the train station upon arrival and transport them up and down Main Street to restaurants and shops. The Business Alliance owns the golf cart shuttle, which seats five passengers plus the driver, and plans to use Warren County occupancy tax money to help purchase a trolley that would shuttle tourists along Main Street in the summer. Photo by Andy Flynn
County gives $26,000 for trolley By Thom Randall thom@denpubs.com QUEENSBURY — Warren County leaders demonstrated solid support for upcounty transportation Monday Dec. 10 as they voted to award $26,000 to the North Creek Business Alliance for its tourist shuttle service. This occupancy tax allocation for the shuttle service represents a 63 percent increase over the county’s 2012 grant.
The Business Alliance has been seeking to purchase a compact bus or diesel trolley to replace the 5-passenger electric golf cart it now uses to transport people at no charge through town — in an effort to boost economic activity. This shuttle has been vital in getting people around North Creek, particularly from the train station to downtown enterprises, Alliance officials have said. This shuttle service is extremely important in transporting visitors who arrive in North Creek as passengers on
the Saratoga-North Creek Railway, but the existing electric cart can’t handle the 300 to 400 people who routinely arrive on the train, according to the Alliance’s grant application. Alliance officials could not be reached early this week. The grant application notes that the shuttle service, coupled with the railway, has been a key element in transforming North Creek from an isolated but historic hamlet into a destination resort town. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
See the latest scores from our local teams PAGE 8 HOLIDAY MUSIC
Indian Lake schools host holiday concerts PAGE 10
This toy story could spoil Christmas forever
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Index P2
By Shaun Kittle
HOSPICE
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shaun@denpubs.com
EDITORIAL
P4
NORTH CREEK
PUBLISHER’S COLUMN
P4
BAKERS MILLS NEWS
P5
LETTERS
P5
CALENDAR
P6
SPORTS
P8-9
CLASSIFIEDS
P13-15
NORTH COUNTRY—There’s nothing like a little lead poisoning to ruin the holiday spirit. But this time of year doesn’t have to be wrought with danger, as long as consumers know what to look for. To help, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group released its 27th annual holiday toy guide,
Trouble in Toyland, and tried to spread a little holiday awareness this season. Lauren Hierl, VPIRG’s environmental health advocate, said the study was conducted by a team of researchers who test various toys for hazards such as choking, toxic chemical content and loud noise levels. VPIRG also works to strengthen regulations on toy manufacturers, particularly where toxins are concerned. “There are some regulations for toys on the federal level, but there is a need for broader regula-
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tions of these things,” Hierl said. “These are things that adults shouldn’t be exposed to, either.” Chemicals like lead, phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) can’t be seen, but they can cause lasting damage, especially on a developing child’s body. “We’ve tackled some of the chemicals, but there are more than 84,000 chemicals on the market today, so it’s really hard to do them all one at a time,” Hierl said. “Most of the ones we focus on CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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