Orangetown Board Adjusts Military Leave Policy, Raises Fire Inspection Fees

Orangetown's Town Military Leave Policy calls for town employees activated for service to receive their full salaries and benefits for the first 60 days. After 60 days, they receive their benefits minus any military pay.

The resolution passed in 2004 was designed to make sure that town employees called to be part of the war on terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom would not suffer any economic penalty due to their service to the United States.

The Orangetown Town Board voted Tuesday to clarify that the policy only applies to "those Town employees who already are active members of the National Guard or in the reserves of one of the other branches of the military service, but not to an individual who, while a town employee, enlists in, or otherwise voluntarily becomes a member of, on of the branches of military service."

With this clarification, employees who enlist after they begin working for Orangetown would not be eligible for the benefits as described in the Town Military Leave Policy.

Every resolution before the town board passed unanimously at Tuesday's meeting. Others included:

• Raising all Orangetown fire inspection fees by 10 percent. The full fee schedule is included in the town board meeting agenda attached to this report. 
• Six tax settlements, all of which were relatively small. 
• Orangetown Police Chief Kevin Nulty will attend the New York State Intelligence Summit in Albany Oct. 17 and 18. The New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services pays for lodging and meals.
• Reduce the cost of the recently purchased street sweeper truck from $205,813 to $192,126.
• Set a public hearing for Oct. 23 regarding an amendment to Orangetown local law that would allow the town board adopt a 2013 budget exceeding the state-mandated two percent tax levy cap.