 Fishkill and Toll Brothers Come to $352,000 Agreement
Town of Fishkill Supervisor Ozzy Albra has worked in good faith with Toll Brothers on Merritt Boulevard for two years to recover $300,000 in water and sewer bills and an additional $50,000 to be placed in the sewer district for its infrastructure.
When Supervisor Albra ran for office, residents in that neighborhood expressed fears the Town would require residents in Toll developments to pay for any outstanding charges. He pledged to work to settle any issues with the developer and avoid costs being passed onto residents.
The settlement totals $352,613.27, to be paid by the developer to the Town in consideration of invoices received from the Town. Supervisor Albra said he is proud to have achieved another success for Fishkill taxpayers.
Supervisor Albra Thanks New Councilmen
The agreement was finalized at the Wednesday, January 5, 2021 Town Board meeting. Supervisor Albra was pleased that new Town Councilmen John Forman, Carmine Istvan and Brian Wrye all voted in favor.
Councilman Wrye said he was aware of resident concerns about being asked to foot the bill for the balance against the developer.
"I talked to a lot of people in that housing area and they were just appalled at the bill," Councilman Wrye said. "This is a very good proposal."
Councilman Istvan agreed.
"I'm glad that we worked on getting some money for the residents in," Councilman Istvan said. "I think we should move forward."
Councilwoman Louise Daniele added: "I think it's unfair that a large developer such as Toll Brothers was able to cut a large deal with overdue water and sewer bills, that were created by prior administrations and questionable actions. In the future, any resident with billing issues should be given the same consideration that this developer received."
To watch the Town Board discuss and vote on the agreement, Click Here.
Looking Ahead
Supervisor Albra said he will continue to work for the residents of Toll Brothers and the residents of Fishkill. A well field which serves the same Toll Brothers community, located in the vicinity of Route 9, has been under Dutchess County Health Department review for more than 10 years. The Supervisor is actively working in good faith with the Health Department to resolve these issues at no cost to the taxpayers.
Once this well field is remediated, the Town Board together will work to remediate Health Department concerns regarding the Brinckerhoff Water District (Dutchess Park). Previous solutions included a $5.6 million project proposal which would have been paid for by the residents. Supervisor Albra said he will ask the Town Board to allocate federal stimulus funds to remediate these issues in accordance with Health Department requirements.
The Town of Fishkill is in excellent financial condition. Once weakness, Supervisor Albra said, is upgrading water infrastructure.
"We need to protect our resources, upgrade our water and sewer infrastructure throughout the Town, and make sure that any connections to our water and sewer districts have proper Health Department approvals," Supervisor Albra said.
If you have any questions about water or sewer issues, or anything related to the Town of Fishkill, contact Supervisor Albra at any time by email at supervisor@fishkill-ny.gov or by phone at (845) 831-7800 ext. 3309
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