Referred to: The Energy and Environment Committee (Chairman Loughran and

Legislators Richard Parete, Rodriguez, Ronk, and Wawro), and The Ways and Means

Committee (Chairman Gerentine and Legislators Allen, Belfiglio, Briggs, Gregorius,

Maio and Maloney, and Richard Parete)

Legislator John Parete offers the following:

WHEREAS, Ulster County is concerned about a number of active and

abandoned parcels that are encumbered by the presence of known environmental

contamination; and

WHEREAS, often these parcels get abandoned to taxes, forcing the county to

either remediate the sites and/or to remove them from a taxable status and defer

formal foreclosure, thereby placing these parcels into a non-taxable and nonresponsible status; and

WHEREAS, remediation can prove to be an expensive proposition both

fiscally and in terms of investment of staff time, and such costs are typically borne by

the County in advance of any cost recovery; and

WHEREAS, there are other environmental initiatives that the Ulster County

Legislature may choose to engage in with uncertain costs from time-to-time, such as

the proposed pilot program for alternative fuel and greening of the Ulster County

fleet; now therefore be it

RESOLVED that an amount, not to exceed $100,000, shall be appropriated in

the 2016 budget for the evaluation and possible remediation of the properties

identified in the County’s annual tax foreclosure process, and such funds shall be

expended in accordance with the policy set forth in Resolution 43A of the

Resolutions of 2015,

and moves its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES: 21 NOES: 1

(Noes: Legislator Briggs)

(Absent: Legislator Wishnick) 

Postponed in Committee: Energy and Environment on February 4, 2015

Passed Committee: Energy and Environment on March 4, 2015

Passed Committee: Ways and Means as amended on March 17, 2015

Referred back to the Ways and Means Committee at Legislative Session on March

17, 2015

Passed Committee: Ways and Means as amended on April 15, 2015

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

NONE

STATE OF NEW YORK

 ss:

COUNTY OF ULSTER

I, the undersigned Clerk of the Legislature of the County of Ulster, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is

the original resolution adopted by the Ulster County Legislature on the 21st Day of April in the year Two Thousand and

Fifteen, and said resolution shall remain on file in the office of said clerk.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal of the County of Ulster this 23rd Day of April in

the year Two Thousand and Fifteen.

|s| Victoria A. Fabella

Victoria A. Fabella, Clerk

Ulster County Legislature

Submitted to the County Executive this Approved by the County Executive this

23rd Day of April, 2015. 28

th Day of April, 2015.

|s| Victoria A. Fabella |s| Michael P. Hein

Victoria A. Fabella, Clerk Michael P. Hein, County Executive

Ulster County Legislature