26 April Supervisor Meyers Announces Bicycle Patrol Unit Resuming Operation effective May 1st April 26, 2022 By Danyelle Barrett General 0 Supervisor Meyers announced today that effective May 1st the Town of New Windsor Police Department’s Bicycle Patrol Unit will resume operation throughout our town. This unit will be on patrol in our numerous housing developments for the remainder of the spring and summer months. The Bicycle Patrol Unit is part of our community policing endeavor and will not only make our town safer, but it will put our officers in direct contact with our residents in town. The Town Board established this unit last year in hopes of increasing interaction between the police and the community. The feedback last year was very positive from both the officers assigned to the unit and the residents. If you see them riding by in the upcoming months, stop them and say hello! Related Articles Update from Supervisor Meyers: NWPD Bike Patrol, Dog Park & New K9 Officer From Supervisor Meyers: We are introducing a few new additions for New Windsor that have been in planning stages for a couple of months. Beginning tomorrow, July 6, a police bicycle patrol will begin in our housing developments. We have had six of our officers in training for this detail. I think it is important for our officers to interact with our residents on a regular basis. My belief is that this type of patrol will be helpful in accomplishing that goal. The officers assigned to this detail are anxious to get started. There is a schedule of the dates and locations of these patrols and all our housing developments are included. Lieutenant Fred Fayo will provide oversight of this unit. The bikes will be rack mounted on a marked police vehicle and the officer will determine when and how long to patrol on the bike. I have heard repeatedly from our residents that they do not know any of the police officers, and I hope that this will create positive interaction for our residents with our officers. I have been discussing a town dog park for New Windsor for a number of weeks and the park is now a reality. The park is located at our San G Park on Union Ave across from Heritage school. There are two sections for different size dogs and both have shade structures and water bowl filling stations. The gate key required for use of the dog park will be available at the town clerk’s office starting on Thursday, July 8. In addition, as of this past Friday, we have a new K-9 unit assigned to our police patrol unit. Officer Joe Bell and his partner Duke graduated after months of training and will now be on patrol helping to keep New Windsor a safe place for all of us. Supervisor Meyers announces cancellations due to ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic PRESS RELEASE In light of recent developments with the coronavirus pandemic and the public health emergency in New York State, Supervisor George Meyers is taking the following actions to limit exposure to town employees and the public. These protective measures are being taken to assure the operation of local government in the safest manner possible for the public and our employees during this public health crisis. All Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings, public hearings and workshops are canceled until further notice. Justice Court appearances and hearings before Justice Meyers (Tuesdays) and Justice Calderin (Thursdays) are canceled until further notice. The Court will notify you of a new appearance date once the coronavirus pandemic passes. All Recreation programs and activities are canceled until further notice, including the town’s annual Easter Egg hunt. Supervisor Meyers is requesting anyone having business with the Town of New Windsor use the telephone, email, online services, or US Mail to conduct business and avoid coming into Town Hall or the Recreation Offices. New Windsor offers online utility bill payments, court fines and fees payments, online FOIL requests, online mapping, and more on our website at newwindsor-ny.gov. New Windsor Police and New Windsor Ambulance have instituted health safety protocols to protect their members and provide uninterrupted service to our residents and the general public. Please check the Town website, Facebook page, and register for text notifications on our website at newwindsor-ny.gov for updated information. Update from Supervisor Meyers on New Windsor precautions in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic Based on the recommendation of New York State that local governments have 50% of employees working remotely due to the spread of COVID-19, Supervisor Meyers is taking action for the health and safety of our employees and ensuring our government continues to function for New Windsor residents. Town Departments are having employees work from home or in split shifts where possible without affecting services to the public. The New Windsor Police and New Windsor Ambulance are taking extra precautions to protect their officers and staff. Additional precautions are being taken with our highway, water and sewer departments to ensure staff availability to run critical town infrastructure. Town Hall is still open to the public for the time being, however the Town is encouraging the public not to come to Town Hall or our Recreation department unless it absolutely necessary. Please conduct business via phone, email, online or via US mail where possible. New Windsor offers online utility bill payments, court fines and fees payments, online FOIL requests, online mapping, and more on our website at newwindsor-ny.gov. Above all, Supervisor Meyers would like to assure the public that even if Town Hall does close to the public, the New Windsor government will continue to function and provide all critical services to our residents. We will continue to provide residents and businesses with information as it becomes available. Supervisor Meyers contacting state and county officials regarding COVID-19 vaccine location in New Windsor Supervisor Meyers is contacting New York State and Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus in regards to setting up a COVID-19 vaccination location at the Town Hall Complex. New Windsor Emergency Services has two Registered Nurses on staff who would administer the vaccine to eligible residents. All New York State guidelines would be followed. Supervisor Meyers would like to make it easier for eligible New Windsor residents to receive the vaccine. The town will announce any plans as soon as it has more information from the state and county. Message from Supervisor Meyers Regarding Town Finances From Supervisor Meyers: I want to give a quick synopsis of where the Town of New Windsor is heading next year as it relates to the town’s finances/taxes. The town, as is the case with many businesses and residents, is not in great financial condition. The town comptroller has cautioned me a number of times regarding his concerns as it relates to the town’s fiscal condition going forward next year. Two huge issues/problems facing the town are the economy and our union contracts with our unionized employees. These contracts were negotiated a couple of years ago during different economic times. An attempt was made to seek some concessions from the PBA and the CSEA - to no avail as of this time. Many of our businesses and residents are struggling (nationally 25% of businesses have gone out of business and are not coming back). I have been told many times recently by owners and residents: “I don’t know how I am going to pay my taxes.” We cannot continue going forward as if nothing is wrong. I will update our taxpayers over the coming weeks as to what steps I am going to propose to the Town Board to address this situation. To me, raising taxes is not an option. Supervisor Meyers advises that the New Windsor waives property tax exemption renewal requirement for Senior Citizens and Disabled Individuals Supervisor Meyers advises that the New Windsor waives property tax exemption renewal requirement for Senior Citizens and Disabled Individuals On January 6, 2022, the New Windsor Town Board passed a resolution waiving the renewal application requirement for Low Income Senior Citizens and Individuals with Disabilities with Limited Income. This option was allowed by a recently issued Executive Order by Governor Hochul. The goal is to protect these people from having to file the applications with the Assessor’s Office due to Covid. For the next tax cycle. these individuals will receive the same exemption at the same percentages that they received last year without having to file the renewal applications. This same Resolution was also passed last year. Veterans Property Tax Exemption- New York State moves back the commencement date for the Vietnam War. The State of New York recently amended the commencement date of the Vietnam War from February 28, 1961, to November 1, 1955. Certain veterans may now qualify for a greater exemption. Veterans that had been receiving a Cold War exemption may now qualify for having served during a period of war. The Town of New Windsor Assessor’s Office will be sending a letter to those property owners that are currently receiving a Cold War Veterans exemption to inform them they may benefit from this change and should look into filing for the Alternative Veterans exemption. The next exemption filing deadline is March 1st, 2022. Comments are closed.