New Officer Named, Intelligence and Narcotics Task Force Discussed, Receiver of Taxes Appointed

BY MICHAEL CAHILL

Busy Stony Point Board Meeting on Tuesday

CORRECTION: The originally published version of this article inaccurately stated that Councilman Javenes voted against the resolution to bring back Stony Point’s officer from the Joint Task Force. Javenes voted with the rest of the board in a unanimous approval of the resolution. 

The Stony Point Town Board approved the nominations of a new police officer for at its regularly scheduled meeting in the RHO Community Center Building on Tuesday night.

This year so far the Stony Point Police Department has been suffering from a manpower shortage, the department reported to the board. Several officers have been out on disability due to injuries sustained in the line of duty, resulting in increased overtime pay at the cost of the taxpayers.

Stony Point Chief of Police Brian Moore proposed the town would be able to bring on an extra officer for one year at no additional cost to the taxpayers. The board had previously interviewed all three candidates. Chief Moore asked the board to approve his nomination of Michael Heath for the position. The board passed the motion 4 to 1 with Councilman Karl Javenes voting against it.

Also at this week’s meeting, the board approved a resolution that would return the Stony Point police officer who currently stationed with the Joint Rockland County Intelligence and Narcotics Task Force back to Stony Point if promised funding from the county is not received.

This task force is a cooperative organization and receives officers from all the towns and villages in the county. These officer work together to run the task force. Stony Point is currently contributing one officer, but some towns contribute many more. The county is supposed to reimburse the towns for the salaries of these officers, but has so far failed to do so. Supervisor Geoffrey Finn acknowledged the importance of the task force, but said that the officer can be of more use in the town if the county will not pay the town for its contribution.

The board set a deadline of April 15 for the county to create a contract containing the payment terms. Otherwise, with more pressing needs in Stony Point, the board will pull the Stony Point officer from the task force. The motion passed 4 to 1 with Javenes voting against it.

Also at last night’s meeting the board unanimously approved the appointment of Doris Campbell to the position of Deputy Receiver of Taxes. Campbell is receiving the appointment as the position is being vacated.

During the public input section Benjamin Reid, director of the Rose Memorial Library, spoke briefly about upcoming events at the library. Reid highlighted the programs the library is designing to help those in the community that are un or underemployed to find work.

Susan Filgueras of the Stony Point Historical Socity also spoke. Filgueras was proud to announce that the new roof on the Pyngyp School is finished. She heartily thanked everyone who worked on the project, especially those who donated their time and equipment to the cause.

The board also voted to approve the application of the town for funding from the Brownfield Area Opportunities program. Finally the board moved swiftly through remaining agenda items, all of which passed unanimously. The board closed the meeting in honor of Eric “Fuzzer” Anderson who passed away last week.

The town board will meet again on April 10 at 7 p.m. in the RHO Community Center Building.

  board meeting, rockland county, Stony Point, stony point police