Historic Farming Community Moving Forward

Ancram, New York
Historic Farming Community Moving Forward

Archives for December 2017

Town Of Ancram Planning Board Notice of Public Hearing

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Please take notice that the Town of Ancram Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Thursday, January 4th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ancram Town Hall, 1416 County Route 7 Ancram, New York 12502. Under consideration is the application for a Special Use Permit for Pole Mounted Solar Panels on parcel IDs# 205.3-1-5 owned by Mary Watkins, located at 2385 Route 82, Ancram, NY 12502. All persons wishing to comment on the application will have an opportunity to do so. Comments may be made at the meeting, via email, or by mail. Any person with questions concerning the application may contact the clerk, John Hoffman, by phone (329-6512 ext. 205), email (planningboard@townofancram.org), or in person (Wednesday and Saturday 10AM-2PM Ancram Town Hall).

John Hoffman III,
Planning Board Clerk

Early Payment of 2018 County/Town Property & School Taxes

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EARLY PAYMENT OF 2018 COUNTY/TOWN PROPERTY TAXES

Town of Ancram 2018 county and town property tax bills are now available on line. Here is the link: http://egov.basgov.com/ancram/

If you plan to pay your 2018 County and Town taxes in 2017, please print a copy of your tax bill and bring it with you when you pay in person, or mail it with your check.

Tax Collectors will be able to start accepting payments after the County of Columbia approves the 2018 Tax Warrant at its 2017 year-end meeting at 3 pm on Thursday, December 28.

Town Tax Collectors cannot begin to collect taxes until the 2018 Tax Warrant is approved on December 28 after 3 pm.

To pay early in person at the Town Hall: Print out and bring a copy of your tax bill or bills to Town Hall. The Town of Ancram will accept early payments of 2018 County/Town property taxes beginning on Thursday, December 28 at 5 pm. We will accept in person early payments at Town Hall as follows:

  • Thursday, December 28 from 5 pm to 7 pm
  • Saturday, December 30 from 9:30 am to 1 pm

To pay early by mail: Send your payment/payments by mail to “Tax Collector, Ancram Town Hall, 1416 County Route 7, Ancram NY 12502. We will record the postmark date as your payment date. Please include a copy of your tax bill or bills, send a separate check for each property, and put your Tax Bill Number in the memo line.

We will resume our normal collection process in January 2018. If you pay early, you will still receive a copy of your tax bill in the mail in January.  If you have already paid early, please disregard that copy of your tax bill.

Regular Town Hall collection hours in January are Wednesday and Thursday 10 am to 2 pm and Saturday 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Some additional information about early payment of property taxes based on the questions we have been getting…

1) Slow web site – We have been getting reports that the online tax bill website (http://egov.basgov.com/ancram/) that the county uses is operating slowly, probably  because of the high volume of traffic it is getting and because it is still being updated for various towns around the state.  Be patient and you will get through…just might take a few minutes of waiting. The Ancram site is now updated so 2018 tax bills show up when you access the site as the default option.

2) Make Ancram Checks payable to – If you are paying your Ancram tax bill, make checks payable to Ancram Tax Collector or Monica Cleveland,  Ancram Tax Collector.

3) 2018-2019 School taxes – cannot be paid early in 2017.

From Neil Howard, Superintendent of the Taconic Hills Central School District:

As clarified by Governor Cuomo, the option to pre-pay 2018-19 taxes by December 31st does not apply to school taxes. Final payments of Taconic Hills CSD 2017-18 school taxes were due by October 31, 2017, and the district does not accept installment payments. We are not able to provide estimated tax bills for 2018-19. Our district will not adopt a budget and tax levy for that year until the May school budget vote on May 15, 2018.

From Martin handler, Superintendent of the Pine Plains Central School District:

We have checked with the legal people. School districts cannot accept 2018-2019 school tax until the warrant is issued next August.

Thank you from Neighbors Helping Neighbors for School Supplies

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Thank You for School Supplies!

Thank you for your continuing support of education in our town and the three school districts our children attend. We have just delivered this year’s school supplies to the Pine Plains, Taconic, and Webutuck schools. Many of you left back packs as well as supplies at both Ancram Town Hall and the Ancramdale Post Office. In addition, we shopped with your donations for the supplies teachers requested; we also gave gift cards to the children in our food program so they can buy their supplies.

One school administrator burst into tears when she saw the amount of supplies we were delivering, and then she said she knows a number of students who will also burst into tears when they receive their brand-new back packs filled with supplies.

We serve our community only through your generosity — thank you! Your donations are going directly toward helping some young, deserving students focus on learning rather than worrying about how to get needed school supplies.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors
P. O. Box 97
Ancramdale, NY 12503

Adrienne Citrin, president (518-329-5042); Jack Lindsay, secretary; Eric Wiener, treasurer; Nancy Bryant, board member emeritus; and Laura Ponkos, Jane Moore, Jane Shannon, and Michael Sturdivant.

Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Ancram Town Hall

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The Town of Ancram is pleased to announce that a Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charging Station has been installed at Town Hall thanks to a generous donation by the Lougheed Family and Ginocchio Electric.  This effort was coordinated by the Town’s Climate Smart Community Task Force, chaired by Suzan Flamm, as part of the Town’s pursuit to become a designated Clean Energy Community and to provide Town residents with access to clean transportation options.  More information about the Clean Energy Communities Program can be found here.
The charging station can be used at no cost by Town residents and visitors as a result of a grant that the Town received earlier in the year from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).  Typically, a Level 2 Charging Station can provide up to 10-20 miles of additional electric vehicle mileage range per hour of charging.  If you would like to know more about charging station and electric vehicle technology, a wealth of information can be found on the United States Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center Website.  Additionally, for those who might be interested, New York State is providing a rebate of up to $2,000 for anyone who purchases electric or plug-in electric vehicles through the Drive Clean Rebate.
If you’d like to get involved with the Town’s Climate Smart Community Task Force, please contact Suzan Flamm (suzan@rflamm.com) or Art Bassin (abassin@aol.com).

Document Shredding at Town Hall, Dec 4-15

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Holly Tanner ~ Columbia County Clerk Sponsors

K.I.S.S.

Keeping Identities of Seniors Safe

Date: 12/4/17-12/15/17

Time: Tuesday, Wed, Thursday (10:00am –2:00pm) Thurs: 5-7pm, Sat: 9:30am-Noon

What Documents Should I Shred:

Bank Statements – Copies of Birth Certificates – Pay Stubs – Canceled/Voided Checks – Credit Card Bills/Receipts – Credit Reports & Histories – Expired Credit Cards & Identification Cards – Expired Passports & Visas –

Legal Documents – Insurance Documents – Tax Forms – Medical & Dental records – Utility Bills (phone, gas/electric, water, cable) – Transcripts –

Investment, Stock & Property Transactions – Employment Records – AND:

ANYTHING with your Account Numbers, Passwords, PINs, Signatures, Social Security Numbers and your Date of Birth !

Location: Ancram Town Hall

1416 County Route 7 Ancram, NY 12502

Sponsored in Collaboration with the

Columbia County Clerk’s Office, Holly Tanner, County Clerk