Rhinebeck board approves consent agenda: hires, appointments, contracts and budget items

The Rhinebeck Town Board moved through a lengthy consent agenda and approved a series of routine but varied administrative and personnel items by unanimous votes.

Key actions included approval of prior meeting minutes (01/05/2026 and reordered minutes 01/25/2026), the annual landfill-closure monitoring contract, issuance of an RFP for the transfer station, destruction of inactive records under Joan’s direction, and multiple personnel actions: reappointment of Joe Gelb to the workforce housing committee; reappointment of Whitman and Collar to the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission (HPAC); reappointment of Andrea Gellin as special prosecutor; appointment of Warren McClanski as special counsel for litigation; hire of a retroactive highway employee following storm response; hiring a temporary clerk (Leo Stevenson) at $26.50 per hour; hiring a cemetery groundskeeper (Vincent) and town hall cleaners with an amendment setting the pay at $28 per hour; and approval of a new highway-vehicle purchase to be reassigned when replaced.

The board also approved tax-certiorari settlement agreements negotiated by town counsel and recommended by the assessor: most settlements provided no town refund, but one property (described as vacant and deteriorating) will receive a refund. The board signed off on accounts payable and capital projects abstracts and budget transfers as presented.

Several recreation and parks items were approved, including the 2026 recreation fee schedule, a men's indoor soccer program, and contracting Crawford Engineering for engineering work on a pickleball/tennis shade-seating and storage project.

All items on the consent portion of the agenda passed unanimously with no recorded dissents. Board members offered brief remarks praising highway crews for storm work, thanked recreation staff for expanding programs, and noted that building work on the town hall interior had begun.

What’s next: Administrative follow-ups include processing hires and deposits (for example the village escrow for the water-plant matter), confirming settlement paperwork, and coordinating engineering work for park projects.