Verified against NY State statutes and guidance, with AI assistance from Claude.
## **VILLAGE OF RED HOOK RESOLUTION #___ –- 2026 DATED: APRIL 1327, 2026**
A meeting of the Village of Red Hook was convened in public session at the Village Hall, 7467 South Broadway, Red Hook, NY on April 27, 2026. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Smythe.
## **RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTTRAINING ATTENDANCE AND CONFERENCEESTABLISH ATTENDANCETHE PROCEDURE FOR VILLAGE OFFICIALSPAYMENT ANDOF EMPLOYEESTRAINING FEES.**
**WHEREAS,** the Board has determined to pay a fixed rate for mileage as reimbursement to Village Officials and employees who use their personal automobiles while performing official duties; and
WHEREAS there is to be held during the coming official year a) NYCOM’s Winter Legislative Meeting, conferencesb) NYCOM’s Annual Meeting and trainingTraining programsSchool, willc) beNYCOM’s offeredFall byTraining School, d) NYCOM’s Public Works Training School, and e) the Newfollowing Yorkcounty Conferenceassociation of Mayors (NYCOM) andmeetings;
- Dutchess County associationsSupervisors & Mayors Association
- Dutchess County Planning Association
- Dutchess County Transportation Council
WHEREAS attendance by certain municipal officials and employees at one or more of these meetings, conferences or schools benefits the municipality; and
**WHEREAS,** Village trustees are elected citizens who take on complex responsibilities in municipal finance, land use, infrastructure, and legal compliance, and professional training is how they develop the expertise these roles demand; and
**WHEREAS,** the Board has approved a certain budget for training expenses for the fiscal year 6/1/26 thru 5/31/27: $2,000 for trustees, $2,000 for Village staff, Planning/Zoning within A8010.43, Court within A1110.45, DPW within A1640.43 or EW8320.45; and
WHEREAS, at the Jan. 26, 2026 meeting, the board set a Trustee Training Policy that the Trustee training budget line (A1010.4) divided by four (4) is committedallotted to each Trustee to use for municipal training(s) fee(s) (e.g., NYCOM, NYS Comptroller, etc.) and associated necessary expenditures (e.g., mileage, lodging, etc.) without Board prior approval. If the training fees and associated expenses exceed the allocation (or remaining allocation), the Board of Trustees must discuss and approve prior to the prudentexpenditure. useAll ofexpenses taxpayermust dollarsgo andthrough the voucher audit process prior to getting the greatest return from training expenditures; andreimbursement.
**WHEREAS,** the prior qualification “subject to budget availability” should be replaced with an affir mative commitment to professional development;
**NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED**:
Reimbursement byfor mileage to Professional training will be calculated at the Boardcurrent offederal TrusteesIRS business rate per mile in effect at the time of the Villagetrip; ofand,
That Red Hook as follows:
**1.** Thethe following officialsofficers and employees are authorized to attend the following conferencesschools/meetings. Where expenses are requested to be paid by the Village, any expenditure must be approved by the Mayor or Board of Trustees (as applicable) before the commitment of funds or attendance and trainingwhere programsapplicable, follow the Village’s Trustee Training Policy as noted above:
- Mayor, Board of Trustees, Clerk, Treasurer: NYCOM Fall Training School,a) NYCOM’s Winter Legislative Meeting, b) NYCOM’s Annual Meeting and Training School, c) NYCOM’s Fall Training School
- Mayor, DPWDepartment of Public Works Foreman: NYCOM’s Public Works Training School
- Mayor, Deputy Mayor: Dutchess County Supervisors & Mayors Association, Dutchess County Transportation Council
- Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals members, Planning/Zoning Clerk: Dutchess County Planning Association
**2.** Pursuant to General Municipal Law §77b(2), authorized officials and employees are entitled to reimbursement for all actual and necessary costs incurred while attending these programs.
**3.** Attendance at authorized conferences and training programs shall not require additional Board approval. The Village shall cover registration, travel, lodging, and meals for all authorized attendees. Attendees are strongly encouraged to minimize costs to the Village, wherever prudent.
**4.** Beginning with the FY 2026–2027 budget, the Chief Budget Officer shall include a professional development line item sufficient to allow all authorized officials and employees to attend the programs listed in Section 1. Professional development is a budgeted priority and shall not be denied on the basis of budget availability.
**5.** Attendees shall present a brief written report at the next possible public meeting of the Board, summarizing lessons learned and identifying any takeaways relevant to Board business, Village operations, or staff.
**6.** The Board intends to adopt a separate travel and expense policy establishing per diem rates, mileage reimbursement, and related guidelines. Until such policy is adopted, reimbursement shall follow GSA federal per diem rates for the applicable location.
Page 1
**7.** Any prior resolution, motion, or policy that apportions, rations, or limits the training budget among individual Board members — including but not limited to the perTrustee allocation referenced in the motion passed on January 26, 2026 — is hereby superseded and of no further effect.
**8. Severability.** If any provision of this Resolution is held invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
**9.** This Resolution shall take effect immediately.
Motion by: ____________________ Seconded by: __________________
The foregoing resolution was duly put to a vote, which resulted as follows:_________________
|MayorMotion Smytheby: ____________________<br>Seconded by: _________________|□AyeMotion by: ____________________<br>Seconded by: _________________|□NayMotion by: ____________________<br>Seconded by: _________________|□AbstainMotion by: ____________________<br>Seconded by: _________________|□RecuseMotion by: ____________________<br>Seconded by: _________________|□Absent/ExcusedMotion by: ____________________<br>Seconded by: _________________|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|The foregoingresolution was duly put to a vote, which resulted as follows:||||||
|Mayor Smythe|☐Aye|☐Nay|☐Abstain|☐Recuse|☐Absent/Excused|
|DeputyMayor Kjarval|□☐Aye|□☐Nay|□☐Abstain|□☐Recuse|□☐Absent/Excused|
|Trustee Uku|□☐Aye|□☐Nay|□☐Abstain|□☐Recuse|□☐Absent/Excused|
|Trustee Allen|□☐Aye|□☐Nay|□☐Abstain|□☐Recuse|□☐Absent/Excused|
|Trustee Rothstein|□☐Aye|□☐Nay|□☐Abstain|□☐Recuse|□☐Absent/Excused|
|Vote Total||||||
|Result|Motion:|||||
I hereby attest that the above Resolution was approved by the Board of Trustees at its April 1327, 2026 meeting, and that I have been authorized to sign this Resolution by decision of the Board of Trustees.
______________________ ____________________ Jennifer Cavanaugh, Clerk Date Date: _______________
Page 2