The search for a new Walden Village Clerk is set to enter a new phase, as the first round of interviews for the vacant position were scheduled to begin on Nov. 27. Former Village Clerk Tara Bliss resigned from the post in August, and the village began a deliberate hunt for her replacement shortly thereafter.

Under village law, Walden Mayor Susan Rumbold will appoint the next clerk, and the term will run from the new hire’s appointment date until April 2020. If needed, a second round of interviews will be conducted on the evening of Dec. 3, with a decision on the appointment expected sometime next month. As part of the process, all applicants had to submit salary requirements in order to be considered for the position.

At the Village Board’s meeting on Nov. 20, the council unanimously approved a measure for the village to purchase a used bucket truck that will be utilized for a number of public services. The vehicle will be used for tree trimming, to attend to flags on the bridge, decorating the village Christmas tree and changing street lights. The cost of a new truck could reach the $100,000 range, so the village will search for a previously owned vehicle, with an estimated price tag of between $27,000 and $29,000.

The village will set aside $31,400 from the water fund to cover the cost of purchasing the truck, which would have to be certified once a year. Village Manager John Revella said the village is moving to get its own bucket truck because Walden does not currently have access to one of the vehicles when they need it the most. “The superintendent (Frank Perna) has been at his wit’s end trying to get rental vehicles in trying to work on things in the village and he’s been unsuccessful since Pine Bush Equipment has been out of (equipment rental) business,” Revella said during the meeting. “The ones he has now have had long delays or high pricing.”

During last Tuesday’s meeting, the board also unanimously approved Local Laws No. 7 and 8 of 2018 to amend the zoning code pertaining to area variances. “It was to enable a resident to improve their property and we wanted it to deal with single-family more than commercial,” Rumbold said.

According to Local Law No. 7,“the New York Court of Appeals has determined that in enacting this comprehensive statutory scheme, it was the state legislature’s intent to preempt local governments from legislating in any fashion that would be different or inconsistent with this comprehensive legislative scheme. While the provisions set forth in Village Code section 305-54(C) are not different or inconsistent with the state law – in fact it simply repeats verbatim the language set forth in New York State Village Law section 7-712-b – it is redundant and therefore unnecessary. Accordingly, the Village Board determines that is appropriate to repeal this provision of the Village Code.”

The detailed zoning changes will allow the village to clean up its code while complying with state law. “We had a gentleman come before us and it was the first time in history that even (Building Inspector) Dean Stickles knows that had an issue with non-conforming use of the lot and where it is, and the zone that it’s in,” Walden Zoning Board Chair Becky Pearson explained.