NYS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION NOTICE
FROM THE VILLAGE MUNICIPAL UTILITIES COMMISSION
Dear Village Electric and Natural Gas Customer:
Please be advised that pursuant to Department of Public Service Law section 66-P, upon written request from a prospective tenant or lessee, prior to the commencement of tenancy or execution of a lease, the Village of Hamilton Municipal Electric and Natural Gas Utilities will provide the total electric and/or natural gas charges incurred at the prospective residential premises for the life of the premises, or the preceding two-year period, whichever is shorter. This information will be provided to the landlord or lessor and to the prospective tenant, or other authorized person, without charge, within ten days of receipt of a written request for such information. The information response shall identify only the address of the dwelling unit, and no other information identifying the lessee, owner or other occupant shall be made available or utilized for the billing information provided.
From the Mayor’s Desk
Hello Neighbors,
The cool nights and the explosion of Fall colors reminds us that our warm weather will be coming to an end and the beauty and challenges of winter are not far away. As the outdoor work season draws to an end, I would like to use this edition of our newsletter to recognize some of the many accomplishments of our Village Department of Public Works this year, all while working within the restrictions and limitations created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those achievements are highlighted on the back of this newsletter. Next month we will report on the work of our Village Utility Departments.
COVID continues to be a serious concern. As we see “hot spots” reported in various locations throughout New York State, I want to recognize the efforts of Colgate University and this community that so far have stemmed the spread of the virus in our Village. I also want to take this opportunity to again express my sincerest appreciation to all the first responders in our community. Our Village Police Department and Fire Department, along with SOMAC, have selflessly provided continuous protection to our community throughout this difficult year.
As we look forward to Halloween, it obviously will be different this year. Everyone must make their own decisions as to how to recognize the day and make if meaningful for the children of our community, but I urge everyone thinking of participating in any Halloween activities to follow the Madison County Health Department’s recommended practices which can be viewed at: https://www.madisoncounty.ny.gov/2642/Halloween-Best-Practices
If you have any concerns about unsafe activities or practices, please call the Madison County Sherriff non-emergency number at 315-366-2311. Stay well and safe.
All the Best, RuthAnn
Moving Forward with Green Technology – The Village is moving forward with making available optional online access and paperless payments of your utility bills. You can visit the Village Website at: https://hamilton-ny.gov/ and click “View Utility Bill and Account History” to sign up for an online user account. You will need your utility account number(s), as well as your last payment amount. You may have multiple accounts under one user. Once you have your account(s) set up you will have access to your current bills to download and/or print, as well as your account history and resource usage to go along with the convenience of online payments (online payment fees will apply). If you have already registered for online account access, you will receive an email notice that your bill is ready to view online. Presently, paper bills are still being mailed out to all customers. While the Village will continue to provide paper bills to all customers that wish to receive them, it is our intention going forward to phase out the mailing of paper bills to those customers who prefer to receive them only in electronic format. If you have questions or want to provide us your contact email, please email us at: info@hamilton-ny.gov.
Sidewalks – As you may have noticed, our talented and hard-working DPW crew has completed a new sidewalk extension to the Village boundary on Madison Street, made the connection between University Ave. and Hamilton Street and completed the sidewalk connection on College Street from the new pedestrian bridge to Lebanon Street. An additional extension of the sidewalk on Eaton Street to the Village boundary will be completed in the Spring of 2021, or later this year if weather conditions permit.
We wish to thank all property owners who took the initiative to repair their deteriorated sidewalks. If you received a notice to repair your sidewalk and have not done so, the repairs will be made by the Village and the costs will be billed to the property owners.
Outdoor Recreation Around the Village – Other improvements you may have noticed around the Village since spring include the new resting/shelter pavilion at the Montgomery Street Canal Trailhead that was installed by the DPW. We have noticed it and the trails getting more use this summer, and we hope that continues. Courtesy of a grant secured by the Partnership for Community Development, new trail signs will soon be installed. As we noted last month, one of the Village improvements our DPW and Utility Crews helped bring to substantial completion is the new Village Dog Park on College Street. While we don’t anticipate that the grass will be sufficiently established for use until the Spring, there will be a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Saturday, October 24 at 11:00 a.m.
Preservation and Improvement of Village Assets – In addition to sidewalk construction and their regular weekly tasks, the Department of Public Works has been very busy with many other projects around the Village. Street sealing and repaving have been completed, along with painting and striping of curbs and parking areas. New handicapped parking spaces have been created on Madison Street near NBT Bank and at the Village office and Courthouse parking lots. New pedestrian crosswalks have been installed at Madison Lane and the Hamilton Street / University Ave. intersection. New roof gutters have been installed at the Firehouse and the DPW building. An additional 27 new street trees will be planted by the DPW in the coming weeks to complete the gift of 100 trees donated to the Village by Colgate University.
Codes Corner – The Village Board enacted Local Law No. 2020-2 this past July imposing a one year moratorium on the demolition of one and two family homes in the Village. Questions about this moratorium or any home improvement or construction project should be directed to Code Enforcement Officer Don Forth at (315) 824-1111 (office), (315) 750-0497 (cell), or donf@hamilton-ny.gov.
Village Office – The Village Office remains closed to the public. If you wish to make an appointment to meet with someone at the Village Office, or for general assistance, please call 315-824-1111 between 7:30-4:00, or email the Village Clerk at kimt@hamilton-ny.gov. You can find information about Village services, updated news, and board meeting minutes on the Village website: www.hamilton-ny.gov