Monti board approves foreclosure agreement

By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — April 9, 2013 – Monticello's village board last week unanimously agreed to once again have Sullivan County handle property foreclosures.
The intermunicipal agreement will cost the village nothing, said County Treasurer Ira Cohen. A $250-per-redeemed-parcel fee will be paid by buyers.
Village Attorney Dennis Lynch indicated that, with a few changes – to protect the village's position, – the agreement would be signed shortly.
"Any and all" info
Also on Tuesday, the board unanimously agreed to explicitly stipulate that "any and all‚" information board members seek from village employees "whether collectively or individually as trustees" must be given to them.
"It's not my resolution," Lynch pointed out to the board, alluding to a dispute between him and Trustee Carmen Rue over her right to obtain info from a village worker the prior week.
No manager, no appointments
Several appointments that would be made by the village manager with board approval didn't occur last Tuesday, even though that was the board's annual reorganizational meeting.
Mayor Gordon Jenkins was recently stripped of his acting village manager duties, so he said he's only making the appointments he's legally allowed to make as mayor.
"All manager appointments were held up because we don't have a manager," he explained on Wednesday. "That's not good government to me."
The list of "officials" (i.e., official newspaper, official bank, etc.) may find passage if trustees select a new manager soon.
They were expected to interview four candidates Friday.