Mayor: “We’ll find someone to advance the study”
The Village Board is “opting out” of its contract with Rondout Consulting, the firm hired about five years ago to study the consolidation of the Village of Highland Falls and the Town of Highlands.
The move was announced at the last meeting of the Village Board, after the last two years have been spent trying to get the study going again.
“To say the least, Rondout Consulting has been absent,” Trustee Jim DiSalvo said.
Mayor Joe D’Onofrio said he has asked Rondout for all documents pertaining to Highland Falls and he believes the village now has them.
“So, what is our next step now?” Trustee Brian Aylward asked.
D’Onofrio said they need to hire another consulting firm to take over the work.
“I talked with the gentleman at the state level who oversaw our grant and have asked him for a list of other companies that do reorganization studies that we might contact,” D’Onofrio said. “he confirmed we can use the rest of the grant money to continue the work.”
Board members wondered if the village “lost money” with Rondout Consulting, because the $25,000 grant was a matching one, where the village had to put in their own funds (another $25,000).
“Yes, we are out some money because the consultant didn’t live up to the contract,” the mayor said, and that’s why we’re severing the contract.”
The mayor said he hopes what remains in the grant, along with the village’s matching portion (about $31,000), will be enough to do an updated study.
