New voting machines to be purchased in Essex County

ELIZABETHTOWN | Voting machines, adoptions and housing counseling were some of the topics of discussion at the Essex County Board of Supervisors meeting March 13. The Board of Elections is working on getting new voting machines as soon as possible. These machines weren't budgeted for this year, but Republican Commissioner Jack Moulton and Democratic Commissioner Mary McGowan would like to get them out and ready to be used before the 2024 presidential election. County Manager Mike Mascarenas said they probably wouldn't be up and running for the primaries for the 2023 election in June but would be for the general election in November. Mascarenas also suggested the board should opt to buy new machines rather than lease them. The old machines lasted 15 years. PREPAREDNESS TRAINING Essex County Emergency Services Department, in conjunction with the Essex County Sheriff's Department, Department of Public Health, National Guard and Department of Homeland Security, will hold a citizens preparedness training class on June 24 at 10 a.m. at the county fairgrounds in Westport. It will be open to all Essex County residents. The class is in the early planning stages, so more information will be presented at the next meeting. NEW RV PARK, PERMITS Director of Community Resources Anna Reynolds presented several referrals for special use permits. One would be to utilize the old fire station on 38 Champlain Ave. in Westport for a retail office and potentially a brewery. Another would issue a special use permit to develop an RV park in the Town of Chesterfield. "The Chesterfield town board is in full support of this," Chesterfield Supervisor Clayton Barber said. "It will be a short-term campground and will be a great addition to the Town of Chesterfield." REGIONAL TOURISM UPDATE Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism James McKenna presented ROOST's end-of-year report. He highlighted the region's social media presence and the lasting effect of the FISU World University Games. He said that with climate change, the region will continue to be a reliable venue for large sporting events. "I think we're just starting to see the beginning of the results," McKenna said. "So getting those facilities upgraded for the University Games will just be ongoing. Because they know our facilities are the world standard, plus they're pretty much guaranteed that the conditions will be good." HOUSING ASSISTANCE Community Development Director Bruce Misarski shared that this month the Housing Assistance Program of Essex County's second housing counselor became HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) -certified. One of the counselors will focus on foreclosure mitigation counseling and the other will focus on homebuyer assistance counseling. Misarski said a lot of his own work this month has been focused on advocacy for housing programs in New York state and more specifically, rural New York. He said one of the biggest things HAPEC has been fighting for is small rental development for low- and moderate-income families. He said there is not a good chance the county will see projects like the 60 units of housing that were just built in Lake Placid for a long time. "So we've been pushing for the small rental development program, which was funded this year and is not funded in the budget in 2024," Misarski said. "It's a program she [Hochul] believes in, but we need the legislature to really put some money back into that." MENTAL HEALTH UPDATE Director of the Mental Health Department Terri Morse included a "did you know" section in her monthly report, which outlined how some of Gov. Hochul's initiatives from her State of the State address will affect the region. One of these initiatives would expand insurance companies' coverage of mental health services. Another, which Morse is particularly excited about, increases the operational capacity for inpatient psychiatric treatment. She said there has been an increase in significant mental health issues in the county. "One of the things as the Director of Human Services I'm responsible for is capacity evaluations," Morse said. "So if somebody goes to court, and a local magistrate or the court system feels that the individual is not competent to stand trial and participate in their own defense, they refer them to me. I have to hire two psychologists or psychiatrists to do that evaluation. In my tenure as the Director of Community Services since 2017, the most I've ever had to do in one year is nine. Already this year, I have nine." When someone is deemed "not capable of participating," they are sent to a facility to "gain competency," at the cost of $1,100 a day to taxpayers. Morse said it is her department's goal to increase their mental health services. ADOPTIONS Department of Social Services Commissioner Angie Allen announced this month there were two children adopted. There are currently four children awaiting adoption. Essex County Director of Health Planning and Promotion Jessica Darney Buehler asked for a resolution to "support the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week." National Health Week is the week of April 3 and "recognizes the role of public health in preventing and responding to health challenges, addressing social and other determinants of health and improving the overall health of individuals and communities in Essex County. The theme for National Public Health Week this year is "Centering and Celebrating Cultures in Health."

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New voting machines to be purchased in Essex County

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