The Gallatin Town Board has scheduled a public hearing on March 24 for a proposed local law that would increase compensation for the town supervisor and Town Board members, citing additional work tied to the town’s ongoing zoning rewrite.
The proposal, introduced by Town Board member Ben Maron, would raise board member salaries from $3,000 to $4,500 and the supervisor’s salary from $10,000 to $14,000 for one year. The salaries would revert to their current levels afterward.
Maron said the board’s comprehensive update of the town’s zoning code will require additional meetings beyond the board’s regular monthly session.
“We have an hour-and-a-half meeting once a month for the rest of the year; it would be really hard within that scope to give this [zoning] document the full attention it needs,” Maron said. “All of us have families, all of us have full-time jobs — we’d be missing out on that and giving up some additional time to do this.”
Gallatin is currently working with Hudsonia Ltd., an environmental research organization, to revise its zoning code. The effort includes mapping wetlands, vernal pools, and forested areas to guide where development should be encouraged and where conservation protections should remain in place. At the meeting, the board authorized a $17,200 payment for updated zoning maps identifying those conservation areas.
Among the ideas under consideration are redesignating Snyderville as a hamlet, which could allow for denser development, and adjusting the town’s forest protection overlay district, which limits development in certain historically untilled forest areas. Board members said they hope to review the updated maps in March.
Maron said he anticipates at least six additional meetings to complete the zoning review and believes compensation should reflect the added workload. His proposal also includes creating a salaried zoning officer position.
The idea drew mixed reactions.
“I don’t know that I would support a local law to change it right,” said Town Board member Jeff Jorve, who attended the meeting via Zoom. “If indeed we are putting in a lot of extra work, it’s something that we can address in the next budget.”
Maron said he reviewed compensation levels in 18 towns and found Gallatin’s salaries to be comparatively low. “What I essentially did was move our [salaries] towards the mean,” he said.
The board voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing on the proposed salary increases for its March meeting. Town Supervisor John Reilly is expected to recuse himself from voting on the matter, as he plans to step down at the end of March.
In other business, Maron said he identified two parcels in town listed as having an “unknown owner” and suggested exploring whether the town could determine deed ownership or potentially acquire the properties. Reilly cautioned that the legal and administrative costs of pursuing the parcels — including hiring a lawyer or conducting a title search — could exceed any potential tax benefit. Maron said he would continue researching ownership records.
The board also discussed the future of a 2.5-acre parcel at 119 Gallatinville Road that the town purchased in 2019 for $32,750. The property had been considered as a site for a new town hall or public pavilion, but rising construction costs halted those plans. Possible future uses include highway storage, affordable housing or a donation to a land conservancy.
The Highway Department’s snow removal budget was increased from $50,000 to $65,000 to cover road salt and sand purchases. The board also raised the vehicle repair line to $70,000 to address maintenance needs.
The next Gallatin Town Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 24.