Karrie Allen is reporting in the Chatham Courier the Chatham Town Board continues to search for ways to close its recently discovered budget gap. At a recent public meeting, town board member Bob Balcom present some recommendations on behalf of the Citizens Finance and Planning Committee for the board's consideration. At the top of the list: Conversion of the existing Town Hall Reserve Fund to a new fund dedicated to pension payment support that would save the town $79,000 a year for the next two years, Balcom said. The committee also recommended the town consider reducing the number of members of both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals from seven to five. The committee recommended members of those boards be paid less per meeting, as well. Other recommendations included consolidating the town's assessment services with Columbia County, and privatizing the code enforcement office and town property maintenance. The board last month also discussed the possibility of hiring a deputy sheriff to patrol the Taconic State Parkway and other areas of town to both increase safety and cut down on speeding. According to press accounts at the time, the board also saw the enforcement plan as a way to generate revenue, an idea received poorly by several town residents. Read the full story in the Chatham Courier.