The plan of all plans.

The comprehensive plan is a document that a community adopts to safeguard the future of their town.

The comprehensive plan is meant to serve as a guide for all future decisions made that impact your town.It defines what your Town wants to protect. It also defines how and why you will protect it.Many towns have and are revising their plans to stay in step with all the new development and needs of the community.

Chances are, if your town has not revised their plan in the last 10 years, this would be a good thing to do. Though it can be lengthy process, it is a very important tool to keep your town in a good direction. Without it many laws, especially those pertaining to zoning, will either out of date or so hard to interpret, and easier for an unscrupulous developer's lawyer to plow right through them.

Listed are a few Comprehensive Plans for your reference.

Saugerties, NY Comprehensive Plan
Red Hook, NY Comprehensive Plan
New Paltz, NY Comprehensive Plan
Milan , NY Comprehensive Plan
Rhinebeck, NY Comprehensive Plan
Hurley, NY Comprehensive Plan
Puoghkeepsie, NY "draft" 5/23/07 Comprehensive Plan

While at the Rhinebeck site check out the Comprehensive Plan Process for insight as to what goes into the plan

Ulster County Real Property Tax Service Agency website

There are many services that are staffed by every town.
Let me remind you....YOU pay their salaries. They are hold these offices to help you. In most cases many questions are answered by a quick visit to your town website or a call to the Town clerk.

For specific problems feel free to contact department heads with your questions.

Common town departments are:
Town, Planning, Zoning, Building, Taxes, Highway, Recreation,Water/ Sewer,Police among a few others depending on the size of your town.

Other Town resources...

Association of Towns website http://www.nytowns.org/
with their list of all official New York Town websites and those relevant to Towns

University of Albany's website with their list of all county websites and 2000 population figures

Federal statistics for New York towns and counties