Press Release:
CITY OF BEACON AND TOWN OF FISHKILL
TO SHARE DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
BEACON, NY: The City of Beacon and the Town of Fishkill have agreed to share the services of a full-time Director of Human Resources – providing an example of intermunicipal cost saving and efficiency – and have hired Gina Basile as Human Resources Director for Beacon and Fishkill.
The two municipalities finalized the intermunicipal agreement at respective council meetings held in June. After an extensive search for a qualified candidate, Ms. Basile was hired and took office on July 20th. Prior to this position, Ms. Basile served in various government posts for last 18 years, having served as the manager of human resources for the New York State Bridge Authority since 2015. She grew up in Fishkill, attended John Jay High School and Dutchess Community College, and received her bachelor’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology.
This position is unique in that two municipalities have agreed – for both better service and lower taxpayer expense – to share the position of Director of Human Resources. Under terms of the agreement, Basile will maintain offices at Beacon City Hall and Fishkill Town Hall, and is expected to work at each municipality on alternating days.
HR Director Basile said, “I am honored to have this unique opportunity to serve as the inter-municipal Director of Human Resources for the City of Beacon and the Town of Fishkill. I look forward to developing meaningful relationships with all of our employees, and work with them to ensure they know that the Human Resources Department is always available to them, no matter what their need. And I hope to help recruit employees for all departments who are dedicated to providing our communities with the best quality services.”
Mayor Kyriacou pointed out “A capable Human Resources professional is critical for municipal success today. And for communities the size of Beacon and Fishkill, sharing that professional is the best use of taxpayer dollars, and creates win-win for both communities.”
And Fishkill Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra added: “This was great opportunity for Fishkill and Beacon to save the taxpayers money, and I look forward to doing more of this, if possible, in the future.”
About the City of Beacon:
Beacon, New York is located on the eastern shore of the Hudson River 60 miles north of New York City, with a population of 15,000. Originally a Native American settlement, the area was purchased from the Wappinger Tribe in 1683 and settled by Dutch and other Europeans, leading to the riverfront community of Fishkill Landing on the Hudson, and the mill community of Matteawan on Fishkill Creek. The two communities were incorporated together as the City of Beacon in 1913, named for the Revolutionary War signal fires on Mount Beacon. Beacon thrived as a 19th and 20th Century factory city, but as factories closed after WWII and the local economy declined, the city went through a period of hard times. Today, Beacon has successfully reinvented itself as a 21st Century river community centered around tourism, the arts and access to the scenic Hudson River heritage area. A diverse and thriving small city, it is now home to DIA:Beacon (one of the largest exhibition spaces in the country for modern and contemporary art), a network of Hudson River parks connecting to Fishkill Creek and Mount Beacon trails, and a vibrant historic Main Street of art galleries, shops, cultural venues and restaurants.
About the Town of Fishkill:
The Town of Fishkill is located at the southwest corner of Dutchess County, approximately 60 miles north of New York City. This town of 22,000 is one of the original nine towns in Dutchess County. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in the 1600s, Fishkill was home to Native Americans of the Wappinger tribe. Fishkill is rich with colonial and Revolutionary War history, as the Town played a critical role in the earliest days of America’s independence. George Washington’s sword was forged in Fishkill, and the Fishkill Supply Depot was a military camp which housed up to 4,000 Continental Army soldiers. Several sites in Fishkill are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Fishkill Supply Depot, Mount Gulian and Stony Kill Farm. Today, Fishkill is best known for its natural beauty and family-friendly tourist attractions, including a variety of hiking trails and historic sites, the Splashdown Beach water park, and the Hudson Valley Renegades minor league baseball team.
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