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Home My WebLink About2017-12-22 listservGoogle Groups Happy Holidays from Ulysses (+ some updates)! Carissa Parlato <clerk@ulysses.ny.us> Dec 22, 2017 9:50 AM Posted in group:town-of-Ulysses Happiest Holidays to you and yours from the Town of Ulysses! Read on for information from Town of Ulysses staff… In this issue: From the Town Supervisor From the Town Planner Historic Church for Sale Upcoming Town Meetings Community Calendar TOWN OF ULYSSES NEWS: FROM THE TOWN SUPERVISOR, LIZ THOMAS: 1. ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON Happy Holidays to residents of Ulysses and Trumansburg. I hope each of you have moments to relax with people who are special to you. We are fortunate to have a great many interesting, smart and welcoming residents in this town, making it a very special place to live. Volunteers help make our unique community function. Whether volunteering for the fire department, the library, the school, the town or village, the food pantry, historical society, the conservatory, or for one of the many other not-for-profit organizations, please know I am grateful for all the time residents put into keeping these organizations running. For a small town, we have a lot going on! Many of us are mindful of our good fortune. Tompkins County is an expensive place to live, resulting in financial stress for many working families. I hope we can either keep, or earn, the reputation for being a welcoming community, working together for the benefit of all, and adding an element of diversity or community character that makes us stand out. Peace be with you, -Liz Thomas, Town Supervisor 2. HELP PREVENT PROPERTY TAXES INCREASES On-line shopping is convenient and popular, but not all websites are required to collect sales taxes. Making a purchase without paying sales tax seems like a great deal, however there is a catch. Revenue from sales tax for the Town of Ulysses has dropped from being 32% of the town's revenue in 2012 down to 19% in 2016. While the town always tries to keep spending lean, roads still need to be maintained, fire and ambulance services need to be provided (the two biggest expenses for the town), along with all the other town services. Meanwhile budget lines for health insurance, equipment, insurance, etc continue to Happy Holidays from Ulysses (+ some updates)! - Google Groups https://groups.google.com/forum/print/msg/town-of-ulysses/7wrgvL1Q... 1 of 4 1/12/2018, 1:10 PM increase, and state aid has decreased as a percentage of the budget from a whopping 6.3% in 2013 to 4% in 2016. The town has other minor sources of income and continues to be able to fund many projects through grant money, but the budget projection for 2018 is that 44% of income will come from property taxes. As sales taxes go down, property taxes make up the deficit affecting both land owners and renters. Just one more reason to buy local! 3. WANT TO PLACE A SIGN? MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PERMISSION. In this country, we are fortunate to be able to speak out about our governments, whether federal, state or local. Being able to urge open and transparent government actions, along with having a free and strong media, are pillars of our democracy. Yard signs are certainly an allowed part of free speech in the Town of Ulysses, as long as the person placing the sign has it in front of their own house or land. A sign may also be placed on land owned by someone else if the landowner has given permission. Over the years, this rule of thumb (and law) has become ignored by residents more and more. As a reminder, signs are not allowed in public right-of-ways, so for example, signs are not allowed in Department of Transportation (DoT) turnoffs since the DoT does not give permission for signs on their land, other than traffic directional signs. The state also has rules on how far off the road signs can be. This is more difficult to determine since the rights-of-way differ on roads, but in general the standard is that signs should not be placed within 35 feet of the center line on NYS roads, and 25 feet for town roads. So, when placing signs along roadways for others, make sure to ask permission. For more information about sign requirements, see the Town Zoning or contact the Town Planner, Darby Kiley. 4. WHY DID PRI (PALEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE) DECIDE TO INSTALL A FENCE AROUND SMITH WOODS? Deer populations across much of New York State, including Trumansburg, are very high, in some cases as much as 10 times what is considered appropriate for healthy forests. Deer have eaten small saplings and wildflowers in Smith Woods for many years. Although the understory is open and attractive, this is not healthy in the long term. Without new trees establishing, there will be nothing to replace the older trees when they die. And the wildflowers are diminishing each year. Independent assessments by forest ecologists at Cornell and the University of Vermont have determined that excluding deer is the single most important thing we could do to improve forest health. Because Smith Woods is a valuable environmental, community, and scientific resource, PRI is investing around $50,000 to build a fence that will keep deer (not people) out of the forest. Read PRI’s FAQ: http://www.priweb.org/outreach.php?page=smithwoods_intro/smithwoods_faqs FROM THE TOWN PLANNER, Darby Kiley: Draft Zoning Changes- Public Comments Sought- 1. WHY UPDATE THE TOWN ZONING? The Town’s guiding documents: * The Town of Ulysses Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2009, calls for zoning updates as reflected in the Plan’s Future Land Use Plan. * The Town Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan, adopted in 2013, includes a number of action items under the goal of enhancing land use policies to better protect farmland. * In New York State Agriculture and Markets law, there is a declared policy “to conserve, protect, and encourage the development and improvement of its agricultural land for production of food and other agricultural products. It is also the declared policy of the state to conserve and protect agricultural lands as Happy Holidays from Ulysses (+ some updates)! - Google Groups https://groups.google.com/forum/print/msg/town-of-ulysses/7wrgvL1Q... 2 of 4 1/12/2018, 1:10 PM valued natural and ecological resources which provide needed open spaces for clean air sheds, as well as for aesthetic purposes.” Zoning updates based on the Comprehensive Plan recommendations began in 2009 with work on the Lakeshore and Conservation Districts. Those changes were adopted in 2013. The next areas considered for revisions - what we are working on now - are referred to as the Agricultural Priority Area, Mixed-Use Hamlet Center (Jacksonville), and Office & Technology Mixed-Use (near Krums Corners). 2. WHAT IS THE PROCESS? A steering committee appointed by the Town Board began meeting with consultants in November 2015. After over a year of meeting and four public information meetings, in February 2017 a draft of the agricultural area zoning was shared with the various boards and committees of the town. After reviewing comments from the boards/committees, a revised draft of the agricultural zone was released along with zoning recommendations for Jacksonville and the Office/Technology Mixed Use. These documents were presented at a public meeting on November 30, 2017. The Town is now asking for your comments on the draft documents. The comment period has been extended from January 11 to January 25. After January 25, the steering committee will consider the comments and submit a draft to the Town Board. The Town Board will then review, make their own edits, and is likely to hold a public information meeting when a draft is finalized. A public hearing is also required. While the Town is months away from a final version, it’s best to submit your comments now so the steering committee can consider your comments for the next draft. Please be specific as possible in your comments about the documents. The draft zoning documents are available on the Town website: http://www.ulysses.ny.us/boards/zoning- update/2017-11-30zoningupdatedraft/ Submit comments to Darby Kiley at Kiley@ulysses.ny.us or deliver to Town Hall at 10 Elm St, Trumansburg, NY 14886. HISTORIC CHURCH FOR SALE! The Town is the current owner of this beautiful historic church in Jacksonville. The sale price has been reduced to $59,500. See the sale listing here: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/5020-5036-Jacksonville- Rd_Trumansburg_NY_14886_M31235-11565 View additional documents here: http://www.ulysses.ny.us/pages/current-issues/134/for-sale-historic-old-church-in-jacksonville/ Listen to a story about the church on WSKG here: http://wskgnews.org/post/ulysses-sells-historic-church- Happy Holidays from Ulysses (+ some updates)! - Google Groups https://groups.google.com/forum/print/msg/town-of-ulysses/7wrgvL1Q... 3 of 4 1/12/2018, 1:10 PM memories-gas-spill-linger?utm_content=buffer25b6d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com& utm_campaign=buffer#stream/0 UPCOMING TOWN MEETINGS:(All are open to the public and meet at the Town Hall) Democracy depends on citizen involvement! Grab a friend and drop in to a meeting to see what’s happening. All town meetings are held at the town hall at 10 Elm St., Trumansburg, unless noted otherwise. *Please note the 12/26 meeting of the Town Board has been cancelled. For agendas and other meeting information, click on the event on the calendar here: http://ulysses.ny.us /calendar/?category=Government CHECK OUT THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR! Check the community calendar at http://www.ulysses.ny.us/calendar/. You can also submit your own events. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forward this message to anyone else that you think would be interested. We’d love to connect with more residents. To send questions or comments, or be removed from this list, please e-mail clerk@ulysses.ny.us --- Best, Carissa Parlato Ulysses Town Clerk Office hours: 8am-4pm, M-F (After hours by appt.) 10 Elm St. Trumansburg NY 14886 P. (607)387-5767, ext. 221 F. (607)387-5843 ulysses.ny.us Get the latest updates on the town- sign up for the e-newsletter! Click here. Happy Holidays from Ulysses (+ some updates)! - Google Groups https://groups.google.com/forum/print/msg/town-of-ulysses/7wrgvL1Q... 4 of 4 1/12/2018, 1:10 PM