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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-12-TB-FINAL-minutesTOWN BOARD MEETING Town of Ulysses November 12, 2019 Audio of the minutes are available on the website at ulysses.ny.us. The meeting was held at the Ulysses Town Hall at 10 Elm Street, Trumansburg. Notice of Town Board meetings are posted on the Town’s website and Clerk’s board. ATTENDANCE: TOWN OFFICIALS PRESENT: Board members- Nancy Zahler, Richard Goldman, John Hertzler, Michael Boggs Town Clerk- Carissa Parlato Project Assistant- Michelle Wright Attorney for the Town- Khandi Sokoni Bookkeeper- Gloria Cassetti Historian- John Wertis OTHERS PRESENT: Anne Koreman (Tompkins County Legislator) (arrived at 7:29pm), Linda Liddle, Roxanne Marino ABSENT: Supervisor- Liz Thomas CALL TO ORDER: Ms. Zahler called the meeting to order at 7:02pm and moved into a public hearing (see separate minutes). The meeting was resumed at 7:09pm. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA RESOLUTION 2019-188: APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA BE IT RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board approve the agenda for November 12, 2019 with the deletion of agenda item 5c; the additions of: approval of contract with Taitem Engineering, an executive session to discuss the appointment, compensation, and performance of a particular person, and the advice of counsel. Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Boggs Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR: (none) MONTHLY BUSINESS: APPROVAL OF BUDGET MODIFICATIONS Ms. Wright noted that these modifications were expected and known as they became apparent during the budget process. RESOLUTION 2019-189: APPROVAL OF BUDGET MODIFICATIONS RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board approves the budget modifications as presented at the Town Board meeting on 11/12/2019. B FUND BUDGET MODIFICATIONS B 9010.8 NYS RETIREMENT INCREASE 3,498.33 Underestimate of B fund related salary and retirement tier contribution. B 1990.4 Contingency Account DECREASE 3,498.33 Balance of contingency account after this modification is $501.67 DA FUND BUDGET MODIFICATIONS DA 9010.8 NYS RETIREMENT INCREASE 2,192.50 Underestimate of DA fund related salary and retirement tier contribution. DA 9060.8 Health Insurance DECREASE 2,192.50 Known and confirmed underspending in this line in 2019 due to DA employees non participation in health insurance provided by Town. DB FUND BUDGET MODIFICATIONS DB 9010.8 NYS RETIREMENT INCREASE 1,316.00 Underestimate of DB fund related salary and retirement tier contribution. DB 9060.8 Health Insurance DECREASE 1,316.00 Known and confirmed underspending in this line in 2019 due to DB employees non participation in health insurance provided by Town. Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Hertzler Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 RESOLUTION 2019-190: APPROVAL OF THE CLAIMS RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board has reviewed claims #476 through 538 in the amount of $162,201.32 and WD3 Capital Project claims #3-7 in the amount of $5335.45 for a total of $167,536.77. Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Goldman Ms. Zahler noted that the town reduced the payment to Taitem by 10% for services not yet rendered. Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 Ms. Cassetti was excused at this time. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES: Mr. Wertis shared a town history quiz with board. He wishes to start adding short history articles to the town’s e-newsletter. Ms. Koreman reported the following Tompkins County updates: • The budget passed with a tax increase of about $11.41 for a median income home. • The budgeted amount spent on the community housing fund has been doubled. Other municipalities have also doubled their contributions. • $387,000 in county funds were mandated by NYS to be paid to municipalities in AIM funding. This was originally sales tax money due to the county from the state. • The census is behind in recruiting census workers. • Property owners who make improvements costing $5,000-80,000 on 1 and 2 family homes can now get a tax abatement. This is meant to help discourage not getting building permits or fear of increased assessments. • The solid waste fee will go up from $58 to 60. • Found a company to design a shared fuel facility for DOT and airport. • They are considering a $.05 paper bag fee. A few cents of the revenue will go to the county and some to the state for recycling education. • Sales tax is up 4.77%. Ms. Marino shared that there is a stream buffer training next week that Conservation & Sustainability members plan to attend. She further noted that Heat Smart has a NYSERDA grant to help those with low/moderate income replace their heating systems with heat pumps. TOWN REPORTS: See Appendix OLD BUSINESS: FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT CONTRACT WITH THE VILLAGE OF TRUMANSBURG RESOLUTION 2019-191: APPROVING THE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT CONTRACT WITH THE VILLAGE OF TRUMANSBURG WHEREAS, a fire protection district known as “the Fire Protection District of the Towns of Ulysses, Hector and Covert” (hereafter referred to as “the Fire Protection District”) has been duly established in the said towns; and WHEREAS, the Fire Protection District encompasses the following territory in the Town of Ulysses: All of the Town of Ulysses, excepting the area within the limits of the incorporated Village of Trumansburg; and WHEREAS, the Village of Trumansburg (hereafter referred to as “the Village”) maintains a volunteer fire department, with adequate and suitable apparatus, equipment and training for the furnishing of fire protection services within the Fire Protection District; and WHEREAS, Town Law §184 permits a town to contract with a village which maintains adequate and suitable apparatus and appliances for the furnishing of fire protection services in such fire protection district; and WHEREAS, the Town wishes to contract with the Village to provide fire protection services in the Fire Protection District; and WHEREAS, a public hearing as required by §184 of the Town Law was duly advertised on November 12, 2019, and was held on November 12, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at the Town of Ulysses Town Hall, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Town Board of the Town of Ulysses hereby approves and authorizes execution of the attached Agreement between the Village and the Town, whereby the Village will provide the Town with fire protection capable of responding to fire related and health related emergencies on an ongoing basis within the Fire Protection District, for the period from January 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020. And be it further RESOLVED that, pursuant to the Agreement, the Town shall pay the Village the sum of $231,759 for such services, on or before March 1, 2020. And be it further RESOLVED that, the Supervisor of the Town of Ulysses is hereby authorized to execute the Agreement on behalf of the Town of Ulysses. Moved: Mr. Boggs Seconded: Mr. Goldman Mr. Boggs shared a document with the board showing village EMS/Fire fund surpluses. He thinks that the board should encourage the village to create clearer line items to track this. Mr. Goldman added that if the town pursues this it would only be fair to pay for overages as well and not just receive the surpluses. The board further discussed whether this issue could be helped by adding language to the contract, and whether high equipment costs can be managed by being more modest. Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler abstain Mr. Boggs abstain Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 2-0 MOTION FAILED. Ms. Zahler agreed to discuss this with the village before the next meeting. On another topic, the board asked Ms. Sokoni whether a super majority was still required to pass the zoning law. She responded in the negative since the objections requiring a supermajority had been removed. APPROVING THE AMBULANCE SERVICES CONTRACT WITH THE VILLAGE OF TRUMANSBURG RESOLUTION 2019-192: APPROVING THE AMBULANCE SERVICES CONTRACT WITH THE VILLAGE OF TRUMANSBURG WHEREAS, the Town Board established the Town of Ulysses Ambulance District by resolution adopted on March 12, 2013; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Town Law §198(10-f) (a) (ii) and (iii), the Town Board is authorized to contract with a municipal corporation on behalf of an ambulance district for provision of ambulance services; and WHEREAS, the Village of Trumansburg (hereafter referred to as “The Village”), a municipal corporation, maintains an ambulance department with a basic and advanced life support transporting ambulance service; and WHEREAS, the Town wishes to provide ambulance services to its residents in the Town of Ulysses Ambulance District; and WHEREAS, such emergency services are vital and necessary to the health and welfare of the inhabitants of the Town; and WHEREAS, in joint cooperation as contemplated by General Municipal Law 122-b, the Town and the Village wish to cooperate to provide an ambulance service to persons situated in the Town of Ulysses Ambulance District; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Town Board of the Town of Ulysses, on behalf of the Town of Ulysses Ambulance District, hereby approves and authorizes execution of the attached Agreement between the Village and the Town, whereby the Village will provide the Town with basic and advanced life support emergency medical ambulance services, which complies with the regulations of the New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services to serve the emergency medical needs of those persons within the boundaries of the Town of Ulysses Ambulance District. Services to be provided include Basic Life Support transport and treatment and arranging for or providing Advanced Life Support Treatment. And be it further RESOLVED that pursuant to the Agreement, the Town shall pay the Village the sum of $442,630 for such services, on or before March 1, 2020, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, pursuant to Town Law §198(11), the Agreement shall be executed by the signatures of a majority of the members of the Town Board. Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Boggs Mr. Boggs has the same concerns with this as with the fire contract. Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs abstain Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 3-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 NEW BUSINESS: APPROVAL OF 12-MONTH CD INVESTMENT RESOLUTION 2019-193: APPROVAL OF 12-MONTH CD INVESTMENT WHEREAS the Town of Ulysses seeks to expand avenues of revenue to best serve tax payers; and WHEREAS the Town’s investment policy specifically allows for investment in Certificates of Deposit (CDs); and WHEREAS General Municipal Law, Sections 11 and 39 allow local governments to temporarily invest in CDs moneys not required for immediate expenditure; and WHEREAS by resolution number 2019-9, the Ulysses Town Board designated the Tompkins Trust Company as the Financial Institution for the deposit of the public funds of the Town; and WHEREAS Tompkins Trust has provided rate quotes to the Town for a 6-month CD at a rate of 1.25% and 12-month CD at 1.9%; and WHEREAS the Ulysses Town Supervisor is the authorized custodian of the Town’s bank accounts and has the authority to conduct banking business on behalf of the Town; and WHEREAS The Town Supervisor is directed to obtain from the Tompkins Trust Company prior to committing Town funds to be invested in a CD that any deposit of Town funds in excess of the amount insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act shall be secured in the manner provided by NY General Municipal Law Section 10; and WHEREAS there is an amount of $594,307 in reserves in the Town’s Consolidated Savings Account and $37,542 in the Snow and Ice Savings Account that is not set to be used in the 2020 financial year and is therefore not required for any immediate expenditure, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board grants the Ulysses Town Supervisor authorization to open a 6- month CD in the amount of $152,343 and a 12-month CD in the amount of $457,030 at the Tompkins Trust Company; and further RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board grants the Ulysses Town Supervisor authorization to close the CD after 6 and 12-months; and further RESOLVED that upon closure of the 6 and 12-month CD, the Bookkeeper to the Supervisor will distribute interest pursuant to General Municipal Law Section 11, which states that interest made on pooled fund investments will be proportionally distributed according to the total figure invested by fund; and further RESOLVED that the Town Supervisor is directed to obtain from the Tompkins Trust Company prior to committing Town funds to be invested in a CD that any deposit of Town funds in excess of the amount insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act shall be secured in the manner provided by NY General Municipal Law Section 10, and further RESOLVED that the Town Bookkeeper shall periodically report to the Town Board whenever information is received from Tompkins Trust Company regarding this investment; and further RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Clerk shall provide this as a certified resolution to Tompkins Trust Company. Moved: Mr. Goldman Seconded: Mr. Boggs Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 APPOINTMENT TO THE PLANNING BOARD RESOLUTION 2019-194: APPOINTMENT TO THE PLANNING BOARD WHEREAS, Steve Manley submitted his resignation from his seat on the Ulysses Planning Board effective October 23, 2019 and WHEREAS, this creates a vacancy in the seat with a term ending December 31, 2021 and WHEREAS, the Ulysses Town Board and the Planning Board wish to have all seats filled to fulfill their responsibilities, Now therefore be it RESOLVED, that Planning Board Alternate, Linda Liddle, be appointed to serve as a full member on the Ulysses Planning Board effective November 12, 2019 through December 31, 2021. Moved: Mr. Goldman Seconded: Mr. Boggs Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 APPOINTMENT OF SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR RECREATION DIRECTOR RESOLUTION 2019-195: APPOINTMENT OF SEARCH COMMITTEE FOR RECREATION DIRECTOR WHEREAS, the Town of Ulysses has created a new part-time year-round Recreation Director position effective January 1, 2020, and WHEREAS, the Town will need to appoint a Recreation Director that meets the qualifications outlined in the Tompkins County Civil Service position description, and WHEREAS, the position is intended to promote coordination and cooperation among public and private recreational programs, among other duties, Now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Town of Ulysses appoints a search committee to interview qualified candidates and recommend a Recreation Director to be appointed by the Town, and further RESOLVED, that the Town Board appoints • Nancy Zahler from the Town of Ulysses as Chair of the Recreation Director Search Committee, • Ben Carver from the Village of Trumansburg, • Jon Gregory from the Trumansburg-Ulysses Youth Commission, • Jason Hodge from the Trumansburg School District, and • Tara Masters from Trumansburg Community Recreation (TCR) • A representative of the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts (TCFA) Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Boggs Mr. Goldman expressed concern that TCR may have a conflict of interest in this role. Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 APPROVAL OF CONTRACT WITH TAITEM Ms. Sokoni noted for the record that she also represents Taitem and even though a conflict of interest would be remote, she will draft a consent document for both clients to sign. Ms. Marino noted that the town originally contracted with Taitem for a heat pump design using grant funding. Then the town decided to update ventilation and electrical as well. The total bill was a bit more than the estimates given by Taitem and they agreed to reduce the cost. There is currently $1700 left in the $19,500 that was approved by the board and this will be used to pay Taitem to help us with the RFP process. RESOLUTION 2019-196: APPROVAL OF CONTRACT WITH TAITEM ENGINEERING WHEREAS, the Town of Ulysses received a NYSERDA grant to design and install an energy efficient heat pump system and new duct work and electrical upgrades to heat and cool the Town Hall and WHEREAS, Taitem Engineering has been contracted to design the specifications for a new system and WHEREAS, the Town Board team is ready to issue Requests for Proposals but needs technical assistance to develop them and WHEREAS, the Town Board team has requested that the Town of Ulysses contract with Taitem Engineering to prepare the Requests for Proposals and WHEREAS there are sufficient funds remaining in the contracts already approved for design to cover this added service, now therefore be it RESOLVED that the Town of Ulysses enter into a contract with Taitem Engineering for $1700 to develop Requests for Proposal, which increases the contractual total approved by the Town to $19,500. Moved: Mr. Boggs Seconded: Ms. Zahler Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR: Ms. Marino clarified her earlier comments to say that she encourages the Town Board to ask the Village Board to create fund lines to better track EMS/Fire surpluses rather than insisting that the town get money back from any surpluses. MONTHLY BUSINESS: APPROVAL OF MINUTES RESOLUTION 2019-197: APPROVAL OF MINUTES RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board approves the minutes from the public on 10/22. Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Boggs Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 RESOLUTION 2019-198: APPROVAL OF MINUTES RESOLVED that the Ulysses Town Board approves the minutes from the regular town board meetings on 10/22. Moved: Ms. Zahler Seconded: Mr. Boggs Ms. Thomas absent Ms. Zahler aye Mr. Hertzler aye Mr. Boggs aye Mr. Goldman aye Vote: 4-0 Date Adopted: 11/12/19 EXECUTIVE SESSION: Ms. Zahler made a motion to go into Executive Session at 9:42pm to discuss the promotion, performance and compensation of a specific individual and the advice of counsel. This was seconded by Mr. Goldman and passed unanimously. Mr. Goldman made a motion to end Executive Session at 10:15pm. This was seconded by Mr. Boggs. ADJOURN: Mr. Goldman moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:15pm. This was seconded by Mr. Boggs and passed unanimously. APPENDIX I: TOWN REPORTS: PLANNING/ZONING OFFICER-Submitted by Mr. Zepko: Planning Board • No October Meeting Board of Zoning Appeals • Staffed 16 Oct 2019 BZA site visit/ meeting • Staffed 30 October 2019 meeting • CARS – area variance conditionally approved to increase allowable lot coverage to ~26%. Project must still execute water agreement/contract w/ Town and obtain site plan approval from the Planning Board Zoning Update • Staffed Zoning update open- house sessions o 28 Oct o 29 Oct o 30 Oct Planner Activity • Responded to approximately 20 requests for information • Reviewed 10 building permit applications for zoning compliance • 3 Oct 2019 Attended a demonstration for municipal permitting software – SmartGov • 9 Oct 2019 Attended a meeting of local Planners hosted by Tompkins County Planning • 22 Oct 2019 Attended Incremental Development Alliance Seminar • 23-25 Oct 2019 Attended Community and Regional Development Institute on zombie properties at Cornell University. Zoning Enforcement • Resolved – two violations of more than two unregistered vehicles on a property HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT- Submitted by Mr. Stewart • Chris Stevenson has been the Water Operator for our water district for 4 years and has done so without any backup. Recently, Chris has trained Scott Stewart to be the backup. We are happy to report that Scott Stewart and Chris Stevenson attended Water School the week of Oct 11th. Scott is now a certified Class C and D water operator. While Chris who already had a Class D, Has been certified for Class C. • I submitted the CHIPS and EWR reimbursement. We will receive reimbursement in December The total amount is roughly $104,000.00 • Truck 10 and Truck 53- Each truck had some repair work done and both trucks passed NYS inspections • We all Attended Training at the town Hall on Oct 24th. This training covered Sexual Harassment, Workplace Violence, Hazard Communications / Right to know Recognizing Unsafe Conditions • Met with Becky Sims from the Health Dept at the Jacksonville Park. Dug Holes with our Backhoe for perk tests. The JCA is looking to possibly put a sewer at this site. • Met with Dave Allen and assisted with removal of Brush and Wire in front of the fairgrounds 3 Snow events where we had to Salt and Plow • Water Main Break on Colegrove Road TOWN CLERK: Submitted by Ms. Parlato LICENSES/PERMITS issued: # Sporting licenses 27 Disabled parking permits 18 Dog licenses and renewals 41 Marriage licenses 1 Plumbing permits 1 Address assignments 0 Notarizations 8 FOIL requests-received 0 FOIL requests-completed 0 ROUTINE TASKS: • Notarizations, ordered supplies, answered inquiries on various topics, attended Town Board meetings and took minutes, kept website current, sent listserv messages to residents (~2/month), mailed and posted dog licenses; issued tickets as needed, scheduling of various meetings, assisted other departments when possible, health/dental insurance updates for staff as needed, vouchering: collecting bills, getting approvals, sorting out billing issues, entering into system ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR THIS MONTH: • Coordinated annual staff training • Zoning update- helped compile final draft, researched prior laws, worked on notifications, began preparing for public hearing in Nov. • Researched first female Ulysses Town Clerk for publication on listserv and NYS Town Clerk Assoc. • Coordinated town hall repair/maintenance • Shared training opportunities with staff & tracked attendance hours • Tracked Jacksonville restroom grant expenses • Researched state contracts for HVAC installers TAX COLLECTION: • Continued to reconcile tax account to $19.38 due to outstanding rebate checks from the February Gov. Exec. Order that own opted into to issue refunds on penalties due to winter storm. SALO HABITAT COMMITTEE: • Receive new signage, coordinate hanging WATER DISTRICT TASKS: • Posted bills • Updated water spreadsheets with usage and test results • Relevied old water charges to assessment for tax bills • Researched water district formation COMMITTEES/ASSOCIATIONS: • Applied to be a board member on NYS Assoc. of Local Gov. Records Managers ATTORNEY FOR THE TOWN: Shared by Ms. Sokoni Ms. Sokoni reports that she spent much time on the zoning law and also attended BZA meeting where CARS requested a variance. CODE REPORT- Submitted by Mr. Myers Building Permits issued 10 Plan Reviews 5 FINANCIAL REPORT: $1994.50 TOTAL Collected for fees & licenses $989.14 stays in the town $1005.36 goes to the state Certificate of Occupancy issued 8 Certificate of Compliance issued 8 Complaints Received 2 Complaints Resolved 2 Inspections (Footers, Foundations, Plumbing, Insulation, roofing, Pools, Etc.) 66 New Site Inspections 7 Building Review Consultations (pre-plan meetings, Future Building/Remodeling) 6 Fire Safety Inspections Not in yet Code Training Seminars 1 County Assessment, Town, DOS Reports 3 Open property in violation cases 5 Property violations resolved 0 In October I issued 10 Building Permits. The total value for new Permits issued is $287,428. Total fees collected for these permits is $4,479. 8 Certificates of Compliance and 8 Certificates of Occupancy were issued in March. There are 85 open Building Permits. I was happy to finally close out some projects that have been open for quite a long time. I have started keeping track of Permit renewal fees. In October I collected $1,207 for Permit renewals Building activity slowed down during the summer months. It is now back on pace. The new 6,600 square foot Smart Start daycare facility has been completed. I continue to find projects that have been started without the contractor/property owner having applied for a Building Permit. It seems to average 3 or 4 a month. In October there were 3. It has been helpful to have the penalty fee added into the fee structure. At this point, there have not been any second offenders. ASSISTANT TO SUPERVISOR- Work done between: 10/5/2019 – 11/8/2019 Submitted by Michelle E. Wright Active Grant Updates • Cemetery Road Bridge over Trumansburg Creek (NYSDOT funded with FHWA money, Barton & Loguidice Engineers) o Grant timeline status:  FYI, this was the original schedule. o September 2018 Project Awarded Bridge NY Funding o October 2018 Project Added to STIP/TIP o January 2019 State-Local Agreement Executed o January 2019 Design Consultant Contract Executed o May 2019 Public Meeting o October 2019 Design Approval o January 2020 Obtain Necessary Permits o March 2020 ROW Acquisition Completed o March 2020 PS&E Approved by County & State o May 2020 Bid Construction o May 2020 Public Pre-Construction Meeting o June 2020 Begin Construction o November 2020 Complete Construction o Activities: They are still in the design phase. Not much going on for staff at the Town Hall on this at this point. Requested an update via email to Ben Werner on 11/6, but as of 11/8, had not heard back. • NYSERDA Heat Pump Grant o Draft of bid document for construction. o Research into competitive bidding parameters set forth by NYS. o Upcoming competitive bidding process once the bid document is finalized. • WD #3 WIIA Grant (EFC funded, MRB Engineers) • Grant Timeline Status: MRB is in communication with two aerator manufacturers in order to drill down to which manufacturer will serve the Town best. Original Timeline ITEM COMPLETION DATE STATUS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Begin Design 8/13/19 Beginning Advertise to Town 10/27/19 Plans and Specs Available for Bidders 11/1/19 Pre-bid Meeting 11/15/19 Bid Opening 11/26/19 Provide Bid Tabulation & Summary of Bids to Town 12/3/19 Board Meeting to Award Contracts 12/10/19 Start of Construction 1/7/20 Substantial Completion of Construction (90 days) 5/1/20 Final Completion of Construction (30 days) 6/1/20 Future Grant Possibilities o Curry Road culvert/bridge: as a reminder, this structure is 100% the financial responsibility of the Town due to its length and it being on a Town road. o MRB has stated verbally that they conduct R&D on grant possibilities for us at no charge. o MRB is in possession of pictures and previously submitted BRIDGE-NY funding applications for this bridge/culvert structure. Other Work 12- Month CD Investment of Select Reserves • Developed 2020 cash flow to inform investing plans. • Modeling of investment possibilities. • Work with Khandi on resolution for authorizing the opening and closing of the CD. Capital Asset GAAP Compliance & Multi-year Financial Planning • Continued internal work with Sarah K. on data management: preparing asset data for import. • Met with possible consultant regarding design and creation of online database. Budget Work • Wrap up activities related to budgeting Bookkeeper Transition Activities • Continued training of new Bookkeeper. • Continued bookkeeping tasks as needed, banking, day to day, continued improvement and updating of systems. Report on Training and Conferences Attended this Month What: PERMA Fall Conference (free) Where: Geneva When: 10/21 & 10/22 Sessions: (slides of all sessions are included at the back of this report) • Employers Have Rights Too | Christopher Maugans, Esq. (Goldberg Segalla, offices in 10 4 states) • Points of interest, moments of learning:  Emphasis on approaching human resources with intentionality and organization: if it’s not written down, it never happened; etc.  New employee best practices include: procedure for follow up, connect them with a “company ambassador”, upon hire put in calendar reminders for the end of probationary period so that new employees who are not a good fit can be transitioned out prior to becoming permanent.  Family and Medical Leave (FMLA): if an employee is eligible for this paid time off benefit, they are not able to use any other PTO.  Employee accommodations must be provided but not with undue hardship on employer. • Legalization of Marijuana | Heather Trela (Rockefeller Institute of Government of SUNY) o Points of interest, moments of learning:  The Rockefeller Institute is a public policy think tank, which has a wealth of research and data on public policy issues.  Local government taxes 3% of marijuana sales in Massachusetts.  Initial estimates for NYS recreational legalization is $4.1 billion annually • Several states have highly overestimated revenue from legalization. • Other states have miscalculated the number of licenses they provided, creating too large of a supply and therefore not a lot of profit.  States where marijuana is legalized have allowed local governments to opt-out  All states in which recreation is legal have been in “Initiation Voting” states, which voters can vote on propositions. • Janus Decision | Paul Sweeney, Esq. o Points of interest, moments of learning:  The Janus ruling essentially stated that union members do not have to pay dues and provided some guidance as to how employers can legally collect union dues from wages. Informal conversations regarding this topic should not occur between union and management for legal reasons.  A series of action items developed out of this regarding the union contract. • NYS Tax Cap | Austin Aldag o Points of interest, moments of learning:  Excellent local source of information (maps, data, etc.) regarding Shared Services and the NYS Tax Cap: • http://www.mildredwarner.org/  This is a research group at CU out of the City and Regional Planning Department  Excellent overview of how policy changes in the Tax Cap could provide financial relief to local governments while still meeting the State agenda. 5 What: NYSOSC Advanced Account Course Where: Lake Success, NY When: 10/23 & 10/24 • This is a course I had taken twice before, several years apart. OSC provides guidance on a large number of governmental accounting requirements and methodologies. This is an incredibly helpful course and I’ve walked away with a better understanding of different elements to government accounting each time. • The units which covered capital plan accounting and asset management accounting were the highlights for this course in regards to usefulness in upcoming and ongoing work at the Town. • A long list of action items for capacity building was generated from attending this course. As I organize around this I will continue to share with the Board. • This was an excellent opportunity and great timing as far as onboarding our new Bookkeeper; there was a synergy developed by taking this course together as we were able to immediately apply concepts to the day to day operations at the Town. Upcoming Beyond ongoing current projects, I’d like to begin a holistic multi-year financial planning process. The asset management database development is an integral part of this, along with some internal organization communication. MR. BOGGS shared the following: He has been working with Ms. Marino on the HVAC update, logging the energy generated by the town’s solar panels, and working with MRB on the WD3 aerator. MR. GOLDMAN shared the following: He worked with Ms. Wright on investments. MS. ZAHLER shared the following: • She has been working with the county and village on transitioning the new Recreation Director position to the town. • The village is kicking off a community planning process as they update their comprehensive plan. • She reached out to Ms. Sokoni to clarify the annexation process after reading newspaper articles that referenced this. Ms. Sokoni added that annexation is a lengthy process that includes public hearings, negotiations, a referendum, etc… Respectfully Submitted by Carissa Parlato, 11/19/19