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