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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes of the Board Meeting May 10, 2010.pdf 1 Minutes of the Board of Trustees May 10, 2010 Village of Cayuga Heights Meeting of the Board of Trustees Present: Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman, and Szekely, Attorney Marcus, Treasurer Silber, Supt. Cross, Ass’t. Supt. Frisbie, Fire Supt. Tamborelle, Police Chief Boyce, Clerk Manning Others: Bruce Levitt, Klaus Beyerbach, Sarah Hatcher, Leslie Danks Burke, Bernie Hutchins, Anita Watkins, Jenny Stein, James Laveck, Eric Huang, Mindy Mindlin, Suzanne VanDe Mark, David Donner, Roger Segelken ************************************************************************* Mayor Supron opened the meeting and Public Hearing at 7:05 PM to hear public comment on setting the sewer rate of $126/unit for inside rate and $189/unit for outside rate. Treasurer Silber explained the purpose of the proposed change. There being no comments from the public, the hearing was closed. Motion by Trustee Riesman Seconded by Trustee Szekely Move to pass Resolution 6668 passing Local Law #4 of 2010 setting the sewer rate of $126/unit for inside rate and $189/unit for outside rate as defined in Article XII of Village Law. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. The second Public Hearing to hear public comments on changing the speed limit in the school zone from 20 mph to 15 mph was opened at 7:10 PM. Comments from the public: Leslie Danks-Burke – the change comes in the context of the bus route change. Ms. Danks- Burke emailed the trustees a petition signed by over 230 residents to change the bus route. She urged the Board to have a conversation with TCAT to look at the situation and go back to the old route while waiting for the Village to do a traffic study. Trustee Szekely asked Chief Boyce how the enforcement went the last time the speed limit was lowered. He stated that people complained that 15 mph was drastically slow. Mayor Supron agreed that 15 mph was very slow – maybe the traffic assessment should be done before the speed change. Trustee Riesman thought we could push on enforcement at 20 mph and wait to see what the traffic study showed. Chief Boyce recommended that the Village perform a traffic study before changing the speed. Trustee Crooker agreed that the Village should look at the whole picture, but he was of the attitude that we should do something right away. He was concerned about the safety in the school area. Trustee Andolina said that we still will do an evaluation, but there are a limited number of things the Village can do immediately. He would like the speed changed now – if we need to change it back later, then we will. 2 Trustee Karns said this all started with the bus issue. Suzanne VanDeMark was in favor of lowering the speed limit. Allison Schull met with TCAT to problem solve. They talked about middle school children riding the bus. She thinks the issue is over her head and would like the trustees to begin an active conversation with TCAT to get a solution. Trustee Riesman said that the buses to the Middle and High School can be discussed at another time. Treasurer Silber said that there is an option of a temporary change in the speed limit for 60-90 days if we wanted to think about that. Trustee Crooker said that if we have the power to mitigate, we should do something. We need to raise the awareness of people going thru the school zone. It may work in our favor with TCAT. Trustee Antil said that the argument for 15 mph is very persuasive. The Public Hearing was closed at 7:30 PM. Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Crooker Move to pass Resolution 6669 passing Local Law #5 of 2010 lowering the speed limit in the school zone from 20 mph to 15 mph as defined in Village Law. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. This action is exempt from SEQR action. The minutes of March 16 were presented for approval. Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Crooker Move to approve the minutes of March 16, 2010 as amended. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. The minutes of April 12 were presented for approval. Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Riesman Move to approve the minutes of April 12, 2010 as amended. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. Privilege of the Floor – Anita Watkins – To the police – please strongly enforce the rules on cell phone and texting. She keeps seeing people driving while talking on the phone. 3 Bruce Levitt – 47 residents are very concerned about the ROW designated by the County with the current Hanshaw Road program. They do not feel the design of the road as proposed is required. They are very concerned about safety and speed of the traffic, as there will be a light at the intersection of Hanshaw and Warren. When that is green, there is a clean long stretch of road where speed is of great concern. In June of 2006 the Board of Trustees voted to pay 20% of “something”. What did the trustees agree to pay for? Roger Segelken – introduced himself as the Village’s designated member of the Environmental Management Council (EMC). The EMC looks at major developments as it relates to the environment, i.e. deer remediation, wwtp, etc. The Village can ask the EMC questions on environmental affairs and the EMC can ask questions to the Village. Trustee Szekely asked what was the EMC working on presently. Segelken answered that they are working presently on lake water cooling and dredging. Where will the “spoils” be taken? Suzanne VanDeMark – stressed that the trustees call TCAT and ask them to move the bus back to where it was in December. Trustee Riesman said that was the plan. Mayor Supron and Trustees Szekely and Riesman are planning to go to TCAT and present this plan. Ms. VanDeMark urged the trustees to be persistent. Leslie Danks-Burke – it’s possible that TCAT would like it if the trustees would tell them (TCAT) what they (the trustees) want. If the Board passed a resolution telling TCAT that the bus should be moved, it might be welcomed. The Privilege of the Floor closed at 7:40 P.M. At this time, John Lampman, Tompkins County Highway Engineer, gave a presentation on the proposed Hanshaw Road project. The project is 1.5 miles in length, from Sapsucker Road (Town of Ithaca) east to the Pleasant Grove Road intersection in the Village (650 ft. into the Village). The goal of the project is to improve safety for pedestrians, motor vehicles and bicycles. Also to make the road structurally adequate, improve the hydraulic capacity (drainage into the storm sewer system that ties into the Village system) and preserve quality visual elements – all at a feasible cost. There are 10 properties in the Village affected. Six will require temporary easements - .15 acres; 7 will require permanent easements - .13 acres. Easements are still being reviewed for title decisions. Property lines won’t change, the County will buy property easements. The county will convey easements to the Village. The Village’s commitment is requested on the Maintenance Funding Agreement. Atty. Marcus said that the Village can talk to the Town and county, but can’t take action on a specific property. The Board of Trustees thanked Mr. Lampman for his presentation and will discuss the project further among themselves and with residents. Report of the Justice – Justice Galbreath presented his Annual Report, which was previously distributed to the Board. Points of interest include – - 11% of traffic convictions are cell pone convictions - The Court received $2200 from the State (Justice Court Grant) for filing cabinets - A Justice Court Grant may be available for handicap bathrooms, etc. should the building renovation go forward. Justice Galbreath commented that casework has dropped off a bit, but his Court handles whatever comes in to him. He thanked the Board and invited them to come and visit the Court which meets every Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the 1st Thursday of the month at 5 p.m. Report of Supt. of Public Works – Supt. Cross asked if the Board had any questions/comments on his report, which is on file. Trustee Riesman asked about the Macenas subdivision – have any time limits passed? Supt. Cross said that he will take any trustees on a 4 tour of the area. He also offered to take the trustees on a tour of the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The WWTP has been successful in being awarded the SPEDES 5 year permit. Supt. Cross acknowledged Ass’t. Supt. Frisbie on the work being done on the roads. It has been a successful project to date. He is waiting for the new fiscal year to move ahead. Trustee Szekely said that having Frisbie on the project on a daily basis saved the Village money. A Public Safety meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 11. Also, Supt. Cross, Ass’t. Supt. Frisbie and Chief Boyce will meet with Kendal regarding the questions on the crosswalk. Supt. Cross gave a background on how the Village got involved in the Hanshaw Road project. Ass’t. Supt. of Public Works – Ass’t. Supt. Frisbie asked about asked the Board if they had any questions/comments on his report, which is on file. Frisbie asked the Board to approve the hiring of Wayne Relyea to fill the vacant Laborer position. Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Szekely Move to pass Resolution 6670 approving the hire of Wayne Relyea to fill the open Laborer position vacated by the promotion of Matt Townsend to MEO. Mr. Relyea’s start date is May 17, 2010 and his beginning rate of pay is $11.81/hour according to the Teamster Contract. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. Report of the Fire Supt. – Supt. Tamborelle asked if the Board had any questions/comments on his report, which is on file. Reminder that the Cayuga Heights Fire Company Yard Sale is set for the weekend of May 24. Report of the Police Chief – Chief Boyce asked if the Board had any questions/comments on his report, which is on file. There was discussion on how overtime is reflected in the P.D. monthly report. The Public Safety Committee will discuss this further with the Chief. A new Durango will be purchased in June to replace #125 (the police “marked” Durango). The Chief would like to take #125 as the Chief’s car and sell his unmarked Durango, #121. The tasers have been implemented and the taser use policy is in place. Report of the Mayor – Deer Update – Proposals went out to consultants regarding the Environmental Impact Statement. We have not received any answers yet. We will ask Roger Segelken to talk to the Environmental Management Council also about the proposal. Fence Update – The Planning Board has looked at the fence issue. The Mayor, Trustees Riesman, Andolina, Supt. Cross and Atty. Guttenberger met with Chairman Harms for a discussion on fencing. Some recommended changes were discussed, along with a discussion on what to do with non-compliant fences. The Planning Board is looking at a 2 phase approach, but the group was not too happy with that idea. Further discussion with the Board on continuing the moratorium for another 90 days. Motion by Trustee Riesman Seconded by Trustee Karns 5 Move to pass Resolution 6671 to set a public hearing for June 14 to hear public comment on proposed Local Law #6 of 2010 to re-enact a moratorium on the enforcement of Section 9 of the Village Zoning Ordinance and establish a requirement that a building permit be obtained for any fence or wall erected during said moratorium. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. 825 Hanshaw Road Maintenance – The house at 825 Hanshaw Road is a valuable asset for the fire department. Do we want to consider painting the outside of the house vs. siding it? That issue still needs to be resolved. It was decided that Supt. Cross would get 3 new quotes on painting and siding and a few of the Trustees would meet tomorrow morning at 9:oo am to walk about the property. They would like to be prepared with numbers to make a decision at the June 14 Board meeting. Trustee Riesman suggested that the Board also think about some landscaping to make the property look better than it does. David Klein’s compensation request - Acting Justice David Klein sent Mayor Supron a request to look at his compensation. He is currently handling a case that is very time consuming. In the past, the Village has compensated the acting Justice at $25/court session, but that doesn’t seem to be appropriate for this situation. Mayor Supron asked Justice Galbreath and others for their suggestions and was told that $125/half day session and $250/full day session was similar to other municipalities and is appropriate for this situation. Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Crooker Move to pass Resolution 6672 establishing the rate of pay for the Village of Cayuga Heights Acting Justice position at $125/half day session and $250/full day session for Fiscal Year 2010-2011. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. ZBA appointment – Mayor Supron appointed Kurt Siegal to finish the position on the Zoning Board of Appeals vacated by Fred Cowett. Trustee Szekely asked for some background on Mr. Siegal. The Mayor answered that he is currently the Chairman of the Town of Ithaca Planning Board and is quite knowledgeable. He will make a good addition to the ZBA. Motion by Trustee Riesman Seconded by Trustee Andolina Move to pass Resolution 6673 approving the appointment of Kirk Sigel to ZBA to finish the position vacated by Fred Cowett. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. TCCOG Insurance Consortium – Mayor Supron spoke on the idea of the Consortium reserve fund. The amount needed to be raised is $2.2 million. With 15 participants currently in the 6 Consortium, each municipality would put in a minimum of $140,000 thereby all sharing in the cost of the reserve. The question of the legality of this is still unanswered. TCAT Update – Mayor Supron, Trustees Riesman and Szekely will go to TCAT and talk to Joe Turcotte. They will ask TCAT if it will help them if the Village passes a resolution to change the bus route back to E. Upland Road. Report of the Clerk – The Clerk’s report was distributed and the issue of a call log was discussed. It was decided that any information that could be passed on to the Trustees that would give them a good idea of the types of calls coming into the Clerk’s office would be helpful. Report of the Treasurer – There was a brief discussion between Treasurer Silber and Trustee Andolina about sales tax and the budgeted revenue. Trustee Szekely asked the Treasurer to present a tutorial of the Village’s insurance policies sometime in the near future. The Treasurer then presented the transfers. Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Karns Move to pass Resolution 6674 approving the transfers dated 5/10/10 as listed below: From: To: Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. Motion by Trustee Riesman Seconded by Trustee Antil Move to pass Resolution 6675 approving the Abstract of Vouchers dated 5/10/10 in the amount of $113,791.66 and instruct the Treasurer to make payments thereon. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES. 7 Trustee Privilege of the Floor – Trustee Riesman wanted to call everyone’s attention to the new “Village of Cayuga Heights” sign in front of the building. Lights will be installed to illuminate the sign at night. Thanks to Trustee Riesman for all her help moving this along. Trustee Karns stated that the HR Committee has been meeting and will have the reviews of the Supervisors done by July 1. The Town of Ithaca has sent us their job assessment form and that is the form the Village will be using. Job descriptions will also be reviewed to make them current. The Village Clerk’s new job description which was reworked earlier in the year was approved by County Personnel on February 1, 2010. The Committee structures that were first discussed at the Organizational Meeting in April have changed a little. The structure as it stands now is: Public Works Committee – Trustee Szekely, Chair and Trustee Reisman Public Safety Committee – Trustee Andolina, Chair and Trustee Riesman Human Resources Committee – Trustees Crooker and Karns Motion by Trustee Andolina Seconded by Trustee Riesman Move to adjourn the meeting at 10:25 pm. Mayor Supron, Trustees Andolina, Antil, Crooker, Karns, Riesman and Szekely Voted YES.