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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-9-8 minutes.pdf EXHIBIT 2015-045 Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Monday, September 8, 2014 Marcham Hall BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Supron; Trustees: Friend, Hamilton, Robinson, Salton, and Woodard; Superintendent of Public Works Cross; Fire Superintendent Tamborelle; Asst. Superintendent of Public Works Frisbie; Chief of Police Steinmetz; Clerk & Treasurer Mangione; Attorney Marcus. Absent: Trustee Crooker . Call to Order: Mayor Supron called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. 1. Approval of Minutes: Resolution #7514 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Minutes of the August 11, 2014 Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees Meeting are approved as written in Exhibit FYE2015-037 with addition of reference to a tax penalty discussion. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Woodard Discussion: Reference to the Board’s discussion of tax penalty waivers during the Treasurer’s Report to be added Ayes: Trustees Friend, Hamilton, Robinson, Salton, and Woodard Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion carried 2. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle (Exhibit FYE2015-038) Superintendent Tamborelle was not present; it is expected that he will arrive close to 8:00 p.m. 3. Report of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Frisbie: (Exhibit FYE2015-040) Asst. Superintendent Frisbie had excused himself from the meeting to retrieve information regarding purchase of a camera. 4. Privilege of the Floor: Opinions regarding deer management were presented by Aurora. Her written remarks are attached to these minutes. - Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Frisbie rejoined the meeting. It has been a hectic season for Public Works due to needed scheduling of storm damage repairs along with regular annual construction work. Heavy rains caused culverts throughout the Village to become clogged with fill and debris; significant effort has been required to clear these waterways. Approximately eighteen (18) culverts remain to be cleared. The DPW facilities area has been put in order. Preparation for leaf season and snow removal is underway. Work on Klein Road has been delayed due to necessary coordination with NYSEG to perform gas line relocation. Once utility work is complete the road can be opened to traffic within 24 hours. Following last month’s meeting, traffic flow in the Klein Road area was assessed by police and it was determined that the traffic pattern should be maintained through road stabilization. Village policy regarding driveway culvert repairs was clarified. As schedule allows, labor can be provided to replace damaged, blocked, or washed-out driveway culvert piping. The property owner is responsible for the cost of pipe and other supplies as may be needed. A quote for a camera system with a pan-tilt mechanism to allow for pipe inspection was presented. Any pipe including sewer pipes of larger than 3” in diameter can be easily examined. Currently, services have been contracted through Brain Drain or the Town of Ithaca’s camera has been borrowed. The nature of providing 24/7 coverage means that the ability to perform an appropriate inspection may not be available as needed. There is $22,000 budgeted in the Sewer Fund Equipment account plus Sewer Contingency. The sewer flusher can be used to pull the 300’ line into position. Although safety is the primary impetus for this purchase, it will save both contractual expenses and time. Resolution #7515 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the purchase of a camera system for the purpose of pipe inspection at NYS OGA pricing from the Sewer Fund account G8120.200 with any unbudgeted amount to be transferred from Sewer Contingency. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Friend Discussion: none Ayes: Trustees Friend, Hamilton, Robinson, Salton, and Woodard Nays and Abstentions: none Motion carried 5. Report of Historian Szekely (Exhibit FYE2015-041) Historian Szekely spoke using her notes distributed with the meeting packet. She expressed concern that current Village documents may not be as easily researched as those prior to the digital age. Collections of documents which have been gifted to Cornell contain historically significant references to the Village of Cayuga Heights. Planned events for the Centennial are estimated to cost approximately $5,500. The sum will be raised from various sources including the now defunct Community Association, the Historian budget, and grants. Chandeliers stored in the attic of Marcham Hall originally hung in Dorothy Cornell’s “studio” which is now the Court and Board Room. It was agreed that Superintendent of Public Works Cross would present a portion of his report on lighting at this juncture enabling Historian Szekely to participate. A mock-up example of a lighting fixture which could be built is hung in the Court Room. This proposed solution constructed by Chris Lowe emulates the look of the structural beam which rings the room. The estimated cost for construction is $3,300. Pleasant Valley Electric would charge $3,800 to install the fixtures. Preservationist Carole Schiffman feels strongly that covering the beam should not be an option. It was agreed that a lighting designer would be consulted for alternate ideas. 6. Report of the Mayor A response has been received by TCCOG regarding extension of the Shared Services look-back date. The letter was not encouraging and expressed the opinion that it was in 2012 that municipalities became serious about shared services as a cost cutting measure. It was in 2012 that Gov. Andrew Cuomo instructed municipalities to focus on shared services. It is believed that centralized administrative services may result in the greatest savings. Clerk-Treasurer Mangione will be attending meetings to explore cost savings in the area of information technology, finance, personnel, and tax collection. Superintendent Cross will be asked to attend a meeting on code enforcement and permit tracking. A draft of county municipalities’ coordinated response is expected by year-end. The Board will need to pass a resolution naming Tompkins County as its lead agency before May 2015. All Village policies require annual review and modification. The first of these to have been updated is the Credit and Purchasing Card Policy. A few changes have been suggested to the draft which was distributed to Department Heads and Trustees. In the Internal Controls section a request to add “or their designate” was discussed and agreed upon. It was pointed out that adding “the purpose of the transaction” in the Receipts section would allow for improved audit of expenditures. Resolution #7516 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees adopts a revised Policy for Credit/Purchasing Card Use with modifications as discussed and as follows. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Hamilton Discussion: none Ayes: Trustees Friend, Hamilton, Robinson, Salton, and Woodard Nays and Abstentions: none Motion carried VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS POLICY & PROCEDURE HANDBOOK Credit/Purchasing Card Policy OFFICIAL USE ONLY: The Village of Cayuga Heights (VCH) may provide a credit/purchasing card to an employee for use in connection with their VCH responsibilities. This card may be used only for official business to acquire goods or services that are to be paid for by VCH. No personal purchases, reimbursements, or purchases for other entities (e.g. Cayuga Heights Fire Co.) are permitted. PURCHASE LIMITS: The cards are limited to $500 per transaction per day and $2,000 per month. Limits must be observed. Multiple transactions with a single vendor for the purpose of bypassing these limits are not permitted. In special circumstances the limit may be reset for an approved transaction. Prior authorization from the department head and Clerk & Treasurer must be obtained in advance in order for the limit to be lifted with the vendor. SALES TAX: Sales tax should not be paid on VCH purchases. The VCH name on the cards indicates that this is a purchase paid by the Village, and is exempt in accordance with NYS law. RECEIPTS: Documentation in the form of charge and/or itemized receipts shall be provided to the Deputy Clerk within three (3) business days. Receipts should indicate the VCH account to which they are to be charged, the purpose of the transaction, and be signed by the department head. POSTING FOR PAYMENT: The Deputy Clerk shall post receipts in the accounting software to the appropriate vendor for creation of a monthly voucher. Each invoice shall be a line in a voucher, and each line must reconcile to the monthly card statement. Description shall be in the form of “VENDOR: Items” (e.g. P&C: paper towels). No payments shall be made prior to the receipt of the monthly statement. Statements with all backup shall be posted in time for the monthly abstract approval and payment. INTERNAL CONTROLS: The Clerk & Treasurer, who is responsible for payment review and check issuance, shall not have a credit/purchasing card. Credit/purchasing cards are to be used by the individual named thereon or their designate, and neither cards nor card numbers shall be shared for use by others. COMPLIANCE WITH POLICY: Accepting the credit/purchasing card indicates agreement of the terms herein. Any use of the credit/purchasing card in violation of this policy may result in revocation or disciplinary action. POLICY OVERSIGHT: The Clerk & Treasurer is responsible for the credit/purchasing card program and for ensuring that card use does not violate VCH Purchasing Policy. ___________________________________________________________________ The Tompkins County Legislature recently adopted a policy regulating use of email addresses provided by the county as opposed to use of private email addresses. The policy states that unless a waiver is acquired by an individual legislator by virtue of attendance at specific training, that all county business must be conducted on the county provided email address. It is necessary for a trustee to maintain any village related emails for six years. Therefore even after a trustee leaves office they are responsible to provide records related to a FOIL request. An idea was set forth for each elected official to carbon copy (cc) or blind carbon copy (bcc) any email to their Village email address. It was agreed that the Communication Committee will convene to develop a timely, systematic approach to a policies review with particular attention paid to purchasing/procurement and information technology policies. - Fire Superintendent Tamborelle joined the meeting. He had just returned from transporting a very ill child to an emergency room in Syracuse. Superintendent Tamborelle and Police Chief Steinmetz drafted Proposed Local Law 2014-D to provide for issuance of an Operating Permit (OP) during certain public assemblies. The City of Ithaca has used this mechanism to control unsafe behaviors for years. The OP hangs in public view next to the Occupancy Certificate and applies to any structure where fifty (50) individuals can gather. It is revoked when a hazardous condition is identified with the building; it is not for situations involving an individual’s unlawful act (e.g. underage intoxication). This law is proposed as an effort to cut down on malicious call-outs. One fraternity has been responsible for 93 calls in the last 4 years, 31 have been for malicious reasons. Once the OP is removed from a fraternity house, representatives of the fraternity will be required to meet with Greek Life at Cornell and Cayuga Heights Public Safety (Fire and/or Police) prior to reissuance. It is envisioned that at program origination, in conjunction with a successfully passed annual fire inspection, the OP will be issued. There is no fee for issuance of an OP however it is proposed that a $100 fee would be charged for reissuance. The OP period is for one year. Attorney Marcus advises that all components in the proposed law which refer to state building code should be removed. It is not anticipated that a police officer or volunteer firefighter will need to be a certified code enforcement officer in order to revoke an OP for a structure. Rather it would be revoked for an obvious danger to life-safety. Superintendent Cross clarified that the OP process is not for regulation of private residence gatherings; it is only for public gathering spaces. The proposed law will undergo refinement and be re-reviewed by the Board of Trustees prior to scheduling a public hearing. 7. Reports of Trustees Trustee Woodard reported on her review of the Treasurer’s monthly reconciliation process. She described a Williamson Law Book Accounting programming issue that has caused balance problems in the past. A method for insuring that the monthly Consolidated Disbursement Check Register Report is accurate has been identified. The August bank to accounting reconciliation was reviewed this month by both Trustee Woodard and Trustee (Deputy Treasurer) Robinson and was found to be in balance. Trustee Woodard went on to share information she gathered on the Emergency Plan and a template that Tompkins County has for area municipalities to use. She will be meeting with county staff to go over the template. Another source for a no cost template is through Hartwick College. Trustee Salton is looking into acquiring that documentation. Trustee Salton reports that the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Healthcare Consortium (GTCMHC) has built a 5% premium increase into its budget for 2015. GTCMHC is applying to NYS for a waiver to the requirement to purchase aggregate stop loss insurance. The waiver would save $71,000. Individual stop loss cannot be waived however, but by raising aggregate deductibles savings of up to $250,000 could be realized. The claims-paid percentage has risen by between 8% and 8.5%. Reserves will have to be used if this trend continues. Educating insureds to make wise life-style and care-provider choices will contribute to controlling the claims-paid percentage. Trustee Robinson pointed out the inclusion of year-to-date revenue and expenditure reports in the meeting packet. He recommends that all the trustees review the data at least quarterly. Items concerning Marcham Hall were covered during the recent Public Works Committee Meeting. Computer equipment was damaged by an electrical power surge. Pleasant Valley Electric has been responsible for the building’s electrical system for several years. Asbestos in the basement is of concern. Steps to inspect, test, and likely remove it are ongoing. 8. Report of Chief Steinmetz (FYE2015-042a,b,c) There were no questions on the Chief’s submitted report. When asked about progress on identification of a burglary suspect, Chief Steinmetz shared that the likely perpetrator was apprehended during a break-in located in the Town of Dryden. The District Attorney does not feel that sufficient evidence exists to move forward with burglary charges. 9. Report of Superintendent of Public Works Cross Eric Munson, the asbestos inspector responded via email with a preliminary remediation plan. The next step is to be a limited clean-up followed by air quality testing. Estimates for final removal of all asbestos with and without replacement of the building’s heating plant will be sought. Estimates to repair Marcham Hall’s slate roof have been requested. Two widely disparate estimates have been received; once additional assessments are received they will be presented to the Board. Pleasant Valley performed a shut-down of Marcham Hall’s electric systems. They found a few loose connections. There was a discussion about the building’s circuitry and challenges of modernizing the existing system. The Planning Board will address a site plan review for a sorority house kitchen upgrade at 509 Wyckoff at its next meeting. 10. Report of Clerk & Treasurer Mangione (FYE2015-043) A request for late tax payment penalty waiver by Jill & Michael Johnson due to a significant postal delay was presented. Village property owners need to be aware that taxes are due each year during the month of June without penalty. The Board took no action and a letter will be sent to the Johnson’s to let them know. It is felt that these requests should no longer be brought before the Board. Resolution #7517 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Abstract #4 for FYE2015 consisting of Trust and Agency vouchers 22 – 30 in the amount of $16,247.65 and Consolidated Fund vouchers 184 – 249 in the amount of $248,352.20 is approved and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Robinson Discussion: none Ayes: Trustees Friend, Hamilton, Robinson, Salton, and Woodard Nays and Abstentions: none Motion carried 11. Report of Attorney Marcus No items to discuss. 12. Executive Session None held Meeting of the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees was adjourned by Mayor Supron at 10:22 p.m.