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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-12-2013 minutesMinutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Monday, August 9, 2013 Marcham Hall BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Supron; Trustees: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Riesman, Robinson, and Salton; Attorney Marcus; Superintendent Cross; Police Chief Steinmetz; Clerk & Treasurer Mangione. Absent: Fire Superintendent Tamborelle, Asst. Superintendent Frisbie. Call to Order: Mayor Supron called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. 1. Approval of Minutes: (Exhibit 01) A brief discussion regarding approval of the minutes for the July 8, 2013 Board of Trustees meeting took place. Resolution #7347 Approval of the July 8, 2013 minutes as amended. Motion: Trustee Riesman Second: Trustee Karns Discussion: Mayor Supron and Attorney Marcus commented on ease of editing the minutes. Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Riesman, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried 2. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: (Exhibit 02) Submitted report (website - Fire: http://www.cayuga-heights.ny.us/minutes.html) Superintendent Tamborelle is on vacation and therefore not in attendance this evening. 3. Report of Asst. Superintendent of Public Works Frisbie: Asst. Superintendent Frisbee is on vacation and therefore not in attendance this evening. 4. Privilege of the Floor (PoF): Mayor Supron opened PoF at 7:12 p.m. Mark Mecenas expressed concerns surrounding language in the Village’s Comprehensive Plan. Mayor Supron closed PoF at 7:15 p.m. 5. Report of Mayor Supron: a. Cayuga Heights PTA 5k Road Race: October 19, 2013 Kathy Laskin has been in contact with Chief Steinmetz, Sgt. Wright, and the Mayor. The Mayor noted that this event would fall under the Parades and Local Events Local Law which has been under discussion. Attorney Marcus stated that a resolution may not be mandatory however, a statement in support would be appropriate. Resolution #7348 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Support for the CHES PTA 5k road race is granted with the stipulation that Chief Steinmetz's safety concerns are met. Motion: Trustee Hamilton Second: Trustee Riesman Discussion: There are seventeen volunteers already involved in the activity. Trustee Hamilton stated that the Board may want to pass the resolution due to the event’s timeline. Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Riesman, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried b. Appointment of Natalie Detert to serve as representative to the Tompkins County Youth Services Board for the Village of Cayuga Heights (Exhibit 03) Mayor Supron has asked for but not received a brief biography from Ms. Detert to share with the Board. Therefore the Mayor is tabling this nomination until next month. Ms. Detert will also serve as representative for the Town of Ithaca as did Jane Powers. Her nomination will also need to be approved by the Town. Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Monday, August 9, 2013 Marcham Hall BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7:00 p.m. c. Comprehensive Plan (CP) 7/1/2013 draft ( http://www.cayuga-heights.ny.us/CompPlan.html ) Mayor Supron gave a synopsis of previous discussions and agreed upon next steps for the CP. She also shared her interpretation of the concern presented by Mark Mecenas during PoF and addressed in a letter sent by his attorney to all Board members. Trustee Karns, as well as the Mayor shared feedback from residents who have expressed a strong feeling that they “like the way the Village is.” Trustee Crooker voiced his feeling that keeping the status quo and making progress are not mutually exclusive. References to a revitalized Community Corners area or specifically, “Corners Community Shopping Center” or “The Corners” populate the CP. The Corners is in a mixed use zoning district which is represented in yellow on page 41 of the CP. Therefore if the possibility exists for the creation of an additional or expanded mixed use district, specific language should address that possibility. A recommendation to use a limiting word such as “adjacent” was proposed in order to isolate the issue of future rezoning so that the reference is not interpreted to mean throughout the Village. Discussion of the best manner to protect against competing goals when developing a plan for a whole Village continued. Since this CP will become a legacy of this Board, Trustee Crooker expressed his desire to “get it right.” The Board agreed that each draft has been an improvement and the current draft is approaching a final version. A comment/revision submission deadline of the week of August 19th through the 23rd was set. With incorporation of those changes, another draft will be distributed and discussed on September 9th at the next regular Board meeting. d. Deer Management Planning i. Mayor Supron will take the lead in contract extension negotiations with Cornell, as well as potential contracts with White Buffalo or alternate service providers. The draft of the contract submitted to the Village by Cornell and included for review (Exhibit 04) is significantly different from one discussed with Paul Curtis. ii. A letter to residents will be written and reviewed for a planned mailing in September. The letter will cover various informational topics and include a revised Property Use Permission Form. The form’s purpose is to update the inventory of properties available for deer capture for the purpose of sterilization and/or culling. An October date will be set for the form’s return. e. Public Health and Safety i. Local Law B: Parades and Special Events (Exhibit 05) Revisions have been made to address concerns that the law as proposed was too complex. The decision to include specifics on the application form instead allows future changes or refinements to be made to the form without the more complex process of changing a local law. A fee for processing the application will be included on the form. Following a brief discussion on Section IV and its reference to “approve or deny” by the Chief of Police, it was decided to remove “such decision” and move forward to schedule a Public Hearing. Attorney Marcus will make the minor changes as discussed. Resolution #7349 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: A Public Hearing shall be held on Monday, September 9, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. on Local Law B: Parades and Special Events. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Robinson Discussion: Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Riesman, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried ii. Local Law H: Care and Mowing of Property (Exhibit 06) Chief Steinmetz shared the intent set forth by the Public Safety Committee is not to monitor every property and start handing out tickets, but to provide guidelines within which problems can be addressed. There are multiple variables which contribute to the number of days that yard waste or bulky items might remain at the curb, not all of which are under the residents’ control. Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Monday, August 9, 2013 Marcham Hall BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7:00 p.m. Resolution #7350 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: A Public Hearing shall be held on Monday, September 9, 2013 at 7:10 p.m. on Local Law H: Care and Mowing of Property. Motion: Trustee Crooker Second: Trustee Riesman Discussion: Chief Steinmetz will update the document as discussed. Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Riesman, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried Trustee Riesman left the meeting at 8:30 p.m. iii. Local Law G: Emergency Lock Box (Exhibit 07) This law has been on the books for approximately fifteen (15) years. For that reason, it does not conform to new format standards. Discussion surrounded the responsibility a homeowner or business owner assumes when an alarm system is installed on their property. It is not recommended that the Police Department and Fire Department have knowledge of alarm codes under current legal standards. Attorney Marcus will update the document for clarity and conformity. 6. Report of the Trustees: Trustee Crooker shared the decision of the Public Works Committee to inform residents whose trees or shrubbery infringe on sidewalks or roadways. Pruning is an important safety concern which needs to be addressed prior to the beginning of the school year when pedestrian traffic increases. Damage to the sidewalk plow or other public works equipment can be caused as well. If property owners do not complete the work, Village workers will perform it at no charge. However, they are not trained arborists or landscapers and are unlikely to trim foliage in the same manner as the homeowner or a professional hired to do the work. 7. Report of Chief Steinmetz: (Exhibit 08) Submitted report (website - POL: http://www.cayuga-heights.ny.us/minutes.html) 1. Recommendation that Daniel A. Bechtold be hired Resolution #7351 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Officer Daniel A. Bechtold is to be hired as a part-time Officer for the Village of Cayuga Heights and that his hourly rate will be set per the current PBA contract. The appointment is contingent upon an acceptable background investigation. Motion: Trustee Hamilton Second: Trustee Salton Discussion: Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried 2. Sale of used vehicle (Exhibit 09) Resolution #7352 WHEREAS, the Village of Cayuga Heights (the “Village”) purchased a vehicle with the Identification Number of 1FMJU1G53AEB72796 on October 19, 2010 for the exclusive use of the Police Department; and WHEREAS, the Village has title with no lien or other financial instrument existing against its ownership claim on said vehicle; and WHEREAS, the Village has purchased a 2013 Ford XPL Suburban vehicle for the exclusive use of the Police Department; and Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Monday, August 9, 2013 Marcham Hall BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7:00 p.m. WHEREAS, the 2010 Ford is no longer in use by the Police Department of the Village, has been deemed to be surplus, and has been prepared for sale; and WHEREAS, said vehicle will be available for inspection during the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Village Offices located at 836 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 by appointment. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT: The Village shall advertise for sale “AS IS” condition one (1) 2010 Black Ford Suburban vehicle in the newspaper of record. Sealed bids shall be received at the Clerk’s office at 836 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. Bids shall be opened, publicly announced, and presented to the Board of Trustees at their regularly scheduled meeting commencing at 7:00 p.m. on that same day during the Report of the Clerk. The Village reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to negotiate with any proposer. Motion: Trustee Crooker Second: Trustee Salton Discussion: The sale will also be advertised on Craigslist.com Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried 3. Addition of another part-time officer Chief Steinmetz presented his rationale for why the addition of another part-time officer would be advantageous. During the recent round of interviews he was able to identify other qualified applicants. An additional officer would not take time away from other part-time officers, but would ease difficulty in filling shifts. The Chief has already conferred with personnel Attorney Johnston and with the Tompkins County Personnel Office; no problems were identified. Resolution #7353 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Authorization is given to hire an additional part-time Officer for the Village of Cayuga Heights Police Department and that his hourly rate will be set per the current PBA contract. The appointment is contingent upon an acceptable background investigation. Motion: Trustee Hamilton Second: Trustee Salton Discussion: Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried 8. Report of Superintendent of Public Works Cross: A building permit has been issued for a duplex between 172 and 176 Pleasant Grove Road. The owner has requested that address designation 174A and 174B Pleasant Grove Road be assigned. Resolution #7354 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Authorization to designate a new duplex structure as 174A and 174B Pleasant Grove Road is given. Motion: Trustee Karns Second: Trustee Hamilton Discussion: Superintendent Cross confirmed that this convention is consistent with current practice. Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Monday, August 9, 2013 Marcham Hall BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING 7:00 p.m. Suit-Kote is available for paving at the end of this week (August 15 – 16) on Triphammer Road and Forest Drive. Trustee Salton asked if a paving issue on the 300 block of The Parkway would be remedied. The Superintendent will make a determination and follow-up. Storm damage occurred at a property on Cayuga Heights Road; a claim may be forthcoming. Also a location on Triphammer Road has had ongoing problems which are being addressed prior to the finish paving. Superintendent Cross presented a few follow-up items. The DEC has not issued a final permit modification on the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Today David Snyder was able to return to work with no restrictions on the work he can perform. Marcham Hall is nearing completion. Mayor Supron asked if it would be possible to plan on having an open house in conjunction with the Block Party to take place on August 28th. It seems probable that the area can be open. 9. Report of Clerk & Treasurer Mangione (Exhibit 10) Submitted report(s) (website Treasurer and Abstract: http://www.cayuga-heights.ny.us/minutes.html) A discussion of Property Tax penalty waivers on two (2) properties took place. It was determined that waivers will not be granted. The Community Block Party sponsored by Chemung Canal Bank and Cayuga Radio Group is scheduled for August 28, 2013. A requested waiver of the $25 sign permit was denied. Resolution #7355 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: Abstract #3 for FYE2014 consisting of Trust and Agency Vouchers 14 - 29 and General Fund vouchers 91 - 193 in the amount of $312,033.33 is approved and instruction to the Treasurer to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Karns Second: Trustee Robinson Discussion: A question regarding Voucher #153 for payment to Jerome Fire Equipment Co. which consists of a $32,000 invoice #0116334 and a $1,200 invoice #0116697 was asked. Duplicate vouchers #153 were contained in the vouchers for Board review; each voucher had one of the invoices attached leading to erroneously eliminating the second invoice from the Abstract total. Resolution #7355 should be $313,233.33 for the same voucher range. Ayes: Crooker, Hamilton, Karns, Robinson, and Salton Nays or abstentions: none Motion carried Report of Attorney Marcus: No additional items to discuss. The original signed copy of the Agreement for Fire Protection with the Town of Ithaca was given to the Clerk for storage. Chief Steinmetz requests that the area surrounding the side entrance to the Police Department be cleared of overgrowth by the DPW as scheduling allows. The planting areas around the building are maintained by a volunteer. Meeting of the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees was adjourned by Mayor Supron at 9:43 p.m.