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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.15.2021_Minutes 1 Minutes VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS Wednesday, December 15, 2021 Zoom Meeting ID # 4118425407 BOARD OF TRUSTEES 7:00 p.m. MONTHLY MEETING Present: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbard, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton; Police Chief Wright; Village Engineer Cross; Director of Public Works Wiese; Clerk Walker; Deputy Treasurer Dolch; Attorney Marcus; Absent Treasurer Laskaris 1. Call to Order: Mayor Woodard calls the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 2a. Approval of Meeting Minutes: October 28, 2021 (Exhibit 2022-092) Resolution # 9085 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the October 28, 2021, special meeting minutes as presented. Motion: Trustee Marshall Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: Trustee Marshall Motion Carried 2b. Approval of the Joint Planning Board / BOT Meeting Minutes: November 17, 2021 (Exhibit 2022-093) Resolution # 9086 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the November 17, 2021, joint Planning Board and Board of Trustees meeting minutes as presented. Motion: Trustee McMurry Second: Trustee Marshall Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 3. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2022-094) •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that things are going well at the fire station. He also states that the ladder truck will be delivered in the first week of February but if the spike in COVID-19 cases keeps increasing then he might conduct that inspection virtually. 2 •Trustee McMurry asks if some of the volunteers go home for break. and has that changed in light of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases? Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that his core bunker staff will be leaving for a brief period of time but back after the holidays. •In closing Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that the CHFD fall recruit class is almost done with their required training. 4. Privilege of the Floor: No members of the public wish to speak. 5. Report of Treasurer: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2202-095) •Deputy Treasurer Dolch states that she has two resolution requests for the Board tonight. The first item is a budget modification for the Village Police Health Insurance account that was presented at the December Board of Trustees Meeting but never voted. Resolution # 9087 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves a Budget increase of $7,932 in the Police Health Insurance account A9060.800 to be funded from Contingency A1990.400 resulting in a Budget of $132,413. Motion: Trustee Marshall Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Deputy Treasurer Dolch states that the second resolution she is presenting to the Board is the December Abstract # 7 Resolution # 9088 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves Abstract #7 for FYE2022 consisting of TA vouchers 46 - 53 in the amount of $21,944.13 and Consolidated Fund vouchers 482 - 558 in the amount of $305,768.14 and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Marshall Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 6. Report of Mayor Woodard: 3 a. Joan Laskaris Resolution: Village Treasurer Joan Laskaris will be retiring at the end of this month, She is absent tonight, but the Board would like to recognize her for all her contributions to the Village. •Mayor Woodard states that we would normally have a farewell party but given the current increase in COVID-19 cases we cannot take that chance. •Trustee Marshall inquires about the format of this resolution and will it require the Trustee's signatures. Clerk Walker states that normally a certified resolution would have the motions and the Village Seal and Clerks signature. However, there is time to collect each Trustee’s signature and incorporate that into a final resolution that we could also present to Joan. •The Board agreed that this would be a nice addition to her resolution. RECOGNITION OF THE PAST AND CONTINUED OUTSTANDING PUBLIC SERVICE OF JOAN LASKARIS Resolution # 9089 WHEREAS, Joan Laskaris has served the Village of Cayuga Heights with honor since November 2011, providing the Village with exceptional stewardship as Village Clerk & Treasurer; and Chief Financial Officer; and WHEREAS, Joan has brought respect, honor, and integrity in her roles as the Village Clerk & Treasurer; and WHEREAS, Joan was also appointed Village Clerk in July 2013 and served through April 2018; and WHEREAS, Joan previously served as a member of the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium Design Committee from April 2014 until April 2018; and WHEREAS, Joan sat on various Village Committees and served for three years on the Code Codification Committee where she contributed to re-drafting and codification of all local laws; WHEREAS, Joan has consistently applied her meticulous attention to detail, utmost professionalism, and unwavering dedication to the various roles she has played in Village government; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees does hereby commend Joan Laskaris for her dedication, commitment, and outstanding past and continued public service to the Village of Cayuga Heights. Motion: Trustee McMurry Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton 4 Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried b. Williamson Accounting Training: In an effort for Treasurer Dolch to better understand the Village Accounting Software and how it integrates with the other municipal programs, Clerk Walker suggested some one- on-one training. (EXHIBIT 2022-097) •Clerk Walker states that if there is not enough in the treasurer's training account then we could pull money from the clerk training account. He also recommends 4-5 hours strictly devoted to the Williamson Accounting Program. c. NYSDOT Right of Way Renewal: NYSDOT requires the Village to have a permit to conduct work in the State’s right of way. •Director of Public Works Wiese states that the NYSDOT permit allows the Village to work in the Rt-13 or East Shore Drive NYSDOT’s right of way. Resolution: 9090 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes Mayor Woodard to sign the 2022 NYSDOT annual maintenance permit for the NYSDOT right-of-way as presented in EXHIBIT 2202-098. Motion: Trustee McMurry Second: Trustee Marshall Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried d. J2326 Water Bill: The property owners of 1018 Triphammer Road are requesting a reduction of their water bill because of two leaking toilet seals. •Mayor Woodard states that from the letter presented it is clear that they did not think to turn water off at the base of the toilet. •Trustee Robinson states that this differs from some previous requests, especially the ones where an outside faucet was left on. In this case, water actually went down to the wastewater treatment plant and was treated, which has a cost to the village. He does not see that this is a cost we can forgive. •Trustee Salton does not see this as an outrageous amount of money. 5 •Mayor Woodard states that the property owner also neglected to pay the bill on time and now has a ten percent penalty added to the current bill. •The Board agrees to deny the request for a reduction of water charges for account J2326. •Clerk Walker states that when he has a request like this, he informs the property owner of the criteria needed to submit to the Board for consideration. Clerk Walker further states that he always explains the fact that once metered water goes into the sewer drain it is processed as sewage. e. Climate Smart Community (CSC) Update: Participating in CSC supports our local government with building climate action programs. The Village can be awarded grant money for climate-smart actions using a point system. •Mayor Woodard states that a resident has approached her and is willing to start a Climate Smart Community Task Force to help the Village obtain grants through the CSC. •Mayor Woodard further states that our LED streetlight project will generate a thousand points towards a three- thousand-point system that will qualify the Village for a ten-thousand-dollar grant. •Trustee Hubbell is willing to join this task force since he no longer sits on the Cayuga Lake Inter-Municipal Organization Committee since their committee meetings fall on the same night as the Village monthly Board of Trustees meetings. •Trustee Marshall asks Mayor Woodard if this funding could be used for more charging stations. Mayor Woodard states that yes, this is a component of that grant, and we could certainly use more stations. 7. Report of The Trustees: a. Tompkins County Democratic Gun Violence Zoom Meeting: The Tompkins County Democratic Committee wanted to know more about the plan to address the increase in gun violence in Ithaca and how does it fit into communication with the community justice center and emergency response and dispatch center. Gun violence has doubled this year over last year, and it is not clear how this should be addressed within the context of police reform. •Trustee Salton states that he attended this virtual meeting with the City of Ithaca's elected officials. •The incident that took place in the Village on November 9, 2021, was part of the conversation and the Trustee Salton voiced his opinion that all law enforcement departments involved did a good job. •At this meeting Trustee Salton expressed his concern on how information needs to be shared at the emergency response and dispatch center. He further states that this will be a vital, integral part of reimaging policing here in Tompkins County. •Trustee McMurry asks what was the response when the question was raised, how did gun violence get treated differently from other crimes in the context of the police reform process that the City of Ithaca is undertaking? 6 •Trustee Salton states that it depended on who responded, Mayor Myrick has a different perspective than other elected officials in the 1st Ward where a lot of gun violence has taken place. He also states that the process of communication with these incidents is key to helping law enforcement. Communication lends itself to having the right people respond to an incident, as it is critical to not lose minutes and seconds and therefore you lose lives too. •Mayor Woodard asks Trustee Salton how many law enforcement officials attended this meeting? Trustee Salton states that Tompkins County Sheriff D. Osborne was the only elected law enforcement official in attendance. •Trustee Marshall states that he is reminded of a product called Shot Tracker which is an acoustic device that has been used in bigger cities. This product can immediately detect gunshots and the exact location of that shot. Washington D.C. was using this a few years ago. •Trustee McMurry states that when they have another meeting, she hopes that they make it open to the public. We should certainly share it with our community since we were the center of the November 9th, 2021 incident. •Trustee Salton will keep the Board informed when the next meeting will be held. b. Park Foundation Grant to the Cayuga Lake Inter-Municipal Organization: •Trustee Hubbell states that the Cayuga Lake Inter-Municipal Organization just received a grant of $100,000 from the Park Foundation to support hiring a staff member. 8 . Report of Police Chief Wright: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2022-100) •Police Chief Wright states that in reference to the November 9, 2021 incident, one subject still has not been located. Law enforcement knows who the individual is and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. •An in-depth investigation has been completed on a vehicle tire theft at Kendall. •In closing Chief Wright states that the field training of the new part-time officers is going extremely well and he is looking forward to the point where they will be on their own schedule. 9. Report of Director of DPW Wiese: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2022-101) •Director Wiese states that this month’s main focus has been leaf pick up and today was the last day. •Director Wiese states that a hydrant costs roughly four thousand dollars with parts and materials. The twenty- thousand-dollar voucher presented to replace the hydrant damaged in November represented four new hydrants, not one. •Trustee Robinson asks about leaves that are put out after today, what should residents do with them? Director Wiese state the proper protocol will be for the resident to bag them and put them out the Friday before brush pickup. 9. Report of Village Engineer Cross: a. The Cornell North Campus Residential Expansion Project Road Use Agreement: •B. Cross states that in an attempt to allocate a fair/reasonable amount of cost to the project vs the village's obligation to provide a road in good repair to the public, we arrived at a value of 50%. Therefore, we have 7 unofficially discussed the amount of reimbursement to be $300,000, which was arrived at by taking 50% of $500,000, plus the avoidance cost of $35,000 for another Geotech study. •Cornell University has agreed to $285,000 and Cornell Council will draft the close-out agreement for Village Attorney R. Marcus to review. •Village Attorney R. Marcus states that the changes he has requested are incorporated in this agreement. Resolution: 9091 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes Mayor Woodard to sign the Close Out Agreement from the Road Use Agreement dated June 17, 2019, in connection with Cornell's North Campus Residential Expansion project as recommended by the Village Public Works Committee in the amount of $285,000. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Hubbell Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Trustee McMurry inquires about the work on Pleasant Grove Road that is anticipated to begin next year. •B. Cross states that we know that there is a larger project that we want to undertake in the future so for next year we will do some paving maintenance and save the majority of that money for a bigger project including, any changes at RaNic Gulf Club entrance or pedestrian enhancements. •Director Wiese states that Bolton Point has scheduled a transition water main project next year as well on Pleasant Grove Road. •Trustee Robinson states that another thing to consider is a traffic study and traffic patterns that are going to emerge with Cornell North Camus Residential Expansion project completion and if it's going to be any different than what was projected and especially now with the possibility of a RaNic Golf Club project. •Trustee Marshall asks if the money from Cornell has to be spent in a given timeframe? Mayor Woodard does not think so, but it might make sense to create a reserve fund for that money to keep it separated. b. Marcham Hall Greenhouse Update: •B. Cross reached out to an independent contractor who is going to fix two isolation valves in the basement that controls the heat in the greenhouse. c. RaNic Update: •Trustee Salton asks B. Cross for an update on the RaNic tree removal project. 8 •B. Cross states that we have to remember that a majority of the golf course is in the Town of Ithaca. The most recent clearing of trees on Pleasant Grove Road only borders the Village edge of the Pleasant Grove Road right- of-way. •Trustee Hubbard states that he is concerned with road hazards from golf balls hitting cars. B. Cross will inquire whether or not there will be new plantings along Pleasant Grove Road. 11. Report of Clerk Walker: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2022-102) •Clerk Walker states that typically we would have held our Village holiday party where we recognize employee milestones. Since we are not doing that this year, he would like to recognize the following employees. - Tim Eighmey from the DPW for fifteen years of service, James Landon from CHPD for ten years of service, and Director of Public Works Mike Wiese for five years of service. •Clerk Walker also states that the new Village website will go live on December 27, 2021, and he will send out the link for all Board members to review the new site. •In closing Clerk Walker states that there have been several monetary donations to the Village Police Department including an anonymous donation for $13,900. The Village Fire Council has also received donations. 12. Report of Attorney Marcus: No report at this time. 13. Executive Session: Mayor Woodard asks the Board for an Executive Session. Resolution: 9092 WHEREAS: The NYS Open Meeting Law §105 prescribes matters for which a public body may conduct an executive session; and, WHEREAS: Upon a majority vote of its total membership, taken in an open meeting pursuant to a motion identifying the general area or areas of the subject or subjects to be considered; and, WHEREAS: The conduct an executive session for these enumerated purposes only, provided, however, that no action by formal vote shall be taken to appropriate public money: THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT An Executive Session of the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees are conducted for the purposes of subsection (F), the medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person or corporation. Motion: Trustee Marshall Second: Trustee Salton 9 Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried Resolution: 9093 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees exits the Executive Session and returns to an open meeting at 8:50 p.m. Motion: Trustee Marshall Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried Resolution: 9094 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes Mayor Woodard to sign the letter of engagement for services contracted by former Village Treasurer Joan Laskaris at an hourly rate of $45.00 subject the final contract draft to be approved by Village Attorney R. Marcus. Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Marshall Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Hubbell, Marshall, McMurry, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 14. Adjournment: Mayor Woodard adjourns the meeting at 8:51 p.m. 10