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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.15.2025 Minutes1 VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHT January 15, 2024 Zoom ID # 4118425407 BOARD OF TRUSTEES 7:00 p.m. MONTHLY MEETING Present: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton; Fire Superintendent Tamborelle, Treasurer Dolch, Police Chief Wright, Superintendent of Public Works Cross; Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder; Village Attorney R. Marcus; Village Clerk Walker. 1. Call to Order: Mayor Woodard calls the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. 2. Approval of the December 18, 2024 Meeting Minutes (Exhibit 2025-081) •Trustee Salton states that he had some revisions. •Clerk Walker states that he noted that request and made the suggested changes. •Trustee Salton states that he would like more time to review the changes. •Trustee Robinson suggests that we table the approval of the December Meeting Minutes until the February Board Meeting. 3. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-082) •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that he spoke to E-1 (the company that is building the new truck) and the delivery date has been pushed back to July 2026. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that he informed them that the deprecation schedule works against us after year fifteen. They understand but their hands are tied. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that the new air packs arrived and training on them will begin next Tuesday. The old packs will remain in the station for training purposes and the new packs will be on the trucks. •Mayor Woodard asks about the renovations to the bunker kitchen •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that he is collecting plans from various kitchen planners. The goal is to make the dining room smaller and increase the size of the kitchen. •Trustee Conway inquiries about the depreciation comment and if that represented the resale price or was that a reference to problems with the truck itself. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that we would be in a position to sell the vehicle for more in year 15 versus selling in in year 16, or 17. Our return goes down and maintenance goes up. 4. Privilege of the Floor: Village resident K. Mehta of 307 Winthrop Drive is present to address the Board •Village resident K. Mehta states that he is concerned about bicycle safety in the Village since he has been made aware of a 2 motor vehicle/bicyclist accident near the Ithaca Mall. •Chief Wright states that he has no record of any vehicle/bicyclist accidents in the Village but is happy to hear K. Mehta’s concerns. •Village resident K. Mehta states that he has learned of many biking accidents in the Village and wants to raise awareness to the Village Board of this community concern and what we can do about it. •Mayor Woodard states that the Village has been doing many things to promote pedestrian and bicycle safety. Unfortunately, the Village roads are not wide enough to become designated bike lanes. •Chief Wright states that we have not had many if any bike accidents. We do and will continue to enforce bike laws just as we do with motor vehicles. •Chief Wright states that the Village has been concentrating on sidewalk projects for pedestrian safety. It is his number one goal to make sure everyone is safe in the Village. To be honest, he has not heard much from the community on this topic. •Trustee Robinson states that the Village Public Works Committee did discuss putting up signage but there are specific parameters for using "share the lane" that we cannot meet with our narrow roads. •Village resident K. Mehta states that he sees both sides of this issue. Triphammer Road would be his choice if there could be a bike lane. •Village resident K. Mehta states that the second concern he would like to bring to the board's attention is on the topic of treating Hydrilla in Cayuga Lake. •Village resident K. Mehta states that every summer the lake is treated with tons of herbicides (Endothall, Fluidone, and Komeen through a permit from NYSDEC. •Village resident K. Mehta states that he has learned that very few people know about this treatment taking place. He has written a piece in the Ithaca Times about this treatment. Ithaca Times •Mayor Woodard asks Village resident K. Mehta what he likes the Board to do. •Village resident K. Mehta states that he would like to promote awareness that people drinking water from Cayuga Lake should be aware of the chemical treatment taking place. •Trustee Hubbell states that he recommends all drinking water have a filter system in the home to prevent any forms of PFAS chemicals. •In closing, Village resident K. Mehta states that he would like the Village to encourage the U.S. Army Core of Engineers (who is treating the lake) to notice all those who also drink the water from the lake, not just the lake homes. 4. Report of Treasurer Dolch: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-083) 3 •Treasurer Dolch states that the December bank-to-book reconciliations are complete. •Treasurer Dolch states that she has shared the upcoming fiscal year budget spreadsheets with the department heads to begin discussions with committee members. •Treasurer Dolch states that In December we received an invoice from Advanced Rehabilitation Tech for $63,010.50 for work done last spring for Sewer Lining. We did not budget for this in the current budget. •Treasurer Dolch states that the finance team discussed this last week and decided that taking money from Contingency would be the best option. The $2,263.50 that cannot be covered by contingency will come from budgeted money in Sewer Lines – Contractual. Resolution: 9724 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves moving $60,744 from G1990.400 (Contingency) to G8120.410 (Sewer Lines – Contractual) to cover the invoice from Advance Rehabilitation Tech. Motion: Trustee Rennekamp Second: Trustee Conway Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Treasurer Dolch states that the only other action item she has tonight is Abstract 8. Approval of Abstract 8: Resolution: 9725 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves Abstract # 8 for FYE2025 consisting of TA vouchers 56 - 63 in the amount of $16,771.80 and Consolidated Fund vouchers 542 - 618 in the amount of $675,376.16 and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none 4 Motion Carried 5. Report of Mayor Woodard a. FYE 2024-2025 Budget Update: Mayor Woodard states that we are six months into our fiscal year, and we are in good shape. •Mayor Woodard states that all of the Village Department Heads have their budget sheets and will be working on them over the next month. •Trustee Salton states that he would like the Village Finance Committee to do the final review before the budget workshop. •Trustee Robinson states that Mayor Woodard can delegate some of that responsibility. b. Schedule the Annual Budget Workshop for FYE 2025-2026: •Mayor Woodard states that we will now need to schedule the FYE 2025-2026 Budget Workshop which will be held on March 22, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Resolution: 9726 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees hereby schedules a Public Meeting on the Proposed FYE 2025- 2026 Budget on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at Marcham Hall. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Conway Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried c. Schedule the Annual Village Organizational Meeting for FYE 2025-2026: •Mayor Woodard states that we typically hold this meeting on the first Monday of April and tie this in with the Public Hearing on the proposed budget for FYE 2025- 2026. Resolution: 9727 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees hereby schedules the Annual Village Organizational Meeting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at Marcham Hall. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Rennekamp 5 Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried d. WQIP Land Acquisition Grant Proposal: •Mayor Woodard states that Michele Palmer from Templeton Landscape Architecture and Planning has been our grant seeker and administrator of several Village projects. •Mayor Woodard states that there is a consolidated funding application (CFA), for a Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) offered by the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation for land acquisition for wastewater treatment plants. •Mayor Woodard states that we have a good chance of getting funding for 75% of the land purchase price. •Trustee Robinson states that we are also going to be asking for the other municipalities that use our plant to contribute the other 25% we would be responsible for. •B. Cross states that the proposal is for $8,840.00, which will cover the grant writing and developing the landscaping documents required for this submission. •Trustee Salton states that his concern is whether or not we have a shot at getting this grant. •B. Cross states that without trying we would never know. Resolution: 9728 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes Mayor Woodard to sign the Templeton Landscape Architecture & Planning Proposal for a WQIP land acquisition grant in the amount not to exceed $8,840.00 Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 6. Report of the Trustees: a. Village Finance Committee: 6 •Trustee Rennekamp states that one of the topics discussed was moving our money from the Tompkins Trust Company to the Community Bank. We will be reaching out to other municipalities who use Community Bank to see what their experiences are like with Community Bank. •Trustee Rennekamp states that last month Clerk Walker presented year-end savings with the Village HRA plans and the committee determined that it is not appropriate for a reserve fund. •Trustee Rennekamp states that we also reviewed the sewer fund which led to the earlier resolution to use the contingency funds to cover the manhole lining from last fiscal year. •Trustee Rennekamp states that we will have the final loan numbers for the WWTP debt soon and at that point, we will distribute them to the Board members. •Trustee Robinson states that he wonders if we should move the budgeted numbers down since we are consistently coming in under budget on the HRA accounts. •Clerk Walker states that the deductible is set by BCBS, and the Village has to fund that amount even though a member may not reach that max out-of-pocket level. •Trustee Salton states that we need to remember that one catastrophic event could break that budget. •Trustee Conway states that these plans have a cap, once the deductible has been met it becomes co-insurance until the member reaches the max out-of-pocket which is funded by the Village. •Trustee Rennekamp states that we could budget in a more conservative way and rely on contingency for any overages. •Trustee Conway states that we will be just changing how we keep the books on the budget. •Trustee Robinson states that we should change the calculation for contingency and lower the budget expectations. The Board agreed. a. Village Public Works Committee Update: •Trustee Robinson states that there are no recent updates on the Cayuga Heights Road Sidewalk Project. •Mayor Woodard states that we had a water transmission line main break on Pleasant Grove Road on Christmas Eve. This water line carries water to the holding tank on Sheldon Road. •Mayor Woodard states that when this happens everyone (Bolton Point, the Town of Ithaca, and the Village) uses their services and does not bill each other for repairs. It is not clear who should have to pay the outside contractors brought into the project. •B. Cross states that we have to pay Limbwalker Tree Service, who was called in to cut down the trees that had to be removed in order to access the water break. •Mayor Woodard states that we were told by Bolton Point that it was our responsibility because we own that water main. Village Attorney R. Marcus has reviewed this subject in the past and believes that is not the case and Bolton 7 Point owns that water transmission line. •B. Cross states that long before Bolton Point existed the Village was granted an easement from a previous landowner, which was later given to the Town of Ithaca and eventually to Bolton Point. This has allowed this water transmission main to stay on Village property. •B. Cross states that somehow the topic of ownership has remained silent. Why would the Village write an agreement for Bolton Point to have a transmission line on our property and not own that pipeline? In his mind this is ridiculous. Bolton Point has always maintained that the water in the transmission main that goes to the tank belongs to them. Historically it has only been the Village's responsibility once the water leaves the tank. •Mayor Woodard states that at some point we will need to seek legal action and finalize who is actually the owner of the water transmission main. •Trustee Salton states that it sounds like Village Attorney R. Marcus has an unequivocal opinion on this subject, and we should ask him next month. •Mayor Woodard states that she is going to forward Village Attorney R. Marcus’s opinions to Bolton Point and let them respond. •B. Cross states that regardless of who owns this line, a permanent solution to gaining access to this water line needs to be developed. This will bring Cornell University into this conversation since they own the land. b. Village Wastewater Treatment Plant Committee Update: •Trustee Robinson states that the committee discussed the various costs for upgrades over the next ten years. GHD will be working on this to present at a later time. c. Village IT Committee Update: •Trustee Robinson states that the committee will be meeting soon to discuss the changes from NYS to move to a domain name that ends in .gov. and how much to budget for this transition. •Clerk Walker states that NYCOM will be hosting a webinar on this change this coming spring. •Trustee Salton suggests that we get this going now and that the Village IT Committee meet sooner rather than later. •Trustee Salton states that on another subject he observed a Village Police Officer parked on North Triphammer Road when a motorized bicycle rode by the officer on the wrong side of the road. The officer did not stop the individual. •Trustee Salton asks if motorized bicycles are supposed to obey the vehicle and traffic laws and how an officer would write a ticket. •Chief Wright states that he does not know who specifically this could have been. 8 •Chief Wright states that there's limited information that can be inputted that will allow for a ticket. An operator would have to have valid documentation. •Trustee Robinson asks what the definition of a motorized vehicle versus a motorized bicycle is. •Chief Wright states that it is a good question, there's limited information that can be inputted that will allow for a ticket. An operator would have to have a valid driver’s license as well. Law enforcement software has the ability to issue violations for people on bicycles motorized or not. •Chief Wright states that bike safety has always been a high priority for him and this department. Maintaining the rules of the road for all types of operators is something this department pays attention to. •Trustee Robinson states that he would like a better understanding of when “it” becomes a motorized vehicle. •Chief Wright states that it depends on the capacity of the speed it can reach. Certain roads have minimum speed requirements. For the most part, all bicycles have to follow the vehicle and traffic laws. •Chief Wright states that unfortunately, NYS has not caught up with changes since the introduction of electric/motorized bicycles. •In closing Chief Wright will look into who might have been on duty when Trustee Salton observed this motorized bicycle. •Trustee Robinson states that his confusion is a result of an incident where he rented a motorized scooter in Texas and was cited for driving it on the street. It turns out he could only drive it on the sidewalks. 8. Report of Superintendent of Public Works Cross: •B. Cross states that after four years the final payment of the WWTP Phase 2 issued to Matco is being mailed out tomorrow, this will close out Phases 1 & 2 and we should all be proud of this accomplishment. •B. Cross states that the WWTP Solar Project is moving forward, parts have been ordered, we expect the installation will happen this June. •B. Cross states the GHD is working on updating the Phase 3 ten-year capital plan, which will give us an idea of what will be coming down the line for our WWTP. •B. Cross states that the Cayuga Heights Sidewalk Project really does not have any updates right now. In the near future we will begin working on the required easements associated with this project. •B. Cross states that he wanted to express his appreciation to all the staff and other municipality members who assisted with the water transmission line break on Christmas Eve. He supports some way to officially acknowledge them in the future. •Mayor Woodard suggests B. Cross draft a letter thanking all of them and each Board member could sign it. •Trustee Salton asks if there is anything the Board should discuss about the Intermunicipal Sewer Agreement. 9 •B. Cross states that the Town of Lansing and the Village of Lansing have asked us to update them on sewer capacity numbers for the WWTP. They are both looking at large housing projects in 2025. •Trustee Salton states that this is what he wanted more information on, which was not in the meeting minutes from the December Board meeting. •Trustee Salton states that he wants the Board to hear more about how we are going to assign capacity to different projects. He does not have a feeling that the current environment really encompasses all the things that we are going to need to be concerned about down the road. •Trustee Salton states that we need to be concerned about the future with this infrastructure and we’re the only ones that can do it. •Trustee Robinson states that this is why we are looking at the possibility of expanding capacity, either with the land acquisition or the bypass. •Trustee Mayor Woodard states we have always been concerned about the two million gallons a day limits; we were informed by NYSDEC that they are not as concerned about that number, but they are concerned about the instantaneous maximum flow of around ten million gallons. •B. Cross states that they are also more concerned about the 365-day measurement, not the monthly or 30-day measurement. In other words, ninety percent of two million gallons. •Trustee Salton states that this is why he is concerned about the language in the Intermunicipal Sewer Agreement and how do we modify this contract to current numbers or units. •B. Cross states that the whole reason for this agreement is coming up now is to make sure we have room to carry more capacity which will allow the Town of Lansing to collect revenue as well. •Mayor Woodard states that she will be meeting with the Town of Ithaca Supervisor Rod Howe and Board member Richard DePaolo to discuss the Plant-to-Plant Agreement that expires in December 2025. •Trustee Salton states that he would like to know more about this agreement. •Mayor Woodard states that we are currently paying $10,500 for access to the IAWWTF. If we send any sewage down the bypass, then we pay three times the City of Ithaca’s sewer rate. •Mayor Woodard states that those numbers are way too high for the amount of use we need. •B. Cross states that he will gladly provide updates to the Board. 9. Report of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-086) •Mayor Woodard states that A. Cowder could not attend tonight’s meeting but has submitted his report. •Trustee Conway states that he wanted to have an update on the I & I meters that are discussed in his report. Is this 10 the Duke and Company study or something else? •B. Cross states that we have two different events taking place, One, T.G. Miller just did a presentation to the Village Public Works Committee showing us what the meters are finding in our I & I investigation. •B. Cross states that we are hoping to have a proposal for more work that will be part of the new fiscal year’s budget. •Trustee Conway asks what the latest is about the Duke and Company I & I proposal. •Mayor Woodard states that we (the public works committee) decided $250,000 was too much money. •B. Cross states that we also decided T. G. Miller is moving in that direction already and will be able to provide us with similar results. It may take a few more years but we will be able to spread that money out over those years. •Trustee Salton states that he is not convinced we will even get the proper data from the way T.G. Miller explained how the meters will be deployed. •Trustee Conway states that he wants to make sure that we are still moving forward with solving our I & I problems. $250,000 seems like a small amount of money to spend in comparison to the money we are spending on the WWTP plant upgrades. 10. Report of Police Chief Wright: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-085) •Chief Wright states that the department's Axon Tasers were about to expire, so he has ordered new ones and all training is complete. The new tasers have many new upgrades including deployment distance, louder warning, and multiple probes that can be deployed. •Chief Wright states that the first payment for the new tasers was paid from the D.C.J.S grant money. •Chief Wright states that we have also purchased a new computer for the new patrol car with D.C.J.S grant money. •Chief Wright states that Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department has launched a second CARE team which is designed to assist in mental health calls. •Trustee Hubbell asks if they are shared with all the other municipalities in the county. •Chief Wright states that the City of Ithaca does not utilize them, but they are working on creating a similar position as well as funding resources. •Trustee Robinson states that he would like to know how a mental health call works. •Chief Wright states that the original idea was for a CARE team to come in and handle calls in any jurisdiction where there is a possible mental health crisis that did not need law enforcement assistance. How it is working now, is there is a team that works from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and a second team from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 11 •Chief Wright states that the key responsibility is strictly mental health. Originally there wasn’t much for them to do but wait for a call. Now they are following up with people they have come in contact with to see how they are doing and if there is a need for continued care. •Chief Wright states that there was one MVA reported involving a deer. •Trustee Salton states that he saw eight deer at Trustee Robinson’s house over the last few weeks. •Chief Wright states that from a budgetary side, the D.C.J.S. Grant has been huge for this department. We still have around $28,000 left to spend. •Chief Wright states that he most likely spent this money on renewing the Body Worn Camera Program. •Trustee Salton states that the other topic we discussed in the Village Public Safety Committee was the police vehicle rotation. •Chief Wright states that we discussed not keeping a patrol car in rotation longer than we need to. Currently we are two years behind on a new vehicle. In the past we rotated every three years. •Chief Wright states that it is his concern now if we don’t replace a patrol vehicle this coming fiscal year then we are putting ourselves in a position to buy two vehicles the following year. •Trustee Salton states that maybe you just increase your maintenance budget. •Trustee Conway states that in the Village Public Works Committee we discussed if we changed the rotation then we need to put together numbers on how it affects the maintenance budgets and the resale of the vehicles timing of putting them into service. •Chief Wright states that it was always a three-year rotation, this enabled us to stay within warranty and yield a better re-sale price. •Mayor Woodard states that look at the time we have to wait to take procession of a new vehicle, rarely do we get one on time. •Trustee Salton states that he wants to know how long the newest patrol vehicle has been up at Bush Electronics waiting to be outfitted. •Chief Wright states that we bought the vehicle in May of 2024, and it has been at Bush Electronics since August of 2024. •Chief Wright states that we stayed with them because they are well-rehearsed in outfitting our specific vehicles. •Trustee Salton states that these delays is affecting your bottom line. We should be done using Bush Electronics going forward. 12 •Trustee Hubbell states that there must be a way for fleet car to be outfitted, why don’t they modernize a few industrial practices that would speed this process up. •Trustee Salton states that the bottom line is that we do not want your department to feel unsafe and not effective with the equipment in place. •Trustee Salton states that we should take a closer look at the numbers at the next committee meeting. •In closing Chief Wright states that he takes his budget very seriously and has never asked for more than what he is approved for. He does not want to add stress to the Board members and community members who pay for these services. 11. Report of Clerk Walker: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-073) •Clerk Walker states that tonight, he is presenting the annual Municipal Cooperative Agreement for the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium. •Trustee Conway asks for clarification of this resolution •Clerk Walker states that each member (the body) has to approve this resolution to cover any changes. As stated in approving any amendments like new membership. •Trustee Salton states that anytime you get a new member to the consortium, among other things, which constitutes a modification. The NYS Department of Financial Services and Article 47 of the New York Insurance Law requires this resolution granting the consortium the ability to make changes without each member’s approval. Resolution: 9729 WHEREAS, the Village of Cayuga Heights (municipality) is a Participant in the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium (the "Consortium"), a municipal cooperative organized under Article 47 of the New York Insurance Law, and WHEREAS, the municipal participants in the Consortium, including this body, have approved and executed a certain Municipal Cooperation Agreement (the "Agreement"; effective date of October 1, 2010), and WHEREAS, Article 47 of the New York Insurance Law (the "Insurance Law") and the rules and regulations of the New York State Department of Financial Services set forth certain requirements for governance of municipal cooperatives that offer self-insured municipal cooperative health insurance plans, and WHEREAS, the Agreement sets forth in Section Q2 that continuation of the Consortium under the terms and conditions of the Agreement, or any amendments or restatements thereto, shall be subject to Board review and upon acceptance of any new Participant hereafter, and WHEREAS, the Municipal Cooperative Agreement requires that amendments to the agreement be presented to each participant for review and adopted by a majority vote by its municipal board, and 13 WHEREAS, the Village of Cayuga Heights (municipality) is in receipt of the proposed amended Agreement and has determined that it is in the best interest of its constituents who are served by the Consortium to amend the Agreement as set forth in the Amended Municipal Cooperative Agreement, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that upon receipt and review of the amended Agreement, the Village of Cayuga Heights (municipality) approves at a meeting of the governing body held on January 15, 2025 and authorizes the Chief Elected Official to sign the 2025 Amendment to the Municipal Cooperative Agreement (Effective 1.1.25) of the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium as recommended by the Board of Directors. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Conway Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 12. Report of Attorney R. Marcus: No report at this time. 13. Adjournment: Mayor Woodard adjourns the meeting at 9:23 p.m.