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Home My WebLink About2.19.2025Agenda1 Zoom Link 4118425407 Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting February 19, 2025 7:00 p.m. 1. Call To Order EXHIBIT/PAGE a. Approval of December 18, 2024 Meeting Minutes 2025 - 088 pgs. 2 - 11 b. Approval of January 15, 2025 Meeting Minutes 2025 - 089 pgs. 12 - 26 2. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: Submitted Report 2025 - 090 pgs. 27 - 28 3. Privilege of the Floor: 4. Report of Treasurer Dolch: Submitted Report 2025 - 091 pgs. 29 - 30 5. Report of Mayor Woodard a. Resolution honoring Village Attorney Randy Marcus b. Budget Update b. Plant to Plant Update c. Schedule a Public Hearing on Proposed L.L. A & B of 2025 2025 - 092 pg. 31 - 35 6. Report of The Trustees: 7. Report of Superintendent of Public Works Cross: 8. Report of Police Chief Wright: Submitted Report 2025 - 093 pgs. 36 - 37 9. Report of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder: 2025 - 094 pg. 38 a. Declare Surplus F 650 10. Report of Clerk Walker: Submitted Report 2025 - 095 pg. 39 11. Report of Attorney Marcus: 12. Adjournment 2 EXHIBIT 2025 - 088 VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHT December 18, 2024 Zoom ID # 4118425407 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MONTHLY MEETING 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton (arrived at 7:36 p.m.); Fire Superintendent Tamborelle, Treasurer Dolch, Police Sergeant Manning, 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. 2a. Approval of the November 20, 2024 Meeting Minutes (Exhibit 2025-075) Resolution: 9717 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the November 20, 2024 Board Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Conway Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, and Robinson Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 2. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-076) •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that the probationary class of recruits has had several finished the required training. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that they took delivery of the new air packs, and we will pay the vendor on the January Abstract. •Mayor Woodard asks why the CHFD has been so busy this year. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that they have seen an increase in the number of mutual aid calls with Ithaca, and Lansing. This year the system just saw more calls. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that they have developed a survey and felt the feedback was positive. We still need to develop an overall training schedule that would not disrupt the current members. 3 •Trustee Conway states that he noticed in the monthly report the new engine truck will not be coming in until the spring of 2026 how does the budget process work in this type of situation? •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that this situation is different than in the past where we pre-paid to lock in the pricing. In this case, the delivery was so far out we did not see a way to do that. •As a reminder the Town of Ithaca will be responsible for forty percent of that cost, when we sell the old truck that money would go back into the General Fund. •Clerk Walker states that the Village also receives $10,000 from Cornell University each year for four years to offset equipment costs. 3. Privilege of the Floor: No members of the public wished to speak. 4. Report of Treasurer Dolch: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-077) •Treasurer Dolch states that the November 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 the only action item she has to present tonight is Abstract 7. Resolution: 9718 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes Abstract # 7 for FYE2025 consisting of TA vouchers 48 - 55 in the amount of $17,171.81 and Consolidated Fund vouchers 467 - 541 in the amount of $437,701.12 and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Rennekamp Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, and Robinson Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 6. Report of Mayor Woodard a.Six-Month Budget Update: Mayor Woodard states that we are six months into our fiscal year, and we are in good shape. •Mayor Woodard states that she has been analyzing the water consumption and year after year we are in good 4 shape to budget water rates. •Mayor Woodard states that we have about $400,000 in fund balance. This is not the case for the sewer fund. Rates will have to increase in June 2025. b. Cargill Salt Mine Resolution: The NYSDEC has given notice of a deadline for public comment on the Negative Declaration to Cargill as they seek to renew and modify its permit to dispose of 360 Million gallons of wastewater in the 6-level region of the mine. •Mayor Woodard states that the deadline has now been extended to January 19, 2025. •Mayor Woodard states that we are being asked to support a resolution extending the public comment period until February 18, 2025. •Trustee Hubbell states that the NYSDEC and Cargill need to be more transparent with all the communities surrounding Cayuga Lake. The brine waste that they intend to flood the mine will erode the infrastructure under the lake and possibly create an environmental disaster. •Mayor Woodard states that this does not make any sense why the NYSDEC would allow this to happen. Resolution: 9719 Resolution Regarding Cargill Incorporated’s Permit Application for the Cayuga Salt Mine WHEREAS, Cargill Incorporated has submitted a permit application (0-9999-00075/00001) to renew and modify its Mined Land Reclamation Permit for the Cayuga Salt Mine, which includes plans to flood the abandoned S3 Zone of the mine beneath Cayuga Lake with wastewater, potentially impacting the environment and the community; WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has declared itself the lead agency under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) and issued a Negative Declaration despite the application being classified as a Type I action, which typically requires a more thorough environmental review; WHEREAS, significant concerns have been raised regarding the adequacy of Cargill’s application, including compliance with the Mined Land Reclamation Law, monitoring and treatment of waste materials, the potential for groundwater pollution, the stability of the mine, and the long-term reclamation of the affected areas; WHEREAS, the proposed flooding of the S3 Zone raises serious questions about the safety and environmental integrity of Cayuga Lake, particularly in light of prior instability noted in this area and the implications of storing not-fully-saturated brine beneath the lake; WHEREAS, various stakeholders, including environmental groups and local officials, have expressed concerns regarding the potential adverse impacts of Cargill’s proposed activities, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive environmental impact statement and public engagement; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Village of Cayuga Heights formally requests that the DEC: 5 1. Deny Cargill's permit application or rescind the Negative Declaration and require the preparation of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement to assess all potential environmental risks associated with the proposed activities. 2. Conduct a public hearing to allow for community input and address the substantive concerns raised by residents and stakeholders regarding the application. 3. Ensure that Cargill’s Reclamation Plan and accompanying bond are revised to adequately address environmental protection and public safety, and that sufficient measures are implemented to prevent potential pollution and ensure the long-term stability of the mine and surrounding areas. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to Comment.CayugaSaltMine2023@dec.ny.gov, DEC Commissioner Dereth Glance (dereth.glance@dec.ny.gov), OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy (officeofthecommissioner@ogs.ny.gov), and DEC Permit Administrator Jonathan Stercho (jonathan.stercho@dec.ny.gov) to ensure that the voices of the Village of Cayuga Height’s residents are heard in this critical decision-making process. Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, and Robinson Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried c. Cayuga Heights Sidewalk Project: •Mayor Woodard states that this project is running into delays and material costs have escalated. The project will break down into segments based on the results of any bids we receive. •B. Cross states that Hunt Engineers has completed the twenty-five percent cost analysis and has determined that the project is much higher than expected. •Mayor Woodard states that she would like Board input on where to go from here. •B. Cross states that the Village would be on the hook for all the engineering costs and believes we should continue with the project. •Trustee Robinson states that a sidewalk on Cayuga Heights Road has always been a high priority for Village residents. We must move forward but mindful of how much we can do with our own DPW staff. •Mayor Woodard states that we will need to set up a reserve account for this project and budget extra money from the General Fund to support this project. 6 •Trustee Hubbell reminded the Board that we discussed reducing the fund balance over the next several years. •Trustee Rennekamp asks if we needed to complete a certain amount of the project to receive the two-million- dollar grant. •B. Cross states that this is very similar to the Walking Safe Cayuga Heights Grant where as long as we spend the money, we are awarded then there really is not a concern about the scope of services completed. We will need NYSDOT to confirm this question. •B. Cross states that he and Trustee Biloski were at a county transportation meeting earlier this month and gave NYSDOT a heads-up that this project was going to be over budget. •Trustee Conway asks for clarification on how the Village would divide the work between the contractor and the Village DPW on this project. •Trustee Robinsons states that he suggests that the contractor complete the whole project with our DPW staff taking sections that the contractor might subtract out. •B. Cross states that we are still a year out before bids are accepted. One idea the Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder produced would be to have the contractor complete everything and then we would contract with the cement company to fill the walkway. d. February and April Village Board Meeting: Both meetings fall on school breaks and Mayor Woodard wanted to make sure we will have a quorum. •Trustee Salton arrives at 7:36 p.m. •Mayor Woodard states that it looks like we will be fine for February and can revisit the April meeting when we get closer to April. 6. Report of the Trustees: •Trustee Salton states that the Executive Committee for the Health Consortium met, and net income shows a loss of two million dollars. Pharmaceuticals rebates are going to be over six million dollars. The result is claims were much higher than budgeted. •Mayor Woodard asks if the Consortium is still growing in membership. •Trustee Salton states that yes, in fact, ten more municipalities are looking to join in the upcoming year. •Trustee Salton also states that more and more municipalities are mandating that members join a Medicare Supplement plan once eligible. •Clerk Walker states that the Village made that language change last year. 7 a. Village Administrative and HR Committees Update: •Trustee Biloski states that Deputy Clerk Jacot is looking into the costs of supplying a Village cell phone versus paying employees a monthly stipend. The committee requested more information on insurance, type of phone, and terms of service. •Clerk Walker noted that they did find out there would not be any insurance on the phones. b. Village Wastewater Treatment Plant Committee Update: •Trustee Robinson states that Phase 2.1 trickling filter arms have been repaired, and we are waiting for the parts to complete the work on the rail system in the spring. •Trustee Robinson states that the WWTP roof preparation for the solar panel project will take place in the spring as well. •Trustee Robinson states that GHD is working up cost numbers for some other “phase 3” projects that will have to be budgeted and will be setting up reserve accounts for those projects. •Mayor Woodard states that the Plant-to-Plant Agreement is due to expire, and we still do not have a City of Ithaca representative for these discussions. •Mayor Woodard states that one of the reasons we have this agreement is that we can send sewage down the Kline Road Bypass, so our plant does not go above NYSDEC requirements of a maximum capacity of two million gallons a day. •Mayor Woodard states that after discussions with NYSDEC we have learned that number is not a concern for them anymore. The only concern with the Village plant going forward is instantaneous inflow that the plant may not be able to handle. •Mayor Woodard states that is great news for us and gives the Village a better sense of when we need to open the Kline Road bypass and with negotiations with the Plant-to-Plant Agreement. •Trustee Robinson states that when NYSDEC stated we did not need to expand the plant, and that the recent WWTP upgrades, I & I exploration, and Kline Road Bypass were viewed positively. •B. Cross states that NYSDEC’s has more focus on the annual average flows and not the monthly flow numbers. The concern is when we reach 95% of our capacity annually, which would mean 1.9 million gallons and annually we have never passed 1.2 or 1.4 million gallons. •B. Cross states that this news will allow us to issue permits without fear of too much capacity. It turns out that we have half a million gallons of capacity to work with. •B. Cross states that NYSDEC's main concerns are the regionalization of plant agreements for municipalities, and we are already ahead of others. 8 •Mayor Woodard states that we met with grant writer, Michelle Palmer, and she is going to submit a grant application for land acquisitions for municipalities. If awarded this would be used for the land next to our WWTP. •A. Cowder states that one of the things NYSDEC stated was to increase the permit fees for commercial users of the WWTP. •Mayor Woodard expanded that to say it was also recommended to put surcharges on those who were not assisting with I & I reductions. c. Village Public Works Committee Update: •Trustee Robinson states that the Walking Safe Kline Road project is complete. •Trustee Robinson states that the committee is investigating putting a lighted sign down by the cemetery crosswalk. •Trustee Robinson states that the Kline Road Sidewalk will be a high priority for the DPW this winter. We are looking at the idea of salting the steep parts. •Trustee Robinson states that T. G. Miller is still evaluating the condition of the Renwick Brook Culvert Pipe. •Trustee Robinson states that the oldest garbage truck is now in the shop which has delayed the new garbage truck conversion. d. Village Finance Committee Update: •Trustee Rennekamp states that the finance committee discussed how to get additional information from department heads for forecasting three to five years out of big purchases. This could help us set up reserve funds. 8. Report of Superintendent of Public Works Cross: •Village Engineer B. Cross states that the only action item he has tonight is asking for the Board to approve reimbursing the owner of 174 Pleasant Grove Rd. for the cost of sewer cleanup. •B. Cross states that during the NYSEG gas line replacement project on Pleasant Grove Road, the contractor dug through two or three sewer line laterals. We now know that one of them did not get fixed correctly (174 Pleasant Grove Rd.) and sewage backed up into the basement floor of that location. •B. Cross states that the homeowner is asking for a refund of services in the amount of $826.92. •B. Cross states that he reached out to NYSEG, and they informed us that the homeowner would have to file a claim with them in order to get reimbursed for the cleanup. In the meantime, B. Cross has filed that claim for the Village to be paid but in an effort to satisfy the homeowner's inconvenience he would like approval to pay the homeowner now. 9 •Trustee Salton states that he needs more details on why this failed. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works A. Cowder states that the pipe was fixed but joint or firm connection rubber fitting created a ridge in the internal line which backed up the system. •B. Cross states that in the future we will collect a deposit of $1000 for any projects that are in the Village. This would allow us to have the money ahead of any damage caused by the contractor. •Village Attorney R. Marcus states that the lateral was in the Village Right-of-Way so why would it not have been the homeowner's responsibility for the damages? •Trustee Salton states that he had the same situation twenty years ago, once the lateral meets the main sewer line in the Village right of way is the Villages responsibility. •B. Cross states that as with water lines, the Village has always taken responsibility for the maintenance and repair of lines in the Village right of way. Resolution: 9720 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves the payment of $826.92 to the homeowner of 174 Pleasant Road for services expensed for the sewer lateral blockage that backed up and the Village will file a claim for reimbursement from NYSEG. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Hubbell Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 9. Report of Police Chief Wright: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-079) •Chief Wright was absent from tonight's meeting and Sergeant Manning was present to answer Board questions. •Mayor Woodard asks Seargent Manning about the MVA involving a deer. •Seargent Manning states that the accident happened on Pleasant Grove Road near Pleasant Grove Lane. The deer did run off and complaints of an injured deer were received which led to one of our part-time officers dispatching down behind the Village DPW. 11. Report of Clerk Walker: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2025-080) 10 •Clerk Walker states that he has some year-end updates to mention. •Clerk Walker states that all employee and retirees’ healthcare contributions have been updated and charged. •Clerk Walker states the Village HRA expenses have been good again this year leaving around $40,000 left over. •Trustee Hubbell asks if there is a reserve fund for these monies. •Clerk Walker states that we could create a reserve fund, and we could open that discussion at the Village Finance Committee. •Trustee Robinson states that the expenses are measured as real dollars but is not sure the savings can be calculated as real dollars. •Clerk Walker states that BRI is the HRA manager, and these numbers represent what the Village did not have to expense to Village employees for 2024. The premium savings on the Excellus side is a different number. •Trustee Salton suggests that the Village Finance Committee take a look at where the true numbers are on savings outside of the HRA side. •Clerk Walker states that on the topic of sump pump inspections, we finished out the year with twenty-seven inspections. •Trustee Robinson states that he would like to know the number of illegally connected sump pumps we have encountered since 2021. •Clerk Walker states that we have only found two or three illegally connected sump pumps in the last three years. •Trustee Robinson states that originally, we thought this would be a source of our I & I problems and it has proven not to be. •B. Cross states that unfortunately the effort we are putting into tracking this has not produced any real results and at some point, we might want to decide if this is worth continuing for the long term. •Trustee Conway asks if this was a way to see if underground gutters or basement pumps were not connected to the sewer main in the house. •B. Cross states that yes, since we have so many older houses we might find numerous connections, which has proven not to be the case. 12. Report of Attorney R. Marcus: No report at this time. 13. Executive Session: Resolution: 9721 11 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 under 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 is conducted for subsection and (F) the medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, prometon, demotion, disciple, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Conway Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •The Board returned to an open meeting at 9:20 p.m. •Clerk Walker presented a resignation letter from current Deputy Clerk A. Jacot as she has accepted a position at Tompkins County Workforce Solutions. Resolution: 9722 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes accepting Deputy Clerk A. Jacot's resignation letter as of January 3, 2025, and wishes her the best in her future endeavors. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Rennekamp Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Clerk Walker states that the current part-time Deputy Clerk K. Perkins will come on board full-time (30 hours) to take over this vacancy. Resolution: 9723 12 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves and authorizes appointing current part-time Deputy Clerk K. Perkins to full-time with benefits as of January 2, 2025. No rate of pay changes at this time. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Biloski Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 14. Adjournment: Mayor Woodard adjourns the meeting at 9:21 p.m. 13 EXHIBIT 2025 – 089 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; Attorney Robert Kawecki; 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. 14 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 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 15 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) •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 16 Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none 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. 17 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 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 18 Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 6. Report of the Trustees: a. Village Finance Committee: •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. 19 •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 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. 20 •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. •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. 21 •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. •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 22 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 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 23 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. •Chief Wright states that the key responsibility is 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. 24 •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. •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. 25 •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 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. 26 13. Adjournment: Mayor Woodard adjourns the meeting at 9:23 p.m. EXHIBIT 2025 – 090 27 February 19, 2025 Honorable Linda Woodard Board of Trustees Village of Cayuga Heights Monthly Report January 2025 We started out the year busy with 56 calls in January. We had 37 calls in the Village of Cayuga Heights, 17 calls in the Town of Ithaca and 2 mutual aid requests. There were 30 EMS calls and 26 fire responses. Late in the month we had a report of a structure fire. This is the incident that I notified the board about. As stated in the email, if Officer Lansing had not been patrolling and alert to the smoke on Highland Road, this incident would have had a drastically different outcome! Our units quickly brought the situation under control and because of Officer Lansing’s quick action to knock the wood pile away from the house we were able to stop the fire with minimum damage. We did have a motor vehicle crash in Forrest Home in the middle of the month. A vehicle traveling down Warren Road into Forrest Home slid on the icy road and crashed into a power pole causing significant damage to the car. The occupant was transported for non-life-threatening injuries. Training in January was slow because so many members were out of town. We held our annual OSHA refresher training on the last weekend of the month. This is the only department required training that we do annually. We cover a variety of topics to include response and scene safety, bloodborne pathogens, fire service updates as well as our annual refreshers on Workplace Violence and Sexual Harassment. On this day we also do our CPR recertifications for members with CPR cards that are due to expire. We took delivery of our new Scott SCBA units in December. In early January the vendor came to the station and unpacked all of the units and ensured that they were working properly. They came back a few days later and did the in-service training on the pack system for most of the membership. Those who did not get the original in-service got it from our officers on the annual training day. In January ABJ Fire Systems came to the station to replace the air compressor for the sprinkler system. While they were pressurizing the system they detected an air leak in one of the pipes in the attic area. The leak was from a small hole in the pipe but when the updated compressor added more pressure, we found that the wall of the pipe was rusted out more than originally thought and when the pipe was inspected and probed a larger hold was discovered. ABJ is coming in February to replace the pipe and put the system back online. We are in the process of changing over the locks at the station. We thought that all of the lock cylinders worked off the same core key but quickly found out, like we have with other station projects, that the core key we have only worked on some of the locks. This caused us to have to change the entire lock and not just the cylinder. Very frustrating and more expensive than originally planned. We are still in the budget development process at this time. FLX Kitchen and Bath came to the station to look at the bunker kitchen and dining room area and they are working on a layout plan. As soon as the design is finished, we will price out appliances and have some contractors come in to get quotes for this potential project. It is proving difficult to get current pricing from some of our vendors. Quotes that we have gotten for gear and equipment are potentially going to be more than originally stated with the unknown status of potential tariffs and supply chain issues. This is making it problematic to come up with accurate numbers for budgeting. 28 All of our members are back in the area and back to training. We have our new members barreling through their checklists to get them completed before the March deadline. We are planning how to best work through a resident only spring recruit class. We will start advertising for this in February and see what level of interest we have. We have had a number of emails from students about a spring class. At this point if we do not have a resident only spring class, we would hold our next recruit class in the fall. Our new members are working very hard at completing checklists and state classes. We are pleased to have everyone back in service at the station and look forward to a good spring. Sincerely, George Tamborelle Fire Chief/Fire Superintendent EXHIBIT 2025 – 091 VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS 29 TREASURER’S REPORT February 2025 Revenues and Expenses: January month end bank to book reconciliation is complete and has been signed off by Deputy Treasurer Rennekamp. The report from Williamson is attached to this report. Budget Planning for FY2025-2026 The shared budget spreadsheets have been updated and shared with department heads. We are more than halfway through the current fiscal year so its time to review all budget accounts with the respective committees and start thinking about FY2025-2026. The budget workshop will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 9 am – 12 pm. Exact times for department heads TBA. Approval of Abstract 9: BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves Abstract 8 for FYE2025 consisting of: • TA vouchers 64-71 in the amount of $17,068.40 and • Consolidated Fund vouchers 619-700 in the amount of $486,126.41 and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Respectfully Submitted Laura W. Dolch Laura W. Dolch Treasurer 30 31 RECOGNITION OF VILLAGE ATTORNEY RANDALL MARCUS WHEREAS, Randy graduated from Cornell University earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in May of 1982 and received his Juris Doctor from NYU School of Law in May of 1985, and WHEREAS, after working in New York City, Randy moved to Ithaca, New York to continue his legal career, culminating as a partner of Barney, Grossman, Dubow, Marcus & Orkin, LLP, and WHEREAS, Randy’s trial by fire with the Village came early in his tenure when he had to handle many public meetings concerning the sensitive issue of the Village’s Deer Management plan, and WHEREAS, Randy joined the Village of Cayuga Heights in the fall of 2008 where he has acted as Village Attorney for the last seventeen years, and WHEREAS, Randy’s ability to smoothly, diplomatically and patiently interact with an ever-changing cast of Board of Trustees and Staff has proved to be invaluable, and WHEREAS, Randy’s humor and professionalism has always been front and center even when trying to form a consensus with a Board that had divergent opinions on a legal issue, and WHEREAS, Randy has contributed his unfailing good judgement and composure to the occasionally not so tranquil proceedings of the Village Planning and Zoning Board of Appeals, and WHEREAS, Randy also made his contribution to the drafting of the Village Comprehensive Plan (2014) and the revisions of the Village of Cayuga Heights Zoning law in 2018, and WHEREAS, Randy’s presence with us will be missed. THEREFORE, The Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees, the Village Police Department and Village Staff publicly state their appreciation for all the years of service to this community and the professionalism and integrity Randy has instilled in all of us with his leadership and compassion, advice and friendship, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees does hereby commend Randy for his dedication, commitment, and outstanding public service to the Village of Cayuga Heights and community. 32 33 EXHIBIT 2025 – 092 DRAFT VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS PROPOSED LOCAL LAW A OF THE YEAR 2025 A Local Law to Amend Article V of Chapter 257 (Local Law No. 3-2011) of the Village Code To Increase the Income Limits for Partial Exemption from Real Property Tax for Disabled Persons with Limited Incomes SECTION I PURPOSE AND INTENT The purpose of this Local Law is to amend Village Code Chapter 257, Article V, Section 257-25(A) to increase the income brackets for partial exemption from real property taxes for disabled persons with limited incomes. The Village of Cayuga Heights (the “Village”) Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has determined that the Village should increase the income limits for such exemptions as are available under New York State Law. The intent of this Local Law is to benefit disabled persons with limited incomes by providing enhanced opportunities to take advantage of partial real property tax exemptions. SECTION II AUTHORITY This Local Law is enacted pursuant to the grant of powers to local governments provided in Section 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law to adopt and amend local laws not inconsistent with the provision of the New York State Constitution and not inconsistent with any general law relating to its property, affairs, government or other subjects provided for in said Section 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law. SECTION III AMENDMENT The chart at Village Code Section 257-25(A) of annual income brackets and percentages of available exemption from taxes is hereby replaced with the following chart: Annual Income of Owner or Combined Annual Income of Owners Percentage of Assessed Valuation Exempt From Taxation Up to $36.500 50% More than $36,500 but less than $37,500 45% $37,500 or more, but less than $38,500 40% $38,500 or more, but less than $39,500 35% $39,500 or more, but less than $40,400 30% 34 $40,400 or more, but less than $41,300 25% $41,300 or more, but less than $42,200 20% $42,200 or more, but less than $43,100 15% $43,100 or more, but less than $44,000 10% $44,000 or more, but less than $44,900 5% SECTION IV SUPERSEDING EFFECT All Local Laws, Articles, resolutions, rules, regulations and other enactments of the Village of Cayuga Heights in conflict with the provisions of this Local Law are hereby superseded to the extent necessary to give this Local Law full force and effect. SECTION V PARTIAL INVALIDITY. In the event that any portion of this Local Law is declared invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the validity of the remaining portions shall not be affected by such declaration of invalidity. SECTION IX EFFECTIVE DATE. This Local Law shall become effective immediately and shall apply to assessment rolls prepared on the basis of taxable status dates occurring on or after January 1, 2025. 35 DRAFT VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS PROPOSED LOCAL LAW B OF THE YEAR 2025 A Local Law to Amend Article II of Chapter 257 (adopted by Local Law No. 1-1995; amended by Local Law 2-2011) of the Village Code To Increase the Income Limits for Partial Exemption from Real Property Tax for Senior Citizens SECTION I PURPOSE AND INTENT The purpose of this Local Law is to amend Village Code Chapter 257, Article II, Section 257-2(A) to increase the income brackets for partial exemption from real property taxes for senior citizens. The Village of Cayuga Heights (the “Village”) Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has determined that the Village should increase the income limits for such exemptions as are available under New York State Law. The intent of this Local Law is to benefit senior citizens by providing enhanced opportunities to take advantage of partial real property tax exemptions. SECTION II AUTHORITY This Local Law is enacted pursuant to the grant of powers to local governments provided in Section 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law to adopt and amend local laws not inconsistent with the provision of the New York State Constitution and not inconsistent with any general law relating to its property, affairs, government or other subjects provided for in said Section 10 of the Municipal Home Rule Law. SECTION III AMENDMENT The chart at Village Code Section 257-2(A) of annual income brackets and percentages of available exemption from taxes is hereby replaced with the following chart: Annual Income of Owner or Combined Annual Income of Owners Percentage of Assessed Valuation Exempt From Taxation Up to $36.500 50% More than $36,500 but less than $37,500 45% $37,500 or more, but less than $38,500 40% $38,500 or more, but less than $39,500 35% $39,500 or more, but less than $40,400 30% $40,400 or more, but less than $41,300 25% $41,300 or more, but less than $42,200 20% $42,200 or more, but less than $43,100 15% $43,100 or more, but less than $44,000 10% $44,000 or more, but less than $44,900 5% 36 SECTION IV SUPERSEDING EFFECT All Local Laws, Articles, resolutions, rules, regulations and other enactments of the Village of Cayuga Heights in conflict with the provisions of this Local Law are hereby superseded to the extent necessary to give this Local Law full force and effect. SECTION V PARTIAL INVALIDITY. In the event that any portion of this Local Law is declared invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the validity of the remaining portions shall not be affected by such declaration of invalidity. SECTION IX EFFECTIVE DATE. This Local Law shall become effective immediately and shall apply to assessment rolls prepared on the basis of taxable status dates occurring on or after January 1, 2025. 37 EXHIBIT 2025 – 093 Village of Cayuga Heights Police Department ___________________________________________________ Jerry L. Wright Chief of Police 2/14/2025 Monthly Board Report January 2025 In the month of January 2025, the police department received 471 calls for service. In addition to these calls 61 uniform traffic tickets were issued and two parking violations were cited. The breakdown of the calls for service are as follows: No Penal Law Felony incidents were handled. There were seven Penal Law Misdemeanor complaints handled including one for Criminal Trespass 3rd, one for Criminal Mischeif, two for Fraud and two for Theft. A charge of Criminal Trespass 3rd has been filed after the investigation of a Trespass complaint. The subject was in violation of an active Persona Non Grata. An incident of Criminal Mischief was investigated which involved graffiti being found on a Village roadway. There are no suspects. The graffiti was removed by members of the Cayuga Heights DPW. Two incidents of Fraud were handled. One involved a resident stating that they found their computer to be hacked, the resident was advised to contact an Internet Technology professional for follow up. The second complaint was received from a resident stating they had been advised by mail that a credit card they had not applied for had been opened in their name. The investigating officer advised them to contact the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Crisis Hotline as well as notify the local FBI agency. Two incidents of Theft were handled. The first involved a theft of a package from a resident’s porch. No suspect has been identified. The second complaint was for theft of recycling bins. A call was made to the garbage pick-up service, however they stated they did not have possession of the bins. There are no other leads in this case. Both reports of Theft were closed pending any new information. There were eight Traffic Stops resulting in eight Vehicle and Traffic Misdemeanor charges: Six for Suspended Registration and two for AUO 3rd. There were four Penal Law Violations were received, three for Harassment and one for Trespass. In the first report of Harassment the complainant stated they were threatened to send money or be exposed on social media. Another complaint of Harassment involved two individuals in a dispute over parking at a local business. One of the individuals involved was advised not to return to the business or be charged with Trespass. A final report of Harassment was handled involving a resident who stated they were receiving numerous erratic emails from an individual they no longer wanted to have contact with. The suspect was advised to no longer communicate with the complainant. No further reports were received. 38 There were three Local Law complaints received, two for Dog Control and one for Noise. Both complaints of Dog Control violations were for loose dogs. The dog owners in each incident were located and the dogs were returned safely to the owner. Each was advised of the local ordinance. Lastly, while on patrol an officer observed a loud gathering outside a residence. The officer made contact with a resident who was advised of the Village Local Law and was warned. No arrests were made in any of the Local Law complaints. There were two Mental Health related calls for service handled. The subjects were both transported to a medical facility for assessment under the 9.41 Mental Hygeiene Law. No warrant arrests were executed. The following 12 charges were filed by CHPD Officers: 6-VTL0512 Suspended Registration; 2-VTL 511.01 Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a MV3rd; 2-MHY9.41 Custody of Mentally Ill Person. Two Motor vehicle accidents were handled; None involving deer. There were no other incidents involving injured deer. Nine calls for service were completed under the Tompkins County Mutual Aid Agreement, Six involving CHPD officers assisting other agencies and Three for officers from other agencies assisting CHPD officers. There were no training or special events for January 2025. The full-time officers worked a total of 28 hours of overtime and the part-time officers worked a total of 111 hours. Sincerely, Chief Jerry Wright 39 EXHIBIT 2025 – 094 Village of Cayuga Heights Aaron Cowder – B.O.T Report February 19th, 2025 Code Enforcement – Training is going well. 4 of the 6 sessions are completed. #5 Session is week of March 10th – 13th and exam the following week. The remaining classes are set for April in addition to the Civil Service Exam April 5th. Street & Sidewalks-- Winter plowing, salting and sidewalk cleaning are in full swing. See both regular and OT call in time for this. Averaging 3-4 call ins per week and or bi-week vs less last month. We have received 700 salt tons of the contractual 1000 we have in place for this winter. We have used about 500 tons to date. Water – We assisted BP & the Town of Ithaca T-main water line leak repair on Pleasant Grove Road next to our line. They were not 100% sure of what line so that is why they dug and we helped. Sewer – Tracking devices have been installed in 5 various manholes in the village. These devices will be read every few weeks so the information can be analyzed by TG Miller in their continued efforts for I&I tracing for future repairs or notifications to others flowing into our system. This is ongoing and they may revisit the NE area not that the Town of Ithaca did some I&I repairs. Garbage – Normal trash, bulky and brush pickup are occurring also with the ending of leaf pick up mid-December. Christmas trees have been gathered over the last month and are still getting few. Trucks were dropped off the Hacker’s Packers Tues. 1/14. 1/30/25 truck was done HP and picked up DMV & inspection are completed, and truck is being used. Old truck and bed will be sold at auction soon and before this FY end. Budgets- Work in progress… New Plow truck is at the outfitter but not to be complete until towards years end 2025. There only other larger equipment looking to replace the next FY is a leaf vacuum and then plan on the truck used for everyday service work and future 2nd sidewalk cleaner. Resolution: BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves the sale of one (1) 2017 Ford F 650 Dump Truck Vin #1FDWF6DX4HDB11766 and declares it surplus. 40 EXHIBIT 2025 – 095 Clerk’s Report: ●We are on our way to converting from Cayuga-heights.ny.us to Cayugaheights.gov Congratulations Your .gov domain request has been approved. DOMAIN REQUESTED: cayugaheights.gov REQUESTED BY: jwalker@cayuga-heights.ny.us REQUEST RECEIVED ON: Jan. 29, 2025 STATUS: Approved You can manage your approved domain on the .gov registrar <https://manage.get.gov>. ADD DOMAIN NAME SERVER INFORMATION Before your .gov domain can be used, you’ll first need to connect it to a Domain Name System (DNS) hosting service. At this time, we don’t provide DNS hosting services. After you’ve set up hosting, you’ll need to enter your name server information on the .gov registrar. Learn more about: - Finding a DNS hosting service <https://get.gov/domains/moving/#find-dns-hosting-services> - Adding name servers <https://get.gov/help/domain-management/#manage-dns-name-servers>. ●The transition to a two person team in the Clerk’s Office has been smooth. ●We have a training opportunity for Deputy Clerk Perkins to attend the annual Laserfiche Empowerment Conference in April. ●In the next few weeks, we will be wrapping up the water billing, then preparing for the Village Election, and budget workshop followed by the Village Organizational Meeting. 41 ●Sewer Bill Relief Request for Account J3802: Jeff, I called on Friday about a high water bill due to a leak, I wrote a quick note below about what happened and why we are asking for relief for the sewer portion of our most recent water bill. You mentioned that this may be determined on Wednesday, should we go ahead and pay the full amount by/on Thursday (as usual) to avoid any late fees or wait for a (potential) adjustment? Thanks, Anil Damle and Milinda Lakkam 6 Lowell Pl, Ithaca, NY 14850 Here is the note: We are asking for the sewer charge on our most recent water bill to be reduced based on our historical usage. During the water billing cycle from 10/16/24 to 1/15/25 our hot water holding tank failed (cracked open) while we were away for a few days. The tank continually, and rapidly, leaked water into our basement till we returned home and shut off the water. The water did not enter the sewer pipes; instead it had to be cleaned out of our basement. 42 Adjustment of quarterly average would be a reduction of $179.66