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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.15.2025 Minutes1 VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHT October 15th 2025 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, Police Chief Wright, Superintendent of Public Works Cross, Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder; Village Attorney Shah; Village Clerk Walker. 1. Call to Order: Mayor Woodard calls the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. 2a. Approval of the September 17, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes (Exhibit 2026-070) Resolution: 9899 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the September 17, 2025, Board Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion: Trustee Conway Second: Trustee Hubbell Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 2b. Approval of the September 29, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes (Exhibit 2026-071) Resolution: 9900 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees approves the September 29, 2025, Board Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, and Robinson Nays: none Abstentions: Trustee Rennekamp and Salton Motion Carried 3. Report of Fire Superintendent Tamborelle: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2026-072) •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that we had seventy-six people attend the recruitment dinner. We interviewed thirty applicants and accepted ten for the fall class. 2 •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that E-One is still on track for delivery in July 2027. He intends to sell the current truck at the beginning of 2027. •Fire Superintendent Tamborelle states that Tompkins County received a grant for portable radios. The department is unsure if they will participate because the radios do not come with microphones. The microphones are key for hands-free use. 3. Privilege of the Floor: Village Resident Joy Barr is present to speak to the Board. •J. Barr states that she has been experiencing terrible phone service from Verizon. Every now and then, she has static or just dropped calls. •J. Barr states that she spoke to Verizon, and they stated that the lines on E. Upland Rd. are exposed copper and need to be buried underground to reduce the interference. •B. Cross states that he has not heard about this before and would ask that Verizon give him a call to discuss this issue. -Village Resident Ilene Lambiase submitted a letter to the Board for Mayor Woodard to read. I have just one question for the board regarding this evening's agenda. Why is the board considering a planned development zone for an area that has only 2 acres to develop? Further, those 2 acres have, for at least the last 60 years, been zoned as residential for the specific purpose of providing a buffer between the village's commercial zone and the already existing residential homes on the west side of East Upland Road. Why would the board be considering changing the use of that land to the absolute detriment of the existing homeowners when the developer is free to develop the property he purchased under the residential zoning rules under which he purchased it under? Then there would be no need for the board to be involved at all. Thank you for your consideration. •Mayor Woodard states that N.Y.S.D.E.C. has changed the wetland setbacks from fifty to one hundred feet, which eliminated the development of more of the parcel. We have to allow the whole property to be considered a Planned Development Zone. 4. Report of Treasurer Dolch: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2026-060) •Treasurer Dolch states that the September bank-to-book reconciliations are complete and have been signed off by Trustee Rennekamp. •Treasurer Dolch states that the Village AUD has been submitted. Approval of Abstract 5: Resolution: 9901 3 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves Abstract # 3 for FYE 2026, consisting of TA vouchers 32-39 in the amount of $15,351.34 and Consolidated Fund vouchers 277-353 in the amount of $638,141.37, and the Treasurer is instructed to make payments thereon. Motion: Trustee Rennekamp Second: Trustee Bilosski Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 5. Report of Mayor Woodard: a. Upland Heights Planned Development Zon (PDZ) Application Update: •Mayor Woodard states that she wants the Board to ask questions before they consider approving this application. •Trustee Rennekamp states that she would like more information on the target market for these homes. •Property Owner M. Mecenas states that he is thinking about family income levels of two hundred thousand dollars and above for the target. •Trustee Hubbell states that he would like to know more about the type of construction. •Property Owner M. Mecenas states that he will follow the N.Y.S. Building code and standard wood framing, and possible basements. •Mayor Woodard states that she is concerned about the fill that is on the property from the Community Corners Shopping Center. •Property Owner M. Mecenas states that core studies have been completed and show no issue with the property. •Trustee Salton states that he would like to know what M. Mecenas will do with the rest of the property. •Property Owner M. Mecenas states that he is willing to wait and hopes that N.Y.S.D.E.C. will change the setbacks. •Mayor Woodard states that she and others would like to see height balloons set up for residents and others to get a feel for the overall height of this proposed project. •Mayor Woodard states that she also would like to make sure stormwater management is addressed. •Property Owner M. Mecenas states that it has to be done in any development. He is required to have a plan that is part of any site plan. 4 •Superintendent of Public Works Cross states that he appreciates the idea that the development would consider porous surfaces to collect the rainwater. •Mayor Woodard states that the next step for the Board is to approve the application and also resolve itself as the lead agency for the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). •Trustee Salton states that he is not sure what is complete or needs to be completed on this action. •Trustee Robinson states that if Superintendent of Public Works Cross agrees that the application is complete, then yes, the Board should move forward and accept the application. •Trustee Conway states that by doing this, we are accepting the PDZ on all six acres, not just the two acres currently associated with this proposal. •Village Planning Board Chair F. Cowett states that a PDZ can be amended at some future date, depending on any changes. Resolution: 9902 BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees accepts the application as complete for the proposed Planned Development Zone on East Upland Road for further review. Motion: Trustee Robinson Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: Hubbell Motion Carried •Mayor Woodard states that we will be working with the Village Planning Board in a joint effort to develop the zoning changes for this project. Resolution: 9903 WHEREAS, the applicant is proposing a Planned Development Zone (PDZ), which involves the construction of ten townhouses on two parcels located on East Upland Road; and WHEREAS, the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees has stated its intent to serve as lead agency for the SEQRA environmental review of the project and categorized the project as an Unlisted action under SEQRA; and WHEREAS, development of the project will require site plan approval by the Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board; and 5 WHEREAS, the project is an Unlisted action under SEQRA and will be conducted as a coordinated review amongst the various agencies that have discretionary decision authority to approve certain aspects of the project; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees requests concurrence from the Village of Cayuga Heights Planning Board with the designation of the Board of Trustees as lead agency for the purpose of overseeing the SEQRA environmental review of the proposed Planned Development Zone on East Upland Road in a coordinated review with the Planning Board. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried b. Schedule a Public Hearing on Proposed Local Law E of 2025. Removal of Street Trees and Shrubs •Village Forrester F. Cowett states that this is an amendment to the existing shade tree law. We have had trouble in the past with the utility companies trimming or removing trees, then leaving the wood behind. This amendment will give us the ability to require them to remove the wood or be subject to a fine. •Trustee Salton states that one week is too short a period of time. •Mayor Woodard states that the new language for this proposed local law will be two weeks versus one week to remove the wood. Resolution: 9904 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees does hereby schedule a Public Hearing on Proposed Local Law E of the year 2025 – Removal of Street Trees and Shrubs on November 19, 2025, at 7:10 p.m. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried c. Village Job Description for the Village Fire Superintendent 6 •Trustee Biloski states that, as discussed and voted on at the September Special Board of Trustees meeting on September 29, 2025, we decided to increase the Village Fire Superintendent's hours to thirty with the addition of health care benefits paid by the Village. •Trustee Biloski states that we added this language also to support the position going to forty hours if warranted by additional responsibilities. •Trustee Rennekamp states that she doesn’t feel like that wording belongs in a job description. •Trustee Biloski states that we have done this for other staff positions, like Deputy Clerk, so it just seemed to make sense. •Trustee Salton states that this seems like something that could be in the resolution and not the actual job description. •Mayor Woodard states that there was some discussion at the Village Finance Committee meeting on this combined Fire Chief and Fire Superintendent job description. •Trustee Conway states that he does not have any comments on the job description at this time. •Trustee Rennekamp states that she does not feel there is enough distinction between the two. •Fire Superintendent G. Tamborelle states that historically, the fire chief is a civil service position, and the Village appoints that person as Fire Superintendent. •Fire Superintendent G. Tamborelle states that this job has been a full-time job for a long time. •Trustee Salton states that if you are combining two positions, won’t this affect the Cayuga Heights Fire Company? •Fire Superintendent G. Tamborelle states that they all support this change, and we will have to modify our by- laws to state that the Cayuga Heights Fire Company Chief is also the Fire Superintendent. Resolution: 9905 BE IT RESOLVED THAT: the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves the updated job description for the Village Fire Superintendent as presented. Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Salton Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 7 d. 2026 Water Rate: •Mayor Woodard states that Bolton Point has met and has increased their rate by six percent for 2026. The Village Finance Committee met this morning and agreed to increase the internal rate by nine percent. •Mayor Woodard states that we need to fund the upcoming water infrastructure projects to bring the village water system up to par. Resolution: 9906 WHEREAS, the Village of Cayuga Heights is served by the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission; and WHEREAS, the Village of Cayuga Heights has entered into an amended, supplemental, restated, and consolidated agreement of municipal cooperation for the construction, financing, and operation of an intermunicipal water supply and transmission system dated as of June 5, 1979, as the same has been amended from time to time (the "Agreement"); and WHEREAS, pursuant to the Agreement, the Village of Cayuga Heights agreed to pay to the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission (hereinafter referred to as “Commission”), water revenues based upon, in part, a water rate billing structure based on a quarterly 5,000 gallon minimum; and Bolton Point rate is $7.13 per 1000 gallons, and the Village of Cayuga Heights surcharge is $7.34 per 1000 gallons totaling $14.47 per 1000 gallons WHEREAS, in consideration of the premises and the mutual undertakings of the parties pursuant to the Agreement, the parties agreed to amend the Agreement effective January 1, 2026 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves the new Village of Cayuga Heights water rate to $14.47 per 1000 gallons consumed, resulting in a quarterly minimum bill of $72.35, effective January 1, 2026. Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Rennekamp Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried e. Yaws Contract: •Mayor Woodard states that she and the Village Public Works Committee have been informed that the contractual costs associated with running the Village Wastewater Treatment Plant will double. 8 •Mayor Woodard states that Yaws would also agree to a five-year contract that locked in an annual increase of three percent each year. We will be discussing this more during budget time. f. Plant to Plant Agreement Update. •Mayor Woodard states that at a meeting with the Town of Ithaca, with regard to the sewage that flows from the Town of Ithaca to the City of Ithaca Plant. •Mayor Woodard states that we (the Village) will not be paying for any sewage we send to the City of Ithaca; instead, we will credit the Town of Ithaca for any of their sewage that we send to the City of Ithaca Plant at the rate they pay us. •Mayor Woodard states that this is a great savings for us and will be discussed further in a legal agreement. •Trustee Salton states that he has read the whole document. •Mayor Woodard states that the two Lansing’s are working on an agreement for sewage that passes through the Village of Lansing from the Town of Lansing. •Superintendent of Public Works B. Cross states that this was a three-page agreement, which has now grown to ten. There were only two topics that the Village of Lansing was concerned about: 1. They wanted to be compensated by the Town of Lansing for the flow through their pipes. 2. An engineering review of sewer pipes in the Town of Lansing before installation. •Trustee Salton states that there is language that changes, and it is not clear why they went from an arbitration clause to a mediation clause. 6. Report of the Trustees: a. Employee Handbook Update: •Trustee Biloski states that this was previously approved, but with confusing language, we felt that a new update would make the most sense. •Trustee Biloski states that we are proposing to eliminate the section ( C) part, under which part-time employees may enroll in the Village Healthcare plans, upon start of employment or during other such periods as permitted by the insurer. Part-time employees shall pay the full cost of any coverage they elect. •Trustee Biloski states that the new language will state that full or part-time employees are eligible for Village Funded health insurance at thirty (30) work hours per week or more. •Trustee Conway states that section (b) should read that the Village pays the remainder of the cost for the health insurance program for part-time and full-time employees and eligible family members. Resolution: 9907 BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves the 9 Village Employee Handbook changes related to part-time and full-time healthcare coverages as presented in Exhibit 2026-078, with the modified changes to section B as well. Motion: Chair Trustee Biloski Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried b. Performance Review Schedule: •Trustee Biloski states that she will be sending out the updated job descriptions and self-evaluations with a goal of completing these by November 7, 2025. •Superintendent of Public Works Cross states that at one time, there was an attempt to balance the performance reviews with the non-bargaining employee on when a compensation discussion could occur. It does not seem like there have been any improvements with that. •Trustee Robinson states that the opportunity always exists; the Mayor is the one an employee should speak to about compensation. •Superintendent of Public Works Cross states that it has always felt like the non-bargaining group annual increases are based on what is left after the budget has been decided. •Trustee Robinson states that we have changed that, and we gave the non-bargaining group a base range increase before we go into budget discussions. •Mayor Woodard states that we get this same criticism every year, and I am not saying it isn’t valid, but she is not sure what to do about it. •Mayor Woodard states that the performance review session does allow for an employee to discuss a merit increase, which has been granted for employees in the past. She will look into the past increases to see if Superintendent of Public Works Cross has received any merit increases. c. Village Public Works Committee: •Trustee Robinson states that we are still waiting for the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) to approve the engineering plans. We are also still waiting for the NYSDOT to approve the maps for easements. •Trustee Robinson states that we are working on getting letters of violation on property maintenance out in the mail. •Trustee Robinson states that the Renwick Brook Culvert Pipe project is still in flux. We have now decided to 10 install a new pipe inside the deteriorating one as a solution. •Trustee Robinson states that North Triphammer Rd. Streetlights are being rewired for meters. d. Village Wastewater Committee: •Trustee Robinson states that we are still waiting for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System SPDES Permit. •Trustee Robinson states that the solar project is complete. •Trustee Robinson states that the rail system will be completed by the end of this month. e. Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium: •Trustee Salton states that the health consortium is finding more and more municipalities moving to the high- deductible plans, which results in an income loss of around six million dollars in premiums. •Trustee Salton states that understanding the money flow is complicated and there are many questions to be answered. f. Village Finance Committee: •Trustee Rennekamp states that we already covered the 2026 water rate and the Yaws contract. The only other thing discussed was related to personnel issues, but we do not have enough data to further the discussion right now. g. Village Public Safety Committee: •Trustee Biloski states that the new hire for the vacant full-time position will be starting on November 9, 2025. •Trustee Biloski states that Chief Wright is working with Grant Champs for potential grants. •Trustee Biloski states that the AXON body-worn cameras are now updated with language recognition. Testing has been impressive. h. Cayuga Lanke Watershed Intermunicipal Organization Committee: •Trustee Hubbell states that the committee is working on the moratorium on the former Millican Station and the future uses. 7. Report of Superintendent of Public Works Cross: •Superintendent of Public Works Cross states that he has a meeting with NYSDOT on the Cayuga Heights Road Sidewalk Project this coming Friday. 11 •Superintendent of Public Works Cross states that he is working on a property maintenance violation where the resident was confused about the extent of the violation. He is leaning towards granting a waiver of the fine and will bring that to the Board next month. •Superintendent of Public Works Cross states that he would like T.G. Miller to present to the Board their water infrastructure plan. In order to get on the list for grants or subsidized funding from N.Y.S., we will need T. G. Miller to produce a project plan in the amount of one hundred twenty-nine thousand dollars, which is eligible for reimbursement if we are awarded a grant. 8. Report of Police Chief Wright: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2026-080) •Chief Wright states that there is talk of N.Y.S. offering a grant for law enforcement once again. •Chief Wright states that the Grant Champs is a great opportunity for the department, especially since it is free to the Village. •Chief Wright states that the only action item he has tonight is for Board approval to hire Officer Trimm to fill the vacant full-time position. Resolution: 9908 BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves current Village of Cayuga Heights part-time police officer Geoffrey Trimm to fill the Village of Cayuga Heights full-time police officer vacancy starting November 9, 2025, at the current PBA Contract rate of $32.21. Motion: Trustee Hubbell Second: Trustee Rennekamp Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Mayor Woodard states that she would like to know what defines a call for service. •Chief Wright states that a call for service could be anything that is a call for service. 9. Report of Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder: Submitted Report (Exhibit 2026-081) •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states that the contractor for NYSEG (DDS) finished up the Village's natural gas lines for this year. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states that they attempted to repair a water valve on E. Upland but were met with difficulties. 12 •Trustee Salton asks if we have any idea of the age of the water lines or valves. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states that most likely, they are the original lines. Bolton Point provides the Village with a list of valves that are either working, or are not sure, or are known to be draining. We then build that into a schedule for repairs. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states the new leaf vacuum has arrived, and our auction items resulted in a revenue of just over nine thousand dollars. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states that he recently found that there is no service support for the LED Streetlights. There is a programming issue with the software; currently, we have sixteen lights that are not working. •Clerk Walker states that the software was a separate part of the New York Power Authority that contracted for LED Streetlights. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states he has been in touch with an individual subcontractor who might be able to work on the software that runs the street light program. •Clerk Walker states that he will reach out to Casey Mastro, who was the first contact on this project. •Assistant Superintendent of Public Works Cowder states that the only action item he has for the Board is to declare surplus the 2015 GU532 Mack dump truck and plows. Resolution: 9909 BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees authorizes and approves declaring surplus the 2015 Model GU532 Mack dump truck and plows, VIN # 1M2AX02C88M0, to be auctioned off by Tietsworth Auctions at the next available auction. Motion: Trustee Biloski Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Biloski, Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried •Trustee Robinson states that he has found the T.G. Miller proposal discussed earlier, and the total proposal is one hundred ninety-two thousand dollars. The first three were highlighted by B. Cross, totaling one hundred twenty- nine thousand dollars. Seventy-two thousand dollars were allocated for this current fiscal year. 10. Report of Clerk Walker: •Clerk Walker states that he has no action items for the Board tonight. 13 •Clerk Walker states that he and Deputy Clerk Perkins will need to close the office for a couple of hours on October 22, 2025, for a Bolton Point billing meeting. •Clerk Walker states that he will also be attending a SIREN training on November 10, 2025. •Clerk Walker states that October is when we conduct our workplace harassment training, and links have been sent to all employees and are due by the end of the month. •Mayor Woodard has requested that the Board review and possibly sign a supporting letter from Anna Kelles to the Town of Lansing Town Board requesting a moratorium on the proposed Terawulf data center at the former Millikan Station. •Mayor Woodard states that if anyone wants to sign their name to this letter, please let Clerk Walker know tomorrow morning. •Mayor Woodard states the last page has an update on our newly installed solar panels at the Village Wastewater Treatment Plant. •Mayor Woodard states that we installed a separate meter that tracks the solar energy that is sent directly back to the grid. 11. Report of Attorney O. Shah: •Village Attorney Shah states that he has nothing to report at this time. 12. Executive Session: Resolution: 9910 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 of 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 (F) the medical, financial, credit, or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person or corporation. (D) discussions regarding proposed, pending, or current litigation. Motion: Trustee Robinson 14 Second: Trustee Biloski Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried Resolution: 9911 BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Village Board of Trustees exit an Executive Session and return to an open meeting. Motion: Trustee Salton Second: Trustee Robinson Ayes: Mayor Woodard; Trustees: Conway, Hubbell, Rennekamp, Robinson, and Salton Nays: none Abstentions: none Motion Carried 14. Adjournment: Mayor Woodard adjourns the meeting at 10:32 p.m.