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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTownBoard_Minutes_20170109Danby Town Board
Minutes of Organizational and Regular Meeting
January 9, 2017
Present:
Councilpersons: Rebecca Brenner (Deputy Supervisor), Leslie Connors, Jim Holahan, Jack Miller
Excused:
Supervisor: Ric Dietrich
Others Present:
Town Clerk Pamela Goddard
Planner CJ Randall
Public Mary Ann Barr, Pat Woodworth, Charles Tilton, Ted Crane, Ronda Roaring,
Katharine Hunter, Scott Davis, Taylor Merritt, Ian Wilkie Tomasit, Alexandra
Pfeifer
Regular Meeting Opened at 7:08pm
Privilege of the Floor
Pat Woodworth spoke regarding the Planning Board appointment. Woodworth noted that, according
the Planning Board minutes, representative Selin, who has applied to be re-appointed, missed 6 meetings
in 2015 and 7 meetings in 2016. She expressed her concern that this seat is often vacant, due to an
inability to attend meetings.
Ted Crane spoke on three short topics: He informed the Board that the DCC will present a classical
concert/piano trio at 3pm on Sunday. Regarding the Organizational Resolutions, Crane asked for clarity
regarding the item in the “Supervisor’s Statement” that, “All personnel matters will be discussed in
executive session.” He asked that “personnel” be more clearly defined. Crane reminded the Board of
applicant interview questions submitted in May. He asked whether the Board would consider using those
for future applicant interviews, now that it has had time to review them?
Ronda Roaring expressed concerns regarding the new Fire District sign, and her experience that
flashing lights and changing messages create a distraction and potential traffic danger. Roaring asked the
Board to consider prohibiting flashing signs. Deputy Supervisor Brenner informed Roaring that the Town
is not able to regulate this particular sign, as it is property of the Fire District. Brenner advised Roaring to
address her concerns to the Fire District.
Warrants
ABSTRACT #14 OF 2016:
GENERAL FUND
#544-573 for a total of $42,785.84
Moved by Holahan, Second by Miller. The motion passed.
In Favor: Holahan, Miller, Brenner
HIGHWAY FUND
#287-306 for a total $48,404.51
Moved by Miller, Second by Brenner. The motion passed.
In Favor: Holahan, Miller, Brenner
WEST DANBY WATER DISTRICT
#69-70 for a total of $185.50
Moved by Brenner, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
In Favor: Holahan, Miller, Brenner
Town Board_Minutes_20170109 • Wednesday, January 18, 2017 Page ! of !1 5
ABSTRACT #1 OF 2017:
GENERAL FUND
#1-23 for a total of $84,078.49
Moved by Brenner, Second by Miller. The motion passed.
In Favor: Holahan, Miller, Brenner
HIGHWAY FUND
#1–5 for a total $104,763.16
Moved by Brenner, Second by Miller. The motion passed.
In Favor: Holahan, Miller, Brenner
WEST DANBY WATER DISTRICT
#1-3 for a total of $3,102.90
Moved by Brenner, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
In Favor: Holahan, Miller, Brenner
Connors Arrived, following a work-related meeting
Historian Interviews
The Board interviewed Mary Ann Barr for the position of Danby Town Historian. Barr is currently
working with the Town as an archivist with the Town Clerk’s office. Barr was also a founding member of
the volunteer Danby History Group and prepared and presented displays and Danby Fun Days.
The Board interviewed Alexandra Pfeifer for the position of Danby Town Historian. Pfeifer is
currently a volunteer with the Danby Library and has previously worked as a Montessori School teacher,
an editor with a research firm in Illinois, and as a library technical assistant.
The Board advised the applicants that, in addition to the standard job description in NY municipal
law, they would like the historian to do several things: report on Historian activities on a regular basis,
work closely with other Town departments and residents, maintain a presence, with information regarding
Danby history, on the Danby municipal web site, prepare articles about Danby history for the Danby Area
News, and generally to raise awareness of Danby history. This is a one year term, running through the end
of 2017. There was a brief discussion of the transition from the previous historian to the new. The Board
advised the applicants that historian’s records should be housed in the Town Hall from this time forward.
Brenner advised the applicants that it is anticipated that appointment will be made at the next TB
meeting.
Organizational Resolutions:
Clerk Goddard provided an overview of the Supervisor’s Statement Organizational Resolutions.
These standard, annual resolutions set forth some of the basic business of the Town. The financial figures
and dates have been updated with 2017 budget and calendar information, as appropriate.
Supervisor’s Statement to the Board:
•Robert's Rules of Order will be followed at all Town Board Meetings, except when special roll call vote
is necessary. Roll call will be alphabetical by last name, but with the Supervisor voting last.
•All regularly scheduled meetings of the Town Board will take place as specified during January’s
Organizational Meeting.
•Method of claims for payment of all bills will be by voucher. Vouchers and items for the agenda must
be submitted to the Supervisor or the Town Clerk.
•The Town Board will audit all bills.
•All personnel matters will be discussed in executive session.
Organizational Resolutions
RESOLUTION NO. 1 OF 2017—APPROVAL TO INVEST IDLE FUNDS
Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Danby authorizes the Supervisor to invest idle funds.
Town Board_Minutes_20170109 • Wednesday, January 18, 2017 Page ! of !2 5
RESOLUTION NO. 2 OF 2017—APPROVAL OF YEAR 2017 SALARIES
•Town Board, Councilpersons, total 10,958 (2,739.50x4) .......................................
•Town Supervisor 22,194 ...............................................................
•Deputy Town Supervisor 58 .........................................................
•Assistant to Supervisor 10,609 .....................................................
•Bookkeeper 22,070 .......................................................................
•Town Justices, total 29,941 (14,970.50x2) .............................................................
•Court Clerk 15,669 .......................................................................
•Highway Superintendent 58,490 ..................................................
•Deputy Highway Superintendent 51,858 .....................................
•Highway Secretary 27,181 ...........................................................
•Town Clerk 32,262 .......................................................................
•Deputy Town Clerk 21,218 ..........................................................
•Code Officer 51,118 .....................................................................
•Planner 38,962 ..............................................................................
•Water Plant Operator (West Danby) 9,294 ...................................
•Water Plant Operator Assistants (West Danby), total 7,092 (3,546x2) ..................
•Water Clerk (West Danby) 4,570 .................................................
Total $413,544 ................................................................................
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby authorizes the Supervisor to pay the above salaries. The
salaries shall be paid prior to the first Town Board meeting of each month, and December payrolls will be adjusted to
meet all budget requirements.
RESOLUTION NO. 3 OF 2017—PAYMENT OF BILLS
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby approves a blanket resolution to authorize the Town
Supervisor to pay utility bills, health insurance, freight, postage, contracts, and to conduct other normal proceedings,
such as payroll, in advance of audit in order to keep affairs moving on a timely basis, and be it further
Resolved, That a contract is not a bid award.
RESOLUTION NO. 4 OF 2017—2016 FINANCIAL REPORT
Resolved, that the Town of Danby Town Supervisor, in lieu of preparing a financial report under NYS Town Law
Article 3, §29.10, shall submit to the Town Clerk by March 1, 2017 a copy of the report submitted to the State
Comptroller required by Section 30 of Municipal Law.
RESOLUTION NO. 5 OF 2017—TOWN OF DANBY OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER AND BANK DEPOSITORY
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby names the Ithaca Journal as its Official Newspaper and Key
Bank as bank for the depository of Town Funds.
RESOLUTION NO. 6 OF 2017— DESIGNATION OF DANBY ATTORNEYS
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby names the law firms of Miller Mayer, LLP and Thaler and
Thaler to represent the Town of Danby in all Zoning, Planning Board, and General Town of Danby business. The
Town Board reserves the right to seek other legal aid if it deems necessary.
RESOLUTION NO. 7 OF 2017—MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT FOR TOWN MILEAGE
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby authorizes reimbursements for private automobile mileage
incurred on Town Business to be paid at the rate of fifty four cents ($0.54) per mile.
RESOLUTION NO. 8 OF 2017—REAFFIRMATION OF TOWN OF DANBY PROCUREMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby reaffirms the Town of Danby Procurement Policies and
Procedures (as established in Resolution No. 24 of 1993, amended in 2004 and 2010).
RESOLUTION NO. 9 OF 2017—REAFFIRMATION OF TOWN OF DANBY APPOINTMENT PROCEDURES
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby reaffirms the Town of Danby Appointment Procedures (as
established in Resolution No. 59 of 2011).
RESOLUTION NO. 10 OF 2017—AUTHORIZATION FOR PURCHASE OF TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, ETC.
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby authorizes the of Danby Highway Superintendent to purchase
tools, equipment (other than motorized equipment), small implements, tires and tubes, etc. in the amount not to
exceed $2,500 at any given time without prior approval of the Town Board.
RESOLUTION NO. 11 OF 2017—HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS REIMBURSEMENT
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby be authorized to sign an agreement that monies collected for
repairs and improvements of Town Highways in the amount of $170,000 (State Aid DA3501) be expended upon
71.98 miles of Town of Danby highways.
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RESOLUTION NO. 12 OF 2017—AGREEMENT TO SPEND TOWN HIGHWAY FUNDS—2017
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 284 of the Highway Law, the Town Board of the Town of Danby agrees that
money levied and collected for the repair and improvement of highways, and received from the state for repair and
improvement of highways, shall be expended as follows:
1.General Repairs. The sum of $302,880 may be expended for general repairs upon 73.39 miles of town
highways, including roads, culverts, and bridges.
2.Improvements. The following sum shall be set aside or be expended for the improvements of town highways:
$170,000 in CHIPS money to be spent on projects to be determined by the Highway Superintendent at a later
date.
No money set aside for such improvements shall be expended, nor shall any work be undertaken on such
improvements, until the Town of Danby approves the specifications and estimates for such construction.
RESOLUTION NO. 13 OF 2017—TOWN BOARD MEETINGS
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby regular monthly board meetings be scheduled at 7:00pm on
the second and third Monday of each month for the year 2017.
RESOLUTION NO. 14 OF 2017—HEALTH CONSORTIUM APPOINTMENT
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Laura Shawley as its representative to the Health
Insurance Consortium.
RESOLUTION NO. 15 OF 2017—ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DEPUTY TOWN CLERK
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby acknowledges the Town Clerk’s appointment of Susan
McLellan as her Deputy Town Clerk.
RESOLUTION NO. 16 OF 2017—ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DEPUTY HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby acknowledges the Highway Superintendent’s appointment of
Jack Shawley Jr. as his Deputy Superintendent.
RESOLUTION NO. 17 OF 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COURT CLERK APPOINTMENT
Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Danby acknowledges the Town Justices’ appointment of John Norman
as Danby Court Clerk
RESOLUTION NO. 18 OF 2017—APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY SUPERVISOR
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby acknowledges the Supervisor’s appointment of Rebecca
Brenner as his Deputy Supervisor.
Moved by Brenner, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Brenner
Appointments
There was minimal discussion of appointments for Planning Board and BZA Chair, Water District
Commissioner, and Board of Zoning Appeals representative.
RESOLUTION NO. 19 OF 2017—APPOINTMENT OF PLANNING BOARD CHAIR
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby reappoints Frank Kruppa to Chair of the Planning Board.
Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Brenner
RESOLUTION NO. 20 OF 2017—APPOINTMENT OF BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS CHAIR
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby reappoints Gary Bortz to Chair of the Board of Zoning Appeals
Moved by Holahan, Second by Connors. The motion passed.
In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Brenner
RESOLUTION NO. 21 OF 2017 - APPOINTMENT OF WATER DISTRICT COMMISSIONER
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Anna Finley to a five year term as Commissioner on
the West Danby Water District, effective January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021.
Moved by Brenner, Second by Miller. The motion passed.
In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Brenner
RESOLUTION NO. 22 OF 2017 - APPOINTMENT OF BOARD OF ZONING APPEAL REPRESENTATIVE
Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Lew Billington to a five year term on the Board of
Zoning Appeals, effective January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2021.
Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Brenner
Town Board_Minutes_20170109 • Wednesday, January 18, 2017 Page ! of !4 5
2016 Financial Review
The discussion was postponed to next meeting.
2017 Priorities Discussion
The Board held a preliminary discussion regarding three major areas that are targeted as priorities for
2017: review and action on Danby Planned Development Zones, direction and actions for the
Conservation Advisory Council, and review of potential development concerns/interests in the Danby
Hamlet area. These priorities are a result from the November 29, 2016 joint board scoping meeting.
Randall submitted a draft plan for actions related to a Natural Resources Inventory through the CAC,
with a timeline through the next year. The Board agreed to review this and discuss the plan during its
February meetings. Randall reported that she is working on an update to the draft document regarding
Danby PDZs. She will be drafting planning documents with draft scopes of work, with timelines for
“deliverable” actions, for the PDZ review and Hamlet area.
Holahan reported that Senior housing/access advocate, Ester Greenhouse is interested in contributing
to Danby Planning efforts and would like to meet with and make a presentation to the Town Board.
Code/Planning Report
Randall reported that the agreement for the Power Purchase Agreement connected to the Highway
Department solar array installation has been signed by the Town Supervisor and is in the hands of the
investors for their review. It is anticipated that information will be coming from them soon. Additional
information is to be presented by Code Officer Hansen at the next TB meeting.
Stream Corridor restoration funding was received by the Town for the conditions on Brown Road.
Immediate repair was done on this road and stream corridor following flooding in 2015. The current
funding will cover the costs of an engineering feasibility study for longer term solutions. The Fish and
Wildlife Service may have matching funding for this project.
The Ithaca Trails web site is “live.” All the trails are mapped and can be seen at
[ithacatrails.org]. There are 240 miles of trails in Tompkins County.
The Planning Board will be reviewing several minor subdivision requests, as well as the Verizon
communications tower proposal for the American Legion property on Danby Road, during its January
meeting.
Short Reports
Justices’ Reports from Klinger and Huddle were circulated among the Board. Justice Huddle reported
that December was a quiet month. They anticipate that news of any award from the NYCourts grant
should be coming in late January or early February.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:03 pm. !!!!!
______________________________________
Pamela Goddard, Town Clerk
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