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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-19 Town Board MinutesTown of Danby Town BoardRegular Second Monthly Board MeetingWednesday 19 May 2021 at 7:00 PMvia Zoom Video Conferencinghttps://zoom.us/j/97107232988?pwd=bHBJY3p5M2toYlFSZWpwbmtLaStkQT09 Meeting MinutesRoll Call :Town Board Joel Gagnon, SupervisorLeslie ConnorsJim HolahanSarah SchnabelMatt UlinskiCounty Legislator Dan KleinTown Justices Garry HuddleTown Planner David WestTown Code Enforcement Officer Steve CortrightTown Bookkeeper Laura ShawleyRecording Secretary Janice R. Adelman, Town Clerk 1.Call to Order at 19:051.1. Additions/Deletions to Agenda1.1.1.Outside user agreement W Danby Water District (https://onlyo.co/3fjSuhv)1.1.2.Beardsley Lane Stormwater District update1.1.3. Hamlet Grant Update2.Privilege of the Floor2.1. Katharine Hunter noted that she heard someone had posted to Facebook abouthearing a lot of logging noises.2.1.1. Ted Crane had previously reported to Code Enforcement Office Steve Cortrightabout hearing logging noises; Cortright immediately went to check it out and found itwas Crane’s neighbor with a forest service cleaning up trees.2.1.2. It was noted that the Facebook poster lives on the other side of Crane’sneighbor.2.2. Ronda Roaring made comments for the record in reference to the Renters Resolution:“1. This resolution purports to affirm the rights of renters. However, it does not statethose rights, nor do I believe the author of the resolution has a clue what thoserights are.“2. The original statement that resulted in the creation of the resolution had to dowith the fact that renters play little part in the Town of Danby, whether it beattending meetings, serving on committees, attending events, etc. Theresolution does nothing to resolve this matter.“Therefore, I suggest that the author of the resolution do something concrete orconstructive to help renters become more involved in the town. This might include, Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 2 of 10 but not be limited to, starting a renter’s association, going door-to-door to talk torenters—as we know where they all live now from the census—about issues ofconcern to them and attempting to get them to register to vote in Tompkins County.As we know, many of them are not registered to vote in Tompkins County.“Thank you.”2.3. Pat Woodworth posed a question about the one-lane bridge on Gunderman Road andwhether it will remain a one-lane road or become a zero-lane bridge soon, or go backto a two-lane bridge.2.3.1. Supervisor Gagnon noted that the plan is to make it a two-lane bridge.2.4. Ted Crane provided comments relevant to the Renters Resolution:“I think it’s a great idea to protect the place in our society for every class of people,whether it is renters or anyone else. You might want to add hunters—whatever, Ithink it’s fine if you want to go there. But I do have a question because there’s an 800pound gorilla in the room that this town has a deliberate policy of discriminatingagainst certain individuals—I’m not talking about someone happened to saysomething in an email who was not a town board member. What I’m talking aboutTown Board members officially doing, and, lest you get your hackles up, I’ll read to youfrom the minutes of the Town Board meeting of January 8, 2018—somethinghappened that had the supervisor so exercised that he felt it necessary to read astatement into the record. The statement goes like this:‘Discrimination and prejudice should be confronted, otherwise we are complicit in theact. I voted not to go into executive session as I wanted a frank and open discussion ofqualifications and experience of candidates. I was confronted, in my opinion, byimmediate discrimination and extreme prejudice toward half of the candidates. Sincethis was the basis of their reason to reject candidates outright, I could not in goodconscious participate.’“Now, this has been going on—I can speak to it—for about 10 years. I think Joel hasmentioned to me that it happened before that as well. And so, I don’t want to usestrong words like hypocritical or sanctimonious, but when you’re making statementslike this over what amounted to a small [hoo-hoo?] statement by one person, I thinkyou should think very hard about the policies that the town board has been pursuingunder the table for some time, and you know I don’t want to go on for any muchmore, but if you want some more details about recent occurrences where this hasextended beyond the town board decision making, I’d be happy to do that. But I thinkyou’d be better off having an executive session to cover that personnel issue.“Thanks.”3.Correspondence - none4.Announcements - none5.Consent Agenda5.1. Minutes5.1.1.10 May 2021 (https://onlyo.co/2QPbFpZ)5.2. Warrants5.1.1. [Removed to discuss]General Fund No 9 Vouchers 135–160 for $61,330.80 Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 3 of 10 5.1.2.Highway Fund No 9 Vouchers 94–119 for $88,071.91 (https://onlyo.co/33OpJ5P)5.1.3.Water District Fund No 9 Vouchers 17–18 for $258.50 (https://onlyo.co/3eS2BJX) Resolution 87 of 2021 To Approve Consent Agenda Minus the General Fund WarrantMoved By:Connors Seconded By:Schnabel Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 87 approved. 5.1.4. Councilperson Schnabel inquired about the number of septic systems servingtown buildings5.1.4.1. There are two septic systems, but only the one at Highway gets pumpedevery month.5.1.4.2. Schnabel sought to clarify the septic pumping charges that appeared inJuly 2020 and tonight.5.1.4.3. Councilperson Holahan indicated that they pump about four times ayear; the septic system from the building is tied into the truck bay so thatwhen the trucks are washed it goes into the same holding tank as the sewerfrom the building. There used to be a septic system which has beenapproved for reuse at the health department. Currently, the town is tryingto separate the two systems so that less gets pumped and trucked out.Money to separate them is part of the CDC grant. Resolution 88 of 2021 To Approve General Fund No 9 Vouchers 135–160 for $61,330.80(https://onlyo.co/33M4kdJ)Moved By:Schnabel Seconded By:HolahanVote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 88 approved. Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 4 of 10 6.Old Business6.1.Library (https://onlyo.co/2RnbXEH)/Town Hall Policy6.1.1. Cindy Parlett reviewed the library’s proposal suggesting re-opening the libraryfor in-person browsing sessions on Thursdays and Saturdays, coinciding with alibrary volunteer being onsite while preparing online/curbside pickup orders.6.1.1.1. Browsing sessions will be limited to 30 minutes.6.1.1.2. Suggested entrance via the east side doors.6.1.1.3. Patron information will be recorded in the Contact Tracing notebook on thelibrary desk and the library will adhere to whatever safety measures the TownHall has in place.6.1.1.10. Proposed start date is June 5, 2021.6.1.2. Councilperson Ulinski noted that the rules haven’t changed for municipalities,therefore, until the government indicates that municipalities are free to do whatthey want, we need to continue being careful. The library proposal is spot on, maybe a little conservative, and it may be that by June 1, the rules have changedcompletely where the governor allows us to do what we want.6.1.3. Ulinksi stated that we should “do our due diligence to the end and not be theleader in taking risks” and asked to know how the staff would feel about having thelibrary open.6.1.3.1. West opined that the CDC and the State set the floor for what should bedone, giving others the very minimum procedures to put in place; it is up to thepeople involved to do what they think is safe beyond that.6.1.3.2. Adelman noted that the level of comfort is related to the amount ofincreased traffic Town Hall expects to see after re-opening, coupled withhaving family members who may not be able to be vaccinated. Therefore,having masks remain a requirement to enter the building regardless ofvaccination status feels appropriate.6.1.3.3. Code Enforcement Officer Cortright added that he did not have a problemwith the library re-opening and whatever is decided for the good of the staff.Cortright noted that he sees more people in carrying out the duties of his job inthe field, so will continue to support the decisions made.6.1.4. Ulinski was agreeable to the library’s proposal while also acknowledging theneed for Supervisor Gagnon to start discussing re-opening plans with the staff,particularly given the rapid changes that we have seen in national and stateguidance over the last few weeks.6.1.4.1. Ulinski asked that the Board review the Town Hall policy next month. Resolution 90 of 2021 To Approve Library Re-Opening Proposal Allowing In-PersonBrowsing Beginning Saturday June 5, 2021Moved By:Ulinski Seconded By:Gagnon Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 5 of 10 Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 90 approved. 6.2.Resolution 91 of 2021 To Appoint Jim Holahan as the Point-Person for theHeatSmart Program Moved By:Gagnon Seconded By:Connors Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 91 approved. 6.3. Workplace Violence Initiative Update - none6.4.OnlyOffice Proposal (https://onlyo.co/3ynWpBi) to purchase a renewable subscription6.4.1. Clerk Adelman provided a brief overview presentation on OnlyOfficefunctionality(https://onlyo.co/2QGAVP9)6.4.2. Estimated number of users across the Town of Danby is 46–47, covering allelected officials, employed staff, and appointed volunteers on the Planning Board,Board of Zoning Appeals, Conservation Advisory Council, West Danby Water DistrictCommittee, and any other individuals representing Danby in an official capacity.6.4.2. Following the overview, Adelman compared the functionality that OnlyOfficehas provided in the last 6 months simply in terms of streamlining Board MeetingAgenda prep, materials, and subsequent minutes dissemination, with that of asoftware solution like CivicClerk.–CivicClerk is an agenda and meeting management software that putsmeeting materials in one place for Board members to review or makerequests for items to be added to the agenda. Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 6 of 10 –CivicClerk’s price tag is initially $5,360 with subsequent yearly renewals at$3,675.–OnlyOffice’s price quote for a suite of functions and capabilities is $2,760 fora one-year renewable subscription.6.4.3. The remaining discussion of OnlyOffice included discussion of additional TownSoftware Options as described in 6.5 below.6.5. Software Options Update (SmartGov [https://onlyo.co/3fyHF9V]v GovPilot[https://onlyo.co/3fxsaix] v CivicClerk [https://onlyo.co/3wl3Zec] +CivicOptimize[https://onlyo.co/2SV34Ta])6.5.1. Supervisor Gagnon asked what the functionality of OnlyOffice is compared withSmartGov and GovPilot.- Adelman replied that these are different pieces to the puzzle. While OnlyOffice isgeared toward collaboration and sharing of information internally and externally,the gov softwares focus on the processes behind municipal government, fromlicensing and permitting to billing and accounting.6.5.2. Adelman discussed other options with SmartGov, including adding property taxcollection, or water utility reading and billing.— Property tax collection is not currently available.— Water utilities might be possible in the Assets Management platform, howeverthis appears to be too robust for the Water District’s use alone. It might makesense if the Highway Department had a need for it, as well.6.5.3. Additional questions on the OnlyOffice platform included— Penalties incurred if canceling before the end of the subscription period:There are no refunds.— The number of users determining the pricing and whether guest users count inthe total user tally:Guest users are external users with view-only permissions, therefore do notcount in the user tally pricing.— Using OnlyOffice instead of, or in conjunction with material stored in Laserfiche.6.5.4. Final discussion included the ability to use email in the OnlyOffice platformnecessitating a new email policy and initial set-up in OnlyOffice for new users. Resolution 92 of 2021 To Subscribe to the OnlyOffice Platform with a one-yearsubscription in a full trial run before committing to a three-year plan.Moved By:Schnabel Seconded By:Gagnon Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 7 of 10 Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 92 approved. 6.6.Outside user agreement W Danby Water District (https://onlyo.co/3fjSuhv)6.6.1. Planner West noted that the access easement has not yet been executed; allparties have agreed to it but it stills need to be notarized and executed before itis final. West is bringing the proposal to the Board for approval now, contingentupon the easement being signed and the application fee paid. Resolution 89 of 2021 To Approve the Outside User Agreement Application ContingentUpon the Finalization of the Easement and Payment of the Application Fee.Moved By:Gagnon Seconded By:Holahan Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 89 approved. 6.7. Hamlet Grant Update6.7.1. Planner West noted that the town was granted an additional $30,000 to gotowards studying the potential for shared septic, setting up septic districts, anddoing other things that can make it possible to do development in the hamlet.6.7.2. The application was facilitated by a relationship with consultant JenniferYvonne, that came about from the County’s grant for initiating this work.6.7.3. There is a list of things that will need approval from the Town Board, startingwith a resolution to accept the award and giving Gagnon the authority to signthe contract.6.7.4. Worth noting is a needed local match of $6,000 which can be met with in-kindservices.6.7.5. West is not asking for anything from the board tonight but would like to have itbe on the agenda as he hopes it will move fast in the second half of the year.7. New Business7.1. Resolution on Renters in Danby drafted by Councilperson Ulinski7.1.1. Ulinski stated being unapologetic about pushing this forward as a result of anemail chain with multiple town representatives on it in which some things weresaid that felt inappropriate. Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 8 of 10 Resolution 93 of 2021 Affirming the rights of renters in the Town of DanbyMoved By:Ulinski Seconded By:Schnabel Whereas, certain language in recent discussions about land use have questioned thevalue of renters in our community. Whereas,diversity of all kinds, including types of home ownership, create vibrant andhealthy communities. Renters and land owners all provide value to our town. Be It Resolved, this resolution affirms its support of renters in the Town of Danby . In Addition, Be It Resolved, the Town of Danby supports and respects all residents ofthe Town, whether owners or renters of property and affirms that home ownership orrenting will not be considered as negatives in the zoning or planning process. Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 93 approved. 7.1.1. Following the vote, Ulinski urged Supervisor Gagnon to follow up with ResidentTed Crane’s comment about discrimination during Privilege of the Floor. Hestated that it would be appropriate for the supervisor to take the lead oninvestigating the occurrence in question and potentially seeking outsidemediation assistance to rectify it.— Gagnon agreed to do so.7.2. Discussion on Creating an Agreement with the Fire District for Solar Billing7.2.1. Laura Shawley provided the background on this topic in which Paul Hansenoriginally set up a specific formula to do the calculations for the billing and sunvestment for creating the solar energy, coupled with the NYSEG bills andapplied credits. However, there has been confusion about how it trickles downto the fire department, and that there is fluctuation in the amount..7.2.2. In discussion with the Fire District, the proposal was to bill them directly forexactly what their usage is; rather than reconciling with solar credits everymonth. Instead, reconciliation could be on a quarterly or semi-annual basiswhere any amount of credits that apply to them would be applied back to theirusage. Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 9 of 10 7.2.3. Another way to look at it is that the Town of Danby pays the bills when theycome in and applies the solar creditsin the way they need to be applied, thenprovides the Fire District with a bill for their energy portion. The Fire Districtwould like to have the process drawn up and signed for their records.7.2.4. There was not anything for the Board to do at tonight’s meeting. Thisexploration and adjustment around the solar/energy billing process willcontinue; perhaps Paul Hansen can come to a future meeting to help explain.7.2.5. Councilperson Holahan offered to take the lead on the project to coordinatewith Paul Hansen regarding the calculations and changing the billing process.7.3. Beardsley Lane Stormwater District update7.3.1. Planner West noted that Engineer Dave Herrick’s report is almost ready; thereport will advance the process of creating a storm water district that can managethe storm water infrastructure that came about from the creation of theBeardsley Lane subdivision.7.3.2. Creating a storm water district will entail notifying residents in theneighborhood and increased costs at setup that will then lower into an ongoingmaintenance cost.7.3.2. Supervisor Gagnon noted the proposal to meet with the residents in thatsubdivision early on in the process, and asked whether that is before theengineering study is in hand or after.7.3.3. West indicated a few components that could be decision points, such as howyou apportion the fees that everyone in the district would be charged.7.3.4. The remaining Board members agreed that bringing the topic to the residents,so that they are well aware now rather than later, is a good idea.7.3.5. West noted that the right way to do such a district is to create it before anylots in the subdivision are sold. Since this is not possible, the town is an adifficult situation given that the residents could protest the creation of astormwater district. Another complicating factor is that the town is notrequired to maintain the subdivision’s infrastructure.7.3.6. The plan is to further discuss in the next Board Meeting.7.4. Resolution to Relevy Water Bills Resolution 94 of 2021 To Approve 2020 Unpaid Water Bill Relevy to TaxesMoved By:Schnabel Seconded By:Holahan RESOLVED,the Town Board approves the relevy of unpaid water bills to the tax roll for2020 in the amount of $2,499.70. Vote:Councilperson Aye No Absent Connors X Holahan X Town of Danby Town Board Meeting 19 May 2021 Page 10 of 10 Schnabel X Ulinski X Gagnon XResolution 94 approved.8. Discussion of Next Meeting Agenda8.1. Finalization of conservation easement for Wimsatt property8.2. Town hall re-opening policy with guidelines and procedures for how to approach in-person meetings.8.3. HeatPump Campaign8.4. Highway Energy Grant Update8.5. Workplace Violence8.6. Not to put on the the agenda, but the Board would like to see a demo for some of theSoftware options we’ve been discussing. With enough Board members, it could be aspecial meeting.9. Adjourn at 21:15 _________________________________________Submitted by Janice R. AdelmanTown Clerk