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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-04-07 Town Board Meeting Minutes Corrected1 | P a g e Town of Danby Town Board Meeting Minutes Held Monday, April 7, 2025 Board Members Present: Joel Gagnon, Town Supervisor Leslie Connors Katharine Hunter Tyler Stein Patricia Woodworth Town Staff: Blake Savoy, Deputy Town Clerk Laura Shawley, Bookkeeper Greg Hutnik, Town Planner Other Attendees: Jim Holahan Ted Crane Garry Huddle Tom Janda Captain Charles Tilton Zach Larkins Ronda Roaring Mark Pruce Dan Klein Call to Order 6:02 PM Resolution 112 of 2025- To Appoint Blake Savoy to Take Minutes in his Capacity as a Deputy Town Clerk Discussion ensued between board members as to the reason for designating a meeting secretary as Savoy had already been deputized. Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 112 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Public Hearing On Local Law #3 of 2025 Enacting the New York State Real Property Law Section 467-j Restricting Sale Price Exemption for Housing Trust Public Hearing Opened at 6:03 Katharine Hunter spoke in favor of the law. “I think that anything we can do these days under what’s going on in the world to make housing easier for people is important.” Public Hearing Closed at 6:04 2 | P a g e Additions/Deletions to the Agenda • Review and approve the CDBG Multifamily Rehab Property-Moved to Business • Discuss an Interim Appointment to the West Danby Water Advisory Committee- Moved to Business • Discuss the Possibility of Replacing the Heat Detectors in the Town Hall Attic- Moved to Business Privilege of the Floor Ronda Roaring: Good evening, everybody. In reference, I have two things that I want to bring up in reference to E360 and our town laws. My remembering of the decision on that was that the town board voted to spend the money to convert the town laws to E360. And if I'm wrong, please correct me. But otherwise, I would like an update on what the situation is with that. That's the first thing. The second thing is that about at least three weeks ago, maybe a month ago, I sent the town board a letter or an email indicating that I had talked to the woman at the New York State DOT who had come out and driven the roads in Danby and that I had talked to her about South Danby road, and she said, we'll have the town send me the appropriate documentation, and we can get to South Danby road right away. And I sent you an email to that effect, and I haven't heard from anybody in that she has been sent the appropriate documentation. So I would like to ask you to do that as soon as possible. I had talked to her for about 45 minutes and she was taking notes. She wanted to get to South Danby road right away so that she could use my notes to look at various things, and I wanted to make sure that the town was actually sending her the appropriate documentation. Ted Crane: I don't have much to say, so I will use a little time to answer Joel's semi-question. I prefer to speak last, because there's a limited amount of information about issues that might need speaking about, and I prefer to have as much information as possible and I consider the things that other people say to be important information. There is an advantage in going last. Second item, I don’t see any mention on the agenda, and you didn’t add anything to it, about the letter you received from the Danby Community and Park, as requested at the last meeting, to get the contract signed. And third, I'm a little on thin ice when I say this, but the authority to appoint and to have a secretary for the meeting lies completely, in New York state law, in the clerk's hands. The town neither has any authority to do that, nor should it really get itself involved in that. That's different from the planning board Joel, which you're used to, where the planning board actually owns the minutes of its own meetings and has considerable flexibility. The clerk owns the minutes, and whoever the clerk asks to do it needs no more authorization. So, with that, I’m looking forward to listening to the meeting. Thank you. Gagnon: In as much as the clerk’s desire is coincident with the board’s appointment, I don’t think there’s any problem. Crane: My point was that it was unnecessary and possibly inappropriate for you to mix into it. The clerk owns those minutes, not you. Hunter asked if a letter from the Danby Community and Park had been received. Gagnon said that an email was received and that the contract for the Danby Community and Park would need to be reworked due to the merger between the former Danby Community Council and the Danby Community Park Association. Crane said that the contract would not need to be reworked because it is the same organization - the merger simply incorporated one organization into the other. 3 | P a g e Correspondence- None Announcements The Board acknowledged that the Town has received a Beautification Grant. Gagnon commented that the grant covers material costs, but not labor. Reports and Presentations Town Clerk Report Code Officers Report Town Hall Fire Alarm Report Meeting Minutes Resolution 113 of 2025- To Approve the March 17, 2025, Town Board Meeting Minutes Moved by Connors Seconded by Woodworth Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 113 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Resolution 114 of 2025- To Approve the March 24, 2025, Special Town Board Meeting Minutes Moved by Connors Seconded by Woodworth Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 114 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Warrant Abstract 7 of 2025 Resolution 115 of 2025- To Approve General Fund Vouchers #127 - #146 for $14,055.34 Moved by Connors Seconded by Woodworth Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Abstain Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 115 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 4 | P a g e Resolution 116 of 2025- To Approve Highway Fund Vouchers #52 - #63 for $27,631.42 Moved by Connors Seconded by Woodworth Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Abstain Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 116 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Resolution 117 of 2025- To Approve Water Fund Vouchers #52 - #56 for $6,006.33 Moved by Connors Seconded by Woodworth Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Abstain Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 117 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Stein commented that he abstained from voting on the vouchers because he did not have time to look over them prior to the meeting. Business Designation of Town SIREN Administrators Gagnon stated that a recent water main break has demonstrated the utility of the county’s SIREN system. He explained that the town clerk, highway superintendent, and water system operators had shown interest in becoming SIREN Administrators. Note: “Tompkins County SIREN is the official mass notification system used by Tompkins County, the City of Ithaca, and local towns and villages to communicate with community residents during emergencies.” (Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response) Resolution 118 of 2025- To Designate the Town Clerk, Highway Superintendent, and Water System Operator as Town SIREN Administrators Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 118 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 SEQR Review of Flood Damage Prevention Local Law 5 | P a g e Planner Hutnik reviewed with the Board parts one and two of the Full Environmental Assessment Form. The Board and Planner completed part three. There was discussion of notifying property owners in the impacted floodplain. Resolution 119 of 2025- To Determination of Environmental Significance for the Adoption the 2025 Flood Damage Prevention Law Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 119 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 WHEREAS, the Town of Danby intends to adopt an updated Flood Damage Prevention Law, and WHEREAS, the adoption of a local law related to land use is considered a Type I action per the State Environmental Quality Review Act, and WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Danby declared itself Lead Agency on March 3, 2025 for the purpose of environmental quality review, and WHEREAS, the Town Board accepts the Full Environmental Assessment Form Parts 1 and 2 prepared by the Town Planner, Now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Town of Danby Town Board, based on careful consideration of the materials, determines the adoption of the 2025 Flood Damage Prevention Law will result in no significant impact on the environment and that a Negative Declaration for purposes of Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law be filed in accordance with the provisions of Part 617 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act. Resolution 120 of 2025- To Schedule a Public Hearing for the Proposed Flood Damage Prevention Law for the Town Board Meeting on May 5th, 2025 Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 120 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Authorize signing of 2025 Danby Seniors Agreement Resolution 121 of 2025- To Authorize Signing of 2025 Danby Seniors Agreement 6 | P a g e Moved by Woodworth Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 121 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Adoption of Local Law No. 3 of 2025 A Local Law Enacting the New York State Real Property Tax Law Section 467-j – Restricted Sale Price Exemption for Housing Trust Moved by Woodworth Seconded by Gagnon Motion was tabled as per proceeding resolution. Stein: I agree with Katharine about you know, we need to do anything we can to make homeownership easier for anyone. But I also have to worry about people who are in tough situations being prey, and I know that sometimes people who don't have a lot of options don't get the best terms. After some discussion, the Board decided to reach out to the INHS representative for more information prior to the next meeting. Resolution 122 of 2025 – To Table the Discussion and Vote of the Local Law Enacting the New York State Real Property Tax Law Section 467-j – Restricted Sale Price Exemption for Housing Trust until the April 21st Town Board Meeting Moved by Connors Seconded by Gagnon Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 122 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Appointment to Danby Youth Commission Resolution 123 of 2025 – To Appoint Patty Van de Bogart to the Danby Youth Commission for a 2yr Term Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 123 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 7 | P a g e Resolution Acknowledging Receipt of Court Audit from Audit Committee Resolution 124 of 2025 – To Acknowledging Receipt of Court Audit from Audit Committee Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Yes Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 124 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Action Plan to Address Code and Junk Law Noncompliance Gagnon recognized concerns about violations of the property maintenance and junk laws in town. He asked Planner Hutnik to discuss enforcement with members of town staff. Julia Hughes expressed interest in assisting with enforcement and using the CloudPermit software to do so. Discussion ensued regarding the issues of levying fines and potential for the court to levy fines. Crane: If I recall from the last time this subject came up years ago, I think there was some discussion of whether it was cost effective to actually try to recover that fine, that it might cost more to recover it than the fine is worth. Do you have any input on that? Gagnon: When we pursued the violation of the of the law associated with having that, that major event there was, you know, the associated fine with was a fraction of what it costs to pursue it, but we did it anyway, in the interest of trying to get it, to get the action, not having it repeated. This would be a similar thing. You know, if we have to, we can resort to this mechanism. This is, this would be the end stage of a multi-stage process. The first thing you do is, you contact people and ask, ‘Can you clean up your mess?’ and find out whether or not, what's the reason why they aren't doing it? Is it because they don't have the money, or they're in a bind, they can't physically handle it, or are they just thumbing their nose at us? And if it's the latter, then we then we go after them and then, you know, ultimately, you can resort to this mechanism if they ignore fines. Concerns for public health were discussed, as were options for preventative measures. Stein suggested to encourage community-inspired cleanup prior to resorting to fines and other actions. Hunter referenced the possibility of a kind of wellness check as an alternative place to start. CDBG Multifamily Rehab Resolution 125 of 2025 – To Authorize Work to Proceed on the Property at 1839 Danby Rd. Moved by Gagnon Seconded by Connors Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Abstain Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 125 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 WDWD Interim Appointment 8 | P a g e There is a vacancy on the West Danby Water District Advisory Committee. An announcement will be made in the upcoming May newsletter about the vacancy. The Committee voted to ask Marjorie Seamon to fill the vacancy and voted to ask the Board to appoint her to fill the vacancy in the interim. Resolution 126 of 2025 – To Make an Interim Appointment of Marjorie Seamon to the West Danby Water District Advisory Committee to Temporarily Fill the Seat Vacated by a Member who has Resigned, Until a Longer-Term Appointment can be Made to Fill That Seat or Until the Term for that Seat Ends Moved by Woodworth Seconded by Hunter Vote: Connors Yes Hunter Yes Stein Abstain Woodworth Yes Gagnon Yes Resolution 126 of 2025 passed on April 7, 2025 Town Hall Heat Detectors There was a discussion about the necessity for heat detectors based on the Town Hall Fire Alarm Report. The board decided to ask the fire department and the technicians for more information prior to moving forward with replacing the existing ones. Update on the Proposed Sewer Project Planner Hutnik suggested holding two well-publicized meetings, possibly one at the end of May and one in June, in both the Danby Hamlet and West Danby. Hutnik: We had a really small meeting last Wednesday, and we were thinking that it would probably be worth it to have two well-publicized community meetings, maybe one at the end of May and one in June, one up here, and then one down in West Danby. It's like what we're just tentatively sort of thinking about here as just really advertising it out, you know, mailing to maybe everyone in potentially affected areas, and just having an open community meeting. We've been sort of holding off on that because we wanted to at least answer questions. We don't want to go to a meeting if we don't have any answers to anything, so we've been gathering [information], between Joel and I, and frankly, Zach [Larkins], thanks for help a lot- really, really appreciate it. Just trying to answer as many questions as we can. We've had a couple of meetings with [Town Attorney] Guy Krogh last week, we met with the engineering company that put the report together, the environmental facilities corporation that would be helping to provide additional funds for the project. We met with them last week, and so it seems like the next step, based on that meeting and with Guy, the next step, even without a lot of the questions sort of fully answered, is going through what's called a map plan and report. It's similar to what was done on Beardsley Lane for the drainage district. And this process will say, ‘This is the proposed district boundaries of the sewer. And here's all the components that are going to go in it. Here's what it's going to cost’. And then that will drive the next community discussion, because that process is subject to permissive referendum. So, you know, it could go to a vote, and people can weigh in on it that way. There would be a public hearing, there would be notification from that. That seems to be the next step, but even before, sort of in tandem of doing that, it seems that it's now worth it to have, 9 | P a g e let's have a big community meeting. So, thinking end of May, that way we can advertise it in the newsletter. We can talk about it the next couple of town board meetings.” Connors asked about any potential deadlines for receiving the grant. Planner Hutnik responded that the DEC is the funder of the grant and that a contract has not been received. Upon receiving the contract, there is a 90-120 day period to sign it. Hutnik said that the extra time has allowed the town to make sure that it is prepared to accept the grant or not. Gagnon expressed dissatisfaction with the process and lack of opportunity for public feedback due to the timing of the submitted engineering report. Discussion ensued about the possible sources of the rest of the funding and emphasizing the importance of a potential sewer for all of Danby. The Former School on Gunderman Road The topic of the former school on Gunderman Road was brought up. The Board discussed its current occupation and usage and if any inspections are done. The planner said he would reach out to the Assistant Superintendent of Operations of the school district. Adjourn 8:11 PM