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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-04-21 Town Board Meeting MinutesTown of Danby Town Board Regular Meeting To Be Held Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM DANBY Meeting Minutes Danby Town Board -April 21, 2026 PRESENT: Leslie Connors Mariah Dillon Zach Larkins Mark Pruce Joel Gagnon OTHER ATTENDEES: Town Planner: Greg Hutnik Deputy Clerk: Cindy Katz Public (in -person): Steve Selin, Ted Jones Public (virtual): Hunter Grigg, Katharine Hunter, Ronda Roaring, Theresa, Pat Woodworth, Gary Huddle, Captain Tilton, Jim Holahan, Laura Laura Shawley (Assistant to Supervisor, Bookkeeper) 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:01 PM. Addition: They plan to schedule the second CDBG public hearing at the end of the meeting today. 3. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR Steve Selin spoke, saying that South Hill Cider had never encouraged anyone to park on any roads that aren't South Hill Cidery. IWOL610 t4a.010101111"ONX 1.1. Email from Steve Selin "Regarding correspondence" 1.2. Email from Laura Krauss "Special Events Law concern" 1.3. Email from Katharine Hunter and Susan Perri "FYI" 1.4. Email from Scott Davis "good news" 1.5. Email from Joel Gagnon "NYSEG Transmission Line Maintenance and Upgrades" 1.6. Emails from Susan Perri, Scott Davis, and Joel Gagnon "Draft Special Events Law" (Regarding TCEAB Opinion) 1.7. Email from Scott Davis "Re:" (Submitting letter of resignation from the Planning Board) 1.8.Email fro oel Ga non "conflict of interest" This message is intended as a statement for the record. I requested an advisory opinion from the County Ethics Advisory Board on the question of whether I have a conflict of interest in appointing a tenant, acknowledged to be in arrears in their rent, were I to appoint them to a position as my bookkeeper. I asked Board of Ethics to address the matter because they are named in the Town of Danby Ethics Policy as the body from whom to request such opinions and because I thought it important to address an honest difference of opinion as to whether or not a conflict could be seen to exist. While I disagree with the opinion given and fault the process employed in arriving at it, I nonetheless recognize now, as I did not prior to it being raised as an issue, that for me to make this appointment could be seen (and in fact is seen by a substantial number of people) as in fact being one in which I have a conflicting interest. I will respect the opinion and act accordingly. Joel Gagnon Town Supervisor su ervisor@danb ,nor ov 607 227-4440 1.9. Email from Kathy McLaren "Data Center" 1.10. Email from Ronda Roaring "Community Events at Town Hall" 0 :��N1911,C"VA:Qll11 Planner Hutnik announced there will be a groundbreaking celebration this Saturday for the Coddington Valley Rail Trail from 10 AM -1 PM. 6. REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS County Legislature Rep Irene Weiser None submitted. Highway Superintendent Keith Shipman None submitted. 7. MEETING MINUTES MOTION: Approve resolution 144 of 2026 Approve meeting minutes from the 3/9/2026 Special Board Meeting Moved by Gagnon, seconded by Pruce The motion passed. In favor: Dillon, Larkins, Pruce, Gagnon Abstain: Connors Minutes from the 4/7/26 meeting were submitted for review. 8. SUPERVISOR'S REPORTS —ACCOUNT ANALYSIS - General Fund -Highway Fund -Water Fund 9. WARRANT ABSTRACT 9 of 2026 They commented that the credit card amounts listed had previously been paid and are not factored into the total. Connors believes this abstract should be referred to as Abstract 9 and not 8. Shawley explained why it was named that way and offered to correct. MOTION: Resolution 145 to Approve General Fund Vouchers 146-158 for $3946.57 Moved by Connors, Seconded by Pruce Discussion: Connors had concerns about voucher 152 (Ithaca Journal) as related to the total amount of the abstract. They discussed the bill and Shawley offered to review it while the meeting continued. Motion withdrawn. MOTION: Resolution 145 to Approve Highway Fund Vouches 58-63 for $8760.04 Moved by Connors, seconded by Dillon The motion passed. In favor: Connors, Dillon, Larkins, Pruce, Gagnon Connors pointed out that three bills on the abstract should be under state contract pricing. They discussed the individual contractors, noting that the price they received from Seneca Stone is not state contract pricing because the limestone product they use is a higher cost product. Shawley pointed out that the pricing we are getting from Seneca Stone is county bid pricing. Shawley verified that the others are state contract pricing even though it wasn't explicitly written. Ensuring these prices was a concern pointed out by the auditors that the town is working on rectifying. MOTION: Resolution 146 to Approve Water Fund Vouches 8&9 for $255.00 Moved by Connors, seconded by Dillon Discussion: Connors pointed out that voucher eight should be 10.4 instead of 10.1. The motion passed. In favor: Connors, Dillon, Larkins, Pruce, Gagnon 10 BUSINESS 10.1 Discussion of Budoretary 11 1 Fracts of Pro -Bata Health Insurance Cover e for Part - Laura Shawley provided some background for this idea, detailing that Supervisor Gagnon has mentioned it over the last few years and that they finally decided to put together this analysis. Shawley explained the basis of the calculations (employee working at least 15 hours a week, calculations for both a family plan as well as a single person policy.) She added that some eligible employees would elect not to use the benefit, as they get insurance through a spouse, or they receive Medicare. Shawley explained a few other options that could be used to achieve the similar goal of assisting part-time employees with their healthcare costs. Connors wondered if any local towns are doing something similar, and Shawley was not aware of any. Pruce suggested surveying the staff to see if this is something that they may want. He also mentioned that offering insurance through work may make Marketplace plans unavailable for an employee, or that this insurance option may be more expensive than what is available. They discussed who may be able to answer these questions, and they agreed that making someone ineligible for marketplace would not be desirable. The Deputy Clerk present at the meeting added that she may not be able to get subsidies if she accepts funds from the town. Gagnon commented on how the healthcare situation seems inequitable to part-time employees. They agreed that many questions need answering. They returned to discuss the general fund vouchers, which had previously been tabled while Shawley revisited the numbers. Shawley and Connors concluded that they both reached the same number. MOTION: Resolution 147 to Approve General Fund Vouchers 146-158 for $3920.85 in Abstract 9. Moved by Connors, seconded by Dillon The motion passed. In favor: Connors, Dillon, Larkins, Pruce, Gagnon 10.2 Discussion of Former Highway Department Use and Skate Park Use of Bald Hill Road Property Supervisor Gagnon confirmed that the Highway Department does not have future plans for the parcel. Larkins explained that he found receipts for tank removal and clean-up. He added that there was a preliminary soil study done in the 1990s when a community center was proposed on the spot. The study showed that the soil was acceptable and not a health hazard. Planner Hutnik reviewed how usually a site plan review is conducted by a town's planning board. However, because this is a project undertaken by the municipality, the municipality can claim immunity from local land use regulation, and the Town Board can declare site plan review unnecessary. He mentioned that the Planning Board already did begin to discuss the application, and they felt like they would like to review the site plan as they do those sorts of reviews often and because the Town Board already has lots on its plate. Larkins added site plan review is a good way to get the public informed, and the board agreed it was good to have other eyes on it. The Planning Board has already set a public hearing on May 201h to review the site plan. They reviewed the questions the Planning Board asked. They clarified that there does not need to be a change of ownership as the town owns the property, although there may be a change in liability. They discussed making the parcel into a public park. Planner Hutnik reviewed the pros and cons of such, with the con being that if they ever want to convert the park into something else, they would have to go through the state as such would be considered an "alienation of park land." They asked Planner Hutnik to prepare a resolution for the next meeting declaring it a park. They discussed topics brought up by the Planning Board related to water infiltration, water movement and bio-retention, noting that Jamie Vanucchi on the Planning Board is a helpful resource. They discussed the timeline for removing the building currently on the site. 10.3 Consideration of Revised Draft Special Events Law Pruce summarized the recent update, which was an attempt to combine the last two drafts with public feedback, including from resident Warren Cross. He reviewed the changes, the most substantial one being "d" under section "A." They agreed that the last line in Section A is too broad and should be removed. They discussed the draft law's specified number of cars as related to Section A, clarifying that these maximums are related to traffic generated from the event. Business owner Steve Selin stated that as it is now, a permit would be required for his smaller events that do not tend to generate complaints. They discussed how the current metrics would apply to Danby Food and Drink. They discussed the circumstances under which the law would be triggered. Customary residential gatherings, including large events like a wedding for 600 people, do not require a permit. The board assumes that residents will take the necessary precautions needed to host these events. Planner Hutnik clarified that the bar for requiring health department mandated precautions is for a mass gathering of over 5000 people. There are no exemptions for commercial businesses; if a local business hosts a wedding for free, then that event would be exempt. Selin requested that the max number of vehicles on one acre or more be changed to 150 cars so his small events would not require a permit. He read over his suggestions for sound/decibel changes as well. Dillon wondered if this ought to be discussed with the neighbors and the Town Board. Pruce said he has invited them to join; this is a public meeting, and they aren't here. Creating a task force basically means starting over, and maybe that would have been the right way to do this, but perhaps that ship has sailed. Connors stated this bill is not being written so that Steve can run his events — they are trying to capture everyone in the town who wants to plan activities, and she is interested to hear whatever feedback people have. Planner Hutnik read the comments submitted by Danby Food and Drink (see correspondence) wherein the owner stated concerns that the application for special events requires a lot of work and may make it impossible for small business owners. Gagnon reiterated his desire to not "catch" regular events but to enable special events. He added that ag zones already allowed large gatherings in R1 and R2 as agricultural use, and we are making it harder now because we are asking them to get a permit. They discussed the amount of lead time required to get an application for an event approved. They noted it can be tricky to balance all the work required to go into an application, the possibility that the BZA may require more information (and thus, time), and the difficulty of planning ahead when a permit isn't in hand. Katharine Hunter, member of the public, spoke and expressed her disapproval of the process and desire to have the special events law tabled. They discussed the number of events permitted in the application, noting the challenge of pinning down a number that Ag and Markets that would not consider too restrictive. Pruce reviewed Section 3.C, where the max decibel permitted had been raised, as well as Section 4, which had been added to better detail how and why sound is being measured as proposed. They discussed the nuance of the way sound is measured. Next steps: Pruce will continue making revisions together with Planner Hutnik with the goal of producing another draft. Perhaps at the next meeting they will feel ready to vote on scheduling a public hearing. They expressed the desire to receive feedback from Ag and Markets and town resident Warren Cross. 10.4 Planning Grant Application for Shane Spencer Property Not discussed/accidently overlooked. 10.5 Planning Board Resignation — Solicitation of Interest They discussed a plan to recruit and appoint a new Planning Board member following the resignation of Scott Davis. The position will be advertised in the town's newsletter as well as on the website. They confirmed that an individual could be on both the CAC and the Planning Board, if they wanted. Applications to be due by May 15t'', with interviews and potential appointment occurring at the second meeting in May. Planner Hutnik is hopeful of getting two applicants in case another Planning Board member resigns. 10.6 Award of Mowing Contract Only one proposal was received. Supervisor Gagnon reviewed the offer, stating that the offer from RP Lawn and Landscaping is just 5% more than last year. Considering gas costs now, this seems like a good deal. Gagnon also commented that they did not raise their prices the year before, and that people seem to like their work. MOTION: Approve Resolution 148 of 2026 Accepting the Mowing Proposal from RP Lawn and Landscaping. Moved by Gagnon, seconded by Dillon The motion passed. In favor: Dillon, Connors, Larkins, Pruce, Gagnon 10.7 Room Use Reonests — Phoebe Shalloway Writers group and Resiliency Group MOTION: Approve Resolution 149 of 2026 Approving Both Room -Use Requests Moved by Gagnon, seconded by Larkins Discussion: They discussed how this is the first time they have approved a regular, serial use of the meeting room aside from the children's programming. They stated that the clerk can communicate to both parties that the room use will still be subject to availability, and that there may be times when it is not available. Board members felt comfortable approving the requests and revisiting the topic in a couple of months. The motion passed. Iri favor: Dillon, Connors, Larkins, Pruce, Gagnon 11. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.