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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-11-04'TB 11-4-09 ® TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 4, 2009 Present: Supervisor Mary Ann Sumner, CI Stephen Stelick, Jr., Cl Jason Leifer Absent: Cl Joseph Solomon, Cl David Makar Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Supv Sumner opened the meeting at 7:08 p.m. Board members and guests participated in the pledge of allegiance. Supv Sumner opened the public hearings on the 2010 budget. She explained the board spent. five meetings and several additional hours discussing ways to keep the budget as lean .I .s reasonable while still allowing for emergencies or unexpected events. Department heads were wonderful about returning budget requests with no increase in planned expenses. They can't help it that the cost of retirement and health insurance premiums went up so much. She noted that the Town is making sorne substantial investments this year, but those items should save the 'town money in time. She distributed a hand out describing the four main funds of the Town and said there are also 1.8 smaller special districts with smaller midgets. • Cl Stelick said he has heard a lot: on the campaign trail about: spending down fund balance. He said we are fortunate to have a fund balance and he does not want to see it depleted. He asked that the Finance Committee take a look at where that should be compared to where we are. Supv Sumner said the finance Committee discussed that at a meeting over the summer, and she has been doing some projections. She can't see the town spending the fund balance down to the point where the state; recommends, acrd where some municipalities are, at 10% of their budget, but: we're working that way. She said one way that is safe to do that is by allocating some of the fund balance to specific reserves and we've made a good start on it this year. Cl Stelick said he would like the average person to be able to see what the recommendations are and where we are compared to other municipalities. He would like it to be more transparent. Supv Sumner said it might be something to include in the organizational minutes'each January. C1 Leifer said he would like to get: budget requests for what people actually expect to use, not provide funds for something in their budget and then not use it. it artificially inflates the budget. Cl Stelick noted the way the fire departments are able to operate with having funds set aside and being able to purchase equipment that costs up to half a million dollars without asking the boa rd for funding or bonding for that purchase. Cl Stelick said that salary increases was a topic that t:he board spent a lot of time on in the budget sessions. He said a lot of people; probably don't know that the Town provides health insurance for its employees at no cost to the employee. This year the Town is looking at a 33% 1'a ;e 1 of Q TB 11 -4 -09 increase in the required contribution to retirement and an 18 %, increase in health insurance • costs. Those are substantial increases that affect the budget. Elected officials and almost all department heads received a 2% increase and non -union employees averaged 2.4 %. The $70,000 spent on energy conservation improvements will pay for itself and the $25,000 for lightning and fire, protection improvements are necessary. Supv Sumner said the blacktop around the highway garage and the DPW equipment purchase are things that were postponed last year. The two new software purchases she expects to be a good investment. The new email server is necessary to easily archive and retrieve emails. In response to a question from David Bravo- Cullen, Supv Sumner said about half of the increase in assessments in the town is the result of new construction. The total assessment went up 1.6 %. D Bravo- Cullen said he believes there could be a simpler approach to the assessment, and that perhaps it could be based on the services people use rather than the value of the property. D Bravo - Cullen said he hopes the town is looking at less expensive options for health insurance and retirement. Supv Sumner said the town has focused a lot on health insurance this year, and will be looking into other retirement plans. They are not tied to the state retirement plan any more than they were to the Teamsters health insurance. She noted that health insurance was budgeted at an 18% increase because that is the increase Teamsters are looking at, but this is a negotiating year with the Teamsters and we won't know until the end of the year whether we have to keep at. least some of our employees on that insurance. She expects to take at least: the non - bargaining unit. employees, and perhaps all employees, the County Health Insurance Consortium where the rate increase is 15 %. The Consortium is self - funded and locally controlled. In this initial year the Consortium has promised each municipality a plan equal to or better than their existing plan, but once it's off the ground and running, they expect to be able to control costs much better. She added the Teamsters Plan is a great plan and not the most expensive one in the County, but they would like to have more local control. Deb Shigley said she understands that the town is currently funded well, but sooner or later there will be a point where you are not able to rely on the fund balance. Her concern is that the taxpayer will get hit with a 10% or greater increase in one year. If the amount of money needed each year continues to increase, and the tax rate doesn't go up, how will the town be able to manage that? Supv Sumner the board is putting in place a policy for what they think the fund balance should be. This was a bad year, and they don't expect to use this much fund balance in most years. She would like to set up a reserve fund for tax rate stabilization, to be used just for keeping the tax rate stable. She explained that some of the fund balance is always applied to the budget, but we never spend the frill budget, so the excess goes back to fund balance. Cl Leifer said sometimes departments request budget funds for a specific project, and the project doesn't get done. He would like to tighten that up. Supv Sumner noted that the formula for the Turkey Hill Water and Sewer special benefit districts was adjusted this year. The formula is based on units, acres and assessment. These are the only districts that include acreage in the formula. She questioned whether usage was reflected in the numlx;r of acres. After discussing this with the board, the formula was adjusted so that properties with more acres have a slight reduction in their tax rate and other properties are very minimally affected. Each district is a separate fund and has its own fund ® balance. Page 2 o1' 5 PrB 114 09 Andy Down, Freeville Fire Department, said he is concerned that experimental funds • are being included this year for the bunker program Varna Fire Department will be starting. Supv Sumner said a new budget line has been included for Varn<a's bunker program. (lather than roll it into their regular annual contract, it. has been kept: separate, partly because the plans aren't firmly in place yet. About half of that line was funded with fund balance from the fire departments. Those fund balances are fairly low because the departments have substantial reserves of their own. Supv Sumner attended the Fire Chiefs meeting last week and this was discussed at length and some very good points were made. Some very good points were raised and she said they could get together to discuss those further and incorporate them into the Town's benchmarks for spending that money. A Down said the taxpayers need to know exactly how this money is going to be spent. It is an experimental process. Freeville Fire Department is currently doing it as an experimental process and funding it themselves. They have initiated a bunker program using a rented apartment, and are funding it for the first year out of their reserve fund. Supv Sumner said Varna is planning a modest building that may house up to eight people for their bunker program. They have some very promising leads on recruitment. She noted that rent in the Varna area is pretty high and not as practical as it: is Freeville, A Down said there are other facilities that could be utilized. Jim Shigley said he understands that the Varna bunker program is not a certain thing yet, and he asked that Supv Sumner keep all the fire chiefs up to date with its progress. Supv Sumner said she will try to include one chief and one board member informed. J Shigley noted it Look a Dryden several years to get a bunker for the ambulance ® service. Supv Sumner said this is not sudden, and Varna has given this a lot of planning, and it: has been mentioned previously in chiefs meetings. Supv Sumner pointed out that the Town contracts with five fire companies (six if you count McLean) and the board doesn't want to be managing the departments. The board wants to allocate money in a way that it thinks provides the best fire protection. It is a good thing that that board is learning more about the departments and the departments are talking with each other about experience and plans. A Down said Freeville Department: had major success with their recruitment drive last year and began their bunker program officially on July 1.5, 2009. They rented an apartment near the fire department in the Village of Freeville. People in the bunker program are expected to provide a certain amount of hours and work for the department. Their program is modeled after the Cayuga Heights Department plan and they are funding it initially from their fund balance. After a year, they will evaluate their progress acid then decide where to go with it. The initial impact is to them, not to the taxpayer. Their goal is to have six people in their bunker program. Cl Stelick told A Down he appreciated him coming tonight to explain what Freeville was doing, and noted that he has always been frugal with taxpayer money. The Varna Department did bring a lot of information on this bunker program to a budget workshop. Both Freeville and Varna believe their programs will work. Cl Stelick wants the departments to be independent, run their- own departments, request: funds that they feel are appropriator and move forward to take care of it. He wants the departments to work together and hope for the best for each other, and continue their good work. He said this is an additional sum of money for Varna, but they have a mortgage on their current property that will be paid off in three ® years. It was made clear to Varna that that mortgage amount will not be carried into the future. He said is comfortable with the numbers, and the Varna project may not start until Page) of 5 `1'4B 114-09 March or later. Supv Sumner noted that a quarter of the funding for the Varna bunker project came from a cut they took to their operating fund. A Down said there needs to be data to support a program. If their bunker program works, they will be asking for help funding it. If, when they evaluate it, they don't feel it was successful, they will not be asking for funding. They wanted to be able to provide supporting data before asking for assistance with funding. Cl Stelick thanked the departments again, and said if the bunker programs are a success, their will be substantial savings to taxpayers when you look at the cost of a paid firefighter. Supv Sumner closed the public hearing a 7:55 p.rn. RESOLUTION #178 - ADOPT SPECIAL DISTRICT a ASSESSMENT ROLLS Supv Sumner offered the following resolution and asked for it% adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town board does hereby adopt the Special District and Assessment Rolls for the Town of Dryden for 2010. 211H Cl Stelick Roll Call Vote Cl Stelick Ye;s Supv Sumner Yes Cl Leifer Yes RESOLUTION #179 - ADOPT 2010 GENERAL BUDGET Supv Sumner offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby adopts the preliminary general budget; as the Town of Dryden's general budget for 20101 2[311 Cl Stelick Roll Call Vote Cl Stelick Yes Supv Sumner Yes Cl Leifer Yes RESOLUTION # 180 - ADOPT SPECIAL DISTRICTS BUDGET Supv Sumner offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby adopts the preliuninary special districts budget as the Town of Dryden's special districts budget for 2010. 2A Cl Stelick Roll Call Vote Cl Stelick Yes Supv Sumner Yes Cl Leifer Yes Purge 4 of 5 TB 11 -4 -09 There being no further business, after motion made, seconded and unanimously= carried, the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, /Ba. mbi L. Avery Town Clerk Page 5 of 5