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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-01-14TB 1-14-16 Page 1 of 8 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING January 14, 2016 Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl Greg Sloan, Cl Linda Lavine, Cl Deborah Cipolla-Dennis Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Other Town Staff: Ray Burger, Director of Planning Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Discussion Items Varna Traffic Resolution – There was a discussion about last month after Jim Skaley mentioned there were four or five traffic accidents in Varna last year. Cl Sloan said this is small number statistics and things cluster naturally. The coming year could be different. The board decided to take no action at this point. Zoning Review for Ag Plan – A resolution was passed last night by the Ag Committee. They want to hire George Frantz to review the town zoning in terms of impact on agriculture. The cost would be $3,000 to $4,000 and there are grant funds available for this. It is what the grant is for. A similar plan was produced for Lansing that contained zoning review. Supv Leifer would like to adopt a similar resolution next week with added language that the Supervisor is authorized to execute the contract. No RPF is needed because it is for professional services. George Frantz has experience with Dryden Ag and zoning. The plan is due by end of the calendar year. There should be a deliverable by May or so. It will analyze our zoning law in relationship to ag in the area and consistency with NY Ag & Markets Law. This would be a third party looking at it. Zoning Law – First introduced in October and since modified, this amendment is intended to clarify the multiple family dwelling definition. The intent is to have a first reading next Thursday and set a public hearing for the February meeting. Supv Leifer suggested someone from the Planning Board should review it again before next Thursday to be sure it is consistent with their intent. Department Reports – Recreation Department – Supv Leifer said there is a single page report for board members. Planning Department – Ray Burger said beginning next month he will have a report on the previous month’s activities including: pre-application meetings, building permits issued, zoning permits, complaints. The idea will be to give a general activity level. Board members can request other items for the report. They have been given the go-ahead by NYSEG on the South Hill Rec Way extension. The present Rec Way is about 2 miles out from Ithaca, running through the Town of Ithaca. The next two miles will now be pursued, running through Ithaca, Dryden, Caroline and Danby. He walked through on right of way and there only two places that really need work on the far eastern end. There will be less than a mile in Dryden. The cost should be covered by grants TB 1-14-16 Page 2 of 8 for the initial trail. Maintenance will probably be through a shared services agreement . Ithaca would be the logical municipality to lead that. Dryden could provide some in kind work. Caroline and Danby don’t have any real DPW to assist. Supv Leifer would like the Planning Department report to list any pending applications and where they are. He wants a defined timeline for processing applications. There has been a problem with applicants not having everything in place when applications go before the board. Before the end of the month R Burger will be meeting with the attorneys and Andy Sciarabba to work on a process and timeline. The infrastructure study for consolidation is on track for a product in the spring. As part of that there will be a more detailed study of the Varna infrastructure. They will be bringing a proposal to the board to do a feasibility study on the condition of the infrastructure and some rough costs so that we can think about how to add onto the TIP project to bury utilities under the sidewalks. The focus is efficiencies and tying things together in a bigger project. (Cl Lavine said something similar was discussed at the IAWWTP meeting and she will forward those minutes.) Supv Leifer said the Highway Department has had to repair several recent sewer leaks in Varna. He said they are looking at consolidating the districts, but there is also the possibility that the infrastructure/repairs become less feasible and we may have to move more quickly. They have conceptually discussed the need for a sidewalk district and a shift of the TIP money to road improvements if the sewer repairs won’t be sufficient until the larger project is scoped out. TG Miller is looking into this. R Burger reported on the Stormwater Coalition (formed by Tompkins County municipalities). They have a contract with the Soil & Water Conservation District to manage the SPDES permit and the stormwater plans for the various municipalities. This $7500 contract (shared by all municipalities) and is a bargain for the tracking and reporting and education. Dryden’s share is $1500 and we get a lot of service for that. Budget Modifications Supv Leifer explained the budget modifications for the 2015 budget before the board for approval. The highway budget modification is a winter stipend from CHIPS, increasing revenue and increasing expenditures. RESOLUTION #22 (2016) – APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATION Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED that this Town Board hereby approves the following the budget modification: To Account DB 3501 State Aid CHIPS $43,901.06 To Account DB 51104 Street Maint. Cont. 43,901.06 2nd Cl Sloan Roll Call Vote Cl Sloan Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lavine Yes Cl Lamb Yes The Planning Department has requested budget mods to cover computer and software expenses, moving funds from one line to another to cover those expenses. TB 1-14-16 Page 3 of 8 RESOLUTION #23 (2016) – APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATION Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED that this Town Board hereby approves the following the budget modification: From Acct To Acct Amount A7110.411 A8020.401 1,500.00 B3620.404 B3620.201 50.00 B3620.402 B3620.406 422.00 B3620.403 B3620.406 200.00 2nd Cl Sloan Roll Call Vote Cl Sloan Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lavine Yes Cl Lamb Yes J Case noted that there will be an additional budget mod necessary next week because B3620.406 is less than the Planning Director believed it was. The Recreation Department has requested a budget mod to cover final annual expenses. RESOLUTION #24 (2016) – APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATION Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED that this Town Board hereby approves the following the budget modification: From Acct To Acct Amount A7020.401 A7330.4 50.00 A7020.401 A7330.414 50.00 2nd Cl Sloan Roll Call Vote Cl Sloan Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lavine Yes Cl Lamb Yes The Receiver of Taxes has requested a budget to cover unforeseen expenditures. TB 1-14-16 Page 4 of 8 RESOLUTION #25 (2016) – APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATION Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED that this Town Board hereby approves the following the budget modification: From Acct To Acct Amount A1410.4 A1330.4 155.41 2nd Cl Sloan Roll Call Vote Cl Sloan Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lavine Yes Cl Lamb Yes Proposed January 21 Agenda 1401 Dryden Road – Applicant is working on a revised site plan so this will be on the February agenda. After preparation of the SWPPP, the project is being scaled back and they are moving portions of the building to two stories. It doesn’t seem likely they will be ready, but they may have a new presentation for board. 902 Dryden Road – Applicant was hoping to have a revision done. They are working on plan for ten town homes total. They need a final SWPPP before town board action. There was discussion about preliminary approval conditioned on a SWPPP. Our current law does not provide for this, but could be changed in the future. Cl Lavine would like to be able to provide applicants with a sense that the project is acceptable providing the SWPPP is okay. There was a comment that the density chart needs work. A preliminary approval could be part of the zoning law. R Burger will bring information on changing procedures. Hoag/Harvey parcel acquisition – There are proposed resolutions for board review prior to next week. According to the resolution, any contributions from the County (total $15,000) will be deposited into the Rec Reserve fund. Any other funds received toward the purchase would go to the Rec Reserve. Co-location on County antenna – This a County-owned antenna and it was determined originally that it did not need a Special Use Permit. The proposed resolution states that the town is taking affirmative action to say it does not need a Special Use Permit and acknowledging there is now an amendment to the tower. The tower is on Mt Pleasant Road and houses emergency communication apparatus. There are also some private antennas and PEG Communications is renting space from County. Unfinished Business (next week) Potential vote on Planning Board appointment – The board should have spoken with applicants and should be prepared to vote. TB 1-14-16 Page 5 of 8 New Business (next week) Varna Survey – Dave Weinstein and Craig Anderson of the Planning Board want to survey the Varna community to find out generally what they believe the Varna plan to be. At next Planning Board meeting they will come up with concrete plan. Cl Leifer doesn’t want people to think this will lead to a new Varna Plan . The goal is to try to find out what people understand about it. Resolution to dispose of outdated equipment – This is for computer equipment and cell phones. Town property cannot be disposed of without board authority. Barn proposal – Someone has submitted a proposal to demo the barn on town hall property and recover the timber. It has been deemed an unsafe structure by code enforcement. There was discussion on the cost to restore it and what it could be used for and the possible cost of a new structure. DPW can remove the cinder blocks so that should reduce the expense. Supv Leifer will gather any old information on this that he can find. 284 Agreement - to be voted on next week. The Highway Superintendent will give a brief presentation about what was done last year and w hat he plans to do next year. There are grant funds for stream work. R Young talked with the County about their flood mitigation money and the possibility of using that for Ed Hill Road repairs. That will offset those costs in the highway budget. Liaison to TC3 – Supv Leifer explained that Dan Lamb has expressed interest in serving as a liaison to TC3. Cl Lamb said TC3 is a big asset to the community. RESOLUTION # (2015) – APPOINT LIAISON TO TC3 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby appoints Cl Lamb to serve as its liaison to Tompkins Community College. 2nd Cl Cipolla-Dennis Roll Call Vote Cl Sloan Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lavine Yes Cl Lamb Abstain Chris Denton’s recommendations for zoning amendments – Cl Cipolla-Dennis said there is information from a workshop that she will share with the board. It has to do with zoning as it applies to infrastructure and rights of way. Cl Leifer said he will gather the information and get it to the Planning Board. Cl Cipolla-Dennis said it is a fairly simple change and she doesn’t think we should wait on it. It is important if something were to come before the board. It will help make things consistent with the definition in the franchise agreement and what it means and what it can be used for. It is currently not accurately represented in zoning law. She will attend the Planning Board meeting on the 28th and bring it there. Discussion Board member goals for 2016 Cl Sloan – get a committee organized for trails and a plan of action, with dates, deadlines and goals so the trail can move forward. TB 1-14-16 Page 6 of 8 Cl Cipolla-Dennis –  Work with the Planning Board to look at the zoning law and seeing what can be done to simplify it or help developers understand the process for special use permits. We may be able to reduce the number of instances where a SUP is required.  Work with the Planning Board to look at the zoning law in general.  Look at what the Planning Board has done with the Comprehensive Plan amendments and move that forward.  Modify the renewable energy law to encourage more solar and wind. I t is somewhat restrictive.  Work with the bookkeeper on looking at the budget and figure out potential efficiencies going forward.  Understand the budget better. Cl Lavine –  Interested in the various pieces of sustainability and green space and encouraging developers to consider sustainable alternatives.  Questioning appropriately the West Dryden pipeline.  Trails.  Clarify the zoning law.  Budget cuts – assess current staffing and health insurance costs.  Coherent computer/IT procedures and policies. Cl Lamb –  Is familiar with state and federal government, wants to make sure we get our share of what we pay into.  Sales tax revenues should be looked at, though we do seem to have a generous arrangement compared to other counties in the state.  Transparency on internet sales and how that figures into the sales tax distribution, making sure it gets back to the county and the towns.  Integrating campus activities and use of TC3 use as more of a community resource. Perhaps open those doors a bit more for Dryden residents.  He runs a program at Cornell that involves graduate students in projects. They may have an opportunity to promote a study of agri-tourism, for instance, and could produce professional level report. Supv Leifer –  Get the renewable energy law amended so we can take advantage of remote grid tie opportunities (hopefully by the end of May). He will send this to the Planning Board. Tim Woods could be a big help in figuring out where the limitations came from.  Infrastructure issues in Varna need to be addressed.  Red Mill Road Bridge and Malloryville Road Bridge and figuring out town funding for that.  Budget – start zero based this year.  Cable Franchise – A TCCOG group has been negotiating with Time Warner for a cable franchise without success. They may now be waiting to see if Charter is able to buy them. There is currently funding of $700,000 to roll out last mile fiber that could be taken advantage of. Other counties get a municipal right of way on utility poles for wireless repeaters and he would like to involve villages with this. He will meet with the Mayors in February.  Make more shared services available – explore the possibility of using BOCES for IT and HR service. TB 1-14-16 Page 7 of 8  Hit Albany for the cost of recovering the net the cost of the court for the town –It is not realistic for Dryden to cut to one justice and combining with another town wouldn’t do any good.  Highway funding – The Comptroller said we need to spend more money on our roads. They need to give it to us. They are talking about $22 billion being available for upstate roads and we need to get our slice of it.  Trail funding - There is state money for trails. Supv Leifer reviewed his suggested tasks for advisory boards: Planning Board –  The renewable energy law should be a priority.  The use chart in the zoning law has been an issue since it was passed. Do we need as many special permits as we have?  Moving site plan review and possibly SUPs to the Planning Board. See what the Planning Board thinks about this. It may need a referendum because it takes power away from the Town Board.  Green building code – what can be done to ease that transition?  Fill ordinance – the point would be to make sure that fill is compacted properly so the property can be built on. Ag Advisory Committee –  Take up the charge of promoting agriculture in Dryden – agri-tourism. There is money ($50,000) available for grants for farms to work on agri -tourism. There will be a seminar in March.  Farmland protection funds – establish reserve fund/permanent funding source. The farmland protection plan they are working on will help guide this. Conservation Board –  Trails and open space.  Natural resources conservation plan. Recreation & Youth Commission -  Review the capital projects plan from the recreation master plan. Last fall they said they didn’t feel the estimates were still realistic  Reassess whether there is any point in trying to build a c entral facility. There may not be since no funding is available. The water protection group headed up by Steve Winkley needs to meet again. Perhaps someone in the group can take the lead and move this forward. It was reported that he had received little or no response to a survey. Joe Wilson asked whether the board would be reconsidering a road protection law. Supv Leifer said this is not as high a priority as the renewable energy law. He will, however, locate the records on it. There is no haul route notification system across county currently and that would impede any process. No other town is currently doing it. RESOLUTION #27 (2016) – APPROVE ABSTRACTS #13 AND #1 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves Abstract #13 (2015), as audited, general vouchers #1038 through #1134 totaling $260,341.08, and Abstract #1 (2016), as TB 1-14-16 Page 8 of 8 audited, totaling $92,949.49, and further approving outside the abstract payments for heal th insurance coverage not to exceed $70,000.00. 2nd Cl Cipolla-Dennis Roll Call Vote Cl Sloan Yes Cl Cipolla-Dennis Yes Supv Leifer Yes Cl Lavine Yes Cl Lamb Yes There being no further business, on motion made, seconded and unanimously carr ied, the meeting was adjourned at 9:11 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk