HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-10-06 47
TOWN OF ENFIELD
TOWN OF ENFIELD TOWN BOARD MINUTES
OCTOBER 6, 1993
The regular meeting of the Enfield Town Board was called to order
at 7 : 30 p .m. at the Enfield Community Building, Enfield Main
Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 , with the following members present :-
PRESENT: Jean Owens , Town Supervisor
Robert Linton, Deputy Town Supervisor
Pat Dougherty, Councilwoman
Donald Lovelace, Councilman
Linda VanNederynen, Councilwoman
OTHERS PRESENT: Betty F. Poole, Interim Town Clerk
Ronald Updike, Highway Superintendent
M. Clyde Hubbell , Town Historian
John Smith, Cemetery Committee
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Town Supervisor led the assemblage in the Pledge of
Allegiance ito the American Flag.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 1, 1993 TOWN BOARD MEETING
Amendments were made to the minutes of September 2 , 1993 as
follows :
On page 5, 4th paragraph, the word "Old" should be omitted from
"Old" Townline Road as well as on page 10 in the resolution,
renaming a portion of Townline Road.
Also, on page 7 , last paragraph on the page, Rolfe Cemetery
should be changed to Budd Cemetery:
Councilman Dougherty asked for clarification regarding the term
of appointment for the Interim Town Justice, Roger Rector.
Supervisor Owens stated that Justice Rector was not appointed by
the, Town, of Ulysses Board until September 17 and therefore noted
that the resolution appointing Roger Rector as Interim Town
Justice for the Town of Enfield on page 11 will need to be
amended. The term of appointment will be from October 1 , 1993 to
December 31 , 1993 , even though he has been attending the court
sessions since then.
48
She further noted that for the two weeks he has attended, he will
be attending Justice School in November and therefore the Town of
Enfield will compensate him accordingly for that . •
AMENDMENT TO RESOLUTION FOR INTERIM TOWN JUSTICE - SEPTEMBER 1,
1993 TOWN BOARD MINUTES
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Linton Seconded by: Councilman
Dougherty
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
amends the resolution for the appointment of the Interim Town
Justice in the September 1 , 1993 Town Board Minutes to read as
follows : (underlined portions amended as written)
WHEREAS, a vacancy has occurred as a result of the untimely
death of the Honorable Dale A. Townley, Town Justice for the Town
of Enfield and
WHEREAS, the Town of Enfield is in need of a Town Justice to
replace Justice Townley until a new Town Justice is elected and
sworn in January 1 , 1994 and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Roger Rector served as Interim Town
Justice for the Town of Enfield honorably in 1992 and has agreed
to serve again, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
Approves the appointment of Honorable Roger Rector, Town Justice
of the Town of Ulysses to serve as Interim Town Justice for the
Town of Enfield for an interim period from October 1, 1993 to
December 31 , 1993 and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Town of Enfield agrees to pay the Honorable
Roger Rector an annual salary rate of $8 , 000 prorated from
October 1 , 1993 to December 31, 1993 and be it further
RESOLVED, that this appointment is contingent upon the Town of
Ulysses ' Town Board approval at their next Town Board meeting and
upon the approval of Administrative Judge Robert Coutant of the
Sixth Judicial, District and the Office of Court Administration of
the State of New York .
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY •
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 1, 1993 TOWN BOARD MEETING
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman VanNederynen Seconded by: Councilman
Lovelace
49
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 3
OCTOBER 6, 1993
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
approves the minutes of the September 1 , 1993 Regular Town Board
Meeting as amended.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR
Supervisor Owens stated that the Enfield School Improvement Team
had requested a fifteen minute allotment of time to present and
explain to the Board and those in attendance a new management
system called Site Based School Decision ,Making for the Ithaca
City School District which was adopted by the Board of Education
on May 25 , 1993 .
Nancy Siembor-Brown, Principal of the Enfield Elementary School ,
explained the new management system which is outlined in the
Compact for Learning, a new guideline for education in New York
State. She stated that the goal of the management system is to
involve all concerned parties including parents , teachers ,
paraprofessionals and community members in improving the
education for all children. It is hoped that the result will be
that many decisions regarding how education is provided for our
children, will be made at the school level by a team that is
representative of all concerned parties . She solicited comments
regarding the process by which the team will be selected, i . e.
the number of people who should be on the team, who the concerned,
parties or "stakeholders" are, who the team should be comprised
of , and whether there should be terms of office. This would be
done by distributing surveys and requested that they be returned
either in person or mailed back to the school .
She distributed various documents to the board and suggested that
anyone wishing to obtain copies could contact the
Superintendent' s office at the Board of Education building.
Walter Williams, Manager/Chief Inspector, of Commonwealth
Electrical Inspection Service, Inc.Mr. Williams presented the
board with a pamphlet regarding the services of electrical
• inspections his company offers . He would like the board to
consider his company to do electrical inspections in the Town of
Enfield. He stated that his company does inspections for
contractors relative to the National Electrical Code. He further
stated that they are fully insured, registered with the State and
accepted by all of the power companies .
Councilman Linton suggested that the board review the information
Mr. Williams provided and consider adding the company to a list
which the Enfield currently has . This could possibly be done at
50
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 4
OCTOBER 6, 1993
s
the next Town Board meeting .
Gary Achilles, 1:11 Applegate Road, Ithaca, NY Mr. Achilles spoke
regarding the Junk Car Law which is being proposed for the Town
of En_fi.eld.. He stated that he had reviewed the New York State
Junk Car. Law and believes the Town will have trouble enforcing
it . His concerns were winter and summer cars . Some people
license vehicles for the winter months and some for the summer
months . He stated that the way he interpreted the law, as long
as he has a car which is in legal condition and with intent to
put it on the road, this law would not affect him. He further
commented that unless the Town makes other provisions, the Town
would be setting themselves up- for -possible law suits. He
congratulated the committee as they did try to got a good sense
of what the feeling of the community was by sending out the
surveys .
Peter Moore 610 Fish Road, Ithaca, NY, Mr . Moore spoke regarding
the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company and their budget . He
congratulated the Fire Company on doing a fine job for the
residents however he expressed his dismay at their cost of
operations and that they are way out of line . He compared the
budgets of Lansing and Mecklenburg's to Enfield' s and Enfield' s
is much higher . He stated that the fire companies of Mecklenburg
and Lansing hold breakfasts , dinners , barbecues , etc. to help
make money for their companies . He further stated that Enfield' s
new station is unaccessible and unable to facilitate public
occupancy. He believes that it was built that way intentionally.
He reiterated that they are a good company however they are way,
way, out of line on costs every year .
Marty Schreiber, 447 Enfield Center Road, Ithaca, NY Mr.
Schreiber requested clarification on his recent appointment as
the Town of Enfield' s Dog Enumerator and his responsibilities .
He reviewed with the Board, the instructions which were given to
him by the Town Clerk regarding the enumeration. He stated that
he had also been asked by Councilman Dougherty to note the number
of junk cars he saw while enumerating and asked if indeed he
should continue to do this and if the fee of $1 . 00 per dog plus
mileage includes this added request .. •
Councilman Lovelace stated that as far as he knew, unless
something has changed, the Board authorized him to be the dog
enumerator only and if Councilman dougherty has asked him to do
that, it has been strictly been on her own and has not been
through the Town Board so he does not see how the Town could be
paying any extra.
Councilman Dougherty made it very clear that it was strictly on
51
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 5
OCTOBE:R 6, 1993
•
her own. She did ask him if he would keep an eye out and count
the number of junk cars while he was counting the dogs .
Mr . Schreiber remarked that he did not have a problem with it
however he would like to know how much he was getting paid.
Supervisor Owens stated that initially it was $1 . 00 per dog plus
$ . 28/mile which the resolution indicate?.
Mr . Schreiber went on to say that when he was told, he was not
sure in what capacity he was being told this information and he
wanted it from the Town Board directly.
Further discussion followed regarding his procedure in conducting
the enumeration, i . e. if no one is home and he sees dogs in the
yard.
Councilman VanNederynen suggested writing a job description for
the Dog Enumerator .
Supervisor Owens agreed with the idea of a job description
however she suggested that they look at it in the near future.
The issue arose as to some sort of identification for Mr.
Schreiber as there have .been a couple of instances where people
were hesitant to answer the door and he could certainly agree
with this apprehension.
The Town Clerk offered to contact the Sheriff ' s Department to see
if there is some sort of identification card they issue, possibly
on the same line as the ores they issue for solicitors, which
could be used for a dog enumerator.
She will contact them and inform Mr. Schreiber of her findings .
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Lovelace Seconded by Councilman
VanNederynen
• RESOLVED, by the Town Board of the Town of Enfield that proper
identification be obtained for Marty Schreiber, Town of Enfield
Dog Enumerator, in order that he can properly identify himself to
the residents of the Town of Enfield.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
Peter Meskill , Candidate for Tompkins County Board of
RepresentativesMr. Meskill wanted to respond the Mr. Moore's
comments regarding the Enfield Fire Department .
52
ENFhELD T.B. MINUTES 6
OCTOBER 6, 1993
•
He suggested that Mr . Moore had made a statement which was
inaccurate regarding the proposed budget for the Fire Department
this year. He stated that there are other towns within the
county which have a much higher budget than Enfield' s and tax
rates as well . There are towns that are higher and lower and he
feels that the comparison between Lansing and Enfield is not fair
in that Lansing has a much higher tax base than Enfield, with the
Triphammer Mall , NYSEG Power Plant , apartment buildings , etc . . .
..n�. rtwj r n m r U�CO IMITI .,v s i N u
Supervisor Owens received a letter from Sue Webster, resigning
her position from the Town of Enfield Planning Board. She served
on the Board for some 3 to 4 years . This item is listed under
new business on this evenings agenda for a possible appointment .
Supervisor Owens stated that the Board has received a letter from
Judy Nero, secretary for the Fire Department , requesting an
opportunity �o propose a budget to the 'Town Board this evening
and the Board will hear the proposal later on the agenda.
COMMITTEES
A. T.C. Board of Representatives - No one present .
B. Dog Warden - Lorraine Bard was not present .
C. Junk Car Committee - Councilman Dougherty reported to
the Board the results of their meeting on September 22 , 1993 .
They had distributed a pie chart which resulted from the
information obtained from the surveys . It was felt that although
the questions could have been worded a little differently to
produce more clarified and quaI,ified responses , the basic purpose
of the survey had been met . There were 1 ,000 surveys mailed, one
per household which represents approximately 1500 - 1700
residents . There were 179 responses returned, representing
approximately 300 - 375 residents responding to the survey. This
resulted in 80% of the respondents wanting a junk car law •
enforced, whether it be the NYS Junk Car Law or one specifically
for Enfield, but very obvious that people wanted something. 87%
of the respondents do not have junk cars , 60% are willing to
dispose of their junk cars , 72% are in favor of some sort of an
appeals process, 74% concerned about water quality , 72% concerned
about safety, 84% think junk cars are visually offensive, 41% in
favor of no cars , 41% agreeable to 1 to 2 cars . The committee
also discussed some type modification to the NYS Junk Car Law.
Recommendations were made to bring before the Town Board,
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ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 7
OCTOBER 6, 1993
keeping in mind that the survey results show that 80% of the
respondents favor 'Enfield enforcing some kind of law.
Councilman Lovelace, Chair of the committee, reads the survey as
people wanting a modified Enfield law with no more than two cars
and with an appeals process . Councilman Dougherty recommends
going with the NYS Law as it stands , with the option of making
modifications in instituting an appeals process if it appears
appropriate and if it appears it is going to be necessary at some
future point .
Shd asked for Councilman Lovelace' s concurrence on her report .
He stated that it "pretty well covers it . "
Discussion followed regarding the results of the survey and the
process .
Supervisor Owens asked the board how they wished to proceed at
this time.
Councilman Linton responded by saying that there is a resolution
on the books which says the Town of Enfield will enforce the NYS
Junk Car Law. This is already on the books and is believed to be
April 1991 . It is also believed that money was appropriated in
the budget for the enforcement of the law . He stated that so
far the Town has not found a way to use the funds appropriated
very effectively to enforce the law and he feels that part of the
Dro.blem is that there is no much ambiguity and confusion in the
law and subject to a wide variety of interpretation that all of
the meetings that he ha8 attended on this issue, there have been
several. , it seems to be the consensus that the law was
impractical to enforce. Councilman Linton offered the following
motion:
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Linton Seconded by Councilman Lovelace
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of The Town of Enfield hereby
rescinds the resolution of April 1991 , regarding the Town of
Enfield enforcing the NYS Junk Car Law, and be it further
• RESOLVED, that the Town Board directs the Junk Car
Committee along with the Town Attorney, to develop and propose a
law specific to the Town of Enfield and be it further
RESOLVED, that the proposed law include an appeals process .
Councilman Linton maintained this would mean that someone would
have to sit down with the Town Attorney and develop a law that
J
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 8
OCTOBER 6, 1993
•
fine tunes the language in the state law so that everybody knows
where we stand on it and to eliminate the ambiguity . The Town
Board could proceed from that point .
Discussion followed on the floor.
Councilman Dougherty stated that she is totally against the
motion. She feels that it is like the Board is going backwards .
The Board has been trying now for two years to get someone to
talk, to get something together . In the Town of Enfield, 84% of
the people who responded to the survey want to beautify the Town
of Enfield and want to make Enfield a pretty, rural town. When
the west end bridge i-s finished. (The octopus area) , the whole
west end will be open for development and hopefully we will get
some nice development . If the Board rescinds the motion that the
Town Board passed over two and one half years ago and goes back
to square one, then why did the Town spend all of the money on
the survey if we do not want to listen to the people who took the
time to .respond.
Councilman Lovelace responded by saying that we are not saying
that we will not have a junk car law, what we are saying is that
the town is trying to make it where it is enforceable and define
it to the point where each and every individual in the room will
know exactly where they stand with it .
Further discussion ensued regarding the proposed motion.
Councilman Linton pointed out that on a motion to rescind a
resolution requires a two thirds vote which means that two thirds
of the board must vote in favor of the resolution before it is
passed.
Councilman VanNederynen wanted clarification as to when this
would go in to effect regarding rescinding the 4/91 resolution.
Would it become effective immediately or would it become
effective upon the passage of the proposed local law which is to
be written?
Councilman Linton staters that he did not see any reason to keep •
the resolution of 4/91 on the books as no action has been taken
on it since its passage. He advised that the board get rid of
is t .
After continuing discussion regarding the proposed resolution ,
a vote was taken.
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ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 9
OCTOBER 6, 1993
A VOTE ON THE RESOLUTION RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:
Supervisor Owens Aye
Councilman Linton Aye
Councilman VanNederynen Aye
Councilman Lovelace Aye
Councilman Dougherty Nay
MOTION CARRIED
A date will be set later on in the meeting for the Junk Car
Committee to meet with the Town Attorney to propose and develop a
local law to enforce junk cars in the Town of Enfield .
D. Enfield Community Council - Rose Pellegrino spoke
regarding the Enrichment Program which started last Tuesday for
elementary and middle age school children at the Enfield School .
There is music , arts and crafts and a dance program. The After
School Program is going well with close to a full registration
and the pre•-school program has begun at the Community Building
and is held Monday , Wednesday and Friday mornings . They
presently have 8 children enrolled. The Teen Program has a
computer which they are presently working with and they are in
the process of finding a different printer as the one they had
was in need of repair and it was suggested that it would cost
more to fix than it is worth.. Fred Schapiro , of the ACE Program
at the DeWitt ;diddle School , would like to start a tutoring
program with the teens . They meet Wednesday afternoons at the
Community Building . She went on to brief everyone on the auction
which will be held on Friday, October 22 , 1993 at 6 :00 p .m. at
the Corimuni,ty Building. On Saturday, October 23rd will be the
Harvest Festival and will be held in the Grange Hall and the
Community Building. The Firemen will hold a chicken barbecue,
and crafts as well as a ping pang drop directed by Rich Neno .
The Festival will be held from 11 :00 a .m. to 4 : 30 p .m. on the
23rd.
• She went on to say that the Community Council has agreed to
donate $100 . 00 as a memorial for Helen Smith and it should be
used for the arches which are being constructed in the
cemeteries .
Councilman Linton noted that the young gentleman who just left ,
Timothy Robideau, is a high school student and needed to attend a
meeting as part of his history course work in school . He needed
a signature for verification that he attended a meeting and that
56
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 10
OCTOBER 6, 1993
Councilman Linton signed the note.
E. Enfield Fire Company - Greg .Kirchgessner spoke regarding
the companies ' additional request for funding as it pertains to
the budget . He responded to several comments earlier concerning
fund raising efforts by the Fire Company . He stated that they
had, held various events , the Car Show and most recently a chicken
barbecue which was held at Newhart ' s Lodge . The one at Newhart ' s
did about $2 , 000 worth of business . There has been an effort in
trying to raise funds . He further stated that they realize that
the Town has its limitations however they do want the best for
the Town .
Fire Chief George May, briefed the Town Board on the list of
items they have requested as a basis for their increased request
for funding in the 1994 budget . A list was supplied to the Town
Board and he stated that the list is prioritized and a lot of it
is based on fire fighter safety and OSHA and NFPA requirements .
They are trying to get the fire fighters and EMS people to
provide the best service possible .
Members of the Board questioned the Fire Chief on various
equipment which was listed on their request .
Discussion followed regarding last years base and the amount of
the increase for this year .
Councilman Lovelace questioned how the request came down from
$162,000 , their original request, to $1.44,809 , before it came
before the board.
Supervisor Owens stated that she made that adjustment . She
explained how she arrived at that figure and further stated that
she not only did that with Fire but also with the Highway Fund
and General Fund as well . She simply took the tax base increase
and multiplied that by last years fire tax rate and this
represents the same fire tax rate as last year , in order that
there not be an increase in the fire tax rate for 1994 .
Councilman Linton clarified by saying that the Supervisor is
proposing an increase from $142 ,540 to $144,809.
Supervisor Owens stated that if what we want to do is have a zero
percent tax increase that would be the exact tax rate as last
year with an increased tax base .
Further discussion followed regarding the Fire Department budget
and the expenses of the company, i . e . physicals and shots, which
were to have been covered under last years budget and at a cost
57
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 11
OCTOBER 6, 1993
sharing proposition. That is the Town would put in 50% and the
Company would put in 50% . The Chief stated that the $2500
increase for that purpose did not even cover all of the physicals
ne.edeO and that the company did not have the additional funds to
cover the required shots .
Councilman Lovelace and Councilman Linton stated that in fact the
overall increase they were requesting for this year is $22 , 167 or
approximately 14% .
Supervisor Owens stated that she has received in her two years as
Town Supervisor nothing but compliments concerning our fire
company and she thinks everyone is very well aware of how well
trained the men and women keep themselves and also the amount of
time everyone is putting in to that effort to do the best job
they possibly can . She requested that this be noted in the
minutes of the meeting.
Councilman VanNederynen noted that this week is Fire Protection
Awareness Week .
Supervisor Owens stated that they are always looking for new
volunteers and not only for the fire fighters but also
administrative help, as well as the. Ladies Auxiliary.
Chief May asked whether or not the tax base has increased in the
Town over the past three years?
Supervisor Owens responded yes .
Chief May stated then actually the fire tax has gone down because
they have kept their budget the same for three years so
essentially the fire tax must have gone down.
Councilman Linton described what Supervisor Owens has actually
done is that she took the amount of the tax base increase from
last year and used the present fire tax rate and calculated the
amount of increase she proposed for this year in order to avoid
any increase in taxes .
• Supervisor Owens took this opportunity to introduce Virginia
Bryant to the Board and to those in attendance. Virginia will be
working on Records Management and the SARA Grant for the Town.
She briefly stated that she is currently reworking the Records
Management Grant Application which the Town did not receive this
year . The new Town Clerk will be actively involved in the
program and is the official Records Management Officer for the
Town. The Town Board will need to pass a resolution appointing a
Records Advisory Committee as part of the Grant process . There
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ENFIELD T.S. MINUTES 12
OCTOBER 6, 1993
was a resolution passed back in 1989 to appoint the committee ,
however she is unable to locate any place where the committee was
ever appointed. She further explained some of the criteria
needed for the granting process and what the State requires . The
Grant Proposal is due February 1, 1994 .
F. Highway Superintendent - Highway Superintendent Ron
Updike reported on the various projects the highway department
has been involved in over the past month. He mentioned that the
door between the office area and the shop area at the Town Hall
is now locked at all times, per the request of the Town Board .at
the last meeting . Also, the eaves on the Town Hall were loose
which caused the dripping and they are now secured and not
leaking and the handicapped access ramp was completed before
primary day. He mentioned that they have completed VanDorn Road
and Sage Road and surface treated 1 1/2 miles of Enfield Center
Road East from Arcangeli ' s up to Sheffield Road. Also 1 mile of
Harvey Hill Road and Porter Hill Road, the one section of . 25
miles . They have been working in Ulysses as well as Ulysses
working with Enfield in the work sharing and now working on Black
Oak Road getting it ready for winter .
He reported to the Board that he has received a contract
from Tompkins County Highway Department for Snow and Ice Removal
which needs to be approved by the Board. It is a three year
contract and the dollar amount per mile is amended each year
depending on the money spent from the previous year by the County
in their effort on working on the State roads . For 1994 , we are
seeing a 1.3 . 9% increase which would be $520 . 10 per mile for
plowing approximately 16 miles of road.
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Linton Seconded by : Councilman Lovelace
WHEREAS, the Town Highway Superintendent has received the
Snow and Ice Removal Contract from the Tompkins County Highway
Department for 1994 and
WHEREAS, all the terms of the said contract have been •
agreed upon by the parties involved, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
approves and authorizes the execution of the Snow and Ice Removal
Contract with Tompkins County by the Town Supervisor.
'CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
G. Town Historian - Jack Hubbell , Town Historian, mentioned
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EN'FIELD T.B. MINUTES 13
OC'TOBER 6, 1993
that the Town of Enfield has received an autographed copy of the
book "Death Benefit" which he has mentioned in previous meetings
and which a lot of the book pertains to Enfield. The books are
available through ordering at the. Paper Cutter with a 10%
discount and a few are available at a store in the Pyramid Mall. .
The book sells for $20 . 00 . He also mentioned that there is an
article in the March 1993 issue of the Reader ' s Digest concerning
the same case talked about in the book which is titled "Justice
for Deanna He went on to say that he will be at the Town Hall
for the Harvest Festival . He also wanted to mentioned that the
records of the Town are in very bad shape and that the
bookkeepers records are not secured and he would like to see them
secured a:� soon as possible. He questioned the Board' s priority
in spending money.
Supervisor Owens stated that in the proposed budget there are
monies for the purchase of a fireproof safe included under the
equipment line.
Mr . Hubbell did compliment the Board on their approval for the
purchase of a fire proof file cabinet for the Historian several
years ago and is very appreciative .
Discussion followed regarding the records of the Town and the
facilities for storing them.
Supervisor Owen; requested a 10 minute recess at 9 : 40 p.m.
Supervisor Owens reconvened the Board Meeting at 9: 52 p.m.
H. PLANNING BOARDS
Town Panning Board -- Bill Mathers stated that there
was no report from the Town Planning Board as there were not
enough members for a quorum. He stated that Mr . Eddy, who was
recently appointed as the Agricultural Representative, has yet to
attend a meeting . Supervisor Owens stated that she had talked to
Joella Moore, a member of the Planning Board, regarding their
meeting nights . Apparently the night they meet does not seem to
be good for a lot of the members . Joella was to poll the members
to see if possibly there was another night which might be better .
Discussion followed regarding the appointment procedure which was
used to appoint Mr . Eddy to the Board.
County Planning. Board - Rick Chase spoke regarding
their first meeting of the Fall last month with several speakers
present . He briefed the board on the meeting and the upcoming
meeting involving the Tompkins County Outlook Steering Committee
60
ENFIELD T.B. .MINUTES 14
OCTOBER 6 , 199:3
•
on the economics of Tompkins County. He asked that if anyone had
any questions to be addressed lie would be happy to accommodate .
I . Public Safety Committee - Councilman VanNederynen stated
that there was no report .
Councilman Dougherty stated that she has received calls regarding
lowering the speed limit in front of Enfield School and wanted to
know what the procedure was .
Discussion followed regarding previous requests of this sort .
The Town Clerk stated that she believed that the procedure for
this is that those concerned submit a petition to the Town Board,
then the Board submits the recommendation to NYS Department of
Transportation at which time the State DOT sends their engineers
out to do a survey and once completed they report back to the
Board with their findings and whether the request has been
granted or denied.
Councilman Dougherty said that she is very much in favor of the
request and would support it .
J. Cemetery Committee - John Smith reported to the Board on
his various activities for the month. He stated that he had
mowed the back part of Presbyterian, once with the weed eater and
twice with the mower so the back is ready to be mowed next year .
He said that he would possibly be the one to maw the back next
year. He also mowed the back part of Christian twice this summer
with the weed eater and is not ready for the mower yet . He
further stated that there has been a problem with Budd Cemetery.
He stated that he had mowed it on 6/23 . It had not been mowed
for June at that point . Then it was mowed on the 2nd and 20th of
July and was not mowed again until the Supervisor called him in
August and has not been mowed since . He has owed it since then.
Supervisor Owens suggested that the Cemetery Committee should
make a recommendation as to who they would like to mow the
cemeteries next year .
John stated that this had been discussed and that the •
recommendation was to pay him the amount which he vouchered this
month and send a letter stating that his services are no longer
required.
He reported that Greg Kirchgessner has mowed the two cemeteries
he had been responsible for every week with the exception of two
times in July. The job description however called for mowing the
cemeteries a minimum of every two weeks .
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ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 15
OCTOBER 6, 1993
He also reported that he has been working on the memorial arches
with donations of $600 and possibly more to come in . He will set
up a fund for the maintenance and repair of the arches as needed.
He also reported that there was a cast iron urn which was taken
from Budd Cemetery.
Councilman Dougherty commented on the article in the Ithaca
Journal and thought it was a very fitting tribute to Helen and
John Smith for all of the work they have done.
APPROVAL OF MONTHLY BILLS
Councilman Linton complained about the format of the way the
bills were presented. He stated that he would like to have
more information regarding what account is going to be charged.
The Town Clerk stated that the list the Board receives is for
their convenience only. Each individual voucher is at the
meeting for the Board' s review prior to the meeting so if they
have any, questions , they can look at the actual bill and voucher.
After the meeting, the Clerk types up the two warrants , one for
General Fund and one for Highway Fund with all of the account
numbers that are to be charged noted.
Councilman Linton asked why the warrants were not here tonight .
The Clerk responded by saying that she does not get some of the
vouchers until sometimes the day before the meeting and that when
the warrants were completed and presented at the meeting the.
Board made changes and therefore the work would have to be done
twice.
Supervisor Owens noted that under the contractual for the Enfield
Community Council , the monthly dispersement should be $1 ,700 not
$5 , 700 . Other amendments are as follows :
Add to General Fund, bills already paid as follows :
• AT & T $ 1 . 56
NYT $ 35 . 69 Town Clerk
NYT $ 34 . 79 Community Building
Pat Podufalski $ 24 . 83 Bookkeeping Expense
TOTAL $ 96 . 87
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Linton Seconded by: Councilman
VanNederynen
62
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 16
OCTOBER 6, 1993
•
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
approves for payment Warrants 10-93 , as amended, for the
following amounts :
GENERAL FUND -------- ---- $ 9,945 .17
HIGHWAY FUND--------------------$11,162 .53
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
Councilman Dougherty asked when should we hear about the HUD
Grant .
Supervisor Owens stated that we should hear by October 25 , 19�13 .
Town Historian Jack Hubbell questioned the Supervisor regarding a
request which was made last year of the Town Bookkeeper. He
stated that- a request was made to supply him with a listing of
all of the expenses incurred on the Enfield Community Building.
Councilman Linton stated that he would have to find out from the
Town Bookkeeper, Pat Podufalski . He also said that he believed
that particular information would have to come from the Community
Council as they are the ones who pay the bills etc . . .
Further discussion followed.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
A. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR 1994
Supervisor Owens pointed out a couple of errors on the Tentative
Budget . The following corrections should be made :
_PAGE FROM ACCT. TO ACCT. AMOUNT
#4 A1470 . 4 (Ethics) A1620 . 4 (Buildings) $25,000
#4 TOTAL (Ethics) TOTAL (Buildings) $25 ,000
#17 DA5120 . 2 (Bridges) DA5130 . 2 (Machinery) $21 ,100
#17 DA5120 . 4 (Bridges) DA5130 . 4 (Machinery $48 ,000
#17 TOTAL (BRIDGES) TOTAL (Machinery) $69,100
#17 DA5140 . 1 (Misc. ) DA5142 . 1 (Snow Removal ) $26,000
#17 DA5140 . 4 (Misc . ) DA5142 . 4 (Snow Removal) $ 7,000
#17 TOTAL (Misc . ) TOTAL (Snow Removal ) $33,000
63
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 17
OCTOBE.R 6, 1993
The Board concurred that they would like to go through the budget
line by lame and make the necessary changes . After examination
and discussion of each line item the following changes were
recommended to budget :
Account #A1110 . 1 -Justice Personal Services decrease from $20 , 600
to $20 , 200 . This change represents the Justice salaries
remaining at $8 ,000 annually and the court clerks at $2 , 100 each
annually .
Account #A1220 . 1 - Supervisor Personal Services increase from
$5 , 700 to $8 ,700 . This represents an increase in the
Supervisor's salary by $3 , 000 .
Account #A1989 . 4 - Special Items House Numbering add $300 . This
was inadvertently omitted from the budget and should be added.
Account #A3010 . 1 - Public Safety Administration decreased from
$7 , 700 to $7 , 500 . The Board suggested this salary remain the
same.
Account #A3120 . 4 - Police and Constable Personal Services
increase from $2 , 500 to $4 ,000 to facilitate the enforcement of
the prospective junk car law.
Account #A5010 . 1 - Superintendent of Highways Personal Services
increased from $29,000 to $29 , 115 . This represents a cost of
living increase for the Highway Superintendent' s salary .
Account #DA5110 . 1 - General Services Personal Services increase
from $94 , 120 to $94, 620 . This represents a cost of living
increase of . 05 cents for highway employees .
Account #A7550 , 4 - Celebrations Contractual Expense increases
from $3 ,000 to $3 , 500 . There was an agreement for this account
to increase $500 per year for the upcoming event in 1996 .
Account #A8810 . 2 - Cemeteries Equipment decrease from $1 , 000 to
$800 . This change was at the request of John Smith, Cemetery
Committee.
Account #8810 . 4 - Cemeteries Contractual Expense increase from
$3 , 851 to $4,000 . This was also done at the request of John
Smith, Cemetery Committee.
64
ENFIEI,D T.B. MINUTES 18
OCTOBER 6, 1993
Further changes were made on page 22 for Officer' s salaries as
follows :
OFFICER FROM TO
Supervisor $ 5 , 700 $ 8 , 700
Highway Superintendent $29,000 $29, 115
Justice of Peace $ 8 , 200 $ 8 ,000
Councilman Dougherty raised the question on reimbursement -to
retired employees for their medicare, $31 . 80 per month.
Supervisor Owens responded by saying that is only if you are in
the Empire Plan.
Councilman Dougherty stated that this is Medicare, a federal
government mandate, not local . She believes that it is a 'Civil
Service 'Law that this reimbursement be made.
Supervisor Owens stated that Pat Podufalski , the Town of Enfield
Bookkeeper, called Albany and talked with Albany regarding this
situation and they stated that it is a requirement of the Empire
Plan.
Councilman Dougherty gave several examples of people who receive
this reimbursement and they are not affiliated with Empire .
Supervisor Owens said they had asked Blue Cross/Blue Shield and
Albany and they said that Enfield did not have to reimburse the
retired employees .
Councilman Dougherty suggested that someone should look into
before the dollar amounts get out of hand.
Supervisor Owens stated that she would ask the State as well as
our insurance carrier for clarification.
Councilman Dougherty asked about page 14, Item A1081 , In Lieu of
Taxes . She explained that $3 ,000 has been budgeted for that line
item for the past three years and wanted to know why there was
nothing there this year ..
Supervisor Owens reported that she had asked the bookkeeper about
this and that the Town has not received anything from the PILOT' s
(Payments In Lieu of Taxes) in several years .
Councilman Linton stated that the previous Town Clerk had always
lumped the revenues from the PILOT tax into one line and did not
break it down by line item. He stated that these taxes are
65
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 19
OCTOBER 6, 1993
through the Tompkins County Development Authority and that he
believed that the Town has been receiving the monies . He further
stated that he it was on the former Babcock property . He
explained that the PILOTS are a deal where the County makes the
properties tax exempt for the people that are coming in and
building and in turn pay the Town a payment in lieu of taxes .
The Acting Town Clerk asked if they have been billed for -the
PILOT taxes as a hand typed bill needs to be generated annually
and sent to the property owner. She stated that she would check
on the status of the in lieu of taxes with the Tompkins County
Budget & Finance Office as they are the ones who notify the
individual municipal clerks of the participants and when the
obligations have been fulfilled . The Town Clerk will report back
to the Board.
The Board addressed the Fire Protection District portion of the
Tentative Budget
Councilman Linton spoke regarding the amount of increase proposed
for the Protection District Budget . He recommended that the
amount proposed should remain the same. He felt that there is a
little history where the fire company had hefty increases to get
outfitted and a new building and trucks . He thought that within
the past couple of years the Town was in a hold pattern in order
to pay down some of the debt so that the Town does not get too
far out of line with the budget . He further stated that in order
to accomplish that , the Town had to cut some other lines ,
including the Highway budget and some of the general fund. items .
He would urge the Fire Company to hold their budget as well .
Fire Chief May clarified that if this proposed budget is held as
is , then the list of equipment submitted to the Board would go
right out the window. This is due to the cost of insurance,
payments , operating expenses , etc . . . and other increases which
would prohibit the department from keeping up with technology
and/or requirements .
The Board questioned the Chief about the list his department had
. submitted. They suggested possibly more fund raisers however the
Chief stated that they had a fund raiser at Newhart ' s Lodge and
not very many people showed up . Councilman Dougherty suggested
that possibly better advertisemeiit would be in order , that a lot
of people were not aware of the barbecue.
The Chief elucidated the fa--t that the Town is paying for the
Community Building to be cleaned but the Fire Department has to
raise money to pay for the trucks to fight the fires , in which
they are all volunteers . He asked why the Town doesn' t have
66
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 20
OCTOBER 6; 1993
volunteers to run the Community Council , to teach the swim
program, etc . He went on to explain that the Fire Company is
100% volunteer. He asked the Board which services they would like
cut .
Councilman VanNederynen stated that she is not saying that they
have to cut services . All she is saying is that it is the
department ' s operating budget which is very high and it is what
they have made for themselves . The Town has supported that
budget above and beyond support of other organizations of the
Town. She stated that the Town must draw the line someplace .
Chief May reiterated the federal and state mandates which they
must comply with which are extremely costly.
Councilman Linton responded saying that the word was out that the
Enfield Fire Company is one of the best housed and equipped rural
fire departments in Tompkins County. If it was compared with some
of the rural fire departments in Schuyler County, it is way far
and above that . He further stated that they reed to pay down
some of their debt before they go spending more money .
Chief May asked why there was no one present from the Board at
their meetings when they had discussed the budget . He further
stated that for the past two months when the budget was the topic
of discussionn at the department ' s meetings , there was no liaison
officer from the Town Board present . This is a communication
link to the Town Board.
Councilman Lovelace stated that he was the liaison to the
department for those meetings however he stated he contacted them
one night as he had to work and the other night he contacted them
later to let them know he had been working .
supervisor Owens responded by saying that in the event something
like this does happen, there should be a back up liaison to fill
in.
Further discussion ensued regarding the costs of the department
and the need to cut back on spending . •
67
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 21
OCTOBER 6, 1993
•
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Tinton Seconded by: Councilman
VanNederynen
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
adopts the 1994 Town of Enfield Tentative Budget as amended as
the 1994 Town of Enfield Preliminary Budget .
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
B. Set Date for Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of 1994 Town
of Enfield Preliminary Budget as Town. of Enfield FINAL Budget
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Linton Seconded by: Councilman Lovelace
WHEREAS, the Town Supervisor has presented the 1994 Town of
Enfield Tentative Budget to the Town Board for their review; and
WHEREAS, the Town Board has reviewed and approved said 1994
Town of Enfield Tentative Budget , now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes and directs
the Town Clerk to advertise for a Public Hearing to be held at
the next regular meeting of the Town Board at 7 : 45 p .m. ,
Wednesday, November 3 , 1993 to consider the adoption of the 1994
Town of Enfield Preliminary Budget as the 1994 Town of Enfield
Budget .
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
C. Community Building Renovations
Supervisor Owens asked for the opinion of the Town Board
regarding the roof replacement for the Enfield Community
Building. She has received a tentative bid from Charlie Hubbell
initially to redo the roof . It will require some capital
improvement with a peaked roof and a second floor. Conceivably
in another year or so the court could possibly be moved there and
offices for other Town officials . She will continue to look into
the matter and report back to the Board.
D. Three Party Agreement
Supervisor Owens explained what the Three Party Agreement
involves . She stated that it is an agreement between our
official depository, Tompkins County Trust Company, The First
68
ENFIELD T.B. MINUTES 22
OCTOBER 6 , 1993
National Bank of Chicago and the Town of Enfield. It is an
agreement which complies with the Comptroller' s Office and is to
insure that the monies held at the Tompkins County Trust Company
are audited and are in compliance with the State Comptroller' s
Office. In short , a resolution is needed from the Board to
authorize the Town Supervisor to sign the agreement so they can
continue to monitor the Town' s monies held at TCTC on a monthly
basis .
RESOLUTION:
Motion by : Councilman Linton Seconded by : Councilman
VanNederynen
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby
authorizes the Town. Supervisor , on behalf of the Town of Enfield,
to enter into the Three Party .Agreement with Tompkins County
Trust Company, The First National Bank of Chicago and the Town of
Enfield.
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY
E. VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION EVENT
Supervisor Owens has suggested getting a list of all
volunteers within the Enfield Community and perhaps in December
possibly the Board would be willing to sign certificates for them
and invite them to come to the next Board meeting and make the
presentations . The cost would be minimal .
Councilman Linton concurred with her and further suggested that
this could be a start and then possibly develop a plan for
something more at a later date.
NEW BUSINESS:
A. Consider appointment to the Town of Enfield Planning
Board
Supervisor Owens suggested that possibly the Board would want to
make an appointment to the Planning Board. •
Councilman VanNederynen commented on the Planning Board presently
having several applications and if Virginia is next on their list
then she would approve it . Councilman Dougherty also stated that
she would seconded it as well: .
Supervisor Owens stated that there has not been a formal
recommendation from the Planning Board and stated that she has
only talked with Joella Moore to find out the specifics .
69
ENFIELD TsB. MINUTES 23
OCTOBER 6, 1993
•
Councilman Linton commented on a procedure which has been
established. First of all , the recommendation must come from the
Planning Board in writing and that before they do that, they must
make a diligent search by advertising the vacancy which exists on
the Board. This would make people in the community aware of
that .
It was suggested that this item be tabled until further
information is available to the Board.
ADJOURNMENT:
RESOLUTION:
Motion by: Councilman Lovelace Seconded by: Councilman
VanNederynen
The meeting was adjourned at 12 : 52 a.m.
Respectfullyy44,ibmitted,
Be ty . Poole
Interim Town Clerk