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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-12-01 ENFIELD TOWN BOARD MEETING MINUTES DECEMBER 1, 1993 The regular meeting of the-Enfield Town Board was called to order at 7:30 p.m. at the Enfield Community Building, 182 Enfield Main Road, Ithaca, N. Y. with the following members present: -L Jean Owens - Supervisor Robert Linton -Councilman Pat Dougherty- Councilman Donald Lovelace- Councilman Linda VanNederynen -Councilman Others Present:: Betty Poole- Town Clerk Interim Ron Updike- Highway Superintendent M. Clyde Hubbell- Historian John Smith -Cemetery Committee Alice Laue-Town Clerk Elect Garry Achilles - Town Councilman Elect Carl D. Newhart-Town Councilman Elect PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Supervisor Owens led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag. PUBLIC HEARING The Public Hearing to consider the Fire Protection Contract with the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company for the year 1994 in the amount of $144,809.00 was opened at 7:32. Supervisor Owens explained that the contract would be the same as the 1993 contract and payments would be made as follows: First payment January 15, 1994 of $10,000.00 or$15,000.00 with the remainder of the first payment made 2/15/94. • Second payment April 15, 1994. Third payment July 15, 1994. Payments of all contacts under one year need to be approved at town board meetings. Councilman Linton requested the clause - agreement to help with audit be deleted from contract. Supervisor Owens will sit down with fire company members and see that this is deleted. Councilman Doughtery would like to see copies of all contracts in advance of time due. Marvin Arnold feels contract to high, he would like to see in dollars and cents how -the fire company spends their money. He asked if the town board asked the fire company for this and was given the following information: Councilman Doughtery has received this information from the fire company and would send a copy to Mr. Arnold. Councilman Linton stated that the Town Board receives a quarterly report. Councilman Lovelace stated that an audit was done last year. Councilman VanNederynen stated that the fire company only had to report monies paid to them by the Town Board. Any anther monies they have they don't have to report to the Town Board. The public hearing was closed at 7:50 p.m. Regular Town Board Meeting opened at 7:51 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 3, 1993 MEETING Supervisor asked for additions or corrections: Correction page 5 - paragraph 3 should read Councilman Linton strongly suggested that the Town should budget for the maintenance and repair of the Town Hall. RESOLUTION: "i U 5 Motion by : Councilman Linton Seconded by: Councilman VanNederynen RESOLVED, that the Town of Board of the Town of Enfield hereby approves the minutes of the November 3rd, 1993 regular Town Board Meeting as amended. • CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY ENFII:LD TOWN BOARD MINUTES APPROVAL OF THE SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING, NOVEMBER 17, 1993 Supervisor asked for additions or corrections to the Special Town Board Meeting, November 17th, 1993. Correct Mr. Luciano Lama to Mr. Robert Lama. RESOLUTION: Made by: Councilman VanNederynen Seconded by: Councilman Linton RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby approves the minutes of the November 17th, 1993 Special Meeting as amended. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY COMMUNICATIONS Supervisor read a letter from the S. P. C. A. with a proposed dog control contract in the amount of $5, 652.00. Director Stonebreaker of the S. P. C. A. was in attendance and spoke on the services offered in 1994. The S.P. C. A. employs six full time and six part time employees. Two full time officers and one part time dog control officer. Modern state approved shelter in Town of Dryden, providing some services for Town of Enfield by impounding owner surrendered dogs and cats. Professional staff to handle stray and surrendered animals, adoption and neuterizations. All incoming animals are vaccinated, warmed, any of age are given a rabies vaccine and all stray dogs are licensed before leaving. Dog Control Officer Glen Grossman also reported on his duties. There are two full time officers and one part time dog control officer. The part time officer works on holidays, Sundays and week end nights. All officers are school 106 trained as animal control officers and New York State Police Officers Cruelty to Animals Investigators and are certified as New York State Wildlife Agents. Basicallyin Enfield they pick up injured and "vicious I icious dogs. No lease law in Town of Enfield so stray dogs cant be picked up, respond to complaints about violations of the local dog control law. Talk to dog owners in violation and if violation continues issues tickets, pick up monthly lists of Unlicensed dog from Town Clerk, send reminders to owners of unlicensed dogs and in ton days N not licensed issue tickets. Also investigate cruelty complaints and N need be obtain,a search warrant from judge, obtain evidence, take custody of animal, issue tickets and sometimes appear in court if arrest is made. Twenty-four hour emergency service, 365 days a year. Call made to 800 number, receive messages by pager at home and respond immediately. After much debate on whether Enfield has a leash law or a dog control law, Councilman Linton clarified this by stating that several years ago it was decided that Enfield didn't need a leash law but that a dog control law was written and passed that stated you have to have a dog under control, not on a leash. Question - Would you say that if a dog was running down the road and there was not a human with the dog that a dog was not under control? Answer- Absolutely. Question - That dog should be picked up? Answer- Right. That clarifies things and the S. P. C. A. would look into the Enfield Dog Control Law. Proposal was based on times called to Enfield and number of dogs i impounded last year. SPRAGUE INSURANCE AGENCY: Supervisor Owens read a letter from Jeff Farmer, Sprague Insurance Agency representative, stating that there would be small refund to the Town of Enfield on last years insurance premium with the Selective Insurance Co. between $200.00 and $400.00. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR: Supervisor opened the meeting to anyone in attendance who,would like to address the Town Board. Refired Judge Bob Bock#**ed Supervisor Owens and the Town Board for inviting him to the meeting tonight and congratulated Councilman Linton on his 107 retirement and honored him for his tweny-two years of service to the Town of Enfield as supervisor and councilman. Shirley Hubbell asked if we had two contract to look at for dog control in Town of Enfield and when would they be looked at. Yes, we have two contract proposal, but contract will be coming up at a later date. COMMITTEES: County Board of Representative Don Winch - Voting on county budget would be December 7., 1993. Majority of calls received on budget increases are concerns about reducing mandates that can't possibly be reduced in budget and I numbers reduced will probably be spending those funds anyway and will have to make them up by borrowing money which Lis not physically responsible. Mandates going up approximately 20 per-cent a. year, haven't had a twenty per-cent increase over last five years. Twenty per-cent figures approximately same over previous five years. Reduce local expenditures and local services that we provide through the county. Two areas always flit hardest are public works and public services (Sheriff's Patrol.) Two items that scored highest on survey done a year ago asking the public what services they felt were the most important and should be funded are public works and public services and are the ones that the budget. decreases hit the hardest. Mandated items up 78 per-cent, which Mr. Winch has equated to 20 per-cent a year and has been fairly consistent. Optional items that can be trimmed or increased have gone up a total of 17 per-cent over that five year period, which is about 3.4 per-cent a year, which with the rate of inflation is very reasonable but there have been tremendous budget increased because of heavy costs of the mandates. Tremendous impact on budget is loss of revenues gotten from the state. Over five year period'county has averaged a 3.5 per-cent Federal Aid loss. State laid 2.4 per- cent a year so with these losses and increases in mandates we have been hurt in budget and he is increasingly concerned in what has been happening with optional items, which are public works and public safety. Representatives need to convince the public to help representatives to talk to the people in the state and if state is going to mandate programs state needs to help the • county out financially as State and Federal Aid have been drastically reduced but costs have been going up and across the board the an don't work, because they cripple our local services. Q. What about Solid Waste? 108 A. Solid Waste and Social Services are the two areas that people have requested that be looked at the most. Solid Waste is paid for primarily by user fees and is not part of tax increase. Q. What percentage of county budget is going ,property tax, is going into solid S waste? A. Property tax, none, not from revenues of tax base. Comment: Majority of costs out of property tax category , spent a lot of money on a local,program not mandated by the state, saw what impact would be, kept on spending all that money pushed it over on users fee, got so high that it didn't work because it was hauled out of county and now it is coming back on the property tax called an assessment fee, if not paid it will be added to property tax bill, were it belongs. Comment: No interest on assessment fee bill sent out, so if payment was sent in late everything was returned unaccepted because of interest due which you couldn't figure because there was nothing on the bill. When asked what it was under you were told it was under the property tax law. Q. If not property tax law how can it go under property tax bill? A. Assessed fee required a local law. State controller authorized county to make user fee and put it on property tax bill. Q. How much was made on assessment fee? A. Can't have an assessment fee and make a profit. Q. Are you still selling idea of 12 per-cent increase after number of people appearing at the budget hearing at the Court House or willing to make cuts? A, Through budget process did make cuts. I can't expect a zero tax increase because know how much it is going to hurt the programs that people want but will admit that 12 per-cent is high, still will be covering mandated iterns so there will be less services a lot of the people want that will not be provided. Because of delay to 12/7/93 department heads were requested to put together information to the board what will be the impact of 12 per-cent and 133 per-cent as well. • Q. State mandated Social Services program is administered by county11 A. Correct. 110 Q. If administration of program could some how be tuned up so that they actually provided the same services by spending less money, wouldn't that be a savings? A. Yes. Q, Don't you see all kinds of waster in these programs? r A. Not really. Q. Don't you get reports from people? A. From people? Departments? Q. From people, ordinary people like me. If people have complained of this bureaucracy nonsense that has been going on for years and it is a county responsibility to tighten up the administration of these programs to save money, why can't the county board oversee that administration, either through the county administrator or through the department heads that run these programs and make sure that they are run efficiently and we get our monies worth? A lot of people don't mind spending this moriey for Social services if they can see that they are getting their monies worth, but when they see waste and a total ab use of the program they are upset. That's why you have company down there. Comment::: That's called job security. Comment: In the bureaucracy its called job security, but it is the administrators or political machinery over administrators that are supposed to solve that problem, instead of saying, "Well, we can't do anything about it because the state mandates it." Comment: Then there are those of us who sort our cardboard, take our cans back, recycle our bottles and newspapers and all that stuff and the next thing you know after you have gotten into line doing all these things, your trash tags go up and you get a $52.00 assessment. It's like I did everything you wanted me to and now you are fining me for it. Comment: I want to bring up that when you look at social programs I have been studying the aspects of the budget that appear to be non-mandated and am waiting to see if the county is going to be giving some money to the Cooperative Extension, who acts as your agent, to actually do many mandated programs. You don't know anybody who is more oppgsed to a tax increase then me, but I would like to urge the board to look very carefully at across the board cuts, because if you do that to the Cooperative Extension every dollar cut from their budget you loss four more because'of their ability to gain matching funds from other services they pull into the county. Please look at that carefully. They are one of your most efficient agencies. 115 Mr. Winch: There are several agencies we contract with and I agree with you 100 per-cent. JUNK CARE COMMITTEE - ATTORNEY MULVEY Semi-final draft, made changes, mostly typo's. Corrections or additions: Motor vehicles housed within a barn, garages or other fully enclosed secured building will not be considered in determination whether a site is a jcnkyard under this local law. Appeals process system whereby an enforcement officer would be able to work with someone and not take them directly to court right off the bat.so at the very end of Section 17 under enforcement (last page) Town board can appoint an enforcement officer, be that he/she can issue appearance tickets, court returnable in this justice court. Authorize the officer to issue notices of violations prior to issuance of the ticket that allows property owner to take care of the problem. If property owner is upset by what enforcement officer said property owner can appeal that by filing a notice of appeal with the Town Clerk and appeal can be heard by this court or some appeals court that he designates. APPROVAL OF TOWN OF ENFIELD TOWN BOARD MEETING RESOLUTION: Motion by Councilman Dougherty Seconded by Councilman Linton Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby authorizers and directs the Town Clerk to advertise for a public hearing to be held Wednesday, January 5th, 1994 at 7:00 p.m. regarding a purposed local junk car law. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY Discussion: Question Town Clerk may raise at January 5th hearing is, has the Town Board made any estimate of just how many junkyards they are going to license? • MEETING ADJOURNED at 9:00 p.m. for one-half hour to honor Councilman Linton, Councilman Lovelace and Town Clerk Interim, Betty Poole who will be leaving December 31,1993. 116 MEETING RECONVENED at 9:30 p.m. ENFIELD COMMUNITY COUNCIL: Marne KtrchgMner Minutes distributed. ENFIELD VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY: Greg Kirdxgegsner -.past two Greg thanked the Town Board for their cooperation with him during "Past Councilman years when he was president of the Enfield VolunteerVkl�n�te8�TowBo�ard and felt a lot had Linton thanked Greg for his willingness ration. been accomplished between the two because of Greg's coops HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT: Ron Updike .DOT is to get back to Enfield School in regards to flashing lights. Need Town of Enfield Councilmen and Supervisor to sign agreement to spend highway funds spent this last year. Most of roads have been honed up again and if it gets dry enough would like to hone Harvey Hill Road one more time. Chipper is here, arrived at noon December 1, 1993. TOWN HISTORIAN: Jack Hubbell Commemorative Committee has met and things are progressing slowly. Community building was held for collateral for t��use�n to this.'and it s to be checked to see if it has been released. Supervisor PLANNING BOARD: Bill Mathers Committee is working on subdivision guidelines. Four issues for Town Board to hear and will get back to them after the beginning of the year and see if we can press them further: 1. Planning board feels that they don't have ry good information back from the ve county planning board representative for the Town of Erd Enfield know what is going on with the county and how it many or may not on can be brought to the Enfield Town Board so the Board can decide baak�y want to do. Need better action going so Enfield Planning Board can report 117 2. Would like to invite Ron to sit in on several meetings so they can find out what Ron's plans are along capitol improvements line, talking about chips'fund, for a year or two as he may see it so we have some idea how that fits with what ever growth is happening in Enfield. 3. Generally looking for better ways to improve communications. Don't know when a building permit is issued, a certificate of occupancy is issued, nor sure if fir company gets this information, not sure tied into house numeration correctly. Would like to find a way on a monthly bases to find out what's going on, so nothing is missed that may effect anyone of those agencies and if the planning board can act as a clearing house are willing to do so. 4. Still proceeding to find out exact procedure to declaring some existing map the official map of the Town of Enfield. As mentioned last month.there are some reservations to that and are going to Albany to try and get the right format. Q. Did you have a meeting with a quorum? A. Yes, mama. Q. Did you talk about new member? A. Jean was supposed to draft a letter suggesting an appointment and I assume you haven't received it. I didn't see anything stating that it had been received. I will call and find out why. Mike Williams - Asked for a place where the planning board could secure and store their computer. Councilman Lovelace recommended that Highway Committee be included as well as Ron in meeting on capitol improvements which is supposed to be organizing and getting thins set up for long term planning of what is going to happen to the roads. COUNTY PLANNING BOARD: No Report. CEMETERY COMMITTEE: John Smith and Roger Laue John Smith - Will have meeting in January, if it doesn't snow to much. Arch up at dd Cemetery. Hope to pour rest of arch foundations in the Spring. Big limb down in mrPresbyterian Cemetery due to heavy snow. Ron's going to try the chipper out on it. Roger Laue- One individual 1ias purchased an area in cemetery down here. 118 Meeting in January to start planning and developing where and how certain.monies would be ear marked for thet coming year. $200.00 in contingency fund transferred to Savings.Account. DOG WARDEN: Lorraine Bard Gave explanation of proposal for a new building and renovations to be constructed on her property for $15,000.00 - $20,000-00. Salary for 1994 would be same as 1993, but she would be asking five towns, including the Town of Enfield, to pay$2,000.00 a year on top of salary for three years with salary remaining the same. Would be present proposal to state inspectors December 8th, 1993 for approval. Shirley Hubbell questioned cost of construction, she felt cost was to low. APPROVAL OF MONTHLY BILLS: Councilman Unton expressed his concerns to Highway Superintendent, Ron Updike about the extra expense of trucking cinders with the number of trucks the town has. Superintendent Updike advised that the cinders were bought from Miliken and that towns have fifteen days to move the quantity you want and if not moved in that time the next name on the list gets them and that he had used up any time he had coming from his neighboring towns for trucking. Resolution: Motion made by: Councilman Lovelace Seconded by Councilman.Unton Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield hereby approve for payment warrants December 1, 1993 for the following amounts: General Fund -$5,921.81 Highway Fund - $26,371.89 CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY UNFINISHED BUSINESS: • FIRE PROTECTION CONTRACT 1994 PF 119 RESOLUTION: Motion made by Councilman Linton Seconded by Councilman VanNederynen Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield authorize the Town Supervisor, Jean Owens, to entire into the acceptance of the Fire Protection Contract with the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company for the 1994 year in the amount of $144,809.00. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTION 1994 INSURANCE COVERAGE: RESOLUTION: Motion made by Councilman Linton Seconded by Councilman Dougherty Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield adopt New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal - Wright Municipal Management's insurance proposal for the 1994 year. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN RESOLUTION: Motion made by Councilman VanNederynen Seconded by Councilman Lovelace Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield adopt the County Emergency Preparedness Plan with any further revisions county makes. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 120 RECOGNITION OF SERVICES VOLUNTEER RECOGNITIONS • Are life members of the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company included in this list? Supervisor will follow up on. ENFIELD COMMUNITY BUILDING RENOVATIONS: • RESOLUTION: Motion made by Councilman Linton Seconded by Councilman Dougherty Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield accepts the Charles Hubbell Construction. Inc. bid for renovations in the amount of $43,734.00. DISCUSSION: Money is in fund balance. Q. What do renovations include? A. Removal and replacement of roof, building up of the walls to accept replacement of the roof, removal of facade on front and back, no finishing off inside except there will be some lighteing and fixtures, big overhead door out front removed and a smaller one put in. Ceiling dropped to support it. Ceiling replaced wall to wall, no replacement of existing floor, sub flooring. Addition not finished, ,one step at a time. Q. Septic system and water system is all:adequate to accommodate these new facilities? A. At this point we are not looking an increase in the usage of the building. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY HUD: Q. Councilman Doughtery asked if anything had been heard from HUD? A. No. 121 NEW BUSINESS: RESOLUTION: Motion made by Councilman Linton Seconded by Councilman Lovelace Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield authorize the supervisor to make the necessary transfer of funds to balance the books and advance the payroll for December to General fund to December 15, 1993. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY EXCHANGE OF SOFTWARE Motion made by Councilman Linton Seconded by Councilman Lovelace Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Enfield exchange the Town Clerk software for Court software. CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR; Councilman Doughtery asked about the Mobile Park Law, supposedly to be handed in in April. Town Clerk Interim will hand deliver to Attorney Mulvey's office this week. Another public hearing not necessary. Councilman Elect Garry Achilles asked if Councilman Elect Carl D. Newhart and he would be receiving copies of County Emergency Preparation plan, contracts, etc., and was told yes. ADJOURNMENT: RESOLUTION: Motion made by Councilman Lovelace Seconded by Councilman VanNederynen The meeting was adjourned at 11:18 p.m. Respectfully s"itted. Alice Lau© Town Clerk Elect