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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch_10,_2010_Regular_Meeting[1].pdfTown of Enfield Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes Enfield Community Building Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:45 p.m. Present: Town Supervisor Roy Barriere, Town Councilperson Chris Hern, Town Councilperson Jean Owens, Town Councilperson Debbie Teeter, Town Highway Superintendent Barry Rollins, Town Clerk Alice Linton Excused: Town Councilperson Stephanie Gaynor Supervisor Barriere opened the meeting at 6:45 p.m. by leading the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Privilege of the Floor: Nancy Spero of 68 North VanDorn Road spoke about concerns with Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Rob Sullivan of 68 North VanDorn Road spoke about concerns with Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Beth McGee of 173 Tucker Road spoke about the Marcellus Shale gas drilling task force. Diane Aramini of 120 South Applegate Road spoke about the new highway facility and bonding. Presentations: Jay Franklin, Director of Assessment and Irene Kehoe, Assistant Director of Assessment, of the Tompkins County Department of Assessment spoke about their office and ways they are available to support individual towns. Their main duty is to value property at 100% each year. This year a parcel by parcel review was done in Enfield, with most changes due to something physical done to the property. Property owners can file a formal grievance with the Board of Assessment Review. July 1 is when the final assessment roll is filed. Exemption deadlines were March 1, however agricultural land exemptions are April 1. Mike Newbold gave a brief presentation on the 2010 Census. He has brochures available and is also recruiting workers for temporary part-time jobs. Approval of Minutes: Councilperson Owen moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter to approve the minutes of the February 10, 2010 regular town board meeting and the minutes of the March 4, 2010 public hearing on the town highway facility. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Correspondence: Letter received from Micah Howell regarding Marcellus Shale issue to which Supervisor Barriere responded. Notice from BOCES that there is a Career and Tech Open House on March 18, 2010 from 6-8 p.m. Letter from Haefele TV, Inc. with notification of cable rate increases effective April 1, 2010. Letter supporting the broadband effort was sent out by Supervisor Barriere on March 2, 2010. Budget Amendments: Enfield Town Board Meeting, March 10, 2010 2 Resolution #2010-28 Budget Amendment No. 2-2010 WHEREAS, the Wind Farm Developer’s Agreement has been signed and an escrow account has been established, these funds need to be accounted for in the Town’s budget, therefore be it RESOLVED, that General Fund Revenue Account A510 be increased by $15,000.00, General Fund Appropriations Account A910 be increased by $15,000.00, General Fund Account A4989, titled “Other Home and Community Services” be increased by $15,000.00, and General Fund Account A8020.4, titled “Planning Contractual”, be increased by $15,000.00. Councilperson Teeter moved to accept the proposed Budget Amendment No. 2-2010 with a second by Councilperson Owens. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Resolution #2010-29 Budget Amendment No. 3-2010 WHEREAS, funds are needed to cover expenses incurred in 2009 and inadvertently not paid, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that General Fund Account A1990.4, titled “Contingency” be decreased by $100.00 and General Fund Account A7550.4, titled “Celebration – Contractual” be increased by $100.00. Councilperson Owens moved to accept the proposed Budget Amendment No. 3-2010 with a second by Councilperson Teeter. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Audit Claims: Councilperson Teeter moved, with a second from Councilperson Hern, that the Town Board authorize the supervisor to pay General Fund Vouchers #60-92 dated March 10, 2010 in the amount of $12,127.93 and Highway Fund Vouchers #46-59 dated March 10, 2010 in the amount of $12,703.64. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Supervisor Barriere announced that the Town of Enfield has been chosen for an IRS audit. It is important that vouchers have descriptions of items purchased, with as much detail as possible. County Legislator’s Report: Jim Dennis reported that Tompkins County employee Kevin Sutherland is a contact person for the 2010 census. The county is hoping to show a population of 100,000 during this census. All residents are encouraged to fill out and return the census form. Tompkins County has looked into the broadband issue, but doesn’t have funds available to proceed. Mr. Dennis suggested that if towns and villages banded together they could have better broadband access. Gas drilling has been a big concern in the county, but the county planning department doesn’t have anyone completely devoted to the issue. Enfield is a member of the health care consortium – this may be up and running in the next month or so. As of now, it appears that state aid cuts to Tompkins County will be about four million. Towns can choose to take sales tax, or not, but counties are not required to give sales tax money to towns. Tompkins County has no plans to change the deals they now have with towns. Enfield Town Board Meeting, March 10, 2010 3 Committee Reports: Highway: Highway Superintendent Barry Rollins reported he has information on a hearing test program. OSHA requires that towns have employees tested yearly. Five towns will be working together to share the cost, so our cost would be about $80 per person. Spring clean-up is usually held in May, but we may not be able to take tires this year. The town has wood chips and fill dirt available. There is an old plow and frame that can be turned in for scrap. Councilperson Teeter moved, with a second from Supervisor Barriere to authorize the highway superintendent to dispose of unneeded iron at the highway facility by selling it as scrap. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Superintendent Rollins would like to coordinate work by the Soil and Water Conservation District with the work the county will be doing on the bridge over Enfield Creek. The highway department would like to purchase a backhoe to put in culvert pipes, either new or used. New backhoes run around $70,000, while used ones would be $40,000 to $60,000. There is a municipal auction in Palmyra in May and state bids are good until April 30. This issue will be put on the agenda for April. There is currently $98,000 in the equipment reserve. Councilperson Teeter asked if the town has a replacement plan. The board will be working on a long- term plan for when equipment should be replaced, and hope to have it ready for next month’s meeting. Code Enforcement: Alan Teeter reported 4 building permits were issued, 1 certificate of occupancy was issued, 2 applications for new homes were received, and 12 building inspections were completed along with 8 progress checks. One house number was issued and 3 house numbers were installed. Planning Board: Councilperson Teeter reported that the board reviewed plans for a subdivision on Buck Hill Road, and determined they had everything needed for approval. The board also continued looking at the site plan review law and should have a final draft at their next meeting. At the next meeting they will also look at maps from the county that may be helpful in starting the process of identifying critical environmental areas in the town. Councilperson Teeter moved with a second by Supervisor Barriere to have the Town Board charge the Planning Board with identification of critical environmental area recommendations to the Town Board. Discussion: This document would probably be filed with the Department of Environmental Conservation. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Health Insurance Consortium: Herb Masser reported that with the new insurance program the premium will remain the same, but there will be better coverage including dental, eye glass, and prescription coverage. There is no certain date yet for when the plan will take effect. At this time there is no plan to include volunteer firefighters in the plan. Jim Dennis also encouraged the Town to join the consortium as he feels the plan is an excellent one. Enfield Town Board Meeting, March 10, 2010 4 Enfield Community Council: Carolyn Tschanz handed out the annual report. The Community Council is looking for a coordinator for the Harvest Festival which will be held Saturday, September 18. Summer camp is proceeding, although the budget is not completely in place. A $4,000 grant has been received from the United Way. Summer camp dates are July 5 to August 14 with hours 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The proposed cost will be $473.80 per child and each spot that is reserved will be paid for, whether the child uses the spot or not. Work on a quilt to be raffled at the Harvest Festival will begin soon. The elementary basketball program has just ended and a 51st birthday celebration is being planned for Enfield School this spring. The Enfield PTA is putting together a yearbook and raising money so all children will be able to have a copy. Enfield Volunteer Fire Company: Art Howser reported the fire company responded to 11 EMS calls in February in addition to 2 motor vehicle accidents, 1 tractor fire, 1 smoke condition with no fire, 1 CO detector activation, 1 mutual aid to Newfield, and 1 mutual aid to Trumansburg. March training is ice rescue/EMS cold weather protocol, truck checks and tools, SCBA advanced skills and obstacle course/EMS bleeding protocol. The new 602 engine is expected to be delivered next week. The old truck has not yet been sold. Art mentioned that every house should have a carbon monoxide detector. Facilities Manager: Councilperson Hern reported two door knobs have been replaced at the Food Pantry. The bulletin board issue has not yet been resolved. Communication Access Committee: Councilperson Hern reported this committee has not met yet. Public access and broadband issues will be discussed. Facilities Development: Councilperson Owens noted minutes of the public hearing are available at the town clerk’s office or on our website. TC Council of Governments: Supervisor Barriere reported the road construction law has been completed. Highway Superintendent Rollins and Supervisor Barriere will meet next week with other supervisors and superintendents to put together a road preservation law with the county. Old Business: Approval of Resolution #2010-9: Resolved, the Town Board appoints Alan Teeter to fill the position of Senior Code Enforcement Officer and Carl Staley to fill the position of Code Enforcement Officer. Motion made by Supervisor Barriere and seconded by Councilperson Owens to accept the Resolution. Discussion: This Resolution was passed in January, but Councilperson Teeter asked for another vote once another board member was present. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter abstain, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Enfield Community Council Funding: At the last meeting the board voted to continue with matching funds from the county, even if the county does not contribute. This will bring the total town payment to $36,853.52. The board decided to wait until Barbara Lifton’s office makes a decision on funding before changing their budget and will bring this discussion back to the table next month. Enfield Town Board Meeting, March 10, 2010 5 Developer’s Agreement/Escrow Account: An escrow account has been established for the town by the Black Oak Wind Farm. Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter, to authorize the attorney and engineers to move forward and complete the determination report of the application and advise us as to what needs to be done to complete the application. Discussion: Funds can be transferred as of tomorrow. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. New Business: Approval of Bond Resolution for proposed highway facility: Due to the fact that there are still questions, and that the full board was not present, this item will be on the agenda for next month. Approval of the Health Insurance Consortium Resolution: Resolution #2010-27 Authorization to Enter Into an Agreement with the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) is comprised of all the municipalities in Tompkins County, and WHEREAS, the Town of Enfield is a member of the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG), and WHEREAS, health care costs for Tompkins County and other local governments have been increasing each year at rates much higher than inflation, which can be addressed by pooling our buying power, and WHEREAS, in 2007, the County, on behalf of TCCOG, accepted an incentive grant award under the New York State Shared Municipal Services Program to assist the municipalities in Tompkins County to create a local municipal health care consortium, and WHEREAS, the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium developed health benefits coverage for all participating municipalities with the intent of providing a net savings to the taxpayers of Tompkins County, a goal the Town of Enfield supports, and WHEREAS, TCCOG encourages the signature of an inter-municipal agreement by TCCOG members, now therefore RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Town Board, the Supervisor of the Town of Enfield is hereby authorized to execute a municipal cooperative agreement effective on or about May 1, 2010, with the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium for the New York State Shared Municipal Services Program. Special note: In June-August, 2009, municipalities passed a similar resolution. However, most resolutions included the condition that the agreement could only be signed as written on that date. The Consortium has revised Enfield Town Board Meeting, March 10, 2010 6 the agreement language to comply with the intent of the New York State Insurance Department’s Article 47 law, which governs municipal health consortiums. The substantive change to the agreement is the inclusion of a union/labor representative as a voting member of the Consortium’s Board of Directors. Councilperson Teeter moved, with a second by Councilperson Hern, to pass the Resolution. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Schedule Public Hearing on the proposed Mass Gathering Law and the proposed Road Construction Law: Councilperson Owens moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter to set a public hearing on the proposed Mass Gathering Law followed by a public hearing on the proposed Road Construction Law at 6 p.m. on March 31st. Discussion: Highway Superintendent Rollins was asked how he felt about the new law. He responded that there are many fees and permits required, and they may not be in place yet. We have to be careful not to hurt the local people with our law. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Discuss Dog Licensing: Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter to keep the dog fees as they are and take a look at changing the fees for 2011 by adopting or amending the law. Discussion: If we get a dog enumerator this year, it will help compensate for the difference in fees that we could get by raising rates at this time. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Deferred Compensation Plan: Councilperson Teeter will chair a committee that can put together a Request for Proposal and prepare a presentation. Town Justice Betty Poole has been asked to join the committee along with a representative from the highway department. This could cause extra work for the town bookkeeper. Appoint new member to the Planning Board: A recommendation was received from Virginia Bryant recommending the town board appoint Mike Carpenter to fill the remaining open seat on the Planning Board. His appointment will bring the Planning Board to full strength. Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Hern to appoint Mike Carpenter to fill the position with a term ending December 31, 2014. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. A motion made last year to appoint Keith Smith to the Planning Board had the wrong date entered in the motion. Enfield Town Board Meeting, March 10, 2010 7 Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter, to change the motion made previously so that Keith Smith’s term will now end December 31, 2015. Vote: Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye, Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere, aye. Announcements: Councilperson Teeter shared information she gathered after last month’s meeting about consolidation of fire departments. She found that the consolidation was not for rural communities, but for urban, heavy populated areas, where there are multiple independent departments serving in close proximity. This would be similar to what consider mutual aid. Supervisor Barriere reported that the Town of Ulysses, at this point, is not interested in joining to form a Board of Ethics. The Town of Newfield is somewhat interested, so we will continue to pursue this idea. Adjournment: Councilperson Teeter moved with a second by Councilperson Owens to adjourn at 9:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Alice M. Linton Enfield Town Clerk