HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember_10,_2010_Regular_Meeting[1].pdf
Town of Enfield
Regular Town Board Meeting Minutes
Enfield Community Building
November 10, 2010
6:45 p.m.
Present: Town Supervisor Roy Barriere, Town Councilperson Stephanie Gaynor, Town
Councilperson Chris Hern, Town Councilperson Jean Owens, Town Councilperson Debbie
Teeter, Town Highway Superintendent Barry Rollins, Town Clerk Alice Linton
Town 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: Dave Dimmick of 466 Fish Road spoke in opposition to the new
highway facility. He received a flyer indicating all of the town board concurred with the
information presented on the new facility. He feels this wasn’t true and wonders why all
board members’ opinions weren’t included in the flyer.
Correspondence: Letter from Nancy Zahler of Tompkins County Youth Services
announcing the appointment of Amie Hendrix as its new Director of Youth Services.
Notice of the 2010 annual meeting of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County at
the Ramada Inn on November 17, 2010.
Meeting notice of Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council on November 16 at the
Transit Center, 737 Willow Avenue at 10:00 a.m.
Report on Community Celebrations Grant for the Enfield Harvest Festival held September 26,
2010.
Approval of Minutes: Councilperson Gaynor moved to accept the general meeting minutes
of October 13, 2010 with a second by Councilperson Owens.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Councilperson Teeter moved, with a second by Councilperson Hern to accept the minutes of
the public hearing held October 27, 2010.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor abstain, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Budget Amendments:
Budget Amendment #25-2010
WHEREAS, the balance of the Wind Farm Escrow Account has gone below $2,000.00, and
WHEREAS, a check in the amount of $10,000.00 was received from the Wind Farm
Developer, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the General Fund Account, line item A4989, titled “Other Home and
Community Services”, be increased by $10,000.00 and General Fund Account, line item
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 2 -
A8020.41, titled “Home Community Services, Planning Contractual – Escrow Account”, be
increased by $10,000.00.
Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter, to approve Budget
Amendment #25-2010.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Budget Amendment #26-2010
WHEREAS, the expenses exceeded the amount budgeted in the General Fund Account, line
item A1670.4 titled “Central Printing and Mailing - Contractual”, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the General Fund Account line item A1010.4 titled “Town Board –
Contractual, be decreased by $800.00; and General Fund Account A1670.4, titled “Central
Printing and Mailing - Contractual” be increased by $800.00.
Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Owens, to approve Budget
Amendment #26-2010.
Discussion: Councilperson Hern asked why $800 needed to be transferred. Supervisor
Barriere responded that expenses exceeded the budget line.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern nay, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Budget Amendment #27-2010
WHEREAS, expenses are anticipated to exceed the budget in the General Fund Account, line
item A1110.4, titled “Justice Contractual”, now therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the General Fund Account A1110.22 titled “Justice JCAP Equipment”, be
decreased by $47.40; and General Fund Account A1110.4, titled “Justice Contractual”, be
increased by $47.40.
Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Gaynor, to approve Budget
Amendment #27-2010.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Budget Amendment #28-2010
WHEREAS, expenses are anticipated to exceed the budget in the Highway Fund Account,
line item DA5110.4, titled “General Repairs Contractual”, and line item DA5130.4, titled
“Machinery Contractual”, now therefore be it
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 3 -
RESOLVED, that the Highway Fund Account DA5110.1 titled “General Repairs Personnel”,
be decreased by $20,000.00, Highway Fund Account DA5110.4, titled “General Repairs
Contractual”, be increased by $8,000.00, and Highway Fund Account DA5130.4, titled
“Machinery Contractual” be increased by $12,000.00.
Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Hern, to approve Budget
Amendment #28-2010.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Audit Claims: Councilperson Owens moved that the Town Board authorize the supervisor to
pay General Fund vouchers #273-306 dated November 10, 2010 in the amount of $13,250.91,
and Highway Fund vouchers #173-188 dated November 10, 2010 in the amount of
$12,858.15. Motion seconded by Councilperson Teeter.
Discussion: Councilperson Hern stated he doesn’t feel the flyer sent to the public in support of
the highway facility should be paid for with public funds as it was misleading and inaccurate.
He feels there were critically important facts missing such as the amount of interest to be paid
over the term of the bond, the size and frequency of the payments, and the length of the bond
term. He questioned if anyone on the board knows the specifics of the facility that was
estimated in1993 at $385,000.00 – did it have a salt structure, did it have 900 feet of roadway,
how many square feet was it – was it comparing apples to apples or apples to bananas.
Supervisor Barriere asked if Councilperson Hern felt there was false information in the flyer.
Councilperson Hern responded he didn’t know if this was false information, but he spoke with
the highway superintendent who stated the roof does not leak, so that would be false
information. The heaters are not freestanding – they are wall mounted furnaces just like many
people have in their homes – forced air furnaces. That is somewhat misleading, but may not
be false. He also doesn’t believe that $200,000.00 will cover the extra $50,000.00 for the
bond payment if we spend all the money for much more than 4 years. Supervisor Barriere
responded the board needed to let the public know about the bond proposition. The board, not
necessarily all the members, approved the bond resolution, so it was important to let the
public know what the bond resolution was all about. There were many people who did not
attend the public hearing. Councilperson Hern responded that there is a lot of information in
the flyer that is not part of the bond proposition and a lot of information that is missing that is
part of the bond proposition. Supervisor Barriere responded that information was available at
the town hall if anyone wanted to research the project. All the information couldn’t be
included in the flyer. Councilperson Teeter stated this could have been included in a
newsletter if one were published at this time, and doesn’t feel the information included had to
be approved by the board. She stated we have a facilities committee that has been charged
with overseeing details of the project. Councilperson Hern asked if Councilperson Teeter felt
the information in the flyer was complete and accurate and she responded that she did. She
feels the board has seen a lot of numbers that support that we’ve got the funding to do what’s
needed without raising taxes.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern nay, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
County Legislator’s Report: Jim Dennis reported a public hearing was held on the county
budget with about two-thirds of those in attendance in favor of the proposed budget. It looks
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 4 -
like half of the youth services budget will be restored. The costs of pensions and Medicaid are
the biggest budget increases. Dave McKenna stated he feels this is a good budget and
supports it. Revenue for the county comes from property taxes and sales tax revenue. The first
and second quarters looked good for sales tax, but the third quarter was not good.
Highway Superintendent’s Report: Buddy Rollins reported that CHIPS money should be
coming in on time. His crew has been cutting shoulders and ditching on VanOstrander Road,
and he hopes to get to all roads before the ground freezes. The recent rains have made Fish
Road muddy, as it is a dirt road. Buddy is preparing the road to be paved next year, so hopes
to have it graded soon. He has also been working on the potholes on Stonehouse Road. Buddy
stated his men were going to put the Town of Enfield sign back up, but realized it has to be
mounted on breakaway posts, so they can’t use steel beams. It appears that we should wait
until spring to put the sign up and look into options for mounting it in the meantime.
Buddy was thanked for the work he and his men did delivering a crate for the food bank and
painting the door to the town clerk’s office.
Supervisor Barriere received a list of those who completed the New York State Municipal
Insurance Reciprocal training. They were Brandon McGee, Buddy Rollins, Charles Sinclair,
Dave Owens, Gabe Newhart, and Scott George.
Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second by Councilperson Teeter, to allow the highway
department to change their holiday from Thursday, November 11 to Friday, November 12 in
2010.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens abstain,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Code Enforcement Report: Alan Teeter reported that 8 new building permits were issued in
October, bringing the year to date total to 67. Two certificates of occupancy were issued, 5
certificates of completion were issued, 4 foundation inspections were completed, along with 3
frame inspections and 3 insulation/energy code inspections and 6 final inspections. One
complaint was received and 2 house numbers were issued. The code enforcers met with a
state official regarding a couple of issues with buildings in the town. Last week Alan attended
training in Binghamton regarding the 2010 version of the building codes that are now out and
will be effective the first of the year. Carl Staley has not attended a training session yet.
Committee Reports:
Planning Board: Councilperson Teeter reported the planning board did not meet this month,
but many members plan to attend training at TC3 on December 1.
Health Insurance Consortium: Councilperson Gaynor moved to appoint Herb Masser as the
Town of Enfield representative on the joint health insurance consortium committee. Motion
seconded by Supervisor Barriere.
Councilperson Gaynor stated the committee is expected to meet quarterly, but that could
change.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 5 -
Enfield Community Council: Ann Rider reported she will be acting as president for the
remainder of the year, due to the resignation of the current president. She also reported that
102 youth were served in summer camp, where 14 local youth were employed. The deadline
for the next newsletter is November 16 in hopes that it will be in mailboxes the first part of
December. The Community Council is looking for officers to serve next year, starting in
February.
Beautification Committee: Ann Rider thanked Buddy Rollins for the nice job he and his
men did at the corner of Route 327 and Route 79. There is now a nice level gravel pad for
signs, potholes have been filled in, and the area has been brush hogged. Fall work should be
finished this week and the holiday banners will be up soon.
Enfield Volunteer Fire Company: Art Howser passed on the following information:
Monthly calls in September were 35, with 25 EMS , 6 motor vehicle accidents, 1 car fire, 1
shed fire, 1 mutual aid to Ithaca Central Station and 1 mutual aid to Newfield. Monthly calls
in October were 29 EMS, 2 motor vehicle accidents, 1 investigation due to electrical short, 1
structure fire, 1 home fuel oil leak investigation, 1 mutual aid to Trumansburg, 1 mutual aid to
Newfield, 2 tree and wires down, 1 false alarm 911 hang-up. Trainings include incident
command, scene safety & radio communications, ladders & ventilation, auto extrication,
chimney fire suppression, station & vehicle winterization. The fire company supported a
Halloween candy hand-out night at the station and $550 was donated towards holiday baskets.
Facilities Committee: Councilperson Hern reported that HALCO came to service the
furnaces in the town hall and highway facility. The furnace for the town hall was red tagged.
Chris is meeting with HALCO regarding a new furnace. He plans to look at waste oil heaters
for the workshop and will get 2-3 quotes for the town hall furnace. He is also hoping to get a
heat duct into the break room.
Community Access Committee: Councilperson Hern stated there was nothing new to report.
Facilities Development Committee: Councilperson Owens reported the facilities committee,
town supervisor and highway superintendent met with Resource Associates to fine tune the
new highway facility plan. It appears that January will be the best month to go to bid in order
to get competitive bids.
Personnel Committee: Councilperson Teeter stated there was nothing new to report.
Tompkins County Council of Governments: Supervisor Barriere reported TCCOG has been
working without a budget, but now feels a small budget is necessary. Each municipality may
be asked to contribute $250.00 to cover items such as rental space for comment periods on the
Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling issue. They hope to have a resolution at their December
meeting. A few municipalities have signed on with Delta for Road Preservation services –
Newfield, Dryden and Danby. Supervisor Barriere suggested Enfield may want to join forces
with other municipalities to see if they can compete with Delta. There would be no
commitment – just put out an RFP at this time. Councilperson Teeter mentioned this might be
a good idea with the wind farm project coming up. Councilperson Hern feels it is always good
to get competitive prices.
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 6 -
Councilperson Owens moved, with a second from Councilperson Teeter for the Town of
Enfield to cooperate with the Towns of Caroline and Ulysses in publishing an RFP
concerning development of a road preservation law and to determine the feasibility for the
Town of Enfield.
Discussion: Councilperson Owens would like to see if other municipalities might want to join
in, possibly some not in Tompkins County.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Old Business:
Deferred Compensation: Supervisor Barriere reported there may be a presentation at the
next town board meeting.
2011 Budget: Supervisor Barriere stated the preliminary budget was reviewed and is now
ready to be fine tuned, if necessary, and moved forward to a final budget.
Councilperson Gaynor asked if the reduction to youth services in the county budget should be
addressed in our budget. Supervisor Barriere responded that this year may not be too bad, but
next year does not look promising.
Councilperson Teeter mentioned that as far as salary increases are concerned, a lot of
information was presented at the public hearing and can be found in the minutes.
Councilperson Hern stated that after the public hearing, he was not sure such a big increase in
one year was the best way to go. He would like to see a 2-3 year tiered approach.
Councilperson Teeter responded that the figures she presented for the town clerk and deputy
clerk were for a 2-3 year tiered approach and she had no idea why the town clerk salary was
so low. She knows times are tough, but felt the board should step up and do the right thing.
Councilperson Owens moved to adopt the 2011 preliminary budget as the final 2011 budget.
Councilperson Gaynor seconded the motion. A copy of the 2011 budget is attached and made
a part of these minutes.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
New Business:
Resolution #2010-53
Resolution to Setup New Dog Licensing Fees
Whereas, the Town of Enfield’s Dog Licensing fees have not been changed for over
10 years, and
Whereas, the Dog Control fees have increased considerably over the past few years,
and
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 7 -
Whereas, dog licensing is being passed down from the State to each municipality
which also increase overall costs for dog control, now therefore, be it
Resolved, dog licensing fees will be changed to the following rates effective January
1, 2011:
All neutered or spayed dogs $10.00/year
All unaltered dogs $20.00/year
Purebred dog license
o Under 10 dogs $25.00/year*
o 11-25 dogs $50.00/year*
o More than 25 dogs $100.00/year*
Replacement tags $3.00 each
*An additional charge will be added to the purebred dog license for each dog - $3.00 for each
unaltered dog and $1.00 for each altered dog.
Supervisor Barriere moved, with a second from Councilperson Teeter, to accept Resolution
#2010-53.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Councilperson Teeter moved, with a second by Councilperson Gaynor, to hold a public
hearing at 7:00 p.m. at the December 8 town board meeting on the Town of Enfield Local
Law #3 – Dog Control Law.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Councilperson Owens moved, with a second by Supervisor Barriere to schedule a public
hearing on the Senior Citizen Contract for 2011-2015 following the public hearing on the Dog
Control Law at the December 8 town board meeting.
Discussion: Supervisor Barriere explained he is recommending a 5 year contract. The 2011
amount would remain the same as this year at $2,100.00 and the last 4 years of the contract
would increase to $2,200.00.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Announcements:
Supervisor Barriere announced he is retiring from the State of New York effective November
16, 2010. In order to be able to retire, he must resign as Enfield town supervisor effective
November 14, 2010.
Enfield Town Board Meeting, November 10, 2010 - 8 -
Councilperson Owens moved to hold a special board meeting November 17, 2010 at 6:45
p.m.at the Enfield Community Building to appoint a town supervisor and discuss the dog
control law. Councilperson Gaynor seconded the motion.
Vote: Councilperson Gaynor aye, Councilperson Hern aye, Councilperson Owens aye,
Councilperson Teeter aye, Supervisor Barriere aye. Carried.
Bill Eishenhardt has been nominated as the Enfield Volunteer of the Month. Bill has been
active in the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company for 20 years, has volunteered with highway
clean-up and food distribution, and is the president of the Enfield Senior Citizens. A
certificate will be presented to Bill and he will be recognized on the town’s website and at the
town hall.
Adjournment:
Councilperson Owens moved, with a second from Councilperson Hern, to adjourn at 8:23
p.m. Motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Alice Linton
Enfield Town Clerk