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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 Enfield-Town-Government-Newsletter-Dec-10-March-11.pdf1 Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road http://townofenfield.org December 2010-March 2011 Newsletter Enfield Town Boards Meetings are held in the Community Building, 1st floor Town Board: 2nd Wednesday, 6:45pm Town Supervisor Roy Barriere 277-3843 Deputy Supervisor Jean Owens 273-5682 Town Council Members Stephanie Gaynor 272-8384 Chris Hern 256-5033 Jean Owens 273-5682 Debbie Teeter 277-4547 Planning Board: 1st Wednesday, 7pm Virginia Bryant, co-chair 387-9376 Jim McConkey, co-chair 387-9830 Mike Carpenter 277-4204 Ann Chaffee 272-6460 Steve Givin 273-7434 Calvin Rothermich 272-5930 Keith Smith 272-5304 Town Offices Town Clerk 273-8256 Alice Linton, Town Clerk Sue Thompson, Deputy Town Clerk Town Office/Clerk Hours: Monday-Thursday, 3 pm - 6 pm Highway Department 272-6490 Barry Rollins, Highway Superintendent Town Highway Office Hours: Monday-Friday: 6 am - 2:30 pm Town Court 273-0363 Justice Poole: Monday, 5:00 pm Justice Varricchio: Thursday, 5:00 pm Code Enforcement Office Community Building, 2nd floor Code Enforcement 277-0266 Alan Teeter, Code Enforcement Officer Carl Staley, Code Enforcement Officer Code Enforcement Office Hours: Monday, Thursday & Saturday 8:30-11 am Wednesday 8:30 am-11 am & 5-7 pm Town Historian Sue Thompson 272-6412 Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Art Howser, Chief 272-8757 Roger Lauper, Deputy Chief Tucker Snyder, Captain County Legislators Report from the Supervisor It’s only been 2 ½ months since the last newsletter, but a lot has happened since August. First of all, I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has sent me nominations for the Volunteer Recognition Program that was initiated in August. This program has been a big hit! We’ve been receiving nominations every month. Please visit the Town Hall and/or the Town’s website to learn more about our awardees each month. I know there are a ton of folks out there that deserve this recognition. Please take time and write those nomination letters, and help us recognize our volunteers. As stated in the program description, awardees will be presented a certificate along with the nomination letter, both of which will be on display at the Town Hall and on the Town’s website. Speaking of the website, please take time to thank Sue Thompson for her efforts in maintaining the site. Due to her extra efforts, she received recognition from Digital Towpath for overall excellence for the maintenance of the Town’s website. Budget season is now behind us, but it was definitely not an easy one. Line items that were seriously impacted were in the employee benefits. The retirement benefit had an over 50% increase from what was budgeted for 2010 to what is now budgeted for 2011. Part of the reason for such an increase is the estimates from NYSERS had not been received early enough last year to report in the final budget for 2010, therefore the report received this year reflected a 2-year increase. The actual increase from 2010 to the estimate for 2011 is approximately 14%. Another line item that had a major impact was the workman’s comp line. Across the board, our carrier is estimating an approximately 20% increase. The final budget was approved at the November meeting. With the increases noted above, and the proposed salary increases approved by the Board, for all employees, public officials, and appointees, the tax rate increase for 2011 will be approximately 3.5%. We dodged a bullet in the fact that the County had originally dropped the funding for the youth programs in their tentative budget, however most of those funds were placed back into the County budget. If that portion of their budget had been passed onto the Towns, we would have faced an additional 3.0–3.5% tax rate increase. Furthermore, the overall program would have lacked the continuity and resources we currently have with it being coordinated by the County and Cooperative Extension. This is an important issue all municipalities in Tompkins County will be focused on for the 2012 budget. The final scoping document for the proposed Wind Farm was approved by the Town Board in September. The next step is for the Developer to prepare the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Once that is submitted to the Town and the Board determines it to be complete, a notice will be filed to begin the public comment process. Once the comment period is closed, a final impact statement will be prepared. When the final environmental impact statement is completed and approved by the Town Board, the very last step in the SEQRA process is called the issuance of findings, which is also the Town Board’s responsibility. At that point, the project can be approved, disapproved, or approved with modifications. As for the proposed highway facility and the proposition, I would just like to thank everyone who took the time to investigate the proposal, to those who contacted me with questions and concerns, and to everyone who voted. This project has been in the making for over 15 years, and finally we can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. We are working hard to build a facility that will serve our needs for many years to come. At the same time, we are tightly controlling construction cost to the best of our ability. Dave McKenna Enfield/Newfield 564-7243, dmckenna@tompkins-co.org Jim Dennis Enfield/Ulysses 387-4058, jpd821@yahoo.com Continued, page 4 2 The Enfield Community Center is available for Enfield community events and activities. To reserve space, or report a problem with the facility, contact Chris Hern at 256-5033 Volunteer Recognition In the last Town Newsletter we announced a new Volunteer of the Quarter program that was so successful we decided to make it a Volunteer of the Month program. Here are the first Awardees: Volunteer of the Quarter Pam Whittaker Volunteer of the Month: October Ann Rider Volunteer of the Month: November Bill Eisenhardt From the Highway Superintendent Here we go again heading into winter! I’d like to remind you to give yourselves plenty of time to get to where you are going as speed is almost always a factor in winter accidents. As always I would like to mention that mailbox specifications can be obtained from myself or the clerks office. The New Highway Building. This is a subject that has inspired many conversations and many differences in opinion. I stand somewhere in the middle. The people that voted in favor of the new building, it is appreciate your support of the highway department and confidence that this vote represented. I also respect and understand the people that voted no on this issue. I understand where you are coming from and the reasons you had in doing so. Now that the Highway Building has been voted on and is going to happen, it is my hope to be a voice of reason and common sense in spending the money allotted for the Highway Building. The plan at this time is that the Highway department will be putting in the roadway ourselves, saving money. And any other jobs we can fit into our schedule. (As you may have already seen we have been dumping a lot ditch dirt at the site). Our job at the Highway is really done out on the roads. We would have done our best out of any building that the people of Enfield wanted us to. The bridge on Enfield Center Rd didn’t happen as the County ran out of time. Harvey Hill Road and Rothermich Road are done with the exception of some ditching. In keeping with my plan to eventually have all the Roads of Enfield oil and stoned, we were able to complete an extra 0.5 mile of road with the money saved by using magnesium this summer. This might not always be the case as regular road maintenance also needs to be completed, but it was a small step forward. As a point of interest, town roads are supposed to be no smaller then three rods wide, which in todays language is 49 1/2 feet. From the back of ditch on one side of the road to the back of ditch on the other side. This gives us ten feet lanes, four foot shoulders, and ditches. We need at least 13 feet for the snow plow truck. To measure this find the center of the road then it is approximately 24 feet from the center line. Also Your survey stakes are usually at the right of way. With regards to the 2011 budget, even though there was very little financial increase to the Highways budget, (and hasn’t been any increase since 2008) it was nice to work with a board that respected my opinions. We worked together in trying to keeping the tax increases down. Looking back at the year of 2010 with the board, it has been a totally different experience for me. There has been a different atmosphere where there has been respect for not only myself but also the town of Enfield people that came to the board meetings. It has been a positive improvement. As always feel free to call me with any question and concerns. Happy Holidays and see you on the roads! Buddy Rollins Sr. Enfield Highway Superintendent News from Code Enforcement With fall upon us, we are once again at the beginning of the heating season. We would like to remind everyone to change batteries in their smoke detectors and to check them for proper operation. If your home doesn't have one we urge you to install at least one on every level of your home. They are fairly inexpensive and they do save lives. A new requirement is for carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. "Amanda's law" was passed in August ‘09 requiring CO detectors/alarms in all homes, new and existing, with a carbon monoxide source. The exception is homes that are entirely electric, including electric heat, and without an attached garage. The law states: “...for buildings constructed prior to Jan 1, 2008 a CO alarm shall be provided on the lowest story containing a sleeping area, within 15 feet of the sleeping area. More than one carbon monoxide alarm shall be provided where necessary to assure no sleeping area on such story is more than 15 feet from a carbon monoxide alarm.” These alarms can be battery operated or plug-in models and can be purchased at most department or hardware stores. These alarms are a worthwhile investment since CO is odorless and can only be detected with a CO detector. Please feel free to call us with any questions about requirements and proper location. One last reminder for all of us who heat with wood, as many of us do in a rural community, is to have your chimney checked/cleaned at the beginning of the heating season and as needed throughout the year. Stay safe and warm this winter. Alan Teeter and Carl Staley, Code Enforcement Officers 3 Historians Report November 2010 Sue Thompson, Enfield Town Historian—sdt1@cornell.edu/272-6412 Our Municipal Historians Group of Tompkins County have commenced with our “House Story” project to preserve your house history. Please refer to the article on the project in our current Community Newsletter. I will have different displays at the Enfield Town Hall for next year to commemorate the U.S. Civil War. If you have information on your family’s involvement in the Civil War, I would like to hear and share your information. The Tompkins County Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission is active on a number of fronts: digitizing local newspapers; the Civil War Nurses Fund at TC3; a lecture series to focus on the local/regional; replacement of veterans stones. In addition, the CW SCC will sponsor a series of workshops around the county to help people research a Civil War soldier. This project will be conducted by the local historians of each Town. From the Town Clerk There has been a lot going on in the County regarding dogs. As of January 1, 2011 New York State (NYS) will no longer be involved in dog licensing. Each municipality will be responsible for all aspects of dog licensing. This means that all license renewal notices will come from your Town and your dog will be issued new tags at renewal time in 2011. Your current NYS tags will be valid until your dog’s renewal is due. Please remember that all dogs in the Town of Enfield need to be licensed every year. The Town Board is reviewing a new Dog Law which will become effective January 1, 2011. A copy of the new Dog Law will be on the town web site and copies available at the Clerk’s Office. Our license fees haven’t changed in over 10 years, so the new rates of $10 for altered dogs and $20 for unaltered dogs seem reasonable. Part of each license fee goes to a spay/neuter fund that is mandated by NYS. Our office has also been issuing hunting licenses, providing handicap permits and organizing some of the older records at the Town Hall. Although it doesn’t seem possible, tax season will soon be here – taxes without penalties will be collected between January 1 and January 31. We will have additional hours during the month of January as follows: Monday & Wednesday 3-6 Tuesday & Thursday 9-12 & 3-6 Saturday 9-12 Throughout the year if our hours don’t work for you, please give us a call at 273-8256 and we’ll be glad to accommodate your work schedule. Also, be sure to check the town website at www.townofenfield.org. Sue Thompson keeps it up to date, and recently won an award for the website. Wishing everyone a restful and happy holiday season, Alice Linton, Town Clerk Sue Thompson, Deputy Town Clerk A Thank You to the Community Thank you to everyone who supported me during a very difficult year. The prayers, cards, food, gifts, emails, and phone calls really meant a lot to me and my daughters. Due to medical issues I missed several Town Board meetings. Roy Barriere, Town Supervisor, kept me informed on the Town business and I was able to have input and still work from either home or hospital. Thank you so much Roy for keeping me in the loop and for being so understanding and compassionate about my situation. You are a stand up guy. I can’t leave Roy’s wife Carol out either – she was very comforting. I have been able to be a part of some great happenings in Enfield since I’ve been in office. The Wind Farm will be a great asset to our community; alternative energy is so important for our future. We are moving forward with the new Highway Facility; it has been something that Enfield has needed for a very long time. The Tompkins County Mental Health Consortium is another feat that will be such a wonderful benefit to us. I would also like to mention the resolution of the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company contract; EVFC members are some of the great people providing a great service for our community. It is such a pleasure to work with a team of magnificent people. We’ve made great strides and I will continue to help Enfield grow in positive ways. Thanks again for standing by me everyone! Enjoy the holidays! Stephanie Gaynor Town Councilperson Town of Enfield Web Site www.townofenfield.org Don’t forget to check out our Town Web Site. We try to keep it up-to- date and have added new sections. If you have current events, a new group or business you would like to see on the web site, please contact Sue Thompson – sdt1@cornell.edu/ 272-6412. Some of the areas on the website: · News Area: This is where we place announcements concerning Town business, community events, and a check list of “Calendar” Events. Calendar Section: Agendas for Regular and Special Town Board meetings are placed here. · Application Forms: For dog licenses; building permits, etc. · Boards and Committees: Where we have updated descriptions of each of the 18 groups listed · Community Groups: A link to the website of the Friends of Robert H. Treman State Park has been added to keep you up to-date on what is happening to our State Parks. · Enfield Neighbors for Safe Air and Water: The purpose of this site is to keep you informed of issues relating to natural gas drilling in Enfield's Marcellus Shale as well as our surrounding areas. · Tompkins Landowners Coalition (TLC): Mission: To be regarded as a leader among landowners, residents, and the greater community in delivering information about the impacts of natural gas development on families. 4 Dates to Remember December 1 Planning Board Training TC3 in Dryden, 4 pm 1 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 8 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:45 pm January 5 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 5 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 12 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:45 pm February 2 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 2 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 9 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:45 pm March 2 Planning Board Meeting Community Building, 7 pm 2 Volunteer of the Month nominations due 9 Town Board Meeting Community Building, 6:45 pm Town of Enfield 168 Enfield Main Road Ithaca NY 14850 Report from the Supervisor, continued from page 1 Just a reminder, we are still in need of representatives to serve on the TC Youth Board, Recreation Partnership and the County Environmental Management Council. If anyone is able and interested in serving in one of the three remaining vacancies, please let me know. Also, I will be seeking volunteers to serve on the Town’s Planning Board. We will have 2 vacancies to fill in January. Please let me know if you’re interested or if you know of anyone who would serve the Town well in any of these vacancies. Last, but not least, don’t forget to visit our new and improved website - http://townofenfield.org/content. Please take time to visit the website for meeting minutes, committee reports, agendas, etc. Our Town Board meetings are normally held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month, starting at 6:45 pm. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any Town issues, please contact any of the Town Board members. Respectfully, Roy Barriere, Town Supervisor REMINDER: PROPERTY TAXES 2011 Residents of Enfield will notice changes on their 2011 property tax bill that they receive just after January 1, 2011 The sales tax distribution to Enfield residents (Enfield’s share of sales tax revenues collected in Tompkins County) will be credited to the Tompkins County portion of our property tax bill instead of the Town of Enfield property tax portion. It will appear that Town of Enfield property taxes have increased dramatically and Tompkins County property taxes have decreased dramatically. In actuality, it is a wash.