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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 23 2024 - Public Hearing Special Town Board meeting minutes_1 Town of Enfield Public Hearing & Special Town Board Meetfng Wednesday, October 23, 2024 6:30 PM In-Person at the Enfield Town Courthouse and Virtually via the Zoom Meetfng Platiorm Present: Supervisor Stephanie Redmond; Town Councilpersons, Jude Lemke, Robert Lynch, Melissa Millspaugh, and Cassandra Hinkle; Town Bookkeeper Blixy Taetzsch; Highway Superintendent Buddy Rollins; Enfield Code Officer Alan Teeter; Town Clerk Mary Cornell. Public Hearing Call to Order: Supervisor Redmond opened the public hearing at 6:30 PM. Buddy Rollins the guys pay raise did not cost the full cost of the raise as the Highway Department is utflizing existfng funds that were budgeted for the Cemetery and Grounds Department. Marcus Gingerich: Everything that the Town can do to keep the budget down is appreciated. Supervisor Redmond shared that the biggest impacts on the Town Budgets were increases in insurance and NYS retfrement employer contributfons. Supervisor Redmond explained additfonal increases in employee salaries and the existfng funds were used to assist with keeping the increases to tax payers lower. Councilperson Lemke stated that the tax levy increase is 6.12 per cent because the Town is using excess fund balance to smooth out the tax levy increase for the next few years untfl bond payments for the Highway Garage conclude in 2026. Supervisor Redmond moved and Councilperson Hinkle seconded to close the Public Hearing at 6:43 PM. Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Aye; Councilperson Lynch, Aye; Councilperson Lemke, Aye; Councilperson Millspaugh, Aye; Supervisor Redmond, Aye; Carried. Call to Order: Supervisor Redmond opened the regular Town Board meetfng at 6:43 PM Privilege of the Floor: Councilperson Lynch led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance. Additfons and Changes to the agenda: Councilperson Lynch would like to add the additfon of a Resolutfon to Establish and Fund a Building Constructfon and Upgrades Reserve. A Resolutfon to Authorize Emergency Debris Removal and Repairs, Budd Cemetery. Correspondence: N/A Business: RESOLUTION #2024-_ A Resolution to Establish and Fund a Building Construction and Upgrades Reserve Whereas, the Town of Enfield Capital Plan 2020-2029, duly adopted by this Board of November 13, 2019, recommended the establishment of a “Building Construction and Upgrades Reserve” to reserve funds toward future building construction and renovation of Town facilities; and Whereas, no such a Reserve Fund was ever subsequently established; and Whereas, on March 31, 2023, Applegate Road LLC, more commonly known by its parent firm, “Norbut Solar Farms,” purchased from the Town of Enfield three (3) building permits and paid $31,450.00 for each, permits that enabled 2 construction of three, adjacent solar arrays on South Applegate Road in the Town of Enfield, with said purchaser providing the Town a total of $94,350.00 in one-time funds; and Whereas, those received funds currently remain within the Town of Enfield’s General Fund, contributing to its Unreserved General Fund Balance and allocated for no specific purpose; and Whereas, no future payment of this magnitude is expected to the Town of Enfield for a permit of this type, and no equivalent payment is expected from any other business applicant seeking to locate commercial or industrial facilities in Town of Enfield; and Whereas, this Town Board expects it will need to expend Town resources in future years toward long-term capital improvements and upgrades to various Town buildings and/or toward new construction, projects whose cost would unreasonably burden this Town’s taxpayers were such projects to be funded through the annual budget process; and Whereas, the Town of Enfield has fully exhausted its allocation from the federally-funded American Rescue Plan (ARPA), moneys that it has utilized in part during recent years to underwrite building renovations, but whose fund’s exhaustion leaves future capital improvements to be supported solely through Town resources; and Whereas, the Town of Enfield owes to its residents the responsibility to be judicious with its one-time receipt of the afore-stated Applegate Road LLC building permit purchase payments and not to deplete those one-time revenues on day-to-day expenses; therefore be it Resolved, that the Enfield Town Board hereby establishes the “Building Construction and Upgrades Reserve,” a General Reserve Fund, said reserve fund to be used in compliance with Section 55 of New York Town Law and used for future capital expenditures toward Town facilities building construction and renovation projects having periods of probable usefulness of at least five years; and be it further Resolved, that this Building Construction and Upgrades Reserve be held as a distinct reserve fund, segregated financially from any other reserve account(s) previously established; and be it further Resolved, that all transfers into and out of this Building Construction and Upgrades Reserve are to be governed by Sections 55 and 55-c of New York Town Law, and by Sections 10 and 11 of the General Municipal Law, as well as by other applicable sections of New York State law, and be it further Resolved, that this Board directs the following budgetary transfer within its Town’s accounts: Transfer from: Unreserved General Fund Balance: $94,350.00 Transfer to: A878 - General Fund Balance Reserves Building Construction and Upgrades Reserve: $94,350.00 Councilperson Lynch moved and Supervisor Redmond seconded. Discussion: Councilperson Lynch read the resolutfon. Supervisor Redmond explained that the Town Board is currently using the funds to offset the next three years budget. Blixy recalled that the minutes from the 2023 budget discussions indicated that we intended to allocate $60,000 each year for the next three years to assist in mitfgatfng the budget to reduce the tax rate from going up so drastfcally. Part of the reason we had the fund balance was because of the one-tfme payment. Councilperson Lynch we did not take a vote on using these funds to offset the agenda. We should put these funds in an account to last and not let them just disappear. Councilperson Lynch we could take this $95,000 and we would stfll not be going below our $250,000 fund balance policy. Councilperson Hinkle and Councilperson Millspaugh asked for further clarificatfon, Supervisor Redmond explained further. Councilperson Lynch “let’s set this money aside for a good purpose.” Supervisor Redmond asked Marcus Gingerich what his thoughts were on this. Marcus asked for clarificatfon if it would be used for one specific 3 purpose or it could be used for multfple purposes. Blixy in 2026 the town will have $100,000 less in loan payments and those funds will be available to assist with offsetting the budget, etc. Councilperson Lynch spoke of a need for renovatfons and a cold storage building in the near future. Discussion contfnued. Supervisor Redmond called the questfon and Councilperson Lemke seconded. Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Aye; Councilperson Lemke, Aye; Councilperson Lynch, Nay; Councilperson Millspaugh, Aye; Supervisor Redmond, Aye; Carried. Resolutfon Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Nay; Councilperson Lemke, Nay; Councilperson Lynch, Aye; Councilperson Millspaugh, Nay; Supervisor Redmond, Nay; Failed. 2025 Budget -Supervisor Redmond moved and Councilperson Millspaugh seconded to adopt the Preliminary Budget as the Annual 2025 Town Budget – Discussion: Councilperson Lynch drew a parallel between Enfield’s proposed use of fund balance with recent discussions at the Tompkins County Legislature. He stated that legislator Ms. Debra Dawson (Tompkins County Legislature) at their recent meetfng shared her opinion on whether or not we should suppress the tax levy, which in doing so does not allow for transparency. Lynch quoted Ms. Dawson as statfng that have been playing this game for a long tfme and she does not think it is honest and you will all vote for what you will and I will vote against the budget, Dawson had said. She stated that she will probably be the only one votfng against doing so. I am sorry, but I do not have a price on this one. On this point Councilperson Lynch agrees with her. He shared amounts that we have taken out of our fund balance over the past few years. Taking ~$125,000 to make us look good with 10% raises for some of our employees. We cannot support this budget as we do not have the money to support the increases while keeping the tax rate low. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Supervisor Redmond called the questfon and Councilperson Hinkle seconded. Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Aye; Councilperson Lemke, Aye; Councilperson Lynch, Nay; Councilperson Millspaugh, Aye; Supervisor Redmond, Aye; Carried. Budget Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Aye; Councilperson Lemke, Aye; Councilperson Lynch, Nay; Councilperson Millspaugh, Aye; Supervisor Redmond, Aye; Carried. Discussion: Highway Vacatfon Time. Buddy has asked to increase amount of tfme of vacatfon accruals to 8 weeks of accrued vacatfon tfme instead of 4, so that employees do not lose accrued balances. Blixy this will be a policy change and we will need to amend the policy. Supervisor Redmond will draft the resolutfon for the November Town Board Meetfng. Blixy can assist with this. Discussion: RFP for Town of Enfield Solar Project – Tabled untfl the November meetfng. Resolution #2024-65 Appointment of Delegates to NYS Association of Towns (AOT) Annual Meeting and Approval of Funding for Attendance WHEREAS, the Town of Enfield is a member of the Association of Towns of the State of New York, and; WHEREAS, the Annual Business Session is being held on February 16, 2025- February 19, 2025, and; WHEREAS, Stephanie Redmond and Cassandra Hinkle will attend the Association of Towns Annual Meeting, now therefore be it; RESOLVED that Stephanie Redmond be duly designated as the Town of Enfield delegate and Cassandra Hinkle as alternate in the absence of Stephanie Redmond, to the NYS Association of Towns Annual Meeting on February 16, 2025- February 19, 2025 and to cast the vote for the Town of Enfield, pursuant to Section 6 of Article III of the Constitution and Bylaws of said Association, and; RESOLVED, the Enfield Town Board authorizes attendance and funding for Stephanie Redmond and Cassandra Hinkle to attend the AOT Annual Meeting. Supervisor Redmond moved and Councilperson Lemke seconded. Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Aye; Councilperson Lemke, Aye; Councilperson Lynch, Aye; Councilperson Millspaugh, Aye; Supervisor Redmond, Aye; Carried. RESOLUTION #2024-66 A Resolution to Authorize Emergency Debris Removal and Repairs, Budd Cemetery Whereas, the Town of Enfield retains ownership and bears maintenance responsibility for several Town cemeteries, including Budd Cemetery on Gray Road; and Whereas, during the month of October 2024, a large, dead tree at Budd Cemetery’s periphery fell into the cemetery, causing damage to one or more headstones and/or monuments; therefore, be it Resolved, that the Enfield Town Board hereby authorizes the Supervisor to contract or arrange otherwise for emergency debris removal and the repair of gravestone damage at Budd Cemetery caused by the October 2024 fallen tree; and be it further 18 Resolved, that the cost for such debris removal and gravestone repair at Budd Cemetery be drawn from the Town of Enfield’s Cemetery Reserve Fund. Councilperson Lynch moved and Supervisor Redmond seconded. Discussion: Supervisor Redmond asked Buddy if the Highway Department could assist with the removal of the fallen tree. He will look into what is needed. Councilperson Hinkle will reach out to Sue Thompson for guidance. Vote: Councilperson Hinkle, Aye; Councilperson Lemke, Aye; Councilperson Lynch, Aye; Councilperson Millspaugh, Aye; Supervisor Redmond, Aye; Carried. Announcement: Adjournment: Councilperson Hinkle moved and Councilperson Millspaugh seconded to adjourn, Adjourned at 7:35 PM. Respectiully submitted, Mary Cornell Mary Cornell Town Clerk