HomeMy WebLinkAbout1989-11-06U
MINUTES OF TOWN BOARD MEETING HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1989, at 7:30 Eel
Those present: Teresa M. Robinson, Supervisor
Ellard L. Sovocool, Councilman
Gordon C. VanBenschoten, Councilman
Donald E. Cummings, Councilman
Carl E. Haynes, Councilman
Jack Fitzgerald, Attorney
Also present: Leland Cornelius, Glenn Munson, Gary Wood
Moved by Mr. VanBenschoten, seconded by Air. Cummings, to apP rove minutes
of October 9, 16 and 23rd meetings as mailed. Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten,
Cummings, Haynes, Robinson.
Claim Nos. 263 to 297 of the Highway Fund in the amount of $77,908.57 and
Claim Nos. 475 to 505 of the General Fund in the amount of $6,124.61 were
presented for audit. Moved by Mr. Haynes, seconded by Mr. Sovocool, that
the bills be approved for payment. Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten,
Cummings, Haynes, Robinson.
Moved by Mr. Cummings, seconded by Air. Haynes, to appoint Lyle Raymond
to serve of the County Environmental Management Council from Jan 1, 1!
thru Dec. 31, 1992. Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten, Cummings, Haynes,
Robinson,
Moved by Mr. Haynes, seconded by Aire
to serve on the County Youth Board 1
Ayes - Sovocool,
enschoten,
Sovocool, to appoint Jot-in Gaines IV
,r_om Jan. 1, 1990 thru Dec. 31, 19420
ings, Haynes, Robinson,
There is a petition being circulated requesting the NYSDOT to install a
flashing light at the intersection of Route 38 and 34B. Albany has not
taken any action on our previous request.
Jerry Holl would like the Board to consider another weeks vacation for
town employees after 20 years of service.
Leland Cornelius attended. meeting in Endicott on compost and. brush.
Landstrom has a compost area. Binghamton has been composting for years.
County wants us to take care of our own brush.
Board meeting recessed at 8:00 PM. for Budget Hearing.
8:00 P,M. - 1990 Budget Hearing
Supervisor opened hearing. Clerk read legal notice of hearing
T. Robinson: The changes that you asked for are changed. The biggest
.things were salaries of officials. You didn't seem to have
Any problem with the men who work here. It is a disservice
to people who work here. Monies are not equal to what you
gave to the help.
C. Haynes: Can you explain what you are talking about?
T. Robinson: Corny has been here 20 years. He should be entitled to the
same as others. When you figure days off, we don't get them.
L. Cornelius: The first of the year, you better make policy for time off.
I don't get vacations.
L. Sovocool: You can take it anytime you want.
L. Cornelius: Jerry Holl got E1% and Ken Marks got 72% plus overtime.
D. Cummings: A trucker for Homer makes $6.50 and he made more than his
boss.
L. Cornelius: Rental money ......................
G. VanBenschoten: Vacation policy should be made.
T. Robinson: There never has been any policy.
C, Haynes: Doesn't deputy get extra money? HON much vacation does
highway guys get"?
�. Sovocool: Three weeks after 15 years.
(Tape did not reooxd, when sa]axier� of surrourtding Town Officials
were being compaxed.
G, sovocool: People working for me work overtime and made mcxe thut
I do.
T. Robinson: Well l can't help it if you don't work.
L. Sovocool; Hey, I'm on salaxy.
T. Robinson: Well, that's wharf he's fighting for. I'a pure if they
gave you a raise you would take it.
L. Sovocool: I certainly will,
T. Robinsson : That's what I'm saying,
L. Cornelius; l don't think down to the College, they don't gave you,
Admnistra.tive, they don't get the same rase as
i they
give employees.
C. Haynes : Percenta.ge wise we don't get any more.
T. Robinson: Yah, but he's getting what and you're getting something
else. That percentage doesn't even make sense.
L. Sovocool: Same is true here.
T. Robinson: Yah, l know , I'm getting a percentage.
C. Haynes: What are you yelling at rye fox?
T. Robinson: I'm not yelling at you and if you go out of here and say
than, I'll sorea, Yoe haven't heard yelling yet fella.
If you want to hear it like that -- No, what I'm talking
about is percentage and you were talking about this with the
fellers that's another thing that kind of grips me. The
reason I'm saying this now is you guys aren't around here
all the time to know what this is all about and when you
come in and you cut and slash Grid you don't know *ghat you're
cutting and slashing tF-tat's not fair. And if you Can't see
that then you aren't, being fair,
C. Haynese Teresa,
all
you're
doing is
making
some
kind of an emotional
plea,.
Give
me, some
h'ac'ks.
I don't
sse
anything.
T. fiobinaonl Percentage wise, you say Okay, fox him is a lot
more than 3% far me.
C. Haynes & L. Sovocool: Sure it i.e.
T. Robinson: An that's right?
C. Haynes & L. Sovocool: Sure.
C. Haynes: What's wrong with it?
T. Robinson: Why can't we do that for the men out thexe then all the tine?
L, Sovocool: We did. We gave then .
T. Robinson: You gave them OTC. one tide and then you gave thatt a percentage
the next time,
C. "Haynes: Right. So what's your point. I- don't understand?
L. Sovocool: What's your problem.
G. VanBenschoten: lie used that same .. , .. , it was .. , „ .
1.8 t I J
C. Haynes: Last year
it was a dollar
type increase.
This
year it was a
percentage
increase. We
rotate that back
and
forth.
L. Sovocool: You're elected people for one thing.
T. Robinson: And I don't see any of them out there handling a million
dollars either for a little over $10,000.
C. Haynes: Well, the Town of Dryden Supervisor makes less than .......
T. Robinson: That's not true.
L. Sovocool: It's right there.
T. Robinson: What's there? What is there? Tell me, what's there?
Tell me. I just got through telling you and you aren't
listening,
C. Haynes: You didn't tell us anything.
T. Robinson: I did, I told you the Supervisor gets $7500 and he has a
bookkeeper who does the work for him.
C. Haynes: Okay, so we're paying you $12,000 and you're doing the bookkeeping.
So what are you complaining about. You've got a third of the
budget that he's got.
D. Cummings: There is another bookkeeper for $1000 in here tonight.
T. Robinson: Oh come on' Never mind. Let's get on with this, This
has got all the changes that you made previously.
L. Cornelius: I'd like to know what the hell I'm supposed to do. Give
me5% . . . , . . . , . . , .
L.
Sovocool:
It
can't
go up
now. We can't raise it.
L.
Cornelius:
I
don't
want
it raised.
C. Haynes: I think we can do something on the vacation.
L. Cornelius: You can do anything with this. It's a lot higher, you
can go down.
L. Sovocool: Yah, it can go down but it can't go up,
L. Cornelius: But hell, that's what I'm saying. You had a big increase
in there,
T. Robinson: Another change you had was in medical.
L. Cornelius: Yah, whatever you want to do. I didn't get my point across.
If you give one guy 420,, 870 last year and 72¢ last year,
with the 150 increases it added up to a helluva lot more
than the 42o,
C. Haynes: Corney, if you remember last year when we did that what we
were looking at was what was going on in the other townships.
L. Cornelius: But I didn't get it.
C. Haynes: But, I know but that's what we're .......
(L. Cornelius and C. Haynes talking loudly at same time and
recorder didn't pick up.)
C. Haynes: Do you want to listen for a minute or do you just want to
keep talking?
L. Cornelius: No .........
C. Haynes: it helped to move them along a little bit. If you
look at your salary you make the same kind of rationale, how
do you compare with other townships. It appears that you do
pretty good. Your $500 under the Town of .......
1,90
L. Cornelius: These guys are starting out brand new the first year.
Town of Lansing for $25,000 is a new man.
C. Haynes: Maybe you've got something to argue when you talk longevity,
but when you look at the dollars I just looked through the
article on the townships in Cortland and most of them in
Tompkins County, you're the second highest paid Highway.
Superintendent in the two counties. Now, I don't think thatt'.s
unfair. It seems to me that's recognizing perhaps some of your
longevity and contributions to the Town.
G. VanBenschoten: I can see his point in this respect. Nobody -- He's
been on the job perhaps longer than anybody or any of
those guys.
C. Haynes: Yeh, that's what we don't know.
(Tape did not pick up -- Several people talking at one time
T. Robinson: What
good is
it
going to
do
to
tell
him
he can have two
weeks
if he
isn't
going
to
get
paid
for
it?
C. Haynes: Well of course he'll get paid for it.
L. Sovocool: Of course he'll get paid for it, he's on salary.
T. Robinson: That's
what I
just got
through
saying.
What difference
does
it make.
He can
take his
two weeks
anytime he pleases.
L. Sovocool: Right.
T. Robinson: It doesn't make any difference -- two weeks, three weeks,
five or seven.
L. Sovocool: You're right again.
T. Robinson: Okay, just remember this.
L. Sovocool: If your on salary and you get four weeks, you just get
your regular paycheck. You don't get an extra one. You
get the same one you always get.
T. Robinson: That's what I'm saying.
L. Sovocool: You just don't work.
T. Robinson: Right. This here is two changes in B - Zoning. Cut zoning
back and cut planning back and I guess that's all. This is
the highway. What time is it?
L. Sovocool: 8:25
T. Robinson: Are there any questions now? If not, we'll adjourn this
hearing and go to the Fire and Ambulance Hearing that was
scheduled for 8:15.
8:25PM - 1990 Fire and Ambulance Budget Hearing
T. Robinson: We will now hold the fire and ambulance budget hearing.
Glenn Munson is here to answer any questions on the
fire and ambulance budgets.
L. Sovocool: That's what he did last time.
G. Munson: Last time it wasn't a public hearing. I'm must here to
represent the department and answer any further questions
other than what you've already covered here. I think most
of you guys have covered the material. I don't see much of
the public here.
T. Robinson: Do you have any other questions.
C. Haynes: Can we go through the rest of this and see what the tax rate
is?
C
T. Robinson: The tax rates axe:
Gxo ton Fire - 1.56
McLean Fire - 3.0089
McLean Lights - 099
Peru Lights - 1.38
Whole Town - 6.47
Part Town - 3.48
Whole Town and Part Town = 9.95
Rate is up 43¢ compared to 1989 rates.
T. Robinson: Are there any further questions? We should close hearing
if .not. Hearing closed at 8&45 P. mot
Town Board. meeting reconvened. at 8o45 P.M*
Mr. Haynes felt the board should walk through budget ain with Supervisor.
This was done to-fry to find out where an increase of $75,000 in the budget
for 1990 is. Considerable time was spent discussing budget procedure,
budget figures and line items including surplus and other revenues,..
Supervisor is to provide the following information: 1) Beginning year 1989 -
What was surplus number? 2) Projected year end 1989 surplus. 3) Total
projected surplus beginning Jan. 1990.
Moved bk Mr. VanBenschoten, seconded by Mr. Sovocool, to table approving
Highwa. ontract with the County until 1o1r. Cornelius is present to
advise board. Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten, Cummings, Haynes, Robinson.
Moved by Mr. Sovocool, seconded by Mr. VanBenschoten, to table approving
1990 Gad -A -Bout Contract. Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten, Cummings,
Haynes, Robinson.
RESOLUTION NO. 56 - 1990 HIGHWAY NEGOTIATIONS
Moved by Mr. Sovocool, seconded by Mr. Cummings
Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten, Cummings, Haynes, Robinson
RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton Highway Employees be granted
a 50¢ per hour increase across the board and the hourly rate
for new part -time or temporary laborer remain at $5.00 per hour.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton will provide 75%o of
Highway Employees medical insurance coverage.
Mr. VanBenschoten wanted to go on record that he is in favor of the
Board taking action on Highway Superintendent's vacation and establishing
a vacation policy.
The Town needs to create the position of a part -time court clerk. The
court clerk is currently retained by the Town Justice on a contractual
basis. A resolution to the Tompkins County Personnel Department is
needed to create position.
RESOLUTION NO. ` 57 - CREATE PART -TIME COURT CLERK POSITION
Moved by Mr. Haynes, seconded by Mr. VanBenschoten
Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten, Cummings, Haynes, Robinson
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Groton does hereby
desire to create the position of a part -time Court Clerk
• RESOLUTION N0. 588 - ENTER INTO AGREEMENT WITH FAMILY AND
CHILDRENS SERVICE OF ITHACA FOR 1990
Moved by Mr. Sovocool, seconded by Mr. Cummings
Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten, Cummings, Haynes, Robinson
RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton enter into Agreement with Family
& Children's Service of Ithaca to implement and supervise Town and
Village of Groton Youth Commission.
Attorney Fitzgerald will contact bonding company regarding our building
project. He also suggested that the Commissioner of Insurance and
Assemblymen be contacted to get action going.
Moved by Mr. Sovocool, seconded by Mr. Cummings to adjourn meeting until
Monday, November 13, 1989, at 6:45 P.m. Ayes - Sovocool, VanBenschoten,
Cummings, Haynes, Robinson.
Ca�.Ca�nczzz -
Colleen D. Pierson