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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-07-10 TOWN OF GROTON -MINUTES OF TOWN BOARD MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2012 AT 7:30 PM THE TOWN HALL, 101 CONGER BOULEVARD Those present: Glenn E. Morey, Supervisor Ellard L. Sovocool, Councilman Donald F. Scheffler, Councilman Sheldon C. Clark, Councilman Victoria Monty, Attorney for the Town Absent: Richard B. Gamel, Councilman Also present: Ken Lansing, Carole Daugherty, Marc Perosio, Ed Newhauser, Linda Mizer, David Kalb, Greg Weiland, Mike Morris, Mar McGarry- Newman, Brian Robinson, Charles Rankin, April Scheffler, several others. MOVED by Councilman Sovocool, seconded by Councilman Scheffler, to approve the minutes of the June 12, 2012 meeting as presented. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey. Claim Numbers 179-208 of the General Fund in the amount of $18,921 .22 were presented for audit. MOVED by Councilman Scheffler, seconded by Councilman Clark, to approve the General Bills for payment. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey. Claim Numbers 78-100 of the Highway Fund in the amount of $18,119.21 were presented for audit. MOVED by Councilman Clark, seconded by Councilman Sovocool, to approve the Highway Bills for payment. Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey. Monthly Reports: Charles Rankin, Bookkeeper - Presented monthly reports for the Board's review and requested a budget transfer. Town Board Minutes Page 2 July 10,2012 RESOLUTION #12-039 - 2012 BUDGET TRANSFER MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Clark Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the following 2012 Budget Transfer: General Fund, Part Town: From: Revenues, Gifts (Grants), B2705 $4,700.00 To: Youth Program, Summer Help, B7310.1 1 4,700.00 Mr. Rankin - Reported that he had been to a TV Cable meeting and there will soon be some public hearings for people to voice their opinions of the service they receive from Time Warner. After that, they will approach Time Warner to try to get similar agreements for all the municipalities involved. He also explained the new policy of Tompkins County Personnel that everyone applying for a civil service job must apply online through their system. Gary Coats, Code Enforcement Officer - Was on vacation. Monthly reports had been submitted for the Board's review. Richard C. Case, Highway Superintendent- Was on vacation. April L. Scheffler, Town Clerk/Tax Collector - Submitted monthly reports for the Board's review. Requested permission to hire a summer youth worker. RESOLUTION #12-040 - HIRE CHRISSY REAGAN AS SUMMER YOUTH WORKER MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Clark Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the hiring of Chrissy Reagan as a Summer Youth Worker in the Town Clerk's Office at $7.25 per hour, effective July 11, 2012. Victoria Monty, Attorney for the Town - Had nothing to report. John J. Norman & A. D. Dawson, Town Justices - Were not present. Councilman Donald Scheffler, as Representative to Joint Youth Program - Had nothing to report. Brian Robinson, County Legislator - Reminded everyone that there would be a meeting at the Groton City Church concerning the Groton City Bridge tomorrow night at 7:00pm. Ken Lansing, Tompkins County Sheriff - Had campaigned on a commitment that he would open up the door to all the villages and towns and have a networking Town Board Minutes Page 3 July 10,2012 communication with the Sheriff's Department. He apologized that it has taken a year and a half to do this, but was busy with other things. Now that he does have his feet on the ground, he has moved ahead to contact the boards in the towns and villages and has a busy schedule of meetings for the next month or so. He feels that communication is important and wants everyone to know that the lines of communication to his office are always open. He wants to know if there is a problem so that it can be addressed. He also promised to have a citizen's advisory board, which was started a few months ago, but unfortunately person who organized it passed away and they are now trying to re-establish this board. Privilege of the Floor: David Kalb - Assumes Board is still on a fact finding mission and wonders when he can expect to know what the Board's opinion is on some of the issues. Provided the Board with a newspaper article about property rights. Supervisor Morey - Pointed out that it was not an article based on facts but was an editorial opinion and did not indicate who wrote it. Mr. Kalb - Agreed but felt it was a nice summary on property rights and how gas drilling would affect the property rights of landowners who were both for and against drilling. Marc Perosio - Passed on the Economic Impact of the Marcellus Shale in Bradford County, which was presented at a meeting on June 25 and was done by the Pennsylvania College of Technology and Penn State Extension. He said the meeting had provided a lot of information. He asked the Board about a section of Town Law that requires passage of certain things by a super majority. He talked about all the stores and businesses that were in Groton when he first moved to Groton 32 years ago and how our school was regarded as one of the best in Tompkins County. We are not in very good shape now and our school district appears to be within one or two years of having to consolidate with another district. There is not pharmacy or real grocery store. He would like to see some of the economic expansion come back to Groton that could result from the natural gas industry. He announced a meeting on July 17 at the Groton High School for the Landowners Coalition on the positive side of natural gas drilling and that they are organizing another trip to Pennsylvania possibly on July 23 if anyone would like to go. Joanne Cipola-Dennis - Wanted to share an Ithaca Journal article about Ed and Eileen Scheffler who are growing sunflowers and pressing the seeds to make fuel for their tractors. She said that every farmer could go to work here without contaminating their air, land, soil, water and their neighbor and keep their school district solvent because they could replace their petroleum fuels with fuels grown right here, including the trucks for the highway department. No one's rights, lives or health would be negatively affected and there would be a lot of happy, healthy people in Groton and not be wiped out by a toxic industry. She said that if fracking is allowed even next to Mr. Scheffler's organic farm, that he would be out of business. Mary McGarry-Newman - Wanted to address the Governor's thing about if the community wants the drilling to occur and hopes that the Board is getting the message that the community does not want this. She had looked for land for a year and a half Town Board Minutes Page 4 July 10,2012 before moving here and chose it because of its beauty, not because it is an industrial zone. People have told her that they will move if drilling comes and that is what will happen to Groton. RESOLUTION #12-041 - RESIGNATIONS OF STEVEN THANE AND NOREEN TURSICK MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Scheffler Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby accepts with regret the resignation of Steven Thane from the Zoning Board of Appeals, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby accepts with regret the resignation of Noreen Tursick from the Agricultural Committee. RESOLUTION #12-042 - JUSTICE DAWSON TO ATTEND TRAINING MOVED by Supervisor Morey, seconded by Councilman Sovocool Ayes - Sovocool, Scheffler, Clark, Morey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the payment of expenses for A. D. Dawson, Town Justice to attend Court Administration Training, July 23-25, 2012 at Potsdam, New York. It was decided to table the discussion of the Rules and Procedures for Town Board Meetings until the next month when Councilman Gamel would be present. Announcements: ➢ Planning Board Meeting - July 19 at 7:00 pm ➢ Zoning Board of Appeals - July 25 at 7:30 pm There being no further business, Councilman Sovocool moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilman Scheffler, at 8:04 pm. Unanimous April L. Scheffler, RMC Town Clerk Town Board Minutes Page 5 July 10,2012