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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-10-30 Budget HearingTOWN OF GROTON — MINUTES OF SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING PUBLIC HEARING ON 2019 PRELIMINARY BUDGET TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018 AT 7:30 PM THE TOWN HALL, 101 CONGER BOULEVARD Those present: Donald F. Scheffler, Supervisor Richard Gamel, Councilperson Crystal Young, Councilperson Randy N. Jackson, Councilperson Sheldon C. Clark, Councilperson April L. Scheffler, Town Clerk Charles Rankin, Bookkeeper Also present: Ben Nelson, A. D. Dawson, Lee Shurtleff, Julie Graham, Joe Graham Supervisor Scheffler opened the Public Hearing and the Clerk read the Public Notice, which was duly published on October 17, 2018 in the Town's legal paper, the Groton Independent. He asked if anyone would like to speak. Joe Graham - Said that the Cortland newspaper had reported that there had been cuts made to the budget but yet the tax rate was going up. People were asking him about that and he would like an explanation. Several years ago there had been talk about having the ambulance service go from volunteer to a paid service and billing for services and he wondered why that had never happened. He feels that it is unfair to continue to burden the taxpayers with the expense of the ambulance service. He asked if the roof on the highway garage had been replaced yet. Supervisor Scheffler said that they were getting ready to put it out to bid. Mr. Graham pointed out that it was a 50 -year old building and that other towns have opted to build new, more energy efficient facilities rather than wasting money on repairing old ones. He said that there has never been any snow sitting on that roof, indicating the amount of heat loss. A. D. Dawson, Town Justice - Was saddened by the budget being presented. The Judges feel that they are grossly underpaid for what they do and had asked for a 3% raise with a $700.00 longevity addition. During their budget workshop with the Board, the Board had expressed their belief that longevity raises did not apply to elected officials. Every year they present a budget for their department that is well below the 2% cap and every year it gets cut by $500.00 or $600.00. He spoke about the grants they had applied for and received and said he didn't think that should be counted as part of the budget that the Town gives them. Defendants who come to his court, are eligible for a court appointed attorney if they make $584.00 a week or less in take home pay. The Judges take home approximately $461.00 every two weeks. The Court budget is around $70,000.00 out of an over two million dollar budget. They get called in at 2:00 am and with the recent changes in the law requiring an attorney to be here, a DWI charge that used to take them an hour to process, now takes 3 or 4 hours. He said that during the negotiations with the Board they had asked for the longevity bonus but were told that they were not employees, but elected officials, but they thought they were entitled to it as a Judge in the past had received it. After discussing it at the budget meeting they had settled at $17,500.00 for each Judge, but that is not what is in the budget. With no one else wishing to speak, it was MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, at 7:55 pm Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler Town Board Minutes Page 2 October 30, 2018 MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, to open the Public Hearing on the Fire & Ambulance Contracts, seconded by Councilperson Clark at 7:56 pm. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler Lee Shurtleff - This year the Fire Department is asking the Town for $135,000.00 and for the Ambulance Service $156,000.00, a raise of $7,500.00 each. With what the Village pays, they are looking at a $570,000.00 budget. In addition to the Village contract, the Village provides a daytime ambulance driver, some of the building costs, and underwrite some of the administrative and insurance costs. As a Village Fire Department, the Village retains some ownership of the apparatus and carries that on their policies as well. Some of the costs, especially with the Ambulance are $285,000.00 for paramedics and advanced life support; replacement costs budgeted each year of $25,000.00; $4,000.00 in interest; small equipment costs of $15,000.00; supplies, medication, software, oxygen, etc. is another $17,000.00; $15,000.00 per year rent of defibrillators. Direct costs of operating the Ambulance are about $350,000.00. The contracts from the Town and Village fund a little over $250,000.00, so it is subsidized by money that comes out of the Fire Department contracts, shared expenses with the Village, fundraising, and donations. In the Fire Department budget, some of the things are a Workers Compensation, Volunteer Firemen's Benefit Loss policy of $37,500.00. That number over the past 5 years has ranged from $34,000.00 to $48,000.00 and is based on any claims that we've had as well as other factors. Additional liability costs are about $18,000.00; building maintenance is $23,000.00; apparatus replacement budget, $25,000.00 a year; fuel costs; capitol costs toward the new building; and an annual audit for $5,000.00. In 2019, we are working toward the building project. We have hired an architect and the Village has bought the land. Another initiative coming forward is required cancer insurance with a cost of about $130.00 to $176.00 per person for a total of $3,000.00 to $5,000.00. Recruitment remains vital, but in the past year we have gained 11 new members and 6 of them are also taking their Basic EMT class. As of today, the ambulance has responded 688 times this year and we're on a path to about 800 calls. Last year we set a record at 719. We've done 137 fire calls. Relative to the question about the ability to bill for ambulance service, NYS General Municipal Law, Section 209, prohibits fire departments from billing for ambulance service. Some municipalities, fire departments, and ambulance services have separated so that that they can bill for service. Based on the number of calls, insurance methodologies, a mix of Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, no insurance, and no pays, the estimate that we've had in the past is from $125,000.00 to $150,000.00 that you could reasonable expect if you were to bill for service in Groton. Groton has a large Medicaid population, which pays less. A few years ago, Ulysses took the ambulance out of the Fire Department and created a Village Ambulance Department and bills for service. There are roughly 500 yearly calls in that part of the ambulance district. In 2016 they billed for and received $96,000.00. The cost for providing the service also goes up because the Fire Department is no longer obligated or willing to provide the drivers and the basic EMTs. You also end up with 2 different insurance policies; need a professional company for billing; and hire an administrator, all for a total of around $80,000.00. Often they also lose the volunteer drivers and end up paying drivers. The total contracts for the Town of Ulysses, Village of Trumansburg and the 3 other municipalities that are contracting with them are exceeding $800,000.00 for a similar level of service and similar number of calls that our contracts are supporting for $300,000.00. Many organizations a working to get the law changed so that fire departments can bill for ambulance service, but it is a battle. MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler to close the Public Hearing, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, at 8:18 pm. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler After some discussion, it was the consensus of the Board to wait until the next Board Meeting before approving the budget. Town Board Minutes Page 3 October 30, 2018 RESOLUTION #18-058 - APPROVE 2019 FIRE AND AMBULANCE CONTRACTS MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Young RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the 2019 contract with the Groton Fire Department for fire protection in the amount of $$135,000.00 and be if further RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves 2019 contract for Ambulance Service in the amount of $156,000.00. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed The New York State Solar Permit Process was discussed. Everyone had been given a copy of the permit with pertinent sections changed to reflect the Town of Groton. RESOLUTION TO ADOPT THE NEW YORK STATE SOLAR PERMIT PROCESS MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Gamel WHEREAS, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority ("NYSERDA"), together with the New York Power Authority ("NYPA") and City University of New York ("CUNY"), developed a New York State Unified Solar Permit that reduces the cost for solar projects by streamlining municipal permitting processes, and WHEREAS, the Town of Groton wants to promote the streamlining of the application process for small- scale photovoltaic system installations by adopting the New York State Unified Solar Permit application form, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Groton hereby adopts the New York State Unified Solar Permit and thereby recognizes the guidance put forth in the document titled "Understanding Solar PV Permitting and Inspecting in New York State," and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton Code Enforcement Officer is hereby directed to use the New York State Unified Solar Permit application form in conjunction with the Town of Groton building permit application and procedures in the issuance of building permits for the installation of small-scale solar photovoltaic systems, and be it further RESOLVED, that the fee for solar installations is set by resolution of the Groton Town Board. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed Judge Dawson - Told the Board that they were withdrawing their request for a color printer, that they are able to make the black and white printer that they got from the State work for their needs. MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler for the Board and Attorney Guy Krogh to enter into Executive Session to discuss the performance and pay of a particular person, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, at 8:27 pm. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler to return to Regular Session, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, at 9:27 pm. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler Town Board Minutes Page 4 October 30, 2018 Supervisor Scheffler - Let the record show that the Executive Session was for information only. With the adoption of the New York State Solar Permit Process, the Town has completed 3 of the 4 requirements need to be the designated as a Clean Energy Community and become eligible to receive a $5,000.00 grant. Discussion took place on Energy Benchmarking, which would help the Town better understand the energy used by our municipal buildings. Clerk Scheffler agreed that she would work with Cooperative Extension to set up the benchmarking process. RESOLUTION #18-060 - ESTABLISHING ENERGY BENCHMARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Gamel WHEREAS, buildings are the single largest user of energy in the State of New York. The poorest performing buildings typically use several times the energy of the highest performing buildings, for the exact same building use; and WHEREAS, collecting, reporting, and sharing building energy data on a regular basis allows municipal officials and the public to understand the energy performance of municipal buildings relative to similar buildings nationwide, and equipped with this information the Town of Groton would be able to make smarter, more cost-effective operational and capital investment decisions, reward efficiency, and drive widespread, continuous improvement; and WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Groton desires to use Building Energy Benchmarking - a process of measuring a building's energy use, tracking that use over time, and comparing performance to similar buildings - to promote the public health, safety, and welfare by making available good, actionable information on municipal building energy use to help identify opportunities to cut costs and reduce pollution in the Town of Groton; and WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Groton desires to establish procedures or guidelines for Town of Groton staff to conduct such Building Energy Benchmarking; NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED AND DETERMINED, that the following specific policies and procedures are hereby adopted: BUILDING ENERGY BENCHMARKING POLICY/PROCEDURES §1. DEFINITIONS 1. "Benchmarking Information" shall mean information generated by Portfolio Manager, as herein defined including descriptive information about the physical building and its operational characteristics. 2. "Building Energy Benchmarking" shall mean the process of measuring a building's Energy use, tracking that use over time, and comparing performance to similar buildings. 3. "Commissioner" shall mean the head of the Department. 4. "Covered Municipal Building" shall mean a building or facility that is owned or occupied by the Town of Groton that is 1,000 square feet or larger in size. 5. "Department" shall mean the Town Clerk's Office. 6. "Energy" shall mean electricity, natural gas, steam, hot or chilled water, fuel oil, or other product for use in a building, or renewable on-site electricity generation, for purposes of providing heating, cooling, lighting, water heating, or for powering or fueling other end -uses in the building and related facilities, as reflected in Utility bills or other documentation of actual Energy use. Town Board Minutes Page S October 30, 2018 7. "Energy Performance Score" shall mean the numeric rating generated by Portfolio Manager that compares the Energy usage of the building to that of similar buildings. 8. "Energy Use Intensity (EUI)" shall mean the kBTUs (1,000 British Thermal Units) used per square foot of gross floor area. 9. "Gross Floor Area" shall mean the total number of enclosed square feet measured between the exterior surfaces of the fixed walls within any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy. 10. "Portfolio Manager" shall mean ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, the internet-based tool developed and maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to track and assess the relative Energy performance of buildings nationwide, or successor. 11. "Utility" shall mean an entity that distributes and sells Energy to Covered Municipal Buildings. 12. "Weather Normalized Site EUI" shall mean the amount of Energy that would have been used by a property under 30 -year average temperatures, accounting for the difference between average temperatures and yearly fluctuations. §2. APPLICABILITY 1. This policy is applicable to all Covered Municipal Buildings as defined in Section 1 of this policy. 2. The Commissioner may exempt a particular Covered Municipal Building from the benchmarking requirement if the Commissioner determines that it has characteristics that make benchmarking impractical. §3. BENCHMARKING REQUIRED FOR COVERED 1VIUNICIPAL BUILDINGS 1. No later than May 1, 2019, and no later than May 1 every year thereafter, the Commissioner or his or her designee from the Department shall enter into Portfolio Manager the total Energy consumed by each Covered Municipal Building, along with all other descriptive information required by Portfolio Manager for the previous calendar year. 2. For new Covered Municipal Buildings that have not accumulated 12 months of Energy use data by the first applicable date following occupancy for inputting Energy use into Portfolio Manager, the Commissioner or his or her designee from the Department shall begin inputting data in the following year. §4. DISCLOSURE AND PUBLICATION OF BENCHMARKING INFORMATION 1. The Department shall make available to the public on the internet Benchmarking Information for the previous calendar year: a. no later than September 1, 2019 and by September 1 of each year thereafter for Covered Municipal Buildings; and 2. The Department shall make available to the public on the internet and update at least annually, the following Benchmarking Information: a. Summary statistics on Energy consumption for Covered Municipal Buildings derived from aggregation of Benchmarking Information; and b. For each Covered Municipal Building individually: i. The status of compliance with the requirements of this Policy; and ii. The building address, primary use type, and gross floor area; and (iii) Annual summary statistics, including site EUI, Weather Normalized Source EUI, annual GHG emissions, and an Energy Performance Score where available; and Town Board Minutes Page 6 October 30, 2018 iv. (iv) A comparison of the annual summary statistics (as required by Section 5(2)(b)(iii) of this Policy) across calendar years for all years since annual reporting under this Policy has been required for said building. §5. MAINTENANCE OF RECORDS The Department shall maintain records as necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Policy, including but not limited to Energy bills and other documents received from tenants and/or Utilities. Such records shall be preserved by the Department for a period of three (3) years. §6. ENFORCEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 1. The Commissioner or his or her designee from the Department shall be the Chief Enforcement Officer of this Policy. 2. The Chief Enforcement Officer of this Policy may promulgate regulations necessary for the administration of the requirements of this Policy. 3. Within thirty days after each anniversary date of the effective date of this Policy, the Chief Enforcement Officer shall submit a report to the Town Board including but not limited to summary statistics on Energy consumption for Covered Municipal Buildings derived from aggregation of Benchmarking Information, a list of all Covered Municipal Buildings identifying each Covered Municipal Building that the Commissioner determined to be exempt from the benchmarking requirement and the reason for the exemption, and the status of compliance with the requirements of this Policy. §7. EFFECTIVE DATE This policy shall be effective immediately upon passage. §8. SEVERABILITY The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, provision, or phrase of the aforementioned sections, as declared by the valid judgment of any court of competent jurisdiction to be unconstitutional, shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, subsection, paragraph, sentence, clause, provision, or phrase, which shall remain in full force and effect. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Jackson, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed There being no further business, Councilperson Gamel moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilperson Jackson, at 9:39 pm. Unanimous. April L. Scheffler, RMC Town Clerk