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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-02-12TOWN OF GROTON — MINUTES OF TOWN BOARD MEETING TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2019 AT 7:30 PM THE TOWN HALL, 101 CONGER BOULEVARD Town Officers Donald F. Scheffler, Supervisor Present: Richard Gamel, Councilperson Crystal Young, Councilperson Sheldon C. Clark, Councilperson Michael Perkins, Highway Superintendent April L. Scheffler, Town Clerk Charles Rankin, Bookkeeper Absent: W. Rick Fritz, Code Official, A. D. Dawson, Town Justice, John Norman, Town Justice, Francis Casullo, Attorney for the Town Also Present: Richard Neville, Sr., Brian Klumpp, Ben Nelson, Glenn Morey, Kellie Lamereau MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Young, to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2019 Organizational Meeting as presented. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler. MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Clark, to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2019 Regular Meeting as presented. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler. MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, to approve the minutes of theJanuary 15, 2019 Special Meeting as presented. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler. MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark, to approve the minutes of the January 30, 2019 Public Hearing and Special Meeting as presented. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler. Vouchers numbered 10 - 77 in the total amount of $307,471.06 were presented to the Board for their review. Vouchers for the General A Fund in the amount of $ 97,299.20; the General B Fund in the amount of $78,422.00; the Peruville Light District in the amount of $236.86; the McLean Light District in the amount of $298.47; and the Special Fund - Groton Fire Protection in the amount of $68,750.00 were presented for audit. MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, to approve the General Bills for payment. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler. Vouchers for the Highway DA Fund in the amount of $62,464.53 were presented for audit. MOVED by Councilperson Clark, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, to approve the Highway Bills for payment. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler. Town Board Minutes Page 2 February 12, 2019 Monthly Reports: Charles Rankin, Bookkeeper - Submitted monthly reports for the Board's review and requested a budget transfer. He said that we had received the grant check from NYSERDA and it was decided that he should set up a capital projects fund to account for it until we were ready to do the LED streetlight conversion in McLean and Peruville. RESOLUTION #19-021 - 2019 BUDGET TRANSFER MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Young RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the following 2019 Budget Transfer: General Fund, Town Wide: From: Contingency, A1990.4 .................. $2,114.00 To: Justice Court, Grants, A 1110.41 ......... 2,114.00 Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed W. Rick Fritz, Code/Fire Enforcement Officer - Was not present but had submitted monthly reports for the Board's review. Michael Perkins, Highway Superintendent - Announced that he planned on hiring Ben Nelson as the mechanic for the Highway Department. He and Supervisor Scheffler had gone to Syracuse to check on the truck that had been rolled and they were supposed to get it in the shop today or tomorrow. He thanked the Clerk and Bookkeeper for help with the highway vouchers. April L. Scheffler, RMC, Town Clerk/Tax Collector - Submitted monthly reports for the Board's review. Tax collection has slowed down with the end of January. The Town warrant has been paid. Francis Casullo, Attorney for the Town - Was not present due to the weather. John J. Norman and A. D. Dawson, Town Justices - Were not present. Councilperson Crystal Young as Representative to Joint Youth Program - They are moving along with the trails committee and programs are running well. Glenn Morey, County Legislator - Didn't have much to report. He had just had his first of the year meeting for the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee and the Budget Committee. Supervisor Scheffler thanked the County for the use of a truck. Ben Nelson, Groton Fire Chief - The new officers are official now as they have been sworn in. So far there have been 93 ambulance calls this year and 19 fire calls. They did a large fundraiser for a local resident last weekend and are planning some spring events. RESOLUTION #19-022 - SET WAGE FOR NEW HIGHWAY MECHANIC MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby sets the wage for the new highway mechanic at $22.00 per hour. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed Town Board Minutes Page 3 February 12, 2019 Supervisor Scheffler said that the Historian, Rosemarie Tucker, had intended to be at the meeting to present her annual report but was not there due to the weather. She had, however, emailed her report to all of the Board Members. RESOLUTION #19-023 - TOWN CLERK & DEPUTY TO ATTEND CONFERENCE MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the payment of expenses for the Town Clerk and the Deputy Clerk to attend the 2019 New York State Town Clerks Association Conference, May 5 - 8, 2019, in Syracuse, NY. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed RESOLUTION #19-024 - ASSIGN VISA CARD AUTHORIZATION MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel WHEREAS, Richard C. Case, Jr., recently retired Highway Superintendent, has no more need of the Town of Groton VISA Card, and WHEREAS, Michael R. Perkins, currently Highway Superintendent, has a need to be listed on the Town of Groton VISA Card, be it hereby RESOLVED, that the Town Board authorizes the removal of Richard C. Case, Jr. from the Town of Groton VISA Card, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves Michael R. Perkins, along with April Scheffler, Town Clerk, as signatories on the Town of Groton VISA account with each having their own card to the same account. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed RESOLUTION #19-025 - ASSIGN LOWES STORE CARD AUTHORIZATION MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel WHEREAS, the Town of Groton has recently experienced several personnel changes, be it hereby RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the names of Richard Case, Peter Carr, and Luke Kniskern (spelled wrong on the card) to be removed from all Town of Groton Lowes Accounts Receivables, Pro Services, and Business Accounts Store Cards, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the Michael R. Perkins and Eric Satterly be listed on said cards. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed Town Board Minutes Page 4 February 12, 2019 RESOLUTION #19-026 - ADVERTISE FOR PLANNING BOARD MEMBER MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby instructs the Town Clerk to advertise for applicants to fill a vacant position on the Town of Groton Planning Board. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed Supervisor Scheffler moved on to the discussion on opting -out of Section 487 of the New York State Real Property Tax Law. He explained that it has to do with the State passing a law that exempts solar, wind and farm waste energy systems from property taxes. We have the option of opting -out of that program or staying in and doing a PILOT program if a business comes in. A public hearing had already been held. He asked the Board what their feelings were. Councilperson Gamel said he thinks we should opt out for now to give us some time to think about a PILOT. He is concerned as to whether or not we have to turn things over to the County IDA if we decide to do PILOT. He asked Mr. Morey what he thought about it. Mr. Morey said that if they weren't comfortable with the state law and felt pressured that they should pass the law to opt -out. They can always opt back in later if they want to. Councilperson Gamel thought it would give them time to think things through and find out for certain. He had asked the attorney about it but had not gotten a response yet. Councilperson Young asked what would be so bad about doing a PILOT especially after hearing all the positive comments in favor of a PILOT from people at the last meeting and the fact that so many other people are doing PILOTs. She thought it would equal out to about the same amount. Supervisor Scheffler thinks there are so many gray areas and it would also depend on how many megawatts they actually put in. A company talking to us is talking a 5 megawatt system. Councilperson Young said that she just wanted to know that if we opt -out in order to make sure that a company pays its fair share, that we are able to opt back in at the time we need to in order to do a PILOT if we want to. The rest of the Board responded that we may not be able to on this particular project if they submit an application after the law is passed, but no one was sure of that. Mr. Morey said that if the Board opted out, the solar company would not come. But he also said that if the Board was concerned about the regulations, the code enforcement, the life of the solar panels, what happens after the business leaves, and other issues, then they should opt -out right now because the Board is not prepared to do this right now. But if they don't get a PILOT, they won't come. Councilperson Young expressed concern that if they don't come we would lose out on possible money coming into the Town through the PILOT. Supervisor Scheffler said that the land could also be used for something else that would pay taxes. He asked Mr. Morey about the copy of law that had been given to him that indicated that the County had opted out. Mr. Morey didn't know about it. Councilperson Young said that there was an email from a County official who indicated that if the Town was going to do a PILOT that the County would be interested in doing one with us. There seems to be conflicting information. Supervisor Scheffler said that was one of the reasons he wanted to opt -out. Town Board Minutes Page S February 12, 2019 Councilperson Young remarked that if we opt -out we lose them and it sends the message that the Town is not in support of clean energy and the cutting edge things that are happening. Supervisor Scheffler read the following statement saying that these are his personal thoughts and not that of the Board: First, let me explain that I am not a newcomer to the idea of alternative energy. In 1950, I began designing and building small wind turbines, first with the idea of driving heat pumps, and then on to electric generation. After building a small fan powered wind tunnel, I developed a turbine blade design that maximizes available wind density, is almost silent, and deters bird suicides. I went on to convert a small internal combustion engine powered by hydrogen, generated from wind powered electricity. I have studied solar and bio gas. I know what works and what doesn't. I am open to new ideas and welcome all clean, viable businesses. I encourage everyone who asks and some who don't, to try anything they want in the field of alternative energy. It's something fun and interesting to do, and you may make a difference. Just don't expect to get rich at it, and don't ask me to pay for it. Some may say that we give exemptions for others, why not energy companies. Yes, we give humanitarian exemptions for services rendered. To our veterans, who served and fought for our freedom to build, succeed and profit in this country, some of whom return with unimaginable disabilities, we proudly give a break. Our senior citizens, who spent their lives in Groton quietly making it a better place, deserve a break. They worked hard, paid their bills and taxes, and raised their children, all while selflessly volunteering at the school, working at the food pantries, serving in their church, the Rotary, library, historical society, fire department and ambulance, Scouts, youth sports and countless other unknown and unheralded efforts. To them we happily give a partial tax exemption. Even after giving so much, I hear reports of those who stop eating to pay their taxes, or cut back on their medications to pay their taxes, and proudly walk in and pay them without complaint or fanfare. To all these good folks, this discussion tonight is an insult. Our leader in Albany, a man who has never darkened a street in Groton, has required us to give a tax break to a company from Canada buying solar equipment from Germany with investment capital from Connecticut, and a hollow promise of $10 off your electric bill. Our citizens then will be required to "pick up the slack" in tax revenue. This same administration is attempting to cut the Town's AIM funding, a $34,000.00 loss, while making the tax cap permanent. By my calculation, full taxation on a 2MW solar farm will raise taxes on the property to around $10,000.00 per year for an estimated 4-5 million dollar project, leaving us still with a $24,000.00 shortfall. All this while a foreign corporation takes the profits home. There will be no local permanent jobs, only periodic mowing and power washing. The good people of Groton deserve better. Fortunately, we have the option to opt -out of this, one of the worst laws ever written. A law which amounts to state sanctioned tax discrimination. A law insuring that large corporations don't pay their fair share. A law that bases property taxes on the owner's income and expenses, not market value. They can easily manipulate income and expenses to their advantage. I favor full, fair, and equitable taxation based on assessed value. Them's my thought, and I'm stickin' to `em. After some additional discussion, the consensus of the Board was that they wished to take a vote tonight. Town Board Minutes Page 6 February 12, 2019 RESOLUTION #19-027 - ADOPT LOCAL LAW #1 FOR THE YEAR 2019 MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby adopts Local Law #I for the Year 2019 entitled "A Local Law to Opt -Out of Section 487 of the New York State Real Property Tax Law" as follows: Section 1. Legislative Intent It is the intent of this Local Law to provide no exemption from taxation as authorized in Real Property Tax Law, Section 487. Section 2. Exemption From Taxation No exemption from taxation shall be applicable with respect to any solar or wind energy system or farm waste energy system. Section 3. Effective Date This Local Law shall take effect immediately upon filing with the Secretary of State. Ayes - Gamel, Clark, Scheffler Abstain - Young Nays - Resolution Passed Supervisor Scheffler - There is a vacancy on the Town Board and there has been some interest from some people who would like to be on the Board. It's up to the Town Board to appoint someone and the appointment will be until December 31, 2019. If the person wants to continue, they will have to run for the position in the November election and win. A couple of the interested people were present. Brian Klumpp - I've been a resident of Groton for 40 -plus years. I'm currently self-employed as a land survey and work out of the Village of Groton. Prior to that, I worked in Dryden and Ithaca for a couple different firms as a civil engineer and land surveyor. Prior boards that I've served on are the Village of Groton Board of Appeals, Village of Groton Loan Committee, and am currently on the Stonehedges Board of Directors. Currently live in the Village but we are moving to Hart Drive sometime in the Spring. In the last several years, I've thought about running for the Town Board, but didn't have a lot of free time. Things are getting a little less hectic in my life. Rick notified me of the vacancy and just this discussion that you folks had now definitely made me realize that it's something I want to get into. I haven't paid as much attention to it as I should have. Again, I've been awfully busy, but this is a really important item that I'm kind of upset that I didn't even know it was being discussed. It's something I definitely want to do. Councilperson Clark - You said you were upset? Mr. Klumpp - Upset and disappointed in myself that I haven't been paying attention to these types of things going on in the Town. I hear things, but usually afterwards. I haven't had the time prior to now. Kids are off to college, so things have opened up in my schedule. Richard Neville, Sr. - I'm 62 years old and lived hear all my life. Been in many organizations; been a life-long resident; have property in both the Town and the Village; been a member of the Groton Fire Department; also worked here at the Highway Department; been a member of the Rod and Gun Club, American Legion. I was president of the Groton Daycare Center and currently president of the Groton Car Club. Being retired, I've got the time now to spend trying to help the Board and existing members with stuff from our past; our past economic history; our current situations; and any future situations and problems that come up. I do plan on running in November anyway and I just felt this might give me a little experience on and above that. Supervisor Scheffler asked if the Board wanted to discuss it or make an appointment. At least two other people had expressed an interest. Town Board Minutes Page 7 February 12, 2019 Councilperson Young said that she had talked to Doug VanBenschoten, Sr., who had also expressed his disappointment that he hadn't taken a prior interest in what was going on in the Town and since he's learned more about the items being discussed that I would like to be a part of the decisions being made. Councilperson Clark had spoken with Tim Murdock who has an excavation business out of Groton, but has lived in Groton for 30 years. He is also at that point in his life where he feels he could be a part of the Town. It was not planned to have those interested come and speak at the meeting, so the consensus of the Board was that to be fair they would try to call and speak to the other interested individuals and make the appointment later. Supervisor Scheffler gave the Board copies of a draft Notice to Bidders for roof replacement on the Town Highway Garage. He asked the Board for a resolution to move forward so the replacement can get scheduled for this summer. RESOLUTION #19-028 - MOVE FORWARD ON BID FOR ROOF REPLACEMENT MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the Town Supervisor to work with the Attorney for the Town to finalize the Notice to Bidders for the replacement of the Town Highway Garage roof and move forward to distribute it to potential bidders. Ayes - Gamel, Young, Clark, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed Privilege of the Floor: No one wished to speak Announcements: ➢ Planning Board Meeting - February 21 at 7:30 pm ➢ Zoning Board of Appeals - February 20 at 7:00 pm ➢ Free CPR Class at Cayuga Wellness Center - February 17 There being no further business, Councilperson Gamel moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilperson Clark, at 8:26 pm. Unanimous. April L. Scheffler, RMC Town Clerk Town Board Minutes Page 8 February 12, 2019