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Home My WebLink About2020-12-08ONN N O GKO ON — NISI TESOFTONNN ROAKU MINI I'ING I'LI•:SUAI . DECEMBER 8.21120 A 1'':31► I'NI I HE ONN N IIALL. 1111 CONGER 1101 LEN AKU ToYavt Ofe-er8 Present: Iklnald I Scheiner, Super%i.or Richard Gaind, Cotuwilper.on Crt xIal Noting, C otuwilper�on Iirlan Khmipp, Cotuwilper.on Sheldon C Clark, Cauncdper.an Michael P%Anl., Illghltal Supt \pnl I. Scheiner, Talul Clod. Clark. Rankin, I► al l ogler \\ Rwk I tit/, Cade t ffitoal I rancic Cactlllo, -\Ilan% Toavt Ofe-ers lbsedtt: 1lso Present: \ I) I)a%%sow Talul 1tigw': Iicn \ekan John \onllatl, to%til hitw,: Glom \lore% 1,11ard KoIt ( MON ED h\ C omw I 1per�atl Gutile%, seNtldetl h\ C otuwilpe(�atl Khm pp, to approl a the Illnmte� of dw l0, _O_O to\til Ihla(d \lCCtltlg :Ix p(C�Ctlted \l c.. Clark, N'aung, Khmipp, runic%, Scheiner KNSOLI I'H)N 020-1181 - AI PROM F PAN YN('NS MON ED hl Cauncdper.an Noting, .eanlded hl Cauncdper.an Clark NN IINKI{AS, toucher. f lr .\hciract 12, nunll*crcd 501 - ccc ltcrr rrtlelted and audited hl the Talus ILlard, he It KI•:SOLN ED, that the Talus hoard herrhl appralc..alcl toucher. far the acalunic and In the total :u181ut1h as follolts rode 1^wd 70131• $t l+'V\,p�4,t.$N°^+i)➢".'tUtVVtiv2i 1a rii5'*� V1;1 A'VUr.V�aS':�.a�VV±•f} _wi;4:'.1 UdVi V�61=iV$tiF-:53 d'4"lid Y'ANV Ut,Tk1.'t 11,'"t+'V.`.� M4 2• Po- 91 V" I V fool 0!F.t, tlINJ V21C: 1= NK'4,k 10411fi 10\(r., lld�1`Vl>Yt'p�' is►, 1"t Total: '61I1133% A%rN - (lark, l ming, Klun►pp. Gan►cl. Scl►citicr Kcsmlullmt► I'a.scJ Town Board Allnutes Page 2 Derendrer 8, 2020 Monthly Reports: Charles Rankin, Bookkeeper - Submitted monthly reports for the Board's review and requested budget adjustments. Don and Mike and I sat down and reviewed the budget for the DA fund and I think it looks like we're going to come in with deposits of cash and we went over some budget adjustments. I can't pretty much guarantee that we'll have to do another at the January meeting. I think we will have a little fund balance to roll over. You just got your CPA report tonight. Due to changes in their procedures everything in your statements does not conform to the Generally _accepted _accounting Principals which includes post -employment benefits and total fixed assets appreciated, which includes infrastructure, your roads, you'd have to put values on all of them. The accounting funs, they get audited by other accounting fires to see if their procedures are right. Through all this, it means we got an adverse opinion. They claimed they went over that with us a couple years ago. If you wanted to come into complete compliance, it would cost you some major money to have evaluations done on your roads and get an actuary to do post-retirement benefits. He did say that most small municipalities, because of the cost, have just said that they're going to get the adverse opinion and go with it. Unless you're going to borrow a couple million dollars, it's not going to make any difference, just pay a little more in interest. In my opinion, it's not worth spending the extra money. _-Mother thing is they always have some adjustments that they want made. One of the main things is lining up the sales tax to correspond with the fiscal year. I just got the check a week ago for October and probably won't get another one in this fiscal year. Mr. Rankin explained that to wait for them all to come in for the year would mean that he couldn't close the books until months after the end of the year. Instead, he accounts for them on a cash basis as they come in. He had compared the October sales tax with last year and it was only about $250 less than last year. Even though sales tax is down this year, we are over what was budgeted, so that is good news. RESOLUTION 420-082 - 2020 BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the following 2020 Budget _adjustments: Highway Find - Town Wide: From: Bridges, Contractual. DA5120.4..................$1000.00 Bridges. Culverts. DA5120.41 ......................4.000.00 Machinery. Equipment. DA5130.2................4.000.00 Brush & Weeds. Contractual, DA5140.4.......... 3,000.00 To: Machinem, Contractual. DA5130.4...............12.000.00 Ayes - Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed W. Rick Fritz, Code/Fire Enforcement Officer — He has done the Life Safety Inspections for the month. Discussion took place on raising the fees for an application for variance and adding a fee for a letter of compliance. Mortgage companies are asking for letters of compliance when houses are sold. Problems arise when people are trying to sell their homes and have never received a certificate of occupancy or have zoning violations. Sometimes there can be quite alot of time put into finding all of the infornation requested and/or doing inspections of property. _attorney Casullo will work with Mr. Fritz and the Clerk's Office and bring something back to the Board for the Organizational Meeting in January. Town Board Allnutes Page 3 Derendrer 8, 2020 nlichael Perkins, Highway Superintendent — Winter has returned and we've done a little plowing and sanding. Finished some brush trimming on Sovocool prepping for nest year's paving. Done some cold patching and potholes. We've got the trucks suited up, changed some plows, blades, and shoes. Mixed some salt and sand. Today we had one of our mainline trucks go down. It's at Stadium International. Discussion took place with the Board on the fact that they would probable need another truck and Mr. Perkins is looking into options. April L. Scheffler, RMC, Town Clerk/Tax Collector - Submitted monthly reports for the Board's review. I had an email from Jay Franklin at Assessment. They are waiting on the schools to tum in their relevied taxes and then he will be all set to print the tax bills. There has been a lot of discussion between clerks on bow we will all handle tax collection with the COVID situation. The glass in our office certainly does make it safer for us. It will also be interesting to see if the Governor comes out with any executive orders concerning tax collection. We had a regional meeting for the State Association on Sunday and our annual conference in April will be virtual. Francis Casullo, Attorney for the Town - Had nothing to report. John J. Norman and A. D. Dawson, Town Justices - Were not present. Councilperson Crestal Young as Representative to Joint Youth Program — Had nothing to report. Glenn Morey, County Legislator - Bottom line, the County Budget stands at 189million dollars, a 3.7million decrease from last year, or down 1.891o. The property tax rate will increase 7 -cents to 6.38 a thousand, an increase of 1.170o. Last year it was 6.31. The impact to the local homeowner is going to be about $83.00 for a median house in Tompkins County. In Tompkins County, a $200.000 house is considered median. Hotel taxes are down by 4000, sales tax by 1500, and the County has lost somewhere between 7 - 16million dollars from the State. Trash collection is going up and next year they are going to limit what can be recycled. Ben Nelson, Groton Fire Chief - There is not much to report. Total calls, we are at 924. We had our chief officer nominations last week. The elections will be the first Wednesday in January. I am unsure what we are going to do about a banquet this year for the election of the chief officers, and that's the case everywhere. Santa will be parading through the Village on December 19th. He doesn't want to get COVID, so he's just going to be parading through the Village waving. He has encouraged everybody to write their letters to Santa and put them in the mailbox in the lobby of the Post Office and be will get them one way or another. RESOLUTION 420-083 - SCHEDULE 2021 ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby schedules the 2021 Organizational Meeting for Tuesday. January. 12. 2021, at 7:30 pm, followed by the regular monthly meeting. Ayes - Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed Town Board Minutes Page 4 Derendrer 8, 2020 Supervisor Scheffler asked the Board if they had had time to review the Fiscal Year 2019 Town _audit and the audit of the Justice Court. Mr. Rankin had already given an overview of the Town _audit during his Bookkeeper report. Discussion took place on the Justice Court audit and the finding that the judges were not making timely deposits of fiends. _attorney Casullo said that judges are strongly told that they are not supposed to go more than 72 hours without making a deposit. Councilperson Gamel mentioned that this was a finding during the audit for the prior year. Mr. Rankin said that a month ago he was not able to deposit a check that was written to the Supervisor by one of the Judges because of insufficient fiends in the Judge's account. RESOLUTION 420-084 - ACCEPT FISCAL YEAR 2019 UDIT MOVED by Councilperson Klumpp, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby accepts the Fiscal Year 2019 Town _audit as well as the Fiscal Year 2019 Justice Court _audit. Ayes - Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed RESOLUTION 420-085 - APPROVE 2020 GADABOUT CONTRACT MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the 2020 Gadabout Contract in the amount of $1.000.00 and hereby gives the Supervisor the authority to sign same. Ayes - Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed RESOLUTION 420-086 - APPROVE 2021 HIGHWAY AGREEMENT MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton Highway Employees be granted the following for the Year 2021: loo raise in pay across the board. Ayes - Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffler Nays - Resolution Passed RESOLUTION 420-087 - EMPLOYEE PAID SICK LEAVE ACT (EPSLA) MOVED by Supervisor Scheffler, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby passes the Town of Groton Paid Sick Leave _pct (EPSLA) as follows: Purpose: The purpose of this resolution is to provide a measure of relief and security to Town employees affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is intended to be a safety net for employees who must take time off from work due to COVID-19 accidental or unavoidable circumstances beyond their control, such as, but not limited to: Town Board Minutes Page S December 8, 3030 1. Child care issues and responsibilities due to illness, exposure, or quarantine. 2. Illness or exposure of the employee or an immediate family member that requires the employee to be absent from work, including quarantine, doctor visits, travel time for COVID-19 testing, care of an affected family member, or recuperation of the employee. Eligibility: This benefit is extended to all Town of Groton employees. Benefit: This temporary benefit provides, on an as needed basis, up to 80 hours of additional sick leave per calendar year in the event of an accidental or unavoidable COVID-19 exposure or quarantine. This time may be used intennittently or on an as needed basis. This time is to be used solelv for COVID-19 related events, does not accrue beyond calendar year end, and is not a permanent benefit accorded to employees. If after 80 hours in a calendar year the employee requires additional time for a COVID-19 related event, employee must use their own accruals. This benefit may be applied retroactive to April 1. 2020, at the discretion of the immediate supervisor. There is no payment for unused leave time. Requirements: Employees must show due diligence in adhering to all applicable NYSDOH and CDC guidelines in effect at the time of the exposure, illness, or event, including but not limited to: 1.Travel restrictions 2.Xlass gathering restrictions 3.Xlask requirements and social distancing guidelines 4.Cleaning and sanitizing work surfaces, tools, equipment and computers Extenuating circumstances: In the event of a quarantined asymptomatic essential worker being required to work, employee would be paid their hourly rate for the time they worked, with Emergence Paid Sick Leave time to cover the rest of the standard work day pay. Example: A quarantined employee is called in for snow plowing. Works 6 hours and goes home. Standard work day is 8 1 _ hours Employee is entitled to 2 1 _ hours ESPLA pay, up to a total of 80 hours. In the case of quarantined essential worker being required to work, all effort should be made on the part of the employee and immediate supervisor to limit unnecessary contact with other employees, equipment and surfaces. Employees will be required to submit a documentation checklist foam to their immediate supenlisor. Quarantined employees able to work from home may do so, at the discretion of the immediate supen7isor. EPSLA leave time will be recorded on the employee's time sheet by the immediate supen7isor. EPSLA leave time cannot be used for other illnesses, nor will it diminish accrued regular sick time. This temporary supplemental benefit may be canceled at any time by an act of the Town Board, but in no instance will it continue beyond 12 midnight December 31. 2021. Ayes - Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffier Nays - Resolution Passed Town Board Atlnutes Page 6 Derendrer 8, 3030 Privilege of the Floor: No one wished to speak. Announcements: Planning Board Meeting, December 171h at 7:30 pm Zoning Board of _appeals Meeting. December 161h at 7:00 pm There being no further business. Councilperson Gamel moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilperson Young, 8:23at pm. Unanimous. April L. Seheffler, RMC Town Clerk