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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-07-17101 REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING Date: July 17. 2002 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Lansing Town Hall Board Room AGENDA 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Water Consolidation - Water Committee - Public Information Session 5. Privilege of the Floor: A) Anyone who wishes to address the Board 6. Engineer's Report 7. Highway Superintendent's Report 8. Code Enforcement Officer's Report 9. Approve Audit 10, Public Hearing - 8:30 p.m. - Proposed PDA - Tax Map # 40. -4 -14.11 11. Motion to accept Employee Handbook 12. Board Member Reports 13. Executive Session if Needed 14. Adjournment 102 July 17, 2002 The Lansing Town Board met in Regular Session at the Lansing Town Hall Board Room at 7:00 p.m. with Supervisor Farkas presiding. The Supervisor called the meeting to order and had the clerk take the Roll Call. Stephen Farkas Katrina Greenly Doug McEver Meg Overstrom Francis Shattuck Bonita Boles Richard John ROLL CALL Supervisor Present Councilperson Present Councilperson Present Councilperson Present Councilperson Present Town Clerk Present Town Attorney Present The Supervisor lead all present in the Pledge of Allegiance. VISITORS: Dave Herrick, Dick Platt, Dave Allerdice, Guy Krogh, Kathy Wenesatt, Robert Hall, Connie Wilcox, Richard Meacher, Victoria Freile, Dorothy and Mary Krizek, Richard Carlton, Pat Conlon, Phil Skeps, James and Barbara Hylwa, Walter Poland, Paul Constantini„ Deb Harper, Melissa Stephenson, John and Maureen Dean, Jim Bentkowski, Marc Rosenkrantz, Dan Konowalow, Ryan Berryann, John Kaminsky, Richard and Jean Wentworth, Doug Firth, Craig Trowbridge, George Gesslein, Pat McDonough, Virginia Mansfield - Richardson, Ron Ronsvalle, George Frantz, Dave Stotz, Tom and Lisa LiVigne, Danny Boles and a couple of other residents. WATER CONSOLIDATION PROJECT: Dave Herrick and Dave Allerdice presented the proposed water consolidation project to the audience and distributed the following hand out: Public Information Session 1 Historical Overview of Town Water Districts The bulk of Lansing's 18 water districts and 21 extensions have been formed within the past 20 years. Eight of the water districts and seven extensions presently have outstanding capital debt financed through the Town. Each indebted district has a unique benefit formula used to assess the capital project cost amongst the parcels within the district. In the case of every district formation or extension Town law and State regulation require certain legal, engineering and administrative procedures to be followed. The cost of these procedures is duplicated with every new request for a district or extension. The core of the water delivery system (Village Circle Tank, Burdick Hill pump station and large diameter transmission pipe) was constructed in the early 1980's. Revenue is presently raised only from the sale of water to cover projected annual operating expenses. Maintenance projects in the past have been funded from an accumulation of surplus water sales revenue. There is currently no planned capital reserve fund. Town customers are all charged a rate of $2.89/1,000 gallons of which $1.10 is the Town surcharge for the annual operation and maintenance (O &M) budget. The remaining $1.79 is paid to the water supplier, Bolton Point. Aside from the sale of water the Town U Continued, July 17, 2002 currently has no other mechanism for raising O &M funds. Landowners with access to a Town water main who have elected not to connect to public water are not supporting the O &M budget. Study Process Recognizing the growing age of the infrastructure and the need for long -term planning of capital and maintenance projects the Town Board organized and directed the Water District Consolidation Committee to evaluate alternatives for future administration of the Town's water system. Through the Spring of 2002 the Committee met with the Town's Attorney, Fiscal Advisor and Engineer to review legal and financial procedures for establishing and administering a single consolidation system. Consolidation options now being presented to the Town Board and public for deliberation are outlined as follows: Implications of Option 1: Bookkeeping practices for O &M revenues and expenses will be based on a single Town system instead of multiple districts. The Town's water rate surcharge would cover only budgeted operation expenses (i.e. typical vendors, utilities, administration) and maintenance expenses would be covered by a dedicated fund. A water service area will be created to include all existing districts plus "donut" holes and adjoining lands in the south end of the Town. All existing and future debt is pooled and shared proportionally by each parcel in the water service area. The benefit charge for each parcel will be based on an "equivalent dwelling unit" method of assessment. The difference between the total annual debt payment and benefit charge revenue is credited to a dedicated capital reserve fund. New water main extensions within the service area must be determined "feasible" by the Town Board and the capital reserve fund can be leveraged as needed to obtain the best financing for extension projects. Implications of Option 2• Bookkeeping practices for O &M revenues and expenses will be based on a single Town system instead of multiple districts. Annually adjust the water rate surcharge or levy a special assessment to cover actual operation and maintenance expenses incurred in the prior year. A water service area would not be established. Existing districts would continue to retire the respective debt per the established schedules. Future water main extensions and new districts will be formed and financed in historical fashion. The recommendation of the Committee is to pursue Option 1. 1,04 Continued July 17, 2002 Public Information Process Through a series of public information sessions to be held this summer and fall, together with direct mailing, the Town Board will seek input from the affected landowners prior to considering a date for a formal public hearing. A tentative list of information to be presented at the next session will include: Boundary delineation of a proposed Town Water Service Area. Explanation of the proposed benefit formula for sharing existing and future capital debt. - A preliminary 5 -year capital projects work plan. It was stated that the members of the Consolidation Water District Committee are Dave Herrick, Rich John, John Kaminsky and Doug McEver. Mr. Herrick felt the cost would be approximately $100.00 - $150.00 per dwelling unit and that there would be no physical alterations. Mr. Walter Poland urged the Board to go forward as he felt it made a lot of sence. HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT MONTHLY REPORT: Mr. Farkas reported for Mr. French. 2003 TRUCK: The new Mack Truck has been sent to TRS to have the snow plow equipment installed. ROAD PAVING: Another 3.2 miles of road has been paved totaling 7.5 miles of cold mix paving. New shoulders have also been put on all roads that were paved this summer. SCOFIELD ROAD: This road has been repaired. ECONOMY PAVING TRUCKS. Mr. French has approved Economy Paving Trucks to run on Waterwagon Road only if they are empty. WHISPERING PINES. Mr. French met with Larry Frabroni this morning and stated that they are moving forward with the process. CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER'S MONTHLY REPORT: Mr. Platt handed out his newly formatted monthly report and stated that they were up by 15 permits and also up by $ 286,950.00 in project costs from last year. APPROVE AUDIT: RESOLUTION, offered by Mrs. Overstom and seconded by Mrs. Greenly: RESOLVED, that the bookkeeper is hereby authorized and directed to pay the following 05 bills: Voucher Numbers PrePay Vouchers Continued, July, 17, 2002 509-633 509 -512 FUND TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS GENERAL FUND HIGHWAY FUND LANSING LIGHTING LANSING WATER DISTRICTS TOWN HALL PROJECT $ 50, 939.09 $ 141,535.50 $ 1,249.74 $ 105038.57 $ 2,046.00 Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Katrina Greenly, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Doug McEver, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Meg Overstrom, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Francis Shattuck, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Stephen Farkas, Supervisor RESOLUTION, offered by Mr. McEver and seconded by Mrs. Greenly: RESOLVED, that the bookkeeper is hereby authorized and directed to make the following Budget Modifications: FROM TO FOR AMOUNT A 1990.400 A8510.400 Community Beautification 35250.00 A 1990.400 A6989.400 Better Housing 25000.00 A 1990.400 A 1620.400 Bldgs. Contr. - Copier Lease 1,536.00 INCREASE BUDGET FOR EQUIPMENT REPAIRS & REPLACEMENT FROM INSURANCE PROCEEDS Increase Revenues DA2680 Insurance Recoveries 19,941.91 Increase Appropriations DA5130.400 Machinery Contractual 14 791.91 DA5130.200 Machinery - Equipment 51150.00 Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Katrina Greenly, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Doug McEver, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Meg Overstrom, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Francis Shattuck, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Stephen Farkas, Supervisor RESOLUTION, offered by Mrs. Greenly and seconded by Mr. McEver: WHEREAS, by Resolution dated April 18, 2001, the Town Board of the Town of Lansing engaged a consultant, Amtek, Inc., to review and revise the personnel policies for Town employees, together with the preparation of a new employee handbook, and WHEREAS, Amtek, Inc. has completed its review and revision and has presented a proposed new employee handbook to the Town Board for review, therefore it is RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Lansing accepts the new employee handbook for the Town of Lansing employees as presented by Amtek, Inc. 106 Continued, July 17, 2002 Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Katrina Greenly, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Doug McEver, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Meg Overstrom, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Francis Shattuck, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Stephen Farkas, Supervisor BOARD MEMBER REPORTS: DOUG MCEVER: Nothing to report. MEG OVERSTROM: LANSING HOUSING AUTHORITY, Lansing Housing Authority is still looking into a second Woodsedge. Feasibility study is the next step. TOWN HALL SIGN. The final report has been completed and sent to the County Planning Department. We will now receive 50 % of the cost of the sign which is $ 3,750.00 which was a grant that the Town received from the County. KATRINA GREENLY: LIBRARY: Six new cards were given out today. There is a summer reading program going on. REFERENCE BUILDING. Katrina, Louise and Bill Bement and Connie Wilcox had their first meeting regarding the need for a records building. They are looking into leads and will try to have it all pulled together before budget time. NEST STUDY MAP: Mrs. Greenly showed the Board the map regarding the new bus routes and asked the Board to study it and get back to her with their concerns and / or suggestions. Mr. Konowalow stated that they would like any input by the end of the week. FRANCIS SHATTUCK. PLANNING BOARD: The Planning Board is meeting twice a month and still working on Zoning Rules and Regulations. The final changes will be looked at next week. He urged all to attend Town Meetings. SEWER: The Intermunicipal Sewer Agreement is getting closer. A meeting will be held on Thursday of this week. Engineers are now working together. ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR: Mr. Floyd Ferris has turned in a written proposal to the Board Members regarding performing the Electrical Inspections in the Town of Lansing. Continued, July 17, 2002 If Mr. Ferris is hired as a Town Employee, there would be no additional cost for insurance. If he were to be hired on a contract basis, there could be an additional cost for insurance. Mr. Farkas stated that if he was hired, it would be for less than 20 hours per week. Mr. McEver felt the Town should hire him as an employee. Mrs. Connie Wilcox asked what kind of a salary he would be receiving and how many hours would he be working. Mr. Shattuck stated that the salary would be ip the range of S 12,000.00. Mrs. Wilcox felt that when people retire, they come to the Town for a job. She was concerned that when he came to the Board, he did not have a proposal in hand. Mr. Shattuck stated that they now have a written proposal. She was concerned that the Town may end up paying out more than they take in. Mrs. Overstrom agreed with her. Mrs. Overstrom also stated that Mr. Ferris would have to understand that in no case, would he work in excess of 20 hours per week. The Board was asked if the fee system could change because of this and Mr. Shattuck stated that it could and that the Board would make the decisions. The Board will discuss this at a later date. STEVE FARKAS: SEWER, AES CAYUGA - NEGOTIATIONS REGARDING TAX RATES RESOLUTION, offered by Mr. Shattuck and seconded by Mrs. Greenly: WHEREAS, AES Cayuga has requested a meeting with representatives of Tompkins County, the Lansing Central School District, and the Lansing Town Board to discuss entering into negotiations regarding tax rates for the AES Cayuga Power Plant facility; and WHEREAS, in the course of these discussions, it is contemplated that AES will disclose confidential information concerning its business operations and AES has requested that representatives who receive such confidential information execute a Confidentiality Agreement; therefore, it is RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Lansing has authorized its members to enter into and sign a Confidentiality Agreement with AES Cayuga in order to receive such confidential information and materials concerning AES business operations. Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Katrina Greenly, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Doug McEver, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Meg Overstrom, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Francis Shattuck, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Stephen Farkas, Supervisor RONALD RONSVALLE - PROPOSED PDA A Public Hearing regarding Mr. Ronsvalle's proposed PDA was called to order at 8:30 p.m. and the following comments and concerns were aired: Paul Consenti felt it was inappropriate for a low density area. He also told the Board that they would loose the Community trust if they approved the proposed PDA. He did not feel that the developer presented a proposal that would benefit the community. Doug Firth also felt it should be rejected as it was pretty much unchanged from the first proposal and he could see no benefit. Davis Stauss supported the proposal as he felt it would be a compliment to the area, have 107 108 Continued, July 17, 2002 upscale residents and would be sensitive to the view of all residents in the area. He urged the Board to pass the proposal. Virginia Richardson was concerned about the traffic especially at the Triphammer Terrace and Hillcrest intersection. George Gesslein felt it was smart development. He did not feel that R -1 zoning made a lot of since along North Triphammer Road and that the Planning Board should look into it. He urged the Town Board to look at it from a whole town decision and not a decision for just the neighbors. George Frantz ( Ronsvalle's Lawyer) stated that the plans do comply with the conditions and urged the Board to pass the proposal. He stated that they comply with 8 out of 11 suggestions made by the Planning Board. Richard Maul felt multi - family housing should be put closer to a Town Center. Ryan Farewell stated that he is a tenant of Mr. Ronsvalle's (Ridge Road) and urged the Board to approve the project as he felt more were needed and that they were very nice units and had a quiet atmosphere. Jim Benakowski stated that there is a demand for housing in Lansing and was concerned that there is a sprawl in development. He felt it was a good use of the land and not cheap housing. He urged the Board to approve the proposed project and not to look for loop holes. Walter Poland was against it and felt it would over ride the existing zoning ordinance. He does not want this project in his neighborhood. Richard Wentworth was very concerned about the traffic. He was concerned with the character and safety of the neighborhood. Tom LiVigne stated that the Town should not allow the zoning ordinance to be changed. He felt that Alex Cima's development enhanced the area but that Mr. Ronsvalle's would not. Mrs. Overstrom felt Mr. Ronsvalle's buildings were very nice. She stated that she supports growth but does not agree with Mr. Gesslein and she dose not feel the place is appropriate. She urged the Board to vote with her and not support the proposal. Doug McEver felt the Town needs smart growth. He felt the buildings were very nice but not in the proposed area. He stated that he hopes the Board votes no. Katrina Greenly agreed with Mrs. Overstrom and Mr. McEver and stated that the proposal was insufficient for the way the property is zoned. Mr. Farkas agreed with the other Board Members. Mr. Shattuck stated that he supports the PDA process and that the Planning Board decided that the project did not fit into the criteria therefore the Board should go with the Planning Board's decision. On motion, the Public Hearing was closed and the following resolution was offered: RESOLUTION, offered by Mr. Shattuck and seconded by Mrs. Overstrom: WHEREAS, an Application had been submitted by the owner of property, Ronald Ronsvalle, for a proposed Planned Development Area consisting of the construction of Town House apartment units on land adjacent to Hillcrest Road and North Triphammer Road, specifically being located at Town of Lansing Tax Map No. 40.4- 14.11; and 3 i Continued, July 17, 2002 WHEREAS, the Town of Lansing Planning Board has reviewed the proposal and made a recommendation to the Town Board; and WHEREAS, on the 17th day of July 2002 at 8:30 p.m. the Lansing Town Board held a public hearing to receive public comment from the residents of the Town of Lansing concerning this proposal and after the Town Board having received such public comment and duly considered and deliberated thereon; therefore, it is RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Lansing hereby denies approval for the Application of Ronald Ronsvalle for a proposed Planned Development Area consisting of the construction of 24 Town House apartment units on land adjacent to Hillcrest Road and North Triphammer Road, specifically being located at Town of Lansing Tax Map No, 40. -4 -14.1 1, as submitted at this time. Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Katrina Greenly, Councilperson Vote of Town Board. (Aye) Doug McEver, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Meg Overstrom, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Francis Shattuck, Councilperson Vote of Town Board ... (Aye) Stephen Farkas, Supervisor DAN BOLES - LIQUID MANURE PROBLEM• Mr. Boles stated that the Board needs to do something about the problem of farmers spreading liquid manure in the center of the Town. He stated that he owns a restaurant and that it is effecting the business. He asked the Board how long a farmer had until the ground had to be turned over. Mr. Farkas stated that he will check into the length of time a farmer has to turn over the ground. RESOLUTION, offered by Mrs. Greenly and seconded by Mr. McEver: RESOLVED, that the Regular Meeting is adjourned to go into Executive Session at 9:28 p.m. to discuss potential litigation on a tax issue. Carried. RESOLUTION, offered by Mr. Shattuck and seconded by Mr. McEver: RESOLVED, that the Executive Session be terminated and the Regular Meeting be reconvened at 9:51 p.m. On motion, meeting adjourned at the call of the Supervisor at 9:53 p.m. el zi Uwe