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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Minutes 1995-11-20 F IN' AL Town of Ithaca Special Town Board Meeting Public Information Meeting - Proposed New Town Hall November 20 , 1995 7 : 00 P . M . At a . special meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca , Tompkins County , New York held at the Town Hall , 126 East Seneca Street , Ithaca , New York there were present . PRESENT : John G . Whitcomb , Supervisor , David Klein , Councilman ; Carolyn Grigorov , Councilwoman ; Ed Conley , Councilman ; Ellen Harrison , Councilwoman EXCUSED : Karl Niklas , Councilman ; Catherine Valentino , Councilwoman . ALSO PRESENT : John Barney , Attorney for the Town ; Joan Lent Noteboom , Town Clerk / Director of Administrative Services ; Daniel Walker , Director of Engineering ; Fred Noteboom , Highway / Parks Superintendent ; Andrew Frost , Director of Building and Zoning ; Jonathan Kanter , Director of Planning ; Joanne Cornish - Epps . OTHERS PRESENT : Barbara Thuesen ; Amy Ohiaro , WHCU/ WXYL ; George Kugler ; Douglas Look , Holt Architects ; David Stotz ; Mary Russell ; Tim Ciaschi ; Ben Boynton Sr . Call To Order : The Supervisor called the meeting to order at 7 : 02 p . m . , and led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance . Agenda Item No . 3 - Presentation of Schematic Design and Consideration of Expenditures Related to the New Town Hall Acquisition : Supervisor Whitcomb - This is a public information meeting in order to present some preliminary plans for a new town hall building . If time permits and after we have made our presentation I would invite anyone with comments to make them . I would like to start by supplying you with a little history of the project and the process we have been through over the past few years and talk about why we decided we needed a new town hall . We have outgrown the existing building . There are no rooms available for the Town Courts . Presently we use space in other buildings throughout the Town , paying rent for clerks homes and court records are in various offices of the Town . For efficiency sake not only for the Town Courts but for the efficiency of the Town staff , it would make sense to have the Courts in the same building as the other departments . We are limited on meeting space . If we had 50 or 60 people here this evening , which I fully expected , there would not have been a place for those persons to attend . Our present building is an old , non - energy efficient building and not laid out well in terms of offices for staff efficiency . The wiring is not able to handle the high electronic information technology , the records management and retention facilities are woefully lacking , and it is not cost effective to maintain this building . The energy inefficiency , necessary repairs and aging electrical and heating system as well as the difficulty in complying with the ADA is difficult . In 1992 , when Shirley Raffensperger was Town Supervisor , the Town Board decided to begin looking for a new Town Hall and began making plans for funding the acquisition and/ or the construction of a building which would meet our needs . At that time , a capital reserve was established to use the additional $ . 01 generated from the sales tax increase adopted by the County Board to put in to the capital reserve fund . This fund has since grown to approximately $ 1 . 2 million and we expect by the time we are ready to bond the project , the capital reserve will have grown to approximately $ 1 . 5 million . The Town retained Doug Look of Holt Architects , to do a facilities evaluation and develop a program of needs for the Town based on discussions and interviews with officials and staff of the Town . We received the evaluation defining the needs as approximately 12 , 000 gross square feet of floor space . We have attempted to keep the public informed throughout the process about the site selection and identification process . Due to sensitive negotiations involved and as some of the properties we looked at which were not technically for sale , much of our discussion of the entire project had to be done in executive sessions . After looking at approximately 12 sites , both in the City and in the Town we zeroed in on the OBGYN site on Court Street as the primary site for the new Town Hall . We then began negotiations with the owner of the OBGYN and a purchase offer was accepted which included a number of conditions . Holt architects then began a schematic design of the new building combining the elements of the program developed earlier . There were several reasons why we decided to locate in the City rather than in the Town . The City is the geographic center of the Town , equidistant from all of the hills which comprise the Town of Ithaca and also the business and governmental center of the community . For those reasons , we opted to make every attempt to locate our building within the City of Ithaca . I will introduce Doug Look of Holt Architects who has done a tremendous amount of work on this project . He will make a short presentation detailing the design and layout of the building and how it fits into the Town ' s program . STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Doug Look presented an overview of the schematic design for the new Town Hall and design costs . He referred to some presentation boards showing the general site configuration and electronic slides of the project . Supervisor Whitcomb - Those in attendance were given a sheet with several different financing scenarios . Assuming an acquisition cost of $ 2 . 3 million for the entire project , with $ 1 . 5 million in the capital reserve fund , would mean a bonding of $ 800 , 000 . The bank estimates the current bonding rates are between 6 % and 6 . 25 % . The Town Supervisor reviewed the various bonding terms and payment amounts . The Supervisor invited questions and comments from the public . David Stotz , 4 Evergreen Lane - What is the square footage of the foot print now of the Town building ? Mr . Walker - The foot print itself is approximately 3400 square feet . The total area we have under gross building area with the two floors is approximately 5000 square feet . Mr . Stotz - Was any consideration given to using the present site and adding another story ? Mr . Walker - Yes . Another story would be a problem due to the type of construction we have on the building . We did look seriously at adding on behind this building by procuring some land behind it . M & T Bank , who owns the property , was not interested in selling it . There are significant structural concerns about raising the building another floor . We could go to three stories however one of the problems would be the architectural nature of the front of this building , which is in or close to the historic district and would restrict us from changing the house portion . Mr . Stotz - What about raising this building ? We would have to raise a building at the OBGYN site . There would be costs incurred and what would be the comparative cost raising this building and building a new building on this site ? Mr . Walker - We considered raising the back portion of this building . The historic considerations for the house portion would make it very difficult as we would have quite a bit of resistance from the City if we were to do that . Councilman Klein - There are a number of other factors as well . One is if we were to tear this building down for the entire course of construction , we would need a temporary Town Hall . We also felt 3 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 quite strongly that we wanted a building location where we could get some on site parking . This building is entirely land locked and M & T did not want to sell the parcel behind us . Supervisor Whitcomb - This building has no other land other than what the building sits on . Mr . Stotz - The Board room proposed in the schematic design is supposed to seat 100 people . How often do any of the boards need a seating capacity of up to 100 people ? Mr . Kanter - This year there have been approximately 6 or seven occasions where we needed that capacity . Mr . Stotz - My only question would be about the wisdom of designing a space that would be used at its maximum of 15 to 20 hours during the course of the year . I wonder if that is a wise economic decision ? Councilwoman Harrison - What else do you suggest .) Mr . Stotz - There are other spaces in the community . When we had the feedback on the Comprehensive Plan two years , we used the Women ' s Community Building . There are public spaces we can use occasionally if need be . I wonder about investing this kind of money and whether there are alternatives in designing a space to accommodate our major needs . Has any thought been given to that ? Councilwoman Harrison - Yes and no . We have had to schedule meetings elsewhere and the logistics are not trivial plus the public access issues . If the Town Board predictably meets in this building and then a special meeting is scheduled somewhere else , then that is asking the public to stay on top of where we are . We had enough trouble when trying to schedule a meeting regarding the conservation district . Mr . Kanter - That is a good example . That meeting is one where we did not know how many people to expect and we were lucky to get a place at South Hill school . Many times we schedule meetings like that where we know some public will show up but do not know how many . Mr . Stotz - My argument is the cost is not trivial either . We are talking about a substantial amount of money for space that will be largely vacant . I do not know what type of scheduling problems there would be however was any thought given to the combination of the Town Court and the Town Board Room ? Has any thought been given to having a multi - purpose meeting room that could be used both as a Town Court and a public meeting room? 4 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Supervisor Whitcomb - There was some discussion early on about having a room a certain size with a moveable partition which would separate the space according to the need . It did not work well with this particular building . Mr . Walker - We also looked at the usage . Town Court presently meets two nights per week , Tuesdays and Wednesdays , the Planning Board meets every other Tuesday , the Town Board meets once per month on a Monday , the Zoning Board meets every other Wednesday , so there would certainly be significant conflicts thus requiring two different meeting rooms . Mr . Look - The 100 seating capacity indicated includes the Town Board and staff so it is more like 80 to 85 people . This also is true of the Town Court facility . There was a great deal of consideration given to the overlapping use between the two spaces . The Justices would like to have a much larger Town Court in this facility and after much discussion , we ultimately headed in this direction in terms of suggesting in those events where they need a larger court room , let ' s not design for that but let us have some of that overlap and let them use the Town Court . Mr . Stotz - I assume all principal staff will have their own private offices ? Mr . Walker - There are three private offices in the technical services on the second floor and shared work space for Planning , Zoning . . . Mr . Stotz - Building a facility for records retention is questionable . From my own experience , there are many organizations moving away from the traditional way of maintaining records such as high speed scanning and indexing . The era of keeping boxes and boxes of records in the cellar is over and I wonder if we are developing a facility that is not in step with the opportunities that technology offers us . Mrs . Noteboom - I can answer to that as I am the Records Management Officer . We have received four grants from the State to improve our records management program . The archival vault which is being proposed is not only to store the records but also to take care of documents for tax collection , monies , etc . . The proposal of this archival vault will have an actual enclosed area with moisture and heat retention devices to insure the records are being kept properly . There will also be a room outside of that to hold microfilming equipment , scanners , lateral file systems , and others . We presently have an archival vault where all of the old documents dating back to 1821 are housed . We are in hopes of , either scanning or microfilming them so they will not be used by the public for research . 5 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Mr . Stotz - I am aware there are certain paper records you need to keep and I understand that . Mrs . Noteboom - We are progressing to microfilm however at the moment New York State Department of Records Administration has determined that until they have been able to research more and find a technology which they feel can be considered an archival document , they have recommended each Town consider a hard copy of each item as their official document . Mr . Stotz - You are saying then at some point in the future it may be that this space may not have hard copies ? Mrs . Noteboom - It will have one copy of archival documents required under SARA ' s records management program . This would be until the State has determined there is a form of technology they would consider to be used for their historical documents . Mr . Stotz - Having a moisture proof secure environment for important documents is a concern the County and the City has and a concern of other towns as well . It seems with all of the talk of cooperation among municipalities this would be an ideal time for the Town to be talking with others about consolidated storage retention facilities rather than each going it alone . Has any discussion take place with the City or County about this ? Mrs . Noteboom - Up to this point we have not had much of a discussion as I have been working so hard to get our records out of the cellar into a secure place in this building . I am trying to put together a 3 to 5 year plan of being able to have this continued cooperation and consolidation . This vault is not as big as what you would think it would be , given the amount of equipment and files which would be needed for the maps . The maps are my biggest concern and they must be laid flat in order to preserve them properly . Mr . Stotz - There has also been talk about cooperation in the areas of engineering and planning with the City . Has any thought been given that if it becomes a reality down the road we could conceivably end up with space which would not be used and our staff may be working someplace else or even less staff ? Councilman Klein - They could be working here . Councilwoman Grigorov - We did talk to the County . Councilwoman Harrison - We do not foresee that in the near future in combining staffs in that way . 6 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Mr . Stotz - The same thing with the public coming into the lobby . When you think about the fact we come to the Town for handicapped permits , marriage licenses , etc . . , to the Solid Waste office for solid waste permits , now we are going to end up with three municipal offices located within three blocks of each other each offering different services to the public . Mrs . Noteboom - In most of the items you are talking about , that is something you would need to take up with your State Legislator . They are the ones who have enacted the State laws requiring who will issue what . Mr . Stotz - I realize that . I am talking about the space which is being occupied to provide those services to the public . It would make sense if the public could go to one place , whether it be the Town , City , County or whatever . Under those circumstances , do we need to have this kind of a public space strictly for Town business ? Supervisor Whitcomb - We had some discussions early on with the County and the City . At the time , the County was and is considering a move of DSS and probation offices from west hill to the City . We talked about a single building to serve both our needs . At the time of the discussions , it appeared as though the County was not near or ready to make a decision on whether they were going to stay on west hill or move downtown . The discussions with the City centered around the City Hall Annex , adjacent to City Hall and we looked very seriously at that building and tried to come up with a way to convert that to useable space with both present and future needs in mind . We decided that building did not lend itself well to our program either and that the costs of renovating the building would be as high as building a new one . We have explored these avenues . Mr . Stotz - There is a whole new administration coming in to the City and I think before we go ahead with concrete plans we should reopen those discussions with the City to see if there are options whereby we can combine forces to do things more efficiently and use less space . Supervisor Whitcomb - Your point is well taken Mr . Stotz . George Kugler , 101 Pineview Terrace - I have spent a number of hours in this building while on the Town Board and I realize it is inadequate . The design presented is one of the nicest designs I have seen in many years for a facility like this but for Westchester County or Rockefeller Estates . One criticism is it has a ten foot corridor where it could be five feet and at $ 100 per square foot , that would 7 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 be a $ 20 , 000 savings . Why do you need 25 work stations , not including the Supervisor , Justices , and their clerks ? What is the current head count outside of the Town Board , Justices and Town Clerks ? Mr . Walker - There are 12 full time people on the second floor and up to 5 students during the summer for a total of 17 . Mrs . Noteboom - Approximately 26 to 27 people . Councilwoman Harrison - Does that include the Justice ' s clerks ? Mrs . Noteboom - No it does not . Mr . Kugler - As you know industry is downsizing . When I moved to Ithaca , we had no Town Engineer , which was not good , we had a part - time Zoning Inspector , we had Town Clerk and his wife and one Town Clerk for Planning and so on . I realize it is a different ball game today . The fastest growing Town in the area is Lansing . The present administration as I understand , ran on the premise that they would control development and have it orderly . It seems the Town is overloaded with full time professional talent . I understand there are a couple large subdivisions going up but I do not see the real need for the amount of staff we have . We have a project here that is greatly overblown . We have $ 1 . 3 million then $ 1 . 5 million , now we are up to $ 2 . 3 million . As Engineer for Ithaca College I never saw bids come in any less than 20 % over estimate and I work on 50 . I had 16 years of building , maintaining and operating a whole college campus . I think this is greatly out of hand . You have sites you haven ' t even thought of here . You have the Women ' s Community Building at 14 , 400 square feet which could be had for about $ 700 , 000 with renovations at around $ 500 , 000 . You have the Masonic Temple which I estimated for DeWitt Historical to buy for $ 650 , 000 . I doubt if you heard of this building being for sale . Councilman Klein - We did not know it was for sale . Mr . Kugler - It is being offered for rent to one organization in Town but we cannot afford to maintain the building . Our programs are not being subscribed to , the dormitory concept may be out of date , it has an air conditioned auditorium , it has a 1 / 2 story elevator that could be extended , and a second level handicapped rest room . Here we are up to $ 2 . 3 million and I am seeing $ 3 million total by the time you take bids , You have 6000 square feet now , you want 12 , 000 square feet , how about deferring things for 3 to 6 months . How binding is the OBGYN purchase offer ? Mr . Barney - We built in a number of contingencies . 8 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Mr . Kugler - So we are not locked in . As we say is surveying using the tape , you pull tight and stick . It is time to pull tight and stick . Mr . Barney - The other problem is while we are not locked in neither are they . If the Town chooses not to pursue it now it may not be there to be pursued again . Mr . Kugler - How about a site like Lansing has . I realize they have hundreds of acres . They knocked down an $ 850 , 000 Town Hall that was probably on one level . Mr . Barney - As a resident of Lansing there were a number problems with that particular proposal not the least of which was the money . Mr . Kugler - But would you agree it is one of the fastest growing Towns in the County ? Mr . Barney - I think statistics would suggest that is probably true . Mr . Kugler - How about the Town of Ithaca getting out of the bookkeeping for Bolton Point . When I was on the Town Board and the Water Commission we spent a tremendous amount of time doing Bolton Point work . How about letting Lansing , which is a growing Town . You have to change the law . I spent probably 1 / 4 of my town Board time on Bolton Point . Mr . Barney - We still consume more than 50 % of the Bolton Point water . Mr . Kugler - We need to get back to basics . I think the design is terrific , well thought out , good space utilization , state of the art but I do not feel we can justify it . Councilwoman Grigorov - How many square feet is the Women ' s Community building ? Mr . Kugler - 14 , 420 square feet . Councilman Klein - The Supervisor had written to all of the Real Estate Brokers in the Town about 1 year ago expressing our interest in sites for a Town Hall . Mr . Kugler - The Masonic Temple ' s building has a gross square footage of approximately 14 , 000 to 15 , 000 with a lot of problems with it . There are people here tonight with other sites which may or may not have been looked at . 9 i STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Barbara Thuesen , 201 Hampton Road - I am here to speak for about 100 people who have signed a petition , in general , about high taxes that are assessed . We are very concerned about people on fixed incomes and young couples with children who are struggling to make ends meet and keep their homes . They are at their maximum at affording the taxes . There needs to be some real change not only on the impacts of the mandates of the budget but the rules and regulations which seem to inhibit a citizen from being able to accomplish much of anything . While one concern is school taxes they are connected to the property taxes . The ever shrinking tax base the amount of tax exempt property is not just due to Cornell , City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca . It is around 49 % to 510 . Taking taxable property off of the tax roll and putting in tax exempt property does not seem to make sense . Another concern is to cut the bureaucracy and manage money better and give a better value for our dollars in a more efficient way . The new demographics suggest we are in a no growth period for the next 30 to 40 years . I wonder if you have looked at the new demographics taken off the census . Apparently there will be fewer children but also more singles and senior citizens living in housing . The other concern is about making unsound decisions . This is partially based on the fact the population in this area turns over 1 / 3 every two years . This means that every fours years you are looking at 2 / 3 of the population you never saw and some of us have been stung several times and not happy . I do not think anyone has any objections to paying a fair share but the tax paying property owner has a budget they have to live within . The money all comes from the same place . A person who has a job , who works to own a house or business and pays the taxes whether it is the City , State , School or Federal , it is all out of the same pocket . Our system at this moment is saying don ' t be productive as you are penalized if you are . We do not feel the Town of Ithaca should go in to any more debt . If you have managed to save the money so far we would suggest you wait and continue to save the money . We have a big question on the intermunicipal cooperation and think most citizens feel it is a plan which will reduce the overlap of operations and therefore a reduction of the number of personnel in the cooperating units . The example we have seen tonight does not suggest that is at all true . We have heard the Board feels the Town ' s survey was a mandate for locating the new building but actually the Town survey I remember was non - specific such as the location and accessibility of the Town Hall , was it satisfactory ? That was this Town Hall . Depending on your interpretation , 62 % of the people who answered that survey said yes the situation for this Town Hall was satisfactory . Another question was the primary means of transportation . 92 % of the response said they used their auto . Since I am a teacher I can tell you they are and going to continue 10 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 to as they get older . We wonder why the location of a downtown building is so important when only 3alo apparently walk . An additional question on the survey was that the economic and cultural vitality of the City of Ithaca was important to the quality of life for Town residents and land use policies should not compete with the City efforts to maintain a strong City core for our community . We do not believe that involves removing substantial property assessments from the City tax rolls . We are very concerned about the economic problems in this community and of businesses and people leaving . We hope you will be very careful in your plans . The drawings are beautiful and I congratulate you for doing that but we do not feel we should go in to debt at this particular point in time to do this . Supervisor Whitcomb - I should point out that if we move to another site , this building would then be for sale and we hope would be added to the tax rolls . Councilwoman Harrison - In terms of keeping the Town Hall in the City , I think part of the concerns Mr . Stotz raised , a convenience to people who are coming down to do various municipal business which may not all be with the Town , was part of it . The idea of it being at least near enough to make it more feasible to have some of the intermunicipal cooperation you are speaking of was one of the issues . With taking City property off the tax rolls and if we were to sell this building , this building would then hopefully go back on the tax rolls . In terms of the City vitality , we received a very positive letter from the City businesses expressing their enthusiasm about the Town staying within the City . Mrs . Thuesen - As a property owner who has a fairly large amount of property which is for sale in the City , I can tell you most of the people look at the taxes and the ability to deal with the City and they end up going to Pennsylvania . Timothy Ciaschi , 124 Woolf Lane - I am curious as to how firm these figures are at $ 2 . 3 million ? Mr . Look - Those are the project costs we developed . Mr . Ciaschi - So they could vary . Mr . Look - We developed the probable cost for the building at approximately $ 1 . 5 million and we believe it is a realistic price . It includes a 15 % design contingency within that number to cover unexpected expenses including bidding . I _ 11 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Mr , Ciaschi - To build a new Town Hall is def initely a lot more expensive than to rebuild a present building , correct ? Mr . Look - We would need to look in to the specifics of an individual building and do a study . Mr . Ciaschi - Take the Evaporated Metal Films building . It is bigger than this building and has parking . The Town looked at it but for some reason because it was not in the center of town it was not considered . We do not want to pay any more taxes . We are tired of it . I have a building which I recently renovated which would work and would pay for itself . That is all the people want , we do not want any more government . It is getting too expensive to live here anymore . I pay over $ 90 , 000 in taxes on one piece of property alone , this is crazy and for what ? I do not get anything for those taxes and I am sure you know it too . Mr . Barney - I wouldn ' t necessarily agree with you . Mr . Ciaschi - The taxes are too high and ultimately our taxes are going to go up here . We have a viable solution sitting in front of us whether it be my building or someone else . I have the parking and just because it was not centrally located it was not considered . As the survey proved , the majority of people travel by cars . I guarantee I could get it under $ 1 . 7 and it would be a palace . Dan knows as well . Mr . Walker - There were some very interesting structural features to the building . Whether it meets our program requirements or not remains as it is actually too big . Councilman Klein - What is the square footage Tim? Mr . Ciaschi - Over 17 , 000 square feet . If you wanted to expand , it would be possible . All I am saying is I think the answer is there and we would not need to fund any more buildings . This is a Cornell syndrome with the biggest and most beautiful buildings in the world and they are empty and heated . Six months out of the year the students are home . I am saying it has gotten to a point where it has to stop . I can do it or someone else can do it I renovated the building for under $ 35 . 00 per square foot . Mr . Barney - You are free of some constraints the Town is not . You talk about legislation etc . . The Town has some rules and State Laws which it needs to play by , the WICKS Law being one of them . We do not have the luxury of hiring a general contractor to do something . We have to hire three of them , dictated by the State . We do not have the choice of hiring a contractor which does not pay the prevailing union wage rates . By law , we have to pay them and the contractor has to certify this as well . There are few 12 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 limitations that you , as a private enterprise individual , work with . We have a different frame work to abide by thanks to people who voted in the legislators that voted for these rules . Mrs . Thuesen - Are you going to have a referendum on this project and let the voters have some say ? Supervisor Whitcomb - The project is subject to a permissive referendum . Let ' s assume we went ahead and adopted this project at some point . At that time we could either put it on a referendum or we could wait for 50 of the people who voted in the last gubernatorial election to come forward with a petition demanding we put it on a referendum . Yes it is possible a referendum could be held on this . Mr . Stotz - Your successor recently stated there would be a referendum so I think there are a considerable number of people , if I may make that conjecture , that are looking forward to that referendum . People do want to have more information and what you are doing tonight I might add is very commendable . They do however want to have a say as to whether the project goes forward or not . Councilwoman Harrison - They certainly do have the ability to get it as a referendum whether or not we decide we want to schedule it If 50 of the voters say they want a referendum there will be one . Mr . Stotz - I think your administration in the form of your new Supervisor has gone on record saying there will be a referendum . Councilwoman Harrison - She is one vote out of seven . Mrs . Thuesen - Are you implying that in order for us to get anything done we will need to get 5 % of the voters which voted in the last gubernatorial election to ask and make a request for a referendum? Is that what you are telling me ? Councilwoman Harrison - That is the law . The Town Board can vote to hold a referendum which has costs associated with it in terms of money and time . That is what the seven of us will have to weigh . Mrs . Thuesen - But that is what you were elected for . Councilwoman Harrison - We were elected to use our judgement I assume and make what we think are decisions which are in the best interest of the Town . That is what we uniformly try to do . Mrs . Thuesen - I would just like some warning that if we have to get 5 % of the voters that voted last time , I want to start tomorrow to request a referendum . 13 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Mr . Ciaschi - Your saying she needs to get 5 % . Mrs . Thuesen - Why do we need to do that when we have already elected you and you have heard the people say they think there ought to be a referendum . Supervisor Whitcomb - Your point is well taken Mrs . Thuesen and the Board will certainly consider it Mrs . Thuesen - The Supervisor Elect said you were going to have one . It was on the news . Supervisor Whitcomb - She is one vote on this Board and so is Ellen . At some point we will debate and discuss what the best avenue is to take . Those are the two options open to us . Mrs . Thuesen - I am just trying to clarify it . Councilwoman Harrison - What would the costs be to hold an election for something like this ? Mrs . Noteboom To hold a permissive referendum we would be required to have a vote and have all of the voting machines go out to 11 districts . In addition , we would need to hire 2 election inspectors at approximately $ 90 . 00 per day for each polling place , the machine custodians at $ 50 . 00 per hour , probably $ 1500 to $ 2000 total . Mrs . Thuesen What is the difference between a permissive referendum or just putting it on the ballot at the next election . Mrs . Noteboom - The next election would be next November . It is my understanding the Town Board hoped a decision could be made before that time . Mrs . Thuesen - If it was on the ballot next November you would not have all of the added expenses . Mrs . Noteboom - No . If it is on a regular ballot we would not incur the additional costs . Supervisor Whitcomb - If it was on the ballot next November we would not be voting on this site either due to the time constraints in the purchase offer . I am not sure whether you can put on the ballot a non - specific site . Mr . Barney - The ballot has to specify . You could possibly put a general issue on to build a Town Hall however you would have to go back to the specifics . You need a specific site , project and dollar amount . 14 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Councilman Klein - As you were saying earlier , Lansing owns a lot of property on both sides of the highway . It is hard to fully control everything at the time when you are dealing with real estate . Mrs . Thuesen - Are you saying the Town of Ithaca does not own any other property in the Town which has enough square footage to put up a building you are talking about ? Councilman Klein - We do not have enough room at the Town barns . Mr . Walker - Other than the Town Highway Barns and Town Parks , no we do not . Councilman Klein - We do not own property . Supervisor Whitcomb - So all that tax exempt property is not owned by us . Mr . Stotz - At the proposed site , there is a three story older building that I assume is part of the parcel . Is that correct ? Supervisor Whitcomb - It is part of the parcel but not part of the deal . That would be subdivided off . Mr . Stotz - But would the Town take ownership ? Supervisor Whitcomb - No . Not under the present purchase offer . Mr . Stotz - Then I misunderstood . I thought we were going to buy that and renovate it in to office space . Councilman Klein - The entire parcel was for sale with the two buildings on it . In talking to Doug , it seemed neither building lent itself to our functional requirements . We made an offer contingent upon dividing the site leaving the white house for the owner to sell separately and agreeing to provide six shared parking spaces . Mr . Kugler - What would this building sell for potentially ? Supervisor Whitcomb - This building was appraised several years ago at around $ 300 , 000 but that was in a better real estate market than we have now . Mr . Kugler - We paid $ 127 , 000 for it and put some money in to it . Mrs . Thuesen - I believe the City has a plan already which includes this property as a walk thru mall . 15 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Supervisor Whitcomb - Were you on the Board when this building was purchased ? Mr . Kugler - I came aboard just after . Mr . Ciaschi - We are still hung up on the 50W from the last gubernatorial election . Councilman Klein - If we take a vote on this or any other site that we are going to formally build a building and we decide not to hold a referendum , we are allowed by law to decide to do it . At that point the public has 30 days to gather 5 % of the voters on petitions , to petition the Town Board to hold a permissive referendum . That is the public appeal if you will . If we elect to hold a referendum , then we would so state it and either defer the referendum to the November elections or hold a special election . Mr . Ciaschi - So ultimately the public will have a say if the interest is there . Mrs . Thuesen - Then the public will not say anything about it . Anyone who is sensible and does not want to spend any money is not going to want to hold a referendum for an extra election . What they should do is put it on for next November ' s election . That way it would not cost more money . Councilwoman Grigorov - When this building was purchased by the Town what was the procedure at that time Mr . Kugler ? Mr . Kugler - There were four members at the time and we were renting the facilities at the City Hall Annex . The Board voted to buy it . Supervisor Whitcomb - We are not anticipating tax increases . Let ' s assume we went with this project at the $ 2 . 3 million and we went with the quickest payback at 10 years . The payment is around $ 130 , 000 in 1997 declining to $ 85 , 000 in the year 2006 , so let ' s say it is approximately $ 120 , 000 per year for total debt service . Right now over the past several years , we have budgeted more than that into the capital reserve . A portion of the money would not go into the capital reserve and instead be used to fund the debt service under this scenario . Mr . Ciaschi - Then we can get a guarantee that until the year 2006 our taxes will not increase ? Mrs . Thuesen - You may not be collecting that amount of money . Supervisor Whitcomb - If the assessments go down and if the sales tax revenues go down that is true , we would not . This is sales tax 16 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 revenue . Mr . Stotz - I think in your budget message this year you made some very good points . This Town is going to have to make some very hard decisions in the next decade about the kinds of things we do and do not want to fund . It seems the Town Board has decided we are going to put the monies from the capital reserve to brick and mortar . There are other ways of spending this kind of money . We clamber about open space , parks and traffic abatement which are all expensive . I think the people in this community should have a choice about where a substantial amount of money like $ 1 . 5 million should be spent . Do people want parks more than a new Town Hall ? Do they want their traffic taken care of ? What exactly do people want you to do with that $ 1 . 5 windfall ? I am not so sure they want it in a new building . I think that is why a referendum would be absolutely essential . Supervisor Whitcomb - The Board as well , was astounded at the $ 2 . 3 . million level . We are reconsidering and will also consider your comments this evening . We intend to go back and at least review some of the sights we previously looked at . Hopefully the Board will be making a decision one way or another before too long . We have been in this process for four years and have spent a great deal of time in evaluating sites . I agree it is not something which should be rushed into over night . There will be more public meetings and more information forthcoming . If there is anyone present who did not feel comfortable speaking this evening and would like to submit something in writing we will be happy to receive that as well . Agenda Item No . 4 - Consider Interviewing Committee Related to 1996 Appointments on the Planning Board , Zoning Board of Appeals . and Conservation Board : Supervisor Whitcomb - Joanie asked that this item be put on the agenda . There is a memo from her in your packets this evening . Mrs . Noteboom - All of you have asked about the appointments which will be coming up on January 1 , 1996 . Some questions have arisen on how Boards are appointed and whether appointments should be made without holding interviews . I put together an outline I have tried to follow , based on you appointing an interviewing committee in January . I am recommending that if this is not the type of scenario this Board intended , we should make a decision of how we want to do it before January 1 , 1996 . I do think if we are going to have an interviewing committee we should advertise for the appointments coming up so we can start getting applications and resumes in . 17 , STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Councilwoman Grigorov - I do not think we have a choice unless we pass a new law on whether or not we have an interviewing committee , Mr . Barney - It is not a law it is a policy . It is a resolution and you can amend the resolution . Supervisor Whitcomb - Normally when there is a vacancy we advertise in the Town Newsletter or in the newspaper . Mrs . Noteboom - I think this Board needs to determine exactly who you want to interview . Do you only want the Planning , Zoning , and Conservation Boards to be interviewed or do you want the Ethics Board to be interviewed . You have some committees like the Agriculture Committee that in the past you have interviewed for . You need to look at all of the committees and boards and make a determination as policy permits . Will we interview members for these boards or will we take recommendations from the appropriate department and/ or Board ? We should set up a formal policy so it is clear . Councilwoman Harrison - In the past when we have conducted interviews in addition to the Town Board representatives we also included one or two people from the respective Board . I think that makes sense . Mrs . Noteboom - Right now we have a standing interviewing committee of two members of the Town Board with staff support from two people . It is my understanding when a vacancy came up the Town Board would decide who they would like to add to the standing interviewing committee . This memo was to bring it to your attention so you could think about it in order for us to decide what it is we really want to do at the December meeting . Councilwoman Harrison - The charge to the committee was to come up with two and propose them , ranked , to the Town Board . Supervisor Whitcomb - I suggest that for the December meeting we review the policy we adopted a couple of years ago . Mrs . Noteboom - There is a resolution but it does not totally describe the steps I feel we would need to set a good policy and procedure . Councilman Klein - We did specifically say the interviewing committee consists of two Town Board members and two Planning Board members or two Zoning Board members . Supervisor Whitcomb - That is correct . 18 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Mrs . Noteboom - I think we also need to have the Attorney for the Town clarify appointments such as chairs of Boards and put that in the policy as well . Councilwoman Harrison - We should have a copy of the resolution we passed so we could review it . Mrs . Noteboom - If it is ok with you I could get together with David and Cathy for a meeting and try to embody the Board ' s intent . In the meantime I am asking permission to advertise for vacancies we know will be coming up as of December 31 , 19950 Mr . Barney - I am recommending to this Board the number of Planning Board members be reduced from 8 to 7 if there is a vacancy as the law has changed . If there is just one vacancy either through the expiration of a term or resignation we certainly would not want to advertise for that position . Councilwoman Grigorov - What about the permanent agriculture member ? Mr . Barney - They changed the law and now the permanent agriculture member is one of the seven rather than in addition to the seven . The other issue and Joanie has made a suggestion here that is a little different with respect to reappointments . Again if Joanie ' s suggestion is being considered as a policy you may not want to be advertising for an opening that is basically a reappointment . I am not sure on how you want to proceed until those issues are resolved . Councilwoman Harrison - That is an interesting question how we feel about the reappointment issue and whether we should assume a reappointment is automatic or what . Councilwoman Grigorov - The whole point is to have a look every seven years . Mrs . Noteboom - I am trying to give you some procedural options you may wish to consider before we have to do the appointments in December . Supervisor Whitcomb - If there is an incumbent who is interested that would limit the field of applicants which might apply as they assume whoever is there would most likely be reappointed . That may or may not be a correct assumption . Mr . Barney - If the Board is satisfied with the performance of an incumbent it would be a sham to put a person through an interviewing process if the incumbent is going to be reappointed . 19 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Councilwoman Harrison - One thing we have found is when vacancies come up unexpectedly we have already interviewed someone and therefore would make filling the vacancy easier . I am in favor of making it open and not advertising . Supervisor Whitcomb - Plus it gives us a pool of applicants for other positions which might become available as well . Mrs . Noteboom - Would you expect in that instance to also interview the incumbent ? Supervisor Whitcomb - Yes , that is what we are saying . Mrs . Noteboom - Some people expressed that they have been on a particular Board for many years , why would it be necessary to be interviewed again ? Councilwoman Harrison - They are not known to the Town Board necessarily . Councilwoman Grigorov - It has to be fair and done the same way . Supervisor Whitcomb - Do you have enough information to draft it into a procedure ? Mrs . Noteboom - I have enough direction as to what you would like me to do with the policy and procedure . I will wait to advertise until after the December 11th meeting or would you like me to submit a general advertisement indicating vacancies available ? Supervisor Whitcomb - You should list them . Some of these are incumbents which I know are interested in continuing and some may not be . Councilwoman Grigorov - Are they supposed to call you if they are interested ? Mrs . Noteboom - Yes . My concern also is we do have some of the appointments which are terms expiring . It will leave us without a majority on the Conservation Board , so there would be no voting power . I do want to figure out a way to fill the vacancies such as on this Board . Mr . Kanter - I am concerned you do not wait too long . Mrs . Noteboom - The ads we have placed previously we have not gotten a good response from . There is still a vacancy on the Ethics Board from last year . 20 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Ms . Cornish - Epps - If you are waiting until the meeting in December to decide this , the Conservation Board will meet before that time . Those members whose terms expire year end have already expressed an interest to continue . They would want to know at that time if they will be interviewed or not . Should they expect to be interviewed? Mrs . Noteboom - I would request they send a letter of interest to the Board or to me . I will send out a general advertisement for everything . Councilman Klein - My feeling is it is only the Planning Board and the Board of Zoning Appeals we would want to interview for . Those are the only two I would suggest . Councilwoman Harrison - I agree . Mrs . Noteboom - I would like to suggest the Conservation Board be included as they are a voting Board . Councilman Klein - They are only an advisory Board . Mr . Kanter - They do not approve anything themselves they are just an advisory Board . They do vote on their recommendations however . Mrs . Noteboom - But they do have the power to vote which is technically a record . Councilman Klein - It is a record however it is not binding on anyone . Councilwoman Harrison - Given where we are now , it is not likely we would face competing candidates . We can always interview if we wish . Supervisor Whitcomb - When I was on the Conservation Board the Conservation Board itself interviewed applicants and made recommendations to the Town Board , Resolution No , 229 : Motion made by Councilwoman Harrison , seconded by Councilwoman Grigorov directing the Town Clerk to correspond with those individuals whose term of office expires at year end to determine their intent for reappointment and to place advertisements and post notification that the Town Board is seeking applications from qualified individuals who wish to serve the Town of Ithaca through an appointment on one of the Town ' s Boards or committees , A vote on the resolution resulted as follows : 21 STB Mtg . 11 / 20 / 95 Supervisor Whitcomb , aye ; Councilwoman Grigorov , aye ; Councilwoman Harrison , aye ; Councilman Klein , aye ; Councilman Conley , aye . Carried unanimously . Agenda Item No 5 - EXECUTIVE SESSION • Motion made by Councilwoman Harrison , seconded by Councilman Klein to move in to Executive Session to discuss property acquisition . Carried unanimously . The Board began Executive Session at 8 : 35 p . m . Motion made by Councilman Klein , seconded by Councilwoman Harrison to resume regular session . Carried unanimously . The Board resumed regular session at 10 : 00 p . m . Agenda Item No 6 - Additional Business • There was no additional business to come before the Board . Agenda Item No 7 - ADJOURNMENT : As there was no further business to come before the Town Board , a motion was made by Councilman Conley , seconded by Councilwoman Grigorov to adjourn . Carried unanimously . The Supervisor adjourned the meeting at 10 : 04 p . m . Respectfully submitted , an Lent Notebo Town Clerk/ Director of Administrative Services * * * Next Regular Meeting - December 11 , 1995 * * * Minutes Transcribed by Betty F . Poole 22 OFIp 9 TOWN OF ITHACA �,� �044 126 EAST SENECA STREET , ITHACA , N . Y . 14850 � Y TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY 273-1656 PARKS 273-8035 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273- 1704 Town Board Meeting 11 / 20 / 95 Agenda Item No , 4 Approval to Advertise Vacancies Boards and Committees Resolution No . WHEREAS , at the close of 1995 it will be necessary for the Town Board to make appointments to the various boards and committees of the Town ; and WHEREAS , a listing has been prepared indicating the positions where appointments will be necessary ; now therefore be it RESOLVED , the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby direct the Town Clerk to correspond with those individuals whose Term of Office expires at year to determine their intent for reappointment ; and be it further RESOLVED , the Town Clerk is further directed to place advertisements and post notification that the Town Board is seeking applications from qualified individuals who wish to serve the Town of Ithaca through an appointment on one of the Towns boards or committees 'D MOVED : Councilwoman Harrison SECONDED : Councilwoman Grigorov Supervisor Whitcomb , aye ; Councilman Klein , aye ; Councilwoman Grigorov , aye ; Councilwoman Harrison , aye ; Councilman Conley , aye . Carried unanimously . DATED : November 20 , 1995 Joan Lent Noteboom , Town Clerk OFIr F TOWN OF ITHACA 1 126 EAST SENECA STREET , ITHACA , N . Y . 14850 � Y TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY 273-1656 PARKS 273-8035 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1783 FAX (607) 273-1704 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING Public Information - Proposed New Town Hall November 20 , 1995 7 . 00 p . m . AGENDA 1 . Call to Order . 2 . Pledge of Allegiance . 30 Presentation of schematic design and consideration of expenditures related to new Town Hall acquisition . 4 . Consider Interviewing Committee related to 1996 appointments on the Planning Board , Zoning Board of Appeals , and Conservation Board . 59 Consider EXECUTIVE SESSION . 6 . Consider additional business . 7 . Consider ADJOURNMENT . Agenda # 3 Schedule # 1 TOWN OF ITHACA = - - TOWN HALL FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 119 WEST COURT STREET SITE - - - OB/GYN PROPERTY ACQUISITION COST $2, 300, 000 800, 000. 00 BONDED FOR 10 YEARS AT 6. 25% WITH LEVEL PRINCIPAL PAYMENTS YEAR PRINCIPAL INTEREST PAYMENT BALANCE 1996 $800 , 000400 1997 $80, 000. 00 $50, 000. 00 $ 130 , 000. 00 $720 , 000. 00 1998 $80, 000, 00 $45 , 000, 00 $ 1251000 , 00 $640 , 000, 00 1999 $80) 000, 00 $401000. 00 $ 120 $ 000, 00 $560 ) 000 , 00 2000 $801000, 00 $35 , 000 , 00 $ 1151000 , 00 $4801000, 00 2001 $80, 000. 00 $30, 000 . 00 $ 1101000 . 00 $400 , 000. 00 2002 $80, 000. 00 $25, 000 . 00 $ 105 , 000 . 00 $320 , 000. 00 2003 $80) 000 , 00 $201000, 00 $ 1001000000 $240 ) 000, 00 2004 $80, 000. 00 $ 15 , 000 . 00 $951000. 00 $ 1601000. 00 2005 $80 , 000. 00 $ 10, 000, 00 $90, 000 . 00 $80P000, 00 2006 $80) 000, 00 $51000 , 00 $85X0, 00 $0. 00 TOTALS $800 ) 000, 00 $275 ) 000 . 00 $ 1 , 075 , 000. 00 Schedule # 2 TOWN OF ITHACA - - - TOWN HALL FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 119 WEST COURT STREET SITE - - - OB/GYN PROPERTY ACQUISITION COST $2, 3001000 800, 000. 00 BONDED FOR 20 YEARS AT 6. 25% WITH LEVEL PRINCIPAL PAYMENTS YEAR PRINCIPAL INTEREST PAYMENT BALANCE 1996 $8001000, 00 1997 $401000, 00 $501000 , 00 $901000, 00 $760 , 000. 00 1998 $40) 000 , 00 $471500 , 00 $871500, 00 $7201000, 00 1999 $401000, 00 $451000, 00 $85) 000. 00 $680 , 000. 00 2000 $40 , 000 , 00 $42, 500, 00 $8Z500, 00 $6401000, 00 2001 $401000. 00 $40) 000, 00 $801000, 00 $600 , 000 , 00 2002 $40 , 000, 00 $37 , 500 , 00 $77 , 500, 00 $560 ) 000, 00 2003 $40, 000 , 00 $351000 , 00 $75X0 . 00 $520 , 000, 00 2004 $40 , 000. 00 $32, 500, 00 $722500 , 00 $4801000, 00 2005 $40, 000 , 00 $30 , 000 , 00 $70, 000 , 00 $440 ) 000, 00 2006 $401000. 00 $277500 . 00 $67 , 500. 00 $4001000. 00 2007 $40 ) 000. 00 $251000, 00 $651000. 00 $360 ; 000. 00 2008 $40, 000 , 00 $22 , 500, 00 $62 : 500, 00 $3201000. 00 2009 $401000. 00 $201000. 00 $601000, 00 $2801000, 00 2010 $401000. 00 $ 17 , 500 , 00 $57, 500 , 00 $2401000, 00 2011 $401000. 00 $ 15 , 000 , 00 $55$ 000 . 00 $200 , 000, 00 2012 $40, 000. 00 $ 12, 500. 00 $52, 500 . 00 $ 1601000. 00 2013 $401000. 00 $ 10 , 000 , 00 $50) 000 . 00 $ 120 , 000, 00 2014 $40, 000, 00 $71500 , 00 $471500, 00 $801000. 00 2015 $40) 000, 00 $51000 . 00 $451000. 00 $40 , 000, 00 2016 $401000. 00 $21500 , 00 $421500, 00 $0. 00 TOTALS $800 , 000, 00 $5251000. 00 $ 113251000 . 00 Schedule # 3 TOWN OF ITHACA - - - TOWN HALL FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 119 WEST COURT STREET SITE - - - OB/GYN PROPERTY 800, 000. 00 BONDED FOR 10 YEARS AT 6 . 25% WITH LEVEL PAYMENTS (VARIABLE PRINCIPAL PAYMENTS) ANNUAL PAYMENT $ 109 , 985 . 43 YEAR PRINCIPAL INTEREST PAYMENT BALANCE 1996 $800 , 000, 00 1997 $59, 985, 43 $50, 000. 00 $ 109 , 985, 43 $7401014. 57 1998 $63 , 734. 52 $46 , 250 , 91 $ 109 ) 985, 43 $676 , 280. 05 1999 $671717, 93 $42, 267. 50 $ 1091985, 43 $6081562, 12 2000 $71 , 950. 30 $381035 , 13 $ 109 , 985, 43 $536 , 611 , 83 2001 $76, 447, 19 $331538, 24 $ 109 , 985 , 43 $460 , 164. 64 2002 $81 , 225 , 14 $282760 . 29 $ 10% 985 , 43 $378 , 939, 50 2003 $86 , 301 , 71 $231683, 72 $ 109 , 985 , 43 $292 , 637, 78 2004 $91 , 695. 57 $ 181289 . 86 $ 109 , 985. 43 $2001942. 22 2005 $971426, 54 $ 121558. 89 $ 109 , 985, 43 $ 1031515, 67 2006 $ 1032515, 67 $61469 , 73 $ 1091985. 40 $0. 00 TOTALS $800 ) 000 , 00 $299 , 854. 27 $ 1109% 854, 27 Schedule # 4 TOWN OF ITHACA - - - TOWN HALL FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 119 WEST COURT STREET SITE - - - OB/GYN PROPERTY 800, 000 . 00 BONDED FOR 20 YEARS AT 6. 25% WITH LEVEL PAYMENTS (VARIABLE PRINCIPAL PAYMENTS) ANNUAL PAYMENT $711169 . 81 YEAR PRINCIPAL INTEREST PAYMENT BALANCE 1996 $800 , 000, 00 1997 $211169. 81 $50, 000, 00 $712169. 81 $778 , 830 , 19 1998 $22, 492. 92 $481676 . 89 $71 , 169. 81 $756 , 337. 27 1999 $23; 898, 73 $47, 271 , 08 $71 , 169. 81 $7321438. 54 2000 $251392, 40 $45, 777. 41 $71 , 169. 81 $7071046. 13 2001 $26) 979. 43 $44, 190. 38 $71 , 169 . 81 $6801066, 71 2002 $281665. 64 $421504. 17 $71 , 169. 81 $651 , 401 , 07 2003 $30, 457, 24 $40712. 57 $711169 . 81 $6201943, 82 2004 $32, 360 , 82 $38 ) 808 , 99 $711169. 81 $588 , 583, 00 2005 $34, 383. 37 $361786 , 44 $71 , 169. 81 $554 , 199. 63 2006 $36 , 532, 33 $341637. 48 $711169. 81 $51T667, 30 2007 $381815, 60 $32, 354. 21 $71 , 169 . 81 $478 , 851 , 69 2008 $41 , 241 . 58 $29 ) 928. 23 $711169 . 81 $4371610, 11 2009 $431819, 18 $271350 , 63 $71 , 169. 81 $3931790, 94 2010 $461557 , 88 $241611 , 93 $71 , 169. 81 $347 ; 233. 06 2011 $491467 . 74 $21 , 702. 07 $711169. 81 $297 , 765 . 32 2012 $52, 559, 48 $ 18, 610. 33 $71 , 169. 81 $245 , 205, 84 2013 $551844, 45 $ 15 , 325, 36 $71 , 169. 81 $ 189p361 , 39 2014 $59 , 334, 72 $ 11 , 835, 09 $71 , 169. 81 $ 130 , 026, 67 2015 $631043 , 14 $87126 . 67 $711169. 81 $661 983. 53 2016 $66) 983 , 53 $47186 . 47 $711170 . 00 ($0. 00) TOTALS $8001000 . 00 $6231396 . 39 $ 1 , 423 , 396 . 39 STATUS OF CASH IN CAPITAL RESERVE Cash on Hand 111893130800 REPO Interest due 11 /21 /95 16, 256898 Sub total 192051386. 98 Accrued 1995 Sales Tax 1509000.00 Sub total 103550386098 Budgeted 1996 Sales Tax 160,000. 00 Total 185153387000 Note : 1995 Sales tax will not be received until February 1996 . 1996 Sales tax will not be received until February 1997. Agenda Item No . 4 MEMORANDUM TO : Town Board FROM : Joan Lent Noteboom , Town Clerk DATE : November 20 , 1995 RE : Appointments Boards and Committees Below is the scenario of what I understood was the Town Board ' s intent when they established the Interviewing Committee . Unless directed otherwise by the Town Supervisor or the Town Board , this process was followed as closely as possible . If this scenario adequately reflects the Town Board ' s intent , I recommend it be made an official policy which includes a description of those positions to be considered by the Interviewing Committee , Attorney Barney ' s advise in this regard would be most helpful . The Interviewing Committee reviews resumes and conducts interviews with persons wishing to serve on the Planning Board , Zoning Board of Appeals , Conservation Board , Ethics Board , and the Agricultural Committee , etc . The Committee may also join in the process of selecting personnel . The Town Board established an Interviewing Committee on January 9 , 1995 . The Committee consists of two members of the Town Board , and two staff members who provide administrative support . The Committee meets when a vacancy exists due to a resignation or an expiring term . The Department Head who has responsibilities directly related to the vacant position provides further support , and may be present during the interviews . PROCESS FOR THE FOLLOWING : 1 , RESIGNATIONS : The Town Clerk requests approval from the Town Board to advertise the vacancy . The advertisement asks for interested parties to present a cover letter and resume for review by the Interviewing Committee , The Interviewing Committee reviews the information , then schedules and conducts the interviews . After the interviews , the Committee presents a report to the Town Board , and if appropriate , a recommendation of appointment . The Town Board then makes the appointment as recommended , or provides further direction to the Interviewing Committee . Agenda Item No . 4 : 11 / 20 / 95 Page 2 . 2 . EXPIRATION OF TERM : The Town Clerk contacts the member whose term is expiring to determine if they are interested in continuing to serve . If they are , a resolution is presented to the Town Board for their consideration of reappointment . If the person no longer wishes to serve or the Town Board does not reappoint , the same process used for resignations would be followed . ADDITIONAL : Appointments for the chair of the Planning Board , Zoning Board of Appeals , and Conservation Board are one year appointments by the Town Board . However , each individual Board votes among themselves for their Chair and then makes a recommendation to the Town Board . INTERVIEWING COMMITTEE : MEMBERS - Catherine Valentino , Chair Personnel Committee David Klein , Councilman Staff Support - Joan Lent Noteboom , Town Clerk Sherwin DiSanto , Human Resource Specialist