HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-12-13 267
TOWN OF DANBY
TOWN BOARD MINUTES
Regular Meeting 8 : 00 P . M . December 13 , 1993
PRESENT :
S upervisor Oltz
Councilpersons : Roger Hile , Rich Marisa , Gail Miller , Joe
Schwartz
Others Present :
Carol Sczepanski - Town Clerk
Code Enforcement Officer - Susan Beeners
H ighway Superintendent - Bill Hall
P lanning Board Chair - Nancy Weitzel
County Representative - Frank Proto
D og Control Officer - Lorraine Bard
S PCA President - Karen Smith
Members of the Public Present :
E dw . M . Roberts , William Genter , Rosa Lee Johnson , Dave Pochily ,
J oel Gagnon , Lucy Hassinger
S upervisor Oltz called the meeting to order at 8 : 00 P . M . and led
all present in the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag .
Approval of Minutes :
A motion was made by Councilperson Marisa and seconded by
Councilperson Hile to approve the Minutes of :
Town Board Minutes : October 11 , 1993 , November 8 , 1993
Public Hearing Minutes : November 4 , 5 , & 8 , 1993
Budget Hearing Meetings : October 20 & 28 , 1993
as published .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
H ile Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
Schwartz Aye
O ltz Aye
Carried Unanimously
P rivilege of the Floor :
S upervisor Oltz reported that the Danby Recycling Center will be
closed on December 25 , 1993 and January 1 , 1994 .
Town Clerk Carol Sczepanski reported that she turned in old 20 cent
postage paid envelopes and received 247 - 29 cent stamps that will
be used for the mailing of 1994 tax bills .
County Representative Report :
Representative Proto reported on the following :
1 ) Solid Waste - Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday , Dec . 14 ,
1993 at 5 : 30 - purpose of hearing is to hear the public
regarding the establishment of 1994 annual fee .
2 ) Assigned Council Legal Defense Program - Public Hearing
Tuesday , December 14 , 1993 - purpose of hearing to establish
a Local Law for timely receipt of bills from attorney ' s .
3 ) Reading Centers - Users of the local reading centers has
increased considerably and in some cases 100 % for the period
from July through September of 1993 .
4 ) Bus Service - Renewal contract for bus service to Danby was
passed - ridership has increased .
5 ) Ithaca - Tompkins Transportation Council - Anyone interested
in the planning of transportation services for the County
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December 13 , 1993
should contact their office .
6 ) Biggs Building Update - The County is in the process of
✓ eviewing alternate space for the services that are now being
h oused at the Biggs Building . A new building will be
considered in the downtown area even though the County owns
n early seventy ( 70 ) acres near the Biggs site .
7 ) County Economic Development Plan - A resolution was passed to
e mbark on a Comprehensive Plan for the County . An Economic
D evelopment Plan will also be considered . All county
municipalities will be invited to discuss economic planning
for the County of Tompkins .
8 ) Bond Authorization - Central Processing Facility - the Solid
W aste Manager has requested from the County Bond Counsel a
✓ esolution for six million ( $ 6 , 000 , 000 . 00 ) dollars in response
t o a condition in the Krink Contract .
9 ) Tompkins County Budget - the 1994 County Budget was passed
with a 6 % tax increase .
P rivilege of the Floor :
D ave Pochily - 236 Durfee Hill Road - asked what the schedule for
t he resurfacing of Durfee Hill road is and asked for a starting
date .
H ighway Superintendent said he could not give an exact date as he
d oes not know what the weather is going to be . The Town will start
t o put in the drainage on Durfee Hill Road in the Spring .
Lucy Hassinger - 105 West Miller Road - is here in support of
L orraine Bard as the Town Dog Control Officer and said she thinks
h er services are particularity good . She said it is good to have
t wo ( 2 ) services that provide dog control and dog care for adequate
service and wants to see Lorraine ' s services continued in the Town
of Danby . She urged the Town Board to support Lorraine in a
solution to upgrade her facility .
Other Reports :
Community Council - October 1993 Report received
Highway Report - November 1993 Report received
S enior Citizens - Edw . Roberts reported that the Danby Senior
Citizens celebrated their 25th Anniversary last month . The Danby
U nit is not church affiliated and anyone can join . They welcome
newcomers .
Zoning Report - November 1993 Report received
° Susan Beeners reported that Wednesday , December 15 , 1993 the
P lanning Board will hold two ( 2 ) public hearings . 1 ) McCabe / Jayne
t hree ( 3 ) lot Subdivision Proposal , and 2 ) Hardesty Proposal . The
P lanning Board is close to making a recommendation to the Town
B oard on the Hardesty Proposal .
Fire District Report - Bill Genter reported that the Fire District
will hold their Annual Elections on Tuesday , December 14 , 1993 .
There are three ( 3 ) candidates for a five ( 5 ) year term for Fire
Commissioner and four ( 4 ) referenda items which concern how the
Capital Reserve Accounts are designated .
S olid Waste Advisory Committee - Joel Gagnon reported that the
Findings Statement for the Generic Environmental Impact Statement
will probably be passed at the next County Board Meeting . The
S olid Waste Management Plan will probably be passed by the Board on
D ecember 21 , 1993 . Joel said that the County still needs to
respond to the DEC ' s comments .
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December 13 , 1993
DOG CONTROL
D og Control Officer Report and Proposal to Upgrade the Facility
L orraine Bard addressed the Board and stated that she responded to
a letter in the Journal eleven ( 11 ) years ago for a Danby Dog
Warden and was appointed to that position . She gave a brief
h istory of her facility and its operation . She said she has never
solicited other municipalities to provide services .
L orraine reported that her facility did not pass New York State
inspection to operate a Dog Control Shelter and it is necessary to
u pgrade her shelter to comply in order to continue services . She
✓ eported a plan and estimate of the cost to build a new facility
t hat complies with NYS Agriculture and Markets specifications . The
increased cost to the Town would be a based on her increased
o perational costs and is estimated by the contract fees collected
from all municipalities she provides services to . The estimate for
t he Town of Danby is an approximate increase of $ 780 . 00 per year
for the next five ( 5 ) years and would be re - evaluated at the end of
t hat period .
Karen Smith - S . P . C . A .
K aren Smith stated for the record that the S . P . C . A . does not have
any desire to put someone else out of business and have a lot of
✓ espect for Lorraine and thinks they work well together . Karen
✓ eported that the S . P . C . A . has two businesses : 1 ) the humane
business , and 2 ) the municipal animal control business . She gave
a brief description of services provided including their dog
population issue . They require a spay or neuter deposit for every
animal that is adopted out . The S . P1 . C . A . ahs two ( 2 ) plans for
t heir operations are in place :
1 ) to increase adoption by improving the atmosphere of the
shelter to move the animals out faster , and
2 ) evaluating the volume from past years to determine if
additional staff or expansion of the facility for additional
volume .
K aren Smith asked for questions from the Board and public .
L ucy Hassinger responded that she found it difficult to get to the
facility during their open hours . The number of hours they are
o pen are not sufficient to accommodate the working public . A
w orking person can only go to the shelter on Saturdays . Lorraine
h as a very high record for adoptions due to the hours she is
accessible .
K aren reported the S . P . C . A . hours at this time are Monday - 1 : 30 -
4 : 30 , Tuesday through Friday - 12 : 30 - 5 : 00 and Saturday 12 : 30 -
4 : 30 and the hours are published .
Councilperson Miller asked Lorraine if she would own the new
facility if it was built .
D iscussion followed regarding the cost for Lorraine to build a new
facility that complies with N . Y . S . regulations and the increased
cost to the Town for her services .
Councilperson Miller said that not included in the figures were the
increased expense for taxes , insurance and additional costs for a
septic system . The cost to the Town could be increased if service
t o other municipalities was discontinued . She asked the Code
E nforcement Officer and Planning Board Chairman if there was a
zoning issue related to the construction of a dog control shelter .
S usan reported that this is an existing use that has been in
o peration for eleven ( 11 ) years and considered a home occupation .
L orraine reported that the construction of a new facility and her
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December 13 , 1993
continued service is dependant upon continued contracts with other
municipalities she provides service to .
Motion to Table Discussion
A motion was made by Councilperson Miller and seconded by
Councilperson Hile to table further discussion on the contract for
dog control for the Town of Danby until the 1993 Year - end meeting
o f the Board , and at that time we hope for further information from
L orraine and will make a decision .
Carried Unanimously
OLD BUSINESS :
S upervisor Oltz reported on the following :
1 ) Emergency Disaster Evacuation Plan - is not an item that
✓ equires Board action .
2 ) Town Hall Office Building - a work group ( not a committee ) is
w orking on facts to present to a committee . There is not
sufficient data to turn over to the Planning Board at this time .
D iscussion :
Councilperson Miller asked why the resolution referring the Town
H all Office Building to the Planning Board was not on the Agenda .
S he said she would like to see the project turned over to the
P lanning Board to work on .
S upervisor Oltz said she had turned this project to a Councilperson
o ver one ( 1 ) year ago and nothing was started . She reported that
t his group has made an appointment to look at other facilities .
S upervisor Oltz said that she thinks the work group should present
t heir completed information to the Board to appoint a committee .
H er recommendation is that the committee consist of two ( 2 ) members
o f the work group , two ( 2 ) councilpersons and two ( 2 ) members of
t he Planning Board .
Chairperson Weitzel responded that the Planning Board should have
a representative at the Planning Board Meetings . The Town Board
h as been very lax . If a member of the Town Board attended the
meetings the Board would know what the Planning Board is dealing
with at this time .
Councilperson Miller asked if the Board would consider a resolution
✓ egarding how the Board is going to deal with this . If you want a
✓ esolution that is a compromise that in thirty ( 30 ) days the work
group will present a report and then the Town Board will determine
h ow we are going to deal with this . She said she wants to move
t his along and make it more public .
S upervisor Oltz is concerned that the Planning Board is very busy
and if it delegated to the Planning Board at this time we may not
see it happen . She suggested a committee of Planning Board
Members , Town Board Members and other interested persons .
Motion to refer to Planning Board
A motion was made by Councilperson. Miller and seconded by Rich
Marisa that the issue of space planning in the Town of Danby for
new office space be turned over to the Planning Board of the Town
and that they in turn be allowed to determine how the planning
should occur and that they must respond to the Board within three
( 3 ) months with their progress and be allowed six ( 6 ) months for an
actual proposal to the Town .
D iscussion :
Councilperson Schwartz said that instead of turning it over to
P lanning Board a committee or sub - committee should be appointed and
suggested it consist of two ( 2 ) Board Members and two ( 2 ) Planning
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December 13 , 1993
B oard Members
Councilperson Miller said that the Planning Board ought to have the
option of taking the responsibility for this .
S usan Beeners said she does not believe the Planning Board has the
t ime to give adequate attention to a proposal as well as the
d evelopment proposals at this ; time . She thinks the Town should
consider a sub - committee task force with representation of Town
B oard , Planning Board , public , and possibly some professionals .
P lanning Board Chair Nancy Weitzel said that the Planning Board is
a volunteer Board with a lot of responsibilities . The Board should
be involved with the planning but it should be discussed as to how
best to approach this issue . She suggested that the Town Board
✓ efer the issue to the Planning Board for the January 19 , 1994
Meeting .
Councilperson Miller said she objected to staff and other appointed
o fficials looking at other facilities and making suggestions to the
Town Board . She strongly feels that the people who will be
✓ esponsible for making recommendations and decisions should be the
persons who visit other facilities .
Supervisor Oltz explained that her group is not going to be making
any decisions and / or recommendations but only looking at space
n eeds for suggestions and ideas .
Rosalee Johnson said that she reported a few months ago that she
feels all discussions about any committees , task forces or whatever
should be openly discussed and if anyone wanting input should have
that opportunity .
P lanning Board Chair Nancy Weitzel said she thinks this should be
t abled until the new Town Board is convened in January . This is an
issue that needs to be decided with the new Board and is something
t he public needs to have input on .
Councilperson Miller formally asked to withdraw the motion .
Motion withdrawn .
Year - end Meeting Date Set :
A motion was made by Supervisor Oltz and seconded by Councilperson
H ile to set the date of Monday , December 27 , 1993 at 7 : 30 P . M . for
t he 1993 Year - end Meeting of the Board .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
H ile Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
Schwartz Aye
O ltz Aye
Carried Unanimously
APPROVAL OF WARRANTS :
D iscussion :
Councilperson Miller said that with our new accounting procedure
t he Board discussed adoption of a resolution to transfer funds
before accounts were overspent .
S upervisor Oltz said that a resolution to transfer funds can be
presented before warrants are approved if that is what the Board
prefers . In the past approval to transfer funds to balance
accounts has been done at the year end meetings .
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December 13 , 1993
Questions on Warrants :
Voucher # 472 - Acct . A872 - Supervisor Oltz - Dog Fees Account and
is income from the Local Dog Fees .
Voucher # 463 - Street Lighting Account - A5182 . 4
Vouchers - # 450 & 479 - Senior Citizens - discussion on funds that
appear to be overexpended - a letter was submitted to encumber
funds from 1992 but were not carried over ( encumbered ) into 1993 . -
Vouchers No . 450 & 479 were not approved and pulled from the
Warrant . Voucher # 450 was returned to Mr . Edw . M . Roberts and # 479
in the amount of $ 150 . 00 will be resubmitted in January 1994 .
Voucher # 447 - Charged to Account A8020 . 4
Voucher # 456 - Charged to Account A8020 . 4
Approval of General Fund Warrant # 12 of 1993
A motion was made by Councilperson Marisa and seconded by
Councilperson Miller to approve the General Fund Warrant # 12 of
1993 vouchers numbered # 440 - 490 as audited and adjusted by the
Town Board .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
H ile Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
S chwartz Aye
O ltz Aye
Carried Unanimously
Highway Fund Warrant # 12 of 1993
The Town Board reviewed Highway Fund Warrant # 12 of 1993 .
Councilperson Miller asked Superintendent Hall to not stock pile
gravel supplies because it may be necessary to transfer funds from
other accounts to pay for them .
Highway Superintendent said that the gravel has been used on
Walding Lane .
Councilperson Marisa reported Account No . DA5110 . 4 is overdrawn at
this time and suggested accounts with a remaining balance should be
used to pay overages in Account No . DA5110 . 4 on Warrant No . 12 of
1993 .
Councilperson Oltz said that the Board will need a resolution at
the Year - end meeting to allow the Supervisor to transfer remaining
funds to balance the overages .
Accounts will be adjusted at the Year - end Meeting on December 27 ,
1993 .
Motion to Approve Highway Fund Warrant No . 12 of 1993
A motion was made by Councilperson Miller and seconded by
Councilperson Schwartz to approve Highway Fund Warrant No . 12 of
1993 vouchers numbered 156 - 173 in the amount of $ 11 , 856 . 57 and
that the Town Supervisor be allowed to adjust accounts within the
Town Highway Funds to pay as much as possible - oft the overage in
DA511. 0 . 4 and that any expenditures that remain beyond our
allocations be paid in the next fiscal budget .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
H ile Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
S chwartz Aye
O ltz Aye Carried Unanimously
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December 13 , 1993
Approval of West Danby Water District Fund Warrant No . 12 of 1993
A motion was made by Councilperson Marisa and seconded by
Councilperson Hile to approve the West Danby Water District Fund
Warrant No . 12 of 1993 voucher numbers 49 - 53 in the amount of
$ 1 , 213 . 16 .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
Hite Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
S chwartz Aye
O ltz Aye
Carried Unanimously
Approval of the Town Clerk ' s November 1993 Report
A motion was made by Councilperson Marisa and seconded by
Councilperson Hile to approve the Town Clerk ' s November 1993 Report
as submitted .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
H ile Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
S chwartz Aye
O ltz Aye
Carried Unanimously
Approval of the Town Supervisor ' s November 1993 Report
A motion was made by Councilperson Marisa and seconded by
Councilperson Hile to approve the Town Supervisor ' s November 1993
Report as submitted .
A roll call vote on the motion resulted as follows :
H ile Aye
Marisa Aye
Miller Aye
S chwartz Aye
Carried Unanimously
Other Business :
Councilperson Miller suggested the Town Board recognize Joan
Bordonet for her work on Community Council . She will draft a
letter to present at the December 27 , 1993 Meeting .
ADJOURNMENT :
On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 10 : 45 .
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Carol W . Sczepa r . , Town. Clerk
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TOWN BOARD AGENDA MEETING
December 8 , 1993
YOUR AGENDA ITEM PACKET CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING :
1 ) Election Expense Billing - Tompkins County
2 ) Cable 13 - Communication dated 11 / 30 / 93
3 ) Phone Review Materials dated 11 / 9 / 93
4 ) October , and November Attorney ' s Report and billing .
5 ) Code Enforcement November 1993 Report
6 ) Highway Department November Report
7 ) Minutes for the following :
a ) 11 / 3 / 93 Agenda Meeting
b ) 11 / 3 / 93 Budget Meeting
c ) 11 / 4 / 93 Public Hearing - Budget
d ) 11 / 5 / 93 Public Hearing - Budget
e ) 11 / 8 / 93 Regular Meeting
Public Hearing Minutes of 11 / 8 / 93 Public Hearing - in your mailboxes .
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TOWN OF DANBY
TOWN BOARD MINUTES
Agenda Meeting 7 : 30 P . M . December 8 , 1993
PRESENT :
S upervisor Oltz
Councilpersons : Hile , Marisa , Miller , Schwartz
Others Present :
Carol Sczepanski - Town Clerk
S usan Beeners - Code Enforcement Officer
S upervisor Oltz called the meeting to order at 7 : 30 P . M .
The following reports were received :
1 . Code Enforcement November 1993 Report
2 . Highway Department November 1993 Report
3 . Dog Control Officer November 1993 Report
4 . Community Council October 1993 Report
5 . Attorney ' s Report - October and November 1993
6 . Minutes of November 3 , 1993 - Agenda and Budget Meeting
Budget Hearing - November 4 and 8 , 1993
Town Board Meeting - November 8 , 1993
Communications Received :
1 . Cable 13 Memo - Access Services Available from ACC dated
11 / 30 / 93
2 . Phone - Review , Inc . - letter dated 11 / 9 / 93 - Phone bill
audit information .
The following items were discussed :
1 ) Road Abandonment Issue - was discussed at length and questions
were raised regarding the abandonment of roads . Supervisor
O ltz will contact other municipalities for information on the
procedure that they follow for road abandonment .
2 ) Fire and EMS Service - the Town has received notification from
Tompkins County Fire and EMS Service stating that all Towns
must have a emergency evacuation plan . The Board will forward
t he information to the Planning Board .
3 ) Board of Elections Charges - 1992 - The Town has received a
bill from Tompkins County for direct charges for the 1992
E lection Expenses . Supervisor Oltz will contact other
municipalities regarding the billing .
4 ) Highway CSEA Contract - The Highway Department CSEA Unit and
t he Town are negotiating new language in the CSEA contract .
The additions for 1994 include a wage increase request of $ . 79
and a request for New York State Disability Insurance . The
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2 Town Board Minutes
December 8 , 1993
next meeting is scheduled for 12 / 6 / 93 .
5 ) Recycling Coordinator at Recycling Center - Michael Collins
has been hired as Recycling Coordinator for the Danby
Recycling Center . The Recycling Center will be closed for
Christmas and New Years .
6 ) Youth Commission - Councilpersons Gail Miller and Joe Schwartz
will prepare a report for the Board for the Year - end Meeting,
7 ) Year - end Meeting of the Board - Meeting will be scheduled for
Monday , December 27 , 1993 at 7 : 30 P . M .
8 ) New Town Office Building - The Town Board discussed the need
for a new building for town offices . It was decided that thisa)
important and will be referred to the Planning Board . We need
to know the process for a new building , what to do with this
one , and a timetable for when building will be up .
ndi CGGL��A%C./
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Carol W . Sczepa s i , Town Clerk
agm - 12 - 8 . 93