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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-07-06 Danby Town Board Minutes of Agenda Meeting July 6, 2010 Present: Supervisor: Ric Dietrich Councilpersons: Kathy Halton,Leslie Connors,Dylan Race,Dan Klein Others Present: Town Clerk Pamela Goddard Code Enforcement Susan Beeners Members of the Public: Joel Gagnon,Ronda Roaring,Ted Crane. Call to Order Deputy Supervisor Klein called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. Guest Speaker- Suzanne Etherington,Records Management: Suzanne Etherington,Regional Advisory Officer of the New York State Archives and Records Administration(SARA)made a presentation about Records Management responsibilities for municipal officials. She answered questions and advised the Board about the nature of records held, created, and used local governments. There was a general discussion about setting up an Email policy and centralized system for the Town of Danby,including Town Board members. Sample policies are available through the NY SARA. Road Excavation Law: There was an update on the Public Hearing to be held Monday,July 12. There was clarification that two resolutions will be required to pass the local law, a SEQR resolution, and a resolution to adopt Local Law#4 of 2010. There was a short discussion about the process needed for setting the permit/fee/fine schedule for this law. Laura Shawley is working from a County model,which is the model for the Town of Caroline. Another model may be coming from Delta Engineering.A staff meeting is recommended to get this process in motion. It is hoped that the proper permits and fee structure will be in place by August or September at the latest. Town Hall Painting and repair: Ric Dietrich gave an update on building repairs and painting needed at the Town Hall. There are problems with rot in the cupola and east side of the Hall. It is estimated that these costs will be over $20,000. One bid has been received for this work. Due to the nature of the work, it is necessary and advisable to put out a call for additional bids. The primary concern is to get an accurate picture of what the problems are in this area of the historic building. There are internal problems and possible problems in the roof There is money in the building fund for this work. Page 1 of 4 Resolution No. 84 of 2010–TOWN HALL PAINTING AND REPAIRS—AUTHORIZE TOWN SUPERVISOR TO SEEK ESTIMATES Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Danby authorizes the Town Supervisor and the Enforcement Officer to seek estimates for the painting and repair of portions of the Town Hall. Moved by Dietrich, Second by Klein. The motion passed. In Favor: Connors,Halton,Klein,Race,Dietrich Town Credit Card Policy Amendment: Small changes to the Town of Danby Credit Card Policy,passed at the June 14 Town Board meeting, were needed to clarify a discrepancy in the stated locations for the secure storage of these cards at the Highway Department and in Town Hall. Resolution No. 85 of 2010–AMENDMENT TO CREDIT CARD POLICY—CARD STORAGE Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Danby amends the Danby Credit Card policy in the following manner: When not in use,all Danby Credit Cards shall be stored in a secured location. Cards issued to the Highway Department shall be stored in a secured location in the Highway Barns. Cards issued to departments at the Town Hall shall be secured in the vault. Moved by Halton, Second by Race. The motion passed. In Favor: Connors,Halton,Klein,Race,Dietrich Elected to Appointed Positions—Highway Superintendent and Town Clerk: There was an extensive discussion of the the pros and cons of implenting these changes in a local law. These are separate resolutions. Differing levels of support were expressed for each,with more support for the change in Highway Superintendent.As presented by Dan Klein,the intent of these changes is to take a level of politics out of these positions(they do not make policy decisions),while these positions require specific skills. Currently,these positions may be filled only by registered voters residing in the Town of Danby. Making these appointed positions would,in theory,widen the range of applicants to a broader, potentially more qualified pool. An Email from a Danby resident,regarding this subject,was distributed to the board. It expressed concern that this change would reduce voter input/choice.The Board suggested that some"PR"be done on this issue, in order to inform residents and voters about the process. Based on the decisions made at the July 12 board meeting, Dan Klein will write an article for the Danby Area News. During this discussion, a greater level of support was expressed for an appointed Highway Superintendent than for an appointed Town Clerk. The action item for the Regular Meeting of the Town Board would be to set a public hearing date. Any resolution would need to be passed at least 60 days before the general election,that is,by very early September. It was suggested to move on this at the next meeting and set a public hearing for August. If proposed resolutions are passed,the changes to local las regarding these positions require approval—by referendum—by the voters during the November election.Voters will ultimately have the choice as to the method by which these positions are filled. Budget Worksheet Process: Supervisor Dietrich initiated a discussion about moving the budget process forward a few weeks this year to mid-July rather than the end of July. Due to increases in Highway staff retirement costs and budget cuts from Albany,this is projected to be a rough year for the Town budget.There is a projected 60-70% increase in retirement costs,just in the Highway Department. The Supervisor is particularly concerned Page 2 of 4 about potential increases from the Fire District,which will be outside the control of the Town Board. Attempting to get information back from the different departments and agencies will help facilitate budget planning. Tasking the Planning Board: There was a preliminary discussion about the Town Board developing a directive for the Planning Board for the rest of this year. The TB will review the minutes of the winter working sessions to generate a tasking directive. Goddard will re-send these minutes to the board for their review. Beeners shared her thoughts about an Community Forum which might be held in the late Fall or early Winter as a method of listening to residents concerns and might possibly bring new people into town activities. Beeners'idea is that this would be an earnest discussion about sustainability in its various aspects. This forum might help define with the next work would be and raise community support for those activities. Delta Road Laws update: Laura Shawley is working on a flow chart/timeline of needed actions for the various Town road laws currently in process. She will bring a report to the July 12 Town Board meeting.A working meeting, including Highway Assistant Shawley,Town Clerk Goddard, Supervisor Dietrich, and Councilpersons Connors and Halton will be arranged. Conservation Advisory Council: Dan Klein will write a short article for the Danby Area News informing residents of the creation of this Council and seeking applicants. Clerk Goddard suggested that the text of the CAC resolution be posted on the town web site and made available in the Danby Reading Room for residents'review. Broadband—sites for towers: Dietrich gave a brief report on Bartosch grant proposal which includes seeking at least one signed lease for a Broadband tower among properties along Comfort Road. Two landowners are being approached. Beeners pointed out that any tower site will need to go to the Planning Board for review.Any tower over 30 feet needs PB approval. Gas Drilling Task Force: There was a general discussion about a resolution from Jonathan Wood regarding municipal authority to regulate road usage.At a recent TCCOG meeting,Wood raised the question of whether municipalities have the authority to pass local road laws and permit systems. Municipal authority is acknowledged in NYS Home Rule and the SGEIS. Wood has drafted a resolution"Urging the State Legislature to Clarify the Environmental Conservation Law to Expressly Authorize Municipalities to Protect their Roads from Damages."There was discussion as to whether passing such a resolution would be useful or not.Further discussion will continue at the July 12 meeting. Dog License changes: Goddard gave a brief report on changes coming and efforts of the regional Town Clerks to collaborate on new systems. There were questions as to whether the town can"opt out"of any aspects of dog licensing as part of the proposed changes from NYS. Many aspects of registry will remain the same. Towns will have a say in the setting of fees. Page 3 of 4 Finger Lakes Trail acquision: Information was presented,that the NYS Office of Parks,Recreation, and Historic Preservation is seeking to acquire a parcel near West King Road as an addition to the Finger Lakes Trail. The 2.55 acres in question are adjacent to acreage already maintained by the NYS OPRHP for the Finger Lakes Trail. The Board requested that the Clerk send this information to adjacent neighbors, asking their opinion on the proposed trail addition.Neighbor comment should be made by July 12. If there are no objections, the Board will authorize a letter of support at its July 12 meeting. Tourism Kiosks: Ronda Roaring reported on a meeting with David Sparrow about roadside information kiosks in Danby. Roaring stated that Sparrow has a strong interest in tourism.A proposal to have kiosks on all of the main roads which access the county is stalled. Sparrow offered no solutions to get this project moving. Tourism/Room Tax money may be available next January. Securing funding might be a project for Dave Mastroberti and the Beautification Committee to work on. It was suggested that Roaring find more information about potential grant money and make a proposal to the town board. The Board could then make an application for that funding. Adjournment A motion to adjourn the Meeting was made at 9:03 pm. Pamela S Goddard,Town Clerk Page 4 of 4