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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Minutes 1993-03-11 Town of Ithaca Town Board Special Meeting Minutes March 11 , 1993 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; Shirley A . Raffensperger, Supervisor John Whitcomb, Councilman Catherine Valentino, Councilwoman Frank Liguori , Councilman Patricia Leary, Councilwoman David Klein, Councilman ALSO PRESENT: John Barney, Esq. ; Town Attorney Joan Lent Hamilton, Town Clerk Rachel Resnik Jessika Trancik Roger Perkins Heather Ahrns, WHCU AM 870 David J. Stott Patricia Driscoll Timothy Joseph Pledge of Allegiance : The supervisor led the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance . Call to Order : The supervisor called the meeting to order at 7 : 35 P . m. I The purpose of the Special Town Board Meeting was to fill a vacancy on the Tompkins County Board of Representatives . The Town Clerk has proof and publication of the special meeting . This was the single item on the agenda for the evening. There are three possible candidates for the position. Mr. Timothy Joseph , Elm Street Extension; Mr . Roger Perkins, 230 Stone Quarry Road; and Mr. David Stott, 4 Evergreen Lane . The Supervisor asked for any other persons wishing to be considered for the position to make themselves known. The Supervisor notified each of the people who expressed interest in the position that the Town Board would be pleased to have them make a presentation , and then the Town Board could ask any questions . In the interest of fairness the Supervisor asked each candidate by alphabetical order to make their presentation. TB Minutes 3/ 11193 Page 2. Timothy Joseph: Mr. Joseph asked if there were anything in particular that the ward wished to hear? The Supervisor said that H7 . Joseph could make any kind of statement he wished of why he would be a good County Board of Representative . Mr . Joseph stated he has been a resident of the Town of Ithaca for four years and a resident of Tompkins County for twenty-two years . He has a degree from Cornell University in Planning , and a long standing interest in local political issues . Mr . Joseph has worked in a number of human service agencies within the County, and has considerable interests in human service which is one of the reasons for his interest in being a County Representative . Planning issues are another interest. Mr . Joseph stated that he is concerDed about the level of taxes and the fairness of tastes. He wishes to work with the County to see if taxation can be rude fairer . One of the things that has happened in recent years is that the State has lowered income taxes and expenditures by shifting those burdens to local governments . Mr. Joseph said he is interested in reversing some of that. Solid waste is a big issue in Tompkins County. Mr. Joseph wishes to help in making sure it is done correctly. He has concerns about the environment and making sure that the way solid waste is dealt with is environmentally sound and fair to the people of the County. Councilman Liguori asked Mr . Joseph were he worked? Mar . 3oseph works at the Alcoholism Council on a program called "Pure Educator" . This program trains high school students in three school districts; Ithaca , Newfield , and Trumansburg to go to the middle schools to hold workshops with other students for the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse . Supervisor Raffensperger asked Mr . Joseph what are some of the solutions he would explore concerning Solid Waste if he was on the County Board? Mr . Joseph said that he spent, the afternoon at a meeting of the Solid Waste Committee find that the Board is moving in the right direction. One of the things discussed was a list of possible ways of funding it, and the considerations needed to be addressed to find funding , It was clear that many of these considerations are in conflict. TS Minutes 3/11/93 Page 3. I Timothy Joseph - Cont'd The real problem is balancing them against one another. There were issues of fairness to the people involved so that the people who produce more trash pay more . There are also considerations of making sure the revenue is steady, dependable, and sufficient to cover the costs . Some of the things the County has done wrong in the past include the DR-7 . It may not have been a mistake to select that site , but the County stuck with it after it should have been clear it was not a viable site . The County is now moving towards abandoning it which is a good idea. Trash tags were a good idea it does the right thing regarding incentives it costs you to throw out your trash, it doesn ' t cost you to recycle this encourages people to do the right thing. Mr. Joseph was inclined to think that tag sales should be the sole source of revenue until he heard some of the reasons why there should be other sources for stability in revenues . Mr. Joseph is open to hearing what other people are saying. Councilman Whitcomb stated he was happy to hear that Mr. Joseph would be open to suggestions and that he had an open mind. Councilman Whitcomb asked what Mr. Joseph felt about the role of County government as a coordinator among the various townships in the County, or in the region in terms of coordinating land use planning, economic development, consolidation of services . Is there a role for the County government, do you think that it has reached its potential or is there room for improvement? Mr. Joseph responded that he thinks there is definitely a role there . The significant part of the role is on the staff level rather than the Board level . The Planning Department has a staff person who ' s function is to be available to Towns to help in planning issues. Whether it is sufficient is something he needs guidance on from the Town Board. Councilwoman Valentino asked Mr. Joseph what committees did he wished to be assigned to if appointed? Mr. Joseph said that he is asking to be appointed in place of Deborah Dietrich and her committee assignments were the Planning Committee, the Public Safety Committee, and the BNA Committee . Since he would probably not be Chairman of the Planning Committee he would not be on the BNA Committee . The Planning Committee, Public Safety Committee, and Human Services Committee are ones he would be interested in serving on. It is not the representatives choice, the Chairman of the County Board makes the assignment. Councilman Klein pointed out that the County Board requires a great deal of time, and asked Mr. Joseph what his time constraints are? TB Minutes 3/11/93 Page 4 . Timothy Joseph - Cont 'd Mr. Joseph stated that in his conversations with some County Representatives he learned it takes from twenty to forty hours per week. Mr. Joseph is currently the primary care giver for his children. He is working the half time job at the alcohol center and would give that up if he were appointed. The County Board position would be approximately the same pay and would take the half time or more . Councilman Whitcomb, mentioned the district Mr. Joseph would represent is spread over a large area, and asked him how he would keep in touch with his constituents so that he was sure he was representing them adequately? Mr. Joseph said he would do a mailing to inform everyone of who he was and make it clear he is available to anyone at anytime . He would also contact various community organizations within the district and attend their meetings/functions to make his presence and openness known to everyone . He would also get to know people while campaigning in the Fall . Councilman Liguori asked if the Board members were permitted to ask what party affiliation the candidates are? Mr. Joseph stated he is a registered Democrat. Supervisor Raffensperger thanked Mr. Joseph. Roger Perkins: The Supervisor said she had been notified by Patricia Driscoll , Chair of the Ithaca Republican Committee that the Committee has endorsed Roger Perkins for the position. Mr. Perkins introduced himself and said he was 36 years old, married, and has three children two of which are adopted. He has lived for thirteen years on Stone Quarry Road . Mr. Perkins has an Associate ' s Degree in Electronic Engineering Technology from the State University of New York at Alfred, and is currently employed by Smith Corona Corporation as an Electronic Technician. Mr. Perkins is a member of the Tompkins County Amateur Radio Club which provides free communications services to public events such as the Empire State Games, the Special Olympics, the local equestrian event held in Trumansburg, and events such as funeral services for the crew of STAR. TE Meeting 3111/93 Page 5 . Roger Perkins - Cont 'd Kr. Perkins has been involved with a subcommittee of the group called ARE S . The people involved in ARES are specially trained in communications . During a natural disaster they work with the Red Cross and the Communications Services on a countywide basis . The club has offered the first 911 emergency service which is Connected with the County Fire Controllers . Mr . Perkins has also been a member of the Fingerlakes Dive Association , and from 1990 to 1992 he published their monthly newsletter. Mr. Perkins is Chairman of Trustees for Hillside Alliance Church . Hillside recently completed negotiations on an easement with the Town for the entrance to Grandview Park. lair. Perkins was directly responsible for those negotiations . Mr. Perkins has been attending the County Board meetings since December of 1991 on a regular basis. He has studied two of the adopted County Budgets, and the Annual Reports for fiscal year 1992 . He has done some charting to determine where the expenses have increased in relation to comparisons with more than the numbers , Such as who is getting the real increases . He has seen many resolutions passed which have helped the Torn , such as the reconstruction of the bridge on Forest Home Drive , the realignment of the Judd Falls and 'Ellis Hollow Road, and the Central Transit building construction. Other resolutions have been passed that hurt Town residents , for instance the continuing path that has been taken in Solid Waste Management in Dart has contributed to the bankruptcy of Collins Garbage Service . It puts mown residents in a potential predicament when the garbage is put out and Collins is not there to pick it up . The County has no interest in who is picking up the trash , Another example is the new solid waste user fee , although some people think that is necessary it will present a burden to people who are on fixed incomes . Fifty two dollars can represent meals to some people . Mr . Perkins is not sure how beneficial sales tax has been to Town residents . Air. Perkins main reason for requesting appointment is that he has attended several meetings where the public was heard by not adhered to . The item pricing law in stores is an example . Wegmans stated I TB Minutes 3/11193 Page 6 . Roger Perkinu - Cant' d they were opposed to having to continue marking items during the Public Hearing , Many people wanted items marked, and yet the County Board decided to not extend the law which allowed for the marking of items . That was not in the interest of the consumers . At the Public Hearing on the eight percent sales tax many people spoke includi. ig Mr . Perkins who spoke at a sub-committee meeting. Only one person spoke from the public in favor of the eight percent sales tax , Many of the Representatives told Air. Perkins that privately people were for the eight percent sales tart . They gave them a chaise , do you want the 8% sales tax, or do you want 20 to 25% property tax . fir . Perkins stated in his opinion that was like asking, "do you want to be shot in the head or the stomach" . The County Board did not listen to most of the people who spoke on the eight percent sales tax issue and they voted fourteen to one to have the tax , If the tax stands and if Mr . Perkins were the representative he would feel obligated to make sure that the Town got its fair share of the proceeds regardless of his personal opinion . Mr. Perkins stated he has been very vocal about this issue by writing letters and att+-nding meetings . He expressed an interest in letting the Town Board know that he has been against this tax in the past, The solid waste user fee was another example of the Representative from Croton having said, " in usually every situation you have someone who is for something, and others who are against it, but no one who has spoken tonight or to me personally has been for this" , yet it was voted in anyway. Mr. Perkins stated his concern is whether the Representatives truly representing their people anymore . Mr. Perkins wishes to put representation back into the County Board of Representatives . Supervisor Raffensperger stated she was interested in Mr. Perkins comments about the sales tax . she asked Mr. Perkins if he was aware of the increase of mandated costs to the county in such items as Social Services in the last few years, if the County is obligated to fund this function and others that are mandated by the State haw then would the funds been provided to support those programs if you were opposed to an increased property tax and opposed to the sales tax? How then would you have proceeded with the economi TB Minutes 3111 {93 Page 7 . Roger Perkins - Cont' d Mr . Perkins stated it is a difficult situation they ornly have two sources of revenue , tax and tax. on the revenue side figures in the budget for ten years have double digit increases in the tax rate , including the huge expansion of the tax base in the late 1980 ' s . The State mandates can be questioned as to whether they are refunded . The budget figures are organized using expenditures and reimbursements so that it doesn ' t show there are not many mandates which are not refunded by the State . There are places to cut and some things that are ongoing. They keep relabeling job classifications which contain upwards of 80 increases in salaries after reclassification . Over the past year there have been a number of these , these start to add up . Smith Corona who has fallen upon hard times in December told the employees that anyone making over $4 0, 000 is not gciiig to get a raise , anyone under $40, 000 will get a straight 3% with no incentive . If we are falling upon hard times in our government, perhaps we should consider some negotiations with salaries or reducing staff . Councilman Liguori asked Air. Perkins how much time he would have to devote to the position? Mr . Perkins works in Cortland and does not get back into Town until almost 5 : 30 p. m . On the days the County holds its meetings he could get out early, sub-committees would have to meet some time other than 12 : 60 noon . fir . Perkins was not sure if the people servings on those committees have jabs , or whether they have jobs that allow them to take time off . 14r. Perkins would have to have them rearrange the committee meetings to evenings or Saturdays. Councilman Whitcomb asked Mr. Perkins his views on the County ' s role in .land use planning? Air . Perkins said they have not done much yet. It may came up in the near future . The Town of Ithaca is doing some extensive planning and going through the correct motions by having the Public meetings . fir . Perkins did not know what the County' s role would be in that . The County is not going to bother the Town in what it does . Supervisor Raffensperger thanked Mr. Perkins . TB Minutes 3111 {93 Page 8. David J . Stott: Mr. Stutz started by thanking the Town Board for giving him the opportunity to address them for consideration . Mr . Btotz said he knew Ms. Dietrich personally and she was a hard worker, and that whoever is selected to fill her seat will have big shoes to fill . Fir. Stott prepared a written statement and read it to the Town aoard as follows I am sure your paramount question of me is wiry would I choose to try for this appointment and if successful commit myself to election in the Fall , ]yet me attempt to give you an answer . I truly believe that I personally have a responsibility to my fellow man to contribute in some way to the collective goad . I hold that it is the responsibility of each of our citizens to try and give something back to a community that gives them so much. Whether engaged in small or large ways the net effect of such broad citizen involvement can, I are convinced , make a community a better place to lire for all . Beginning in 1959 with my service as the first Chairman of the Newfield Town Planning Board I have endeavored as time permitted to make such civic and volunteer involvement a reality in my own life . Whether serving as a driver for Gadabout or as a Board Member of the Help Our 'keens Program, I have tried to say thank you to those who have made my life and the lives of my family richer and far more abundant. Having successfully raised my family my personal situation now permits me to devote a larger share of my time to these endeavors. I believe that T have the time , experience , personal capabilities and motivation to more that adequately serve the people of this Town and County. I am firmly convinced that the number and complexity of issues facing this community not just today, but for the foreseeable future requires legislatures at all levels who are willing aEid able to devote large amounts of time , effort, and creativity in the study and understanding of problems and in the adequate consideration of alternatives and their solution . I stand ready to give one hundred and ten percent . Y do not shirk from the challenge that this obligation will present to me knowing that with your help and the help of the people of the community all of us crLn deal collectively with our problems in resourceful , imaginative, and effective ways . TB Minutes 3/ 11 /93 Page 9 . David Stotz - Cont 'd As a mediator of community disputes over a number of years I have required conflict resolution skills to serve the community in a broader context . Attending to and understanding concerns, reframing issues, identifying common ground , and encouraging compromise . As never before legislators must be good listeners . They must be able to accurately identify and truly understand the positions of concerned citizens , organizations and interest groups . They must be able to probe sensitively for areas of consent and compromise and they must be able to intelligently craft solutions that address individual interests without unduly impinging upon the collective good . No small tasks even for the wisest among us . While mastering conflict resolution skills is by no means the complete anstjer in making the effect of meeting these formidable obligations, none the less the possession of such skills can do nothing but help . In closing, permit me to state some of my perceptions about government and political leadership. Ours is no longer exclusively the locally centered society that we knew a decade ago . Change is being imposed upon us from the outside at an ever accelerating pace . The problems of our neighbors are increasingly our problems whether that connection is apparent to us now or not . Ile must intelligently observe and anticipate what is happening beyond our own personal and political borders and apt decisively and creatively to either imitate the good, or prevent the chaos of the bad. Subscribing exclusively to solutions that are ]based upon a provincial examination of problems or are founded solely on the need to appease narrow local special interests can only result in a continuing decline in the effectiveness of government in dealing with the real and everyday problems of its citizens . All this calls for new leaders who are exclusively motivated by a sincere desire to contribute to the collective well being of their communities and who in their deliberations expound narrow self interests either politically or economically. I urge this Board to base the choice of someone to fill this seat on a persons willingness to not only reflect and promote the needs of the constituency and the interests of the Town of Ithaca as important as that is , but also on a willingness to trommi,t vision , creativity, and courage in suggesting new initiatives and innovative solutions . To vigorously and enthusiastically solicit and pursue worthy ideas . To communicate with citizens frequently TS Hinutes 3111/93 Page 10 . David Stotz - Cont 'd and candidly. To embrace intelligent compromise when needed. To accept responsibility where appropriate whatever the personal consequences for doing so , and above all to act according to a well developed sense of ethics and integrity. Supervisor Raffensperger asked Mr. Stotz if he were appointed to the County Board of Representatives which committees would he most prefer to serve on? Mr. Stott responded that his interests Mould be towards the Planning Committee and the Personnel Committee, because those areas have the greatest impact on the County in the way it is configured In the Budget. Councilman Whitcomb asked Mr. Stotz if he has been involved at all in studying the issues, attending County meetings , or familiarizing himself with the concerns they are faced with at the moment? Mr. Stotz stated he has in the past attended some meetings . Mr. Stotz has outlined some of the issues and made prepared comments on his position on those , ( see attached) . Mr . Stutz has been following the waste management issue closely. The waste management issue is made up of a number of different isolated problems . The County may not have attempted to deal with those in a cohesive way. There has been no real proposal for stanching the flow of trash into the system. There are some communities in different parts of the country that have attempted reducing the amount of packaging . More emphasis has to be given to this to begin with . The collection of trash within the County is being left open for winner take all . There should be some way of either having some sort of controlled management of the system by rapping fees, or by having some way of offering franchises . But in some way the County should manage the competition of the collection of trash . The County should not get into the trash collection business . The understanding at the level of recycleables is that a lot of the economic viability of recycling is tied up with the natural market and use of recycling materials . We have a wonderful resource in Ithaca, Cornell university which could be used more in finding innovative ways of using recyclable . Some people have made suggestions about some of the ways in which plastics may be used. The bailing plant was a hasty decision that was predicated largely upon the DR-7 decision , aside from making garbage handling easier and handling the recyclables it really is money that would be poorly spent . TS Minutes 3/ 11193 Page 11 . David Stotz - Cont' d What do we eventually do with trash? The disposal of trash in our society is not even an exclusive Count} problem . It is a regional problem . Early on it would have been nice to have seen more dialogue between ourselves and other Counties about what to do. 19ot necessarily with burning, I am not in favor of bur�niDq trash, but in developing other facilities . One option that has never been mentioned is winnowing or composting of trash. All of these different levels make up the trash problems in Tompkins County. The County Board may have not gone through the necessary effort to coordinate all of these facets of the problem. Councilwoman Valentino asked Aar. Stotz why the Personnel Committee would interest him? Mr . Stotz stated personnel costs are the bulk of the County Budget. The County is not giveiR the flexibility in using government employees in the same way the private sector is. There should he more of a dialogue between employees and the organizations representing them to allow for more flekibility in designing job descriptions and job assignments , so that maybe municipalities could share employees and pay proportionate amounts . Restricting joie duties to one small specific task is a problem . For example, you have a truck driver and the job description says that he drives the truck, he drives the truck out to repair a road, and while the crew is busy along the road the truck driver waits with his truck because that is his job . It might be beneficial for everyone if those job descriptions were more flexible . Everyone is talking of layeffs, job insecurity, lack of increases, and lacy of a decent living wage those are issues that have to be addressed equally. Employees needs and the security in their jobs have to he considered in a major way. Councilwoman Leary asked Mr . Stotz asked how he felt about the tension between the grovernmerxt as an employer and the potential for creating jobs , the duel interest, the government is an employer contributing to the general prosperity of the community and is a tax generator wanting to keep the taxes low, so they keep the staff as small as possible? Mr. Stotz asked Councilwoman Leary if she meant the government as employer of last resort, to pick up the slack? TB Minutes 3111/93 Page 12 . David Stotz - Cont'd Councilwoman Leary responded not as a last resort, but there is a role of government einployex7 like any other employer contributing to the prosperity of the community, if government is laying off lots of people that is going to have art effect on the general welfare and the ability of the people to pay taxes . Then there is the desire to keep takes down , maybe lay people off, reducing the staff levels by attrition , there is a conflict between the two goals . Mr. 5tota said that with the initiatives that are taking place it may very well be that government ends up employing additional people, an example of that is welfare . Some things that are being suggested now are that if someone is not off welfare within a year then they have to Flo community service for. local governments . That may impinge somewhat on the employment, levels of the County. There is a conflict in the general citizens mind that in the private sector they are at the whim of the bottom line , and government employment soems -to them to be a secure tax funded base of employment for public_ employees. Governmental units have to somehow get the public to understand that services being provided by the municipalities serge an essential purpose in maintaining the structure and fiber of that community, and even though it may appear that they are not subject to the same rules of the game as people working in private companies there is a legitimate rea$on . The lay person often gets a distorted view of what public employees do and what they are responsible for. The popular notion is that they don ' t work hard, they have wonderful benefits, their wages are far in excess of the private sector, and that is a view that has to he countered . public employees do work hard , they do share benefits that are commensurate with people in private industry. Mr. Stotz stated he does not subscribe to the idea that the government should necessarily provide jobs for the private sector. That is not a role for government. Government should provide the means and structure to have jobs created as President Clinton has talked about . Councilwoman Leary asked Hr. Stotz it bis main priority would be to focus on the benefit to taxpayers of minimizing staff? President Clinton cut the Waite House staff by 35 , so he is taking the position of governments responsibility to the taxpayer, there is the othe2` side of government being an employer and like any other employer one would hope employment levels would increase as the recovery gets moving . TB Minutes 3111!93 Page 13 . David Stotz a Cont `d Mr. Stotz responded that government should maximize the services it provides to its citizens with the staff that it has so that it becomes apparent that those services are provided as efficiently as passible , then government should say to its citizens, ,.now that we have done that, which of these services do you really want" then consider that for a period of time . Then if necessary make some adjustments accordingly, It is incumbent on ail governmental subdivisions to maximize the staff they currently have . That is why I would be interested in serving on the Personnel Committee . This is an area to be looked at not to drive people beyond their capacity, but to make sure that everyone who works for municipalities are putting in eight hours of work for the pay in the most efficient way possible . Councilman Liguori asked Mr. Btotz haw he saw the role of economic development through the County and local governments? Mr . 3totz , as indicated I have experience with the Southern Tier Regional Development Corporation an organization that went through a lot of work inventorying all of its assets , They were complete in everything they did made an accurate estimate of the talents of their workforce . The County could do the same thing, it casts money to accomplish but would be money well spent. We have to be more aggressive in promoting the good things that Tompkins County does for potential employers . There has been a tendency in the past to sit back and say, we have this wonder facility in Cornell and they are doing all this great research, but this one asset may not always have the spin off of industry as it has now. we should not neglect promoting other aspects of the County. The transportation system does not help in recruiting potential employers . There was an opportunity years ago to address the transportation issue and for various reasons they were not taken advantage of . It is time that we did in any way possible . There is a lack of transportation for business, neighborhoods are being trashed by 'the movement of traffic through the streets, we have to open that up again as an issue for economic development. The issue of diversification is becoming much more critical . The trends and statistics show that the amount of employment that has existed from Cornell and from Ithaca College is going to came to a halt . They are going to be like any other employer. They will have temporary positions, they will lay people off at a moments notice . All those good things in the way of employment will be gone , what will be done then, we had better he ready for it . TS Minutes 3/ 11/93 Page 14 . David Stotz - Cont' d Councilman Klein asked if ter . Stotz was familiar enough with the financial condition of the County to bring some of his expertise to cut waste , or rethink how things are done? The County part of the tax ]Hill has increased in recent yeax's more than the schools. Mr. Stotz stated that mandates are an issue that are regional problems . Some mandates are necessary but with those where we take exception there should be a much stronger effort on the part of the County to question those mandates . If the County budget had a reference to some amount of money to be used to implement a requirement from the State. I would look at alternative ways of complying with that mandate and how well that money is going to be spent . Mfr . Stotz stated he has over twenty years experience in financial management and has the ability to understand most of it within a short period of time and offer concrete viable suggestions or alternatives. Town Board Action Councilman Whitcomb said that it is seldom that we are Blessed with such a rich scope of candidates for public office, and it is very difficult to choose among the three . Councilman Whitcomb made a motion nominating Timothy Joseph as the Town of Ithaca representative to the County Board of Representatives . Seconded by Councilwoman Valentino . The Town Board had a prepared resolution which is more lengthy than the one made by Councilman Whitcomb . The Supervisor read the resolution . ( See attached ) The Supervisor said this motion has been supported and seconded, is there discussion's Councilman Liguori asked what the protocol was , can more than one individual be nominated, or all of them? Supervisor Raffensperger stated she wished they could appoint them all , but the resolution as it has been presented with a single name Mould he voted an. Supervisor Raffensperger told Councilman Liguori he may state his support of someone who has not been nominated at this time . Councilman Liguori said that he would like to see all three candidates appointed , but that he wished to express his support for Roger Perkins . Councilman Liguori said that the problem with the protocol arrangement is that the first one to be nominated is the only one that is voted on . TB Minutes 3/ 11 /$3 Page 15 . Town Board Action - Cont' d Supervisor Raffensperger responded that if the majority do not vote for it this individual there would then be an opportunity for another nomination . Attorney Barney stated it is a resolution to appoint a specific individual , if it doesn ' t pass another individual would be nominated with the process continuing . No further discussion on the resolution , The Supervisor asked for the vote: Whitcomb , aye; Valentino, aye ; Liguori , nay; Leary, aye ; Klein , aye; Raffensperger, aye . Supervisor Raffensperger expressed the appreciation of the Town Board to all the candidates . It was an embarrassment in riches truly for the Town Board. The Supervisor hoped that the candidates who were not successful would continue their interest in the public policy matters in the Town and County. The Town Hoard would welcome their continued involvement , and thanked the candidates for coming . As there was no farther business to come before the Town Board , the Supervisor entertained a motion to adjourn . Motion made by Councilwoman Valentino to adjourn , seconded by Councilman Frank Liguori . Motior1 carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted , Joan Lent Hamilton Town Clerk Town Board Meeting 3/11193 Resolution Filling a Vacancy On The Tompkins County Hoard of Representatives Resolution No . 77 WHEREAS, Deborah F . Dietrich, a member of the Tompkins County Board of Representatives i`epresenting District No . 12 , resigned , effective March 11 , 1993; and WHEREAS , District too . 12 is located wholly within the Toxin of Ithaca; and WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Charter and Code prcvides for vacancies on the Board of Representatives for districts wholly contained within a single town to be filled by vote of the Town Hoard of such town within 30 days of receipt by the Town Clerk of said town and the Town Supervisor of notification of such vacancy from the Clerk of the Hoard of Representatives ; and WHEREAS, the Clerk of the Board of Representatives has so notified the Clerk of Town of Ithaca and the Town Supervisor of the Town of Ithaca of the vacancy in the position of Representative from District No . 1 ; NOW THEREFORE , IT IS RESOLVED BY THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF ITHAGA that the Town Saz rd expresses its appreciation to Deborah F . Dietrich for her capable , diligent and unstinting representation of the Town and its residents during her tenure as Representative for District No . 12 on the Tompkins Counter Board of Representatives ; and IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF ITHAGA that Tim Joseph , 772 Elm street Extension, Xthaca, New York be appointed to fill the vacancy in the position of District No. 12 Representative on the Tompkins Counter Board of Representatives until the first day of January next following the next general election, at which general election such vacancy shall be filled for the unexpired term, if any, of Ms . Dietrich' s term; and IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Supervisor immediately certify in writing to the Clerk of the Board of Representatives the name of the person selected by this resolution so that such person may take and file the oath of office and be entitled to be seated at the next meeting of the Board of Representatives . TB Mtg . 3/11 /93 Resolution No . 77 Pg. mDVED : Councilman John Whitcomb SECONDED : Councilwoman Catherine Valentino DATED : March 11, 1993 Supervisor Raffensperger Aye Counoil.man Whitcomb Aye Councilwoman Valentino Aye Councilman Liguori Nay Councilwoman Leary Aye Councilman Klein Aye Motion Carried Joan Lent Hamilton, Town Clerk TO: Ithaca Town Board members FROM: Shirley Raffensperger RE: Town of Ithaca Republican Committee endorsement DATE: March 9, 1993 Ms. Patricia Driscoll, Chair of the Town of Ithaca Republican Committee, has notified me by phone that their Committee is endorsing Mr. Roger L. Perkins, 230 Stone Quarry Road, to f I i 1 the vacancy in District 12, Tompkins County Board of Representat ives. I have notified him of the time of the meeting on March 1 1 and of the format. Each person interested in the appointment will have an opportunity to make a short statement, followed by any questions the Board may have. I anticipate that there may be three candidates attending. copy: Joan Lent Hamilton John C. Barney (c�,j ' TSAR 9 March 8 , 1993 4 Evergreen Lane Ithaca, N. Y. 14850 Ms. Shirley Raffensperger Town Supervisor Town of Ithaca 126 East Seneca Street Ithaca, New York 14850 Dear Ms. Raffensperger, As I indicated to you the other day on the telephone I am interested in being considered for the vacant District 12 seat on the County Board of Representatives . At your suggestion I am enclosing some of my thoughts on some issues which I consider of current importance in county governance. Hopefully I have not been too long winded. Copies are included for distribution to town board members. I am also enclosing a copy of my resume. I plan on attending the special meeting on March 11 and look forward to meeting you and the other board members. Should you have any questions or concerns in the meantime I may be reached at 255-3012 (work) or 277-3382 (home) . Sinc LAC � David J. tot Sore views on. . . . . . GOVERNMENTAL EFFICIENCY There is much that Tompkins County can and should do to improve the cost, efficiency, and responsiveness of services provided to its citizens. "Doing more with less" , "total quality management" , and "customer service" are the economic survival watchwords of the largest corporation and the smallest village. Tompkins County 'is no exception. Consider, for example, the creative sharing of physical and administrative resources among all political subdivisions within the county so as to avoid costly duplicative efforts yet maintain local autonomy where truly necessary. Why not explore the possibility of providing some consolidated county-wide services where economies of scale could produce real efficiencies and cost savings (some forms of highway maintenance, purchasing and other administrative services, consolidated vehicle maintenance) . Why not work with public unions and employee organizations in finding inventive ways to allow greater% flexibility in the training and assignment of human resources while ensuring reasonable job security and equitable compensation. Similarly, why not work with employees to develop productivity and customer service incentives that will ultimately slow the rate of workforce growth while simultaneously increasing citizen satisfaction with county governance. The possibilities are limited only by the degree of boldness in concept, creativity in development, and accommodation and political prowess in implementation . ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Tompkins County must make a priority of economic development and employment diversification. It is no secret that Tompkins County employment is increasingly dominated by a few major employers. The nature of these organizations has blessed this region with relatively steady rates of employment for quite some .time. Yet we cannot be lulled into thinking that this fortunate state •bf affairs will continue into the indefinite future; it most assuredly will not. For example, public attitudes and forces at work in the world economy may - for the first time - seriously affect the level and traditional. stability of employment in higher education. The result for Tompkins County could be a steady erosion of its tax base coupled with an increasing demand for social services . Steps have already been taken in the right direction and are to be commended: the excellent Chamber of Commerce and the new airport terminal, to name two. But much more needs to be done. 1 For example, why not compile all the county's unique physical, human, and environmental assets as was done by the Southern Tier Regional Development Corp. Subsequently, appoint a body of civic, educational, and business leaders to actively canvass the country (or the world) in selling Tompkins County' s attributes to potential employers. Coupled with these efforts could be explorations into realistic tax and regulatory relief for new businesses. Transportation systems, land use regulations , and environmental requirements might be explored in cooperation with other political subdivisions in an effort to plan an infrastructure that might truly meet business needs. LAND USE PLANNING Tompkins County should take a more active leadership role in coordinating land use planning. Increasingly, Tompkins County is being subdivided not by formal political subdivision boundaries, but by micro-views on how land should be used now and in the future. The difficulty in subscribing to this patchwork view is a failure to recognize that environmentally and economically many land use decisions respect no borders . The decisions of one political subdivision can have implications for the reality of another. It also does not serve the collective good when, for example, one town becomes the place for junkyards, another the haven for unregulated mobile home parks, another for parks and open space, and so on. The interests of our population and those of potential employers are not well served when decisions as to where to locate are dictated by a concern for future real property values pegged to potential vagaries in land use planning. Rather, individuals and organizations should be able to base such decisions upon rational and beneficial criteria such as; closeness to work, schools, social organizations, or health care services; availability - of transportation resources; proximity of 'suppliers; or an esthetic 'Preference for a rural, suburban, or urban setting. av d J. Stotz 3/8/93 2 DAVID J. STOTZ 4 Evergreen Lane Ithaca, New York 14850 607-277-3382 EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION 1978 - present Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations Extension Division Responsibilities: Provide the senior level management of all nonacademic administrative activities; personnel, budgeting, accounting, financial planning and reporting, computing support, and student services. Negotiate and monitor federal, state, and private appropriations, grants, and contracts . Manage the Registrar, Bursar, and business operations including purchasing, and facilities construction, leasing, and management. BUSINESS MANAGER 1973 - 1976 Elmira Psychiatric Center Responsibilities: Managed all of this newly established hospital's business and support services; personnel, budgeting, accounting, purchasing, facilities and grounds maintenance, transportation, food service, housekeeping, and security. served as owner's representative during facility construction. BUSINESS MANAGER 1968 - 1973 South Landing School for Girls Responsibilities: Provided the management of all business and auxiliary services; personnel, budgeting, accounting, purchasing, food service, grounds and facilities maintenance, housekeeping, and transportation. Functioned as owner' s representative during construction. BUSINESS MANAGER 1967 - 1968 New York State Division for Youth Hudson Center for Children Responsibilities: Managed all of the business and support services; personnel, budgeting, accounting, food service, grounds and facility maintenance, housekeeping, and transportation. 1 SENIOR TRAINING ASSOCIATE 1966 - 1967 New York State Department of Labor Responsibilities : Developed and taught courses in general managemernt and first line supervisory skills to businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies . PERSONNEL ASSOCIATE 1966 -- 1967 New York State Department of' Civil Service Municipal Service Division Conducted staffing and salary surveys for various New York State public and private organizations. Performed audits of New York ,Mate municipalities and school districts to encourage good personnel practice . MILITARY EXPERIENCE Battalion Commandeer Major, U. S . Army (Retired) EDUCATION M.A. - Education Administration/Management Information Systems Mate University of New York B.B.A. - Accounting and Finance Pace University Forty additional graduate hours completed in business , management, and public policy studiEs. LICENSES New York State permanent teaching certifin-ate in Business Education AWARDS 1984 , 1990 - National Association of College and Business Officers (NAC050) cost reduction award. PUBLICATIONS Costing the Public Sector Col ectAve Bargaining Agreement (and associated computes software) - to he published by the Bureau of National, Affairs , Washington, D. C. 2 PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES Instructor: Cornell University, NYSSILR: dBaselll+, Lotus , WordPerfect computer training; various training programs for lousiness and unions Cornell. University Institute of Collective Bargaining: using computers to cost collective bargaining agreements Cornell University, career Dev8l.opment Programs for Woman: basic financial. skills Cornell. University, NYSSILR: Various extension progx•ams for management Consultant; Southern Tier Regional Development Corp . : computer consulting and training: Cornell University, ILR Review: reference software development New York State Office of retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Bureau of Program Design and Service: research and statistical, computing Advisor: Cornell University Distributed Accounting Project (CUDA) Mediator: Ithaca Community Dispute Resolution Center Mediation Service- Inc. Arbitrator: American 'Arbitx-ation Association, Panel of Commercial Arbitrators SKILLS Programming languages : C++, BASIC, dBaseIllf, dBaseIV Foreign languages: German Mediation and conflict resolution PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS National Association of College and University Business Officers American Arbitration Association New York State Mediation Association Academy of Family Mediators 3 TOWN OF Li AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING ITACA PUBLICATION I, ,roan Lent Hamilton , being ftly sworn, sad* that :1 am the Torn ;Clerk of the Town of Ithaca, TompRins county, New York; that the following notice has -been duly posted on the' sign , oirc of the 9`own Cleric of the Town of Ithaca and that the notice has been duly published -in the local newspapez: (Ithaca Journal) (See Attached) Location of sigix- board 'used for posting : Town Cleft S . Office Seneca Meef ltlhaca, NY 14850 Date of Posti3ag: February z5. , _1993 _ _ Date of Publicatlon: February+ 25 . 1993 Tow . Clerk; Town of Ithaca STT�7i'}Y�'r�'.L}}OF 7E�'� YORK ��OUNT or OMPXX Ssp .01-M OF ITHACA 5worD to and subscribe, before me thin 013 day of _/tee ntk.-}, 1s v0tEt r ublj,c i `S"r{fsi Ji iilG`trf� �i ��r ,a f'i' OF 1p TOWN OF ITHACA FINAL 126 EAST SENECA STREET, ITHACA, N.Y. 14850 � Y TOWN CLERK 273-1721 HIGHWAY 273-1656 PARKS 273-8435 ENGINEERING 273-1747 PLANNING 273-1747 ZONING 273-1747 TOWN OF ITHACA - PUBLIC NOTICE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE. that the Town of Ithaca Town Board will hold a Public Hearing on March 8 . 1993 at 8 : 00 p . m. , at the Ithaca Town Hall . 126 E. Seneca Street . Ithaca . New York to consider the proposed Zone Change at 237 Coddington Road from a Residence District R-9 to Multiple Residence District . PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE. at the aforementioned time and place all citizens shall be afforded the opportunity to voice their approval or opposition of said Zone Change . Joan Lent Hamilton Town Clerk February 22 . 1993 PUBLISH LEGAL AD: February 25 , 1993 The Ithaca Jo'umarf Friday,Fe6r`6a4 26,.�993 PLEASE TOWN OF the. Town of Ithaca Town Board •w;ll hold o Public Hecrinngg on March 8, 1993 at 8:00 pp.m., a1 the Ithaca Tawn P1oi1,'126 E. -Se,' Street,•Ithoco; New Y.k to consider the proposed zone Change of 237 Ccddington Rood From a Rosidenco Dva 1 trict R-9 to Mwitiple Residence, District, PLEASE TAKE FURTIIER NO-'+ TICE, at the oforernentionod fime•andelo.o all citizens. sholl be c orded the oaporfu. nity to voice their approval of --;Oppotition,--af said Zone m•, loon Lent Hamilton ,..•i1. Town Clerk •Fc&uary`26,'1993 l