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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-05 Town Board Minutes OCTOBER 5, 2021 12:00 P.M. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING The Special Meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Cortlandville was held at the Municipal Garage, 3587 Terrace Road, Cortland, New York with Deputy Supervisor Cobb presiding. Members present: Deputy Supervisor, Jay E. Cobb Councilman, Theodore V. Testa Councilman, Douglas E. Withey Town Clerk, Kristin E. Rocco-Petrella Absent: Supervisor, Thomas A. Williams Councilman, Jeffrey D. Guido Others present were: Part-Time Clerk, Nick Alteri; Supervisor’s Secretary, Patty O’Mara; Supervisor’s Assistant, Amanda Rainbow; Whitney Hargett; Town Residents: Robert Martin; Pamela Jenkins; and News Reporter: Kevin Smith from the Cortland Voice. Deputy Supervisor Cobb called the Special Meeting to order. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was for the Town Clerk to present the 2022 Tentative Budget to the Board. Deputy Supervisor Cobb offered privilege of the floor to Pamela Jenkins. Town resident, Pamela Jenkins, asked that her complete comments be entered into the record, which were provided to the Town Clerk as follows: Mr. Williams and Board members, I have several formal requests: As it stands now, the town meeting agendas are only released to the public during the mid to late afternoon of the day before each town meeting. This is not enough notice for the public to be able to participate in meetings. From now on, I am requesting that you please release the draft agendas during the week before all town meetings: those being the Town Board, the Planning Board and the ZBA. The draft agenda could be updated until the day before each meeting. This is how the county legislature does it, and I don’t see any reason why the town could not do that as well. Everything that is going to be discussed at each meeting should be listed on the agenda and NOT brought up without any warning under New Business, as often happens lately. This goes out to everyone in town government who participates in the public meetings: if you know that you are going to bring something up, if you know what you are going to bring up, please place it on the agenda for the public to be made aware of ahead of time. All documents that are going to be discussed or referred to should be attached to the agendas for each meeting, as well. If members of the public receive and see the documents for the first time while at the meeting, this does not allow the public the opportunity to review or comment upon something which the Board is scheduled to take action upon at that very meeting. For example: In advance, I requested the August 4th contract which Cortlandville signed with the private baseball tournament company, but was denied access to it, until the hour it was signed. Also, I requested the 2022 budget yesterday but was not given access to it, so I cannot comment upon it today as I would have liked to. Next topic is Gutchess Lumber Sport Complex. I am requesting the Town Supervisor to announce that all further building and expansion proposals and plans will be sent to the Cortland County Planning Department and Board and then to the Cortlandville Planning Board and the ZBA. There is no excuse for continuing to fail to make the referrals which you are required by law to make. OCTOBER 5, 2021 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING PAGE 2 Simply put, Cortlandville must stop the current practice of proceeding without any type of review by County Planning and Cortlandville Planning. Entirely new SEQR Full Environmental Assessment Forms need to be generated as well. If you fail to forward all proposed plans to the County Planning Department and County Planning Board and Town Planning Boards, I request that you put your reasons for failing to refer in writing. Please address that letter to me. I also request that you put all of your reasons for failing to Receive and File the Permissive Referendum Petition, and for failing to schedule a Permissive Referendum Special Election in writing (if you have not scheduled the Special Election). Please address that letter me. Thank you, Pam Jenkins Deputy Supervisor Cobb thanked Ms. Jenkins for her comments. RESOLUTION #281 ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIVING 2022 TENTATIVE BUDGET Motion by Councilman Withey Seconded by Councilman Testa VOTES: AYE – Cobb, Testa, Withey NAY – 0 ABSENT – Williams, Guido ADOPTED BE IT RESOLVED, the Town Board does hereby acknowledge that the Town Clerk received the 2022 Tentative Budget on September 29, 2021 and has presented it to the Town Board members, in accordance with Town Law. RESOLUTION #282 SCHEDULE SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING (BUDGET WORKSHOP) FOR OCTOBER 13, 2021 AT 4:00 P.M. Motion by Councilman Withey Seconded by Councilman Testa VOTES: AYE – Cobb, Testa, Withey NAY – 0 ABSENT – Williams, Guido ADOPTED BE IT RESOLVED, the Town Board does hereby schedule a Special Town Board Meeting (Budget Workshop) for Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. to be held remotely by Zoom video and telephone conference, for the purpose of discussing the 2022 Tentative Budget of the Town of Cortlandville. No further comments or discussion were heard. Councilman Testa made a motion, seconded by Councilman Withey, to adjourn the Regular Meeting. All voting aye, the motion was carried. The meeting was adjourned at 12:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kristin E. Rocco-Petrella, RMC Town Clerk Town of Cortlandville *Note: The draft version of this meeting was submitted to the Town Board for their review on October 11, 2021. The final version of this meeting was approved as written at the Town Board meeting of October 20, 2021.