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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-10-10 - TB TOWN OF ULYSSES REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING OCTOBER 10, 2006 Present : Supervisor Douglas Austic ; Town Council Roxanne Marino, Don Ellis, Rod Ferrentino and Lucia Tyler; Deputy Town Clerk Patricia Halloran; Deputy Supervisor Richard Coogan; Town Highway Superintendent James Meeker. Others Present : David Iles, David Stinson of Sciarabba Walker & Co . , and Susan Henninger. Supervisor Austic called the meeting to order at 7 : 30 PM and led those assembled in the pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms . Tyler moved, seconded by Mr. Ellis to approve minutes of the Regular Town Board meetings of 9/ 19/2006 and 9/25/2006 with minor changes to be submitted by Ms . Marino . Mr. Ellis moved, seconded by Mr. Austic to table the August 8 , 2006 Regular Town Board minutes until the November Regular Town Board meeting. Mr. Austic aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Ellis aye Mr. Ferrentino aye Adopted. PUBLIC PRIVILEDGE OF THE FLOOR No one spoke. APPROVAL OF CLAIMS Ms . Marino moved, seconded by Mr. Ellis the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses approve the previously examined vouchers #410 through #443 in the amount of $ 85 ,096 . 53 . Mr. Austic aye Mr. Ferrentino aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Ellis aye Ms . Marino aye Adopted. REPORT OF REPRESENTATIVES Jim Dennis Tompkins County Board of Representative — absent. Trumansburg Fire Department — no one in attendance . Planning Board Report — no on in attendance. Ms . Tyler said that the Town Board has not had a report for several months and would like to have a report at the next Special Board meeting. Ms . Marino will contact someone . Regular Town Board Meeting 2 10/ 10/2006 David Iles, Audit Report Mr. Iles said that in planning and performing their audit of the general purpose financial statements of the Town of Ulysses for the year ended December 31 , 2005 , they considered the Town' s internal control structure to determine their auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the general purpose financial statements and not to provide assurance on the internal control structure . Mr. Iles walked the Town Board through the audit pages . Mr. Iles said however, during the audit they recognized certain matters that may need attention in order to strengthen internal controls and operating efficiency. The following summarizes comments and suggestions : CURRENT YEAR COMMENTS Accounting Software The software program used to perform the general ledger accounting activity is not properly closing the revenues and expenses to fund balance at the end of each year, resulting in reports that appear to be out of balance . The Town Supervisor is working with the software company to correct this problem. We recommend that the Town Supervisor continue working with the software company to make sure the year end activity is closing properly and reports balance. Alternatively, the Town could consider evaluating other software programs . Youth Checking Account During the current year audit, we noted that the youth checking account is under the Town's name as held with the primary financial institution. The Town employees do not have check signing authority for this account and it is not included on the Town's books . As the Town doe not have financial oversight of this account, we recommend management contact the authorized signers on the account and request that the taxpayer identification number be changed. Board Oversight During the current year audit, we noted that the AUD is submitted to the state, without being reviewed. We recommend that once the Town Supervisor has completed the AUD , a town board member should review the document prior to submission to the state . We also noted that the Town approves invoices prior to payment. To further test controls, we recommend that every few months a board member . select 5 of the approved vouchers and compare the vendor and amount to the returned check copy. This is a simple yet effective way for the Board to test controls and provide additional oversight. AUD Report During the current year audit we noted that question #2 on page 90 of the AUD report was answered incorrectly. We also noted that page 89 was missing detail of the reconciling items for the cash accounts . We recommend the AUD be corrected and resubmitted to New York State. SUMMARY OF PRIOR YEAR RECOMMENDATIONS AND STATUS AS OF CURRENT YEAR AUDIT Recommendation During prior year procedures, we noted that checks transferring funds from the Town Clerk's and Justice's accounts are made payable to Doug Austic (e. g. "Doug Austic- Town Supervisor") . Checks written to individuals are negotiable and expose the Town to possible misappropriation of funds . We recommended that checks transferring funds be made payable to "Town Supervisor Town of Ulysses" . Alternatively, the Town could . . Regular Town Board Meeting 3 10/ 10/2006 explore the possibility of authorizing electronic transfers between accounts, thereby eliminating the use of checks for this purpose. Status During the current year audit, we noted that some checks were still being made payable to Doug Austic ("Doug Austic- Town Supervisor" or " Town Supervisor-Austic") . We recommend that these checks be consistently written and made payable to " Town Supervisor, Town of Ulysses. " Recommendation During the prior year procedures we recommended that the Town should institute a standard form for employee expense reports . Different versions of an expense report were being utilized or reimbursement requests were made on hand written reports . When reports lack clarity, errors are more likely to occur. Additionally, we recommend that the Supervisor's expense report be approved and signed by a Board member. Status The Town Board has an opportunity to review and approve all invoices for payment, including the Town Supervisors . The Town does not have a standard expense report for use by employees . Recommendation Due to a limited number of personnel , the Town is unable to achieve ideal separation of duties in a number of its accounting functions . We noted, for example, that the Supervisor and the Town Clerk make deposits , issue and sign checks, perform the bank reconciliations and post transactions to the accounting records for the accounts under their control . Ordinarily, there would be some separation of duties in these functions . The Town could improve internal control by having the Deputy Supervisor perform the bank reconciliations for Town accounts . The Deputy Supervisor is not involved in posting transactions to the accounting records, so his involvement would improve separation of duties . Status The Deputy Supervisor is performing bank reconciliations for the Town accounts . Recommendation Bank statements could be received, opened and reviewed by a completion of the bank reconciliation by Town personnel . Status Bank statements are opened by the Deputy Town Clerk prior to the reconciliation. Recommendation During the prior year procedures, we recommended that compensation for time off (sick, personal, etc) be paid at regular hourly rates. Status The board decided to continue current pay practices and review the personnel policies to consider rewording at a later date. The Town Board asked general questions of Mr. Iles on the Draft audit. Ms . Marino asked what Mr. Iles would recommend on the frequency with which a municipality does this type of audit . Regular Town Board Meeting 4 10/ 10/2006 Mr. Iles said that the Town is not required to have an audit so it really comes down to what practices the Town wants to follow. An annual audit like the one just done may be a best practice to go through. Mr. Iles said he would recommend that it is done annually, but it does not have to be done annually. Mr. Iles said as the Town Board could see from last year' s audit and this years that the Town ' s books are in pretty good shade. A final copy of the audit will be fourth coming. TOWN REPORTS Highway Superintendent James Meeker • Helped Enfield with paving. • Worked on driveways and mailbox pull offs on VanDorns Corners Rd. • Hauled hot mix for Tompkins County Highway for Falls Road project. • Cleaned ditch on Honeybee Lane and installed culvert for new house. • Installed drain on east end of bridge on Cold Springs Rd. • Had Denmark come with a bucket truck to paint gussets inside our salt shed. • Helped Town of Covert haul crusher stone to Townline Road project. • Replaced road crossing pipe on Willow Creek Point Road. • Today, October 10, 2006 hauling hot mix to Village paving project. Code Enforcement Officer Alex Rachun - absent, previously distributed report to the Town Board. Deputy Town Clerk Patricia Halloran reported that $ 5 ,769 . 00 was collected for the month of September and of that $711 . 22 was turned over to the Supervisor for Clerk fees; $ 125 . 00 was collected for a water permit. Board Members and Committees Board Member Lucia Tyler requested a copy of a solar energy article from David Means about the possibility of using solar panels on the Town Hall. She recommended that Mr. Austic inform the Town Board Members via e-mail or something of community member' s requests. Supervisor Douglas Austic presented the Operating Statement for the Period ending 9/30/2007 . Mr. Ellis suggested that a Board Member check on vouchers every 3 or 4 months as recommended by the Auditor. The water district chlorination station at the tank has to be manually run at the pump . The Tompkins County Council of Government (TCCOG) needs a resolution to include us in applying for a grant The following was moved by Mr. Austic , seconded by Mr. Ferrentino : WHEREAS , Town of Ulysses has joined the Tompkins County Council of Governments, and WHEREAS , the Council of Governments has resolved to apply for an incentive award under the New York State Shared Municipal Services Program, and Regular Town Board Meeting 5 10/ 10/2006 WHEREAS , the grant will assist the municipalities in Tompkins County to create a local health consortium, and WHEREAS , the health care consortium will seek to develop health care coverage for all municipalities with the intent to provide a net savings to the taxpayers of Tompkins County, now therefore be it , RESOLVED , on recommendation of Town Board Committee, that the Supervisor is hereby authorized to act on behalf of the Town of Ulysses to all matters related to this grant, RESOLVED , further, that the County of Tompkins shall be designated as the Lead Applicant and that the County Administrator is authorized to act as the contact person for this grant. Mr. Austic aye Ms . Marino aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Ferrentino aye Mr. Ellis aye Adopted. Ms . Tyler moved, seconded by Ms . Marino the following BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses nominate Don Ellis to serve as alternate to the Tompkins County Council of Governments . Mr. Austic aye Mr. Ferrentino aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Ellis aye Ms. Marino aye Adopted . Deputy Supervisor Richard Coogan — reported that the Municipal Officers Association Planning Coalition held a session for planning boards and town boards on how to work with Ag & Markets in a planning prospective . The Board discussed what constitutes an Ag District. Mr. Coogan said that Monica Roth or (Debbie?)Teeter would be willing to come to the Town Board and give a presentation as to what a review process would entail . Mr. Coogan said that he is hearing a lot about municipal grants under storm water and he has been asked by Sharon Anderson if the Town would like to be included in a grant application that would look into hiring the storm water officer for the smaller MS4 communities so that in 2008 the Town would not have to hire the enforcement. There would be a trained person who would be doing all of the inspections and the Town would just have the administrative role . If the Board is interested in that Mr. Coogan would have to have something from the Board so that he can get a letter of intent and then after the grant is written the Board could vote it either up or down. Ms . Marino moved, seconded by Mr. Austic the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses authorize Mr. Coogan to send a letter of intent to Sharon Anderson and the Cayuga Watershed in support of a shared services grant to explore hiring a storm water inspector. Mr. Austic aye Mr. Ferrentino aye Ms . Tyler aye Regular Town Board Meeting 6 10/ 10/2006 Mr. Ellis aye Ms . Marino aye Adopted. Mr. Coogan said that HAZMIT has been accepted by Tompkins County Legislators and has now moved back to the State final approval. Mr. Coogan said that the Ulysses Planning Board will be holding a public hearing on the application for Site Plan Review for the Kehoe property at 1500 Taughannock Blvd. on October 25th, 2006 at 7 PM at the Town Hall. Setting Meetings Mr. Austic said that he did not feel that the Board could or would be getting to all that is on the agenda tonight so at this time in the meeting he would like to pause and set up the necessary meetings for the work on the budget, set up a time to interview the interested attorneys, and possibly a date for the public hearing on the budget. The Board decided to schedule three meetings to work on the budget and they are as follows : • October 17 , 2006 at 5 : 30 pm • October 24, 2006 at 9 : 00 am • October 31 , 2006 at 9 : 00 am The second Town Board meeting is scheduled for October 23rd, 2006 at 7 : 00 pm. The Board set the Public Hearing for the 2007 Budget for November 9th, 2006 and the Public Hearing for the Zoning amendments . The Board will contact the interested attorneys and schedule half hour interviews on October 231.d, 2006 starting at 7 : 00 pm. Ms . Tyler asked for comments on the questions that she had prepared for the interview process of the attorneys . OLD BUSINESS Mr. Austic said again that not everything on the agenda will be able to be discussed. Mr. Austic mentioned that Hubbard Plumbing and Heating can install the new furnace on the 23rd of October. Mr. Hubbard has stated to Mr. Austic that he can do the job for less then he quoted last year because he finds that he will be able to use some of the existing piping. The furnace replacement is in the budget and the Board is in agreement that Mr. Hubbard should do the work. Rules and Procedures — Discussed briefly further in the meeting. WD #5 Discussion - Discussed at the end of the meeting. Zoning Modifications — Discussed further in the meeting under new business . NEW BUSINESS TCCOG Intermunicipal Grant Resolution — Done under Supervisor Report. TCCOG Alternate Appointment — Done under Supervisor Report. Discuss Intermunicipal Grant Application Mr. Austic said that the inter-municipal grant application for the Town and the Village is very important to get in by the 23rd also ; the Board needs to decide if they want to go for it and talk to the Village to see if they are interested. Mr. Austic said that this would provide money for Intermunicipal cooperation, which means the Town of Ithaca, the . . Regular Town Board Meeting 7 10/ 10/2006 Village of Trumansburg, the Town of Ulysses and the Town of Covert could sit down and determine what needs to be done for the primary water source and the water company. The grant could be somewhere around $ 100 , 000 which could do a lot of engineering and other things . Mr. Austic can not see why everyone would not be interested if you can get money to pay for it. Ms . Marino said as long as everyone knew what they were applying for. Maybe the application should be written and then the Boards can approve it once they can read a draft of the application. Mr. Austic said all he is asking for now is a letter of intent from this Board, the Village, the Town of Ithaca and Covert. Mr. Ellis moved, seconded by Mr. Austic the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses proceed to issue its letter of intent and send to the Town of Ithaca, Town of Covert, and the Village of Trumansburg requesting that they respond with their letters of intent to support this grant and the Town of Ulysses will go ahead writing the grant pending a final resolution of approval of the Town Board before submitted to Albany. Mr. Austic aye Mr. Ferrentino aye Ms. Tyler aye Mr. Ellis aye Ms . Marino aye Adopted. Rules and Procedures Mr. Ellis requests that when the Board gets back into discussing the Rules and Procedures he would like to add — that when there is a meeting of the type that they are talking about right now (Intermunicipal meeting of significant consequences) email the notice of such meeting to all Board members . Mr. Ellis will make sure that the Board members get this change to the Rules and Procedures Policy. Zoning Modifications Ms . Marino said that in regards to the Zoning modifications does the Board have a plan on how to deal with that. Mr. Austic said that they would have to deal with that at the 23rd of October ' s meeting. WD# 5 Discussion Mr. Austic said he feels that he should be talking right now to Bolton Point and the Town of Ithaca to negotiate for water, either for the Village or the Village and the Town. There is a lot of confusion of what is going on. There is a definite difference between secondary source and primary source; secondary source usually comes from a municipalities reserve allocation, as an emergency use, primary source means you have to pump every day the full amount . Mr. Austic said he is thinking that the Town of Ithaca and the Town of Ulysses would have some reserve water but at this time does not know how much. The Town would have to have about 150, 000 gallons per day for district #5 . The best solution is to have the Town of Ulysses become a member of Bolton Point, which is worth talking to them about. Mr. Ellis asked why that would be a good thing. Regular Town Board Meeting 8 10/ 10/2006 Mr. Austic said then you can let Bolton Point know your long term plans for water and the needs that may be coming in the future because the plant capacity is based on all of the members and their plans . The Board discussed primary and secondary source and that the Health Department had approved the Town providing the secondary source to the Village. The Board discussed having the meeting with the Village of Trumansburg scheduled for October 11 `h, 2006 . Hearing no further discussion Mr. Ellis moved, seconded by Mr. Ferrentino to adjourn the meeting, Unanimously approved and meeting adjourned at 9 : 50 pm. Respectfully submitted, Marsha L. Georgia Ulysses Town Clerk PH: mlg A 4 Town of Ulysses Comprehensive Plan Committee October 10, 2006 Approved 10/24/06 Present: Robert Brown, Heather Filiberto, David Kerness, Sue Poelvoorde, Elizabeth Thomas, David Tyler, John Wertis Absent : Darien Simon, Sue Ritter, Jennifer Wapinski -Moordian, Debbie Watkins, Robert Weatherby Ms . Poelvoorde called the meeting to order at 7 : 15pm . She presented the minutes from the October 10th meeting with corrections . Mr. Weatherby was listed as absent in the voting but not in the attendance section, she noted two other corrections . She asked if there was a motion to approve the minutes . Mr. Tyler made the MOTION, seconded by Mr. Brown to APPROVE the minutes with the submitted corrections . The vote was taken as follows : AYES : Mr. Brown, Ms . Filiberto , Mr. Kerness, Ms . Poelvoorde, Ms . Thomas, Mr. Tyler, Mr. Wertis NAYS : N/A ABSTAINED : N/A ABSENT : Ms . Simon, Ms . Ritter, Ms . Wapinski-Moordian, Ms. Watkins The Minutes of October 10, 2006 were approved with corrections . Ms. Poelvoorde asked if the group would like to offer general comments of the most recent draft of the survey. Ms . Filiberto stated it is small and bold and hard to read . She would like to see the font made regular and bigger. Ms. Poelvoorde agreed the font was difficult to read especially if an individual wears reading glasses . Mr. Wertis asked where they had left off at the last meeting. Ms . Poelvoorde noted they had left at the environment section. Mr. Wertis stated he noticed before you get off the first page there is a random question Ms . Poelvoorde stated they had to revisit this item . Mr. Kerness asked if they could make the decision tonight, at the last meeting they had decided to put the ranking in. Mr. Brown stated he thought the ranking ( lb) was confusing. They will have professional planners and non professional planners completing this survey. If he received this survey in the mail it would end up in his shredder after reviewing the first few questions . Ms . Poelvoorde stated the suggestion was to rank the top 5 of their most important items. Ms . Thomas asked if they get rid of the lb and ask them to rank the most important issues would these alleviate confusion . Mr. Kerness asked why are they ranking these again, isn ' t that what the other categories are doing. He asked what they would do with the results if only half of the people complete the ranking. Comprehensive Plan 2 10/ 10/2006 Ms. Poelvoorde noted that would be reflected in the statistics. Mr. Tyler asked if they can have question one moved to the bottom of the document. If it is discouraging then moving it to the bottom would help prevent discouragement from the first page. Ms . Poelvoorde stated there are two rankings but this document is not finished. Ms. Filiberto stated she found it confusing in that you are asking how important, then the ranking puts one against the other. She would like to see the section removed. Mr. Tyler asked if they remove la, lb and the ranking would these be less confusing. The other members agreed they thought this would be less confusing. Ms. Poelvoorde stated when they add the columns they will establish what is very important, important etc . Mr. Tyler asked if they could jump ahead and finish the categories they had not reviewed. Ms . Poelvoorde offered they rename the Public Safety & Services to Public Services and Transportation. Mr. Kerness asked if they would insert the 5 point response for all of the categories . Ms Poelvoorde stated that was the decision made as it provides a more accurate response . She noted all of the categories should be changed to reflect the 5 point response. Mr. Tyler asked why they were concerned with truck traffic on Route 89 . Mr. Kerness replied it is illegal, Route 89 is designated as a collector road and unless the truck is making a delivery they should not be on the road. Ms . Poelvoorde stated Route 89 is a State Highway, it cannot be restricted. Mr. Kerness stated he reviewed the Tompkins County Highway Classification map and it is designated as a collector road. Ms . Poelvoorde replied she would check into this but it is a state highway and cannot be restricted . There might be an error on the map . Mr. Filiberto stated irregardless of the status, the point to consider is can the Comprehensive Plan do anything to change the traffic flow or congestion. Ms. Poelvoorde stated that is a good measure to use in considering all of these categories . When reviewing the questions does the Comprehensive Plan and/or the Town have any control over this area. They can recommend land use planning that does not aggravate the problem but some areas they cannot change i . e . school taxes are decided by the school board . Ms . Filiberto noted the Town may be able to put pressure on DOT to alleviate this issue but it is up to DOT. ! 1' A discussion continued regarding revisions to the Public Services and Transportation section of the survey. It was noted that the Comprehensive Plan does not have any effect on the school, truck traffic on 89/96 . They do appreciate the issues are relative to why people like/dislike Ulysses but they cannot change anything regarding these areas . The changes were made to this section of the survey. Mr. Wertis had asked regarding a statement Ms . Simon had provided via email to replace the current statement pertaining to question 2 . Comprehensive Plan 3 10/ 10/2006 Ms . Poelvoorde offered to write the message on the board since some members did not have access to email . The statement was as follows . Please help us direct the revision of the plan by telling us if the following specific factors and/or of Ulysses need improvement (very or somewhat necessary), are ok as they are or need less attention (somewhat or very necessary). A discussion of this message ensued, the majority of the members felt it was confusing, and did not like how everything is explained in parentheses . It was felt it was self explanatory having the different columns . This would reduce the columns to a three point response, the members affirmed they would leave the 5 point system with the statement for section 2 . Please rate the following areas as to how important/necessary these aspects of the Town of Ulysses are to you. Mr. Wertis noted that they realized they were being subjective and slipped back to not being subjective but then chose to actually use the survey in the subjective manner- what is important to you vs . important to Ulysses . Mr. Tyler stated that is the response they need, the cumulative total would give the overall response for the town as a whole . Mr. Kerness stated an example would be cluster subdivision, to him it is not important but to the town as a whole it is . Mr. Wertis stated they had that discussion at the last meeting and it kicked back to what is important to you. Ms . Thomas stated that is what she is concerned about, will they get what is important to the town vs . an individual . Ms . Filiberto stated it should be how important to you, when you ask for the greater good they evaluate and there is a right or wrong answer. What are my personal views then you get their opinions . Ms . Thomas stated another example is starter homes, it may not be important to her but it might be important to her friends . Mr. Tyler noted their opinions would be gathered when they complete a survey. Ms. Thomas stated but this is the Comprehensive Plan . Mr. Brown stated this is not the plan, this is the survey that gathers the data. Mr. Tyler stated the Comprehensive Plan is a government function, the survey is not. The survey will individually and then collectively gather the data; they can determine the center of gravity and compile the Comprehensive Plan from this data. Mr. Kerness prepared a revision to section 3 through 7 , he distributed copies to the members . The members discussed and after making edits to his draft changed the survey to reflect his suggestions . The decision to remove the contact information which allows the survey to remain anonymous was offered . The discussion led to asking anyone interested in volunteering for focus groups could contact the Town Hall . It was decided this would be a better option . The meeting continued to review the sections of the survey Edits were made after the discussions, the draft of October 10, 2006 is listed below . Comprehensive Plan 4 10/ 10/2006 Town of Ulysses Comprehensive Plan Survey Dear Town of Ulysses resident: The Town is currently updating its comprehensive plan for the future of our town. The plan is intended to act as a road map for guiding future growth and development, implementing planning and zoning changes, identifying important natural resources and unique features in the Town that should be preserved. We need the input of residents, 18 years and older, as this plan is being prepared. Please take a few minutes to respond to the survey questions below, and return it NO LATER HAN If more than one adult in the household would like to complete a survey, please call the Town Hall (387-5767) for additional copies. Thank you for your thoughtful contribution to this process. (Place a '1 in one box per line.) . 1. Please rate the following existing aspects of the Town of Ulysses. Very Important Somewhat Not Important Important Important A. Agricultural Land B . Open Space (Undeveloped) C. The Village of Trumansburg D . Historic Structures E. Outdoor Recreation F . Taughannock Park G. Shopping H. Commercial/Professional Services I. "Small Town" Atmosphere (Built environment) J. Volunteer/Community Activities K. Sense of Community (Sense of belonging) L. Zoning/Planning M. School N. Church O. Other-specify Comments : 2. Please rate the following areas as to how important/necessary these aspects of the Town of Ulysses are to you. A. RESIDENTIAL Very Necessary Adequate Unnecessary Very necessary Unnecessary 1 . Diverse Housing Availability 2 . Starter Homes/Affordable Housing 3 . Well maintained homes 4. Availability of Senior Housing 5 . Planned residential subdivision 6. Cluster* * Residential subdivision 7 . Apartment Housing 8 . Town houses / condominiums 9 . Closeness to work 10. Other: * *Cluster —detached dwelling units grouped close together with land devoted to open space. 2. Please rate the following areas as to how important/necessary these aspects of the Town of Ulysses are to you. (Continued) B. COMMERCIAL Very Necessary Adequate Unnecessary Very necessary Unnecessary 1 . New small-scale development (neighborhood services- e .g. gas station) 2 . New large-scale development (e.g. . . Comprehensive Plan 5 10/ 10/2006 mall) 3 . New light industrial development (e. g. technology park) 4 . Businesses centered on tourism 5 . National chain store development 6 . "Strip" development along highways 7 . "Cluster" development off highways 8 . Commercial development in the Village of Trumansburg 9. Commercial development in Jacksonville 10. Other B1 . Which type of development do you prefer? Please check one : Cluster Strip both C. ENVIRONMENT Very Important No Unimportant Very Important Opinion Unimportant 1 . Conserving scenic natural beauty 2 . Preservation of historic character/structures 3 . Opportunities to safely walk and bike 4 . Clean lake water 5 . Clean air 6. Protect natural areas and open space 7 . Stream protection 8 . Stormwater and erosion control 9 . Renewable energy resources 10. Other D. PUBLIC SERVICES AN_ D TRANSPORTATION Very Important No Unimportant Very Important Opinion Unimportant 1 . Educational facilities/Schools 2 . New recreational facilities 3 Existing recreational facilities 4 . Youth Activities Services 5 . Fire Protection 6. Water district 7 . Sewer district 8 . Public transportation 9 . Library 10 . Bike Paths 11 . Sidewalks 12 . Road Maintenance 13 . Other 2. Please rate the following areas as to how important/necessary these aspects of the Town of Ulysses are to you. (Continued) E. PRIVATE SECTOR Very Important No Somewhat Not Important Opinion Important Important 1 . Quality of service from local businesses 2 . Selection of stores/services 3 . Professional (law, dental, etc .) services 4 . Trumansburg ' s Farmers Market 5 . Support large scale agriculture 6 . Encourage small scale agriculture 7 . Other F. ECONOMIC BASE Very Important ' No Opinion Somewhat Not Important Important Important 1 . Job opportunity (within Ulysses) 2 . Property taxes (town, village, county) Comprehensive Plan 6 10/ 10/2006 3 . School taxes 4. Increase commercial development 5 . Increase residential development 6 . Patronizing local businesses 7 . Other Comment • 3. Consider the broad areas you just reviewed, which areas do feel need the greatest improvement Please rank the categories - 1 being the greatest needing improvement and 8 being the least needing improvement Residential Commercial Environment Public Services/Transportation Private Sector Economic Base Other 4. How would you suggest we accomplish these improvements ? Please rank these methods 1 being the best and 6 being the worst Re-prioritizing Volunteer efforts Grant Funding Tax Increase Tax Incentives Other 5. What do you love about where you live? 6. Please tell us a little about yourself, • A. What is your age? Under 25 26 to 44 45 to 65 Over 65 B . Where do you live? Village Hamlet Farm Lakeshore I Rural Residential Owner Renter C. Which best describes your education level? 1.. Some High School 2 . High School Graduate 3 . Technical & Vocational 4 . College Graduate 5 . Post Graduate D . How long have you lived in Ulysses? 1 . Less than 1 year 2 . 2-5 years 3 . 6- 10 years 4. 11 -20 years 5 . more than 20 years 7. Would you like to participate in a focus group that will be giving input into the comprehensive plan ? If so please call the Town Hall at 387-5767 and leave your name and contact information. CPC-rcp 10/ 10/06 Ms . Poelvoorde asked the group if they felt they had a survey ready to be reviewed. Comprehensive Plan 7 10/ 10/2006 Mr. Kerness asked how they would contact the Cornell group . Ms . Poelvoorde stated Ms . Ritter had made the initial contact so they can let her know it is ready. Mr. Tyler stated they should have friends or family test drive the survey. They can edit and provide comments if they had a problem with it . He thought one or two per member should be sufficient. A review of the timeline reflected they would like to have the survey by Thanksgiving, this does not leave much time to do this . Ms . Poelvoorde noted the regular meeting would be October 24th, they can get the labels from the county, and Ms . Ritter was discussing using BOCES to do the mailings . In two weeks they would need the stamp of approval and have it ready for the sample group . She stated they would need to pass a resolution to request the Town Board approve using the Cornell as a consultant. Ms . Carlisle Peck stated we can contact the assessment office and the company that handles the mailing, we could get them lined up so we are on their calendar. Ms . Filiberto stated the assessment office uses their data and if the there is a difference in physical address vs . owners address (i . e. rentals) it will still print a label for the occupant. Mr. Tyler suggested they meet the 24th , get Cornell to do the review, and via mail/email get their copy of the survey and have them done by friends/family. They could meet the following week. Ms . Filiberto asked what the worst case scenario is , if they cannot get it done by Thanksgiving, would it be better to wait until after Christmas . The group decided it would be better to wait until after the first of the year due to individual ' s obligations during the holidays . The discussion ensued and due to unknown answers from Cornell they realized they may have to do additional work on the survey. They still have to get the survey to Ms . Ritter and contact the group to find out the procedure . Mr. Kerness offered to contact the Cornell office, he will work with Ms . Ritter and he would like to go to the meeting with her. Ms . Filiberto offered to contact the County Assessment office to request the labels . Ms . Carlisle Peck offered to contact Marsha to see who the Town has used for their mailings. She stated they should discuss with Cornell how they bill . She offered to contact Marsha on how the Town would arrange this billing and get back to the members . Ms . Poelvoorde reminded the group they need a resolution to approve using the Cornell group as the consultant for the survey, she added they would need to designate a specific amount the Town Board can review for approval . The motion was made as follows . TOWN OF ULYSSES Comprehensive Plan Committee RESOLUTION NO. 2006-001 Cornell Research Institute Consultant for survey review and administration MOTION made by Ms . Filiberto , seconded by Mr. Brown WHEREAS : 1 . The Committee has drafted the survey for gathering the data to develop the Comprehensive Plan, Comprehensive Plan 8 10/ 10/2006 2 . The Cornell Survey Research Institute has been consulted regarding tasks they can undertake to review the survey, and analyze/compile the statistics from the surveys. 3 . The Committee has reviewed the cost estimates to be within their budgeted amount and would like to request $3 , 000 . 00 to hire the Cornell Survey Research Institute . NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED : That the Town of Ulysses Comprehensive Plan Committee requests to the Town Board the Cornell Survey Research Institute be hired as a consultant to review, analyze and assist in survey implementation. The amount of $3 ,000 . 00 is being requested to cover said expenses . The vote on the motion resulted as follows : AYES : Mr. Brown, Ms . Filiberto, Mr. Kerness, Ms . Poelvoorde, Ms . Thomas, Mr. Tyler, Mr. Wertis NAYS : NONE ABSENT : Ms . Simon, Ms . Ritter, Ms . Watkins, Ms . Wapinski-Mooradian ABSTAINED : NONE The vote on the motion WAS CARRIED unanimously. Ms . Poelvoorde stated she was asked to divide the $30, 000 . 00 they requested. The four categories/amounts designated she used were Clerical Support -$ 10,000 . 00), Resident Survey- $4, 500 . 00, Public Focus Sections- $2 , 000 . 00 and Professional Planner- $ 13 , 500 . 00 . This would include funds not used in 2006 be rolled over. The members agreed this would be a sufficient amount to request. I., The next meeting is scheduled for October 24th, 7 : 00 pm at the Town Hall . The meeting was adjourned at 9 : 18pm . Respectfully submitted, Robin Carlisle Peck Administrative Assistant 10/ 17/06 •