Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-13TB 1-13-22 Page 1 of 7 TOWN OF DRYDEN TOWN BOARD MEETING January 13, 2022 Zoom Hybrid Present: Supervisor Jason Leifer, Cl Daniel Lamb, Cl James Skaley, Cl Loren Sparling, Cl Leonardo Vargas-Mendez Elected Officials: Bambi L. Avery, Town Clerk Rick Young, Highway/DPW Superintendent Other Town Staff: Ray Burger, Planning Director Cassie Byrnes, Secretary to Supervisor Amanda Anderson, Bookkeeper Supv Leifer opened the meeting at 6:04 p.m. RESOLUTION #24 (2022) – APPROVE ABSTRACT #13 Cl Skaley offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves Abstract #13, as audited, general vouchers #1080 through #1159 totaling $233,163.99. 2nd Cl Sparling Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes RESOLUTION #25 (2022) – APPROVE ABSTRACT #1 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves Abstract #1, as audited, general vouchers #1 through #34 ($112,038.37) and TA vouchers #1 through #4 ($5,457.77), totaling $117,496.14. 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes PUBLIC HEARING PROPOSED LOCAL LAW AMENDING SEWER RATES FOR SEWER DISTRICT #1 Supv Leifer opened the public hearing at 6:08 p.m. There were no comments from the board or the public. The hearing was left open. TB 1-13-22 Page 2 of 7 COUNTY UPDATE Lee Shurtleff, County Legislator representing the northeast corner of the town of Dryden, introduced himself and spoke of his history in public service locally, including volunteer emergency services, and employment with the county as Commissioner of Elect ions and Director of Emergency Response. Though he represents a small corner of the town, he encouraged board members to contact him with any concerns. DISCUSSION/ACTION ITEMS Agreement with Tompkins County Soil & Water - R Burger explained that the Code Officers sometimes use their services as an alternative to TG Miller Engineer, regarding stormwater issues and site inspections. RESOLUTION #26 (2022) – AUTHORIZE AGREEMENT WITH TOMPKINS COUNTY SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its approval: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby approves an agreement for services with Tompkins County Soil & Water Conservation District to provide services related to storm water management as outlined in the agreement, such services to be provided at the rate of $50 per hour. Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Authorize CDBG Documents – Supv Leifer said the town has been awarded a 1.25- million-dollar grant for sewer improvements in the hamlet of Varna through the CDBG program. Cl Skaley explained that authorizing signature of the necessary documents now will help ensure that any deadlines are met. RESOLUTION #27 (2022) – AUTHORIZE SUPERVISOR TO SIGN VARIOUS CDBG DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO PROJECT #336PR9-21 Cl Skaley offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: Whereas, the recent CDBG award will require quick turnaround of various contract materials in order to meet time requirements for approvals a nd request for funds, there be it RESOLVED, the Supervisor is hereby authorized to sign various contract documents, and further RESOLVED, appoint additional persons to countersign as necessitated by OCR. 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes TB 1-13-22 Page 3 of 7 Supv Leifer Yes Approval of utility work on Route 366 – Cl Skaley explained that TG miller had noted an omission on this. Raising the sewer covers (there are ten to be addressed) is not addressed. He expects a revised resolution for a vote next week. Property Tax Exemption for Fire and Ambulance Volunteers – Supv Leifer said this has been going on in a piece meal fashion across the state. He feels the better way to accomplish this is to have it apply statewide and then communities can decide what works best for them. The situation was brought to the town’s attention by local firefighters. There was some discussion on how to help firefighters who are renters and not property owners. There is a state income tax credit currently. Would this negate that? L Shurtleff would like to investigate the impacts of this. They are currently making appointments to a recruitment and retention committee at the state level. RESOLUTION #28 (2022) - IN SUPPORT OF STATE LEGISLATION ADDRESSING THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND EMS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION CRISIS Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: WHEREAS, Throughout the state, municipalities are grappling with a shortage of volunteer firefighter and EMS personnel in their communities; and WHEREAS, the shortage of available personnel is both an issue within volunteer fire companies as well as community ambulance corps; and WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Dryden recognizes the importance of our Volunteer Fire and Ambulance service members to maintain the public safety of the residents of the Town of Dryden; and WHEREAS, according to a 2015 study by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FAWNY), volunteer firefighters alone save New York State more than $3 billion each year; and WHEREAS, as training requirements and call volumes have increased, it has become harder for volunteers to make the time commitment departments need; and WHEREAS, according to FAWNY, the number of volunteer firefighters in New York State has dropped from 110,000 in 1990 to fewer than 100,000 today; and WHEREAS, volunteer firefighters and members of ambulance corps do not receive any direct monetary compensation for their service; and WHEREAS, towns across the state have been working on this issue for decades; and WHEREAS, counties have had to petition the State on an individual basis for the author ity to provide real property tax exemptions for volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance service members and to continue this exemption in the case of certain un -remarried spouses of deceased volunteers, as well as to provide lifetime exemptions for members with 20-years or more of service; and WHEREAS, there is presently a bill in the committee for the County of Westchester, S6811, that states that “an enrolled member of an incorporated volunteer fire company, fire department or incorporated voluntary ambulance service or such enrolled member and spouse shall be exempt from taxation to the extent of ten percent of the assessed value of such property for city, village, town, part town, school district, special district or county TB 1-13-22 Page 4 of 7 purposes, exclusive of special assessments, provided that the governing body of a city, village, town, school district, or county, after a public hearing, adopts a local law, ordinance or resolution providing therefor”; and WHEREAS, converting S6811 to have statewide application would benefit communities and volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance members across the State; and BE IT RESOLVED That the Town Board of the Town of Dryden supports statewide legislation to provide property tax benefits to our volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance members, and be it FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Clerk to the Board shall forward copies of this resolution to Governor Kathy Hochul, New York State Senator Peter Oberacker, New York State Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, the New York State Association of Towns, and all others deemed necessary and proper. 2nd Cl Lamb Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes COUNTY UPDATE Mike Lane said he is pleased that L Shurtleff has come to this meeting. He has three town boards and a village board in his district so it’s nice to have him from time to time. The County Legislature is reorganizing. Shawna Black was elected as chair for 2022. Vice Chair is Deborah Dawson. There are five new people on the legislature: Travis Brooks, Veronica Pillar, Randy Brown, Lee Shurtleff, and Greg Mezey. M Lane will chair the public works committee again and will learn the rest of his assignments as they come out. TC3 is still working on finding a new president. The county administrator search will be started again, probably in February. There is money in the county budget for a study of code enforcement and how the county might assist municipalities. M Lane said Martha Robertson had been pushing for that in hopes that a county wide inspection would provide for more uniform enforcement. Low income and affordable housing may need strengthened efforts by code enforcement for better quality housing. The idea is to have a report. Tioga County did this, and it resulted in a list of services that you could choose from. At one point, towns were concerned this may result in delays in inspections. R Burger said fire safety inspections is something that could be shared because it is less of a time critical thing. His hesitation is with going to code enforcement because we are blessed in our town to have good quality code enforcement that is very responsive. The building community appreciates that. He would support the fire safety inspections because it is critical to a lot of the multi-family dwellings and the rental community. M Lane said again that he would like to see a streetlight installed at the Route 392 and Livermore Road intersection. TB 1-13-22 Page 5 of 7 Discussion/Action Items (continued) Replacement of Town Hall Light Fixtures – R Young said when the lights and fixtures were replaced at the highway department a few years ago, they didn’t have something that would work with the 2’ lights in the town hall. It is available now, and he has secured a couple of quotes. He recommends replacing the fixtures instead of just changing the ballasts and lights. The change would save the town an estimated $2,267 annually. The old fixtures can be disposed of or donated. R Young will specify bulbs in the 3500K color range. RESOLUTION #29 (2022) – APPROVE REPLACEMENT OF TOWN HALL LIGHT FIXTURES Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: Whereas, the Highway garage and office building were changed to LED lights in 2019, but proper sized lights for Town Hall were not available at the time. Whereas, the Highway Superintendent has received a quote for replacing the Town Hall lights and fixtures with energy efficient LED lights. Whereas, it is projected that the new lights will decrease the Town Hall’s annual energy usage by 17,299 kWh, which is estimated to save the Town $2,267.21 in energy costs annually. Whereas, the LED light conversion will pay for itself in less than 10 yea rs. Whereas, this is a proactive step in reducing Town costs and helping to protect the environment through reduced energy us. Whereas, this action is consistent and complementary to the State's CLCPA, the goals of our draft Comp Plan Update, and activit ies of the Town's Climate Smart Communities Task Force. Therefore, be it resolved that the Board approves the purchase of new LED lights and fixtures for the Town Hall for $20,496.62. 2nd Cl Sparling Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Representation at Association of Towns Conference – The conference was recently moved to a virtual event. Cl Sparling agreed to serve as the town’s representative. RESOLUTION #30 (2022) – DESIGNATE ASSOCIATION OF TOWNS ANNUAL CONFERENCE REPRESENTATIVE Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby designates councilperson Loren Sparling as its representative for the 2022 Annual Business Session at the Association of Towns Conference to be held during Presidents’ Week in February 2022. 2nd Cl Skaley TB 1-13-22 Page 6 of 7 Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes Affordable Housing Committee – They are still gathering information and when ready will request to be on the agenda. Game Farm Road Crossing Update – Cl Lamb reported the town of Ithaca has agreed to share the cost of the study. Barton & Loguidice will send a new proposal requiring two signatures. A report is expected in February. B & L has requested a meeting with representatives of both towns. There is interest in doing an additional study on parking, which is different that the crossing study that needs to occur. The town of Ithaca will be putting no parking signs along the road. Cars are currently parking on Game Farm Road and going around the gate. We need to start thinking about a long-term parking solution concurrently with the crossing plan. Cornell is purchasing property from DEC on the northeast corner where people are currently parking and that could be helpful in a solution. Freese Road Bridge Update – Federal Highway and NYSDOT are preparing formal comments to the findings document that was circulated in December. What the town is doing is kind of novel. Folks at Federal Highway are having a hard time understanding why we would take the most desirably elements (visually) from the bridge and put them in Groton. We trying to save and pay tribute to the historical aspects of the bridge, but can’t accommodate all the substructure. Comments on the findings document are expected later this month, then we’ll move to adopting the document and moving forward with design. Town Fire Coordinator Position Update – The board discussed the job description as most recently circulated and why some of the items were included. Cl Lamb would like a bullet point that the person reports to the town supervisor and town board. Supv Leifer said there will be a clause in the fire contracts this year th at the departments will work with the coordinator. L Shurtleff said this goes a long way in addressing concerns that have been out there all along. He cautioned about the wording with respect to establishing of command because this individual will be employed by the town, and how they operate in a command role has implications on how the mutual aid system operates, the liabilities the town incurs with an employee, how workers comp relates, and what they will physically do. Be sure to be within the authority of the town to accept command because what the person is responsible for on a fire scene expands exposure for the municipal employer. It was noted there is a job description for purposes of civil service and the town can have its own internal job description. The job description will be revised for feedback from the fire chiefs and the board can perhaps vote next week. The public hearing on the proposed local law was closed at 7:48 p.m. RESOLUTION #31 (2021) – ADOPT LOCAL LAW #1 OF 2022 – SET SEWER RATES FOR SS#1 – SAPSUCKER SEWER DISTRICT TB 1-13-22 Page 7 of 7 Supv Leifer offered the following resolution and asked for its adoption: RESOLVED, that this Town Board hereby adopts the following local law and directs the Town Clerk to file the same with the Secretary of State of the State of New York: Local Law # - 2022 – Amending Local Law #1 of 2013 – Sewer Use Rate for SS1 1. Subsection (b) of Section 218-24 (Calculation of Sewer Rent) of Local Law No. 1 of the year 2013 (Town of Dryden Sewer District No. 1 Sewer Rent Law) is hereby amended to read as follows: “(b) Based upon the water usage, the calculation of the sewer rent shall be made by multiplying the number of gallons consumed in the billing period by $6.25 per 1000 gallons. The product shall be the sewer rent for the billing period.” 2. Subsection (c) of Section 218-24 (Calculation of Sewer Rent) of such local law is hereby amended to read as follows: “(c) In the event that the product computed according to sub -section (b) above is less than $62.50 then the bill shall be rounded up to $62.50 which shall be a minimum bill for each billing period. In the event the premises are not connected to a water meter, then a minimum bill as set forth herein shall be imposed for each billing period, until such time as a water meter is installed. All premises served by a sewer system shall have a water meter installed within nine (9) months of connection of the premises to the sewer system.” 3. A new subsection (d) of Section 218-24 is added as follows: “Amendments to sewer rents established under this article may be made by Board resolution.” 4. This local law shall take effect for all sewer use after January 1, 2022 and after filing with the Secretary of State. 2nd Cl Vargas-Mendez Roll Call Vote Cl Sparling Yes Cl Vargas-Mendez Yes Cl Skaley Yes Cl Lamb Yes Supv Leifer Yes There being no further business, on motion made, seconded, and unanimously carried, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bambi L. Avery Town Clerk