HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB Minutes 2019-08-12 Meeting of the Ithaca Town Board
Monday,August 12, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Agenda
1. Call to order and Pledge of Allegiance
2. Persons to be Heard and Board Comments
3. Public hearing regarding a 3-year noise permit for the annual St. Catherine's Peace
Festival held in early September
a. Approval/denial
4. Discuss and consider setting public hearings for September 9, 2019 regarding the
2019 Assessment Rolls for Special Benefit Districts and Special Benefit Areas for the
2020 tax year and the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Commission (Bolton
Point)Preliminary Budget
5. Discuss and consider approval of the Snow and Ice Removal contract with Tompkins
County for 2019/2022
6. Discuss and consider approval of COLA for non-Collective Bargaining employees
7. Discuss and consider setting a public hearing regarding a proposed local law entitled
"Amending Site Plan modification provisions in Chapter 270, Zoning, of the Town of
Ithaca Code"
8. Consider resolutions of appreciation Steven Williams, John Williams and Jon Bosak
9. Consider award of contract for 2019 Sanitary Sewer Rehab Project
10. Discuss and consider appointment of Director of Code Enforcement position
11. Discuss and consider creating a second Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position
12. Discuss and consider Public Wifi Access Policy
13. Discuss and consider Records Management Policy as it pertains to the disposition of
records as they are converted to digital format
a. Approval of Disposition list for 2019
14. Consider Consent Agenda Items
a) Approval of Town Board Minutes
b) Approval of Town of Ithaca Abstract
c) Approval of Bolton Point Abstract
d) Acknowledge receipt of the Town Court Audits
e) Approval of disposal of Highway surplus vehicles and equipment
f) Ratify provisional promotional appointment to Senior Heavy Equipment
Mechanic—Beach
g) Ratify provisional promotional appointment to Senior Heavy Equipment
Mechanic—Morse
15. Report of Town Officials and Committees
16. Review of Correspondence
17. Adjournment
TOWN OF ITHACA
AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING AND PUBLICATION
1, Paulette Rosa, being duly sworn, say that I am the Town Clerk of the Town of Ithaca, Tompkins
County, New York that the fbilowing notice has been duly posted on the sign board of the Town Clerk of
the Town of Ithaca and the notice has been duly published in the official newspaper, Ithaca Journal-
Ll ADVERT]SENI ENT/NOTIC E
11 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
0 NOTICE OF ESTOPPEL
E� NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF PUBLIC
INTEREST ORDER
Noise permit for the next three Peace
Festivals at St. Catherine of Sienna
Church
Location of Sign Board Used for Posting:
Town Clerk's Office
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Date of Posting: July 29, 2019 subr6itting vvrltten comments,
Paulette Roa
Date of Publication: August 06, 2019 1 own Cles
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Meeting of the Ithaca Town Board
Monday,August 12, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.
Minutes
Board Members Present: Bill Goodman, Supervisor; Members Pamela Bleiwas, Pat Leary,
Tee-Ann Hunter, Eric Levine, and Rod Howe Absent: Rich DePaolo
Staff Present: Susan Ritter, Director of Planning, Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement;
Mike Solvig, Director of Finance, Judy Drake, Director of Human Resources; Paulette Rosa,
Town Clerk; Jim Weber, Highway Superintendent and Susan Brock, Attorney for the Town
1. Call to order and Pledge of Allegiance—Meeting was called to order at 5:32 p.m.
2. Persons to be Heard and Board Comments —No one present
3. Public hearing regarding a 3-year noise permit for the annual St. Catherine's Peace
Festival held in early September
There was no one from the public present; the hearing was opened and closed at 5:33 p.m.
Discussion regarding the factors used by the Board to determine whether or not to grant the
permit were discussed: the volume will be the minimum necessary and the proximity to sleeping
facilities, while close, this festival has been held for a number of years with no complaints and
the music goes no later than 10 p.m. on two days and the third day ends at 4 p.m.
Board members recalled attending the festival and not finding it impactful and again, no
complaints have ever been received and a 3-year permit was issued in 2016. Using that criteria,
the Board voted in favor of the permit finding the request is reasonable
TB Resolution 2019 - 105: Approval of a 3-Year Noise Permit for the Annual Saint
Catherine's Parish Peace Festival held in September
Whereas a noise permit application has been received by St. Catherine of Sienna Parish for their
annual Peace Festival to be held on a weekend in September, and
Whereas this is an annual festival held the in September of each year during daytime hours not
before 9 am and not later than 10 pm, and
Whereas the Town has never received a complaint from any neighbor or the community
regarding noise from the festival, and
Whereas the Town Board held a public hearing on August 12'h regarding the event and request
for a noise permit and has previously granted a 3-year permit for this annual event, and
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 1
Whereas Town of Ithaca Code Chapter 184-11, states the Town Board, in its discretion, is
authorized to grant a permit for a specific waiver from the requirements of this chapter. Such
waivers may be granted in those circumstances where the applicant demonstrates that on balance
the need for and benefits of the waiver outweigh the needs and rights of the surrounding
neighbors to a peaceable and quiet environment. In determining whether to grant a permit, the
Town Board shall consider factors including but not limited to the volume of the noise, the
proximity of the noise to sleeping facilities, the time of day or night the noise occurs, the time
duration of the noise, and the impact of the noise on persons living or working in different places
or premises who are affected by the noise; now, therefore be it
Resolved that the Town Board grants a 3-year noise permit for the annual festival held in
September 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Moved: Rod Howe Seconded: Pat Leary
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
4. Discuss and consider setting public hearings for September 9, 2019 regarding the 2019
Assessment Rolls for Special Benefit Districts and Special Benefit Areas for the 2020 tax
year and the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Commission (Bolton Point)
Preliminary Budget
Mr. Goodman noted that these public hearings are the standard start to our budget process.
TB Resolution 2019 - 106: Setting a public hearing re2ardin2 the 2019 Assessment Rolls the
2020 tax year for Special Benefit Districts and Special Benefit Areas and the Southern
Cayu2a Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission 2020 Preliminary Budget
Resolved that the Town Board will hold a public hearing at its September 9, 2019 meeting
beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Boardroom at 215 N. Tioga St, Ithaca, regarding the proposed:
1. 2019 Assessment Rolls for the 2020 tax year for Special Benefit Districts and Special
Benefit Areas, and
2. The Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission 2020 Preliminary Budget
At which time the public may be heard concerning the same.
Moved: Pamela Bleiwas Seconded: Tee-Ann Hunter
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
5. Discuss and consider approval of the Snow and Ice Removal contract with Tompkins
County for 2019/2022
Ms. Brock discussed inserting our standard insurance language. Since this has already been
approved by the County, Ms. Rosa said she would make a note to insert it in the next occurrence.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 2
TB Resolution 2019 - 107: Approval of Three-Year Snow and Ice Agreement
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca and Tompkins County have contracted with each other for removal
of snow and ice from County and Town roads since October 2002; and
Whereas, the current contract will expire on September 30, 2019; and
Whereas, a new agreement for snow and ice removal from Town and County roads is proposed
for a period commencing, October 1, 2019 and ending, September 30, 2022; and
Whereas, the Tompkins County Legislature approved this agreement at its August 6, 2019
County Legislature, whereby it authorized this agreement for a period of up to three years from
October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2022; and
Whereas, upon approval by the Town Board, and submission of the signed contract to the
County, Tompkins County will pay the Town one installment of$5,235.79 and three installments
of$5,235.77 through April 2020, for a total contractual payment of$20,943.10 for the first year
of the agreement; and
Whereas, the amount paid per mile will be adjusted each year by an amount equal to the
percentage change in the County's per mile costs for snow and ice removal performed,
comparing the two preceding winter seasons (October—September); and
Whereas, each parry to this Agreement may request a change to the level of reimbursement based
on a formula taking in a comparison of the last two year average of the fixed payment with the
payment that would have been due under a time and material basis; now therefore be it
Resolved, that the governing body of the Town of Ithaca hereby authorizes the Town Supervisor
to enter into the proposed agreement with Tompkins County for the purposes of snow and ice
removal commencing, October 1, 2019 and ending September 30, 2022, subject to the approval
of the attorney for the Town.
Moved: Rod Howe Seconded: Tee-Ann Hunter
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
6. Discuss and consider approval of COLA for non-Collective Bargaining employees
Mr. Goodman noted that this is the standard resolution and follows the same increase for non-
collective bargaining staff with the collective bargaining staff.
TB Resolution 2019 - 108: Approval of 2020 Office and Field Classification Wale Scales
(Attachment 1)
Whereas, the Town Board established a Wage Scale, which sets the Hiring Minimum and Job
Rate for each job classification, which may be increased each year based on a Cost of Living
Adjustment(COLA); and
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 3
Whereas, the collective bargaining agreement with the Public Works unit represented by
Teamsters Local 317 established a 3.0% cost of living adjustment for 2020; and
Whereas, after evaluating the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) as well as other factors, the Town
Supervisor and Human Resources Manager in preparation for the 2020 tentative budget
recommended to the Personnel Committee a 3.0% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) to the
2019 Job Rate for all classifications in the Office and Field Wage Scales; and
Whereas, the Personnel Committee reviewed and discussed the recommendation and
recommends for the 2020 Wage Scales a 3.0% COLA on the 2019 Job Rate for all classifications
in the Office and Field Wage Scales; and
Whereas, the Budget and Finance Committee during its early review of the 2020 Budget
projections discussed the Personnel Committee's recommendation, and concurred with the 3.0%
cost of living adjustment recommendation; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby approve the 2020 Office and Field
Classification Wage Scales, which include a 3.0% Cost of Living Adjustment on the 2019 Job
Rate for all classifications in the Office and Field Wage Scales.
Moved: Pat Leary Seconded: Pamela Bleiwas
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
7. Discuss and consider setting a public hearing regarding a proposed local law entitled
"Amending Site Plan modification provisions in Chapter 270, Zoning, of the Town of
Ithaca Code"
Ms. Ritter noted she would not be at the next meeting, but this has been in the works for a long
time and through the committee level.
TB Resolution 2019 —109: Setting a public hearing re2ardin2 a proposed local law entitled
"Amending Site Plan modification provisions in Chapter 270, "Zoning," of the Town of
Ithaca Code
Resolved that the Town Board will hold a public hearing at its September 9, 2019 meeting
beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Boardroom at 215 N. Tioga St, Ithaca, regarding a proposed local
law entitled "Amending Site Plan modification provisions in Chapter 270, "Zoning," of the
Town of Ithaca Code.
At which time the public may be heard concerning the same.
Moved: Rod Howe Seconded: Tee-Ann Hunter
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 4
8. Consider resolutions of appreciation Steven Williams, John Williams and Jon Bosak
TB Resolution 2019 -110: Recognition of Jon Bosak's Dedicated Years of Service
Whereas, Jon Bosak has served the Town of Ithaca with dedication for over 11 years; and
Whereas, Jon was appointed to the Planning Board on September 8, 2008, and has demonstrated
diligence, exceptional attention to detail and consistency throughout his commitment to the
Board, including acting as the Board's Chair on two occasions in 2019; and
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca is grateful for Jon's service as an active, participating member of
the Planning Board and previous member of the town's Agricultural Plan Steering Committee;
and
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca has greatly benefited from Jon's thoughtful consideration, editing
expertise, thorough analysis of Planning Board projects and documents, enthusiasm and desire to
serve our municipality in order to make it a better place to live; and
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca is indebted to Jon for his invaluable contributions to the
community; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca, on behalf of the town and its citizens,
expresses its sincere appreciation, admiration and gratitude to Jon Bosak for his distinguished
and steadfast service to our community.
Moved: Pamela Bleiwas Seconded: Rod Howe
Vote: ayes —Bleiwas, Howe, Leary, Hunter, Levine and Goodman
TB Resolution 2019 - 111: Recognition of John William's Dedicated Years of Service to the
Community
Whereas, John Williams, Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic, started his career at the town on
July 11, 1994 as the Highway Mechanic; and
Whereas, John was promoted to the Senior Mechanic position when an additional mechanic was
added to the organization in 2001; and
Whereas, John has decided to retire from the Town of Ithaca, effective August 31, 2019, after
twenty-five (25)years of dedicated service; and
Whereas, John was a responsible for ensuring that the vehicles and equipment of all sizes were
operating and ready for use, especially during those winter months of demanding use and critical
need; and
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 5
Whereas, John used his ingenuity many times over the years by making fabrications that
improved efficiencies, such as the brush and leave boxes for the dump trucks, which saved the
Town money and trucking time; and
Whereas, John shared his knowledge and skills by assisting other staff when creating additional
safety features to equipment like fabricating safety hooks on the brush and leaf boxes, which the
Town won a safety award for; and
Whereas, the Public Works staff benefited from John's desire to provide fish and wild game
dishes and sharing the recipes to make the annual training day picnic more enticing and fun; and
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca has greatly benefited from John's devotion, knowledge, and his
desire to serve our community in order to make it a better place to live; now, therefore, be it;
Resolved, that on this 121h day of August 2019, the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca, on behalf
of the Town and its residents, expresses its sincere appreciation and gratitude to John Williams
for his distinguished and dedicated service to our community.
Moved: Eric Levine Seconded: Tee-Ann Hunter
Vote: ayes —Levine, Hunter, Howe, Goodman, Bleiwas and Leary
TB Resolution 2019 - 112: Recognition of Steven William's Dedicated Years of Service to
the Community
Whereas, Steven Williams, Code Enforcement Officer, started his career at the town on July 26,
2004; and
Whereas, Steve brought to the town his knowledge and expertise of working as a loss control
specialist, playground inspector and was a certified code enforcement officer in Schuyler
County; and
Whereas, effective August 3, 2019, Steve has chosen to retire from his employment with the
Town's Code Enforcement Department, after fifteen (15)years of dedicated service; and
Whereas, Steve was a responsible and highly dedicated inspector who had a desire to ensure the
safety of the buildings and projects he inspected; and
Whereas, Steve shared his knowledge about safety during his time as a Town Hall representative
on the Safety Committee; and
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca has greatly benefited from Steve's devotion, expertise, and his
desire to serve our community in order to make it a better place to live; now, therefore, be it;
Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca, on behalf of the Town and its citizens,
expresses its sincere appreciation and gratitude to Steven Williams for his distinguished and
dedicated service to our community.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 6
Moved: Rod Howe Seconded: Eric Levine
Vote: ayes —Howe, Levine, Leary, Goodman, Hunter and Bleiwas
9. Consider award of contract for 2019 Sanitary Sewer Rehab Project
TB Resolution 2019 - 113: Authorization to Award the Contract for the Sanitary Sewer
Rehabilitation Proiect 2019
Whereas: The adopted 2019 Ithaca Town Budget included $300,000 for the rehabilitation of
Sanitary Sewers and Manholes; and
Whereas: pursuant to the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act ("SEQRA") and
its implementing regulations at 6 NYCRR Part 617, it has been determined by the Town Board
that approval, construction and implementation of the Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project
2019 (the "Improvement" or "Project") are a Type 11 Action because the Action constitutes
"replacement, rehabilitation or reconstruction of a structure or facility, in kind, on the same site,"
and thus approval, construction and implementation of the Improvement are not subject to
review under SEQRA; and
Whereas: On August 6, 2019, the Director of Public Works/Highway Superintendent (Director)
received bids for the Project; and
Whereas: The Director has reviewed the bids and qualifications of the bidders and has
determined the lowest responsive bid in the amount of $169,543.00 was made by the lowest
responsible bidder, Diversified Infrastructure Services Inc. 1604 Thomaston Ave. Unit J
Waterbury CT 06704; now therefore be it
Resolved: That the Town Board hereby authorizes the award of the contract for the Town of
Ithaca Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project 2019 to Diversified Infrastructure Services Inc.; and
be it further
Resolved: that the Town Supervisor is authorized to execute such contract subject to approval of
the final contract documents by the Town Engineer and Attorney for the Town; and be it further
Resolved: that the Director is authorized to approve change orders to such contract upon receipt
of appropriate justification provided the maximum amount of such change orders shall not in the
aggregate exceed $17,000.00 without prior authorization of this Board, and provided further that
the total project cost, including contract, engineering, legal, inspection, and other expenses, does
not exceed the maximum authorized cost of $186,543.00 for the project, and authorizes and
directs the Town Finance Officer to record the appropriate budgetary amendment.
Moved: Pamela Blewias Seconded: Rod Howe
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 7
10. Discuss and consider appointment of Director of Code Enforcement position
Mr. Goodman noted that Mr. Mosely was recommended by the Board's interview committee and
Ms. Drake added that he also went through the internal interview process and everyone was very
happy to make the recommendation for his appointment.
TB Resolution 2019 —114: Provisional Appointment of Director of Code Enforcement
Whereas, Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement, will be retiring effective December 28,
2019; and
Whereas, Martin Moseley was appointed Senior Code Enforcement Officer March 6, 2017, and
has applied for the position during the open recruitment for the position; and
Whereas, the interview committee comprised of Supervisor Goodman, Town Councilpersons
Rod Howe and Pamela Bleiwas interviewed and then determined that Martin Moseley possess
the necessary knowledge and skills to satisfactorily perform the duties of the Director of Code
Enforcement and make the recommendation of appointment; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby appoint Martin Moseley as
Director of Code Enforcement, effective December 28, 2019; and be it further
Resolved, that this will be a full-time salaried position based on 40 hours per week, at an annual
salary of$96,033, in Job Classification "S", with full time benefits from account B8010.100; and
be it further
Resolved, there will be no change to Mr. Moseley's current salary and benefits during the
training time period between the date of this resolution and the December 28, 2019, appointment
date; and be it further
Resolved, the said appointment is a provisional appointment pending the results from the next
civil service exam for the position; and be it further
Resolved, Mr. Moseley will be required to complete a twenty-six (26) week probationary period
associated with this title, with no further action by the Town Board if there is successful
completion of the probationary period as determined by the Town Supervisor.
Moved: Bill Goodman Seconded: Eric Levine
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
11. Discuss and consider creating a second Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position
Mr. Goodman noted that this is in response to John Williams' retirement and we had two internal
applications and after interviewing them both, the Highway Superintendent and Public Works
Committee wanted to recommend this change.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 8
Ms. Drake added that this stays two positions, the heavy equipment mechanic will not be filled.
She added that this is a proposal they brought to us and we discussed any pros and cons and we
asked them questions and they responded with solutions. Ms. Drake was very in favor of this
move.
Mr. Weber added that they both bring unique talents to the position and each brings what the
other may lack and so they complement each other's skills well and it will help moral.
TB Resolution 2019 — 115: Creation of Position under Civil Service — Senior Heavy
Equipment Mechanic
Whereas, the Town of Ithaca established compliance under the New York State Civil Service
Agency to qualify employment positions in the Town of Ithaca in accordance with Section 22 of
Civil Service Laws, Rules and Regulations; and
Whereas, by regulation of Civil Service Law the Town must create a position and approve the
job description before making an appointment; and
Whereas, the Town has determined the need to create an additional Senior Heavy Equipment
Mechanic position; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby establish the following position in
accordance with the applicable New York State and Tompkins County Civil Service rules:
1. The following position is established and is a position in the competitive class pursuant to
Section 44 of the Civil Service Law:
1-(One)—Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic
And be it further
Resolved, the Town Board does hereby approve the job descriptions for the said position as
created and monitored by Tompkins County Civil Service.
Moved: Rod Howe Seconded: Pamela Bleiwas
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
12. Discuss and consider Public Wifi Access Policy
Ms. Bleiwas and Mr. Goodman recapped the Personnel and Organization Committee's
discussion noting that this is a security measure and allows the Information Technology manager
to detect and have the authority to block the public access. An incident happened a few months
ago where a private user had a virus and it went out to Cornell and they blocked our access.
There was no malicious intent and no harm was done, but this is a common policy at this point.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 9
It simply advises people that they are on our public wife and there are expectations and we can
disconnect or block users.
Ms. Hunter asked about some of the standard verbiage where it refers to "lost profits" and Ms.
Brock looked at it and determine that it was the user's lost profits that were not able to be
recovered.
Ms. Drake added that this protects our due process if we have to block a phone or device and it is
advance notice to any user that this can happen.
TB Resolution 2019 - 116: Adoption of the Public Wifi Access Policy
Whereas the Personnel and Organization Committee discussed and recommended the approval
of the Public Wifi Access Policy to aid in securing the Town's public wifi access, and
Whereas the draft Public Wifi Access Policy was submitted for review and discussion by the
Town Board, now therefore be it
Resolved that the Town Board hereby approves the Public Wifi Access Policy.
Moved: Pamela Bleiwas Seconded: Pat Leary
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
13. Discuss and consider Records Management Policy as it pertains to the disposition of
records as they are converted to digital format
Mr. Goodman recapped the Records Management Advisory Board meeting and the lively
discussion regarding digital records. He asked Ms. Rosa to comment.
Ms. Rosa said she wants to move forward with the digital policy we adopted three years ago and
she clarified that she is talking about post 1950-documents that are type-written or computer-
produced documents that have already been scanned and verified in our repository. Then, as
each series becomes scanned and verified to the level the department head responsible for or
rather using those record series is comfortable with, they can be recycled.
Ms. Rosa said, for example, 50% of the drawings for building permits were just scanned and she
opened each and every one to check for readability so she was comfortable shredding those.
Since 2017 when we passed the policy to make digital the official record, we stopped printing
Town Board minutes; there is no paper backup copy because it really is just a backup copy.
Ms. Rosa said she is just looking for permission to move forward.
Ms. Rosa showed examples of typewritten documents such as the local laws from 1970's and
noted that just because they are stored in a fancy book does not make them worthy of keeping,
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 10
they are still just paper with typewritten words. Tax rolls and some older minutes were shown
also.
Ms. Rosa noted that you can simply hit print on your computer and the product would look the
same. She added that she understands that the handwritten documents should be handled
differently since longhand isn't even being taught anymore in school and it might be interesting
in 100 years for people to see that. Those documents will be transferred to the History Center
when they are scanned by specialists.
Ms. Rosa addressed some of the points in Ms. Hunters emails by saying the Laserfische system
has been certified by the State and Federal Governments and it is guaranteed that the format will
survive any software progression. The documents are in PDF and Tiff in the different servers
they are backed up on. The NYS Court System is now totally digital and we just shredded 150
boxes of their documents.
Ms. Rosa said she understands it is a mind leap to get used to this, but anything that looks like it
could have been printed or reproduced yesterday, is not needed. She added that she feels very
comfortable with the checks and balances that are in place for quality assurance; Challenge
checks a 5 every 25, the County then looks and does spot checks and finally, I get them and I do
spot checks. Those are three random checks and they are readable.
Discussion
Ms. Hunter said she sent out the policy from the State and she doesn't think we have met the
requirements of this and the indexing she is concerned about the authenticity and the finding
aids. She would like to see how things are indexed and failing that, she is not ready to get rid of
the paper copies.
Ms. Hunter said she has looked for a few things on the system from the link Ms. Rosa sent out
such as things given out at a meeting and she couldn't find them. Where are they and how can
they be found? She isn't comfortable getting rid of original source documents that were not
generate electronically until we have our indexing system normalized and we are putting
documents in in a way that we can find them.
She added that she isn't saying they aren't in there, just that she can't find them and these are
people's records, records that impact people's lives and she thought we really need to be
cautious.
Ms. Hunter said there are some that she has no problem shredding but there are others we should
be very cautious about and we should all know what the system is for retrieving them.
She added that she has heard other staff say they were maybe not comfortable with this and she
doesn't want it to be onerous for them to access records and simply because we don't want to
move boxes is not enough of a reason to get rid of them. If you look at what the State wants us
to do, we are obligated to follow those guidelines specifically as they pertain to accessing
records.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 11
Mr. Goodman asked if he was understanding correctly that her major concern is with Laserfische
and wanting to be certain Laserfische satisfies the State's requirements and Ms. Hunter said, no,
there are a lot of records that come through people's hands that are not easily categorized; dog
licenses, certificates of occupancy and the like, they are attached to the permit, but, for example,
Ms. Brock gives us a legal opinion and how is that characterized or we get something from Mr.
Weber about the variety of guardrails for Forest Home; how does that make its way into this and
how do we find it? I don't know that yet. You have to index them and how is that being done?
That is the system I want to make sure is working properly and know to everybody so people can
find things.
Ms. Hunter said she just wants to know it is all working as it should be working. If we are going
to go in this direction, I am not going to fight that, but I would like us to go through these
guidelines and make sure we are meeting them and if in getting to this point, we need to do more
work and we don't have the staff to do it, we might need to think about how we get there and
allocate more money to getting a normalized system that is going to capture everything.
Ms. Rosa responded saying we meet the State guidelines and she had a certification letter back in
2017 and she has asked the County Clerk for another copy. As for the indexing, the layout is the
same as what we are used to. The Leg drive on our desktop computers and the finding system
we currently use is the same on Laserfische as the desktop.
Ms. Rosa said using the example of Mr. Weber giving a handout at a meeting, if it rose to a
certain level, it becomes an attachment and you would find it with the minutes. If it did not rise
to that level, it would be in the packet which by the State guidelines has a 6-year retention, but
we have agreed to make those permanent and you could look for that by word.
Ms. Rosa said she didn't understand what the difference was given if we had the paper copy and
someone asked for that handout, what we would have done in the past would have been to go
downstairs and look in the Town Board Packet or the Town Board minutes and whereas before I
would literally go downstairs and pull that physical packet, now I would open it on the computer
and look for that documents. Official reports such as the Water Study would be under Leg
Drive- Town Board Presentations and Reports and in the new way, it would probably be in a
couple of places.
Ms. Rosa said she thinks that indexing is happening with each record series and she felt that staff
knows where to find things as each department and series is scanned and as we go through each
department that will become even clearer.
Ms. Rosa said we have focused on the Town Clerk documents and the Codes Department and all
those staff are comfortable getting rid of the backup copies with the Board's approval.
Ms. Rosa added that in terms of indexing and finding things, Laserfische is much more robust
than the ACCESS database finding tool we have used in the past.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 12
Ms. Rosa ended by saying she really felt that she was meeting all of the requirements of the
schedule and the ability to search and once training is really done, you will find it extremely
useful.
Mr. Goodman asked specific questions from her comments/email. He asked if she would find it
helpful to have another Laserfische demonstration at a study session and Ms. Hunter said that
would be nice but she was still concerned with the authenticity guideline and whether they can
be used for legal defense and she read portions from the State guidelines regarding procedures
and proper indexing and finding aids as well as quality assurance controls and she did not know
if we had any of that and if we do, she isn't aware of it.
Mr. Goodman asked what in particular on the list of records she an issue with shredding and Ms.
Hunter said she didn't want the minutes prior to our own in-house server and local laws and
petitions shredded.
Mr. Levine asked about the Leg Drive reference and it was explained that that meant our in-
house server so minutes that were transcribed were saved on that by simply "save as."
Mr. Levine said he didn't understand what the difference was than the system we have in place
for the older documents by scanning them.
Mr. Levine went on to say that the way he looks at, in 2016 we declared that the digital version is
the official Town record and so really what Ms. Rosa is asking us is can we dispose of what is no
longer the official Town record and he thought that is a courtesy, but it's not the official Town
record. Ms. Rosa says this is compliant with NYS and I believe we went through a big process
to make this happen and we have excellent technology for it and the County is doing the same
thing. He said the concerns he has heard from other town staff at the Records Management
meeting was not about town clerk records, but different records and not being sure those were
archived properly. He didn't think there were any concerns about what is on the list in the
resolution. Anything scanned, you just have to hint print and you have it and you can search
easily for instead of having to go through boxes, so I don't see any reason to have them take up
space. They are not the official Town record, and this is fine.
Mr. Howe wanted to verify that there was a decision made in 2016 but it seems it wasn't really
acted on, so he didn't understand why we are revisiting something that was decided 3 years ago.
That said, he was in favor of moving forward as Ms. Rosa has recommended.
Mr. Goodman asked Ms. Rosa to show the example of the board minutes and she did. She added
that she understands that it might look fancy and worth keeping, but when you break it down, it
just isn't. It is computer generated paper which was 3-hole punched and put in a fancy book. It
is just as good on the computer.
Mr. Goodman said he didn't understand why we would hold onto the paper form when they have
been scanned; he could see the bound books for historical value of the format, but in terms of the
other minutes, he couldn't see it.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 13
Mr. Goodman asked for the members who were not at the Records Management meeting to
comment.
Ms. Bleiwas said that having endeavored to go digital in her own business and life, she is very
much in support of this and finds it tremendously convenient to have things all digital. She said
unless there is some reason to think that what is being scanned has not been reliably scanned or
some way it could be corrupted, she did not see any reason to keep the original just because that
was the form it was originally kept in. All the information is there.
Ms. Bleiwas asked Ms. Rosa if there was any reason to believe that she did not have a complete
copy of everything that she wanted to destroy or any reason to believe we could lose the data and
Ms. Rosa responded no.
Ms. Bleiwas noted that it is probably more secure to have this information electronically because
it is backed up.
Ms. Leary asked if the paper versions are indexed because the indexing question would be there
whether it is the print or digital version.
Ms. Rosa responded, yes, and she thought they are indexed better now in the digital form
because of the character recognition which allows you to look in many more ways.
Ms. Leary said she has always been nervous about electronics but it sounded like Ms. Rosa was
confident about the backups and since she doesn't know where to draw the line, you have to just
have confidence in the digital version.
More discussion followed.
Mr. Howe noted that he sees this discussion as totally separate from whether the History Center
gets space in the basement. This is a decision the Board has to make and is a separate issue and
Ms. Hunter agreed and said she agrees. She just wants us to have a good system in place that
everyone is comfortable with and that meets the State guidelines. She thought we met a lot of
the guidelines, but we don't have policies and procedures in place.
Ms. Hunter asked Ms. Drake if she had her records in and indexed and Ms. Drake responded not
yet.
Ms. Rosa said the only departments that have records in the Laserfische repository are Town
Clerk and Codes because we haven't gotten to the other departments. The system and procedure
is to scan the documents and put them in Laserfische in the same way we do on Leg Drive and
more.
Ms. Bleiwas said she wanted to say what a wonderful experience she had when she needed the
plans to her house a couple of weeks ago. She said she asked Ms. Rosa how to access that and
she showed her, and there it was online and as a resident and consumer of town services, it was
unbelievably glad at how easy it was to do. The world is moving on, and everything is digitized.
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 14
She said in practicing law, everything is online, filing briefs, forms, etc. and you gain more trust
as you do that, so she has a lot of trust in digital form. We would of course like to keep some
unique things, but everything Ms. Rosa is pointing out is exactly the same whether it is a picture
on a screen or a printed paper.
Mr. Goodman said it might be useful to have another Laserfische demonstration and find out
how it complies with the State requirements and other authentication items Ms. Hunter
mentioned, but, at this point, maybe we should move forward with this resolution and schedule
another Records Management Advisory Board.
There was some discussion on the wording in the resolution and future record series and this will
be discussed at the next RMAB.
TB Resolution 2019 - 117: Approval of disposition list—2019
Whereas the Town Board adopted a revised Records Management Policy on November 7, 2016
declaring the digital document of a record the Official Town Record, and
Whereas many record series have subsequently been digitized by being scanned and archived on
the Laserfische program, and
Whereas the hard copies of these digital records remain in storage at Town Hall, and
Whereas the Records Management Advisory Board met in July 2019 and recommended to the
Town Board that after review by the Department Head of a record series, the any post-1950 hard
copy back-up of the official record be disposed of as they are digitized, now therefore be it
Resolved that the Town Board hereby approves of the disposition of paper records as they
become digitized as detailed below:
Disposition List for records adhering to the 6-year retention period
2009 - 2011 Accounting Records:
Abstracts, daily transactions and end of month reports —32 boxes
2008 —2012 Personnel Files
2011 - 2012 Town Clerk files
Dog licenses-handicap permits,packets,park permits, noise permits etc.-4 boxes
Shredding of back-up documents list
(scanned or as they are scanned and verified as each department wishes)
1959 -2017 Town Board minutes 24+boxes
1955-present Planning Board minutes 12+boxes
1954 -2017 Zoning Board of Appeals minutes 2 boxes
1955- 2019 Other Town Boards and Committee minutes 12+boxes
1970 -2019 Final Assessment rolls (computer generated) 3+boxes
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 15
1970 —2019 Final Tax Rolls (computer generated) 18+boxes
1950 —2019 Local Laws and Ordinances 4+boxes
1950 —2019 Town Board correspondence 6+boxes
2003 —2019 Petitions 1 box
Total 82 boxes or cu'
Moved: Pamela Bleiwas Seconded: Eric Levine
Vote: ayes —Howe, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine nays —Hunter
14. Consider Consent Agenda Items
TB Resolution 2019 - 118: Adopt Consent Agenda
Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca hereby approves and/or adopts the
following Consent Agenda items:
a) Approval of Town Board Minutes
b) Approval of Town of Ithaca Abstracts
c) Approval of Bolton Point Abstract
d) Acknowledge receipt of the Town Court Audits
e) Approval of disposal of Highway surplus vehicles and equipment
f) Ratify provisional promotional appointment to Senior Heavy Equipment
Mechanic—Beach
g) Ratify provisional promotional appointment to Senior Heavy Equipment
Mechanic—Morse
Moved: Rod Howe Seconded: Pamela Bleiwas
Vote: ayes —Howe, Hunter, Leary, Goodman, Bleiwas, and Levine
TB Resolution 2019-118a: Approval of Minutes
Whereas, the draft Minutes of the June 10, 14 and July 8 and 22, 2019 meetings of the Town
Board have been submitted for review and approval, now therefore be it
Resolved, that the Town Board hereby approves the submitted minutes, with changes, as the
final minutes of the meetings on June 10 and 14 and July 8 and 22, 2019 of the Town Board of
the Town of Ithaca.
TB Resolution 2019 - 118b: Town of Ithaca Abstract No. 15 for FY-2019
Whereas the following numbered vouchers have been presented to the Ithaca Town Board for
approval of payment; and
Whereas the said vouchers have been audited for payment by the said Town Board; now
therefore be it
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 16
Resolved that the governing Town Board hereby authorizes the payment of the said vouchers in
total for the amounts indicated.
VOUCHER NOS. 956 - 985
General Fund Town Wide 12,852.41
General Fund Part-Town 870.89
Highway Fund Town Wide DA 92.44
Highway Fund Part Town DB 235,095.04
Water Fund 8,324.58
Sewer Fund 1,848.66
Forest Home Lighting District 155.18
Glenside Lighting District 64.94
Renwick Heights Lighting District 75.11
Eastwood Commons Lighting District 166.21
Clover Lane Lighting District 19.08
Winner's Circle Lighting District 66.45
Burleigh Drive Lighting District 64.75
West Haven Road Lighting District 191.70
Coddin ton Road Lighting District 114.55
TOTAL 260,001.99
TB Resolution 2019 - 118b: Town of Ithaca Abstract No. 16 for FY-2019
Whereas the following numbered vouchers have been presented to the Ithaca Town Board for
approval of payment; and
Whereas the said vouchers have been audited for payment by the said Town Board; now
therefore be it
Resolved that the governing Town Board hereby authorizes the payment of the said vouchers in
total for the amounts indicated.
VOUCHER NOS. 986 - 1072
General Fund Town Wide 30,231.21
General Fund Part-Town 3,947.00
Highway Fund Town Wide DA 3,212.92
Highway Fund Part Town DB 65,613.30
Water Fund 312,184.13
Sewer Fund 19,362.05
State Route 96b Sidewalk—H7 13,464.34
Risk Retention Fund 250.00
Forest Home Lighting District 270.94
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 17
Glenside Lighting District 10.10
Renwick Heights Lighting District 16.83
Eastwood Commons Lighting District 23.59
Clover Lane Lighting District 3.12
Winner's Circle Lighting District 4.74
Burleigh Drive Lighting District 10.98
West Haven Road Lighting District 43.64
Coddin ton Road Lighting District 25.41
TOTAL 448,674.30
TB Resolution 2019 - 118c: Bolton Point Abstract
Whereas, the following numbered vouchers for the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water
Commission have been presented to the governing Town Board for approval of payment; and
Whereas, the said vouchers have been audited for payment by the said Town Board; now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, that the governing Town Board hereby authorizes the payment of the said vouchers.
Voucher Numbers: 316-371
Check Numbers: 18477-18532
Capital Impr/Rept Project $ 217,758.96
Operating Fund $ 71,615.87
TOTAL $ 289,374.83
Less Prepaid S 3,555 38
TOTAL $ 285,819.45
TB Resolution 2019 - 118d: Acknowledge receipt of independent audits for the Town
Courts
Whereas the Town Court audits for the year ending 2018 were submitted for review, now
therefore be it
Resolved that the Town Board hereby acknowledges receipt of the Town Court Audits for Judge
Klein and Judge Salk for year ending December 31, 2018.
TB Resolution 2019 - 118e: Disposal of Surplus Vehicles and Equipment
Whereas, the Town has received, or soon will receive, all of the replacement vehicles and
equipment ordered as part of the 2019 Fleet Replacement Program; and
Whereas, the Public Works Department requests the Town Board to declare the following
identified vehicles and equipment as surplus, obsolete, and no longer needed by the Town:
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 18
• 2006 International 6 wheel Dump (Fleet 48)
• 2009 Ford 6 wheel Dump (Fleet 420)
• 2015 "Tool cat"utility tractor(Fleet 443)
• 2008 Ford F-250 Crew truck (Fleet 412)
• 2013 Ford F-250 w/plow (Fleet 469)
• 2017 Quality Steel Tiltbed trailer(Fleet 4T3)
• 2009 True Trac Trailer(Fleet 4T11); and
• 3 excavation buckets
• 5 trash pumps (1" - 3")
• 1 gas powered ventilation blower
• 1 gas powered leaf blower
• 2 industrial power washers
• Billy Goat Pickup Leaf vacuum
Whereas, the Public Works Department recommends the listed vehicles and equipment be
disposed of by sale in a public auction, by sale in an "on-line" public auction, or be considered
for "trade-in" on new vehicles or equipment ordered as part of the 2019 Fleet Replacement
Program, as determined to be in the best interest of the Town of Ithaca; now therefore be it;
Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby declare the vehicles and
equipment identified above are surplus, obsolete, and no longer needed by the Town; and be it
further
Resolved, that the surplus vehicles and equipment be disposed of by sale in a public auction, by
sale in an "on-line" public auction, or as a "trade-in" on new vehicles or equipment ordered as
part of the 2019 Fleet Replacement Program, as determined to be in the best interest of the Town
of Ithaca; and be it further
Resolved, that the proceeds realized through the sale of the surplus vehicles and equipment be
deposited to Highway Fund account DB230, Cash Reserve - Highway Equipment.
TB Resolution 2019 — 118f: Ratify Provisional Promotional Appointment to Senior Heavy
Equipment Mechanic
Whereas, there will be a vacancy in the Heavy Equipment Mechanic position due to a promotion;
and
Whereas, the Highway Superintendent has made the determination that having two Senior Heavy
Equipment Mechanics would be most prudent for the Town and has requested an additional
position be established, but will appoint only two mechanics to the two Senior positions and not
fill the Heavy Equipment Mechanic position on a permanent basis as this time; and
Whereas, Donald Beach was appointed as an Automotive Mechanic Assistant on April 12, 1999
and was promoted throughout the years up to a Heavy Equipment Operator, and during such time
was still utilized in the Mechanic Shop on a regular basis; and
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 19
Whereas, the Highway Superintendent has determined through evaluation that Donald Beach
possesses the necessary knowledge, skills and ability to satisfactorily perform the duties of the
Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position; and
Whereas, the Highway Superintendent on an interim basis appointed Donald Beach to the Heavy
Equipment Mechanic position, effective September 1, 2019, and will further promotionally
appoint Donald Beach to the Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position when he is able to
satisfactorily meet the minimum qualifications for the position as determined by Civil Service;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved, the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby ratify the Highway
Superintendent's interim provisional appointment of Donald Beach as full time Heavy
Equipment Mechanic for the Public Works Department, effective September 1, 2019; and be it
further
Resolved, the Town Board further ratifies the promotional appointment of Donald Beach to the
title of Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic when approved by Civil Service; and be it further
Resolved, this is a 40 hour a week position at the hourly wage of $29.22, which is an estimated
annual salary of $60,777, in Job Classification "V" with full time benefits and is based on the
promotional appointment to the Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position; and be it further
Resolved, Donald Beach will need to successfully complete and be a reachable candidate from
the next civil service exam for the said Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic title.
TB Resolution 2019 — 118g: Ratify Provisional Promotional Appointment to Senior Heavy
Equipment Mechanic
Whereas, there will be a vacancy in the Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position effective
August 31, 2019; and
Whereas, LaVern Morse was appointed as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic on December 24, 2017;
and
Whereas, the Highway Superintendent has determined through evaluation that LaVern Morse,
possesses the necessary knowledge, skills and ability to satisfactorily perform the duties of the
Senior Heavy Equipment Mechanic position; and
Whereas, the Highway Superintendent promotionally appointed LaVern Morse to the Senior
Heavy Equipment Mechanic position, effective September 1, 2019; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, the Town Board of the Town of Ithaca does hereby ratify the Highway
Superintendent's provisional appointment of LaVern Morse as full time Senior Heavy
Equipment Mechanic for the Public Works Department, effective September 1, 2019; and be it
further
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 20
Resolved, this is a 40 hour a week position, at the hourly wage of$29.22, which is an estimated
annual salary of$60,777, in Job Classification "V", with full time benefits; and be it further
Resolved, the said will need to successfully complete and be a reachable candidate from the next
civil service exam for the said title.
15. Report of Town Officials and Committees
Mr. Goodman reported that there will be discussion soon regarding the naming of the park that is
currently being referred to as Michigan Hill park but we need to make an official determination.
One suggestion is Saunders Park given it is off of Saunders Rd but Mike Smith will give more
details at the next meeting. He asked Ms.Rosa to send out the policy for naming parks.
16. Review of Correspondence--none
Executive session – Mr. Goodman moved to enter executive session to discuss the potential
acquisition of real property where disclosure could affect the outcome. Seconded by Ms.
Bleiwas. 7:00p.m. Unanimous.
Motion made by Mr. Goodman to reenter open session at 7:06 p.m., seconded by Ms. Hunter,
unanimous.
17. Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned upon motion and a second at 7:07 p.m.
Submi e by:
& —
Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk
TB 2019-08-12 Pg. 21
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