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Home My WebLink About2011-10-11-RTB Regular Town Board Meeting 1 10/11 /2011 Town of Ulysses Regular Town Board Meeting October 11 , 2011 Present : Councilpersons Elizabeth Thomas, Lucia Tyler, David Kerness and Kevin Romer; , Highway Superintendent James Meeker; Town Clerk Marsha L. Georgia; and Attorney Mariette Geldenhuys . Absent : Supervisor Roxanne Marino and Deputy Supervisor Sue Poelvoorde Others Present : Louis DiPietro, Free Press reporter and Diane Hillman Ms . Thomas presided over the meeting and called it to order at 7 : 00 p .m . 2011 BUDGET MODIFICATIONS Ms . Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Kerness the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses approves the following budget modifications for 2011 : • Increase A9055 . 8 Disability Insurance $300 . 00 • Decrease A1910 . 4 Unallocated Insurance 300 . 00 • Increase A7310 . 1 Youth Program PS 300 . 00 • Decrease A7410 .4 Library 300 . 00 • Increase DA5130 . 2 Machinery EQ 10, 000 . 00 • Increase DA 599 App . Fund Balance 10,000 . 00 Ms . Thomas aye r Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Kerness aye Mr. Romer aye Adopted APPROVAL OF CLAIMS Ms. Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Romer the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses approves the previous examined vouchers # ' s 412 through 451 in the amount of $ 14, 575 . 81 . Ms . Thomas aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Kerness aye Mr. Romer aye Adopted APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms . Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Romer the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses approves the minutes of the Public Hearing of 9/27/2011 , the Special Town Board meetings of 8/25 /2011 , 9/8/2011 , 9/ 15/2011 and 9/27/2011 and the Regular Town Board meeting of 9/ 13/2011 . Ms . Thomas aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Kerness abstained Mr. Romer aye Regular Town Board Meeting 2 10/11 /2011 Adopted REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES Tompkins County : (Board - Jim Dennis, Sheriff Department) - no one in attendance. Trumansburg Fire Department & EMS - submitted written report. Trumansburg Village - no one in attendance. Village meeting reschedule for October 13 , 2011 . PRIVILEGE OF FLOOR - no one wished to speak. TOWN REPORTS Planning Board — no one in attendance. Highway Superintendent James Meeker reported the activities of the Highway Department for the month and updated the Board on the Seneca Road bridge project and Durling Road bridge . Town Clerk Marsha Georgia reported the monthly fees collected for September and that the electronics recycling day is scheduled to take place on October 22, 2011 , at the Farmers Market location in the Village of Trumansburg. Code Enforcement Officer Alex Rachun previously distributed a report to the Board. Supervisor Marino left some information that was distributed to the Board. Deputy Supervisor Thomas reported on the tasks she has been working on including the Web site update, computer inventory, grant for the Youth Commission. Upcoming work will include the revision of the personal policy, 2012 insurance policy, Town procurement credit card, revisions to town software, and benefits comparisons . She and Ms . Kiley are working on comments on the drilling Environmental Impact Statement. Town Board Members and Committees Ms. Thomas reported that the Youth Committee is meeting tonight, there was no meeting of the County Gas Drilling and she could not attend the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) meeting. TCCOG and the Gas Drilling Committee will be sponsoring a Public Hearing to take comments on the Environmental Impact study by DEC, which will be very expensive to host. Ms . Thomas is asking for financial help to offset part of the expensive. Ms . Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Kerness the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses contribute $ 300 to help defray costs of the TCCOG sponsored DEC hearing to hear comments for the Environmental Impact study. Ms . Thomas aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Kerness aye Mr. Romer aye Adopted Ms . Thomas also attended the Economic Development Council meeting to weigh in on economic development focuses and working with other municipalities on updating the Cable franchise agreement. OLD BUSINESS Regular Town Board Meeting 3 10/11 /2011 EMS The Board is in receipt of the agreement with the Village of Trumansburg for fire protection and rescue squad services. The Board just received this today and did not have time for review . Ms . Geldenhuys did review the agreement and found some places for changes . She pointed these out to the Board. Ms . Geldenhuys also stated that this agreement is shorter and more general than last year' s agreement . Ms . Geldenhuys would like to contact the Village attorney to discuss some changes and incorporate some of last year ' s agreement language into this current agreement . Just before the meeting started tonight the Village sent over a draft copy of the Inter-Municipal Cooperation Agreement. The Board tabled both the agreements . 2012 Budget Supervisor Marino provided copies of the revised 2012 Budget to the Board incorporating the changes made at the October 3 , 2011 meeting. The Board discussed the revised 2012 budget. Mr. Kerness moved, seconded by Ms . Thomas the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses moves the revised tentative budget to the preliminary budget for the public hearing. The Board discussed further revisions before moving the budget to preliminary. Ms . Thomas called for the vote on the resolution on the floor. Ms . Thomas aye Ms . Tyler nay Mr. Kerness abstained Mr. Romer nay Defeated. The Board discussed the salary increases and the health insurance contributions . Mr. Kerness moved, seconded by Ms . Tyler the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses give a 1 % pay increase across the board and a lump sum payment of $ 150 to all insured employees . Ms . Thomas wanted it on record that she was against this resolution. Ms . Thomas nay Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Kerness aye Mr. Romer aye Adopted. Ms . Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Kerness the following : BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses moves the 2012 tentative budget to preliminary as amended in the previous resolution. Ms . Thomas aye Ms . Tyler aye Mr. Kerness aye Mr. Romer aye Regular Town Board Meeting 4 10/11 /2011 Adopted. The Board wanted it on record that the four of them all decline the 1 % pay increase for the 2012 budget. Review of Upcoming Meetings The meeting for October 17 , 2011 , was cancelled. The Public Hearing for the 2012 Budget on October 25 , 2011 , is scheduled for 7 : 00 p .m . Ms . Tyler said that she will not be able to attend nor will Ms . Thomas . The meeting scheduled for November 3 , 2011 , to vote on the 2012 is still on the schedule but it will also include talk on the EMS issue. Zoning Changes Ms . Thomas reviewed the timelines for the Lakeshore and Conservation Zones revisions and the process that will be followed. NEW BUSINESS Resolution to Retract Drilling Regulations Ms . Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Kerness the following resolution : RESOLUTION TO ASK THE NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION OR NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE TO DELAY THE RELEASE OF HYDROFRACTURING REGULATIONS UNTIL AFTER THE REVISED DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IS FINALIZED . WHEREAS the revised draft supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (sGEIS) is currently under review; and WHEREAS the Department of Environmental Conservation concurrently released the proposed regulations that will govern high volume hydraulic fracturing for natural gas ; and WHEREAS Towns, Villages, Cities, and Counties were unaware that both documents would be released at once and are taxed with the enormity of reviewing the 1000+-page sGEIS alone much less two lengthy and complex documents ; and WHEREAS the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses feels it imperative that the revised sGEIS be properly finalized PRIOR to drafting regulations as the sGEIS should impact how the regulations are written . WHEREAS small rural municipalities in the center of the Utica and Marcellus Shale gas deposits are staffed sparingly and have little to no support to help them address the additional work required for these types of reviews . THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Ulysses requests that either the DEC Commissioner or the New York State Legislature require the DEC to release the draft regulations governing high volume hydraulic fracturing AFTER the sGEIS is finalized in order to allow time for municipalities to properly absorb the vast amounts of information and respond accordingly. Cc State Senator, Thomas O ' Mara State Assemblywoman, Barbara Lifton Governor, Andrew Cuomo DEC Commissioner, Joseph Martens Senator Gillibrand Senator Schumer Regular Town Board Meeting 5 10/11/2011 Congressman Richard Hanna State Senator, Jim Seward Ms . Thomas aye Mr. Tyler aye Mr. Kerness aye Mr. Romer aye Adopted Ms . Thomas moved, seconded by Mr. Kerness to adjourn to Executive Session on a legal matter. Unanimously approved and adjourned to Executive Session at 8 : 40 p . m. The Board reconvened the meeting at 9 : 15 p .m . and adjourned the Regular Board meeting. Respectfully submitted, Marsha L. Georgia Ulysses Town Clerk MLG: mlg