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Home My WebLink AboutTownBoard_Minutes_20160418Danby Town Board  Minutes of Regular Meeting  April 18, 2016 Present: Councilpersons: Rebecca Brenner, Leslie Connors, Jim Holahan, Jack Miller Supervisor: Ric Dietrich Others Present: Town Clerk Pamela Goddard Supervisor’s Asst. Laura Shawley Public Ted Crane, Ronda Roaring, Frank Darrow, Pat Woodworth, Charles Tilton, David Hall, Raymond Mayo, Charlotte Mayo, Bill Sheffield. Regular Meeting Opened at 7:00pm Privilege of the Floor Bill Sheffield inquired about the benefit of changing Highway Superintendent from an elected to an appointed position. Supervisor Dietrich responded to this question, stating that the job has gotten more complicated and requires a certain level of training and experience. Making this an appointed, rather than elected, position would open the door to more and better candidates. Dietrich stated that the current Highway Superintendent and Highway Department are in favor of this change. Sheffield stated that he has experience with highway work, and that problems on the roads have not been fixed. He favored letting people with more experience run for the office as an elected position. Charlotte Mayo stated that she heard that, “the guy who’s getting appointed,” is related to the current Highway Superintendent. Clerk Goddard and Supervisor Dietrich clarified that there has not been anyone selected or “groomed” to be appointed after Carl Seamon’s term runs out. Ray Mayo stated that he is totally opposed to making Highway Superintendent an appointed position. Ronda Roaring stated that she would like the Town to be able to hire the best Highway Superintendent it can afford, once the current Superintendent is ready to retire. She thought that the Town resident and elected position restrictions would limit the search for the best Superintendent for Danby. Pat Woodworth spoke in favor of making Highway Superintendent an appointed position, with the view that this is not a political position but a working position with specific skills. Ted Crane reminded those present to vote during the primaries on April 19. Frank Darrow reminded residents that the polls are open Noon to 9pm. Purchase Offer for 1840 Danby Road Property Clerk Goddard confirmed that the document before the Board, distributed via Email on April 15, was the final version as negotiated with the seller and the Town Attorney. The Town is offering a purchase price of $10,000 for the property at 1840 Danby Road. This offer is contingent on an inspection report showing no asbestos. In addition, the seller must remove all materials (e.g. storage tents, temporary structures, inventories, etc.) within 150 days of said asbestos survey. The seller has 60 days after the date of acceptance to remove any trees, plantings, or shrubbery. Connors noted a typo in the number of days related to the closing date related to a asbestos report. The correct number is 150 days. This was noted and corrected. There was a question from a resident regarding the assessed value of the property. The property was purchased for $6,000 and the land is assessed for that amount. RESOLUTION NO. 44 OF 2016 - APPROVE PURCHASE OFFER FOR 1840 DANBY ROAD PROPERTY Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Danby, approves purchase offer and authorizes the Town Supervisor to sign. Moved by Holahan, Second by Brenner. The motion passed.  In Favor: Brenner, Connors, Holahan, Miller, Dietrich. Mowing Bids Clerk Goddard presented a synopsis of three bids for mowing Town property in 2016. One bid included spring cleanup. Dietrich noted that the Highway Department has done spring cleanup in the cemeteries for several years. There was a discussion of bids. Dietrich expressed concern that he didn’t have enough information regarding new bidders for the mowing job. He is familiar with the work that Catlin has done for several years. Brenner suggested contacting the other bidders for additional information, while recognizing that a delay in awarding the bid might not be a good thing. Connors expressed appreciation for the work Catlin has done in the cemeteries. Brenner suggested that additional information should be compiled to provide a more detailed description of what is requested and required for future years, including references. Holahan supported this plan. Dietrich agreed to use this summer as a baseline for future bids. Town Board_Minutes_20160418 • Friday, April 29, 2016 Page ! of !1 2 RESOLUTION NO. 45 OF 2016 - AWARD MOWING CONTRACT Resolved, that the Town Board of the Town of Danby, awards a contract for mowing Town of Danby property to Tony Catlin for the mowing season 2016. Moved by Connors, Second by Miller. The motion passed.  In Favor: Brenner, Connors, Holahan, Miller, Dietrich. Highway Superintendent Referendum There was a brief discussion regarding the process of putting the question of whether to change Highway Superintendent from an elected to an appointed position. Connors distributed a “Pro/Con” sheet that had been generated in 2010 when the question was previously put to a referendum vote. Shawley provided information regarding how and whether to make the position a Civil Service position. Shawley reported that the Town has several options. One option is to have this a regular Civil Service position, based on the Civil Service test. Another option could be to appoint someone for a two or four year term, without a civil service exam, with the option to renew. The County Personnel Department suggested making this a limited appointment, to start. She further informed the Board that the County is receiving questions from several municipalities and that many are considering making this change. Brenner asked how many municipalities use which options for appointed Highway Superintendents? Shawley will research that question. There was a discussion regarding steps to this process. Dietrich suggested holding a public information session over the summer. Clerk Goddard advised the Board that there is a need to pass Local Law, subject to referendum. A draft of this local law was prepared in 2010. Goddard will further research how to put referendum question on the November ballot. There was emphasis that voters decide the issue. Further discussion on this topic will be on the June agenda. Short Reports Written Code Reports and Justices Reports were distributed to theBoard. Goddard made a Town Clerk’s report. In March 38 dog licenses were issued or renewed. One building permit was issued. There were two fishing licenses sold. $828.56 was disbursed to the Town Supervisor. A three-page Records Destruction Authorization form was circulated. These documents described by the form were primarily duplicate copies of records from the Code Enforcement Office. Goddard distributed information from the Assessment office regarding changes to the STAR exemption program. As part of the 2016/2017 New York State budget, the STAR exemption is transitioning to a personal income tax credit. The transition does not affect any current STAR recipients, so long as they remain in the current residence. Dietrich reported on the consideration of court consolidation by TCCOG. Dietrich expressed support for having DWI fines the same or comparable in different Towns in the same County. He reported that Justice Huddle supports municipal judges being able to “humanize” fines and sentences by considering individual circumstances. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm. !!!!!!! ______________________________________ Pamela Goddard, Town Clerk Town Board_Minutes_20160418 • Friday, April 29, 2016 Page ! of !2 2