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Home My WebLink AboutTownBoard_Minutes_20171120Danby Town Board  Minutes of Regular Meeting  November 20, 2017 Present: Councilpersons: Rebecca Brenner, Leslie Connors, Ric Dietrich (Supervisor), Jim Holahan, Jack Miller Others Present: Town Clerk Pamela Goddard Planning CJ Randall Legislator Dan Klein Public Ted Crane, Ronda Roaring, Matt Ulinski, Pat Woodworth, Charles Tilton. Regular Meeting Opened at 7:01pm Privilege of the Floor Ronda Roaring spoke regarding a meeting she would like to hold between a representative of the DEC and residents who live near the State Forest. She asked the Town Board to support a meeting is to address concerns regarding activities in the State forest which impact residential properties adjacent to forest property lines. Residents are complaining related to hunting,etc., including trespass for access to the state forest land, shooting near property lines, and the dumping of deer carcasses. These hunting activities are legal. Roaring stated that these uses are putting hunters and residents in conflict with each other. Connors asked Roaring to provide more information, including a list of problems which need to be addressed and the name and contact information for the the DEC representative. The Supervisor supported this suggestion. This information should be sent to the Board and the Town Clerk. Legislator’s Report Dan Klein reported on several items. Emergency Medical Services task Force activities will move forward thanks to financial support from most of the Towns in Tompkins County, including $5,000 from the Town of Danby and $25,000 from Tompkins County. These funds will, in part, fund a consultant to research into needs and challenges related to EMS. A preliminary report shows that Danby has one of the lowest call rates, per capita, in the county. The County Budget has passed.This budget has a tax levy increase of 2.3% on a tax cap of 3.5%. Due to growth in the County, this may actually result in a tax rate decrease for property owners across the county. Most of Danby assessments did not go up for 2018. Klein reported on changes to the County Legislature and administration. There has been a lot of change, including five new legislators following the Nov. 7 election. Joe Mareane retired early as County Administrator due to medical needs. Paula Younger is currently interim Administrator. The County will also be getting a new County Planning Head. There will be a change in County Tourism as of January. Approve Town Board Minutes MOTION—APPROVE MINUTES Moved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby approves the minutes of October 16, 2017. Moved by Brenner, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.  In Favor: Brenner, Holahan, Miller, Dietrich  Abstain: Connors Connors abstained, as she was not at the meeting. Jack Miller stated that he thought that Brooke Greenhouse made good comments during the Public Hearing regarding a Local Law to amend Danby Zoning related to Planned Development Zones, and that his perspective was extremely valid and well taken. Clerk Goddard noted that it was not usual to include direct quotes from all those speaking at a Public Hearing. Greenhouse’s statements were neither in favor of or against changes to PDZs but, rather, pointed out potential pitfalls in attempting to recreate the historical intentions of previous municipal bodies. Warrants REVISED ABSTRACT #10 OF 2017: HIGHWAY FUND #209-235 for a total $75,190.64 Moved by Connors, Second by Miller. The motion passed.  In Favor: Brenner, Connors, Holahan, Miller, Dietrich Voucher #224, for “Safety Clean” had been duplicated in the General Fund warrant, but not removed from the Highway Fund. In Revision, Voucher #224 was made “void,” the warrant total was revised, and the original numbering of subsequent vouchers retained. Town Board_Minutes_20171120 • Tuesday, November 28, 2017 Page ! of !1 2 Discussion of Board Applicants The fourth applicant for an open seat on the Planning Board was not able to attend, due to a death in the family. He will be invited to speak to the Board at the December 11 TB meeting. Anne Klingensmith will be invited to speak to the Board at the December 11 meeting, regarding her interest in being appointed to the Environmental Management Council. Planning Office Updates Randall reported on projects and activities. Data is being collected for an application to the Clean Energy Communities Grant for the Highway Department heating system. Upon completing Clean Energy Community certification, NYSERDA has $100,000 in a “no match grant” earmarked for a Town of Danby project. Randall noted that the town is “competing against itself” for this money. Suggestions include new bay doors for the highway barns, a possible ground source heat system for that building, and other initiatives. This should be a model for other highway departments across the state. Joint Boards Meeting There was further and a detailed discussion of the Nov. 28 scoping meeting. The discussion focused on agenda items for this meeting. Topics have been generated by the Town Supervisor, Planning Board, Town Board, and Highway Department. Related and additional topics have developed as a result of current projects. All of these projects are up for discussion and prioritization. Planner Randall gave an overview of the following topics for the scoping meeting agenda: Hamlet water and wastewater feasibility studies. The Planner and West Danby Water District Commissioners may seek funding for a study to help define the feasibility of moving forward with water and wastewater planning for the Central and West Danby hamlets. Randall characterized this as a “Fact Finding Mission.” There was a question as to what the boundaries are for the Central Hamlet and the scope of water management planning. Does this include housing development areas such as Fieldstone Circle and Olde Town Village? Randall responded that this would be part of the fact finding and feasibility study. A related question as to what impact there would be to the commercial district if a water/ wastewater system was established in the Central Danby Hamlet. More research needs to be done. The Planner and Highway Department are proposing a Road Inventory. Undertaking a an up-to-date and complete inventory of Town of Danby roads is overdue. This project would impact road maintenance, potential development, and zoning related questions. The Town Attorney has advised the Town that it is vulnerable in this area. There are new tools which will make this easier to accomplish. The Planning Board has requested that there be a Zoning Audit, particularly in regards Special Permits. This is a weak point in Danby zoning. The Planning Board is making a recommendation that the language for approval or disapproval of special permits be tightened. They recommend that special permits be used for exceptional and special conditions with specific criteria. There has been past interest in Wind Power Zoning. Randall suggested that this be discussed at the scoping meeting as to whether this is still an interest and whether this is the time to consider a wind power law for Danby. Large scale wind farm planning may be not feasible in Tompkins County, but there may be parcels for small to medium scale installations. The Town Supervisor has suggested that Danby review potential Stream Setbacks for future construction to prevent flood damage. Dietrich noted that catastrophic damage to infrastructure, often from weather events, is a major stress to the municipal budget. This is also a problem for private property owners. There was a question regarding properties with existing structures already within recommended stream set backs? Danby may want to review its Flood Prevention law for updates. There has been interest in the past in a Noise Ordinance. This could be up for discussion at the scoping meeting. Randall will ask the Conservation Advisory Council to give an update on the Natural Resources Inventory currently in progress. The topic of a Housing Needs Assessment in the Town of Danby may be discussed at the scoping meeting. Information is available from a study recently done by Tompkins County. Dietrich framed this as an overview of what goals the Town has for Code Enforcement, particularly regarding remediation for unsafe buildings. This may be a topic for the Town Board more than a consideration for the joint boards. Justices’ and Town Clerk’s Report The October Justices’ reports and Town Clerk’s report were circulated to the Board. Clerk Goddard reported correspondence that CAC secretary Matt Hobart needs to resign as he is relocating to Maryland. Betsy Keokosky will be filling this position. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:13 pm. !! ______________________________________ Pamela Goddard, Town Clerk Town Board_Minutes_20171120 • Tuesday, November 28, 2017 Page ! of !2 2