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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTownBoard_Minutes_20180115Danby Town Board
 Minutes of Regular Meeting
 January 15, 2018 Present: Councilpersons: Leslie Connors, Ric Dietrich (Supervisor), Jim Holahan, Matt Ulinski Not Present: Councilperson: Jack Miller Others Present: Town Clerk Pamela Goddard Planning CJ Randall Bookkeeper Laura Shawley Public Ted Crane, Clare Fewtrell, Ronda Roaring, Katharine Hunter, Dan Klein, Pat Woodworth, Charles Tilton, Earl Hicks, Tobias Dean, Joel Gagnon, Scott Davis, Ray Maratea, Garry Huddle. Regular Meeting Opened at 7:10pm Supervisor’s Statement Dietrich made a formal statement to open the meeting. “It’s been fifty years since Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, and though he will be lauded for his many accomplishments, I would like to take this time, to share my thoughts on a speech he gave. I have not forgotten the seeds that were planted when I heard his Christmas address, that have moved me as a constant beacon when I feel I’m getting off track. In his A Christmas Sermon on Peace just five months before his assassination, King delivered one of his most famous quotes: All life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality. King, though, offers a great example of how to address this challenge. He constantly talked about the interconnectedness of life. I would take this time to let these words find a place to rest with us all. Finding common ground, and acting in harmony, are meaningful goals. Everything we do has consequences, for everyone else, and to try to include this thinking into the actions we take.” Warrants ABSTRACT #15 OF 2017: GENERAL FUND #576 for a total of $600.00 Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich HIGHWAY FUND #286-293 for a total $1,821.03 Moved by Connors, Second by Ulinski. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich WEST DANBY WATER DISTRICT FUND #53 for a total $787.86 Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich NYS Retirement Resolution An official resolution related to posting standard work day hours, for reporting to the NYS Retirement System, was presented by Clerk Goddard on behalf of Bookkeeper Shawley. RESOLUTION NO. 19 OF 2018 - NYS RETIREMENT STANDARD WORK DAY REPORTING Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby hereby established standard work days for the following titles: Highway Superintendent, Town Clerk, Town Board Member (Connors), and will report the officials to the New York State and Local Retirement System based on their record of activities, and be it
 Further Resolved, that the Town Clerk will post the required resolution for at least 30 days on the official sign board at the Danby Town Hall. Moved by Holahan, Second by Dietrich. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich
 Town Board_Minutes_20180115 • Tuesday, February 6, 2018 Page ! of !1 4 Volunteer Board Interviews The Board interviewed several people applying or reapplying for volunteer board and committee appointments. Standard questions were discussed and were asked of applicants as appropriate. During the course of interviews there was clarification regarding the number of applicants vs. open seats on the various boards. There were four applicants for three open seats on the CAC. Planning Board had one open seat and five applicants, including those who had already been interviewed. The Board of Zoning Appeals had one open seat and one applicant. •Why do you want to serve on this Board/Advisory Council? •Where did you hear about the vacancy? •Describe your involvement in Danby activities. •What do you hope to accomplish in serving/what interests you most? •How familiar are you with the activities and processes of this Board/Advisory Council? •What experience/skills do you have which might be helpful and are you able to make the time commitment this Board/Advisory Council? •For those who are reapplying: What thoughts do you have about how the board is functioning, it’s future direction, and what areas do you want to develop knowledge or expertise in? Clare Fewtrell - a new applicant for the Conservation Advisory Council. Ms. Fewtrell has been a resident of Danby for over 20 years, on the faculty at the Cornell Vet School. She stated that she is getting ready to retire and would like to be more involved with the Town of Danby. She attended the Joint Boards Scoping meeting in 2017, and would like to learn more about Conservation Easements. Joel Gagnon - re-applying for the Conservation Advisory Council and Planning Board. Gagnon spoke about his ongoing involvement with both the CAC and Planning Board. He noted the importance of both interest and ability to devote time to the group. He stated that while he is not a “fan” of term limits, he values the importance of getting new people involved. He additionally shared specific thoughts related to planning and development in the Town of Danby. Ray Maratea - a new applicant for the Planning Board. Mr. Maratea stated that he was willing to serve, but had difficulties driving at night and would have trouble making nighttime meetings. For this reason, and as there are multiple applicants for the one PB vacancy, he was willing to withdraw himself from consideration. Dan Klein - reapplying for the Conservation Advisory Council. Klein noted that, as there are four applicants for three seats on the CAC, and as he has served since the inception of the CAC, he would be willing to withdraw his application for another term in order to let someone new serve. Ulinski noted that another seat may be opening on the CAC, as a member has expressed a potential need to step down. He hoped that Klein would consider reapplying in that case. Earl Hicks - reapplying for the Board of Zoning Appeals. He stated that he would like to serve another term and that he felt like he was, “just getting started.” Hicks stated that the current BZA is “gelling” as a team. He noted that there are current efforts to make the BZA more efficient and its processes more uniform, and said that additional training in processes and criteria for determinations would be beneficial. Privilege of the Floor Ted Crane thanked Klein for his willingness to step aside from the CAC in order to make room for a new appointee. He read a statement illustrating how Klein would be well able to advance conservation matters for the Town of Danby in his role as a County Legislator. Crane further supported the appointment of Fewtrell to the CAC. Ronda Roaring spoke in support of Crane’s statement and also agreed Klein’s intention to step aside so that a new person could serve on the CAC. Approve Minutes There was no discussion regarding the minutes. MOTION - APROVE MINUTES Moved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby approves the minutes of December 11, 18, and 28, 2017. Moved by Holahan, Second by Dietrich. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Dietrich
 Abstain: Ulinski
 Town Board_Minutes_20180115 • Tuesday, February 6, 2018 Page ! of !2 4 Appointment Procedure Review There was a brief discussion regarding the process for review of this procedure. Dietrich stated that he could see the importance of review, but did not see that it was necessary to fully review the procedure at this time. Ulinski stated that he didn’t see how the Board would get through discussion of this procedure in one meeting, get everyone’s views, and make appointments at the same time. In his view, the question of use of Executive Session, which does not impact making appointments at this meeting, would make this “messy.” Ulinski would, however, like to see a method to move forward during next year, prior to the need for appointment processes in the Fall of 2018. There was further discussion, and general agreement, to have a training session with Robert Freeman first. Clerk Goddard will make arrangements for training on Executive Session and Open Meetings Law with Robert Freeman, Chair of the BYS Committee on Open Government. The Board will gather and review appointment procedures from other municipalities. Discussion and review of the Appointment Procedure and Policy will resume in late spring or early summer, with a preference for the meetings in April 2018. Appointments There was a brief discussion of the various appointments. Clerk Goddard reviewed the openings and applications for each Board/Advisory Council. RESOLUTION NO. 20 OF 2018 - APPOINTMENT OF BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS MEMBER Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Earl Hicks to a five year term on the Board of Zoning Appeals, effective January 15, 2018 through December 31, 2022. Moved by Connors, Second by Dietrich. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich RESOLUTION NO. 21 OF 2018 - APPOINTMENT OF CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Joel Gagnon, Clare Fewtrell, and Matt Ulinski to two year terms on the Conservation Advisory Council, effective January 15, 2018 through December 31, 2019. Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich There was further discussion regarding the potential vacancy to come and consideration of Klein to reapply. Clerk Goddard noted that, once that vacancy is effective, the position be advertised as usual. RESOLUTION NO. 22 OF 2018 - APPOINTMENT OF PLANNING BOARD MEMBER Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Joel Gagnon to a seven year term on the Planning Board, effective January 15, 2018 through December 31, 2024. Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich There was a brief discussion regarding appointments to Board Chairs for the CAC and BZA. Dietrich made a suggestion that those groups have an opportunity to express their views regarding choice of chair. This suggestion was supported by the other Board members. Appointment of Board Chairs will take place in February, allowing time for this input. Reaffirm Town of Danby Code of Ethics Clerk Goddard explained the need to reaffirm the Town of Danby Code of Ethics. This had been adopted in 2007 as part of the Town of Danby Employee Manual. It had never been reaffirmed on its own. Connors suggested that, while the current Code of Ethics is sufficient for now, it would be of benefit to review and update the document over the next year. Preliminary review was scheduled for March. RESOLUTION NO. 23 OF 2018 - REAFFIRM TOWN OF DANBY CODE OF ETHICS Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby reaffirms the Code of Ethics, adopted as part of the Town of Danby Employee Manual in 2007. Moved by Ulinksi, Second by Connors. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich Planning Report Supervisor Dietrich informed the Board that there will be some adjustments in the work duties and work hours between the Code Officer and Planner in the next few months. More information will be provided at a later date. Town Planner CJ Randall distributed her draft work plan for 2018 to the Board. This work plan will also be distributed to the Planning Board. This work plan includes a scope of work for a zoning audit of Town of Danby zoning. Randall would also like to review/audit the subdivision regulations, and the telecommunications law with input from the Planning Board and Town Board. Review of land use regulations was a prime area of concern raised at the Joint Boards Scoping meeting in late 2017. Randall reported on regular meetings she will be attending during the next year. She gave information about the next round of Consolidated Funding applications with a focus on a housing needs assessment for the Town of Danby in 2018. This project will be coordinated with the Code Officer and others. Much of the work for 2018 will be fact-finding efforts in collaboration with Tompkins County. The Danby Town Board_Minutes_20180115 • Tuesday, February 6, 2018 Page ! of !3 4 housing needs assessment will be patterned on a housing needs assessment that was awarded to the Town of Dryden in 2017. Randall gave an update on the Clean Energy Community Grant submission. The deadline for submitting a proposal is February 5. This grant will focus on energy efficiency measures for the town highway boards. Randall gave credit to Jim Holahan and Jack Shawley for their assistance with this grant proposal. The proposal will include an energy audit, upgrades to the heating system, possible “quick close” doors for the truck bays, and a possible wastewater recycling unit. Randall reported on a Watershed Summit/Conference being planned by the Cayuga Lake Inter- municipal Association with involvement from students at Cornell University and several other agencies. It is hoped that this summit will assist small municipalities apply for grants with various projects. It is also hope that this will put momentum behind projects targeting harmful algae blooms in lakes and waterways and sediment transport which may contribute to algae blooms. Randall gave an update on the LED streetlight conversion project. The City of Ithaca is carrying the cost of reviewing an offer by NYSEG for street light replacement. Paul Hansen is the primary contact for this project. Danby has 23 street lights that might be upgraded through a joint purchasing agreement with other municipalities. Additional information can be found in the Code Report. Appoint Delegate to Association of Towns Meeting There was a brief discussion regarding attendance at the Association of Towns Annual meeting. Connors indicated that she is willing to serve as a voting delegate, in the event that she attends the meeting in February. RESOLUTION NO. 24 OF 2018 - APPOINT DELEGATE TO ASSOCIATION OF TOWNS ANNUAL MEETING Resolved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby appoints Leslie Connors as its delegate to the annual meeting of the New York State Association of Towns. Moved by Ulinksi, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Ulinski, Dietrich !!!! Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:55 pm. !!!!!!!!! ______________________________________ Pamela Goddard, Town Clerk Town Board_Minutes_20180115 • Tuesday, February 6, 2018 Page ! of !4 4