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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReg Mtg Minutes Feb 15 1999.pdfMinutes of Regular Meeting February 15, 1999 VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS BOARD OF TRUSTEES Minutes of a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Cayuga Heights, held February 15, 1999 at 7:30 PM in the Village Hall. PRESENT: Deputy Mayor Fleming; Trustees Kira, and Kusse; Attorney Tyler; Treasurer Silber; Supt. of Public Works Cross; Assistant Fire Chief DiVenti; Police Chief Lansing; Clerk Kord. ABSENT: Mayor Anderson; Trustees Collyer, Meinhardt, and Bisogni. OTHERS: Kimberly and Doris June, Kay Newman, Joy Barr, and Jolene DiGiacomo. The meeting was called to order by Deputy Mayor Fleming at 7:40 PM., opening it to Privilege of the Floor. There were no requests to speak. Because a quorum was not present and no official action could be taken, it was decided to proceed only with Reports from the Department Heads and that no votes would be taken. There was no Report of the Mayor. Superintendent of Public Works Cross gave his monthly report, which is on file, and reported on the following: - After inspection by three men from the DPW, of a Gehl skid loader that was sold to the City of Cortland, it was found that they had several safety concerns as well as operational concerns with the equipment. There was a discussion of the legal issues involved in disqualifying the low bid in favor of the second bid, which is the Bobcat loader. The Board recommended that there be further discussion and deferred a decision until the next meeting. - The test results came in from Yaw’s on the land application of sludge. Supt. Cross has not had time to study these results and will report at a later date. - Test reports have shown that there have been violations by Borg Warner’s mini- pretreatment program, and the recent quarterly tests indicate the problem has worsened. Superintendent Cross wrote a letter to Borg Warner and received a reply that they have purchased some new equipment that should take care of the problem within the next 4-5 weeks. The Board recommended that Supt. Cross keep careful watch and that if the situation is not rectified a financial penalty may be enacted. Assistant Fire Chief DiVenti gave his report, which is on file, and reported on the following: - There have been 34 calls and no major fires. - The Fire Council meets Thursday, 2/18,1999 to finalize their budget. - The Building Committee met with the Architects who will present their plan for the Programming Phase within six weeks. - The appointments to fill vacancies on the TC Fire Advisory Committee will have to wait until the next meeting of the Board. - Kay Newman asked for information about an accident that occurred Sat. night 2/13/99 on E. Upland Road, when a car, unable to make the turn because of icy conditions, hit and ran onto the guard rail. There was a discussion of the merits of the guard rail at that location. Attorney Tyler reported: - He has received a letter from Shirley Egan of Cornell University asking that the formal easement be signed before the end of the month, transferring property off East Shore Drive from Cornell to the Village for the Chilled Water Line. The letter is on file at the Village Office. This is a ratification of the agreement of a year and a half ago, but with technical revisions. Treasurer Silber asked if it was possible to charge Cornell approximately $1,000 for legal fees for this transfer, since this transfer will not benefit the Village. Attorney Tyler will discuss this with Shirley Egan. - The Sexual Harassment Policy has been approved by the independent consultants, but adoption will wait for a meeting of the Board with a quorum present. - Attorney Tyler has a letter from the Attorney for the PBA concerning the wage and hour controversy and there will be further communications regarding legal precedent and how it impact the current issue. Treasurer Silber made his monthly report, which is on file, and reported on the following: - Work is proceeding on the budget. However, not all the departmental reports are in and there needs to be some clarification on the assessment numbers from the TC Assessment Board. Treasurer Silber will contact Assessment to get the appropriate information. - There will be a decision on Health Insurance within the next two weeks. He will present the alternatives to the PBA shortly since the renewal of the present insurance is costly, up approximately 20%. The three choices are: 1. To continue with the current Blue Cross policy with Ithaca Agency. 2. Get a modified quote from Ithaca Agency and consider it against a quote that he has from the Bailey Agency. 3. Do an RFP to look for other vendors. This matter will be deferred until the next meeting. - Transfers will be deferred until the next meeting. - Treasurer Silber asked that the Board approve the payment of the Abstracts subject to ratification by a quorum of the Board, so that the bills can be paid in a timely fashion. There were two changes to the Abstract of Warrants. On Page 4, Godwin Pumps should be substituted for Goodyear Auto Service and on page two the correct account no. for Gall’s Inc. should be A3410.425. Motion by Trustee Kira, seconded by Trustee Kusse. Voted to approve the Abstract of Warrants, as amended, subject to ratification, dated February 15, 1999 in the following amounts: General Fund $43,893.82; Sewer fund $46,309.21; Water Fund $237.29. Trustees Kira, Kusse, and Fleming voted YES. Police Chief Lansing made his monthly report, which is on file, and reported on the following: - He has instituted an incident report card that can be filled out by the officer at the time of the incident. This has been a fast and effective way of reporting complaints. - He has received 2 letters, both on behalf of the same Village resident, regarding a request for a cat ordinance to be instituted in the Village. In 25 years there have been only 2 complaints that he is aware of. He feels that this is not really a police matter and would not recommend adoption of this policy because he feels that it will tie up his officers and result in overtime. The Board will take this up at a future meeting. - Trustee Kusse asked about the number of overtime hours. Chief Lansing noted that there have been a number of emergencies that required that the officers work extra hours to cover the shifts. There was no Report of the Clerk. There will be a Special Meeting of the Board on Monday, February 22, 1999 at 4:30. Motion by Trustee Kira, seconded by Trustee Kusse, Voted to adjourn at 8:40PM.to Monday, 2/22/99 at 4:30 PM. Trustees Fleming, Kira and Kusse voted YES.