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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTownBoard_Minutes_20190812Danby Town Board
 Minutes of Regular Meeting
 August 12, 2019, 7pm, Danby Town Hall Present: Councilpersons: Leslie Connors, Ric Dietrich (Supervisor), Jim Holahan, Jack Miller, Matt Ulinski Others Present: Town Clerk Pamela Goddard Justice Garry Huddle Planner John Czamanske Public Ted Crane, Ronda Roaring, Sarah Schnabel, Pat Woodworth, Alex Pfeifer, Bruce Richards, Katharine Hunter, Joel Gagnon, Michael and Lucy Rowell, Greg Colucci, Earl Hicks. Meeting Opened at 7:05 pm Privilege of the Floor Katharine Hunter spoke about two concerns regarding West King Road. She has observed suspicious activity involving a pedestrian and a vehicle. The pedestrian appeared to be checking out driveways and houses, then being picked up by the vehicle. She did call the Sheriff to report the activity. Hunter additionally expressed interest in having a speed reduction on West King Road. Further discussion regarding speed limits took place later in the meeting. Ted Crane encouraged further discussion of two items that had been on the previous meeting agenda. First, regarding a potential moratorium on certain types of development. Second, regarding Ag District review in Danby, which takes place only every eight years. Crane was concerned that the Board be able to respond to this review by the end of the month, this being the last TB meeting for August. Supervisor Dietrich stated that there would not be discussion of either item at this meeting, stating that these topics were a distraction from other work that needs to be done. Lucy and Michael Rowell, in the process of establishing a farm meadery on property in Danby, expressed concerns about a potential commercial development moratorium. They stated that they hope to attend Board meetings more often. Dietrich stated that this moratorium is not being pursued at this time. Ronda Roaring expressed a concerns about inconsistency in listing meeting agendas on the Town web site. She was pleased to see an agenda for the upcoming Planning Board meeting but unhappy to see a presentation by Debbie Teeter regarding Ag. District review. Planner Czamanske responded that Teeter is not on the upcoming agenda for the PB meeting. Crane pointed out a posting “glitch” on the web site, reposting an agenda from a previous year. This error will be investigated and fixed. Warrants ABSTRACT #12 OF 2019: GENERAL FUND #364-376 for a total of $7,473.18 Moved by Ulinski, Second by Connors. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Ulinski, Dietrich HIGHWAY FUND #244-253 for a total $9,241.91 Moved by Connors, Second by Miller. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Ulinski, Dietrich WEST DANBY WATER DISTRICT FUND #21-25 for a total $1,058.01 Moved by Ulinski, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Ulinski, Dietrich 2020 Budget Planning - Preliminary Discussion Laura Shawley reported on the status of preparing financial information ahead of formal budget planning for the next year. Budget worksheets will be sent to the departments and Boards by the last week of August. Once those budget requests are received, and the most current assessments are received from the County, the preliminary budget will be drafted. This should be prepared by late September. Ulinski asked whether there are any anticipated, out of the ordinary increases in budget areas? Shawley reported that there is an expected increase of between 4-5% in health insurance. This is less than the market rate increase of between 8-15%. Shawley plans on an increase of up to 8% in Worker’s Compensation. Salaries will see the standard increase of 2%. Uncertain what the increase will be in Town Board_Minutes_20190812 • Friday, August 23, 2019 Page ! of !1 3 retirement contributions. Having a full-time Planner and full-time Code Officer will have an impact on benefits and the budget. With all of these increases, it is uncertain whether the Town will need to exceed the NYS mandated tax cap. Various Grants - Update Holahan reported that the Request for Proposals related to the Community Development Block Grant has been updated, following questions to the Planner. The deadline for RFPs is August 23. No proposals had been received at the time of this meeting. Holahan and Shawley reported regarding the status of various grant projects. The NYSERDA grant for environmental improvements to the Highway building is underway. Engineers are collecting a set of metrics required for evidence of improvements. These metrics are being submitted for the first partial payment of the grant. The contract has been awarded for the installation of the new garage doors. Once the first partial payment has been received, that work can begin. After the installation of the garage doors, the new wash bay will be constructed. The Deputy Highway Supervisor is collecting information about the wash bay design from other Highway Departments which are using this system. The final part of the grant project will be in the installation of heat pumps. The Brown Road re-stabilization project was temporarily delayed due to a requirement from the DEC for reengineering step-dams in the stream. The Town has now gotten a “go-ahead” from the DEC, and still requires approval from Fish and Wildlife. The step-dams will be made from squared off rocks, which are more durable than wood. Once the engineering design is approved by all involved agencies, the RFP can go out for the actual construction/installation. Letters have gone out to potential consultants for the work related to Bridge NY grants. There have been at least six responses to do this work from a list of consultants in the region. Highway is working with Jeff Smith at the County level, on a grading system for bridges in Danby. This will prioritize the repair work needed. Violence in the Workplace - report Ulinski reported on the status of review of current safety procedures for emergency situations and events involving potential violence in the workplace for the Danby municipal offices. Ulinski and others on the Board have been looking at ways to keep Town Hall staff safe and how to respond to emergency situations. Active Attack training with representatives from the Sheriff’s office was part of this process. Ulinski has spoken with the Town Attorney and Sheriff Osborne about this topic. The Town is supposed to have a workplace violence prevention plan. At the time of this meeting, no plan had been found. Laura Shawley stated that a generic plan is in effect at the Highway Department, as part of the municipal union contract. Ulinski suggested that Danby adopt something new. Ulinski advised that a person or agency be brought in to review what is needed in upgrades to the Town Hall security system. This would include, but not be limited to, upgrades or additions to the camera security system, a protective barrier for the Clerk’s office window, and a general safety review of the building. Shawley noted that the Town would need to send out a request for bids or proposals, and would need to pay prevailing wage for any work done on the building. Ulinski recommended that security start with installing additional cameras. There may be a need to increase the budget, through the fund balance, to cover this cost. He reported that the Town Attorney advises the creation of a Threat Assessment Team, to review security needs. Speed Limit Plans Connors opened a discussion regarding speed limit reductions and traffic calming measures for roads throughout Danby. She noted that several neighborhoods have petitioned for speed limit reduction on roads. There are other traffic calming measures that could be considered, including signage such as, Give us a Break - Slow Down. Connors asked whether it was worth considering a Town-wide speed limit for the Danby? Some roads are already posted at lower than 40mph. Connors suggested a Town-wide speed limit of 45mph. Connors reported that the Sheriff would support Danby in a Town-wide speed limit. Ulinski supported the concept of a 45mph speed limit as reasonable for Danby. Shawley responded, on behalf of Highway, that the NYS DoT has informed Towns that they would need to assess each road prior to permitting a wide ranging speed limit. She said that this prior communication does not prevent the Town for addressing this again. Several roads are on a list for review by the NYS Department of Transportation. Laura Shawley reported that the NYS DoT has an extensive wait period for review, due to the large number of requests. The Highway Department continues to follow up with these requests. There was general support for a new ask for a Town-wide speed limit for Danby. There was discussion of other traffic calming measures, including solar powered Your Speed is X signs. The cost of such signs, and whether there may be a grant program to cover such costs, was discussed. Clerk Goddard shared a request from a resident on Gunderman Road for a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Gunderman and Comfort Road. There are currently north/south stops on Comfort Road at this intersection. The Highway Department will follow up on the procedure for approving a four- way stop at this location. Town Board_Minutes_20190812 • Friday, August 23, 2019 Page ! of !2 3 Connors asked that review of a request for a lower limit on Troy Road be made a priority. There have been a number of dangerous incidents on that road. There was agreement from the Board to do this. Municipal Obligations and Ongoing Projects Dietrich opened a discussion regarding items that have a January 2020 deadline. He expressed concern about continuity with the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG), the Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (IO), and emergency management at the town and county level. Dietrich has been involved with all these items, and which will need new leadership in January. He asked the Board for feedback on whether there was intention to continue with these involvements or not. Holahan asked about what is needed to be involved with Emergency Management? Dietrich outlined the process of training through on-line FEMA courses, becoming familiar with other involved persons and agencies, and the needed contracts and inter-agency procedures. At this time, Supervisor Dietrich is the only Board member with Level 3 training through FEMA. Dietrich recommends that Code Officer Norman work with the Sheriff’s office and Emergency Response to draft an updated Emergency Management Plan for the Town of Danby. This should include Town response to an active shooter situation. Dietrich encouraged the Board to continue its involvement with TCCOG, as a valuable resource in intermunicipal agreements. A key example of this is the Health Care Consortium, which has saved Danby and other municipalities large amounts of money in employee insurance. Additionally, the Broadband buildout project is yet to be finished. He urged similar continued involvement with the Watershed IO, to protect the health of Cayuga Lake. Currently four counties and 23 municipalities are involved with this organization. The IO has been important in flood mitigation as well. The questions are, are these projects of continued importance and who will take on these responsibilities? Ulinski and other Board members thanked Dietrich for thinking ahead about the transition to a new supervisor. Ulinski stated that he thought that these activities are all important. These concerns will be discussed over the next four months and eight TB meetings. There may be the need of one or more special meetings to work through the transition. The Board intends to start with early meetings, an hour before the regular meeting, to talk through these concerns. Joel Gagnon stated his intention to have continuity with the agencies and organizations mentioned by Dietrich, and to work with the current Supervisor for the transition. Reschedule September Meetings Clerk Goddard noted that the first Monday in September (Sep. 2) is Labor Day. Several Board members would not be able to attend on that date. A motion was passed to reschedule the September meetings to the second and third Mondays of that month. The Board further agreed to start the September 9 meeting early, in order to discuss the transition to a new Town Supervisor in January 2020. Joel Gagnon will attend that meeting. MOTION - RESCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 2019 TOWN BOARD MEETINGS Moved, That the Town Board of the Town of Danby reschedules its September meetings for the 9 and 16, 2019. Moved by Connors, Second by Holahan. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Ulinski, Dietrich MOTION - EARLY START FOR SEPTEMBER 9 2019 TOWN BOARD MEETING Moved, That the meeting on September 9 will begin at 6pm. Moved by Ulinski, Second by Dietrich. The motion passed.
 In Favor: Connors, Holahan, Miller, Ulinski, Dietrich Justices’ Report Written reports from the Town Justices were circulated among the Board. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm. !!!!!!! ______________________________________ Pamela Goddard, Town Clerk Town Board_Minutes_20190812 • Friday, August 23, 2019 Page ! of !3 3