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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-9-16 reg and public hearingTown of Enfield Regular Town Board Meeting and Public Hearing Minutes Enfield Community Building Wednesday, November 9, 2016 6:30 p.m. Present: Town Supervisor Ann Rider, Town Councilperson Virginia Bryant, Town Councilperson Mike Carpenter, Town Councilperson Henry Hansteen, Town Councilperson Michael Miles, Town Clerk Alice Linton. Supervisor Rider lead the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag at 6:30 p.m. Public Hearing on 2017 Budget: Supervisor Rider stated a legal ad was published in the Ithaca Journal advertising the public hearing. She opened the public hearing at 6:32 pm Becky Sims of Enfield stated, when she realized the town budget increased 30% in 2016, she took a look at that budget and found an error showing the total appropriations as being $148,000 too low. When she looked at the 2017 preliminary budget, she saw that there was again an error in arithmetic showing an error in total appropriations of $18,636. Supervisor Rider sent her an updated preliminary budget and she checked it for mistakes, but she is not a professional. She is concerned that this is an on-going issue. She suggested the town board seek assistance and invest in help or software for next year to make sure everything balances. She also noted that there was a 25 million dollar difference in assessed value between the tentative and preliminary 2017 budgets and wants to make sure the town board is confident of the real value. Marcus Gingerich of Enfield stated he has not yet read the proposed Enfield Community Council contract.. for 2017-2021, but it appears there will be a 2% per year increase in the amount the town pays the Council. He feels it is odd to give such an increase with current budgeting problems. The public hearing was closed at 6:38 p.m. Privilege of the Floor: Susan Multer of the Town of Ithaca passed out copies of an article on the Impacts of Windmill Visibility on Property Values in Madison County, NY and an article on the Fenner Renewable Energy Education Center which is dedicated to educating and raising awareness about the advantages, impacts and costs of renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, solar and geothermal power as alternatives to non-renewable sources of energy. She did not know the distance of the turbines from homes at the Madison County wind farm. Dawn Drake of Enfield thanked town board members for those that took the time to listen to concerns of residents regarding the Black Oak Wind Farm (.BOWF). She asked if the location of the sub -station and the turbine to be located on Donny Gunning's property had been determined yet. She asked how a Road Use Agreement could be discussed when it was unknown what roads would be used. She feels the BOWF will not be a community based project, as the plans are to sell it to a large firm. She urged town board members to continue to take the time needed to get answers and to remember they represent the residents of Enfield'. Ray Stiefel of the Town of Ithaca feels the process of approving a wind farm in Enfield should have been done differently. Renewable energy is the future, but not at the cost of hurt feelings or economic distress. He stated there would be economic benefits from this project to the town. Nancy Spero of Enfield noticed there is an item on the agenda regarding becoming the Iead agency for two projects proposed by Delaware River Solar. She is concerned that the town has no .regulations added to the Site Plan Review Law yet regarding solar farms. She cautioned the board about taking on,a new project before the Site Plan Review Law is updated. Theresa Guler of Enfield thanked the town board for their work on the BOWF project. She feels emotionally and physically drained from the process and asked for 3 minutes of silence to think about the entire process. Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 Marcus Gingerich of Enfield thanked the town board for putting a lot of work into the BOWF project. He had several concerns. The agenda for meetings often changes at the last minute and he is not sure the town board members have time to talk and consider all issues. He feels it is difficult for the town board to make an educated assessment when BOWF Plans have not been provided. The town board has asked for a letter from Rich Teeter, but none from Donny Gunning. He feels a lot of details are falling through the cracks. He urged the town board to take their time and put in the effort to make sure things are all done right. Councilperson Carpenter responded that the agenda did change. Supervisor Rider has a lot to keep track of, and she does communicate with the town board. Tammy Alling of Enfield stated it is possible to find pros and cons for any topic. She feels bad for people who live in the area of the proposed BOWF as they have no choice. They will live with flicker and other situations every day. Ron Riddle of Enfield recently watched a wind farm documentary, "Windfall". He feels the situation in Enfield could be similar to this. Often the public is told there should be no concerns. He feels health and property values are at risk. Being forced to have wind turbines near homes is unconscionable. The issue should not be about money, but about caring for people in the town. Health risks and other information is out there. Councilperson Carpenter stated he appreciates everyone's thoughts and believes everyone on the town board cares about residents. Gary Fisher of Enfield stated at the end of September he drove through the East Aurora area where there are more wind turbines than he could count. He felt just looking at them all could cause vertigo. He feels there is nothing peaceful in seeing mile after mile of turbines. He asked the town board to consider the quality of life for residents living in the proposed wind farm area. Jude Lemke of Enfield questioned why the BOWF Road Use Agreement and BOWF Community Relations and Dispute Resolution Plan were on the agenda when her understanding was BOWF was to provide all requested documents in one package. She feels the town board should be requesting a letter from Donny Gunning stating he will not allow a turbine on his property if the location is different than the one in the original plan. She questioned how the town board could make a decision about a Road Use Agreement when they don't know where the sub -station and all the turbines will be located. She is glad to see a resolution on the agenda about recovering attorney FOIL fees from BOWF. She is not clear why the board is considering a 2% increase in the Enfield Community Council's contract when they are trying to keep a flat budget. Beth McGee of Enfield thanked everyone for their support, as she has been elected to fill the one year councilperson position that was open. She thanked Councilperson Miles for stepping up to fill the position in 2016 and for his diligent work. She commented that the Fenner Wind Farm had a tower collapse in 2009 and at the same wind farm a blade flew one hundred thirteen feet, so that might not be a good wind farm example. Mimi Mehaffey of Enfield stated there are two numbers that stick in her mind. The first is there are eighty- six families, according to BOWF, in the area of the proposed turbines. The second, is the way the proposed turbines stand, one blade tip will be ten feet from a property line. This doesn't feel safe. Beverly Gingerich of Enfield stated that although it is rare that wind farm accidents happen, at the beginning of October, in Hawaii, a turbine separated and fell to the ground which shut down the project. In September, —. she met a man who was hiking past her house on the North Country trail who had Seen wind farm Signg 21td asked what was happening in the area. He had been keeping a journal while hiking, and when near Hornell wrote that the noise from the wind turbines was irritating, even though he was a half mile away. Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 Consent Agenda: Supervisor Rider asked if anyone would like to pull an item from the consent agenda. Councilperson Hansteen asked to have the audit claims pulled. Supervisor Rider moved, with a second by Councilperson Miles to approve items on the Consent Agenda as follows: Approval of Minutes of the Regular Town Board Meeting of October 12, 2016 and the Special Town Board Meeting of October 26, 2016. Budget Amendments: Budget Amendment #2016- 24 WHEREAS, expenses have exceeded the budget in the General Fund line A]420.4 titled "Attorney - Contractual", now therefore be it RESOLVED, that line A1620.1 titled `Buildings -Personal Services" be decreased by $1,500.00 and General Fund line A] 3 16.11 titled "Assistant Bookkeeper be reduced by $500.00 and General Fund line A33 10.4 (corrected to A3010.4 at December 14, 2016 meeting) titled "Administration — Contractual" be reduced by $1,000.00 and General Fund Eine A1990.4 titled "Contingent Fund" be decreased by $1,200.00 and General Fund line A2770 titled "Miscellaneous Revenue" be reduced by $2,680.90 and General Fund line A] 420.4 be increased by $6,880.90. Budget Amendment #2016- 25 WHEREAS, expenses have exceeded the budget in the Highway Fund line DA51 10.14 entitled "Personnel Services - Overtime", now therefore be it RESOLVED, that line DA5142.14 titled " Personnel Services - Overtime" be decreased by $2,100.00 and Highway Fund line DA51 l 0.14 be increased by S2,1 00.00. Budget Amendment #2016- 26 WHEREAS, expenses have exceeded the budget in the Highway Fund line DA5130.4 entitled "Machinery — Contractual", now therefore be it RESOLVED, that line DA5130.45 titled "Diesel & Gas" be reduced by $5,000.00 and Highway Fund DA5142.4 titled "Snow Removal Contractual" be reduced by $10,000.00 and Highway Fund line DA5130.4 be increased by $15,000.00. Budget Amendment #2016- 27 WHEREAS, expenses have exceeded the budget in the Highway Fund line DA9050.8 titled "Unemployment Insurance", now therefore be it RESOLVED, that line DA9070.8 entitled "Drug Tests" be reduced by $120.00 and line DA9050.8 be increased by $120.00. Budget Amendment #2016- 28 WHEREAS, expenses have exceeded the budget in the General Fund line A] 910.4 entitled , "Unallocated Insurance", now therefore be it RESOLVED, that line A5182.4 entitled "Street Lighting" be reduced by $200.00 and line A]910.4 be increased by $200.00. Budget Amendment #2016- 29 WHEREAS, the Town has received unexpected revenue from Tompkins County in the amount of $8,756.00 for reimbursement for well drilling, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that this money be added to General Fund line A1620.41 entitled "Contractual —Aquifer Study". Supervisor's Financial Report for October, 2016. Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 4 Vote on Consent Agenda: Councilperson Bryant aye, Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson Hansteen nay, Councilperson Miles aye, Supervisor Rider aye. Carried Discussion of Audit Claims: Councilperson Hansteen questioned voucher #333 which was for legal services of Guy Krogh, Thaler and Thaler law firm, in the amount of $3,560. Most of those services seemed to be BOWF related, but the budget code was for the funds to come out of the general fund attorney line. The legal services of Frank Pavia, Harris Beach law firm, were all coded to come from the BOWF escrow line. Supervisor Rider stated she would ask attorney Guy Krogh for his opinion of whether the charges could legitimately be charged to the BOWF escrow line. Councilperson Hansteen feels the Developer's Agreement was written to protect the town. If the town pays for these legal expenses, it is costing the town money. Supervisor Rider responded she felt the professional thing to do was approve payment of the invoice and then recode the voucher when she gets information from attorney Guy Krogh. Supervisor Rider provided town board members with a balance sheet with :Highway Fund figures and stated there is not enough money to support payment of the submitted vouchers, and meet payroll, until CHIPS reimbursement money is received. She stated she had no idea when the CHiPS reimbursement would be received, and recommended pulling the Suit-Kote voucher, in the amount of $28,665.17 from the November 9, 2016 audit claims. Although an inter -fund transfer could be done, she stated the NYS Comptroller's Office doesn't like that to happen. She feels there is no guarantee that the CHIPS reimbursement will come in this year. Councilperson Carpenter asked if the Suit-Kote voucher was pulled would there be sufficient funds in the Highway Fund. The Suit-Kote invoice states interest at 1.5% will be charged on invoices that are not paid within 30 days. This would mean the town would need to pay approximately $400 in interest if the invoice isn't paid until December. He felt it would be appropriate to let Suit -Kate know the payment would be late and request that they not charge the full 1.5% in late fees. He will notify Highway Superintendent Rollins of the board's decision on this payment. Councilperson Carpenter asked Supervisor Rider to let the town board .members know, at their next meeting, what Guy Krogh's answer was to the billing issue with BOWE Councilperson Miles asked if the payment of this month's Harris Beach billing would trigger another letter to BOWF to replenish their escrow account, as their balance would now be less than $5,000. Councilperson Carpenter moved, with a second by Councilperson Bryant to approve the audit claims as follows: The town board authorizes the supervisor to pay General Fund vouchers #310 to #335 dated November 9, 2016 in the amount of $35,898.26 and Highway Fund vouchers #186 to #197 and #199 to #202 dated November 9, 2016 in the amount of $14,765.79; voucher #198 for Suit-Kote in the amount of $28,665.17 was excluded. Vote: Councilperson Bryant aye, Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson Hansteen aye, Councilperson Miles aye, Supervisor Rider aye. Carried Correspondence: Letter from Tracy and Larry Saulsgiver thanking the Enfield Highway Department for the work reeently accomplished at 464 and 468 Enfield Center Road East. The highway crew took great pains to see that the job was completed with minimal impact on traffic in and out of both residences and finished the job in a reasonable time frame. Buddy Rollins and his highway crew were commended for their concern and cooperation during the job, that was well done. Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 S Memo from Richard C. Snyder, Tompkins County Director of Finance with the third quarter sales tax report. The Town of Enfield does not receive any sales tax from the county, as they opted out several years ago. Letter from Culligan Water and Chemung Spring Water stating they have merged, effective September 1, 2016. Letter from NYS Ag and Markets with the Municipal Shelter Inspection Report dated October 7, 2016 showing the dog shelter services were rated "Satisfactory". Letter from NYS Ag and Markets with the Dog Control Officer Inspection Report dated October 7, 2016 showing the dog control officer services were rated "Satisfactory". Letter from Town of Ulysses regarding their Disinfection By -Product Removal Project- Water District #3. The information was sent as the Ulysses Town Board is currently in the process of establishing itself as Lead Agency under the State Environmental Quality Review and determined that the Town of Enfield may have some interest in the project. Enfield Planning Board Chair, Dan Walker, will look into this. E-mail from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation regarding Municipal Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Rebate Program. County Legislator Report: No report. Highway Superintendent Report: No report. Code Enforcement Report: Code Enforcement Officer Alan Teeter presented his report for October showing there were 3 building permits issued, bringing the year to date total to 55, with 5 for new homes. There was l certificate of occupancy issued. He completed 2 foundation inspections, 1 framing inspection, 2 final inspections, and 11 progress checks. There was l fire and safety inspection completed. He received a software proposal from Williamson Law Book Co. for building and code enforcement for $3,250, plus annual support for $795. He felt this software would be very useful to him for his job - he could keep better track of records and properties. Other municipalities in Tompkins County use the software and are happy with it. Supervisor Rider has found enough funds in the 2016 budget to pay for the software and there will be enough money available in future budgets to pay for the annual support. For the next three years there won't be funds needed for vehicle repairs, as the new vehicle has a three year warranty. Councilperson Carpenter moved, with a second by Councilperson Bryant, to authorize the supervisor to sign a contract with Williamson Law Book Co. for software for the Enfield Code Enforcement Office and include on-going support costs in annual budgets. Vote: Councilperson Bryant aye, Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson Hansteen aye, Councilperson Miles aye, Supervisor Rider aye. Carried Supervisor's Report: Supervisor Rider reported she attended a TCCOG meeting, a college forum to recruit an intern to help with a 5 -year budget, and a working committee meeting on Community Choice Aggregation; she met with Councilperson Carpenter to go over risk management assessment, with insurance agent John Kuehn to review and update property, vehicle and liability coverage, with the bookkeeper to double check the tentative budget, with Councilperson Carpenter; Buddy Rollins Highway Superintendent and Brandon McGee deputy Highway Superintendent regarding the 2017 budget; prepared the tentative 2017 budget, the preliminary 2017 budget, and the final 2017 budget; researched the town's "opt, out': of . solar farm tax election. Committee Reports: Wind Farm Advisory Committee: Councilperson Miles reported the committee has been meeting the last several months to work on recommended changes to the Town of Enfield Wind Energy Law. They have submitted their report to the town board, and the recommendations are on the town website. There was a lot. of back and forth concerning how far to go with changes, but they decided simpler was better. There is more work to be done, but this was a good start. Not everyone was in complete agreement about the change in set- backs, but four times the height of the turbine was recommended. They recommended a change in Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 6 notification requirements to have the town clerk send, by registered mail, notification of a proposed wind farm to residents within a two mile radius. Currently the noise level is 60 dba above ambient, but a change in that was recommended. They added an Appendix A with information on standards to measure noise, based on information obtained from the Town of Freedom, Maine. The committee understands changes in the law would not be retroactive for the current BOWF project. Councilperson Miles stated he hopes the town board will take this up and talk about it. Plannina Board: Chairperson Dan Walker reported the committee met last week but had no action items on their agenda. There is one planning board position and 2 alternate positions open. The deadline for submitting a letter of interest is November 20, 2016. There was a discussion of a solar law and how to incorporate it into the Site Plan Review Law so the town can be adequately protected. Most planning board members felt decommissioning of solar farms shouldn't be regulated, as most other projects in the town aren't regulated. Dan Walker plans to have a draft of a revised law to the town board by January, 2017_ Recreation Partnership: No report Enfield Communitv Council: No report Enfield Volunteer Fire Comnanv: Chief Roger Lauper submitted his report showing there were 27 calls in October of which 1 was a mutual aide to Ithaca, 18 were EMS calls, 3 MVA, and 5 service calls. November trainings will include work detail and cold weather training. A blood drive is scheduled for November 15 from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Facilities Manaaer: Councilperson Carpenter met with Roger Lauper, .Enfield Volunteer Fire Department - Chief and Buddy Rollins, Highway Superintendent, about safety issues at the highway building and how to deal with concerns. GCI outlets or breakers in electric panel boxes were discussed. Buddy Rollins will call HSC and ENR to get estimates for repairing the natural gas heaters in the ceiling of the highway building. Tompkins Countv Council of Governments: Supervisor Rider stated there was discussion of new officers and the Community Choice Aggregate at their last meeting. Old Business: Letter to Black Oak Wind Farm outlining plans necessary for Wind Enerav Permit: Supervisor Rider presented a proposed letter to the BOWF requesting BOWF provide the Enfield Town Board with a letter from Rich Teeter agreeing to the fact that the NYSEG sub -station will be on his property as shown under the original EIS, or that he agrees to sell that portion of his property that the sub -station would be located on. Additionally, the letter asks BOWF to provide the items in the motion made at the October 28, 2016 special town board meeting. Supervisor Rider asked if any town board member had any changes they'd like to make to the letter before it is sent to BOWF. Councilperson Miles stated he took the wording for the October 28 motion directly from Frank Pavia, attorney for the town in wind farm matters. He suggested putting the requested items in a bulleted format: Councilperson Carpenter felt there may well be an issue with placement of some of the turbines, as they changed size since the original plans. He is unclear on details of how that impact relates to the distance from neighboring properties. His understanding is that the change in turbine size on Donny Gunning's property may make it so that the adjoining property (Rob Tesori's property) is too close according to the wind law. He would want to see a letter from Donny Gunning to BOWF saying that the location of the turbine is where it was going to be originally, and then a letter from BOWF saying that the origiml turbine 10eation 19 in keeping with the original plan that they submitted, the original Environmental Impact Statement, and town wind law setbacks. Councilperson Hansteen suggested getting information on all the turbines and how far they would be from - Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 property lines. Councilperson Miles suggested including longitude and latitude for the exact locations of the turbines and sub -station. That will help determine how close they will be to property lines. Supervisor Rider stated she would send a copy of the draft proposed letter to Guy Krogh, town attorney, before sending it to BOWF. Councilperson Miles asked to have the proposed letter approved in a motion by the town board before it is sent to BOWF. Draft Communitv Relations and Dispute Resolution Plan: Councilperson Carpenter stated that although he now has a better understanding of the different draft Community Relations and Dispute Resolution Plans, he asked to have a letter he wrote entered in the minutes: After having read the plan that Ann sent about 2 weeks ago, which she indicated was from June of this year -it was not dated -I feel that we can probably work from it at the meeting. I find it fatally flawed, but the flaws are clearly enough shown that it is a good starting point for discussion. I am completely mystified, however, by the date Ann said it was received, as I had never seen it, and we have had a number of Board and wind farm committee discussions that indicated no awareness of its existence. Does anyone else remember seeing it before two weeks ago? If so, I would like to sort out some of our paperwork glitches more completely. That being said, there is another reason I did not want to write "my" plan to be discussed. In thinking about what to say, I went back over many of the submittals from Black Oak, the pronouncements from their representatives in both board and committee meetings and the thoughts I have had in relation to them. I watched them go from "there is no reason to do this" to "we will not do this" to "that's a deal breaker" to "yes, we will make it look like we will do this without actually doing it" to "we will do this, but only to the extent that it does not have any negative effects on our bottom line". That seems to me to be where we are right now, all to get three yes votes from us. You might think I would feel good about how hard they are "trying" to be a "good neighbor". I feel just the opposite, however. From the Orwellian nightmare that is the "Good Neighbor Agreement", which was touted as not being a legal document and an opportunity for everyone to share in the profits with no strings attached, to the minimal, grudgingly made concessions on the dispute resolution process, I feel that being a "good neighbor" is very far from what they intend. I would, instead, expect them to stall whenever possible, then minimize the problems that come up and avoid actually dealing with the issues. Then, if forced to, they will use the processes they have developed to make as few concessions as possible, not take any significant action and, finally, force the matter to be taken to court, where they will likely win, as nothing they ever submitted said anything more than that they would make "reasonable" efforts to solve the problems. The added advantage to Black Oak in this process is that Board members will be worn down by the process over time, and that, along with concerns about not keeping up with the unclear legal steps required, will make us just want to get it over with. Not a new idea, of course, and it does often work. If this is true of how the local owners of Black Oak will deal with problems, how much more likely is it to be true of a large multi -national corporation, from Germany or elsewhere? At this point, I see a project that was conceived out of ignorance of the evidence we have today in relation to wind farm problems. It was designed and developed from that same position and whatever feedback was obtained in the past from the nearby re5ident5 5een15 to have come from there as well. The permitting process over the last eight years or so also seems particularly defined by a lack of accurate communication on Black Oak's part and a willingness on the part of the Enfield town board members -past and present -to let the wind farm people direct the process and define the rules, with little outside input. I include myself in that last group. At this point, I believe there are many local residents who likely know much Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 g more than any of us on the board do about this issue. At the same time, we have been showered with what I consider uninformed feedback by individuals and organizations supporting a project that they seem not to understand well at all. Many years back, I had conversations with many people, John Rancich included, about what a great project this would be for the earth and for the local populace. I did not know enough, back then, to realize what a problem -health threatening and perhaps even life threatening -it would be for people living close by. I do not know at what level that threat is, but to me it has gone beyond being acceptable. I know the main argument for this project is that we need renewable energy to help to save our "planet". We do, but we need to do it right. To permit this project as it currently stands is not right. To perpetuate the idea that it is okay to do something that will significantly affect the health -physical, mental, emotional- and safety of a significant number of Enfield families in order to accomplish a greater good is not right. Despite what many authors and orators of the past have stated, the end does not justify the means. I firmly believe this and am trying to do my job here in accordance with it. Every time we take the path that looks at only the goal and not how we got there, we lose a small spark of our humanity. I am unwilling to accept that loss. In consequence, I find it necessary for me to act against the approval of this project in the future. If, as a board, we decide to not issue a permit to the wind farm, I fully expect we will have to justify that decision in a court of law. I believe we have a case to present, but we still may lose. In any case, however, we are likely to spend proceeds from the town's property taxes in defending our position. I am very troubled about that, but find that, for myself, voting against the permit for Black Oak Wind Farm, as it is currently configured, is the only action I can take. Mike Carpenter Councilperson Miles reminded the town board that at the last meeting a resolution was passed to ask BOWF for documents per legal counsel. Having a dated document to work through is needed. Councilperson Bryant stated many documents are undated and there are many versions of documents. Given BOWF's stance to date, and the concerns of many homeowners, she feels BOWF is not stepping up to the plate. Supervisor Rider stated a Plan was submitted and found to not be adequate. BOWF needs to know what about the Plan is not adequate. Councilperson Miles stated he is willing to work on a document, but a document that everyone is on the same page with. Councilperson Hansteen is also waiting for the documents that BOWF is being asked to provide. Peter Bardaglio, BOWF board president, stated there was clearly a misunderstanding as he was under the impression that Councilperson Carpenter would draft a Community Relations and Dispute Resolution Plan. BOWF has been waiting to see the draft. Councilperson Miles stated everyone needs to be on the same page, looking at the same document, and the proposed letter to BOWF is asking for that. Black Oak Wind Farm Road Use Aareement: Councilperson Miles stated the town's attorney, Frank Pavia, listed this as an item to be collected from BOW. Councilperson Bryant stated the town board voted to ask BOWF to provide these doeunienk Councilperson Hansteen stated a set of current documents, that are dated, need to be provided by BOWF. Councilperson Bryant was excused from the meeting at this time - 9:15 p.m. Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 9 2017 Preliminary Budget and Proposed 2017 Final. Budget: Supervisor Rider stated a public hearing was held on the budget. She believes all arithmetic errors have been corrected. Councilperson Carpenter asked why there was a difference in assessed value figures between the tentative and preliminary budgets. Supervisor Rider stated the mistake from the tentative budget was corrected on the preliminary budget. The tentative budget is no longer being discussed. The assessed value of the preliminary and final budgets is the same. Councilperson Hansteen moved, with a second by Councilperson Carpenter, to move the Preliminary 2017 Town of Enfield Budget to the Final 201.7 Town of Enfield Budget. Discussion: Supervisor Rider stated the Aquifer Study expense was not divided equally by the 5 years in the contract. The final bill will be more than $20,000. However, in the early part of the process, funds were donated and held by Social Ventures, a not-for-profit organization, in an amount a little over $10,000.00. There were also 2 grants received totaling $1.0,000.00 that have been held in the General Fund savings account. Councilperson Carpenter asked if the proposed final budget was under the tax cap. Supervisor Rider stated it was, but she wants to run the proposed final budget by Jay Franklin, Tompkins County Assessor, before voting on it. Councilperson Carpenter stated he did discuss the highway budget with Highway Superintendent Rollins. Councilperson Carpenter doesn't believe there is much that can be taken out of the highway budget. Over time it will be necessary to find ways to buy more equipment. He suggested getting information from other highway departments to see what they are spending, and what they already have. Councilperson Carpenter stated he would like information on how much the town supervisor and town clerk/tax collector make in neighboring towns. Supervisor Rider stated she has plans to recruit a student to gather this information. Vote: Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson Hansteen aye, Councilperson Miles aye, Supervisor Rider aye. Councilperson. Bryant excused. Carried New Business: Resolution to have BOWF nav for FOIL costs: Councilperson Hansteen asked to have this resolution postponed until all town board members were present. Resolution to become Lead Agencv for SEORA purposes on 2 solar proiects proposed by Delaware River Solar: Peter Dolgos and John Schmauch of Delaware River Solar introduced themselves. They are interested in developing a project in the Town of Enfield, but need a letter from the town stating they would consider being the lead agency for the project. Dan Walker, chair of the Enfield Planning Board, stated he would develop a letter saying the Town of Enfield has a Site Plan Review Law, and the .Enfield Planning Board is the agency that does approvals and is generally the lead agency for these projects in the town. He will get a letter to .Delaware River Solar by the end of the week. Contract with Enfield Community Council: Supervisor Rider stated she sent a copy of a proposed contract to town board members by e-mail. Councilperson Carpenter noted if the 2% per year increase was passed, it would be about a $1,000.00 per year increase for the town budget. Supervisor Rider stated she already figured this increase into the proposed 2017 final budget. It was generally felt the Enfield Community Council (ECC) served the youth in Enfield Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting and Public Hearing, November 9, 2016 10 well, and should be supported. Councilperson Carpenter moved, with a second by Councilperson Hansteen to approve the Enfield Community Council contract for 2017-2021 as presented. Vote: Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson Hansteen aye, Councilperson Miles aye, Supervisor Rider aye. Councilperson Bryant excused. Carried Privilege of the Floor: Mimi Mehaffey of Enfield noted that the ECC summer camp was a great program, but she felt families at the top of the sliding scale might be asked to contribute more. Joe Dawson of Enfield provided samples of a ventilation device that be thought might help at the highway facility. Councilperson Carpenter thanked him, but felt too much heat might leak out through the ventilation devices. Tammy Alling of Enfield felt it was a good move by the town board .not to write the Community Relations and Dispute Resolution Plan for BOWF. BOWF has been asked to provide a lot of information and it has not yet been provided. Jude Lemke of Enfield reminded the board that a property value guarantee was brought up as a compromise and was rejected by BOWF. Their proposal says they will protect residents for 80% of the assessed value, so the home owner will have to take a loss between the fair market value and the assessed value, plus 20% of assessed value on top of that. The funding will be from good neighbor agreements, which are only $42,000 per year, plus the town has to kick in its own money. No money will be coming from BOWF -to fund any of that. She sees this as a non -offer. Marcus Gingerich of Enfield stated it is coming to light that everyone is confused about the BOWF project. There is so much information going back and forth and some that has not been revealed. Looking at the town's website, it appears the 20 turbine wind farm is the only application on record. The Environmental. impact Study (EIS) was approved, but the resolution was for approval of the EIS, not the Project. His understanding is the application has not been approved. Councilperson Carpenter stated he brought up this issue with Frank Pavia, Esq. By continuing the process, approval of the EIS, and approving the resolution when BOWF changed the size of the turbines, both of, those approvals were passive approvals of the change from 20 to 7 turbines. Dawn Drake of Enfield stated she doesn't understand how the town can be moving on with the BOWF when they don't know where the sub -station location will be. Ron Riddle of Enfield stated he appreciated Councilperson. Carpenter's letter and felt it was well written. Theresa Guler of Enfield asked the town board to continue their research and homework and make sure everything is up to par for solar farms. Adjournment: Supervisor Rider moved, with a second by Councilperson Hansteen, to adjourn at 10:20 p.m. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted, Alice Linton, Enfield Town Clerk