HomeMy WebLinkAbout2-13-19 Regular Meeting
Town of Enfield
Regular Town Board Meeting
Enfield Highway Building
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
6:00 p.m.
Present: Town Supervisor Beth McGee, Town Councilperson Virginia Bryant, Town Councilperson
Mike Carpenter, Town Councilperson Mimi Mehaffey, Town Councilperson Becky Sims, Town
Highway Superintendent Buddy Rollins, Town Clerk Alice Linton.
Supervisor McGee called the meeting to order at 6:20 p.m.
Tour of Highway Department: Highway Superintendent Rollins gave a very thorough and informative
tour of the highway facility. He included information on what each piece of equipment is used for, his
plans for moving ahead with the equipment, and information on the in-house work done by the
employees. He explained how each truck is inspected before and after use and the use of Highway Daily
Reports. These reports include what equipment is used each day, labor descriptions, material
descriptions, and comments. These forms are filed for future reference, but would be much more useful
if an administrative assistant could enter the data into spreadsheets for easy reference in the future. He
feels a generator is likely the next important piece of equipment that should be purchased.
Additions and Removals from the Agenda: Supervisor McGee asked if anyone would like an item
added to or removed from the agenda. She added a budget amendment and discussion of a letter to the
Board of Elections regarding polling site. Matt Johnston, who was scheduled to review the
Comprehensive Plan was unable to attend due to illness.
Correspondence: Letter from Comp Alliance announcing their 25th anniversary and a gift to each town
of a first aid kit to be shipped soon.
Notice from NYS Department of Environmental Conservation regarding availability of funds for an
Arbor Day event.
Notices from NYS Department of Ag and Markets that the SPCA is now in compliance.
Comprehensive Plan Review: Councilperson Mehaffey displayed the artwork chosen for the cover of
the Comp Plan – a painting of Bostwick Hill Road by Billy Benson. He is allowing the Town to use this
free of charge. Supervisor McGee will ask Matt Johnston if he can attend the regular March meeting to
review the Comp Plan. She will also reach out to Dan Walker, Planning Board Chair, to advise them of
this meeting and invite members to attend.
County Legislator Report: Anne Korman reported the new Tompkins County Sheriff has trained
deputies on county policy regarding undocumented persons. There will be a workshop on February 26
regarding farming in the Northeast and changing weather patterns, sponsored by Cornell Cooperative
Extension. She attended a conference in Albany regarding hemp, recreational marijuana, and CBD.
Tompkins County is looking to purchase up to 27 electric cars. New York State is looking at a plastic
bag ban, so the county is waiting to see how that works out before pursuing the matter. There will be no
local assessment review boards this year.
Highway Superintendent Report: Report given at beginning of meeting.
Planning Board Report: No report.
Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, February 13, 2019
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Code Enforcement Officer's Report: Alan Teeter, Code Officer, reported in January there were 6
building permits issued including one for an 80’ wind turbine, one for a mobile home demolition and
one for a replacement used mobile home. Alan is now able to show project costs on his reports. He
reported the resident on Halseyville Road that was issued an order to remedy was upset by the fines, but
will continue to work at cleaning up the yard. Alan will issue a second order to remedy and then bring
the issue before the Town Board in March for further direction.
Enfield Volunteer Fire Company: Alan Teeter, 2nd Assistant Chief, reported there were 20 total calls
for January which included 10 EMS, 2 service, 1 fire, 2 MVAs, 5 mutual aid given to Trumansburg and
Ovid, and mutual aid received from Trumansburg, Newfield, Ithaca and Mecklenburg. The next officer’s
meeting will be March 5, 2019.
Town Clerk's Report: Alice Linton, Town Clerk, reported $1,994,296.65 has been collected in taxes to
date. The warrant to the Town of Enfield has been paid in full.
Supervisor's Report: Supervisor McGee reported she:
Met with Alarm company to get an estimate for security concerns; Coordinated the Town
internal audit; Visited three area food pantries; Spoke on a panel of elected women for Natural
Leaders Initiative; Attended the County Tourism grant workshop; Worked with Tompkins Trust
Company to open a Decommissioning fund account for Delaware River Solar; Prepped and
facilitated Town Board meeting; Met with Food Pantry and Food Bank representatives to
address concerns and best practices going forward; Registered concerns with the SPCA and
Tom O’Mara’s office regarding poor animal conditions reported; Communicated with
Tompkins County Planning regarding Hazard Mitigation, NFIP, and FEMA Flood Mapping;
Communicated with FEMA and NYS regarding grant funding and process for a Highway
generator; Reached out to other towns awarded Salt Storage grants to learn about their projects-
and began communications with DEC regarding the Salt Storage project; Worked with
Bookkeeper Debby Kelley to reconcile bank statements and go over the budget; Cleaned the
Community Building; Installed downstairs bathroom equipment; Evaluated Electricity Costs for
Community Building since Walk-in Freezer was installed at Food Pantry; Sought pricing for
fuel products through Mirabito; Compared Health Insurance Policies; Completed the
Beautification Grant; Communicated with Credit Card companies to reduce credit limits and
change payment dates; Communicated with AOT Legal on several issues including:
o Setting up restricted funds
o Elections
o CHIPS Funds
o Employee Privacy and Surveillance
o Archiving requirements
o Town Board Training Requirements;
Reviewed documents provided by the Enfield Fire Department; Attended TCCOG meeting;
Researched Enfield’s RPTL 487 Opt Out status to resolve issues with NYSERDA; Worked with
Enfield Community Council to coordinate the Enfield Bonfire/Winter Games event on February
23rd.
Committee Reports:
Finance Committee: The committee did not meet this month. They are waiting for direction from the
Town Board on long-term planning.
Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, February 13, 2019
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Consent Agenda: Supervisor McGee moved, with a second by Councilperson Carpenter to approve the
Consent Agenda as follows:
Audit Claims: The Town Board authorizes the Supervisor to pay:
General Fund Vouchers #36 to 64 dated February 13, 2019 in the amount of $13,767.46,
Highway Fund Vouchers #20 to 40 dated February 13, 2019 in the amount of $35,368.44, and
Fire Department Fund Voucher #68 dated February 13, 2019 in the amount of $822.00.
Approval of Minutes of January 2, 2019 Regular and January 15, 2019 Audit Town Board
meetings.
Budget Amendment #2019-4 Move Funds for Copies at Town Hall
WHEREAS the yearly fee for copies was $274.77 and
WHEREAS the amount budgeted was $200.00, therefore be it
RESOLVED, the Town Board authorizes the Supervisor to decrease A1990.4, “Contingent” by $74.77
and increase A1670.4 “Central Printing and Mailing” by $74.77.
Resolution #2019-27 Appoint Director and Alternate to the Greater Tompkins County Municipal
Health Insurance Consortium
WHEREAS the Enfield Town Board must appoint a Director and Alternate for the Tompkins County
Municipal Health Insurance Consortium, therefore be it
RESOLVED the Enfield Town Board appoints Ann Rider as Director and Councilperson Mimi Mehaffey
as Alternate to the Health Insurance Consortium.
Resolution #2019-28 Move 2018 Highway Funds to Highway Equipment Reserve
WHEREAS the Highway Superintendent requested remaining funds in the Highway Fund be
transferred to the Highway Equipment Reserve, DA231, therefore be it
RESOLVED the Town Board authorizes the Supervisor to move remaining 2018 funds from DA2680,
Insurance Recovery, in the amount of $11,595.00 and DA2665, Sale of Equipment, in the amount of
$30,800.00 and increase DA231, “Highway Equipment Reserve” by $42,395.00.
Vote on Consent Agenda: Councilperson Bryant aye, Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson
Mehaffey aye, Councilperson Sims aye, Supervisor McGee aye. Carried.
Old Business:
Community Building Renovation / Food Pantry Update: Supervisor McGee stated she’d like to have the
handicap entrance to the courtroom made accessible. Councilperson Carpenter agreed to fix the door
situation so the door can be opened from the outside. Alan Teeter agreed to install a light outside the door,
which would be on a daylight sensor. Supervisor McGee stated she hopes to have a vanity installed in the
upstairs bathroom so there will be a space for washing paint brushes, etc.
Clean Energy Communities Grant: Supervisor McGee is getting information on RFPs and a contract.
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Salt Storage Grant: Supervisor McGee spoke with a grant manager today. As long as the Town abides by
the salt storage contract, changes can be made. The contract needs to be in place by June 18 and can be
amended later. The Town has three years to complete the project. She will work with the Highway
Superintendent to look at the advantages of canvas versus wood.
Budget Update: Bookkeeper Debby Kelly has the AUD prepared and ready to send to New York State.
Capital Planning – Moving Forward: Supervisor McGee thanked Highway Superintendent Rollins for the
highway tour, which was a good start on information gathering. The Town Board needs to first determine
what we have, then what we need, then what we want. She suggested starting with an inventory.
Councilperson Carpenter agreed to work on the buildings portion, and each department will do an inventory
of their area. Councilperson Sims agreed to consolidate the information into a spreadsheet. Supervisor
McGee suggested the Town could look for a grant for a feasibility study. This could be in the form of a
50/50 match. The study could look at different options such as renovating the old highway building as
opposed to building a new facility. She has scheduled a one-hour consultation with the Association of
Towns while at the annual conference in New York City so may be able to gather more information then.
New Business:
Training for Town Board Members: Councilperson Mehaffey requested this be explored. Supervisor McGee
did some research on this with the Association of Towns who said a local law with a mandatory referendum
would be needed to require training for Town Board members. Councilperson Mehaffey feels this would
help members realize this is a real job. Councilperson Sims felt the original training she went to was very
useful, but some might not be able to attend that long of a training. Shorter trainings are also available.
Councilperson Carpenter feels training is invaluable – the more you learn the better job you can do.
Councilperson Mehaffey asked the Town Board to think about this awhile and discuss it again at the March
meeting.
Noise Ordinance: Councilperson Sims did some research and provided information on what some other
towns have for a noise ordinance. Councilperson Carpenter felt the Board should look at the bigger picture -
which is quality of life. Supervisor McGee is interested in talking to the Tompkins County Sheriff and also
to Sandy Creek Trailer Park owners to help provide guidance to people in communities. This will be on the
March agenda for further discussion.
Association of Towns – Questions from the Board: Supervisor McGee asked if any Town Board members
had questions to be asked when she and Councilperson Mehaffey meet with the Association of Towns at the
conference she’ll be attending February 18-20. Councilperson Carpenter suggested asking, if the Town
decides to build a new building, what kind of alternative type models can be used in hiring people to build
the buildings?
Letter to Board of Elections Regarding Polling Site: Supervisor McGee asked if the Town Board would be
interested in sending a letter to the Board of Elections asking to change the polling place.
Supervisor McGee moved, with a second by Councilperson Bryant to prepare a letter to the Board of
Elections asking them to consider changing the polling site. The letter will be circulated to Town Board
members for their approval before being sent.
Discussion: Councilperson Bryant doesn’t like the idea of mixing Church and State by voting at a church.
Supervisor McGee stated there are other public buildings available.
Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, February 13, 2019
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Vote: Councilperson Bryant aye, Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson Mehaffey aye,
Councilperson Sims aye, Supervisor McGee aye. Carried.
Privilege of the Floor: Robert Lynch of Enfield stated he talked to Steve Dewitt at the Board of Elections
on January 28. Mr. Dewitt was very adamant that they had a five-year contract with the Living Waters
Church. If the polling place was moved to Enfield School, another administration might change their mind
and not allowing voting there. He suggested moving the polling site back to the Enfield Fire Department.
Supervisor McGee stated the Town doesn’t have authority over the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company as they
are a private entity, and building use was not a priority during contract negotiations, compliance and
reporting was.
Councilperson Mehaffey felt such a request could come from residents by writing to the Fire Department
and asking them to reconsider using their building as a polling site.
Alan Teeter stated the Enfield Volunteer Fire Company Board of Directors met February 12 and passed a
Code of Ethics. He thanked the Enfield Highway Department for opening the parking lot at the fire
department during snow storms this winter. He also mentioned snow on the handicap ramp at the
Community Building could be a problem for access during snow storms.
Supervisor McGee mentioned the Town Historian, Sue Thompson, is having an essay published about her
personal recollections on what makes a day living in Tompkins County unique. The essay will be published
in “Living in Tompkins County” in 2019.
Announcements: Supervisor McGee announced there will be a Community Bonfire on Saturday, February
23 at the town hall. This community event will include games, a tailgate dinner, live music and bonfire.
Adjournment: Supervisor McGee adjourned the meeting at 10:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Alice M. Linton, RMC
Enfield Town Clerk