HomeMy WebLinkAbout4-10-19 Regular Meeting (1)Town of Enfield
Regular Town Board Meeting
Enfield Community Building
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
6:30 p.m.
Present: Town Supervisor Beth McGee, Town Councilperson Virginia Bryant (arrived at 6:50), 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 6:35 p.m. Town Clerk Linton lead the assemblage in
the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Additions and Removals from the Agenda: Supervisor McGee asked if anyone had changes to the
agenda. She asked to have the Youth Services Presentation before monthly reports and to move the
Code Officer report to the beginning of Old Business.
Privilege of the Floor: Robert Lynch of Enfield stated he feels an immediate safety concern is 198
Enfield Main Road. In 2017 the Town Board considered ownership of this property. The new owners
might be willing to have the Town take ownership of the property since asbestos removal has been
estimated at $28,000. If the Town Board were to demolish the house and provide a park on the property,
he would be willing to make a personal financial donation to see this happen.
Ann Rider of Enfield urged the Town Board to pass a local law giving them the power to condemn a
property. The Town attorney has given advice on taking over 198 Enfield Main Road for $1, and
recommended against it.
Councilperson Sims stated the Code Officer condemned the property a year ago. Supervisor McGee
mentioned that unless there was a way for the Town to be reimbursed, taxpayers would have to pay to
have the house demolished. A lot of research has been done and the Town Board understands this
property is a big problem.
Correspondence : Supervisor McGee announced there is a rabies clinic scheduled in Enfield on May 9
at the highway facility from 7-9 p.m.
Presentation by Janice Johnson from the Tompkins County Youth Services Department : Janice
Johnson gave an informative presentation on how County Youth Services supports students in Enfield.
She mentioned many statistics that show how valuable these programs are. Supervisor McGee asked her
to comment on how students that reside in Enfield but attend school districts other than Ithaca are
notified of these programs. Ms. Johnson stated that information is given to students on their bus and in
the Enfield newsletter. She also mentioned that Trumansburg has a program on college preparation
where students visit different colleges and large businesses for career opportunities. It would be valuable
if such a program could be implemented in Enfield. Councilperson Mehaffey would like to find ways to
increase the numbers of kids who participate in these youth programs.
County Legislator Report: Dave McKenna reported that a legislative committee has recommended
purchasing property on North Tioga Street to build new county offices. The recommendation will be
taken to the full legislature for a final decision. The project cost could be as much as nineteen million
dollars and would be three or four stories high. Almost all of the county offices would be moved to the
new building. Additional fees were approved to help fund 911. Casella was awarded the county contract
for the transfer facility. New military signs and plaques for buildings were approved.
Highway Superintendent Report: Highway Superintendent Rollins reported the crews have been
changing over from winter to summer work. They have done some sweeping of roads, and will start
ditching next week. The Town’s 10-wheel dump truck that was salvaged out sold for $7,300.
Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, April 10, 2019
Code Enforcement Officer's Report: Alan Teeter, Code Officer, reported in March there were 4
building permits issued, with 1 being for the house on Mecklenburg Road that was severely damaged
last year in a vehicle accident. He has sent his annual report to New York State. He is helping with site
plan review applications by Pat Head and Rich Teeter. Delaware River Solar submitted a renewal for
their site on Podunk Road that is not quite completed. Alan attended his annual training in Syracuse and
reported new building codes will be effective next year.
Enfield Volunteer Fire Company (EVFC) : Alan Teeter, 2nd Assistant Chief, reported there were 22
total calls for March which included 17 EMS, 1 service, and 4 fires (2 Enfield, 1 mutual aid to
Trumansburg and 1 mutual aid to Ithaca). The next officer’s meeting is scheduled for April 30 and the
final BBQ of the year is scheduled for April 14.
Supervisor McGee stated she and Councilperson Mehaffey met with members of the EVFC and
discussed how to welcome new members. They also discussed equipment needs, such as turnout gear.
KNOX boxes will be purchased for Town Hall and the Highway Building. She mentioned the Tompkins
County Council of Governments provides classes through TC3 and some might be useful to the EVFC,
so she has asked TCCOG to add private fire companies to those able to participate.
Councilperson Mehaffey added that Supervisor McGee has offered to help with letters of support for
grants for turnout gear.
Planning Board Report: Dan Walker reported the Planning Board is working with Pat Head on two
proposals for site plan development for two four-unit buildings. The Planning Board will be advertising
for a public hearing to be held at their May meeting. He felt both projects were consistent with the
neighborhoods. There was a brief discussion with Rich Teeter who is preparing a site plan for four
buildings on Mecklenburg Road.
Councilperson Sims asked how residents know what information to provide for site plan reviews. Dan
Walker answered the information is in the site plan regulations adopted by the Town.
Town Clerk's Report: Alice Linton, Town Clerk, reported the Town will be receiving $2,126.17 in
penalties and $73.00 in late fee notices for tax collection in 2019. For the first quarter of 2019,
$1,567.00 has been deposited for local dog licensing fees and $197.00 has been forwarded to New York
State for their portion of dog licenses. She mentioned that if anyone would like to use a Town building,
they should contact her to be put on the calendar. She is working with Supervisor McGee to develop a
policy, that will be presented to the Town Board, on building use.
Supervisor's Report: Supervisor McGee reported she:
Researched FIRE/EMS trainings possibility through TCCOG Academy and proposed resolution for
Fire Companies to participate in this opportunity
Reviewed and finalized NYSERDA contract for Clean Energy Communities Grant and began RFP
development process
Prepared Resolutions for Barbara Lifton to introduce to the State Legislature on Town authority for
hotel tax and Gross Receipts Tax from utilities.
Continued work with Highway Superintendent Rollins on salt storage options and contract
information
Finalized encroachment agreement documentation
Repaired the town website
Worked with TCCAT to resolve insurance requirements and steps to install a bike rack at the park
and ride
Worked with Planner Matt Johnston to incorporate changes and corrections dictated by the board to
the Comp Plan for formatting
Hired Pat Baker to be the cleaning staff for the Community Building community spaces
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Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, April 10, 2019
Met with Councilperson Mehaffey, Denny Hubbell and Ellen Woods for our quarterly meeting
with EVFC
Took the vacuum for repair
Resolved AUD questions with Office of State Comptroller
Researched Community Income Surveys
Obtained State zombie property database authorization
Developed a draft speed reduction request policy
Met with Cornell Cooperative Extension staff for Beautification Grant project development
Worked with the County and State offices to obtain reimbursement for a resident farmer who lost a
cow to rabies
Researched legal concerns about building uses and insurance requirements with attorney and risk
manager
Worked on obtaining a NYGOV ID for overweight permit requirements
Cleaned the Community Building to prepare for the Poor People’s Campaign event on April 6th
Worked with Highway Superintendent, Burial Coordinator, and Deputy Clerk to facilitate a burial in
Budd cemetery
Held a Finance Committee meeting
Prepared and facilitated town board meetings (March 28th for truck purchase approval and April 10th
regular meeting)
Had signage made for the Community Building
Arranged purchase of KNOX boxes for Highway Department and Town Hall with Fire Company
and Code Officer Alan Teeter
Aside from the items above, the Town Supervisor completes the following tasks throughout each
month: review all bills and prepare vouchers for board review and payment, correspondence, payroll
and abstract review, budget monitoring and modifications, deposits and transfers, documentation for
all meetings, resolves legal issues, trainings, attendance at County level meetings, communication
with employees and department heads regarding daily town operation and budget concerns, building
maintenance and upgrades, purchases, resident complaints and concerns, employment and benefits
administration, all actions dictated by the Town Board for the Supervisor, all other tasks that arise
daily.
Association of Towns Annual Meeting Report: Councilperson Mehaffey reported she and Supervisor
McGee attended the annual meeting in February. Some of the sessions she attended were on accessing
emergency services, grant writing, land use, strategic and capital planning. She learned that up to a 10%
discount on worker’s comp can be received by following some simple procedures. Other sessions were
aging in place, turning zombie properties into useful properties and information on moving funds to higher
interest rates for part of a year or until needed for an emergency. She believes the Planning Board and Town
Board will need to work closely as Enfield grows.
Supervisor McGee also attended a session on federal funding and how to determine priorities. It is important
to make Enfield better known to elected officials by communicating with legislators – an organized effort
would be a good idea. Medical marijuana was discussed - if used medically there can be no discrimination,
but at this time there is no good solution to test for driving. There was also information on how to assist
community organizations in getting grant funding.
Committee Reports:
Comprehensive Plan Committee: The next meeting is scheduled for April 16 at 6:30.
Finance Committee: Supervisor McGee stated the committee is looking into a fund balance policy. She
will be talking to a representative at Tompkins Trust Company to see what they offer.
Recreation Partnership: Councilperson Mehaffey reported that at the last meeting they went over year-
end statistics. She would like to see the number of youth from Enfield that participate in programs
increasing. Enfield spends about $72 for each participant at this time.
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Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, April 10, 2019
Renewable Energy Advisory Committee: Councilperson Carpenter reported the committee is looking at
wind laws from other towns. They felt the Town of Richmond law was similar to what they were
looking for and decided to take some of that law and incorporate it into Enfield’s original law.
Committee member Jude Lemke has done a lot of revisions and writing. At the last meeting the
committee went over attorney Guy Krogh’s comments on the proposed solar law. They plan to come up
with a final draft of what the solar law will look like. They have meetings scheduled for every
Wednesday for the next month. The proposed process will be taking the draft laws before the Town
Board, making revisions, sending the proposed law to Tompkins County for review, setting a public
hearing date and reaching final approval before the moratorium ends. The laws need to mesh with the
site plan review regulations.
Councilperson Mehaffey feels if the Town Board approves wind farms instead of the Planning Board,
they would be more accountable to citizens. A supplementary document, explaining how the guidelines
were determined, could be completed after the law is passed.
Supervisor McGee stated there is so much knowledge that has been gained, it would be unfortunate to
lose it.
Tompkins County Council of Governments: Supervisor McGee was not at the last meeting, but there
was discussion of changing meeting times every other month to 4:00, but they decided to stay with 3:00
meetings.
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 #94 to 122 dated April 10, 2019 in the amount of $15,309.21 and
Highway Fund Vouchers #64 to 78 dated April 10, 2019 in the amount of $23,802.96, noting that
Highway Fund Voucher #65 was previously approved at the March 28 Special Meeting in the amount of
$9,696.00.
Approval of Minutes of March 13, 2019 Regular Meeting and March 28, 2019 Special Meeting
Discussion: The March 28, 2019 minutes should state Highway Fund Voucher #65 was approved
instead of #64, as the bookkeeper pre-paid one bill prior to March 28.
Vote on Consent Agenda: Councilperson Bryant aye, Councilperson Carpenter aye, Councilperson
Mehaffey aye, Councilperson Sims aye, Supervisor McGee aye. Carried.
Code Enforcement Tasks: Supervisor McGee provided a list for information gathering which included the
following:
Comprehensive list of resources to refer residents to for recycling, refuse, and property clean up. Code
Officer Teeter stated he would do some research and start compiling a list.
Inventory of zombie properties in Enfield. This task was completed by Supervisor McGee. She found there
were 20 properties in Tompkins County with 4 being in Enfield. These are properties where the bank has
started a foreclosure proceeding, the family moved out, then the bank stopped the foreclosure.
Inventory of abandoned or condemned homes in Enfield. Code Officer Teeter will compile this list.
Get information on the estimate/report for demo of the house at 198 Enfield Main Road that is falling down.
Code Officer Teeter will contact the current owner to see what they have planned.
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Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, April 10, 2019
Outline of current procedure for responding to property maintenance complaints and code violations. Code
Officer Teeter will prepare this.
Code Officer Teeter feels he can have most of these tasks completed before the next Town Board meeting.
Councilperson Carpenter questioned if there is a difference between an unsafe abandoned building and an
unsafe building where someone lives.
Old Business:
Salt Storage Grant: Supervisor McGee reported she has been looking at some examples of buildings, but a
decision doesn’t have to be made before the contract date. The Town will need to determine in-kind services
and the rest will be contractual. The work plan can be very simple, and concrete walls may not be needed.
Highway Superintendent Rollins stated if there is a double panel wall of wood, salt won’t leak out.
Supervisor McGee will work with Superintendent Rollins to develop a work plan and budget, then bring the
information to the Town Board in May. The contract is due in June.
Clean Energy Communities Grant: Supervisor McGee has received the final contract from NYSERDA and
is now able to access the grant on-line. After reading the contract, she feels the Town needs to add notice of
required insurance. She will research if the Town needs to accept the lowest bid, or if it can be best value.
Councilperson Sims stated attorney Guy Krogh recommended saying the bid must agree with the contract
and attaching a copy of the contract to the RFP for reference.
Councilperson Carpenter asked if the Town wanted to install a 24 kw system and pay extra, or stay within
the $50,000 grant. Councilperson Sims stated the grant was written for what the Town could get for $50,000,
so the goal is to stay around the $50,000 mark. Councilperson Carpenter feels either an exact system, or
exact number is needed for the RFP process. If best value can’t be used, the Town needs to distinguish what
we want for quality. The warranty issue is significant. Councilperson Mehaffey stated if best value can’t be
used, the RFP needs to be very specific. Information should include a dollar figure, warranty, capacity, and
life expectancy. Councilperson Carpenter suggested going to local companies and seeing how the
specification process would work for them. He will talk to 3 different companies about the process and share
with the Town Board before the next regular meeting.
Town Signs: To be tabled to the May meeting.
Proposed Speed Reduction Requests Policy: To be tabled to the May meeting.
New Business:
Tax Cap Override 2020 – Local Law – Set date for Public Hearing: Councilperson Sims suggested tabling
this topic until May so the Board will know when other public hearings will be held. This way several could
be scheduled at the same time.
Proposed Law to Change Terms of Elected Offices in Enfield: The deadline to make a decision on this is in
June before the June Town Board meeting. Supervisor McGee read the law regarding requirements for
changing terms. Councilperson Mehaffey feels that the learning curve for elected officials is long and it is
hard to have a long-term vision in a two-year term. For a supervisor, the first year’s budget is inherited, so it
may limit what a supervisor would like to accomplish. Supervisor McGee feels a four-year term for the town
clerk and highway superintendent is a good idea. The highway department is the biggest part of the budget,
and a philosophy needs to be developed about equipment replacement and road maintenance.
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Enfield Town Board Regular Meeting, April 10, 2019
Councilperson Sims feels the commitment is worth strong consideration. She likes the idea that it would be
on the ballot so residents can decide what they feel is best. Highway Superintendent Rollins reminded the
Board that there is a lot of work involved in running for an elected office and that an elected official can
resign after two years if they so desire.
Councilperson Bryant feels there is a lot to the learning curve. Councilperson Mehaffey feels if someone is
not committed to a four-year term, the Town should know right away before being elected. Both
Councilperson Mehaffey and Bryant would like the matter put on the ballot, to take effect for terms
beginning in 2020.
Councilperson Carpenter understands there are reasons why two-year terms are better. Sometimes it is better
for the Town if an elected official is only there for two years. He has no issue with four-year terms, but does
have an issue with the timing. He isn’t confident it would be best for the new terms to begin in 2020, and
would like to wait for the next terms before a change would happen.
Supervisor McGee will put this on the May agenda for further discussion.
Privilege of the Floor: Robert Lynch of Enfield commended the Board for not voting on the change in
elected official’s terms at this time. He feels if terms are changed, they should not start in 2020 as those
petitioning for the offices should know ahead of time what the term will be.
Nancy Spero of Enfield stated she was amazed by how much there is to know and learn, and the work to be
done by elected officials. She feels two years isn’t long enough to learn everything, and the Town would
benefit from four-year terms.
Announcements: Nancy Spero announced there will be a square dance at the Enfield Grange on May 4 to
benefit the Grange building fund.
Adjournment: Supervisor McGee moved to adjourn the meeting at 9:55 p.m., with a second by
Councilperson Sims.
Respectfully submitted,
Alice M. Linton, RMC
Enfield Town Clerk
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