Northville Admin Comments are off Village Board Meeting Minutes

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

The Village Board met Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 7:00 PM.

 

Present:              Sue Eckert, Mayor

John Markiewicz, Trustee

Janet Rudd, Trustee

Sue Sedon, Trustee

                                  Kathleen Terwilliger, Trustee

 

                                                         

Wendy Reu, Clerk, Recording Secretary

           Nathan Matthews, Treasurer

             Dan Reidell, DPW Superintendent

            Rick Richardson, Chief of Police

          

Public Attendance – Mike Warner, Molly Zullo, John and Brenda Rager

 

Mayor Eckert called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m.

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS

No members of the public asked to address the Board.

 

MAYOR’S APPOINTMENTS

 

APPOINTMENTS, AND ASSIGNMENTS OF TRUSTEES

The Mayor made the appointments and assignments listed below.

Position	Incumbent	Appointed
Deputy Mayor	Trustee Sedon	Trustee Terwilliger
Street Commission & Assistant	Trustee Rudd Mayor Eckert	Trustee Rudd Mayor Eckert
Water Commission & Assistant	Trustee Markiewicz Trustee Terwilliger	Trustee Markiewicz Trustee Terwilliger
Police Commission & Assistant	Mayor Eckert Trustee Terwilliger	Mayor Eckert Trustee Terwilliger
Joint Youth	Trustee Sedon Trustee Rudd	Trustee Sedon Trustee Rudd
PR Commission & Assistant	Trustee Markiewicz Trustee Sedon	Trustee Markiewicz Trustee Sedon
Intermunicipal Committee	Mayor Eckert Trustee Markiewicz	Mayor Eckert Trustee Markiewicz
Budget Officer	Mayor Eckert	Nathan Matthews
Cyber Audit Officer	Mayor Eckert	Mayor Eckert
Historian	Gail Cramer	Gail Cramer
Village Attorney	Carmel Greco	Carmel Greco
Dog Control Officer	Vernon Duesler	Vernon Duesler

Motion to confirm was made Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Rudd and passed by voice vote as follows.

 

 

Motion was made by Trustee Markiewicz to appoint Mike Feldman to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a 5-year term.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

 

Motion was made by Trustee Markiewicz to appoint Darryl Roosa to the Planning Board for a 5-year term.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

Motion was made by Trustee Sedon to appoint John Spaeth to the Planning Board for a 5-year term.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

 

Motion was made by Trustee Markiewicz that a board meeting be held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm at the village offices.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Rudd, and passed by voice vote as follows:

Motion was made by Trustee Sedon that the Leader Herald be named the Village’s official newspaper.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Terwilliger, and passed by voice vote as follows:

               

                Motion was made by Trustee Sedon that Pioneer Bank, be named depository for the Village funds.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

Motion was made by Trustee Sedon, to appoint Mayor Sue Eckert as Records Appeals Officer.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Rudd, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

Motion was made by Trustee Markiewicz that the Village Investment Policy 2023 be adopted.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

 

Motion was made by Trustee Markiewicz that the Personnel Policy, including Workplace Violence, Sexual Harassment, and Code of Ethics be adopted.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Terwilliger, and passed by voice vote as follows:

 

The following resolution was proposed by Trustee Sedon, who urged its adoption:

RESOLUTION #3-2023

Mileage Reimbursement

 

WHEREAS the Board of Trustees has determined to pay a fixed rate for mileage as reimbursement to officers and employees of the Village who use their personal automobiles while performing their official duties on behalf of the Village,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            Section 1.        That the Board of Trustees shall approve reimbursement to such officers and employees at the current and effective State Rate established by the State Comptroller’s office.

Section 2.        That this resolution shall take effect immediately.

 

The above resolution was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and passed by voice vote as follows.

 

The following resolution was proposed by Trustee Sedon, who urged its adoption:

RESOLUTION #4-2023

Prepaying Some Utility Bills

          WHEREAS the Board of Trustees has determined to authorize payment in advance of audit of claims for public utility services, postage, freight and express charges, and

WHEREAS all such claims shall be presented at the next regular meeting for audit, and

WHEREAS the claimant and officer incurring or approving the same shall be jointly and severally liable for any amount disallowed by the Board of Trustees,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            Section 1.       That the Board of Trustees authorizes payment in advance of audit of claims for public utility services, postage, freight and express charges and all such claims shall be presented at the next regular meeting for audit and the claimant and officer incurring or approving the same shall be jointly and severally liable for any amount disallowed by the Board of Trustees.

Section 2.       That this resolution shall take effect immediately

The above resolution was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and passed by voice vote as follows.

 

Trustee Sedon proposed the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION #5-2023

Authorizing Attendance At Seminars

WHEREAS there is to be held during the coming official year, schools, conferences, and seminars conducted for the benefit of the Village of Northville, and

WHEREAS it is determined by the Board of Trustees that attendance by certain municipal officials and employees at one or more of these meetings, conferences or schools benefits the municipality,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

Section 1.       That municipal officials and employees be authorized to attend these schools, conferences and seminars conducted for the benefit of the Village of Northville.

Section 2.       That this resolution shall take effect immediately.

 

The above resolution was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and passed by voice vote as follows.

 

The following resolution was proposed by Trustee Markiewicz who urged its adoption:

RESOLUTION # 6 of 2023

 

Procurement Policy

 

WHEREAS, Section 104-b of the General Municipal Law requires the governing body of every municipality to adopt a procurement policy for all goods and services which are not required by law to be publicly bid, and

 

Whereas, comments have been solicited from all officers in the Village of Northville involved in the procurement process, now, therefore, be it

 

Resolved, that the Village of Northville does hereby adopt the following procurement policy which is intended to apply to all goods and services which are not required by law to be publicly bid.

 

PROCUREMENT POLICY FOR THE VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE

 

1. Every purchase to be made must be initially reviewed to determine whether it is a purchase contract or a public works contract.  Once that determination is made, a good faith effort will be made to determine whether it is known or can reasonably be expected that the aggregate amount to be spent on the item of supply or service is not subject to competitive bidding, taking into account past purchases and the aggregate amount to be spent in a year.  The following items are not subject to competitive bidding pursuant to §103 of the General Municipal Law: purchase contracts under $20,000 and public works contracts under $35,000; emergency purchases; certain municipal hospital purchases; goods purchased from agencies for the blind or severely handicapped; goods purchased from correctional institutions; purchases under State and county contracts; and surplus and second-hand purchases from another governmental entity.

 

The decision that a purchase is not subject to competitive bidding will be documented in writing by the individual making the purchase.  This documentation may include written or verbal quotes from vendors, a memo from the purchaser indicating how the decision was arrived at, a copy of the contract indicating the source which makes the item or service exempt, a memo from the purchaser detailing the circumstances which led to an emergency purchase, or any other written documentation that is appropriate.

 

2. All goods and services will be secured by use of written requests for proposals, written quotations, verbal quotations, or any other method that assures that goods will be purchased at the lowest price and that favoritism will be avoided, except in the following circumstances: purchase contracts over $20,000 and public works contracts over $35,000; goods purchased from agencies for the blind or severely handicapped pursuant to §175-b of the State Finance Law; goods purchased from correctional institutions pursuant to §186 of the Correction Law; purchases under State contract pursuant to §104 of the General Municipal Law; purchases under county contracts pursuant to §103(3) of the General Municipal Law; or purchases pursuant to subdivision 6 of this policy:
3. The following method of purchase will be used when required by this policy in order to achieve the highest savings:

 

Estimated Amount of Purchase Contract	Method
$2,500 – $7,499.99	Verbal quotations
$7,500 – $19,999.99	Written/fax quotations or written request for proposals

 

 

Estimated Amount of Public Works Contract	Method
$2,500 – $7,499.99	Verbal quotations
$7,500 – $19,999.99	Written/fax quotations
$20,000 – $34,999.99	Written/fax quotations or written request for proposals

 

A good faith effort shall be made to obtain three proposals or quotations.  If the purchaser is unable to obtain the required number of proposals or quotations, the purchaser will document the attempt(s) made at obtaining the proposals.  In no event shall the failure to obtain the proposals be a bar to the procurement.

 

4. Documentation is required of each action taken in connection with each procurement.

 

5. Documentation and an explanation are required whenever a contract is awarded to other than the lowest responsible offeror. This documentation will include an explanation of how the award will achieve savings or how the offeror was not responsible.  A determination that the offeror is not responsible shall be made by the purchaser and may not be challenged under any circumstances.

 

6. Pursuant to General Municipal Law §104-b(2)(f), the procurement policy may contain circumstances when, or types of procurements for which, in the sole discretion of the governing body, the solicitation of alternative proposals or quotations will not be in the best interest of the municipality. In the following circumstances it may not be in the best interests of the Village of Northville to solicit quotations or document the basis for not accepting the lowest bid:

 

1. Professional services or services requiring special or technical skill, training or expertise. The individual or company must be chosen based on accountability, reliability, responsibility, skill, education and training, judgment, integrity, and moral worth.  These qualifications are not necessarily found in the individual or company that offers the lowest price and the nature of these services are such that they do not readily lend themselves to competitive procurement procedures.

 

In determining whether a service fits into this category the Board of Trustees shall take into consideration the following guidelines:  (a) whether the services are subject to State licensing or testing requirements; (b) whether substantial formal education or training is a necessary prerequisite to the performance of the services; and (c) whether the services require a personal relationship between the individual and municipal officials.  Professional or technical services shall include but not be limited to the following:  services of an attorney; services of a physician; technical services of an engineer engaged to prepare plans, maps and estimates; securing insurance coverage and/or services of an insurance broker; services of a certified public accountant; investment management services; printing services involving extensive writing, editing or art work; management of municipally owned property; and computer software or programming services for customized programs, or services involved in substantial modification and customizing of pre-packaged software.

 

1. Emergency purchases pursuant to §103(4) of the General Municipal Law. Due to the nature of this exception, these goods or services must be purchased immediately and a delay in order to seek alternate proposals may threaten the life, health, safety or welfare of the residents.  This section does not preclude alternate proposals if time permits.

 

1. Purchases of surplus and second-hand goods from any source. If alternate proposals are required, the Village of Northville is precluded from purchasing surplus and second-hand goods at auctions or through specific advertised sources where the best prices are usually obtained.  It is also difficult to try to compare prices of used goods and a lower price may indicate an older product.

 

500. Goods or services under $2,500. The time and documentation required to purchase through this policy may be more costly than the item itself and would therefore not be in the best interests of the taxpayer.  In addition, it is not likely that such minuscule contracts would be awarded based on favoritism.

 

7. This policy shall go into effect immediately and will be reviewed annually.

 

 

 

The above resolution was seconded by Trustee Sedon, and passed by voice vote as follows.

Trustee Markiewicz presented the following resolution:

RESOLUTION #7-2023

Authorizing Transfers for Adjustment of Budget Items

          WHEREAS the Board of Trustees has determined to authorize transfers for adjustment of budget items by the Treasurer

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            Section 1.       That the Board of Trustees authorizes the Treasurer to make adjustments to budget items in the amount of $ 3,000.00 or less without requirement of prior Board approval.

Section 2.       That this resolution shall take effect immediately.

 

The above resolution was seconded by Trustee Sedon and passed by voice vote as follows.

 

All current contracts and agreements were reviewed.

Trustee Sedon made a motion to renew the parking lot agreement with Mason’s for five years.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Terwilliger and carried by voice vote as follows:

 

The Board performed an annual review of WPV/Sexual Harassment Complaints.  There were no complaints issued in 2022.  It was reported by the Clerk that the Committee met with and had no recommendations for changes to the current policy.  Trustee Sedon made a motion to accept the annual review of WPV/Sexual Harassment Complaints.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and carried by voice vote as follows:

 

 

ADJOURNMENT:

 

All business being completed, motion to adjourn was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon and passed by voice vote as follows.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 7:06 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

Wendy Reu

Village Clerk