January 19, 2021 Regular Meeting
REGULAR MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The Village Board met Tuesday, January 21, 2021 at 7:00 PM via Zoom
Present: John Spaeth, Mayor
Steve Collins, Trustee
Sue Eckert, Trustee
John Markiewicz, Trustee
Sue Sedon, Trustee
Absent:
Wendy Reu, Village Clerk
Nathan Matthews, Treasurer
Dan Reidell, Highway Superintendent
Mayor Spaeth called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Motion to approve the minutes of the December 15, 2020 Regular Meeting was made by Trustee Eckert, seconded by Trustee Collins, and passed by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
PUBLIC COMMENTS – Mayor Spaeth reported that prior to the meeting, it was advertised that the Board meeting would be conducted via Zoom and communication could be submitted via email to the Village. No communication from the public arrived.
REPORT OF COMMITTEES:
Police – Mayor Spaeth indicated that no report was received. He stated he had reached out to Chief VanValkenburg for a list of equipment and pricing prior to the December meeting and has not received any information back yet.
Streets – The DPW report was read and is on file at the Clerk’s office.
Water – It was reported that usage decreased from 1,971,000 gallons in December 2019 to 2,011,000 this year. Water testing and operations were normal.
Fire – No report was received for December. Mayor Spaeth indicated that as the District officially started January 1, 2021, we would no longer be getting monthly reports. He did indicate that they would still have to provide us with a final annual report for 2020 as we are required to maintain those records permanently.
Mayor Spaeth presented an Intermunicipal Agreement between the Village and the Northville Joint Fire District pertaining to telephone and internet services utilized at the firehouse that the Village currently pays for. He indicated that there is currently an enterprise agreement at the firehouse that gives us discounts with grouping. He stated that the Village utilizes the internet at the firehouse for our cameras in the park and it would be in our best interest to maintain that service, especially since we are looking at putting more cameras in the park. He stated the approximate cost of the telephone/internet services was $ 85/month, under $ 1000.00 for a year. He proposed we continue to pay for the service as the District will allow the Village use. Trustee Collins stated he felt it was a fair deal as is, but was concerned that the District would make changes to the plan, potentially enhancing it, which would increase the cost. He felt that we needed to modify the wording that there would not be an increase of services unless each entity is made aware and approves. The Board felt that was appropriate and noted that the Agreement would be amended to include that verbiage. Trustee Collins made a motion to approve the Intermunicipal Agreement between the Village and the Fire District with the amended verbiage as discussed. The motion was seconded by Trustee Eckert and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
Mayor Spaeth reported that the Village has cancelled the insurance coverage for the Fire Department but was advised by NYMIR that lawsuits could be waged years after incidents happen and they recommended a supplemental coverage. Mayor Spaeth stated we received a quote of $ 182.00, which was a one-time payment for forever overall liability coverage. Trustee Eckert made a motion to obtain the supplemental coverage as presented. The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
Mayor Spaeth reported the insurance company also advised the Village obtain an Internet Security and Data Breach policy pertaining to the Fire Department to cover breach of data and personal information. He stated the quote was a one time, $ 400.00 payment which covered 5 years. Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to obtain the Internet Security and Data Breach policy as proposed. The motion was seconded by Trustee Eckert and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
Code Enforcement- Mayor Spaeth reported that there have been a few complaints and that Todd is looking into them. Mayor Spaeth stated that he is putting together a consolidated job description for Dan to take over Code Enforcement.
Joint Youth – Ken Adamczyk reported that a meeting was set up February 3rd to discuss what options may be available for summer camp/beach this year. He stated that nothing has changed from the DOH guidelines from last year but he wanted to have a plan in place if changes were made prior to the start of camp. Mayor Spaeth asked how long we have until a decision needs to be made about camp. Ken indicated we would have to hire prior to having the camp application submitted to the State so those positions have to be in place.
LWRP – Mayor Spaeth reported that they are preparing for the second open house on the plan which would be done via Survey Monkey February 1st through February 19th. Mayor Spaeth indicated that information would be shared on the website, FB page and on fliers around the community. He stated that after the survey closes, the committee will gather the data with the hopes of having something to submit to the State for the June CFA cycle if there are any grant funds available.
Marketing – Mayor Spaeth reported that Ken Adamczyk had previously presented a draft marking plan to the Board and he was looking for input back. Ken stated that he has received input from the Town Board this past week. He stated that draft plan was developed to highlight the historic 5 & 10 Store, similar to the marketing for East Aurora which showcases Vidler’s in their marketing strategy. Trustee Sedon stated she struggles with the idea of using a single, specific entity. Mayor Spaeth stated that if we go down that type of path, we are going to get complaints. The Board agreed, with members stating they would like to see a more “historic Northville” approach used in the marketing, which would feature all the businesses located in the historic downtown district. It was pointed out that many of those businesses are in historic buildings that are also listed on the Historic Walking Trail of the Village and the Board felt it was important to incorporate that into any marketing plan.
PAYMENT OF BILLS
The monthly financial report was reviewed and bills to be paid from the General Fund in the amount of $ 40,329.59, from the Water Fund in the amount of $ 6,991.75. and from the Joint Youth Fund in the amount of $ 6.18 were presented for payment. Motion to approve payment was made by Trustee Eckert, seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
OLD BUSINESS:
Mayor Spaeth reported that a follow up virtual meeting was held with Ti Sales, the Village, and the Town last week to review the recent propagation study that was completed to determine the best location for an antenna to be installed to collect water reading data. Mayor Spaeth stated that no matter where we put the antenna, we still cannot get good readings on Mountain Road for the Town. He also stated there was no additional reads gained in the Village by placing the antenna on the High Rock garage. Mayor Spaeth stated that based on the information from the study, the Town does not see it being cost effective for them to be part of a fixed network project. The other parcel studied for the antenna was on the tower behind the former CDL Building on Bridge Street. He stated the data indicated 90 to 95% of the accounts in the Village could be read from that area. Mayor Spaeth stated that there are issues with that parcel though. He indicated that the building is for sale and a new owner may not want the tower. He stated there is currently a radio tower on the antenna and the station owners have been told to find a new location due to the sale. Mayor Spaeth stated that if the Board did not want to go with the fixed network for reading meters, we would still have to upgrade our reader to an MRX system as our current reader is experiencing issues based on age. He stated we have the belt clip reader to assist Darryl with troubleshooting meters. He stated to upgrade to the MRX system the cost would be $ 9,600.00 with an additional cost of $ 3,000.00 to upgrade the software. Mayor Spaeth stated the Town would upgrade to the MRX system as well, so the cost would be split between the two municipalities. Mayor Spaeth stated that the MRX system comes with a computer and antenna that mounts to the roof of a vehicle via a magnet that allows the driver to collect 70 readings at a time. It was estimated that the majority of the meters in the main portion of the Village could be read with a couple of runs down Third and Main Streets. Mayor Spaeth stated the MRX system does not do auto reads. He indicated that every time you needed to read meters, the system would have to be uploaded and downloaded to process the data each time. The AIM (fixed network) system would allow for the ability for meters to be read instantly from the office, with no uploading or downloading required. He stated the cost of the AIM system is $ 25,000.00 to purchase and install. Mayor Spaeth stated there are advantages to the AIM system. He stated that over the past years, there have been several larges leaks that customers encountered, amounting to over 2.7 million gallons of water loss. He stated that several of these leaks occurred while the houses were vacant, over a period of a few days and that if we had a fixed network system, those leaks would have been caught almost immediately and could have avoided the cost of extra chemicals, wear and tear on the water system/pumps, etc. He stated that extensive damage to residential properties and excessively high water bills might also be prevented with timely notification of an issue with a meter. Mayor Spaeth stated that if we went with a fixed network system, we would not need to purchase the MRX system. Trustee Eckert stated she felt it was a lot of money for the fixed network system. Trustee Collins stated if it is that efficient at detecting high uses, it might prove beneficial when looking for leaks around the Village streets when the leaks may be actually occurring in people’s homes. Mayor Spaeth stated that we had been discussing improvements at the well house previously and indicated that the fixed network system could also be used to give real time information to the water operators. He stated that no decision needed to be made tonight but wanted input from the Board. Trustee Eckert and Trustee Sedon stated they were leaning toward the MRX system, citing that the AIM system is a lot of money. After brief discussion, the Board felt it was best to proceed with the MRX system and split the cost with the Town.
Mayor Spaeth gave an update on the lighting project. He stated he was still waiting for the letter of credit from our bank that was required for the project. He stated that once the letter is received, we can get paper work finalized. He stated that he has been working with NYPA on the Smart City Grant, indicating that we can get up to an additional $ 80,000.00 with 50% match for smart city pieces to add to our current project. He indicated that the application has already been put in.
Mayor Spaeth reported to the Board that the cell tower buyout check of $ 621,400.00 has been received and deposited.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mayor Spaeth reported to the Board that there was an issue with the Fire District tax on the 2021 Town and County bills. He stated that Village residents did not get a Fire District tax on their bills. He stated the County levied the entire amount on only Town of Northampton parcels, which was incorrect. Mayor Spaeth stated he was notified, informally, today that the County has decided to put the Fire District tax on the June 2021 Village tax bills for Village residents. He stated they will collect $ 1.84/$ 1,000.00 on the Village bills which will create a huge excess of funds for the District. He stated the excess will be put into a reserve and will be applied toward the January 2021 Town and County tax bill for both Town and Village parcels. Trustee Collins asked where Benson fell into this and it was noted that Hamilton County assessed the levy that they were supposed to so Benson was not affected. Trustee Sedon asked if a letter would go out to Village residents. Mayor Spaeth stated that a letter would be sent out with the May water billing and with the tax bill in June to get the word out. He stated that there will be a lot of extra work on the Village’s part in this but it was the only option the County presented. He stated that the process moving forward will be more clearly defined and that this error occurred as a result of miscommunication, pure and simple.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business before the Board, motion was made to adjourn by Trustee Collins, seconded by Trustee Eckert and passed by voice vote with no one dissenting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy L. Reu, Clerk
