June 21, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes
REGULAR MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
The Village Board met Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
Present: Sue Eckert, Mayor
John Markiewicz, Trustee
Janet Rudd, Trustee
Sue Sedon, Trustee
Kathleen Terwilliger, Trustee
Absent:
Wendy Reu, Clerk, Recording Secretary
Nathan Matthews, Treasurer
Dan Reidell, DPW Superintendent
Absent:
Public Attendance – Dan Singer, Mike Warner, Bob Ellsworth, Linda Finch, Henry Fletcher
Mayor Eckert called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Motion to approve the minutes of the May 17, 2022, Regular Meeting was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon, and passed by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
PUBLIC ACCESS: Trustee Rudd read a prepared statement regarding her displeasure with the Covid retention bonuses that were approved for the full time Village employees at the previous meeting. She stated she was not able to attend the full meeting due to school elections. She stated it is no reflection on how anyone does their job, but she felt the compensation was extravagant. She said people lost their jobs because children were home from schools and parents had to watch them. She said we all received the stimulus package, to which Mayor Eckert replied that not everyone received it. Trustee Rudd stated that many did and she felt that the compensation the full time employees received was excessive and she would have voted against it. Mayor Eckert stated she respectfully disagreed with Trustee Rudd.
Linda Finch addressed the board regarding the Information booth out on Route 30. She stated she and a group of volunteers are managing the information booth, stocking it weekly and cleaning the area. She stated that she wanted to draw more attention to the area by creating a whimsical art project out there, indicating that she had planned to construct a pole with destination signs to various points of interest on it. She stated she was told by Code Enforcement Reidell that she needed to obtain permission to continue with the project. The Clerk reported that the project area is in the State ROW and the Village has a temporary use permit for the parcel which states that improvements cannot be made to the area without first obtaining a work order. Mayor Eckert stated that we do not own the area so we cannot grant permission for any construction. Trustee Sedon asked if Mrs. Finch would maintain the sign project if it moved forward and she stated she would. After brief discussion, Trustee Sedon made a motion to ask for and obtain a work permit from the State to see about moving Linda Finch’s sign project forward. The motion was seconded by Trustee Terwilliger and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
Bob Ellsworth addressed the Board. He complimented Trustee Rudd for speaking her mind. He said it was refreshing and nice to see.
Mr. Ellsworth stated that he felt there were inaccuracies in the Tree Commission flyer that was recently distributed with the Village water bills. He said the way the document read, it appeared that residents would have to ask permission to cut any tree down in the Village, not just street trees. He also complained that the Village is not adhering to the required clearance along sidewalks for trimming along property lines bordering sidewalks.
Mr. Ellsworth also presented the Board with a check for the movie night that Sacandaga Dog Supply was sponsoring for the Joint Youth program. The Board thanked Mr. Ellsworth for the sponsorship.
REPORT OF COMMITTEES:
Police – Mayor Eckert reported that she and Treasurer Matthews had completed the reference review for the new police applicant. She stated there would be further discussion later in the meeting when the entire Board would have the opportunity to review the application.
Streets – The DPW report was read and is on file at the Clerk’s office.
Highway Superintendent Reidell reported that he had recently met with the Towns of Hope and Benson, and they were both agreeable to let the Village share use of their truck to haul a roll off. He said they were working on the verbiage for a shared use agreement, and he would provide it to the Board for their review in the future. Highway Superintendent Reidell suggested seeing if the County would have a used roll off the Village could rent or buy before going out and purchasing a new one, as we are doing this on a trial basis to start.
Highway Superintendent Reidell gave an update on the lighting project. He indicated that there are still a few lights have yet to be converted. He stated an employee for the contracted company doing the work left and now a new one is training, and it is anticipated the work would be completed shortly.
Highway Superintendent Reidell reported that he is working on learning how to control the lights. He indicated that currently, all the lights are set to 100% but many municipalities that have the same lights have them set at 70%. He stated he would begin with adjusting the lights in the commercial district.
Highway Superintendent Reidell informed the Board that blacktop prices were very high, and he planned on holding off on doing any curbing and paving this year unless it was absolutely necessary.
Highway Superintendent Reidell reported that he was approached by Town Supervisor Jim Groff to see if the Village would help the Town by digging graves at the cemetery. He indicated he spoke with Mayor Eckert about it and an intermunicipal agreement will be drafted and brought to both Boards for their approval at the next meeting.
Mayor Eckert asked about the benches at the Village green. She stated they are sagging and the area was overgrown. Highway Superintendent Reidell reported that was an Eagle Scout project and he would see what kind of improvements could be made in the area. He agreed that the area needed to be cleaned up and he suggested concrete seating to replace the benches.
Highway Superintendent Reidell reported that Crossing Guard Jack Barker is retiring and that we would need to have a new guard in place before September. Mayor Eckert asked the Clerk to post the position at the current salary. Trustee Rudd asked that a letter of appreciation be sent to Jack.
Water – It was reported that usage increased from 2,809,000 gallons in May 2021 to 3,201,000 this year. Water testing and operations were normal.
It was reported that there were still two meters left in the Village that had not yet been converted to radio read meters.
Code Enforcement- The Code Officer’s report was filed. It was reported that two complaints were investigated. No permits were issued.
Dog Control – The Dog Control report for May indicated that he patrolled the Village periodically and spoke with individuals that did not have waste bags with them.
Joint Youth – Trustee Sedon reported that the Commission met recently, and they were not able to secure the number of lifeguards needed to open the beach. She stated that Ken was going to be talking to Mayfield to see if we could utilize their beach for our swim program. She stated that if they were not able to use Mayfield, they would expand their search. Mayor Eckert stated in light of the Commission not being able to staff the beach, the Board needed to decide if we were going to leave the gate open, but the beach closed with the appropriate signage like we did last season. After discussion, Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to close the beach this year with proper signage, keeping the gate open. The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
The Clerk reported to the Board that a question has been raised as to whether the gate could be left open during the winter months to accommodate snowmobile trailer parking. Treasurer Matthews stated there may be an issue of liability with that as we would have to plow the area. He stated that in the summer, no maintenance is needed on the closed beach area. Mayor Eckert asked Treasurer Matthews to verify with our insurance carrier about keeping the gate open during the winter.
Park Use Requests – No requests were received. Trustee Sedon stated she was approached by a teacher who brings here students to the park to conduct experiments and she asked if she could store items throughout the school year in the bandshell. The Clerk indicated the back door was locked and a key would need to be signed out and returned each time she needed to access the structure. It was also stated that various groups use the bandshell during the fall and winter, and each time, the items stored inside would have to be removed. After discussion, it was decided the bandshell was not the appropriate place for the teacher to store the items. Highway Superintendent Reidell suggested the teacher utilize the Village garage in the municipal parking lot instead.
Marketing – Village Clerk Wendy Reu gave an update on Marketing. She stated she has been actively planning the DOINS celebration and parade, recruiting vendors and participants. She stated there will be a volunteer meeting toward the end of June to finalize the event details. She stated she has contacted 44 Lakes.Com, run by the Fulton/Montgomery Chamber of Commerce and has posted various events that are happening in the Village, such as the DOINS, on the site. She reported she has arranged for an article to appear in the Leader Herald featuring the historic return of the popcorn truck and the associated DOINS activities. She stated she has begun using social media to share information about other community events happening in the Village as well as updating the website information. She indicated that she has also been in contact with the Edinburg Newsletter and she plans on writing a monthly article for the newsletter, which will not only provide information about events but also give updates on various projects the Board is working on. She stated she has been in contact with Betsy Emery to get assistance developing a calendar of events for the website.
Report on Village Projects – John Spaeth provided an update on the Village projects that Mayor Eckert read. It was reported that we are working with our MVEDD contact to close out the lighting grant and receive our final payment of $ 37,500.00.
The report indicated that an RFP for the engineering and permitting of the walkway at the spillway has been issued. It was noted the deadline was July 8th and once that is reached, the Board can review the proposals and select the firm they desire to complete the work.
The dredging feasibility RFP has been completed and once we receive bids from the spillway engineering RFP, we will issue the dredging one so potential bidders do not have to deal with two at once.
Tree Commission – No update
PAYMENT OF BILLS
The monthly financial report was reviewed and bills to be paid from the General Fund in the amount of $ 69,269.69, from the Water Fund in the amount of $ 7,337.71, and from the Joint Youth Fund in the amount of $ 1,700.00, were presented for payment. Motion to approve payment was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
OLD BUSINESS:
Mayor Eckert reopened the previously tabled subject of snow removal from sidewalks. She indicated that the Clerk has gathered various snow removal regulations from various municipalities to help assist us more clearly define regulations for residents pertaining to snow removal. She asked each Board member to take the documents home and review them and bring their ideas back to the table during the July meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
Northville Central School sent a request to block off Third Street from Bridge to Center, during the hours of 5-8 pm on Friday, June 24th for graduation. Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve the NCS request for graduation as presented. The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
The Clerk requested that the events annually held by NCS, such as the Bike Rodeo, Color Run, Graduation Ceremony, and Halloween Parade, be treated the same way as the annual coin drops in the Village and given blanket approval. She stated that many times, requests for the events don’t come in on time to come before the Board. The Clerk indicated that the school would still have to reach out to her office and DPW to be sure the necessary equipment was obtained, but that could be done the week before the event. After discussion, Trustee Sedon made a motion to approve the annual events NCS conducts: Bike Rodeo, Color Run, Graduation Ceremony, and Halloween Parade with necessary equipment being requested from the Clerk/DPW prior to the event. The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
The Senior class advisors, Steve and Amy Clapper, provided the Board with a route for their car parade following graduation. It was noted that the FD would be leading the parade and asked that we make the PD aware.
The Clerk requested the Board to consider adopting a policy to establish an administrative fee that would be applied to accounts where multiple repeated attempts at underpayment of a utility or tax in the same billing cycle. She explained NYCOM has provided guidance for administrative fees to be charged in these instances, similar to bounced check fees. She indicated the first return of insufficient funds would be sent back to the individual with a note explaining the fees for future submission of insufficient funds against the same bill. The Clerk explained that having to return multiple attempts to pay with insufficient funds on the same bill incurs cost to the municipality in terms of administrative time, postage, and supplies. The Clerk suggested a fee of $ 20.00 be considered. She also noted that the policy would have to be adopted as a local law as it would be a charge that would be levied against the property if not paid by the resident. After discussion, Trustee Terwilliger made a motion to draft a policy for administrative fees for the Board to review and consider. The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
PUBLIC COMMENTS: There were no additional comments from the public.
At 8:11 p.m. the Board entered Executive Session to discuss Personnel – Employment History of Applicant upon a motion by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon, and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
The meeting resumed in Regular Session at 8:31 p.m. under a motion by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon, and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to hire Police Officer Malinda Harrington at a rate of $ 22.03/hour on a 6-month probationary status, which can be extended to one year. The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:
AYE: Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Rudd, Trustee Sedon, Trustee Terwilliger
NAY: 0
ABSTAIN: 0
Trustee Terwilliger asked who will be responsible for assessing the job performance of probationary officers hired by the Village. Treasurer Matthews stated the Chief of Police is responsible for the assessments. Trustee Terwilliger stated that when the point is reached when an evaluation is performed on probationary officers, she would like a report from the Chief.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business before the Board, motion was made to adjourn by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon and passed by voice vote with no one dissenting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy L. Reu, Clerk
