Minutes Regular Meeting August 15, 2017

REGULAR MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The Village Board met Tuesday, August 15, 2017 at 7:00 PM at the village offices.

 

Present:            John Spaeth, Mayor

Steve Collins, Trustee

                        John Markiewicz, Trustee

                        Matthew Ginter, Trustee

                         Sue Sedon, Trustee

 

Nathanial Matthews, Treasurer, Recording Secretary

 

Excused:                      Wendy Reu, Village Clerk

 

 

Mayor Spaeth called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

 

Motion to approve the minutes of the July 17, 2017 Special Meeting was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Sedon, and passed by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                  Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:           0

 

Motion to approve the minutes of the July 18, 2017 Regular Meeting was made by Trustee Ginter, seconded by Trustee Collins, and passed by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz. Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:           0

 

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PUBLIC INPUT SESSION

            Mayor Spaeth gave background on the Comprehensive Plan to date. He discussed changes that were made to the original proposal based on public input and Board input.

Mike Feldman stated he would like the meetings posted digitally on Facebook or website.  Mayor Spaeth pointed out that the meeting dates are on the website and have been shared on Facebook in addition to being advertised in the legal newspaper for the Village.

Elaine Keith asked if residents could Skype into the meeting if they were unable to attend.

Bill Gritsavage stated he would like to see tennis courts or other athletic courts added to the Comprehensive Plan.  He stated he would like to see the courts located at the Village owned Third Street parcel. There were several audience members present that supposed the idea of tennis courts on the Third Street property.  Dennie Poulin stated he disagreed and continued by saying that he felt the Third Street property should go back on the tax roll.  Mr. Poulin stated that tennis belongs at the school because they serve a greater area.  He also stated that he wanted to keep the Third Street neighborhood quiet and adding tennis courts there would not accomplish that.

Carl Sedon, who had served on the committee that developed the Comprehensive Plan stated that he supported the work that was done on the project.  He stated he wanted to see walkability in the village and cited the need to improve safety and driver awareness.  He stated that South Third Street is used as a cut through for vehicle traffic and there are speed issues on the street.  He also stated that he wanted the access from Water Street to Main Street addressed, stating that he would like to see one way traffic on Water Street.

Sue Sedon stated that crosswalks in the Village need to be made more visible and have appropriate signage.

There was a discussion about the safety of the spillway and it was noted that creating a walkway is in the plan and the Board continues to work toward that goal.

 

  PUBLIC COMMENTS – Mrs. Harris, an NCS teacher, talked about engaging students in polling and input into the use of the Third Street property as part of a Project Based Learning opportunity. She stated it would take three to four weeks to complete and get ideas from the students for the property.  She asked the Board for time to allow the students involvement before they decided how to proceed with the property.

At the end of the meeting, Public Comment was opened again when Mike Feldman asked if the error with the zoning amendment had been fixed and it was indicated that it was sent to the Department of State for filing.  He also questioned why items that were not on the agenda were allowed to be discussed and Mayor Spaeth indicated that he felt that any new or old business could be addressed during the meetings.  Mr. Feldman also commended the Board on the Comprehensive Plan input session.

 

REPORT OF COMMITTEES:

            Police – Mayor Spaeth reported there were 37 complaints handled in July, three of which were criminal.

 

Streets – Trustee Ginter reported that the crew assisted with a water leak repair on South Third Street.

Mayor Spaeth stated they would begin interviews of four applicants for the laborer position. Trustee Sedon made a motion for Highway Superintendent Reidell, Trustee Ginter and Mayor Spaeth to serve on the interview committee and make the choice.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Collins and carried by voice vote as follows:

 

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Water – It was reported that usage increased from 2,837,000 gallons in July 2016 to 2,999,000 this year. Water testing and operations were normal.

 

Fire – Fire Department Report for July 2017

 

Village of Northville            (4) Structure Fire                   1

Cooking Fire                       1

MVA w/injuries                 1

Standby for Edinburg         1

Town of Northampton          (5) Vehicle                              1

Fire alarm/False                   1

MVA- deer                         1

EMS Assist                         1

MVA-pedestrian                 1

Town of Edinburg                 (2 ) MVA-motorcycle                 1

Standby in station                1

Town of Benson                      (1) Structure fire                        1
Town of Hope                     (2) Fire alarm                               1

Standby in station                   1

Mutual Aid Given                 (3)

Mutual Aid Received             (6)

Total Man-hours reported were 246.63

 

Mayor Spaeth reported that the bid of on the Pumper Truck had been finalized between Auctions International and the Edinburg Fire Department.

 

Code Enforcement Mayor Spaeth reported that there were 10 permits issued in July/August.

 

Joint Youth – Trustee Sedon reported that Summer camp had ended and that the session went well.

 

Park Use Requests- No requests.

 

Marketing- Carla Kolbe presented the Board with the marketing report for July/August. She reported that she is working with the web developer to gain access to the website.

 

PAYMENT OF BILLS

Bills to be paid from the General Fund in the amount of $ 33,107.35, from the Water Fund in the amount of $ 2,589.90, and from the Joint Youth fund in the amount of $ 3,813.17 were presented for payment. Motion to approve payment was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Collins, discussed, and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:            0

 

ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORTS

            Trustee Collins made a motion to approve Annual Financial Report for Village.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Trustee Sedon made a motion to approve Annual Financial Report for Joint Youth Commission. The motion was seconded by Trustee Collins and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

OLD BUSINESS:  

            Mayor Spaeth reported that the NCS WiFi grant was moving forward. He indicated the next step would be planning.

Mayor Spaeth discussed the Comprehensive Plan with the Board.  He indicated that that everything discussed by the Public at the begging of this meeting was already included in the plan.  He stated that the FC Planning Board has no other changes or input.  Mayor Spaeth stated the next step would be to formally adopt the plan and move on to scheduling the Public Hearing for it.  After discussion, Trustee Ginter made a motion to adopt the Comprehensive Plan and to schedule a Public Hearing.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Mayor Spaeth presented Resolution # 10 of 2017 as follows:

 

Resolution classifying the ADOPTION OF THE draft VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE COMPREHENSIVE pLAN as a Type I Action under STATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY REVIEW (SEQR), to DESIGNATE that the VILLAGE of NORTHVILLE VILLAGE Board serve as the Lead Agency to conduct aN UN-Coordinated REVIEW UNDER SEQR

 

 

            WHEREAS, the Comprehensive Plan Committee designated by the Village Board recently completed work on a draft Comprehensive Plan for the Village and has forwarded said draft Plan to the Village Board, and

 

WHEREAS, Section 617.4(b)(1) of NYS SEQR Regulations states that the proposed adoption of any Comprehensive Plan shall be considered a Type 1 Action under SEQR, and

 

WHEREAS, the Village of Northville Village Board has completed a Parts 1 and 2 of the Full Environmental Assessment Form (EAF), and

 

WHEREAS, the EAF identifies the Involved Agencies for this proposed action to be:

 

  • Village of Northville Village Board                   WHEREAS, the Village Board desires to designate itself as the Lead Agency to perform an un-coordinated SEQR review of the proposed adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan.NOW, THEREFORE BE IT   RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby classifies the proposed adoption of a new Village of Northville Comprehensive Plan as a Type 1 Action, and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby designates itself to serve as the Lead Agency for the purposes of conducting an un-Coordinated SEQR Review on the proposed adoption of a new Village of Northville Comprehensive Plan, and be it furtherRESOLVED, that certified copies of this Resolution be distributed to the Village Clerk, Village Attorney and Village Mayor.      Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve Resolution # 10 of 2017. The motion was seconded by Trustee Collins and carried by voice vote as follows:Nay:                  0      Mayor Spaeth gave an update on the Clean Energy Community Grant. He stated the Solar Permit process was completed and we have received notice that it will be funded. Mayor Spaeth explained the NYSERDA grant process and what is required for the Village to be eligible for the $ 50,000.00 grant. WHEREAS, buildings are the single largest user of energy in the State of New York, and the poorest performing buildings typically use several times the energy of the highest performing buildings, for the exact same building use; andWHEREAS, this Local Policy will use Building Energy Benchmarking to promote the public health, safety, and welfare by making available good, actionable information on municipal building energy use to help identify opportunities to cut costs and reduce pollution in the Village of Northville; and WHEREAS, collecting, reporting, and sharing Building Energy Benchmarking data on a regular basis allows municipal officials and the public to understand the energy performance of municipal buildings relative to similar buildings nationwide; andWHEREAS, equipped with this information, the Village of Northville will be able to make smarter, more cost-effective operational and capital investment decisions, reward efficiency, and drive widespread, continuous improvement.WHEREAS, the following definitions will apply: (A) “Benchmarking Information” shall mean information generated by Portfolio Manager, as herein defined including descriptive information about the physical building and its operational characteristics. (B) “Building Energy Benchmarking” shall mean the process of measuring a building’s Energy use, tracking that use over time, and comparing performance to similar buildings.(C) “Authorized individual” shall mean Treasurer.            WHEREAS, the Department shall make available to the public on the internet Benchmarking Information for the previous calendar year:  (a) Summary statistics on Energy consumption for Covered Municipal Buildings derived from aggregation of Benchmarking Information; and(i) The status of compliance with the requirements of this Local Policy; and(iii) Annual summary statistics, including site EUI, Weather Normalized Source EUI, annual GHG emissions, and an Energy Performance Score where available; and WHEREAS, the Department shall maintain records as necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Local Policy, including but not limited to Energy bills and other documents received from tenants and/or Utilities. Such records shall be preserved by the Department for a period of three (3) years; and WHEREAS, the authorized individual (Treasurer) or his or her designee shall be the Administrator of this Local Policy; and WHEREAS, the Administrator of this Local Policy may promulgate procedures necessary for the administration of the requirements of this Local Policy; and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT within thirty days after each anniversary date of the effective date of this Local Policy, the Administrator of the Benchmarking Policy shall submit a report to the Village Board including but not limited to summary statistics on Energy consumption for Covered Municipal Buildings derived from aggregation of Benchmarking Information, a list of all Covered Municipal Buildings identifying each Covered Municipal Building that the authorized individual (Treasurer) determined to be exempt from the benchmarking requirement and the reason for the exemption, and the status of compliance with the requirements of this Local Policy; and Trustee Ginter made a motion to approve Resolution #11 of 2017 as presented. The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:Nay:                  0
  • Abstain:             0
  • Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
  • BE IT ALSO RESOLVED THAT this Local Policy shall be effective immediately upon adoption by the Village Board, and a copy of this resolution shall be provided to the Village Board .
  • (iv) A comparison of the annual summary statistics (as required by this Local Policy) across calendar years for all years since annual reporting under this Local Policy has been required for said building; and
  • (ii) The building address, primary use type, and gross floor area; and
  • (b) For each Covered Municipal Building individually:
  • WHEREAS, the Department shall make available to the public on the internet and update at least annually, the following Benchmarking Information:
  • (a) no later than December 31, 2017 and by September 1 of each year thereafter for Covered Municipal Buildings; and
  • WHEREAS, for new Covered Municipal Buildings that have not accumulated 12 months of Energy use data by the first applicable date following occupancy for inputting Energy use into Portfolio Manager, the authorized individual (Treasurer) or his or her designee shall begin inputting data in the following year; and
  • WHEREAS, no later than December 31, 2017, and no later than May 1 every year thereafter, the authorized individual (Treasurer) or his or her designee shall enter into Portfolio Manager the total Energy consumed by each Covered Municipal Building, along with all other descriptive information required by Portfolio Manager for the previous calendar year; and
  • WHEREAS, the authorized individual(Treasurer) may exempt a particular Covered Municipal Building from the benchmarking requirement if the authorized individual (Treasurer) determines that it has characteristics that make benchmarking impractical; and
  • WHEREAS, this Local Policy is applicable to all Covered Municipal Buildings as defined in item 5 above of this Local Policy; and
  • (13) “Weather Normalized Site EUI” shall mean the amount of Energy that would have been used by a property under 30-year average temperatures, accounting for the difference between average temperatures and yearly fluctuations; and
  • (12) “Utility” shall mean an entity that distributes and sells Energy to Covered Municipal Buildings.
  • (11) “Portfolio Manager” shall mean ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, the internet-based tool developed and maintained by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to track and assess the relative Energy performance of buildings nationwide, or successor.
  • (9) “Gross Floor Area” shall mean the total number of enclosed square feet measured between the exterior surfaces of the fixed walls within any structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or occupancy.
  • (8) “Energy Use Intensity (EUI)” shall mean the kBTUs (1,000 British Thermal Units) used per square foot of gross floor area.
  • (7) “Energy Performance Score” shall mean the numeric rating generated by Portfolio Manager that compares the Energy usage of the building to that of similar buildings.
  • (6) “Energy” shall mean electricity, natural gas, steam, hot or chilled water, fuel oil, or other product for use in a building, or renewable on-site electricity generation, for purposes of providing heating, cooling, lighting, water heating, or for powering or fueling other end-uses in the building and related facilities, as reflected in Utility bills or other documentation of actual Energy use.
  • (5) “Department” shall mean the Village Board.
  • (4) “Covered Municipal Building” shall mean a building or facility that is owned or occupied by the Village of Northville that is 1,000 square feet or larger in size.
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Adopting Energy Benchmarking Policy Requirements for Certain Municipal Buildings in the Village of Northville
  •       Mayor Spaeth presented Resolution # 11 of 2017 as follows:
  • Abstain:             0
  • Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

NEW BUSINESS:

            Mayor Spaeth presented a request from American Legion for Flag reimbursement in the amount of $ 253.30. Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve the Legion request.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Mayor Spaeth presented a request from Search Team 5-1 to conduct their annual coin drop on October 28th from 10-2 on South Main Street in front of the DEC office.  Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve the Civic Association request.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:

            Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Mayor Spaeth presented wording changes to the Benefits section of the Employee Handbook.  It was noted the change would be to both the dental and medical coverage and would read as follows:

(C)  Eligible employees are full time, year found employees as defined by law or otherwise outlined in the benefits chapter or deemed by the Board.  Benefits shall commence upon date of hire.

Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve the wording changes to the Benefits section of the handbook.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Treasurer Matthews presented a purchase agreement for Accounting Software upgrades for both the Treasurer and Clerk in the amount of $ 37,521.00.  Mayor Spaeth indicated that the support for the software currently used will no longer be available.  After review, Trustee Ginter made a motion to approve the purchase agreement for new software.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Sedon and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Mayor Spaeth requested a motion to amend the 2017-2018 budget by increasing overall appropriations by line item A1325.409 Clerk-Treasurer Contractual Expense-Computer Support in the amount of $ 35,000.00 and increase use of unrestricted fund balance line item A0909 by $ 35,000.00.  After discussion, Trustee Markiewicz made the motion to amend the budget as requested above.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Ginter and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Mayor Spaeth reported that he had received notification that the Village was awarded the Planning Grant that would assist with Zoning modifications.  After discussion, Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve that an RFP for a consultant to assist with zoning modifications be drafted and distributed.  The motion was seconded by Trustee Collins and carried by voice vote as follows:

Aye:                 Trustee Collins, Trustee Ginter, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon

Nay:                  0

Abstain:             0

 

Mayor Spaeth reported that the Rotary had issued a Thank You letter to the Village for the assistance given during their recent woodworking show.

 

Mayor Spaeth reopened the discussion on the Third Street property.  The Board discussed the cost of tennis courts and the possibility of grant funding for such use. Mayor Spaeth stated the property has been appraised as both a single lot and a split lot if the Board wanted to move forward with selling the property.  After discussion, the Board decided to hold off on any decision on the property to give the NCS students a chance to give their input into potential uses for the property.

 

Mayor Spaeth reported that the September meeting will be held on September 12th at 7 p.m.

 

ADJOURNMENT:

There being no further business before the Board, motion was made to adjourn by Trustee Sedon, seconded by Trustee Collins and passed by voice vote with no one dissenting.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Nathanial Matthews

Treasurer/Recording Secre