October 20, 2020 Regular Meeting Minutes
REGULAR MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
The Village Board met Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM
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 September 22, 2020 Regular Meeting was made by Trustee Markiewicz, 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 would take public comment via phone calls or emails between 7:00 and 7:20 p.m. During that period, no communication from the public arrived.
Scout TJ Payne and his father were in attendance at the meeting to propose an Eagle Scout project that consisted of repairing and staining the sign outside the Bradt Building. He was informed that the building is owned by the Town of Northampton and any projects dealing with Town property would need to be authorized by the Town of Northampton Board. He was informed that the Town Board meets the third Wednesday of the month.
REPORT OF COMMITTEES:
Police – No report was received.
Streets – The DPW report was read and is on file at the Clerk’s office. Mayor Spaeth reported that Mike Warner retired effective October 16th and that Matt Ginter, Jr. would be starting employment on November 2nd.
Highway Superintendent Reidell reported that he has taken possession of the new plow truck. He asked for the Board’s input on lettering on the vehicle. The Board thought they vehicles signage should be uniform and asked for his preference. He stated his preference was to use the Northville logo but in an oval format without the white background. He stated that he would like to use Barney’s Signs for the work. After discussion, the Board told Highway Superintendent Reidell to proceed with his preference.
Water – It was reported that usage increased from 2,303,000 gallons in September 2019 to 3,291,000 this year. Water testing and operations were normal.
Mayor Spaeth reported that Highway Superintendent Reidell has spoken with the DOH regarding his certification and he is just waiting for a walk through of the well house with them and then paperwork can be signed off.
Mayor Spaeth reported we have received notification from NYMIR that they have denied the claim from Fulton County Community Heritage for the water damage that occurred at their property.
Mayor Spaeth reported that Darryl has been working for a long time to get the well house generator repaired. He stated Darryl obtained two quotes, one from Kingsly System for $ 5356.87 and the other from Monroe for $ 4070.88. He stated the generator was purchased in 1999 and although it is not used often, it is relatively old. He stated it is not automatic and that someone would need to go up and start the generator if it was needed. Mayor Spaeth stated he asked Darryl if we should just replace the generator due to the age but Darryl feels it is a perfectly good generator and for what it is used for, once it is repaired it will serve the purpose. Mayor Spaeth indicated that Darryl does not feel the need for an AVT switch on the generator as “he is always around”. Mayor Spaeth stated that at this point, we are getting into the winter season and for us to go out to get bids for a new automatic system would take a few months before we could even see a new generator. He stated he wished this process was started earlier in the year. Highway Superintendent Reidell stated that we need to have this changed over to automated at some point in the future. Trustee Eckert voiced concern about spending the money now for something that we will need to replace/upgrade in the not so distant future. Treasurer Matthews stated that the bid process might be able to be avoided if the type of generator we were looking at was on State contract. He stated that if it was emergent, we can expedite the process due to it being part of the water system. Mayor Spaeth stated that Darryl is confident that once the repair is done that we have a few years on the generator. He stated that does buy us time to explore grant funding for the upgrades needed at the well house. Trustee Collins stated the Town or some other agency might be interested in the generator that we are replacing. Mayor Spaeth stated that there are two options at this time: 1) table the repair and look at expediting a new generator or 2) proceed with the repair and look at upgrading the wellhouse next year. After discussion, Trustee Collins made a motion to accept the quote from Monroe in the amount of $ 4070.88 to proceed with the repairs and explore upgrades to the wellhouse next year. 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
Fire – Fire Department Report for September 2020
Village of Northville (0)
Town of Northampton (5) False Alarm 2
Trash Fire 1
Vehicle Fire 2
Town of Edinburg (1) MVA 1
Town of Hope (0)
Town of Benson (1) Trash Fire 1
Mutual Aid Given (1)
Mutual Aid Received (5)
Total Man-hours reported were – 6
Code Enforcement- Mayor Spaeth reported that Todd Unislawski is still the Interim Code Officer for the Town and Village. He indicated that we have posted the opening for a part time officer two days ago and we have received 2 applications so far. Mayor Spaeth suggested that in the interest of expediting the process, that he and Trustee Eckert could interview the candidates and if the Board approved, offer to hire the individual they felt best fit the position. He stated that none of the applicants are completely qualified but there are good things that that a few of them bring to the table. After discussion, Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to hire a Code Enforcement Officer based on the recommendations from Mayor Spaeth and Trustee Eckert after interviews are conducted. 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
Dog Control – The Dog Control Officer report was filed with the Clerk. It was reported that two loose dog issues were resolved. DCO Duesler indicated that a summons for Court was issued on the ongoing dog issue he has been working on.
Joint Youth – Trustee Sedon stated that JY is going to be conducting a Halloween house decorating contest open to families and businesses in the Village. She stated they can sign up in advance to be judged on October 28th and 29th. She reported there would be 5 homeowner prizes and one business prize. She indicated the prizes would be $ 20.00 Visa gift cards.
LWRP- Mayor Spaeth reported that he voiced his frustration to Elan Planning on the lack of progress on this project. He indicated that he received a call back from them and was informed that due to COVID, Elan turned their staff to part time for four months and a lot of their existing work went by the wayside. He expressed disappointment that Elan did not notify their customers about this. He stated they are now on task to get a committee meeting together for early November and hope to be going out to the public virtually in the upcoming months.
Marketing – Mayor Spaeth reported our contract with CRG for marketing is up for renewal. After discussion, Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to renew the CRG contract in the amount of $ 2,500.00 for marketing. 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
PAYMENT OF BILLS
The monthly financial report was reviewed and bills to be paid from the General Fund in the amount of $ 32,886.82, from the Water Fund in the amount of $ 13,257.67 and from the Joint Youth Fund in the amount of $ 6.18 were presented for payment. Motion to approve payment was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Collins and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
OLD BUSINESS:
Mayor Spaeth gave an update on the LED street lighting project. He stated we are very close to getting it done. He has worked through the process with National Grid but it appears that they want us to have a letter of credit that says we have money set aside for the project. Treasurer Matthews stated it almost sounds like they want us to sign up for a line of credit and suggested that we work with Kathy Mizner, our Pioneer Bank representative to clear up the situation. Mayor Spaeth stated that the final contract from NYPA should be coming soon and it is estimated that we will start the project in early spring. Mayor Spaeth stated he has been in contact with NYSERDA as our grant is expiring on December 31st and was informed that they have no problem extending the deadline. Mayor Spaeth stated he was also exploring NYPA grants that would allow Wi-Fi on the poles and updating the lights in the park as well as part of the project. After discussion, Trustee Eckert made a motion to go forward with the full grant for the lighting project, adding in features such as Wi-Fi and smart technology. 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 he has been continuing to work on the Compensation review and has been working on job descriptions for Clerk, Treasurer, and DPW Supervisor.
Mayor Spaeth gave an update on the Division Street parking issue. He stated we received three letters and one phone call in response to the letters that were mailed to residents in that area regarding exploring parking options for the street. He stated that Bob Brooks called and said he felt it was a good idea to limit parking to one side of the street and his preference would be no parking on the south side of Division. Mayor Spaeth stated that the other letters are in the folders for the Board to review. He stated that most of the letters were neighbors complaining about other neighbors and gave little input. He stated some of the suggestions in the letters do not work at solving the problem. Trustee Eckert stated she felt we need to have better enforcement. Mayor Spaeth stated he would be meeting with Brian VanNostrand about better enforcement of parking issues around the whole village. Mayor Spaeth stated that Division is not the only narrow street in the Village, there are several other streets that fall into the same category. He indicated we have cars that are parked across sidewalks, parked too close to stop signs and cross walks and other parking infractions that don’t seem to be addressed by the PD. Mayor Spaeth stated that the owners of the Inn at the Bridge indicated that there would be potential impact on their business if we restricted parking on Division Street. He stated the business is supposed to have supplied off street parking for the business and that they have a contract with the Catholic Church to use their lot but only when they have events. Mayor Spaeth said that while street parking spaces are not specifically reserved for any property owner or business, if we restrict parking on Division Street, the Inn’s business could be impacted. He stated that while the Inn is not doing anything illegal with the marina business, the volume of his business has increased. He stated that HRBRRD approved the increase of dock space for the Inn and gave no consideration the parking because at the time the expansion occurred, the Village had no definition of marina in the zoning. Mayor Spaeth felt we needed to review all the suggested comments submitted and address them. He indicated that one of the comments brought up was potential impact to mail delivery to residents on the street. Trustee Eckert asked if the Village lot on Third and Division could be utilized for public parking. Mayor Spaeth stated that the highway department uses a portion of the property for storage of sand for resident’s use, but it was something to explore. The Board decided to table the parking issue and review it next month.
Mayor Spaeth reported that the Village is now in possession of the sign on the Village green. He stated that Highway Superintendent Reidell was going to be working at making it useable or modifying it to meet our needs.
Mayor Spaeth discussed the Covid protocol with the Board. He indicated we have been utilizing the protocol for many months now and the main sections of the building were open to public, single entry with masks being worn and it seemed to be working well. He asked the Board if they any concerns with opening the meeting to the public. Trustee Sedon stated she would be concerned if we opened to the public without temperatures being taken. Trustee Eckert asked about Zooming in the public instead of having them come in person. Mayor Spaeth stated that if anyone was uncomfortable opening up the meeting to public then we should continue as we are, audio recording the meeting and opening public access via phone or email. He stated that the requirement of conducting meetings where no one from the public is able to be in the room is that the meetings need to be recorded so the public can understand the process how decisions are made by the Board. After discussion, it was agreed that the meeting would be open to the public, in a limited number to meet the 50% reduction of occupancy, with participants completing contact tracing sheets, temperature checks at the door and social distancing. Mayor Spaeth stated that he anticipated we could accommodate approximately 6 people in addition to the required Board and staff that is present at the meetings. He stated he would work with the Clerk before the next meeting to make the arrangements for the meetings to be opened.
NEW BUSINESS:
Mayor Spaeth presented Resolution # 12 of 2020 as follows:
Resolution #12 of 2020
Designation of Municipal Non-Necessity of Fire Equipment
WHEREAS the Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved Resolution #1 of 2020-Authorizing the Establishment of the Northville Joint Fire District; and
WHEREAS the District has established a five-person Board of Fire Commissioners and officers of the Northville Joint Fire District effective October 2, 2020; and
WHEREAS the District will be operational January 1, 2021; and
WHEREAS, the fire equipment owned by the Village of Northville will no longer be needed by the Village effective January 1, 2021,
NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Village of Northville designates the fire equipment owned by the Village as a non-necessity effective January 1, 2021.
Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve Resolution # 12 of 2020. 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 presented Resolution # 13 of 2020 as follows:
Resolution #13 of 2020
Transfer of Fire Equipment to the Northville Joint Fire District for No Consideration
WHEREAS the Village Board of Trustees unanimously approved Resolution #12 of 2020-Designation of Municipal Non-Necessity of Fire Equipment; and
WHEREAS tax revenue was generated by the Village of Northville, Town of Northampton and the Town of Benson for the purpose of purchasing equipment for fire protection; and
WHEREAS the newly formed Northville Joint Fire District would have to generate funds through tax revenue to purchase equipment to be operational,
NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Village of Northville will turn over the fire equipment deemed as non-necessity to the Northville Joint Fire District for no consideration.
Trustee Eckert made a motion to approve Resolution # 12 of 2020. 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 presented Resolution # 14 of 2020 – Standard Work Day and Reporting Resolution for Elected and Appointed Officials
Trustee Collins made a motion to approve Resolution # 14 of 2020. 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 presented Resolution # 15 of 2020 as follows:
Resolution #15 of 2020
Appointment of Village Clerk as Tax Collector
WHEREAS NYS Real Property Tax Law, Section 1438 allows for the appointment of the Village Clerk as Tax Collector, and
WHEREAS the Board of Trustees may determine by resolution that
the taxes in the village shall be collected by the Village Clerk,
NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that the Village of Northville Board of Trustees designate that the taxes in the Village shall be collected by the Village Clerk instead of the Treasurer and thereafter, the clerk shall collect taxes until such resolution is revoked at a subsequent annual meeting.
Trustee Markiewicz made a motion to approve Resolution # 15 of 2020. 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 he and Highway Superintendent Reidell have been working on the Hazard Mitigation Plan that is driven by the State. He stated that all counties need to put together a plan to mitigate damage from storms, power outages, etc. He stated that while the plan is county wide, each individual municipality is called out in the plan and your plan must be unique to your area.
Mayor Spaeth reported there were various correspondences in the folder. Notably, Pat Barnett issued concerns about various areas around the Village that he thought were issues. Mayor Spaeth stated that many of Mr. Barnett’s concerns were the Board’s concerns as well and were being addressed with the need for enforcement Village wide.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business before the Board, motion was made to adjourn by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Collins and passed by voice vote with no one dissenting. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy L. Reu, Clerk
