November 27, 2018

November 27, 2018

Present: Mayor Pulver, Trustee Horning, Trustee Bough Martin, Trustee Kopp, Trustee Baldwin, Counsel Bell, Mr. Gregory, Mrs. Kendall, Mr. Gloska, Mr. Kopp, 2 P.I.G. students, Stephanie Perotti, Atty. F. McHale, Mrs. Doss

Mayor Pulver called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Critter Sitters – 112 Salt Springs Road

Stephanie Perotti and her attorney Frederick McHale appeared before the Board this evening in regard to her operation of a dog boarding facility at 112 Salt Springs Road which she owns. The operation is currently operating without any permission from the Village. Ms. Perotti appeared before the Board to begin dialogue for correcting the violation. Counsel Bell commented that the application that Ms. Perotti is requesting is a change of zone of the parcel of property she owns. The properties adjacent to her property are zoned low density residential. A dog boarding facility is allowed in a low-density residential area with a special permit. Counsel Bell advised Attorney McHale that she would need an accurate legal description of the Perotti parcel for the Local Law that is required for the change of zone process. The Attorney stated he would have the description of the property to Counsel Bell in the next couple of days. Counsel Bell stated that the Village Board will have a draft Local Law by their December meeting, at which time, if the draft Local Law is what the Village Board agrees with, then a public hearing would be scheduled for January. The Board could make a decision in January to approve or deny the requested change of zone. The Board asked Ms. Perotti why she hadn’t checked the zoning before starting her business in this location. She stated that she didn’t think about the zoning issue, she was expanding her business from her startup location in Syracuse and found this location and thought what a great location. She stated she has had no complaints from her neighbors about her operation. Counsel Bell also commented that if the zoning change is approved, then the hearing would be held for special permit and that would be the time for Ms. Perotti to explain the operation of her business. The Board requested that Counsel Bell draft a local law for the change of zone request for Ms. Perotti’s property. Ms. Perotti and Attorney McHale thanked the Board.

Minutes

The Board members reviewed the minutes of October 22, 2018. Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Kopp, minutes of October 22, 2018 approved as written. All members present voting in favor.

Reports

Codes – The Board reviewed the report submitted.

Court – The Board reviewed the report submitted.

Historian – The Board reviewed the annual report submitted.

Administrator – The pedestrian bridge is installed. The DPW is planning to pick up yard waste and collect leaves if weather permits next week. They have been trying to get to this, but with the early snow and the holiday they haven’t been able to complete. Their hope is if there is a warm up, they will pick up brush and leaves for perhaps the next week or two. The Board discussed hiring of Joe Watkins, DPW as a part time driver for the trash/recycle pickup schedule, with the Village currently being down one driver. He would receive $17 per hour. The County is currently working on a title for this position. Mr. Gregory stated he would be contacting Jim Cunningham in regard to setting up a meeting with him, Debra Thayer and Jim to discuss the next steps for the data collection survey for sewer.

Mayor’s Dinner Meeting – December

Upon the motion made by Trustee Kopp, seconded by Trustee Baldwin, the Board authorizes payment of dinner/meeting in December for the Mayor’s Association if any Board member wishes to attend. All members present voting in favor.

Tree Lighting – Street Closures

Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Horning, the following resolution was presented: Be it resolved that the Village of Chittenango Village Board, located in Chittenango, New York, hereby approves the Village Tree Lighting ceremony to be held in the Village of Chittenango on and around Dr. West Park on December 1, 2018. Be it further resolved by the Village of Chittenango that Russell Street, from North Street to Genesee Street, and North Street, from Russell Street to Arch Street, and Arch Street, from North Street to Genesee Street, will be closed to vehicular traffic on December 1, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. All members present voting in favor.

Village of Chittenango Honorary Resolution 2018

Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Kopp, the following resolution was made for the tree lighting honoree for 2018. All members present voting in favor.

A RESOLUTION HONORING SANTA AND MRS. CLAUS AS 2018 TREE LIGHTERS

Whereas, Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, and Father Christmas, is a legendary figure who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved children on Christmas Eve and the early morning hours of Christmas day, December 25th.

Whereas, Santa Claus and his wife, Mrs. Claus, magically appear in Chittenango each year for the Village Tree Lighting, and have appeared each year since the second Village Tree Lighting in 2006;

Whereas, Santa and Mrs. Claus are a loving couple, known by many to be very sweet people, who have generously dedicated their time and support to their church and their community;

Be it recognized, that Mr. and Mrs. Claus have brought wonderment and amazement to the children of our community;

Be it resolved, that We, the Mayor and members of the Village of Chittenango Board of Trustees gathered today on this 27th of November 2018 do hereby honor and designate Santa and Mrs. Claus as the official Tree Lighters of the 2018 Village Tree Lighting;

Be it further resolved, that a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Signed by Mayor Pulver

Next meeting

The Board will be meeting on Thursday, December 20, 2018 at 7 p.m. for December due to Christmas being on the 4th Tuesday.

Codes Training Request

The Board reviewed the request from the Codes Officer to attend NYSBOC Mohawk Valley Business meeting and luncheon on December 14 in Rome. There is no cost for the event. Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Baldwin, the Board approves attendance at the NYSBOC meeting on December 14 for the Codes Officer. All members present voting in favor.

Sun Chevrolet – Sidewalk Complaint

Mayor Pulver spoke with the Board in regard to a complaint the Village received from Debby Griffiths of 118 W Genesee Street about vehicles parking on sidewalk in front of Sun Chevrolet and the aggressive response from employees at Sun Chevrolet to her when voicing her concern. The Mayor reported he had contacted Sun Chevrolet Dan King and asked him to call and speak with Mrs. Griffiths in regard to the incident. Dan King has contacted Mrs. Griffiths and spoken with her in regard to the concern. The Mayor stated he would contact the Police Chief in regard to enforcement of this issue. Mrs. Kendall commented that something really needs to be done to keep the sidewalks clear in this area.

Fraud Prevention Training

The Mayor spoke of a recent training seminar he attended which reflected on helpful information on communication, checks and balances policies and follow through.

Trustee Bough Martin spoke on budget training, monthly reports and policies related to these topics. She spoke of a point four-year annual review and controlled environment system, policy implementation, checks and balances and all policies that the Village is required to have and what is currently on file with the Village. She stressed that monthly reports are very important.

The Mayor spoke about the investment policy and whether the Village had one. He stated that he’d like to get the mandated policies in place, establish what are our priorities, work on what we have, and determine what we have to have in place. The group talked about controlled environment system; a plan of policies and training. The Board agreed to schedule a meeting in December to discuss the concept of controlled environment workshop. The Board established December 5 at 1 p.m. for this meeting.

Multi Year & Capital Year Planning

The Mayor commented he would like to see a multi- year plan and capital planning in place before beginning the budget process. Trustee Bough Martin spoke about a five-year analysis plan, trending is important but other factors weigh in to the planning. Mayor Pulver spoke about rotating equipment more frequently so there is still value and repairs are not as costly. Another aspect of the planning is communication. Written versus un-written communication was discussed and how important it really is for a good working environment. The Board also discussed policies, revisiting those that we have in place and establishing new ones as the Village moves forward for more effective planning and processes.

SRO (School Resource Officer)

The Mayor reported he has spoken with School Superintendent Mike Eiffe about the School Resource Officer and the putting together a job description for school resource officer. One is in place through the County currently. The Mayor commented that he is hoping to put together a meeting Thursday or Friday with Supt. Eiffe and Mr. Mahardy from the School to talk about the SRO, wages, job description etc. There is also a need for a 211 waiver for wage earning limits for retired SRO position. The group will look in to and hopefully create an Intermunicipal Agreement between the Village and the School for the police services provided by the Village for the School.

Frank & Sue Kordziel – Falls Boulevard

The Mayor reported that he had received a complaint from the Kordziel’s who live on Falls Boulevard about the work recently done in the Creek by Trout Unlimited. They are unhappy with the work that was done and they said it was put in place without their knowledge. The Mayor stated that Trout Unlimited will contact the Kordziel’s to discuss their concerns.

DPW Employee Training

The Mayor advised he had met with someone from Morrisville College recently who had commented that there is a program for training DPW employees to mentor/train in part time position to give them the ability to learn and understand and move into full time positions in the future. There is a meeting set for January 11 at 11:15 to discuss this concept further.

NY Class Investment

The Mayor commented that the training he attended recently they spoke about NY Class, a program for municipalities to use to make investments. He spoke about the Village adopting an investment policy particularly as it applies to banking.

Valley Acres Diversion drainage

The Mayor spoke about the property on Dyke Road just outside the Village that the Board had discussed this a few months ago; apparently, the property has recently sold as there are currently renovations happening at the house. The property at that time was in a foreclosure process. Counsel Bell will look into the tax sale records to check on who the owner currently is and advise the Board.

NYCOM Legislative Conference

The Mayor reported he had attended the NYCOM Legislative Conference recently. A lot of great topics were covered at the conference. He said he has contacted Senator Mays office recently in regard to the DASNY funding for the bridge and also in regard to legislation that is in discussion in the Legislature in regard to SRO funding. He is waiting to hear back from her.

New Hire – DPW

Mr. Gregory spoke to the Board in regard to the newly hired part time driver for the DPW that is filling in due to the shortage of full-time drivers. Joseph Watkins was given tentative approval by the Mayor for hiring, based on the newly created hiring practices so that he could begin driving November 8, 2018. The Board discussed the job title for Mr. Watkins. The Clerk explained that the Village is required to use a title that the County approves. There is currently not a job title for a part time driver. Information has been sent to the County for this position job title. Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Kopp, the Board approves the hiring of Joseph Watkins for MEO, PTcapacity for a rate of $17 / hour. All members present voting in favor.

Pedestrian Bridge Payment authorization

Mr. Gregory spoke to the Board in regard to the payment request for the pedestrian bridge that was recently delivered and installed. He is still awaiting paperwork from Bailey Bridges (aka Pioneer Bridges) in regard to the bridge; including but not limited to the certification report from engineer on installation, load test reports, ADA requirements, etc. He is requesting that a payment be authorized but not sent out until all the paperwork that is required is received. He has contacted Bailey Bridge for the documentation that is required. Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Horning, the Board authorizes that payment be processed for Bailey Bridges and release subject to the receipt of all the documentation that is required be received here at the Village. All members present voting in favor.

Madison County Website update

Mr. Gregory reported that he had been in touch with the representative from Madison County in regard to the website. They spoke of many options that are available; the security that they have in place, pricing etc. He has also contacted Google in regard to setting up a website and also the emails, which the County can also do. He is going to be speaking tomorrow to the representative from Google about the options and offerings.

National Grid Lighting

The Mayor advised that he had sent out some information, but hasn’t set up a meeting yet to discuss the details and options. This needs to be finalized by January. He will work on getting a meeting set up soon.

Capital Resolutions

The Board discussed resolutions that would be appropriate; DPW, WWTP, Sick Time buyout; Police (have the Chief put together a list/plan). No action this evening.

Chittenango Dollar General, LLC

Trustee Bough Martin will call the representative this week see if he agrees to having the Village surveyor prepare a map of the property that the Village is interested in for appraisal purposes. The Village surveyor needs to have permission from the property owner before proceeding.

Travel Expense Policy

There is a policy in the Village handbook. This will be reviewed.

Credit Card Policy

There is a draft policy for credit cards. This will be discussed further at the special meeting on December 5,

Tower Lease

To be discussed in Executive Session.

Abstracts

General Abstract #6 – 335-404 $268,067.07

Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Kopp, General Abstract #6 approved for payment as outlined above. Payment for Bailey Bridges is authorized, but Clerk-Treasurer is advised to hold releasing payment until all paperwork is received from Bailey Bridges. All members present voting in favor.

Sewer Abstract #6 81-99 $61,369.68

Upon the motion made by Trustee Kopp, seconded by Trustee Horning, Sewer Abstract #6 approved for payment as outlined above. Payment for Airside Technology is authorized, but Clerk-Treasurer is advised to hold releasing payment until certified payrolls are received from Airside Technology. Trustee Horning, Trustee Kopp, Trustee Baldwin, Mayor Pulver voting in favor. Trustee Bough Martin abstaining. Motion carried.

Sunshine Fund

Upon the motion made by Trustee Baldwin, seconded by Trustee Horning, payment of $27 for Olive Branch Gift Shop authorized. All members present voting in favor.

Copier Disposal

The Board spoke of disposal of the copier in the Clerk’s Office. Mr. Gregory reported that he has looked up pricing for used machines. A recent sale at auction was $710. There is someone who has expressed an interest in obtaining the machine. He will be contacted and given the price. If interested the Board would accept an offer of $710. The Village has declared this piece of equipment as excess property. If the individual isn’t interested, the machine will be listed on the auction site.

Executive Session

Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Baldwin the Board went into Executive Session to discuss the tower lease at 9:05 p.m. All members present voting in favor.

Upon the motion made by Trustee Bough Martin, seconded by Trustee Horning, the Executive Session was closed with no action taking place during or after the session at 9:21 p.m. All members present voting in favor.

Upon the motion made by Trustee Horning, seconded by Trustee Baldwin, meeting adjurned at 9:21 p.m. All members present voting in favor.

Respectfully submitted,

Jill A. Doss

Village Clerk-Treasurer