Village of Hunter
Minutes of Meeting held February 8, 2016
Pledge of Allegiance 8:00PM
Call to Order: 8:06PM.
Members Present: Mayor William Maley, Trustee Alan Higgins and Trustee Michael Trancredi
Also Present: Larry Gardner, Village Attorney, Charles Sweet, Superintendent of Highways and Kathleen M. Hilbert
Public Present: Gary Slutzky, John Murphy, John LaVeglia, Gary Goodrich and Anthony Figiel of the Hunter Fire Company No. 1, Rob Corson, Harold Goldberg and Jonathan Harris
Approval of Minutes: Village of Hunter Board Meeting held January 11, 2016
Privilege of the Floor:
New Business:
MOUNTAINTRAIL AT HUNTER, LLC and TRAILSIDE INROADS, LLC – Petition for Annexation – The Mayor requested Attorney Gardner to review for correctness before we schedule a public hearing. Application for Water – We have received the check but there are some issues with the application, such as Jeff Prince signing as the owner – he is not the owner, etc. The Mayor asked Attorney Gardner to review this also. Attorney Gardner advised the Mayor not to schedule a public hearing yet. He will review these documents and get back to the Board in one week.
Village Election – Mayor Maley stated that Kathleen informed him that we can use paper ballots that can be counted by hand. He stated that last year the Village paid the Greene County Board of Elections $698.40 and ordered 200 ballots. This was an unnecessary expense to our taxpayers, especially since there were only fourteen voters last year. Gary Goodrich brought this to Paula Boland’s attention in the past but she told him that we could not do it like that. The Mayor instructed Charles Sweet to build a locking ballot box and some type of room divider/partition which would provide voters a space in which they can vote privately and instructed Kathleen Hilbert to prepare an acceptable format for the paper ballot. See Resolution 2016-007.
Village Prosecutor – Attorney Gardner – I contacted an attorney who would be the Village Prosecutor if you choose to retain him. His name is Kenneth Ayers. He is in Fort Plain, New York. He is willing to travel at his own expense to come here. He has worked for other municipalities. I had a long conversation with him. He is experienced in what we are talking about. He is willing to do this and his hourly rate would be $225 per hour. He would charge us the expense of travelling but he is not on the clock when he gets in his car. I said I would bring this to the Board with the intention of having a resolution passed to retain him now so that he is onboard, should he be needed. See Resolution 2016-008.
Old Business:
SCBAs – John LaVeglia – The SCBAs should arrive in a week or two. We appreciate you moving forward as quickly as you did.
The Mayor would like to be advised when the SCBAs are received.
Fire Truck Gary Slutzky – The fire department has gone over the specs a couple of times. We have met with Blake Garrison from Garrisons and at this point we recommend that we go with the low bid as is and we hope that you can move forward with it. The guaranteed price in the bid is for sixty days. That is March 11. I left you with different financing scenarios from The Bank of Greene County and Community Leasing Partners.
Mayor Maley – We will review all of the paperwork. If we went with 10 years with Community Leasing you would be at a payment of $46,000 a year. Gary Slutzky – We think that ten years is the optimum number. Mayor Maley – It is the max you can go. Gary Slutzky – No, you can go fifteen years. Mayor Maley – I was under the impression that for fire apparatus we could only go ten years. Gary Slutzky – No, not that we know about. This actually comes from Blake. The reason I say that is because in ten years the 2003 will be twenty-three years old.
Gary Slutzky – Also, we had not really scrutinized the specs. Certain things actually changed because from the time of the spec (August 5, 2015) to the time of the bid (January 11, 2016) the chassis actually changed. That is all reflected in Blake’s bid proposal. There are some other things we found out we need. We are not asking the village to fund it, we are just letting you know. There is about $8,000 worth of equipment that we may have to fund on top of it but there may also be deletions of this or that which might be able to cover those kinds of things. Because of our situation with that ten foot ten opening and the minimal length it literally costs between $70,000 and $100,000 extra to buy a truck to fit the space and carry all the stuff that we got to have. That is why they are so damn expensive and that is why nobody bid it.
Mayor Maley – My recommendation is that we send a letter to the Town of Hunter because right now in order to buy a fire truck and to go out and pay $46,000 a year as a bond payment, we have to have some assurance from the Town that they are going to pay their share of that. In the last three years we have gotten notifications of no increases/minimal increases and we get $29,000 from the Town now. We multiply that times three. We have overspent our budget that this board has created over the last three years. Most likely after buying $39,000 worth of air packs and as we get to the end of this fiscal year, we are going to be above the $90,000 again. I am going to request that the Board ask the Clerk to send a letter to the Town with a copy of the recommendation from the Fire Company and the estimated cost of the bond issue and request them to bring it up at their board level and Attorney Gardner will be there. We need to see what their opinion is. I know we need the equipment and I believe the rest of the Board knows we need the equipment. I would be all for it if we have an agreement with the Town whereby they agree to cover their share thereof. John LaVeglia – the Fire Company is a Village administered entity. The Village and the Fire Company contracts with the Town. It is my opinion that it is not up to the Town to come up with that third. Trustee Higgins – we want to renegotiate our contract with the Town, correct? Mayor Maley – correct. John LaVeglia – I understand that. Mayor Maley – John, let me explain how this works. Any municipality that contracts outside of its geographic boundaries and gives the service that they are contracting out to the other municipality for less than the actual cost, the people sitting at this table could easily be sued by the taxpayers. Trustees Higgins and Tancredi– It is illegal. Mayor – We are not legally allowed to contract out services for less than the actual cost, i.e. it would be like saying we feel bad for the Town of Hunter so let’s have our Road Crew plow the Town’s roads for only $100,000 but it would cost the Village $200,000 to plow the Town’s roads. How could anyone say that is an acceptable concept? And, it is not legal. Daryl has said, we’ll just contract with you, we’ll build our own fire district for the area outside the town. I have heard every scenario but it is not in the best interest of the people of the Village or the people in the fire area that we protect, it is not in the best interest of continuity of fire protection within the mountain top. John LaVeglia – inquires as to what the Town residents are taxed per thousand for fire protection in our district in the Town. Gary Slutzky – States $1.07 per thousand for the Town and asked what it is for the Village. Mayor – It is not a line item on our tax bill like it is for the Town. It is part of our General Fund Budget. Gary Slutzky said he does not know where the budgeted $87,000 could have gone. Trustee Higgins pointed out that this year $40,000 will go to the air packs. Gary Slutzky asked if it would be possible for the Board to come up with some sort of summary of all the charges of the Fire Department. This information was provided to Gary Slutzky in the past. Mr. Slutzky stated that it was only budgeted information. The Mayor stated that he was provided with budgeted amounts and actual expenses. Mr. Slutzky stated that the info provided him was BS. The Mayor asked how many times this information has to be generated for him. Gary Slutzky thinks it would be a waste of our time to send a letter to the Town because they will not do anything about it. He said they will wait for the dance to come about and we will have to do other things. Trustee Higgins thinks we should send a letter to the Town telling them what the contract amount is and how much more we want for our annual contract and if they say no, we should buy the truck and not contract with the Town and that is why we have to do away with the tax cap because we are going to have to raise the taxes by more than 1.6% and we will have the ability to do it after we pass the resolution tonight. We will not be able to provide fire protection to the rest of the district because the Town is not going to give us the money. The Mayor said the Town would then be required to contract with someone else. We would then see how much the Town really cares about the community by creating a longer response time. A lengthy discussion followed.
Trustee Tancredi thinks the Clerk should furnish the Fire Company with another copy of disbursements. Then the Fire Company should take it to the Town Board meeting and bring it up. Gary Slutzky does not think it is the Fire Company’s job to do this. Trustee Tancredi thinks the Fire Company’s members would be good advocates to do this. It is in the Fire Company’s and the community’s best interest.
Mayor Maley said for right now we should send the Town a letter saying that we are interested in going out for a bond but do not feel that we can increase the cost to the Village taxpayers without increasing the cost to the protection district. Gary Slutzky said the Village of Tannersville did this a couple of years ago and it did not work.
Trustee Tancredi – Since most of the members of the Fire Company live within the fire protection district and not in the Village, do you think it is fair that the Village taxpayers pay more for their fire protection? Gary Slutzky states he does not see it that way. Gary Slutzky also disagrees with the Village’s assessed value as stated by Trustee Higgins. States he has different information and the Board is wrong.
It was explained by Trustee Tancredi that the $1.07 is a line item and not part of the Towns operating budget. Attorney Gardner states that the line on the Town’s tax bill for fire protection district is the funds raised by the Town to fund the contract with the village. The Village of Hunter wants to go to the Town and ask them to increase that rate. The rate would also be increased to those in the Village but it is not shown as a line item in our budget.
Gary Slutzky states that every time he asks for numbers, he does not get the actual numbers. The Mayor stated that he sat down with Gary Slutzky and the Clerk and gave him all the figures requested. The Clerk confirms this. Gary Slutzky still states that the figures are just budget figures and denies the actual expenditures. He says it was just a lot of numbers.
Trustee Higgins – Keep in mind, now it is February 8 and we are going to spend $40,000 on the SCBAs and by April 30 you will be over the budget. Gary Slutzky – That is fine.
Mayor Maley and Trustee Tancredi – This is not fine for the Village. Trustee Higgins – Do you remember how we paid for the orange truck? Gary Slutzky – It was all paid for at once – $185,000 from Capital Reserve Fund. Trustee Higgins – the Capital Reserve Fund comes solely from the Village taxpayers. Gary Slutzky – Who cares? Trustee Higgins – We are not going to contract with the Town for less money than the Village pays.
Mayor Maley – Kathleen, run the actual expenditures for the past couple of years and the budget in a format that some people can read and give that to both the Fire Company and the rest of this Board. After we review that, we will discuss how we will approach the Town about getting more money so that we can actually facilitate getting equipment that is well needed.
John Murphy– Have you ever considered breaking it out on the tax bill and the budget? Mayor Maley – It is broken out in the budget. Attorney Gardner – When you get to the tax bill, there is only one tax rate. Mayor Maley – As a municipality with a contract to another municipality, which is what the Town does, it is a line item and it only gets to the people within that District.
Trustee Tancredi – We all feel the budget squeeze. Maybe you, as Town residents, should go petition the Town to abandon their health care benefits – rescind the dog catcher’s health insurance and that would more than cover the additional cost that we are asking for. None of the Village Board members partake in benefits and never have. Mayor Maley – Part-time employees are covered in the Town.
Attorney Gardner suggests that a member or two from the Village Board and a member or two from the Fire Company together go to the Town Board. If the Town Board will relent and help pay for it, it will get done a lot easier and sooner. This would be in the interest of all.
Old Edwardsville Preservation Society – No action at this time.
Frank Raho (Cardboard Box Hotel) – Attorney Gardner – I have a letter into the Town to request a date for a hearing. I have also had further correspondence with the owner. He has fired his contractor. He promises that by late March he will be there with his own crew. We are still actively moving forward.
Correspondence:
- Catskill Watershed Corporation Notice of Preliminary Decisions dated February 3, 2016.
- 2016 Tentative Telecommunications Ceilings for tax assessment roll.
- Greene County Public Health 2016 Rabies Clinic – Posted on inside door of the Village Hall. We will cooperate with Greene County Public Health and try to bring the rabies clinic back to the Village of Hunter.
- Law and Management Conference – April 1, 2016. Attorney Gardner advised the Board to stay away from this.
Resolutions:
Resolution 2016 – 007
Election Day Paper Ballots
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that the Village of Hunter Board of Trustees hereby orders the Clerk to use paper ballots to be counted by hand for The Village of Hunter’s general election to be held March 15, 2016.
The foregoing resolution was put to a vote and was carried unanimously.
Mayor William Maley voting – yea
Trustee Alan Higgins voting – yea
Trustee Michael Tancredi voting – yea
The resolution was thereupon declared duly adopted.
Resolution 2016 – 008
Village Prosecutor
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that the Village of Hunter Board of Trustees hereby retains Attorney Kenneth Ayers as the Village Prosecutor at an hourly rate of $225.
The foregoing resolution was put to a vote and was carried unanimously.
Mayor William Maley voting – yea
Trustee Alan Higgins voting – yea
Trustee Michael Tancredi voting – yea
The resolution was thereupon declared duly adopted.
Resolution 2016 – 009
Declaration of Surplus
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that the Village of Hunter Board of Trustees hereby declares the following vehicle to be surplus:
1968 Jeep M715 4 x 4 Pickup Vehicle Identification No. 29167
The foregoing resolution was put to a vote and was carried unanimously.
Mayor William Maley voting – yea
Trustee Alan Higgins voting – yea
Trustee Michael Tancredi voting – yea
The resolution was thereupon declared duly adopted.
Resolution 2016 – 010
Local Law No. 1 of 2016 – Property Tax Cap Law of 2016
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that the Village of Hunter Board of Trustees hereby enacts Local Law No. 1 of 2016 – Property Tax Cap Law of 2016, a local law to override the tax levy limit established in New York General Law 3-C – Limit Upon Real Tax Levies by Local Governments.
The foregoing resolution was put to a vote and was carried unanimously.
Mayor William Maley voting – yea
Trustee Alan Higgins voting – yea
Trustee Michael Tancredi voting – yea
The resolution was thereupon declared duly adopted.
Financial Reports:
- Monthly Trash Bag Reconciliation
- Bank Reconciliations
- General Fund
- Sewer Operating Account
- Water Operating Account
The above reconciliations were reviewed.
Bills:
Account Voucher Abstract
General Fund V-369 to V-406 9
Sewer Operating G-162 to G-179 G-9
Water Operating F-110 to F-124 F-9
Water Supply Capital Project HF-9 and HF-10 HF-9
New York Main Street Project CD-3 CD-9
The above vouchers were audited and ordered paid.
Adjournment:
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting at 8:58PM by Trustee Michael Tancredi , seconded by Trustee Alan Higgins.
Respectfully submitted by:
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Kathleen M. Hilbert
Clerk/Treasurer