Town of East Hampton
Town Council Regular Meeting
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
East Hampton High School Library
Minutes
Present: Chairperson Susan Weintraub, Vice Chairman Glenn Suprono and Council Members Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore and George Pfaffenbach. Also present were Town Manager Michael Maniscalco, Recording Secretary Cathy Sirois, members of the press and citizens.
Not Present: Ted Hintz, Jr.
Call to Order & Pledge of Allegiance
Chairperson Weintraub called the regular meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. in the East Hampton High School Library.
Adoption of Agenda
A motion was made by Mr. Pfaffenbach, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to adopt the agenda as written. Voted (6-0).
Approval of Minutes
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to approve the minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting of October 4, 2012 as written. Voted (5-0-1). Mr. Johnson abstained as he was not present at the meeting.
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Suprono, to approve the minutes of the Town Council Regular Meeting of October 9, 2012 as written. Voted (5-0-1). Mr. Dostaler abstained as he was not present at the meeting.
Public Remarks
Bill Marshall, 6 Fairlawn Avenue, discussed alternative forms of energy such as natural gas and provided a newspaper article to the Council.
Scott Minnick, 28 South Main Street, asked the Council to consider the $200,080 request for the High School renovation.
Email from Karen Terry, supports the appropriation for the High School renovation and supports a town meeting not a referendum for voting on the appropriation.
Presentations
Town Cemetery Board
Kevin Reich, Chairman of the Town Cemetery Board, provided an overview of the board. The current members are Nikki O’Neill, Jack Lanzi and Russell Oakes. The sexton for the cemeteries is Robert Drewry. The Board is responsible for overseeing the town sexton, adopting cemetery policies and procedures, securing funding for the cemeteries and developing long range plans. The Public Works department assists with mowing, trimming, removing leaves and plowing. In the past, the board has installed flag poles at each of the five cemeteries, repaired stone walls, reclaimed sections of cemeteries that were overgrown and secured funding for an expansion of the Young Street cemetery. The five year action plan includes researching restoration of memorial markers and gravestones, rebuilding stonewalls, upgrading
cemetery signage, providing permanent markers for indigent grave sites and completing a feasibility study and conceptual design for the Young Street cemetery expansion.
Bids & Contracts
Pictometry Contract
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to award the contract for Pictometry International Corporation in the amount of $21,399 for the aerial flyover and $5,858 for the sketch match with the CAMA System Vision Government Solutions. Voted (6-0).
Board of Education – Education Association Contract
A copy of the Education Association contract was received by Council members prior to the meeting. A summary of the contract was reviewed. The Town Council has the ability to act on the contract or not. If no action is taken the contract is enacted. The Council took no action on the 2013-2016 contract for the Education Association.
Resolutions/Ordinances/Policies/Proclamations
None
Continued Business
High School Building Committee Funding Request
Sharon Smith, Chairperson of the High School Building Committee, thanked Kevin Reich for his assistance with the committee and the project. She introduced John Mena from Capital Region Education Council (CREC) provided an overview of the NEASC report. Mr. Mena answered questions from the Council on the High School project.
A motion was made by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Suprono, to adopt the resolution recommending that the Town of East Hampton appropriate $200,080 from unassigned General Fund balance for costs associated with renovations to the East Hampton High School. A Town Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 1, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium. Voted (6-0). The full resolution will be included with the minutes filed in the Town Clerk’s Office.
Review Draft Blight Ordinance
Mr. Maniscalco reviewed the draft blight ordinance. The ordinance will be reviewed to be sure it correctly references the Hearing Officer ordinance.
A motion was made by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to move the Blight Ordinance to a Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. in the High School Auditorium.
Review Draft East Hampton Emergency Alerts Policy
Mr. Maniscalco provided an overview of the East Hampton Alerts policy. Minor changes will be made to ensure the same language is used for the definitions and procedures.
A motion was made by Mr. Dostaler, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to approve the East Hampton Alert Notification System Policy as amended. Voted (6-0).
Update on Design Review Board
A press release will be prepared to request applications for members of the Design Review Board.
New Business
End of Year Transfers
Mr. Maniscalco reviewed the end of year transfers. Each year, the Town prepares transfers in order to zero out any departmental budget deficits. The agenda report will be included with the minutes filed in the Town Clerk’s office. This item will be presented again at the next Council meeting for the second reading.
Board of Education Additional Appropriation
An additional appropriation is needed to cover additional costs relating to special education tuition and related services. Each year the State of Connecticut reimburses the Board of Education for these additional costs. This is a budget adjustment only. The agenda report will be included with the minutes filed in the Town Clerk’s office. This item will be presented again at the next Council meeting for the second reading.
FY 2011-2012 Capital Reserve Fund Transfer
It is anticipated that the General Fund will have an overall surplus. This surplus is a product of unspent budgets and revenues that were in excess of estimates. It is requested that the Council approve the budget transfer of $374,490 to the Capital Reserve Fund and that the transfer be allocated to the following projects: $150,000 to the debt sinking fund and $224,490 to Emergency Preparedness /Disaster Recovery fund. The full agenda report will be included in the minutes filed in the Town Clerk’s Office. This item will be presented again at the next Council meeting for the second reading.
A motion was made by Ms. Moore, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to send the recommendation with the specifics of the Emergency Preparedness/Disaster Recovery to the Board of Finance for review. Voted (6-0).
RFQ – Insurance Broker/IT Services
A motion was made by Mr. Johnson, seconded by Mr. Dostaler, to move the RFQ’s forward for insurance broker and IT Services. Voted (6-0).
Town Manager Report
Mr. Maniscalco reported the following:
- An organization evaluation was distributed to town staff
- A reorganization of the department head reporting structure was completed
- An Emergency Management meeting was held
- A public information meeting was held for the Christopher Brook/Brewer Road project
- A KX budget meeting was held and discussed the budget shortfall due to one town leaving the group
- Public Works completed a Village Center cleanup prior to the ribbon cutting for the Airline Trail
- Discussions were held with CT Natural Gas regarding natural gas to the town and the clean energy task force is being finalized
Liaison Reports
Mr. Dostaler attended the Board of Education meeting. The Memorial School roof is just about done, there was a presentation on CMT/CAPT, no child left behind is being waived by the State, the Superintendent search continues and parents attended the meeting regarding bullying.
Ms. Weintraub noted the Fire Department will be holding a meeting regarding the fire truck so information can be put together for a future Council meeting.
Appointments
Mr. Dostaler announced the resignation of Rachel Mansfield from the Arts & Cultural Commission.
Tax Refunds
A motion was made by Mr. Suprono, seconded by Mr. Pfaffenbach, to approve tax refunds in the amount of $4,031.12. Voted (6-0).
Public Remarks
Mark Laraia, 21 Brookhill Drive and Board of Education Chairman, thanked the Council for considering the Education Association contract and thanked the Council for taking the next step in the High School renovation project.
Mary Ann Dostaler, 56 William Drive, commented that the Pictometry contract will support the Brownfields Redevelopment Agency as well.
Irene Curtis, Wangonk Trail, commented on East Hampton Alerts, suggested the dumpster area at town hall be cleaned up and asked if the Christopher Brook project will include dredging.
Scott Minnick, 28 South Main Street, commended everyone involved in the ribbon cutting for the Airline Trail.
Communications, Correspondence & Announcements
None
The regular meeting ended at 8:55 p.m.
A motion was made by Mr. Pfaffenbach, seconded by Mr. Suprono, to enter Executive Session at 9:00 p.m. Voted (6-0).
Executive Session:
Strategy Regarding Barton Hill Grinder Pump Lawsuit
Strategy Regarding CHRO 1140106 – Shepard v. Town
Present in Executive Session were Susan Weintraub, Glenn Suprono, Kyle Dostaler, Derek Johnson, Barbara Moore, George Pfaffenbach, Town Manager Michael Maniscalco, Attorney Duncan Forsyth and Attorney James Tallberg.
Executive Session ended at 9:43 p.m.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 9:43 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Cathy Sirois
Recording Secretary
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