REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN BOARD
TOWN OF GLENVILLE
DECEMBER 16, 2009
AT THE GLENVILLE MUNICIPAL CENTER
18 GLENRIDGE ROAD, GLENVILLE, NEW YORK
Present: Supervisor Frank X. Quinn, Councilmen Mark A. Quinn, Christopher A. Koetzle and Councilwoman Valerie M. DiGiandomenico
Absent: Councilman Edward F. Rosenberg
Supervisor Quinn called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM; Councilman Quinn gave the Invocation and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Supervisor Quinn asked the Town Clerk, Linda C. Neals, to call the roll.
Town Council Reports:
No reports this evening
Supervisor Quinn – “Item number 5 on the agenda is a public hearing to consider a contract for the fire protection services for 2010 to be furnished to the fire protection district established in the Town of Glenville and known as “Fire Protection District No. 4”.
Supervisor Quinn opened the public hearing at 7:10 pm.
Michael Schermerhorn, FPD 4 resident – “I would like to comment on your pending vote concerning the award for fire and emergency medical service protection in District No. 4.
I have taken the time to attend every informational meeting and each Town and Village Board meeting concerning this contract award since 2004. Your decisions on this contract are extremely important to me. My position still hasn’t changed; the contract should continue to be awarded to the Scotia Fire Department.
Back in December of 2004, when then Supervisor Mosher held informational meetings and past out questionnaires the majority of the residents and business owners that spoke supported the Scotia Fire Department. In March of 2009 the overwhelming majority of those who attended the joint Town of Glenville/Village of Scotia public meeting, held at the S-G Middle School, that they were in favor of the Scotia Fire Department and urged you, our elected officials, to continue the contract with the Village of Scotia.
My 2009 tax bill reflected a charge of $750.87 for fire and emergency services provided by the Scotia Fire Department to me. That’s a rate of approximately $2.71 per thousand of assessed value; roughly $2.05 a day. Scotia’s proposal for the coming year, I believe, is $370,000. With the recently adjusted boundary line in District 4 the rate will probably be down around $2.68 per thousand of assessed value. The proposal from the Beukendaal Fire Department is $210,000. I am not exactly sure how the rate is going to be assessed, their current rate is $1.64 per thousand, I am not sure if $210,000 is just being added to the annual tax levy, which I believe is $367,000 now making it approximately $577,000.
Either way if Beukendaal were to be awarded the contract to me it’s a savings of about $294.31. We all want to save money but at what cost? Scotia services are more costly but I can understand how, simply because they have to account for 13 career firefighters. Scotia provides professional career firefighters on duty, 24 hours a day and they are supported by volunteer firefighters. The response time from Scotia’s firehouse to my front door is approximately 2½ minutes and I live about as far from Fire District #4 as you can get. Scotia can administer first aid or begin to extinguish a fire that much quicker. Time is extremely critical when it comes to saving a live and protecting property from a fire. When we are facing an emergency and we need help we need it now. Increased time creates a greater risk. A family member or neighbor who is suffering from a serious medical problem, not receiving enough oxygen
can suffer permanent brain injury in approximately four minutes and death within five minutes. A son or daughter who is bleeding from an artery could exhaust their entire contents in their small body with a few short minutes. A fire will double in size and intensity every minute that it is left to burn; in a minute one room is two rooms, another minute two rooms are four rooms. Time is critical, we have help that is 2½ minutes away but there is a cost for that help; $2.05 a day. To me it is the best deal in town.
The Beukendaal Fire Department is a wonderful organization with many dedicated men and women; I certainly would not try to discredit them in any way. I know many of the members personally; I have worked along side of many of them. Beukendaal is still a volunteer fire department; they do not have a professional career staff on duty 24 hours a day. There members must be toned out, response to the station, get dressed, wait for a crew and then drive to the emergency. The drive time from their station to my front door is 5½ minutes under the best driving conditions. That alone is 3 minutes longer than Scotia’s drive.
Unfortunately the $210,000 proposal will not improve times. The members are not going to be on duty 24 hours a day, they’re not going to build a department that is closer to my house. I am not sure exactly what the additional revenue will be used for because I haven’t seen their proposal or their master plan.
You as Board members may be divided and have concerns but I feel that in your hearts you will all do what is truly best for our community. Please do not make a mistake now. I am asking each of you for your vote tonight for Scotia Fire Department because only Scotia Fire Department can provide the services that we in Fire District #4 deserve. Please do not jeopardize the safety of my family and the safety of my neighbors.”
Virginia Graney, FPD #4 resident – “I don’t have all of the details that this gentleman has but I remember the meeting that was held back when Mr. Mosher was the Supervisor. I also remember hearing the difference in response times, different situations from Beukendaal, Scotia and Thomas Corners and there was virtually no difference in time. These were times that were in writing. I live in an area that should be Thomas Corners, as far as I am concerned. I am seriously disappointed in the Thomas Corners Fire District and I am also disappointed with the complacency of residents regarding their fire districts. I do not question the efficiency of the response time for any of those fire districts.
What I do question is the fact that the costs are significantly different; we are not talking about a little bit. When I checked into the numbers a year ago I was paying twice as much to FPD #4 as my neighbors were paying into the Thomas Corners Fire District.
When I talk to my neighbors they’re upset over this but when it comes to these meetings I am the only one that shows up. No one other than fire district personnel seems to speak up. I guess I am beating a broken drum and I feel that I am being ripped off.”
Christina Darkangelo-Wood – FPD #4 resident – “I live and work in Fire District #4. I find it very important that the response time that we get with having a professional service, people available to help. I do work at S-G High School, I am a chemistry teacher, and it is very nice and very comforting to know that when ever that fire alarm goes off or whenever we have an emergency to see the trucks coming up the road, that there is someone there to help immediately. The cost of an extra .50 a day, I am perfectly comfortable paying that.”
Dave Gallup, Beukendaal Fire Commissioner – “Here we are again talking about the District #4 fire contract. When Frank Quinn took office he said he would be resolving this once and for all and here we are again. I do give him credit that he got the western boundaries fixed but we still have a line going through a building in Corporations Park and we are still here discussing District #4 and a contract for services. Every time this occurs it stirs up bad blood between Beukendaal and Scotia Fire Departments. This goes back longer than the 24 years that I have been with Beukendaal and it needs to stop. You the Town Board can do so by working with the Village Board in making District #4 a combination district
with Scotia as I spelled it out for you all in an email about one month ago.
If the combined district was formed there would be a Board of Commissioners formed to run this department so the Town Board and Village Board would no longer be responsible for dealing with this contract or going through the motions of contract negotiations. The residents would be protected from large increases in taxes as this district would have to run under the same statutory spending limits as the rest of the town districts must run under and most of all it would stop this animosity every contract year.
We want to work closer with our brothers and sisters in Scotia Fire Department. Every time this happens problems arise. Both departments are professional and both can provide a service to these residents. A contract for District #4 will not fix this problem, a combined district will. This situation has gone on much too long, needs to be resolved and I do hope the next administration will work to finish what has been started.”
Lou Buhrmaster – “Thank you, Frank, for the work you did on Fire District #4, I know how difficult it can be. I have been at it since 1964. I spent 25 years on the Board of Fire Commissioners for the Village of Scotia. I was the sole representative of Fire District #4.
Corporations Park, which had its own fire department paid for by the government, became the part of Fire District #4 when they pulled out their fire station with 34 paid full-time firemen with three pumpers and they still relied on Scotia for back-up. This has been a job that I have seen probably a dozen Supervisor’s go through and lot’s of time it was the death of their term of office because they tried to resolve it and could not.
The only way to truly resolve it, this addresses the financial issue and when I was on my push was to get the government to pay for at least one full time man three shifts a day and provide a pumper and the government just looked at me and said tough luck, you have got to take it over, no choice. This is the only way to solve this problem. Mutual aid is a good thing for most all of us in the kind of situation we’re in but we are being taken advantage of by the people in the commercial facility up there. My recommendation to the Board is to allow people in Fire District #4 to set up their own fire district, leave Fire District #4 with Corporations Park and any body else who wants this, then we will be able to negotiate our
own tax rate and have our own Board of Fire Commissioners. As far as it goes right now this is not going to happen right now and I agree with everybody that has spoken before in regards to the service. Three out of four people that I talked to just before this meeting told me that they used the services for Fire District #4 and two of them said my parents wouldn’t have lived if they hadn’t had that immediate response that provided the oxygen. They all said that Mohawk Ambulance that is supposed to be the follow-up didn’t get there for ten to fifteen minutes later. So if you say that time doesn’t mean anything, it does mean something.
I truly appreciate all of your concerns on this thing but until we take the bull by the horns we can’t solve it. We have got to get a separate fire district, either for Fire District No. 4 or for Corporations Park or the alternate choice for right now and I would have to say stick with the Village of Scotia. It is nothing against… I know a lot of the Beukendaal people, I’ve worked with them, I’ve attended meetings at their fire house on the same issue many times and we had the same hold up as we ever had here. Let’s go ahead with Fire District #4 with the Village of Scotia so that we can have that protection that so many people are depending on.”
No one else wished to speak; Supervisor Quinn closed the public hearing at 7:27 pm.
The following people exercised the privilege of the floor:
Curt Byrnes, 7 Herrick Drive, stated that he has had a problem since he moved in two years ago with the snow removal. He continued to explain that the highway does a good job but he said that for the past two years he has been arguing with the highway because one or two of the drivers continue to plow his wife in. He would just like someone to look into it and get back to him.
Virginia Graney, town resident stated that she hopes the new board will be more diligent when approving building plans. She further explained that she was informed by the building inspector that this current board approved the construction of buildings at Dover Place. She stated that instead of the normal set-back these buildings are placed unreasonably close to Rte. 50. She hopes in the future that the new board will be a lot more diligent.
Supervisor’s Comments:
The financials for November were distributed. When you look through them please notice the comment on the cover sheet that as we approach year-end our Comptroller is asking all of us and the department heads to turn in anything that you know of that would be expenditures or revenues that we haven’t seen or accounted for.
He stated that the revenues are over about $669,000 due to the fact that we had a one shot deal with the FEMA money for $461,000 that was un-anticipated. So without this money we would be over about $207,000 given all of the line items in the three main funds. That is a 2% difference in revenue. Good job and I commend all of the board members.
Expense wise we are under budget by about $598,000 or 5.2%, $438,000 of that is in one line item in the three main funds, it is the health insurance. Health insurance came in $438,000 less than it was budgeted for so if it wasn’t for that we would be 1.4% under.
Supervisor Quinn commended the Highway Superintendent for a good job with the leave pick-up program.
Supervisor Quinn mentioned that Rockit Science, the town’s computer maintenance firm, donated $500 to the local Scotia Relief Program.
Discussion…
Supervisor Quinn made a motion to amend the resolution to offer the FPD #4 for the year 2010 to the Beukendaal/Rectors Fire Company for the sum of $215,000.
Councilwoman DiGiandomenico seconded the motion.
Supervisor Quinn – “We have six volunteer fire companies to cover the town population, over 20,000 people. We get good fire service out of the Village and we also get excellent fire service and emergency health care services out of the six volunteer fire companies. There is no statistically significant difference between them in loss of life, amount of fire damage or anything else. What is going on is if the original resolution is passed it would be a 75% higher rate for the same type of service. We all know and we are all aware of the fact that the Village is one type of Fire Company and the volunteers are another type. We had a public meeting, in fact there has been several over the years, none of
which I don’t think any of us can claim is a random sample of the people, the property owners in FPD #4. We all heard loud and clear that the people who did speak were certainly in favor of retaining the Village as the contractor. Myself personally, I can’t justify in good conscience having taxpayers paying 75% more for a service. All of our town board members live in volunteer fire companies. I don’t see the statistical difference, I understand there could be a response time difference but I don’t … I can’t find an incident rate where people are suffering because they are being served by volunteer companies.”
Ayes: Supervisor Quinn
Noes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Motion Defeated
Councilman Koetzle – “I would like to explain my vote. As we all understand that this is a pass through for the budget, meaning that it impacts the residents of District #4 only, not the entire town. The people of District #4 have been very clear in their comments to this Board and to me over my two years on the Board. We have the evidence of the public hearings; we have the evidence of the public information meeting where they were heavily attended. I know that some people have expressed that others haven’t shown up but just because the people that have shown up are contrary to what you believe doesn’t mean that the people haven’t spoken.
Every email and every call that I have received has been in favor of awarding the contract to Scotia and I in good conscience could not vote against the people in District #4 that are asking for this protection, that are saying that they are okay with the pass through and I just think that we need to move on at this point and that is why I am supporting the Scotia Fire Department for District No. 4.”
Councilman Quinn – “ I agree with Councilman Koetzle and I might add that the one thing that has been brought to our attention overwhelmingly is that the people in District #4 are well aware of the cost difference and look upon it as a cost of insurance for faster and better coverage. I agree that the contentious in District #4 seems overwhelmingly in favor of this.
I would like to see it tied to the CPI index going forward because I want to make sure that there are cost controls. Financially I’d like to see it…I think a clearer picture and more partitioning from some of the activities that go on in the Village with this district, but I am in favor of it.”
Councilwoman DiGiandomenico – “I think the people have spoken”
RESOLUTION NO. 175-2010
Moved by: Councilman Koetzle
Seconded by: Councilman Quinn
WHEREAS this agreement with the Village of Scotia is for a one (1) year period with a cost of Three Hundred Seventy Thousand dollars ($370,000.00) for the period between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010; and
WHEREAS following the issuance of a request for proposal, review and evaluation of submitted bids and the conduct of a public hearing on this matter, it is determined that it is in the best interest of the residents of said Fire Protection District No. 4 to provide fire protection and emergency medical services for the territorial boundaries of the protection district pursuant to a one year agreement with the Village of Scotia
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Town Board of the Town of Glenville, as representatives of the Fire Protection District No. 4 that said agreement is approved and the signatures of the respective Town Board Members affixed thereto.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn and Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
Noes: Supervisor Quinn
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Carried
RESOLUTION NO. 176-2009
Moved by: Councilman Quinn
Seconded by: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
WHEREAS, the Town of Glenville’s Indian Meadows park operates skating rinks and hosts a variety of winter sports activities from December through March; and
WHEREAS, supervision of the skating rinks, ski trails and sledding hills and maintenance of rinks and restrooms needs to occur on evenings and weekends during the winter months,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Luke M. Benoit, 20 Pinewood Drive, Glenville, NY, is hereby appointed to the vacant part-time seasonal position of Recreation Attendant for the period of 12/17/2009 – 3/28/2010 at the budgeted rate of $8.00 per hour (no benefits).
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Noes: None
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstention: None
Motion Carried
RESOLUTION NO. 177-2009
Moved by: Councilman Koetzle
Seconded by: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
WHEREAS, a Petition, Map and Plan were previously filed with the Town Board, and said Map and Plan having been prepared by a duly licensed surveyor and engineer, showing the boundaries of the proposed Extension, and the general plan of the proposed Sewer System therein, in accordance with the Town Law, and
WHEREAS, this Town Board did call a public hearing to be held on December 16, 2009, and due notice of said public hearing was given, as required by the Town Law, and the said Town Board having a public hearing on December 16, 2009, in connection therewith, and evidence having been taken at the said public hearing in connection with the relief asked for, and after due consideration having been given in connection with the proceeding and the evidence produced at the said public hearing,
IT IS DULY
ORDERED, that the Town Board of the Town of Glenville does hereby DETERMINE as follows:
(a) The Petition in this proceeding has been filed and acknowledged or proved as required by law, and said Petition is otherwise sufficient;
(b) That all property and property owners within the proposed Extension are benefited thereby;
(c) That all property and property owners benefited are included within the limits of the proposed Extension;
(d) That it is in the public interest to grant, in whole, the relief sought,
AND IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED, that this Town Board does hereby approve of the establishment of said Extension, as asked for in said Petition, and does also approve of the construction of the improvement asked for in said Petition, and in accordance with the Map and Plan filed therewith with all cost is to be paid by the Petitioner, and no part of which is to be raised by borrowing.
AND IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED, that this Town Board further determines that the Petition in this matter complies with the requirements of Section 191 of the Town Law as to the sufficiency of signers, and the boundaries set forth in said Petition,
AND IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED, that the said properties described in said Petition, as set forth on the Map accompanying the same, be and the same are hereby annexed to Sewer District No. 2 of the Town of Glenville, to be known as Extension No. 2 to Sewer District No. 2
The approval herein of the establishment of said Extension includes a certain tract, piece or parcel of land located in the Town of Glenville, County of Schenectady and State of New York, more particularly bounded and described as “Utility Plan, (2) 8 unit Apartment Buildings, 211 Sacandaga Road”, prepared by ABD Engineers and Surveyors, and as set forth in Exhibit "A" attached hereto and made a part hereof.
AND IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED, that the construction work asked for in said Petition be, and the same is hereby authorized in accordance with the Map and Plan accompanying the same, at a total cost to be paid for by the Petitioner, and no part of which is to be raised by borrowing, and the necessary work, as shown on said Map and Plan as asked for in said Petition, together with the necessary legal, engineering, and other lawful expenses and disbursements are hereby authorized in connection therewith; which such total cost shall not exceed the amount set forth above.
AND IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED, that the Town Clerk be, and she hereby is, directed to have a certified copy of these ORDERS and DETERMINATIONS of this Town Board duly recorded in the Office of the County Clerk of the County of Schenectady, and a certified copy thereof also filed with the STATE COMPTROLLER OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK within ten (10) days after the adoption of the same, and when so recorded, such ORDERS and DETERMINATIONS shall be presumptive evidence of the regularity of the proceedings of this Extension, and the construction work asked for therein.
AND IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED, that the Plans and Specifications prepared by ABD Engineers and Surveyors for the said improvements, are approved.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Noes: None
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Carried
Discussion…
Councilman Koetzle – “This would authorize the committee for January 2010 and it would also help the incoming Board in the transition be ready to get the committee up and going.”
Councilwoman DiGiandomenico – “I presently feel that we have a very capable staff in positions to meet all of these requirements. I know that committees have been set up in the past and they usually are short lived and it is my feeling that we have a very capable staff and it would be almost like micromanaging their positions. I am not in agreement with this resolution.”
Supervisor Quinn – “While it is certainly interesting and it’s a thought that is worth while I don’t see that we need to establish it. We have a staff and one of my questions would be and I apologize Chris for not getting to you before this is it appears that they would be doing some of the work we already have going on and is this a golden opportunity to reduce the costs in having to do with all of this in the sense of maybe we are paying the staff to do certain things that maybe the advisory committee could do for us.”
Councilman Koetzle – “You don’t know where it leads to but I am a little disappointed that I have reached out in partnership in this transition and asked for your consideration in helping my administration, I am troubled by the fact that this is the first that I have heard of any issues relating to an advisory committee for residents. This is a way of engaging residents, this is a way of getting our residents more involved, and it is a way of helping the current staff. It doesn’t duplicate anything only to the extent that you would think any of our committees that we’ve set up would duplicate our staff’s efforts. It would help our staff and it is something that the incoming board is asking for. It’s something that the incoming board will do anyway and all we are asking for is a little help in the transition but you have to do what you have to do for politics and I understand that.”
Supervisor Quinn – “It may appear like and/or in Chris’s view it may involve politics, I don’t think it involves any politics as far as I am concern. We have the functions, they are ongoing, they get plenty of opportunity in January and February to provide this if they want to.”
Councilwoman DiGiandomenico – “I have to agree with you I think if it was that necessary that we would have established a committee in the past. You had the opportunity of doing that and it wasn’t voiced prior to this. I think we have a very capable staff in place as I said and I can’t see micro-managing at this point.”
Councilman Quinn – “One thing to keep in mind I think in the very definition of this committee as with many committees this is an advisory committee. This isn’t a committee in any way that undermines staff or replaces or duplicates staff. This type of committee simply takes advantage of a wealth of engineering expertise in this town and assists us and our staff in decisions. So to me I think it is a simple case of taking advantage of that and I plan on supporting this.”
RESOLUTION NO. 178-2009
Moved by: Councilman Koetzle
Seconded by: Councilman Quinn
WHEREAS, the Town of Glenville has a responsibility to enhance and improve efficiencies for the design and construction of public works projects;
WHEREAS, the Town Board has determined that it is in the best interest of the town to establish an Engineering Services Advisory Committee who shall work in conjunction with the Town Highway Superintendent and town staff to provide guidance on engineering matters for the town including the review of engineering plans and applications. The Engineering Services Advisory Committee will work with town staff, county, state and federal agencies, town boards and commissions, residents, businesses and developers to ensure that required standards, codes and regulations are met for all projects, including non-public ones.~ The Engineering Services Advisory Committee will also provide guidance and assistance for the design, administration and
implementation of all town public works construction projects related to roadway, grading and drainage improvements and water, sewer and parks matters;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Glenville Town Board hereby creates an Engineering Services Advisory Committee consisting of at least three but not more than seven members each serving a 2-year term at the pleasure of the Town Board and without compensation, commencing January 2010. The Town Supervisor will appoint the Chairman of the Committee. The Committee will meet as necessary to fulfill its responsibility and will provide, at a minimum, bi-annual reports to the Town Board on the status of its progress and findings.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle and Quinn
Noes: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Defeated
RESOLUTION NO. 179-2009
Moved by: Councilman Koetzle
Seconded by: Councilman Quinn
WHEREAS, the Town Board is committed to open and transparent governing for its taxpayers, especially for the Town’s Financial and Budget responsibility;
WHEREAS, to help achieve this goal of transparency the Town Board hereby establishes a Budget and Finance Advisory Committee having the following duties and responsibilities:
1. Work with the Town Supervisor and Town Department Heads to prepare annual budgets for consolidation into an overall financial recommendation to the Town Board.
2. Review income and expense reports and other financial reports prepared by the Comptroller.
3. Assist with the preparation and review of all independent audit reports and provide recommendations to the Town Board on necessary action items.
4. In conjunction with the Supervisor, provide over site to the Comptroller to ensure sound financial practices.
5. Review town financial policies, procedures and contractual obligations for services and make recommendations to the Town Board for improvements.
6. Promote greater transparency and more openness within the town budget process.
7. Examine all sources of revenue and provide recommendations to the Town board for new sources of revenue. ~
8. Work with Department Head’s to help prepare and update capital expenditure plans (vehicles, infrastructure, facility, etc) for recommendation to the Town Board.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Glenville Town Board hereby creates a Budget and Financial Advisory Committee consisting of at least three but not more than seven members each serving a 2-year term at the pleasure of the Town Board and without compensation, commencing January, 2010. The Town Supervisor will appoint the Chairman of the Committee. The Committee will meet as necessary to fulfill its responsibility and will provide, at a minimum, bi-annual reports to the Town Board on the status of its progress and findings.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle and Quinn
Noes: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Defeated
RESOLUTION NO. 180-2009
Moved by: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
Seconded by: Councilman Quinn
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Glenville will meet at the Glenville Municipal Center, 18 Glenridge Road, Glenville, New York on December 28, 2009 at 4:00 P.M., for the purpose of conducting any year-end business to come before said board, which meeting shall be a “SPECIAL SESSION” of the Board and open to the public.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Noes: None
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Carried
RESOLUTION NO. 181-2009
Moved by: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
Seconded by: Councilman Koetzle
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Glenville will meet at the Glenville Municipal Center, 18 Glenridge Road, Glenville, New York on January 6, 2010 at 7:00 P.M., on said date and at such place will conduct the ANNUAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING of said board for the year 2010.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Noes: None
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Carried
RESOLUTION NO. 182-2009
Moved by: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
Seconded by: Councilman Quinn
BE IT RESOLVED that the Monthly Departmental Reports for November, 2009 as received from the following:
Assessor Department
Building Department
Dog Control
Highway/Public Works Department
Human Services
Justice Department
Planning Department
Town Clerk's Office
Water & Sewer Department
be, and they hereby are accepted, approved for payment and ordered placed on file.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Noes: None
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Carried
RESOLUTION NO. 183-2009
Moved by: Councilwoman DiGiandomenico
Seconded by: Councilman Quinn
BE IT RESOLVED, that the minutes of the regular meeting held on December 2, 2009, are hereby approved and accepted as entered.
Ayes: Councilmen Koetzle, Quinn, Councilwoman DiGiandomenico and Supervisor Quinn
Noes: None
Absent: Councilman Rosenberg
Abstentions: None
Motion Carried
Town Administrator’s Report:
Tony Germano – “Last week you had asked that we coordinate with the Town of Clifton Park regarding the shut off of the sale of Glenville water to the Rexford Water District and we have initiated coordination. As you all know back in December of 2008 Clifton Park had issued this Board a letter indicating that they planned to opt-out of their contract which terminates at the end of 2009. They needed to do this one year before the termination date and they chose to go ahead and opt that that contract terminate.
We have been dealing with Clifton Park on and off for the better part of 8 or 9 months since that letter came in talking about the possibility of perhaps continuing that contract knowing full well that Saratoga County Water Authority, the newly established water authority, was very much poised to provide them with water that they need to supply their customers in town.
Clifton Park advised us last week that they did in fact sign a contract; it’s a ten year contract, with the Saratoga Water Authority for the purchase of water and again we iterated that as a result they would like to terminate distribution of water from Glenville and its sale to the Rexford Water District at the earliest possible time.
So, in coordination with them here is what we have arranged for. On January the 4th we’ll have corresponding Department of Public Works personnel on site to coordinate the shutting off of several valves of Glenville water making its way to the Rexford Water District. I think you all know that we do supply water as an add on to the Rexford Water Contract to 18 Rivercrest homeowners, there were 19 up to about a month and a half ago when one residence was able to hook up water to the Clifton Park system.
Clifton Park does not have the means of supplying those 18 Rivercrest customers with water and we have agreed to continue to supply water to them through an extension of the contract until such time when they notify us that they no longer need water.
On January 4th at approximately 10:00 am DPW corresponding workers will show up and they will coordinate the shutting off of valves. We will keep the Rivercrest Water users active and we hope everything will go without issues. The contract actually ends on December 31st and what we suggested is rather then attempt a shutoff of several hundred people and then a turn on over the holiday weekend it is probably best to wait until the 4th of January.
We will then issue Clifton Park a final bill for the Rexford Water users going through January 4th. Clifton Park is taking the responsibility of notifying all of it’s customers that we sell water to that there will be a switch and then one of the things we talked about was the need to perhaps establish, call it a mutual aid agreement going forth, sometime early next year. As you know we do have a pipe that inter-connects both municipalities. Water can certainly flow from Glenville to Clifton Park and water can also flow from Clifton Park to Glenville and in case of an emergency it would be nice to have an alternative water supply. So at least we agreed to discuss the perimeters of such a mutual agreement
and we would present both boards with our findings and perhaps recommendations going forward.
Clifton Park has been a valued customer and we wish them well in the future and we certainly will miss our dealings with them.”
Councilman Koetzle – “I would ask that I think it is time that the new administration gets involved in the discussion and if you could set a meeting up for myself and members of the new board and begin the conversation on maybe there is something we can do. It looks like this will be leaving the new board four days to work with the Clifton Park Board and Supervisor, one of them being a holiday and two of them being a weekend but I think we need to get involved. I would like very much for the new administration to sit down and have a discussion to see what we can find out.”
Mr. Germano – “You are talking about a continued contract going forward.”
Councilman Koetzle – “Yes”
Mr. Germano – “I will certainly relay that and we will see how quickly we can set up a meeting.”
Supervisor Quinn – “Giving what is going on, Saratoga Water Works comes on line and therefore nobody was dissatisfied with Glenville water or services or anything else but obviously Saratoga County has convinced each of the towns to purchase water from them and not from us. There’s been years worth of discussion about prices and one trying to leverage the other one and so forth and so on. Obviously they are exercising their right in Clifton Park and I assume although we have a contract with the Town of Ballston, they can reduce the volume they’re taking for the exact same reasons because Saratoga County water works will be providing them also with water, therefore the revenue stream for our water department is
going to go down and therefore what are we going to do to cut costs because like anything else if the revenue is going down and we are not pumping as much water or we’re not using as much treatment plant facilities, repairs, maintenance, fluoridation all of that stuff that for the 2010 year you are looking at an opportunity, since the revenues are going down, to saying what are we going to do to cut costs. May or may not involve cutting staff but certainly other pieces of this would also be a reality of life.”
Mr. Germano – “You are absolutely correct, the Town of Ballston does have a contract with Saratoga County Water and they have a contract with the town of Glenville. The contract with the Town of Glenville is in effect until 2022 and they have to give Glenville a three (3) year notification for any opt-out, but their contract allows them to reduce their consumption to 100,000 gallons a day and they will most likely do that once they are connected to the Saratoga County Water source. I don’t know if that is going to happen in the near future, what I mean by that is the next couple of months, but certainly that will happen I assume by next year. So for 2011 anyway we should expect there will be a decrease in the
amount of water that we are selling to Ballston.”
New Business:
Councilwoman DiGiandomenico – “I just want to thank everybody for their support the last 4 years and I welcome the new board in the coming year.”
Councilman Quinn – “I would like to extend a happy and safe holiday season to everyone.”
Councilman Koetzle – “I want to say that I am disappointed but not surprised by the reaction of this Board to our hope of a more smooth transition by authorizing the two committees that would establish a more open and transparent government and to include more residents into the process. Even though it failed tonight those committees will be back and I want the residents of Glenville to know that we are interested in their input and their involvement and that they can begin sending their resumes to me personally as we can begin to look at the residents interested in helping us move forward together. They can send those resumes to the Town, to my attention or they can email them to me ckoetzle@townofglenville.org and I will be looking forward to those because we will move forward and we will have a more open and transparent government and we will include our residents going forward.
Secondly I just want to announce as you all probably read already the new board coming in had to fill my vacant seat and we did that. We had a process that included two committees helping us to attract resumes; we received eleven (11) resumes. I want to thank Tom Neals for his work as the Chairman of the search committee and doing the hard and important job of interviewing eleven people that sent six (6) people on to the incoming board members to interview. It was a difficult process; we had tremendous applicants and very strong resumes and I just want to say congratulations and point out that our new town board designee is in the audience, Gina Wierzbowski and she will be joining us on January 6, 2010.”
Supervisor Quinn – “I am available to assist anytime in the future if anybody needs it. I thank the public as well as my colleagues here on the Board. It’s been an honor to serve the people for the last four years and I wish each and every one of you a happy and holy holiday season.”
The Town of Glenville Town Board Meeting was adjourned at 8:18 pm.
ATTEST:
______________________________
Linda C. Neals
Town Clerk
| 
