Agenda Meeting Minutes

DRAFT

December 27, 2004

Those present: Fred, Dot, Alan, Bob and Sandy

The meeting began at 7:35 P.M.

Supervisor’s Report will include:

At the January Town Board Meeting we will approve minutes of the December Town Board Meeting, tonight’s Agenda Meeting and the Organizational Resolution Meeting of January 3.

The Town Clerk’s Office will be closed December 31 and January 17. Starting January 5 the Town Clerk’s Office will be open on Wednesdays.

Charlton is the designated the town to honor a deceased veteran in January. Hugh Rainey has been selected. The ceremony is at 1:30 P.M. on January 18 at the County Offices.

Communications:

The speed limit decision on Charlton Road was denied. The speed limit decision on Eastern Avenue was approved.

We received a notice from ORPS on our Annual A Certification. We will be getting $9,440.00. That is $5.00 per parcel in state aid.

Resolutions:

Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Lippiello that Resolution #106, A RESOLUTION TO TRANSFER FUNDS, be approved:

Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes

Councilman Lippiello Yes

Councilman Mitchell Yes

Councilman Verola Yes

Supervisor Acunto Yes

There will be a resolution at the Town Board Meeting on the Heflin/Durst subdivision. We need to name a lead agency for the SEQR review for that parcel. Board members should have a letter from John Tabner reviewing the meeting with Mr. Pentkowski, the attorney for Heflin/Durst. Dot stated that they don’t have any approval from the Planning Board at this time. Fred said they don’t even have an application in front of the Planning Board. Bob explained that the meeting went well. Item #4 was a significant different direction step and something relatively positive. It was the establishment of an escrow account for the construction of the proposed water storage facility that would be put into the town’s account to be held for a future date when the need is established as to where and when that should be done.

Dot – What do they mean by this storage facility?

Bob – Their proposal has in it again a 50,000 gallon water storage tank. That may not be the best place to put it and it is not according to a lot of people, particularly Jim Mitchell and John Morgan and myself. Jack offered taking the money they would have spent for that facility and putting it into the town’s account to be held until the need is in place for it.

Bob VanVranken has looked at the Employee Manual a second time. He feels it is too elaborate and has some concerns. He wants more time to look it over. Fred would like to have us give him 30 to 60 days and then discuss with him where we would go.

Fred feels we should take the cluster development issue off of our agenda and wait until we get a Comprehensive Plan and/or a report from ZORC. The Board agreed.

Fred stated that as a result of the meeting with Tabner and Pentkowski, it was found that there was no formal petition to the Planning Board. Some other steps have to be done by Heflin/Durst. The Planning Board should be designated the lead agency for the SEQR Review. There will be a resolution at the Town Board Meeting. There are many things within that subdivision that could be of concern to the Planning Board such as road design, MS4 and there are some wetlands. Mr. Pentkowski said the application was mailed but we have not received it yet.

The Organizational Resolutions will be to the Town Board members before January 3. There may be a change on the Park Committee.

Sandy said that to the best of her knowledge the medivac site issue was resolved. The Town has no involvement in this issue. Fred said that he had a conversation with the Chairman of the Fire Commissioners. He may come to a Town Board meeting and make a statement. The Fire Commissions were somewhat “miffed” that this issue was even discussed publicly. We have no control over what people want to say when they come to a meeting and then the media picks it up. The Chairman of the Fire Commissioners said that if he received any more phone calls about this issue, he would be here to talk with us.

Fred - We have been talking about doing an external audit in the year 2005. Don Schermerhorn and I feel that the way to proceed is to form a small audit committee made up of two residents and the supervisor to begin picking an auditor and coming back to the board with a recommendation as to who we should hire. I would like to suggest to the board that we designate an Audit Committee made up of Doug Salisbury, Don Schermerhorn and myself.

Alan – You will notify us when you will be doing any interviewing in case any of us wanted to come?

Fred – Yes. We will sit down, the three of us, and decide how we are going to operate. I think the first thing is to find out who is out there to interview and then set up interviews and then

make a recommendation back to the Board or do you want to do it another way?

Sandy – What would be the options to do it another way? The Town Board could do it or we could form a citizens committee to do it. I think the Town Board should interview any potential auditor if there are interviews involved. I think that if there is any letter sent out requesting proposals, it should be approved by the whole Town Board.

Fred – I don’t have a problem with any of this. I am just talking about a discussion I had with Don as to how we felt we might want to start. If the Board wants to do it another way I have absolutely no problem doing it another way.

Sandy – I think Doug Salisbury and Don Schermerhorn are good people to put this together.

Fred – Do you want to put anybody else on it? Don’s feeling was to keep it small because it might move faster.

Sandy – Would this group be the group that would be an Audit Committee that would be more permanent or would it just be a group that would gather for this particular purpose?

Fred – I don’t see it that way. I just see it as getting started with coming up with how we are going to do this. Do we send out a general RFP to every auditing firm? Do we select certain firms to send it to? I don’t see it as to a citizen’s decision as to who gets selected. It will be a Town Board decision.

Bob – To get it started we need to find out who’s out there and does municipal audits.

Fred – Is anyone uncomfortable with the designation of this starting up group? Do you want to enlarge it? Does anyone else want to sit on it?

Dot – As a standing Audit Committee, you might want to have some other people but this is not what this is.

Fred – This is not what this is. The first thing is what do people want in an audit. These two people seem to have some background as to that component.

Sandy – I would like to have some input in where we solicit bids from.

Dot – When they interview we could be there?

Sandy – If the letter is put together right, I don’t think interviews are in the ( could not understand).

Dot – That is probably true.

Sandy – I think it would just be sending out a letter asking different firms to give us a price.

Fred – Do you want to send out a mass mailing of letters or do you want the three of us to generate a list of firms to notify? If you have any specific firms…………

Sandy – I had contacted all of them when I first brought it up a long time ag o. Some of them do municipalities and some do not. I have a list of six who do municipalities.

Fred – Put it out to all six. I don’t think we want to interview every one of them. In the letter we can tell them what we are looking for in an audit?

Sandy – And prices. We’ll get the proposals back from the firms and do it based on that.

Fred – As I understand it, when the committee gets together for the first time or first several meetings, the intent is to put an RFP or something similar like a letter together, asking for a quote to do an audit that will include whatever this committee determines should be part of the audit. We will have a motion at the Town Board meeting designating this as a temporary Auditor Search Committee.

Fred – Everyone has a copy of an email that I received from the leadership of the Comprehensive Plan. It describes a 1 ½ hour meeting that I had with the chairman of that committee. I think you should read it and we should hold an executive session on personnel to discuss the email. We will do it following the Town Board Meeting.

Councilman Reports:

Sandy has a proposal from the grant writer. We can hire her on retainer or by the project. We will discuss it at the Town Board Meeting. Fred suggested Sandy call Jim Tedisco to see if any grant money is available.

Sandy was contacted by a resident that works for DOT who put her in contact with the NYS Bicycle Coalition. They sent her a sample of a flashing light pin that could be used by bikers or walkers. They are $1.25 each. Do we want to purchase them as handouts for pedestrians for highway safety? It was decided we would not.

Bob has nothing more at this time.

Alan stated that the Highway Department has put out proposals for a backhoe to replace the existing one. They have state contract prices.

Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that Resolution #107, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE TOWN BOARD TO PURCHASE A BACKHOE, be approved:

Approved: Councilman Grattidge Yes

Councilman Lippiello Yes

Councilman Mitchell Yes

Councilman Verola Yes

Supervisor Acunto Yes

Alan said he will be unable to attend the Planning and Zoning Conference in Saratoga that was opened up to Town Board members.

Dot said that the Newsletter deadline is January 13. She would like to have the Town Board do a resolution honoring the Stauffers as they are leaving in April. Dot will put something together.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 P.M. A meeting with Paul Vosburgh followed.

Respectfully submitted,

Gail Hanchar

Town Clerk