DRAFT

Regular Meeting January 10, 2005

Charlton Town Board

Saratoga County

New York

 

After the pledge to the flag the invocation was given by Town Clerk Gail Hanchar.

 

At the regular meeting of the Town Board of Charlton, Saratoga County, New York held at 7:30 P.M. at the Charlton Town Hall, called to order by Supervisor Acunto, there were present:

 

                        Councilman Alan Grattidge

                        Councilman Robert Lippiello

                        Councilman Dorothy Mitchell

Councilman Sandra Verola

Supervisor Ferdinand Acunto

 

Councilman Mitchell arrived at 7:35 P.M.

 

Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that the minutes of the December 13 Town Board Meeting, the December 27 Agenda Meeting and the January 3

Organizational Resolution Meeting be accepted as received:

 

                        Approved:        Councilman Grattidge               Yes

                                                Councilman Lippiello                Yes

                                                Councilman Mitchell                 Yes     

                                                Councilman Verola                   Yes

                                                Supervisor Acunto                    Yes

 

 

ABSTRACT OF CLAIMS:

 

The total of the bills approved at the Agenda Meeting was $8,146.38.

 

Vouchers for the month were #101-#1018.

 

 

TOWN CLERK’S REPORT:

 

Gail Hanchar read the Town Clerk’s Report.  She reported taking in $172.95.  Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola. PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

 

 

PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (Agenda Items):

 

No comments.

 

 

SUPERVISOR’S REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 

December revenue and expenditures:

General Fund – Expenditures of $85,560.68.  Revenue of $88,906.88.

Highway Fund – Expenditures of $35,815.74.  Revenue of $13,634.01.

Water District #1 – Expenditures of $7,661.63.  Revenue of $873.32.

Water District #2 – Expenditures of $168.68.  Revenue of $6.90.

 

Major expenditures:

General Fund – Assessment Contractual of $1,315.00 for Appraisal Consultants, Law Contractual of $4,940.00 for quarterly payments and work by Tabner, Ryan and Keniry and  Buildings-Operation and Maintenance of $34,737.69 for Mr. Vosburgh’s consulting and other items. 

Highway Fund – Highway Maintenance Roads Contractual of $5,656.00, Machinery Contractual of $6,402.26 and Snow Removal Contractual of $3,076.02.

Water District #1 – Transmission and Distribution of $2,705.93.

 

Major revenue:

General Fund – Sales Tax Distribution of $74,873.00, Safety Inspection Fees of $1,240.00 and Fines and Forfeited Bail of $9,722.50.

Highway Fund – None.

Water Districts – None.

 

 

There were 658 hits on the web site in December.

The Town Hall will be closed on Monday, January 17 for the Martin Luther King Holiday.

The Town Clerk’s Office is now open on Wednesday from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

The Saratoga County Deceased Veteran’s Ceremony will be held on January 18 at 1:30 P.M. in the Supervisor’ Chambers.  Hugh Rainey will be honored.

The Annual Audit by the Town Board will begin at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, January 31 before the Agenda Meeting.

At the last Town Board Meeting there were many people who voiced concerns about cluster developments.  The Board has decided to hold off on any decisions on cluster developments as far as any changes in the Zoning Ordinance until after the ZORC Committee has finished their work and the Comprehensive Plan Committee has done their work and reported back to the town.

 

 

COMMUNICATIONS:

 

We had requested speed reductions on Charlton Road and Eastern Avenue.  We have heard from NYS DOT.  The speed reduction request for Charlton Road from the hamlet to Route 147 has been denied.  The speed reduction request for Eastern Avenue has been lowered to 40 MPH between Division Street and Route 147.  Signs will be posted soon.

 

We received a letter from NYS Real Property Tax Office notifying us that the Annual Aid Certification for 2004 will amount to $9,940.00.  It is based on 1,888 parcels.

 

We received a letter today from NYS Real Property Tax Office stating that the Town of Charlton has qualified for the NYS Office of Real Property Excellence in Equity Award.  Vicki Hayner will be receiving a certificate for the work done in the Assessor’s Office.

 

We have received another donation for the future town hall from Arlene Peck in memory of Majel Seeley, a town resident.

 

We have received a letter of resignation from the Board of Assessors from Mary Fischer effective January 31, 2005.

 

 

ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER:

 

There were quite a few calls for December basically about dogs running loose.  There was one situation where a dog was running loose for 5 weeks.  Deer are on the move.

 

 

ASSESSORS:

 

The Assessors Office has been very busy.  Senior Exemption and Agriculture Exemption Forms are due by March 1.  Vicki has begun a field review of the whole town.  She has begun the evaluation phase of the 2005 role.  She is awaiting another assessor or two.

 

 

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:

 

The Vision and Goals Statement is done.  It is on the web site.  They are getting information on how to proceed with some of the goals.  There will not be a meeting this month but there will be one next month.

 

 

 

 

 

CONSTABLES:

 

For the month of December there were 28 patrols, answered 8  911 calls, traveled 2111 miles, issued 38 tickets and investigated 2 accident.  They are awaiting the arrival of their new car.

 

 

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION COMMISSION:

 

They did not meet this month.  They are gearing up for the April Tree Give Away.  It will be held on Saturday, April 30 from Noon until 1:00 P.M.  The Roadside Clean Up will be the same day.

 

 

HIGHWAY:

 

They have been plowing almost every day.  We are supposed to get some storms in the near future.  Councilman Grattidge said he will be meeting with Ron to talk about the timing of plowing.  We received a complaint from the Thursday morning storm.

 

Councilman Grattidge reported that the town-wide bulk item pick up will be May 2-6.  We are working in co-operation with County Waste.  They will be helping with the bulk items.  We will be taking household furniture, TV’s, computers, mattresses, air conditioners, lawn mowers, glass, all metals, washers, dryers and hot water heaters.  Items that will not be taken are brush, demolition materials, paint, motor vehicles and engines, tires, propane tanks or any other hazardous material.  We will only be making one pass through town.  Items should be placed out by May 1.  We will start at 6:00 A.M. on May 2.  We are asking that people not pick over other people’s piles.  They tend to disrupt the piles and make a mess when they are searching for particular items making more work for our workers. 

 

County Waste has agreed to help us with the brush, leaves and grass clipping pickup this year.  They will be sending a truck every Thursday through the entire town and they will be picking up brush.  Brush needs to be cut into 5’ lengths and tied into bundles.  Grass clippings and leaves need to be put into biodegradable bags and placed curbside, separate from your trash cans.  This service is for all town residents.   This will be starting on April 7 through December. There will be no charge.  They have a recycling center in Clifton Park where they are grinding this material up.  They make a compost material which is available to us if we send a truck over. 

 

 

HISTORIAN:

 

The historian from the Town of Malta passed away last month.

Our Regional Advisory Officer for Local Government Records Management has taken a new position in the NYS Archives.  Her replacement will be Dave Lowrey which has been with NYS Archives for some time.  We do a lot of work with our representative.

Laura will be representing Saratoga County on the Annual Capital Regional Archives Dinner Committee.  They will be meeting this month to start planning for next year’s program.  Archives Week is always the second week of October in New York State.

The Gazette is changing its format.  Starting Wednesday we will be getting the Saratoga County edition.

The Charlton Historical Society has a print out of its events on the bulletin board in the Town Hall.  Their next event is the Moveable Feast in February.

This year’s Founder’s Day Parade will be honoring our dairy farms.  There are 6 or 7 left in our community.  The history of farms in our area is a key factor of our local history.

Jenna Smith of West Charlton has been chosen as a semi-finalist in the 2004-2005 Coca Cola  Scholars Program.  She is a great example of the terrific youth in our community.

The Half Moon, a replica of Henry Hudson exploration ship, was in a Hollywood-style movie.  A picture of the ship and the beginning of the movie are on the web site.

 

 

PARKS:

 

They are waiting for figures on the cost of repairs and possible enlargement of the pavilion in Elmer Smith Park.    

 

 

 

PLANNING BOARD:

 

They will be meeting on January 17.  We will have a resolution appointing a clerk.

 

 

TOWN HALL:

 

We will have a workshop after this meeting with the architect.  We are moving along.

 

 

VETERAN’S RECOGNITION BOARD:

 

They will meet at the end of this month.  We have received an additional 18 names for the board.

 

 

WATER:

 

John had someone come in to dig a shut off on Marvin Drive.

 

 

ZBA:

 

There is no meeting scheduled for January.

 

 

ZONING:

 

For the month of December they issued 4 building permits and collected $2,189.00. Things are slowing down.  They are getting their files organized.  The data on the computer is being updated.

 

 

RESOLUTIONS:

 

Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that Resolution #59, A RESOLUTION DESIGNATING THE TOWN OF CHARLTON PLANNING BOARD “LEAD AGENCY” FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING THE SEQRA REVIEW OF A PROPOSED SUBDIVISION ON THE LANDS OF GARY R. HEFLIN, INC., be approved:

 

Councilman Lippiello said this came about after a meeting with Mr. Heflin’s attorney.  We made it clear to them that the SEQRA needed to be done before any movement could be done on the request for the extension.  We are awaiting a response from them.  We are on hold on any action on the request for a public hearing for the water extension.

 

                        Approved:        Councilman Grattidge               Yes

                                                Councilman Lippiello                Yes

                                                Councilman Mitchell                 Yes

                                                Councilman Verola                   Yes

                                                Supervisor Acunto                    Yes

 

Supervisor Acunto stated that the next resolution is a result of the Board’s decision to bring in an outside auditing firm to do an audit of our town records.  The first step is to find an auditor by forming a search committee made up of Don Schermerhorn, Doug Salisbury, Councilman Verola and Supervisor Acunto.  Don Schermerhorn will chair the committee and has asked for a meeting tomorrow night at 7:00 P.M.

 

Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Lippiello that

Resolution #60, A RESOLUTION APPOINTING AN AUDITOR SEARCH COMMITTEE, be approved:

 

                        Approved:        Councilman Grattidge               Yes

                                                Councilman Lippiello                Yes

                                                Councilman Mitchell                 Yes

                                                Councilman Verola                   Yes

                                                Supervisor Acunto                    Yes

Motion made by Councilman Grattidge, seconded by Councilman Verola that Resolution #61, A RESOLUTION APPOINTING A CLERK TO THE PLANNING BOARD, be approved:

 

Councilman Grattidge stated that the Planning Board requested additional clerical help to help with the application process, provide somebody here on a regular basis for applicants to come in and talk to to make sure they get the right information to the Planning Board in a timely manner and also to help organize the filing system.

 

                        Approved:        Councilman Grattidge               Yes

                                                Councilman Lippiello                Yes

                                                Councilman Mitchell                 Yes

                                                Councilman Verola                   Yes

                                                Supervisor Acunto                    Yes 

 

 

COUNCILMAN REPORTS:

 

Councilman Mitchell – The deadline for the newsletter is Thursday.

Councilman Lippiello – Wished everyone a Happy New Year.  Bob invited everyone to stay for the meeting with Mr. Vosburgh following the Town Board Meeting.

Councilman Verola – Sandy stated that at the Agenda Meeting she gave the Town Board members information from Sue Lombardi regarding her grant writing services and asked if the Board wanted to take action tonight.  Supervisor Acunto stated that under her contract of $500.00 she will research available grants and after her search, if there are any grants that would be of benefit to us, she will meet with the Board to determine if they want to proceed with her writing the grants at $50.00 per hour.  Sandy stated that the research for grants wouldn’t be just for the new town hall.  There are a lot of things out there that she could help us with.

 

Motion made by Councilman Verola, seconded by Councilman Lippiello that Resolution #62, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SUPERVISOR TO RETAIN THE SERVICES OF SUSAN LOMBARDI FOR A RETAINER COST OF $500.00 AND $50.00 FOR THE GRANT WRITING,

 be approved:

 

Councilman Grattidge state that he understood that the $500.00 is for the initial research and then hourly fee would be activated when we give her permission to begin writing a particular grant.  He asked if the contract was for a year?  Councilman Verola said that she assumed that it was.  She will check with Susan.  We would like this contract to be for a 1 year period.

 

                        Approved:        Councilman Grattidge               Yes

                                                Councilman Lippiello                Yes

                                                Councilman Mitchell                 Yes

                                                Councilman Verola                   Yes

                                                Supervisor Acunto                    Yes

 

Councilman Grattidge – There will be a Party In The Park Meeting on January 24 at 7:30 P.M. at the Town Hall.

 

PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR:

 

Midge Dube reported that the Charlton Seniors are meeting on Wednesday at 10:00 A.M. at the Town Hall.  At 1:00 P.M. the Book Club will start led by Annette Hughes and Lynn Barber.  There will be a used book sale in the spring.  They are looking for donations.  Later in the day there will be a slide program.  At their January 26 meeting there will be a painting project led by Louise Peterson and a woodworking class led by Trent Mitchell.  On February 9 at 2:30 P.M. there will be a program that is open to the public on Identification Theft presented by Amy Solomon, Assistant Director of the Attorney General’s Office.  Please call 384-0152, Ext. 115 if you are planning to attend.

 

Dick Lupi – Beechwood Drive – Asked if the need for a grant writer was publicly announced.  Supervisor Acunto said it was discussed at the Agenda Meeting.  Councilman Grattidge stated that Susan had done some grant writing and helped us obtain a grant for the main street in the hamlet.  Dick said his daughter is a grant writer and soliciting work.  Laura stated that there are many different grants available and at some point we might run into a conflict of interest with Susan.  It might be good to have more than one grant writer.

 

Laura stated that the towers are coming down on Route 67.  She has been photographing that.

 

After everyone had the opportunity to speak who wished, the meeting was adjourned at

8:30 P.M.  Everyone was invited to stay and attend a workshop with Mr. Vosburgh.

 

 

                                                                        Respectfully submitted,

 

 

 

                                                                        Gail Hanchar

                                                                        Town Clerk