The Village of Hunter
Minutes of The Village Board of Trustees Meeting held June 13, 2016
Call to Order: 8:00PM. Pledge of Allegiance
Moment
of Silence was held for those killed in Orlando, Florida
Members Present: Mayor William Maley, Trustee Alan Higgins and
Michael Tancredi
Also Present: Larry Gardner, Village Attorney, Charles
Sweet, Superintendent of Highways and Kathleen M. Hilbert
Public Present: Ben Sommers, Jeanine Figiel, Christine
Gucker, Bill Gucker, Martin Feit, Mike Bliss, Harold Goldberg, Jodi Larison,
Tom Larison, JD, Robert J. Hamley, Carl Giangrande, Jim Ray and Cheryl
Cornelius
Approval of
Minutes:
The Village
of Hunter Public Hearing held May 9, 2016
The Village
of Hunter Board of Trustees Meeting held May 9, 2016
The Village
of Hunter Public Hearing held May 30, 2016
The Village
of Hunter Board of Trustees Meeting held May 30, 2016
Privilege of the
Floor:
Mayor Maley – Thank you, Tom Larison, for that very
appropriate suggestion (Moment of Silence.)
New Business:
Martin Feit – I received a Village tax bill and on it
was a charge for sewer and I do not have sewer.
I live all the way up on Glen Avenue.
Mayor Maley – We will review it.
If you are within 200 feet of a sewer main and you are not connected,
then we will have it removed. Trustee
Tancredi - He should not be charged.
Mr. Feit – The same thing happened last year. Mayor Maley – We cannot go backward
and give you a refund for last year.
Kathleen, generate a new bill without sewer charges.
Mobile Homes – William Gucker – How the heck
did mobile homes get on Main Street?
Everyone wants to know about that.
I was told the plans originally showed modular. I know this is not allowed. Mayor Maley – Page 43, No mobile homes
or manufactured homes will be situated in The Village of Hunter at the signing
of our Zoning Law unless in a mobile home park.
Definition of a mobile home park – five acres or more with the approval
by the Planning Board for the siting thereof of manufactured homes. You are correct. There is an issue there. The Board is going to go into Executive
Session. We have already discussed with
counsel individually. I am going to ask
the rest of the Board to authorize the hiring of special counsel to find out
our rights and obligations as it relates to those structures being put
there. There were many things not proper
about it. We as the Board, once they were
permitted and in construction, our actions were limited. Now we have to find out where we can go from
this point forward. I do not believe any
member of this Board is happy with the situation but we have to take the legal
recourse that we have available to us and we are not quite sure what that is
until we hire a special counsel. William
Gucker – How about a stop work order at this point? Christine Gucker – Until the legal
matter is resolved? Mayor Maley –
They are already up. William Gucker
– I do not think this is the image that anybody else wants. Mayor Maley – We are going to go into
Executive Session because these were actions taken by our appointed officials
and we need to consult with our Attorney tonight and then subsequent to that,
we will probably be retaining special counsel.
William Gucker – Do any of you guys know who allowed it or how it
actually happened. There’s no way the
public is going to know how this happened or at which point did the chain of
command breakdown? Mayor Maley –
You will be well informed of exactly what went on. Right now it would be counter-productive to
the goal for us to be hashing this out in a public forum. We also have obligations, as the Board, on
how to proceed with this as the persons involved are appointed officials and we
have to handle this as if they were employees.
We do not say things about why employees are let go. Harold Goldberg – Can those buildings
be occupied by anyone without a C of O? Mayor
Maley – At this point in time they do not have a C of O and they
cannot. Harold Goldberg – Will
there be a C of O issued for those structures?
Attorney Gardner – We are going to discuss before we answer these
questions. Jodi Larison – While
you are getting special counsel why don’t you see about the buildings across
the street that are falling down. Trustee
Higgins – Totally separate issue, but…interrupted by Mayor Maley -
but yes, that is another issue but they are all sort of all tied together.
Land Acquisition Project #7398 – NYC DEP letter dated
May 6, 2016. Mayor Maley – New York City
is looking to acquire a piece of land that is basically up off of Garfield and
it has a little spur that comes down to 23A.
They are looking for our approval.
In light of the fact that The Village of Hunter in the past and probably
in the future has chosen to not get in the way of a willing seller and a
willing buyer, all these lands have to meet the criteria of the land
acquisition program which is topography, watercourses and whatnot, I see
nothing wrong with allowing the acquisition.
See Resolution 2016 – 035.
Application for Reinstatement (Fire Company) – Mayor
Maley – Anyone know who this guy Chris is?
Kathleen Hilbert – His last name is Carey but there seems to be
some question as to whether he is joining or being reinstated. Mayor Maley – In the past, we have
never really denied membership in the Fire Company by the Board of the Fire
Company that recommends them, but I would like to know who this is. We will table this until we have more
information.
Application for Village Sewer Lateral Replacements –
Conestoga Investments Ltd.
164.10-1-24 – 52 Central Avenue and 164.10-1-26 – 64 Dolan’s
Lane. Discussion was held. Mayor Maley – You need the larger
volume water lateral to facilitate the sprinkler systems in that structure and
then the larger lateral on the sewer which will connect to the main, which is
actually on their property anyway. Both
sewer main and water main are on that private road. I would suggest that the Board give the
approval for 64 Dolan’s Lane and we will discuss 52 Central Avenue with Delaware
and we will move forward on that at a future date. Trustee Higgins – Who will be doing
the inspection on this? Mayor Maley
– The water would be Joe Meyers. The
sewer on the back building is nothing. It
is already connected, so, that is sort of a mute issue. Normally, the engineer does the inspection
and the applicant pays for it. I am
going to make a motion that we approve the connection of the water line for the
fire protection system for the building that is near completion (64 Dolan’s
Lane) and then we will discuss the rest at a subsequent time. See
Resolution 2016 – 036.
Hunter Public Library – Attorney Gardner to prepare a
contract between The Village of Hunter and the Hunter Public Library for the
purpose of donating $150.00. See Resolution 2016 – 037.
Old Business:
Land Acquisition Determination – Catskill Watershed
Corporation letter dated December 4, 2106 – Mayor Maley – This is
basically the letter whereby they are reviewing our ability to preclude or
allow land acquisitions. As I said with
the application that was before us already, this Board, in the past has not
precluded a willing seller/willing buyer from taking properties and selling
them to the City. In the new memorandum
or proposed upgraded memorandum of agreement, the City of New York wants to
change their ability to buy properties.
At this point in time, they are allowed to only purchase properties
above ten acres without structures. The
new request by the City of New York is that they can buy smaller parcels with
structures. Some of that, in my opinion,
is a good thing because there are properties within the flood ways,
specifically in our Village, that are a lot smaller than ten acres which would
not allow or afford the property owner the opportunity to sell it to the
City. Some Boards on the mountaintop do not
like the City’s land acquisition because they feel it takes away properties
that could be developed. Well, most of
the properties the City would be buying are properties that are either extremely
hard to develop or impossible to develop.
There are properties within the Village, specifically along the
Schoharie Creek, that have buildings on them that have not been used in years
and one of the reasons they have not been sold and/or renovated is that they
are in a flood zone. The cost of
renovating them is so high, it makes it almost not economically feasible. The other problem is that if you tear them
down, the land is not buildable because of the offsets from the roads and the
water courses. So, you wind up with properties,
specifically in The Village of Hunter, that this new program, in my opinion,
would be beneficial. They are not asking
for our approval yet but this is a notification of where they are going. We think it would be beneficial not
detrimental to The Village of Hunter if this program actually gets accepted in
the new agreement with the City of New York.
This is all just public information.
Tour of the Catskills – We still have not received a
response. Send another letter.
Correspondence:
1. Catskill Watershed
Corporation Annual Report is here for anyone who wishes to read the report.
2. Notice of Proposed
Premium Rate Change for 2017 – CDPHP letter dated May 10, 2016 – Proposed
percentage change to our premium is 8.7%.
3. New York State Deferred
Compensation Plan – Letter dated May 20, 2016.
No employees are currently interested in this plan.
4. Invasive Species
Overview – Cornell Cooperative Extension letter dated May 20, 2016 – Overview
to be held Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 12:30PM to 3:00PM. Cost is free, however, pre-registration is
preferred.
5. Updated Brochures are
available about the Catskill Watershed Corporation and three of its programs:
Education
Grants
Loan
Programs
Septic
Programs
6. 24th Annual
NYS ReLeaf Conference being held July 14-16, 2016 at Skidmore College in
Saratoga Springs, New York.
7. Greene County Home
Improvement Program – Catskill Mountain Housing Development Corporation letter
dated June 9, 2016. Soliciting
applications for Greene County Home Improvement Program. This is a program to help repair existing
owner-occupied single family homes.
Owners must be up-to-date with insurance, mortgage and tax payments and
income qualified. If you know anyone
(i.e. elderly people) that could use this, please pass the word. This helps the owner and the community.
Bills:
Account Voucher
Nos. Abstract
General Fund V-1
to V-50 No. 1
Sewer Operating G-1
to G-20 G-1
Water Operating F-1
to F-17 F-1
Water Supply Capital Project HF-1 HF-1
The above vouchers were audited and ordered paid.
Financial Reports:
1. Monthly Trash Bag
Reconciliation
2. Bank Reconciliations
General
Fund
Sewer
Operating Account
Water
Operating Account
Executive Session:
Motion to go into Executive Session made by Mayor William
Maley; Seconded by Trustee Michael Tancredi.
Return from Executive
Session: 10:07PM
Mayor Maley – We are back out of Executive Session
which was for the purpose of discussing some employee issues and also legal
issues with our Attorney as it relates to the double-wides at Dolan’s Lane and
Route 23A (Fyodorva.) I am asking for
authorization to hire Attorney James J. Burns of Murphy, Burns, Barber &
Murphy, LLP as special counsel to review the situations leading up to the
placement of those double-wides on the properties at Route 23A and Dolan’s
Lane. See Resolution 2016 – 040.
We need to adopt a resolution allowing for payment of meals
and expenses to officers and employees that go to training sessions for the
actual cost of the meals to be reimbursed not to exceed the state levels that
are set forth by the federal government for such travel by area. There is a chart by which area you are in, in
the state. See Resolution 2016 – 041.
Resolutions:
Resolution 2016 – 035
Authorize Mayor to sign off on New York City Land Acquisition Project
#7398
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee
Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees authorizes Mayor
William Maley to sign the Town Response Form for Land Acquisition Project
#7398. Public Access Area is the
proposed recreational use, which allows hunting, hiking, fishing and trapping
without a NYCDEP Access Permit. Parking
is available for 1-2 vehicles.
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 – 036
Approval of Water and Sewer Application (Conestoga Investments Ltd.)
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee
Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees approves the
Water and Sewer Application submitted by Conestoga Investments Ltd., 77 Caribou
Road, Toronto Ontario, Canada M5N2A7 for property identified as 64 Dolan’s
Lane, Tax Map No. 164.10-1-26, which is located in The Village of Hunter.
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 – 037
Authorize Mayor to Sign Agreement between The Village of Hunter and
Hunter Public Library
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee
Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees authorizes Mayor
William Maley to sign the Agreement between The Village of Hunter and the
Hunter Public Library for the purpose of providing $150.00 in consideration of
the Hunter Public Library providing library services to the residents of The
Village of Hunter.
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 – 038
Authorize Clerk/Treasurer to Attend Fall Training School for Village
Officials
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee
Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees authorizes
Clerk/Treasurer Hilbert to attend NYCOM’s Fall Training School for City and
Village Officials to be held September 11-16, 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 – 039
Approve Hiring and
Wages of Summer Program Director and Assistant Director
Motion made by Trustee Alan Higgins; Seconded by Trustee
Michael Tancredi
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees approves the
hiring and wages for the Summer Program Director and Assistant Director as
follows:
Rachel
Byrne, Program Director - $13.00 per hour
Denise
Warren, Assistant Director - $12.00 per hour
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 – 040
Authorization to Retain Special Counsel
to Review Fyodorva Double-Wide Situation
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee
Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees authorizes Mayor
Maley to retain Attorney James J. Burns of Murphy, Burns, Barber & Murphy,
LLP as special counsel to review the situations leading up to the placement of
Fyodorva double-wides on the properties at Route 23A and Dolan’s Lane.
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 – 041
Employee/Officer Meal Allowance
Motion made by Trustee Michael Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee
Alan Higgins
RESOLVED that The Village Board of Trustees authorizes
reimbursement of actual and necessary meal expenses to employees and officers in
conjunction with the attendance of approved training sessions, not to exceed
the standard meal allowance for business-related travel prescribed for federal
income tax purposes (see FY 2016 Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE)
Breakdown.)
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.
Adjournment:
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting by Trustee Michael
Tancredi; Seconded by Trustee Alan Higgins.
Transcribed by:
_____________________
Kathleen M. Hilbert
Clerk/Treasurer
16-06-13 rev.tent.min.
