Minutes, News and Notes from the October 9th, 2003 Town Board Meeting:

you may also get full, approved copies of the minutes by visiting the Town Hall


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MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR TOWN BOARD MEETING
OCTOBER 9, 2003

The regular meeting for the month of October 2003 of the Essex Town Board was held on October 9th, 2003, at the Essex Town Hall.

The Supervisor opened the meeting with the pledge to the flag.

On roll call, the following members of the board were present: Supervisor Ronald Jackson, Councilman Suzanne Perley, Councilman Steve Sayward, Councilman Mark Wrisley and Councilman James LaForest. Also present: Barbara Kunzi, Town Clerk.

Visitors included: Brad Beers, Billie and Wes Vanderhorst, Lois Sayward, Shirley Richter, Joyce Sukel, Janice Moran, Jim Morgan, June Lawrence Sally Johnson and Mary Ann Schultz.

Before opening the meeting, the Supervisor asked for a moment of silence for Kaitlin Evens, granddaughter of Avis Richardson, who passed away recently.

The Supervisor offered the courtesy of the floor. John O'Neil, the Essex County Commissioner for Social Services, had not arrived and his presentation was deferred until his arrival. Mr. Jackson then informed the audience that comments on the Paddle Tennis/Whallons Bay Recreation Area should be held until the issue was discussed under Unfinished Business. No one else had any comments.

The minutes of the regular meeting of September 11, 2003, were approved as presented on motion by Councilman Perley and seconded by Councilman Sayward. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Perley - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes and Councilman LaForest - yes.

The minutes of the September 25 special board meeting were approved as presented on motion by Councilman Perley and seconded by Councilman Wrisley. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Perley - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes and Councilman LaForest - yes.

The Planning Board report was read by the Town Clerk:

ESSEX PLANNING BOARD REPORT TO TOWN BOARD
From the September 18, 03 meeting

Public Hearing for the Town of Essex Whallons Bay Recreational Area: The board voted to table the proposal with recommendations to the Town Board that they review their application at the next Town Board Meeting.

Boundary line adjustments: Based upon comments by board members and from the public, the board voted not to adopt the proposed boundary line adjustment proposal but to treat them as minor sub-divisions. The board voted to adopt the Special Use Permit format as presented.

Erik Kilgren Respite Center - Old County Home and Farm: The board voted to classify the Old County Home as a transient/tourist accommodation and to use the same application for both the Special Use Permit and the Site Plan Review and to run the review process concurrently. The board deemed the application complete pending receipt of the EAF. The public hearing will be scheduled for October 16, 03 at 7 p.m.

Todd Burley's Off Premise Sign: The applicant presented two applications for off-premise signs - one location being at the site of May Mather and the other being in the vicinity of the Art Gallery. The board voted to refer the matter to Essex Initiative who will be asked to look into a central location and report back to the Board. The application was not deemed complete because the board felt it did not have enough information.

Donald & Thelma Palmateer Subdivision: The buyer Donna Haynes and her husband wish to purchase 5 acres of land from the Palmateer's located on the Daniels and Brookfield Road. The board voted to deem the application complete pending the survey and the EAF. The Public hearing will be held at a later date.

Mike Kempster's Pre-application on the Essex Box and Palette site: Mr. Kempster wanted assurance that it was an allowable use under the current planning board regulations. The Board said that it was an allowable use but could not give 100% assurance until an application and documentation was submitted to the EPB for review.

Submitted by: Loretta M. Surprenant, Secretary

There was no report from the Zoning Officer, as he had been going to code class all week.

There was no report from the Animal Control Officer.

The Supervisor said that it had been a busy month at the County. There had been more controversy about the bed tax advisory committee, and although he had originally been in favor of abolishing the committee, he ultimately voted in favor of maintaining it. Donna Sonnett had spoken in its favor, stating that it was a channel for merchants to communicate with the Board of Supervisors. - The vehicle user's fee was voted down as being too regressive and only aimed at people who actually live in the county. At least property taxes are paid by anybody who owns property in the county, regardless whether they live here or not. - Floral Hall on the Fairgrounds in Westport is in bad shape and urgently needs to be rehabbed before its cupola collapses. - The bookmobile needs a new vehicle and Essex County's share comes to $71,000. - The county jail is still in the planning stages and waiting for an permit for its sewer. - The sales tax increase may not happen for 2004.

CORRESPONDENCE

The Town has received an award and plaque from RSVP in recognition of its continued support of the seniors of Essex.

The Supervisor mentioned that the Clerk had received two FOIL requests regarding the sewage issue at the Old Dock, one from Stephen Brooks of the Charlotte Observer and the other from Jack Halpin, owner of the Old Dock.

The State Comptroller's office sent an invitation to a workshop on sewer funding at Westport, on 10-22-03 at 6:15PM. The Supervisor urged all the board members to attend.

Off-premise signs: Todd Burley had asked to have a sign for his business placed at the corner of the Town Hall. Research by Essex Initiative's Colleen van Hoven revealed that NO signs can be placed on a state road right-of-way. The Supervisor added that the Town of Willsboro does not allow off premise signs. No decision was taken. - Mr. Beers added that the cooperation between the Planning Board and Essex Initiatives was encouraging.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Mr. Jackson said that he had this afternoon received a petition with 107 signatures opposing the changes planned for the Whallons Bay Recreation Area. The Supervisor made the motion for the Town to withdraw its application for improvements at Whallons Bay Recreational Area and Councilman Sayward seconded. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Perley - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes and Councilman LaForest - yes. - Councilman Wrisley, Councilman LaForest and Councilman Perley all agreed that there should be further review for use of the property and that the effort to help young people in town to recreational facilities should be maintained. Sally Johnson asked if the Town was going to sell the property and the Supervisor replied with an emphatic NO.

The installation for the remote read water meters is written and will be published in both the Valley News and the Press Republican on 10-21. The bids will be opened at the special board meeting following the budget public hearing of November 5.

The harbormaster job description was tabled.

Phone Contract: Verizon is the provider of phone services as of October 1, 2003.

Zebra Mussel update: The Town is still waiting for a quote from Roto-Rooter for the high pressure hose to flush the zebra mussels from the water intake.

Fuel bid: only Griffith Energy bid on the fuel. Their quote with fixed prices through 2004 was $1.1850 for #2 fuel oil, $1.2490 for diesel and $1.235 for regular gasoline. Supervisor Jackson moved to accept the bid from Griffith provided no other bid is received with a postmark no later than October 8th. Councilman Wrisley seconded. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Perley - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes and Councilman LaForest - yes.

On the sewer district income survey that was sent out in May and June, 32 out of 55 possible households returned the survey. Tom Clark would like to receive a slightly higher percentage and the town will send out another batch of surveys.

HUD grant policy: The board considered Resolution #31.

NEW BUSINESS

On motion by Councilman Perley and seconded by Councilman Sayward, the Town decided to pay for the Workman's comp insurance of $8,859.96. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Perley - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes and Councilman LaForest - yes.

Supervisor Jackson moved to accept the Ice and Snow Contract with the State as tendered. Councilman Perley seconded. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Perley - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes and Councilman LaForest - yes.

COMMITTEE MEETINGS

No committee meetings were scheduled. The Supervisor repeated the date for the Public Hearing for the Budget: Wednesday, November 5, 2003, at 6PM at the Town Hall, with a Special Board meeting to accept the bid for the water meter installation to follow.

There being no further business to be considered, the meeting was adjourned at 8:46PM.




Budget Meeting - On October the 2nd, a budget meeting was held. Here are some notes from that meeting:



SPECIAL TOWN BOARD BUDGET MEETING
OCTOBER 2, 2003

A special Town Board meeting was held on October 2nd, 2003, at 6PM at the Town Hall, to accept the tentative budget for 2004 and to create the preliminary budget.

The Supervisor opened the meeting with the pledge to the flag.

On roll call, the following members of the board were present: Supervisor Ronald Jackson, Councilman Steve Sayward, Councilman Mark Wrisley and Councilman James LaForest. Councilman Suzanne Perley was absent.

Visitors included Richard and Joyce Sukel, Wilda Carson, Janice Moran, Jane Perry, Jim Morgan, Claire LaPine, Rose Fine, Wolf Finkentey, Mark Kupperman, Mary-Ann and Peter Schultz, Colleen and Jim van Hoven, Nick Muller, Donna Healy, Sally Johnson, and Wes and Billie Vanderhorst.

The Supervisor explained the budget process and said that he had to file the tentative budget with the Town Clerk by September 30th and that he had to hold the meeting to create the preliminary budget within the first 5 days of October. Tonight, the board needs to consider the tentative budget line by line.

The Town Board got a 3.5% raise; contractual went from $720 last year to $750.

The Town Justice's annual salary was raised from $6,000 to $10,000, a 66.7% increase which provoked many critical comments from people in the audience. Specifically, Richard Sukel said he was opposed to the raise and Mary Ann Schultz suggested providing the raise over two years to lessen the impact. Mark Kupperman, the current Town Justice, explained that he had created income for the town and that this income would more than offset his current salary. Peter Schultz argued that the Justice's salary should not be tied to the income he provides for the Town.

In reply to Richard Sukel's question, the Supervisor said that the county budget numbers would not be known until November. He added that the county sales tax increase might go into effect in January of '04, but could also be delayed until June.

The Justice Clerk account gets a 3.5% increase.

The Supervisor's salary was raised from $15,000 to $17,000, a raise of 13%. His secretary gets a raise of 6.3% or from $16,000 to $17,000. The Deputy Supervisor gets a 3.5% raise; the Emergency Secretary budget stays at $100. The Equipment gets $1,000, same as last year, and Contractual goes from $750 to $800.

The Tax Collector's Contractual goes from $500 to $600.

The Budget Officer receives the 3.5% raise.

The Assessors got a raise: the chairman to $3,500, the assessors to $3,000 each, or ca. 16%.

The Town Clerk and the Deputy Town Clerk get the 3.5% raise; the Contractual gets raised to $800 in view of the new Town Clerk's training.

The Attorney and the Engineer were left at the same level as last year.

The Election Inspectors got a 3.5% raise, as did the Machine Custodians. The contractual was left at $100.

The Board of Assessment Review budget was raised to cover the expense of 3 days or $642.

Buildings Contractual was left at $30,000.

Unallocated Insurance: the Town has no choice but to pay what is billed; the budget reflects the actual expenses for insurance.

Municipal dues have seen a raise because they are based on population.

Real Property charges now get budgeted instead of charged back to the Town: $870, as last year.

Judgement and Claims are put at $200.

The Contingency account receives $22,000, instead of $21,000 last year. Mr. Schultz asked what this amount was for and the Supervisor explained that unexpected, not budgeted expenses in the general fund get paid out of the contingency account. He added that the Highway budget was not allowed a contingency account, so they had to budget higher to be prepared for emergencies.

The Animal Control officer gets a 3.5% raise, his contractual stays at $900. Life Flight and the Health Officer get a $500 contribution each year.

The Highway Superintendent's salary was raised to $30,000, an 8.9% increase. The Deputy Superintendent's salary was transferred from the Highway budget where it was incorrectly positioned. The Contractual for the Superintendent was left at $250; the Contractual for the garage remains at $15,000.

The sidewalk salary was left at $1,000; the contractual remained the same as last year at $5,000.

Publicity is again listed with $1,500. Mrs. LaPine said that every year she raises her voice against funding a program that benefits only a small segment of the Town (the merchants of the village). Councilman Sayward had mixed feelings about continuing the funding at the full level. Councilman LaForest asked if it could be lowered to $1,000.

The Harbormaster: there is $1,000 for his salary in the budget, but his job description does not yet exist. The contractual is for the diver that will have to inspect all the existing moorings.

Playground equipment is budgeted at $500; the Youth Summer program will again cost $6,000 for 15 kids. The youth program received a boost from $4,500 to $5,000. The Boquet Theater will get $500.

The Library got a big raise last year, this year the budget remains the same at $10,000. The Historian is again budgeted with $500. The Legion Hall will again get $5,000 for pointing up the stone work; and the Parade will get $1,000 toward the 4th of July celebration in 2004.

Adult Recreation will again receive $1,000 for equipment and $2,500 for contractual. In addition, the Senior Van now has its own line with $800 for maintenance.

The Zoning Officer gets a 3.5% raise. He went over budget this year with the contractual, because he had to take a lot of classes with the new codes.

The Planning Board secretary got the 3.5% raise; legal expenses were reduced to $4,000 in the hope that no new lawsuits will come their way. Contractual was lowered to $1,000.

BRASS will get $500, although they would have liked $1,000. Refuse and Garbage, an in-and-out account, was given the more realistic sum of $60,000 for next year. Site Monitoring at the old landfill has been reduced from $10,000 to $5,500 because this year's sampling events did not show anything out of the ordinary.

Beautification (Don Doyle mowing) received a 3.5% raise; equipment was set at $100 to allow for the purchase of a new trimmer. Contractual was left at $500. Cemetery care for mowing again saw a 3.5% raise.

NY Retirement went up 235%, from $3,372 to $11,305, or from 4.5% of wages to 12%. Social Security is a fixed percentage of wages as well; it will be $9,426 for 2004. Worker's Comp. is determined by the county; unemployment is estimated not to change and is budgeted for $500. Disability is estimated at $100. Health insurance will be lower than the current year, and is budgeted for $20,000.

Transfer to other funds includes $1,000 for the van and $5,000 for Wright's Inn. The total appropriations for the General Fund are budgeted at $421,649.

On the revenue side, tax collector fees were estimated to be $1,000, Town Clerk fees to be $300. Zoning fees were left at $2,500, and Planning Board fees at $400. Refuse and Garbage will take in as much as it puts out: $60,000 is the estimate. Beggs Park fees were raised to $100. Tax assessment services are scheduled at $4,000. Interest and earnings might go up slightly this year but will still be below last year's estimate: $3,500 down from $5,000. Rental of Real Property should bring the Town $15,229. Dog licenses are estimated at $130, Justice receipts are expected to double from last year's $3,000 to $6,000 in 2004. The web site links are providing $125, and unclassified revenue is estimated to be $3,000, up from last year's $2,000. The Per capita amount is unchanged at $4,154 and mortgage taxes are expected to bring $12,000. The Youth Program from the County is budgeted to provide $1,000, unchanged from last year. The revenue for the General Fund is expected to be $113,438.

The Highway budget saw a major improvement in the way wages are attributed to various accounts: Regular Crew wages, regular crew overtime and temporary crew wages all are separate line items. - General Repairs got a 3.5% increase, but machinery was set at the same level as last year, $40,000, as was Snow and Ice removal. - State retirement went up to $16,100, Social Security up 1.2%. Unemployment insurance is the same as last year, $1,000. Shoes and clothing remain at $1,700. The Capital Reserve fund received $15,000, as it does every year. Total expenditures for the Highway fund are expected to reach $388,719. - On the revenue side, the largest item is Equipment rental to other Governments, i.e. sanding and salting Rte 22. The revenue for CHIPS is in question, but it is counterbalanced on the appropriation side by the same amount. If the money does not come in, it will not be spent.

The Lighting Districts are seeing a substantial reduction, reflecting actual expenditure. Both funds are reduced by 20%.

Water Fund: the water clerk gets a 3.5% increase, as do the Water Superintendent and the Assistant Superintendent. Contractual for these accounts remains the same as last year, except for Purification which was reduced by 18%. Transmission was also reduced, thanks to no water leaks this year. Debt service went up substantially, due to the rent payments by Nextel which permit early repayment of the Water Tower bond. On the revenue side, un-metered sales are expected to bring in $26,801, rental property 15,000 and Interest $500.

Fire District #1 handed in a budget slightly lower than last year: $89,000, with revenues of $250. - Fire District #2: the budget is up almost 20% over last year to

The budget for Water District Extension #1 consists only of $4,332 repayment of the principal for the bond.

A number of comments were made at this point. Wolf Finkentey complained that the increases in wages were ridiculous and that people on fixed income like him could not pay for the taxes. People who ran for public office knew what the salary was and if they did not like the amount they could quit. - Peter Schultz said that when he was in charge of the budget in a private business, he had to work within the budget. Jim van Hoven explained that budgeting for government and schools was different and that they needed a contingency account to get through the year and deal with unexpected expenses.

On motion by Councilman Sayward and seconded by Councilman Wrisley, the board approved the preliminary budget. Roll call: Supervisor Jackson - yes, Councilman Sayward - yes, Councilman Wrisley - yes, Councilman LaForest - yes. Councilman Perley was absent.

The meeting was closed at 7:50PM.

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