REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF THE TOWN BOARD
OF THE TOWN OF
SARATOGA, 12 SPRING ST.
March 13, 2017
Supervisor Thomas Wood opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Roll call: Town Clerk Linda McCabe, called
the roll: Supervisor Thomas Wood-
present, Councilman Charles Hanehan - present, Councilman Michael McLoughlin – present,
Councilman James Jennings – present, Councilman Gary Squires – absent (arrived
at 8:06 p.m.).
Also present: Zoning Officer/Building Inspector Gil Albert, Deputy Clerk Michelle Conover, Highway Superintendent Don Ormsby Jr., Town Attorney William Reynolds, John & Martha Sherman, Rose & Glen Decker, Anna Welfley, Jason Young, Whitney Colvin and Dan Carpenter.
Recognitions/Presentations/ Bid openings/ Public Hearings:
Supervisor
Thomas Wood invited Mayor John J. Sherman and his wife, Martha, to join him at
the podium. He then presented John J.
Sherman with Resolution #17-43 - Recognition of John J. Sherman for his Dedicated
Service to the Village of Schuylerville.
On
a motion made by Supervisor Thomas Wood and seconded by Councilman Michael
McLoughlin, the following Resolution #17-43,
Recognition of Mayor John J. Sherman for his Dedicated Service to the Village
of Schuylerville, was adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood –aye,
Councilman Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan –aye,
Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires –absent. Carried
4 - 0
WHEREAS, the Town of Saratoga wishes to recognize and honor John
J. Sherman for his 28 years of Service as Mayor of the Village of
Schuylerville, and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman is the son
of Edward and Mary LaClair Sherman, born March 11, 1940, in Victory Mills, NY
and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman is one of
three children and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman grew up on Gates Avenue in the
Village of Victory, and later moved to the Village of Schuylerville, living on
Ranger Road, and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman was married to Martha Brownell on
February 3, 1968 and had two sons, David and Joseph and two grandchildren,
Tyler and Mikayla and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman graduated from Schuylerville High
School in June of 1959, and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman attended
Albany Business College graduating in 1961, with a major in accounting, and
WHEREAS, following college graduation, John J. Sherman worked
for the Swift Meat Company, Terrant Manufacturing Company and 37 years at
Hillman Brothers Trucking in South Glens Falls, NY and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman became interested in politics, serving
as Mayor of the Village of Schuylerville for 28 years and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman served the community in numerous
ways, including the Greater Schuylerville Youth Commission, the Town Republican
Committee, Old Saratoga Athletic Association and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman is active in many local
organizations, always serving the community by working Coin Drops, directing
traffic and caring for Ft. Hardy Park, the beach and Visitors Center and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman enjoys many hobbies including
bowling, collecting Hess Trucks and collecting Lionel Trains and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman demonstrates in his daily life the
qualities and attributes which are highly desired and valued by our society and
WHEREAS, John J. Sherman is active in the Notre Dame Visitation Church, and is a
caring and giving individual, and
WHEREAS, it is fitting that the Town
of Saratoga honors and recognizes John J. Sherman for all his service to our
community, now, therefore be it,
RESOLVED, that the day of March 13,
2017, is hereby dedicated to John J. Sherman in grateful recognition by the
Town Board of The Town of Saratoga on behalf of all the residents of the Town.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made by Councilman
James
Jennings and seconded by Councilman Michael McLoughlin to
accept the minutes of the February 13th regular meeting as written. Supervisor
Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman Michael
McLoughlin – aye, Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires – absent.
Carried 4– 0
Town Clerk’s report for February 2017: Fees paid to the NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets for the Animal Population Control Program $49.00. Fees paid to New York D.E.C. for hunting and fishing licenses $23.62. Fees paid to the New York State Health Department for Marriage licenses $0. Dog license fees to Supervisor Thomas Wood $223.00. Clerk fees to Supervisor Thomas Wood $152.88. Total State and Local Revenues received were $448.50.
Zoning Officer’s report for February 2017: Gil Albert reported: 4 Building Permits, 4 Building Inspections, 4 Certificates of Occupancy, 0 Orders to Remedy, 0 Fire inspections, 0 Complaints, 3 Building Permit Renewals, 0 Property Maintenance Inspections, and 5 misc. appointments. A check for $895.00 was given to Supervisor Thomas Wood.
Dog Control officer’s report for February 2017: The report was read by Supervisor Thomas Wood: Answered 14 complaints, took 1 dog to the shelter, 1 bite case, traveled 73 miles, issued 11 warnings and 2 summons was issued.
Town Court report for February 2017: The following were closed: 320 Vehicle & Traffic, 5 Criminal/Penal Law, 4 DEC/ENCON, 3 Dog case/s, 1 DWI/s, 0 Town & Village Ordinance, 0 Small Claims/Civil, 3 Evictions, 0 Bench trials, 1 (case transfer) Divestiture Forms sent to County Court, 1 Defendants sentenced to probation, 0 hours of community service issued, 0 days of jail time issued, 0 Orders of Protection issued, and $3,360.00 in fees were paid to the NY State Comptroller.
Tax Collector’s report: Supervisor
Thomas Wood read Tax Collector Marge Kirkpatrick’s report. As of March 10th she has collected
$2,874,021.40 on 2,839 parcels, which is 80% of taxes paid.
Historian’s report
for February 2017: February was an exciting month as the
Historian focused on the year 1917 (100 years ago). He researched in the Greenwich Journal and in
the Saratogian for the year of 1917, which provided great detail to supplement
the 1917 Town Minutes, provided by our Town Clerk. This period, just before the start of World
War I, is of great interest with new technology, suffrage and prohibition
issues, which were very active in the Town of Saratoga. People can follow along on our history blog,
on the Town’s web page: www.townofsaratoga.com.
The Historian stated he’s been fortunate to conduct research at the Gill
Room of the Greenwich Library and at the Saratoga Springs Library.
The
Historian's office is trying to locate all existing copies of the Schuylerville
Standard newspaper after 1903. Please
let the Historian know if you have any copies of the Schuylerville Standard. Unfortunately, our community is missing some
of our rich history because the Schuylerville Standard was not collected beyond
1903.
In the
month of February he had 108 posts on the website, with 1,638 visitors, which
is a great start for 2017. Deputy
Historian Pat Peck’s Genealogy Help Group was very popular in February with
many participants. The Old Saratoga
Historical Association meeting on suffragette attracted over 20 individuals and
was very informative. We also sang some
nice songs under the leadership of Greenwich Town Historian, Trish Dalton.
The
Historian noted with regret the passing of Leneta E. Gamache (21 Nov 1928 - 24
Feb 2017). She donated 14 scrapbooks covering
the years 1986 to 2002, with a focus on her son Kim Gamache’s term as Mayor of
Schuylerville. Many of the photos were
taken by Joseph Gamache and the collection covers 25 years ago. The Historian has put up a small portion of
the photos from the scrapbook on the History Blog and will highlight other
photos throughout the year.
On
March 23rd the Historian is going to present a program on the Saratoga World
War II Veterans, including Art Traver and Lawrence Ruff, for the Historical
Association in the Schuyler Room at the Town Hall at 7:30 pm.
March
18th - Heritage Hunters will meet at the Town Hall at 1 pm with
novelist Gloria Waldron, on research.
March
21st - The Schuylerville Public Library and the Historian's Office will
hold the Genealogy Help Group at the library at 10 am.
Assessor’s report for January 2017:
During February tax exemption
applications, both renewal and new, were filed.
Letters were sent to property owners, of those who didn’t file, which
indicated we did not receive their renewals.
This month we will update our
file with building permit completion values and continue to review properties
brought to our attention for a look at its value.
The Assessor’s office is now
open on Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Highway
Superintendent’s January 2017 report:
v Clearing branches from ditch lines and addressing potholes
v Road checks for icing and snow drifting
v Removed snow from the Town Hall parking area
v Added a roof cover over the maintenance door exit
v Wash and grease trucks
v Pickup 2 to Carmody for fuel pump and engine module
v Muffler repair on truck 2, dump box repair on truck 4, radiator hoses
on truck 6 and repairs on deck mower
v Removed dump box from truck 6 and sent out for replacement
v Completed 100 hrs. of maintenance on loader and maintenance on gradall
v Sold old truck 10 for $1200. 00 dollars
v Plowed for 9 storms and sanded for 3
v Repaired dump gate on Victory Mills truck
Supervisor’s
report:
SUPERVISOR’S REPORT FEBRUARY 2017
GENERAL FUND – TOWNWIDE (A FUND)
Balance on hand FEB. 1 $ 785,177.73
Revenues + 693,008.12
Disbursements - 129,021.47
Balance FEB. 28 $ 1,349,164.38
GENERAL FUND – OUTSIDE VILLAGE (B FUND)
Balance on hand FEB. 1 $ 1,542,085.96
Revenues + 111,203.09
Disbursements - 6,211.64
Balance FEB. 28 $ 1,647,077.41
HIGHWAY FUND – OUTSIDE VILLAGE (DB FUND)
Balance on hand FEB. 1 $ 597,720.48
Revenues + 331,278.51
Disbursements - 276,358.86
Balance FEB. 28 $ 652,640.13
SCHUYLER PARK CAPITAL PROJECT FEB. 28
$ 144,507.89
YOUTH RECREATION & SERVICE FEB. 28 $ 211.21
HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT RESERVE FEB. 28 $ 167,304.76
BUILDING RESERVE FEB. 28 $ 254,924.23
SCENIC BY WAYS
GRANT FEB. 28 $
311.13
PARK RESERVE
FEB. 28
$ 151,956.55
TRUST
& AGENCY FEB. 28 $ 55,838.07
MOBILE
HOME GRANT FEB. 28
$ 24.31
HOME
IMPROVEMENT GRANT FEB. 28
$ 84.61
(holding
checks until funds are deposited)
CDBG
GRANT FEB. 28 $
20.14
HISTORIC
HUDSON HOOSIC RIVER FEB. 28 $ 238,088.75
PARTNERSHIP
v Sales Tax Received – February
2017 - $103,545.00
v January 2017 Mortgage Tax - $10,232.27
Public comments on agenda items: No comments.
Committee
reports:
Landfill: Supervisor Thomas Wood stated that Town Engineer Ken Martin has submitted his report to NYS DEC for the landfill.
Insurance: No report.
Youth: No report.
The following trips are
planned:
May 24th - Log Cabin, Holyoke, MA: contact Mary LaMora at 518-584-7986, by April
19, 2017 to make your reservation at a cost of $57.00.
July 6th - Saturday Night Fever Musical at the Mac-Haydn Theatre, Chatham, NY:
contact Mary LaMora at 518-584-7986, by June14, 2017 to make your reservation
at a cost of $53.00.
Councilman James Jennings
then reported that the Quaker Springs Sunshiners met on March 13th
with 20 in attendance. Sue Beebe, of Cornell
Cooperative Extension, addressed the group on how to prune trees and shrubs and
how to care for their yard tools.
There will be a chicken &
biscuit luncheon on March 15th.
Office of Emergency Management: no report
GSES,
QSFD Reports: Fire Chief Don Ormsby stated that Quaker Springs
Fire Department has had 21 calls to date in 2017.
Old
Business: Supervisor Thomas Wood told the Board he has researched
the Town’s liability concerning the Affordable Housing Grants and the financial
liability if one should default on their contract and found it is extremely
minimal. He then questioned the Board if
they wanted to move forward with the grant process; the Board agreed to move
forward.
Supervisor Thomas Wood stated the ceremonial frame
raising of the Visitor Center will take place on June 16th and the completion
of the frame raising will follow on June 17th & 18th
.
Supervisor Thomas Wood then stated the preliminary merging
of General Schuyler Emergency Squad with Wilton EMS has occurred. He said there have been financial
difficulties with General Schuyler Emergency Squad and it was necessary for
them to merge. Wilton EMS will be
managing and running the emergency services.
There will be no decrease of service or run times, although they will be
hard billing for each run they make.
There is a memorandum of agreement and there are now two members on the
Wilton EMS Board from General Schuyler Emergency Squad. At budget time, the Town Board will meet with
Wilton EMS, not General Schuyler.
Town Attorney William Reynolds stated that the Town
has a contract with the General Schuyler Emergency Squad. If they no longer exist, legal documents will
need to be worked out and he will speak with Pat Temple concerning this.
Supervisor Thomas Wood stated there will be another
Agriculture & Farmland Protection Plan meeting on March 29th at
6:30 p.m., here at the Town Hall.
Everyone in the community is invited to attend.
He then stated that Saratoga County Prosperity
Partnership and Partners will hold a Small Business Workshop on March 30th
at 5:30 p.m., here at the Town Hall as well.
There will be a number of professionals to help and provide guidance on
how to run a small business.
New
Business:
On
a motion was made by Councilman Charles Hanehan, seconded by Councilman James
Jennings, the following Resolution #17-42 - Standard Work Day and
Reporting, was adopted by vote:
Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman
Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires
– absent.
Carried 4 – 0.
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town of
Saratoga hereby establishes the following as standard work days for elected and
appointed officials and will report the following days worked to the New York
State and Local Employees’ Retirement System based on the record of activities
maintained and submitted by these officials to the clerk of this body:
|
Title |
Name |
Social Security Number (Last 4 digits) |
Registration Number |
Standard Work Day (hrs/day) |
Term Begins/Ends |
Partici-pates In Employer’s Time Keeping System (Y/N) |
Days/ Month (based on Record of Activi-ties) |
Tier 1 (Check only if mem-ber is in Tier 1) |
Not Submitted (Check box if no record of activities completed or timekeeping system) |
|
Elected Officials |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Town Clerk |
Linda
A. McCabe |
6475 |
41052796 |
6 |
01/01/2016- 12/31/2019 |
N |
30.74 |
|
|
|
Council- man |
Gary
Squires |
1279 |
61334041 |
6 |
01/01/2016- 12/31/2019 |
N |
1.28 |
|
|
|
Justice |
Charles Sherman |
6675 |
50651751 |
6 |
01/01/2016- 12/31/2019 |
N |
2.89 |
|
|
|
Highway Supt. |
Donald Ormsby Jr. |
0233 |
41094632 |
8 |
01/01/2016- 12/31/2019 |
N |
22.33 |
|
|
|
Council- man |
Charles
Hanehan |
2207 |
41068487 |
6 |
01/01/2016- 12/31/2019 |
N |
1.26 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AppointedOfficials |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zoning
Officer |
Gilman
Albert |
4744 |
42340364 |
6 |
01/01/2017-12/31/2017 |
N |
11.00 |
|
|
|
Deputy
Town Clerk |
Michelle Conover |
2103 |
61323044 |
6 |
01/01/2017-12/31/2017 |
N |
18.31 |
|
|
|
Historian |
Sean
Kelleher |
1060 |
38892964 |
6 |
01/01/2017-12/31/2017 |
N |
5.00 |
|
|
|
Assessor |
Victoria
Hayner |
0813 |
40811622 |
6 |
10/01/2013-09/30/2019 |
N |
5.50 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On
a motion made by Councilman Charles Hanehan, seconded by Councilman Michael
McLoughlin, the following Resolution #17-44
- Transfer of Funds - $611.00 to Youth
Y7320.4, was adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman
Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James
Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires – absent.
Carried 4 – 0
RESOLVED,
by the Town Board, of the Town of
Saratoga, to transfer $611.00 from Youth Program A7320.4 to Youth Y7320.4, for
Youth Program costs.
On
a motion made by Councilman James Jennings, seconded by Councilman Michael
McLoughlin, the following Resolution #17-45
- Transfer of Funds - $1,036.00 from Recreational B7140.4 to Youth Y7320.4, was
adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Michael
McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James Jennings –
aye, Councilman Gary Squires – absent.
Carried 4– 0
RESOLVED,
by the Town Board, of the Town of
Saratoga, to transfer $1,036.00 from Recreational B7140.4 to Youth Y7320.4, for
Swim Program costs.
On
a motion made by Councilman Charles Hanehan, seconded by Councilman Michael
McLoughlin, the following Resolution #17-46
- Board of Assessment (BAR) Appointment - Ruth Drumm, was adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye,
Councilman
Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James
Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires – absent.
Carried 4 – 0
WHEREAS, the
term of Frank Merrill on the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) expired on
September 30, 2016; therefore be it
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the
Town of Saratoga hereby appoints Ruth Drumm to the BAR for a 5-year term from
10/1/2016 – 09/30/2021.
On
a motion made by Councilman James Jennings, seconded by Councilman Charles
Hanehan, the following Resolution #17-47-
Authorization to purchase a new 2017 Dodge Ram 3500, 4 x 4, for the price of $46,511.00, was adopted by
vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Michael McLoughlin – aye,
Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman
Gary Squires – absent.
Carried 4 – 0
RESOLVED,
by the Town Board, of the Town of Saratoga, to authorize the Town of Saratoga
Highway Superintendent to purchase a new 2017 Dodge Ram 3500, 4 x 4, 8’ regular
cab truck with a complete plow and lighting package, in the amount of
$46,511.00, delivered.
On a
motion made by Councilman James Jennings, seconded by Councilman Charles
Hanehan, the following Resolution #17-48
- Transfer of Funds - $46,511.00 from Highway Equipment Reserve Fund to Highway
Equipment DB5132.2 for the
purchase of a new 2017 Dodge Ram 3500 4 x 4 truck, was adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas
Wood - aye, Councilman Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan –
aye, Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires – absent. Carried
4– 0
RESOLVED,
by the Town Board, of the Town of Saratoga, to transfer $46,511.00 from Highway
Equipment Reserve Fund, to Highway Equipment – DB5132.2, for the purchase of
the 2017 Dodge Ram 3500 4 x 4, 8’ Regular Cab with complete plow and lighting
package, delivered.
(Councilman
Gary Squires arrived at 8:06 p.m.)
On a
motion made by Councilman Michael McLoughlin, seconded by Councilman James
Jennings, the following Resolution #17-49
- Authorization for Legal Action of Calvin Gong for Infraction of the Town Code
was adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Michael
McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James Jennings –
aye, Councilman Gary Squires – aye.
Carried 5– 0
WHEREAS, the Town of Saratoga Town Board has been made aware
of various violations of the Town Code by Calvin Gong, concerning property
located at 1390 NYS Route 9P; and
WHEREAS, the Zoning Officer has been
unable to resolve the violations by administrative action, it is now, therefore
RESOLVED,
by the Town Board, of the Town of
Saratoga, to authorize legal action by the Town Attorney in local court to
enforce compliance.
Privilege
of the floor: No
one spoke.
A
motion was made by Councilman Charles Hanehan, seconded by Councilman Michael
McLoughlin, to enter into Executive
Session to discuss labor issues at 8:08 p.m. Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye,
Councilman Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye,
Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires – aye. Carried
5– 0
A
motion was made by Councilman Charles Hanehan, seconded by Councilman James
Jennings, to exit Executive Session at
8:39 p.m.; no action was taken. Supervisor
Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Michael McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles
Hanehan – aye, Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires – aye. Carried
5– 0
Upcoming
meetings:
v
Agenda meeting – Thursday, April 6, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
v Regular Town Board meeting –
Monday, April 10, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Audit the Bills: On a motion by Councilman James Jennings,
seconded by Councilman Gary Squires, the following Resolution #17-50 - Approving the Payment of Bills in Abstract 3G was
adopted by vote: Supervisor Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Michael
McLoughlin – aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman James Jennings –
aye, Councilman Gary Squires – aye.
Carried 5 – 0
RESOLVED,
by the Town Board of the Town of
Saratoga to authorize payment of the bills listed in Abstract 3G in the following amounts:
General Fund DB Voucher
No. 22 through 43 $ 20,562.16
General Fund A Voucher No. 53 through
82 $ 15,508.40
General Fund B Voucher
No. 09 through 13 $ 3,299.29
Schuyler Park H Voucher
No. 04 through 05 $ 146.68
Farmland Protection Voucher
No. 02 $ 1,315.00
Hudson-Hoosic HH Voucher
No. 09 through 14 $ 98,491.76
Grand Total $ 142,320.59
A motion to adjourn at 9:10 p.m. was made by
Councilman Charles Hanehan and seconded by Councilman Gary Squires. Supervisor
Thomas Wood - aye, Councilman Charles Hanehan – aye, Councilman Michael
McLoughlin – aye, Councilman James Jennings – aye, Councilman Gary Squires –
aye.
Carried 5 - 0
Meeting Adjourned
Respectfully Submitted,
Linda A. McCabe
Town Clerk