Town of Mount Hope Town Board Meeting January 21, 2020
The town board meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope was held at Town Hall on January 21, 2020 at 7:30pm with the following present: Supervisor Chad Volpe, Councilman Matt Howell, Councilman Brian Carey, Councilman Chris Furman, Councilman Jim Jennings & Town Clerk Kathleen Myers.
OFFICIALS PRESENT: Attorney Bavoso, H’way Supt. Hassenmayer, Dep Police Chief Maresca & Police Chief Rickard.
Supervisor Volpe called the public hearing to order at 7:30pm following the Pledge of Allegiance. He reminded everyone to silence/turn off their cell phones.
**7:30pm – PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED LOCAL LAW #1-2020 ENTITLED: AMENDING THE ZONING LAW OF THE TOWN OF MOUNT HOPE
Supervisor Volpe noted the legal ad is on the front desk for anyone who would like to see it. Atty. Bavoso explained the planning board recently wrote a letter to the town board expressing a couple items they would like to see changed in the new zoning. First change requested: cluster sub-divisions. There are particular requirements in there that in practice now, they’re finding can’t really be met in the T/O Mount Hope. They would like those items removed so it gives a better opportunity for cluster sub-divisions. The next is re: section #2. The new zoning created a new provision so that you can have 2 single family residences on a single lot however you have to be able to prove that if the property is sub-divided neither of those lots resulting would require any type of variance. Previously in the code, this went to the building inspector. This is now requiring it to go to planning board. The 3rd one is accessory apartments in the principle structure; commonly referred to as a mother/daughter. Those would go to the building inspector rather than going to the planning board. There were no board comments. Attorney Bavoso added that since this is a change to the zoning law, it requires a 239 review from the county. We are waiting on their comments. You can close the public hearing tonight but it cannot be adopted until the county review is complete. MaryBeth Horzepa stated that there was another change to the zoning to do with fence height around solar farms. Attorney said it is up to the board for that to be added to the local law. Ms. Horzepa added that this is to do with NYSERDA requirements. Councilman Howell added from a letter he read to the board that the height of the fence would now be 8’ from 6’. There were no other questions.
MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to close public hearing at 7:38pm. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO ACCEPT PRIOR MEETING MINUTES:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell that the minutes of the January 6, 2020 meeting as submitted are accepted. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
CORRESPONDENCE:
- Three budget modifications from Police department
- Supervisor’s report December 2019
- Resignation from Police Officer Stephen Winchell effective immediately
- Resignation from Police Officer William Sherwood effective 1-31-2020
- Mount Hope School Choice week resolution
- Resolution for the Undertaking of Municipal Officers
- Planning Board monthly report from Jan-Dec 2019
- Otisville Fire call history report for December 2019
- Police Dept. monthly report 12-2019
- Letter from Assoc. of Towns re: annual meeting in NYC in February
BOARD REPORTS:
Councilman Jennings reported the village meeting is 2-6-2020 at 7pm. Big topic at their last meeting was a letter sent to village residents regarding maintaining their property. 8
Councilman Furman reported there’s no ZBA meeting for February. He went to school last week. Learned a lot.
Councilman Carey reported the village is having their democratic caucus tonight. Tomorrow night is the republican caucus for the village. Village election is gonna be March 18. We have 1325 likes for facebook. We have 1353 followers. He gave breakdown of men/women/ages for facebook followers. He spoke re: letter from village about cleaning up and zoning regulations in the village. The reason they are doing this is to enforce what they have on the books and for their centennial in 2021.He’d like to see what we can do from a town point of view. He noted an address at 1641 Route 211 West. There are other addresses around town. He did the annual audit with Matt. Everything was good. There was a couple questions with the court that he got an answer to. He will work with the IT guy Thursday for the youth center to restrict the internet.
Councilman Howell reported everything went well with receipt book audit. We had some questions on the court books; nothing alarming.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:
Supt. Hassenmayer reported the rec center carpet was put down in the gym today. Still have the library & office to do. There will be a wood planking as you come in the double doors. It’s all to be done this week. Bathroom tile should be completed tomorrow. All fixtures should be in by end of week. Siding is almost done. The excavator is outside. Should be a plus to our department. Supervisor Volpe is shooting for the 1st or 2nd Friday in March for the ribbon cutting but would like to pick a date. Supt. Hassenmayer: may still need the kitchen, definitely ½ the building is pretty much done; once the carpet is done and lights are in – is done. Restrooms should definitely be done by end of February. Heat is complete also. Board tentatively picked March 20 with the time TBD.
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Chief Rickard some officers have left over the last several months. He is looking for 2 people to be approved tonight: John Erps & Nick Contino. John is certified – he’ll be ready to go after testing – effective February 3rd. Nick will be sponsored in phase II – he would be back to us on April 3rd. They need to do the drug testing & psychological testing. They will be part time, non-competitive.
MOTION TO APPROVE HIRING OF JOHN ERPS AS PART TIME NON-COMPETITIVE POLICE OFFICER:
MOTION offered Councilman Jennings 2nd Councilman Carey to approve hiring John Erps effective 2-3-2020 pending passing all preliminary qualifications AND Nicholas Contino effective 3-2-2020 pending passing all preliminary qualifications – both as part time non-competitive police officers. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
Chief Rickard continued his report. He has 2 resignations: Bill Sherwood & Steve Winchell – I’d like you to act on those. Car 153 arrived. Tomorrow it will be lettered and Thursday it will get the radios. Need to surplus and auction old #153. He has 3 budget modifications and he explained them. He spoke re: women’s self-defense class on March 21st.
MOTION TO SURPLUS OLD FORD EXPLORER #153 & PUT ON AUCTION SITE:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Carey to surplus the old #153 Ford Expedition and put on auction site. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
YOUTH CENTER RENTAL CONTRACTS:
Supervisor Volpe noted that he has spoken with David about the contracts to rent the youth center. Attorney Bavoso: under the parkland and recreation provision of the code, alcohol is not allowed in town facilities. It’s defined as kind of vague. He takes it to mean all town facilities. The town would need to adjust that particular provision to allow alcohol upon approval by the town board. Then we would have to work on the application. He wouldn’t want to adopt any change in that law at the moment until we have that application in place. It would require appropriate licenses form the liquor authority, insurance – you can actually get a rider on your homeowner’s insurance that would cover you for an event like that. 9
VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE:
Trustee Loeven reviewed the 2019 Otisville fire calls. She referred to an article in the newspaper about battery storage facilities. It is recommended that a local law be in place to govern before it comes before you. They will be looking at this in the village. The attorney will forward a copy of a law about this that he wrote for another municipality to the supervisor and to the village.
BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW:
Councilman Howell reported that 2 interviews were done and they recommend appointing Patricia Myers to fill the vacancy on the BAR.
MOTION TO APPOINT PATRICIA MYERS TO FILL VACANCY ON BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW:
MOTION offered Supervisor Volpe 2nd Councilman Furman to appoint Patricia Myers to fill the vacancy on the Board of Assessment Review (from Christopher Santos). All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE JUSTICE COURT AUDIT:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey that the justice records/receipts & docket have been duly examined and that the fines therein collected have been turned over to the proper officials of the Town of Mount Hope as required by law. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE CHAD VOLPE, SUPERVISOR & BRIAN CAREY, COUNCILMAN TO ATTEND ASSOC. OF TOWNS MEETING IN NYC:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell to approve Supervisor Volpe & Councilman Carey to attend the Assoc. of Towns meetings in NYC Feb. 16-17, 2020 for a cost of $646.63. All in favor: Howell, Furman, Jennings; abstained: Carey, Volpe – motion carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE JULIE MUSIAL & HEIDI VOLPE, BUILDING INSPECTORS TO ATTEND ASSOC. OF TOWNS MEETINGS IN NYC:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell to approve both building inspectors Julie Musial & Heidi Volpe to attend the Assoc. of Towns meetings in NYC February 15-18th, 2020 for a cost of $1,020.18. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
RESOLUTION FOR MOUNT HOPE SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK JAN 26 THROUGH FEB 1, 2020:
MOTION offered Councilman Jennings 2nd Councilman Howell to approve the resolution for MOUNT HOPE SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK as read by the Town Clerk:
WHEREAS all children in the Town of Mount Hope should have access to the highest quality education possible; and
WHEREAS the Town of Mount Hope recognizes the important role that an effective education plays in preparing all students in the Town of Mount Hope to be successful adults; and
WHEREAS quality education is critically important to the economic vitality of the Town of Mount Hope; and
WHEREAS the Town of Mount Hope is home to a multitude of high-quality public and non-public schools from which parents can choose for their children in addition to families who educate their children in the home; and
WHEREAS educational variety not only helps to diversify our economy but also enhances the vibrancy of our community; and
WHEREAS the Town of Mount Hope has many high-quality teaching professionals in all types of school settings who are committed to educating our children; and
WHEREAS School Choice Week is celebrated across the country by millions of students, parents, educators, schools & organizations to raise awareness of the need for effective educational options;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Chad Volpe do hereby recognize January 26 – February 1, 2020 as Town of Mount Hope School Choice Week and I call this observance to the attention to all of our citizens.
Adopted by the Town of Mount Hope Town Board on January 21, 2020
All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
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RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT THE OFFICIAL UNDERTAKING OF MUNICIPAL OFFICERS:
MOTION offered Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Furman to adopt the following resolution approving the form of official undertaking of municipal officers of the Town, pursuant to Section 11 of Public Officers Law, and the manner of execution and the sufficiency of the of the Town’s insurance company surety:
RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Mount Hope, Orange County, New York, herein and hereby approves the below form of official undertaking of municipal officers of the Town as well as the manner of execution and sufficiency of the Town’s insurance company as surety under same:
TOWN OF MOUNT HOPE, ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
OFFICIAL UNDERTAKING OF MUNICIPAL OFFICERS
WHEREAS, Chad Volpe, of the Town of Mount Hope, County of Orange, New York, has been elected to the office of Town Supervisor of the Town of Mount Hope; and
WHEREAS, Kathleen Myers, of the Town of Mount Hope, County of Orange, New York, has been elected to the office of Town Clerk of the Town of Mount Hope; and
WHEREAS, Matthew Howell, of the Town of Mount Hope, County of Orange, New York, has been elected to the office of Deputy Town Supervisor of the Town of Mount Hope; and
NOW THEREFORE, we as respective officers above, do hereby undertake with the Town of Mount Hope that we will faithfully perform and discharge the duties of our office, and will promptly account for and pay over all moneys or property received as a Town Officer, in accordance with the law; and
This undertaking of the Town Supervisor is further conditioned upon that he will well and truly keep, pay over and account for all moneys and property, including any special district funds, belonging to the Town and coming into his hands as such Supervisor; and
This undertaking of the Town Tax Collector is further conditioned that she will well and truly keep, pay over and account for all moneys and property coming into her hands as such Tax Collector; and
The Town does and shall maintain insurance coverage, presently with Travelers Insurance Company in the sum of $150,000 per occurrence plus an additional $1,600,000 in coverage for the Tax Collector, to indemnify against losses through the failure of the officers, clerks and employees covered thereunder faithfully to perform their duties or to account properly for all monies or property received by virtue of their positions or employment, and through fraudulent or dishonest acts committed by the officers, clerks and employees covered thereunder.
MOTION TO ACCEPT SUPERVISOR’S REPORT:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to accept the Supervisor’s report for December 2019 as presented. All in favor: Volpe, Howell, Carey, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO ACCEPT RESIGNATION FROM POLICE OFFICER STEPHEN WINCHELL:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell to accept the resignation from Police Officer Stephen Winchell effective immediately. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO ACCEPT RESIGNATION FROM POLICE OFFICER WILLIAM SHERWOOD:
MOTION offered Councilman Jennings 2nd Councilman Howell to accept the resignation from Police Officer William Sherwood effective January 31, 2020. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE BUDGET MODIFICATION FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT:
MOTION offered Councilman Carey 2nd Councilman Howell to approve the following:
Increase revenue Sale of Equipment A2665 by $725.00 &
Increase expense A3120.4 Police Contr. By $725.00 (ballistic vest reimbursement) AND
Increase revenue Police Fees A1520 by $498.47 &
Increase expense line Police Contr. A3120.4 by $498.47 (ammunition reimbursement/Balgobin) AND
Increase revenue Insurance Recovery A2690 by $6,263.55 &
Increase expense line Police Contr. A3120.4 by $6,263.55 (insurance payment for vehicle accident).
All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
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RESOLUTION TO AUDIT THE CLAIMS:
MOTION offered Councilman Jennings 2nd Councilman Carey to approve the bills for Abstracts #2 & #3:
ABSTRACT #2:
GENERAL A: #14-34 $ 76,254.41
GENERAL B: #1-4 $ 6,742.21
HIGHWAY: #4-7 $ 21,455.48
SEWER: #4 $ 1,086.27
MOUNT HOPE FIRE: #1 $132,925.00
HOWELLS FIRE: #1 $200,449.00
AND
ABSTRACT #3:
GENERAL A: #35-55 $ 35,641.96
GENERAL B: #5-6 $ 3,800.14
HIGHWAY: ` #8-16 $ 46,433.06
SEWER: #5-6 $ 2,620.92.
All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Diane Loeven went over the Hometown Helpers annual report for 2019. She gave copies to board members.
MOTION TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION:
MOTION offered Councilman Furman 2nd Councilman Howell to enter into executive session at 8:18pm for police personnel. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO RECONVENE REGULAR MEETING FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Furman to reconvene regular meeting from executive session at 8:44pm. (NO ACTION WAS TAKEN IN THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION). All in favor: Howell, Carey, Volpe, Jennings, Furman; carried.
TOWN BOARD COMMENTS:
Councilman Howell reported there will be a public hearing meeting at the Otisville Fire hall on January 30, 2020 re: Otisville bridge replacement.
No further board comments.
MOTION TO ADJOURN:
MOTION offered Councilman Howell 2nd Councilman Carey to adjourn the meeting at 8:45pm. All in favor: Howell, Jennings, Carey, Volpe, Furman; carried.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 3, 2020 at 7:30pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen A. Myers, Town Clerk, RMC
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