Town Board Meeting December 4th, 2023
OFFICIALS PRESENT: Highway Supt. Hassenmayer, Attorney D. Bavoso, Chief Maresca & Deputy Chief Hahne.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Supervisor Howell called the meeting to order at 7:30pm.
MOTION TO ACCEPT PRIOR MEETING MINUTES:
MOTION offered Councilmember Davis 2nd Councilmember Jennings that the minutes of the November 20, 2023 be approved as presented. All in favor: Howell, Jennings, Davis, Furman; ABSTAIN: Carey; carried.
CORRESPONDENCE:
1. 2024 town board meeting dates
2. Building Inspector report or October 2023
3. ZBA Findings of Fact re: Wessels Farm Inc.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilmember Jennings: Patriot Tree lighting 12/7 at 6pm at the Veteran’s Park. Refreshments to follow at village hall. At 7pm the village board will hold their regular meeting. There’s a Veteran banner program that Phil researched. The ones he showed us were beautiful. This is to honor our local service men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. These would be put on the utility poles. The banners are 24”X48” and are $100 each. Deadline in March 17, 2024. Phil will be coming to a board meeting to show us the banner. He was told that a resident asked about the town/village hosting a Christmas parade. He would like to know if the village would like to participate and get this started for next year. He spoke re: renters at the facilities. We have a lot of renters not putting the chairs and tables back the way they are supposed to be. There are 13 line items in the contract of items the renters need to take care of. He would like each of those lines to have an added blank line for the renter initials. This would indicate that they read each line and understand what we are asking them to do. He’d like a line added that the facility needs to be put back as per the diagram. He wants to make sure the renters follow the rules. I think we should be stricter that if they don’t follow the rules, they don’t get their deposit back. Renters have moved the games or leave the tables not where they should be. It’s not fair to the board members that they have to do all that the renter doesn’t. Sometimes he’s spent an hour trying to get the youth center back the way it was. Councilmember Furman agrees. Supervisor clarified the additions to the contract with Councilmember Jennings. Councilmember Jennings thinks the renters should have to initial next to each of the line items. He’d like the additional line to say: Please put the facility back as the diagram describes. Councilmember Furman: it’s a youth center. It’s nice that there’s a rental space. I feel the youth stuff that’s there gets moved around like it’s no tomorrow. Things are in a place for a reason so it’s so that the youth can use it and they do. We need to be firm and if those things are moved and things not put back then we have to keep the deposit. Supervisor agrees to be stricter. Councilmember Carey agrees. Councilmember Davis agrees.
MOTION TO ADD A LINE TO THE YOUTH CENTER CONTRACT ON THE RULES PAGE:
MOTION offered Councilmember Davis 2nd Councilmember Jennings to add a line to the facility rental agreement that the renters are required to return the facility to its position as outlines in the diagram and to initial each of the line items on page 4. All in favor: Howell, Jennings, Davis, Furman, Carey; carried.
Councilmember Carey: Attended the village tree lighting. Village did a good job and the kids all had a good time.
Councilmember Davis: there will be no planning board meeting as there is nothing for the agenda.
Councilman Furman: Mobile DMV is coming 12/8 from 10-3:30. There’s a Sensory friendly photo with Santa on 12/16 at the senior center from 4-7pm. He attended a meeting with the Asian-American advisory committee meeting. On January 7 from 1-2pm, they are going to have a class to teach Chinese here at the town hall. Whoever is on that weekend for checking the halls can stop by and let them in. Town tree lighting will be at town hall. Dean got us a new tree. It will be 12/16 at 6:30pm here at the town hall. He attended the historic society event this past weekend. This was a great event. If you’ve never attended, you are missing out. He thanked Nancy and all the volunteers that keep that live. He ordered more supplies for youth and senior centers. We need a new monitor for the office. He congratulated Keri and he’s glad she’s here.
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HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:
Supt. Hassenmayer reported the siding on 2 sides of the addition are done. We are waiting on materials for the 2 remaining sides. Sheetrock should be delivered Thursday. The furnace guy will be coming Thursday also.
POLICE DEPARTMENT:
Chief Maresca requested executive session for a police personnel issue.
VILLAGE OF OTISVILLE:
Trustee Clouse reported the fire department tree lighting was really nice. Next village planning board meeting is on 12/12/at 7pm. Mayor Carey spoke re: Wreaths Across America is 12/16 at 2pm at the Holy Name Church. They are short on wreaths. They are also looking for volunteers. He noted the banners that Councilmember Jennings was speaking about are hung from Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day. Trustee Loeven added that Wreaths Across America met the goal with the wreaths but still looking for donations and they would be credited to next year. Father Mike is making an invite for the town and village employees.
MOTION TO ADOPT THE 2024 TOWN BOARD MEETING DATES:
MOTION offered Councilmember Davis 2nd Councilmember Furman to adopt the 2024 town board meeting dates as presented. (see end of minutes) All in favor: Jennings, Davis, Furman, Carey, Howell; motion carried.
MOTION TO APPROVE THE 2024 HUMANE SOCIETY OF MIDDLETOWN CONTRACT:
MOTION offered Councilmember Carey 2nd Councilmember Furman to approve the 2024 contract with the Humane Society of Middletown and authorize the town supervisor to sign it. All in favor: Jennings, Davis, Furman, Carey, Howell; motion carried.
MOTION TO AUDIT THE CLAIMS:
MOTION offered Councilmember Jennings 2nd Councilmember Furman to approve the following bills (Abstracts #47, #48):
Abstract #47
GENERAL A: #520-532 $ 66,040.60
GENERAL B: #132-134 $ 27,121.18
HIGHWAY: #187-188 $ 1,356.34
SEWER: #99-101 $ 6,225.50
ARPA: #12 $ 33,000.00
Abstract # 48
GENERAL A: #533-549 $ 10,311.63
GENERAL B: #135-136 $ 150.95
HIGHWAY: #189-191 $ 823.89
SEWER: #102-103 $ 210.86
All in favor: Jennings, Davis, Furman: ABSTAIN FROM VOUCHER #567: Howell; ABSTAIN: Carey; motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Mike Meere: Thank you for the informational meeting on November. We all agreed on that night that the plant can’t handle 24 more homes for the Good Dada development. Will the town board write a correspondence letter to the planning board telling them that the sewer plant can’t handle it and that there should be no homes added to it until it’s 100% ready and fixed to accept what it was built for. Councilmember Furman: David, wouldn’t the engineer for the town clarify that? Attorney: that correspondence can go to the town engineer and even the planning board. Basically, just to let them know that’s the concern being raised. That’s not a problem. Meere: did John Fuller step down as town engineer? Supervisor: no, he represents the town like the town board capacity but the planning board is represented by Pitingaro & Doetsch. Meere: do you not see the discrepancy then if he is representing that development? Supervisor: he’s not representing the developer of the planning board level not the town. John works with us for example, for the building addition here. Meere: John doesn’t have nothing to do as far as that except for the planning board – that’s Jason though, right? Supervisor: correct. Meere: john wouldn’t be involved with the town as far as anything going on with the development? Supervisor: not on the town side. Meere (to Chris): I wanted to meet up with you before to go over the storm drain. Furman: I haven’t had a chance to find anything. I know Dean doesn’t have anything. Meere: we have no drawings for the storm drains at all? Furman: I’m gonna have to look a little deeper to see what I can find. I’ve just been busy. I thought maybe the county would have something. Supt. Hassenmayer: Jason should have copies of it all.
Marybeth Horzepa: Breakfast with Santa at Mount Hope Pocatello fire company 12/10/2023 7am-noon.
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Mrs. Maurizzio questioned the planning board having no meeting due to no agenda. What about the big hullabaloo about the 250,000 sq feet? Supervisor: correct there have been no new applications before their board.
Mike Meere: on my 1st question, is that something that the town board would be considering to send a letter? Councilmember Furman: we can send a letter.
BOARD COMMENTS:
-Councilmember Carey stated she would help Chris with the letter.
-Councilmember Furman: last meeting we talked about the Governor back in the spring wanting to build 15-story condos within a mile of the train station. On Friday she but it on the back burner until after the elections in 2024. He hopes everyone comes out for the tree lighting. He added, the barn at the park is beautiful.
-Supervisor Howell spoke re: tree lighting on 12/16/2023.
MOTION TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION:
MOTION offered Councilmember Jennings 2nd Councilmember Furman to enter in to executive session at 7:59pm to discuss police personnel & contractual matters. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Davis, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO RECONVENE REGULAR MEETING FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION:
MOTION offered Councilmember Davis 2nd Councilmember Carey to reconvene regular meeting from executive session at 8:32pm. NO ACTION WAS TAKEN IN THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Davis, Jennings, Furman; carried.
MOTION TO ADJOURN MEETING:
MOTION offered Councilmember Furman 2nd Councilmember Davis to adjourn the meeting at 8:32pm. All in favor: Howell, Carey, Davis, Jennings, Furman; carried.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 18, 2023 at 7:30pm at Town Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen A. Myers, RMC, Town Clerk
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