TOWN BOARD MEETING
December 29, 2014 Page 1 of 3
A special meeting of the Richfield Town Board was held on Monday, December 29, 2014, at the Richfield Town Hall. The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by Supervisor Enjem. Other board members in attendance were Bond, Eckler, Palumbo, and Snyder.
A public hearing on amending Local law # 2 of 1999, “A LOCAL LAW REGULATING THE SITING OF WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES”, was opened. Board members do not have hard copies of the law and the law has not been forwarded to our attorney for his review. Motion by Bond, second by Snyder to take no action and wait until we have the review and approval from Attorney Merzig. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes. Dan Sullivan Told board members that he had asked Palumbo to get a copy of the law to the attorney. Motion by Eckler, second by Snyder to close the public hearing at 9:10 AM. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
The clerk informed board members that again this year the tax information was not received from the supervisor until today. There is a great deal of work that needs to be done before collections can begin.
Motion by Enjem to pay claims as presented. There was no second. Board members discussed issues with the bills; the New York State Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association bill should be charged to a B Fund; the AXA bill should be vouchered to better track it. We have not yet received the bill for the website but Palumbo will e-mail the information to the supervisor the information he needs in order to get the bill paid; the supervisor said that board members pick and choose the vouchers they want to approve; some of the vouchers have no department approval signature on them. Motion by Eckler, second by Palumbo to pay all claims that have three signatures and department head approval. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes. A number of vouchers submitted by the court were withheld due to a lack of cooperation from the court concerning the audit of financial records as required by the Comptroller’s Office.
A General $ 3,892.19
DA Highway $ 4,524.29
Trust & Agency $ 547.83
Total $ 8,964.31
There was a discussion on how to handle the unapproved vouchers from the court. Board member Bond asked the supervisor why we have all the required financial audit paperwork from one justice but not the other. Has he talked to the attorney about the letter the board discussed sending to the court? The $500.00 estimated charge will cover the filing of an Article 78 if it becomes necessary. The attorney charges $175.00 per hour. Board member Bond has talked to the justice who submitted his financials. The supervisor also spoke with the same justice and told him that the required reports from the other justice have been provided. If the reports were provided they have not been made available to the whole board. The supervisor asked if the board wanted the attorney to send the justice court a letter. No, the board has been ignored and now a letter needs to be sent to Court Administration. Motion by Bond, second by Snyder that the board must receive all required financial information from both justices by January 5, 2015.
TOWN BOARD MEETING
December 29, 2014 Page 2 of 3
If either justice is not going to provide the information the board would like that in writing. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
Lawsuit papers pertaining to the Planning Board have been received. The supervisor will contact insurance agent Jouben to see if he has a copy.
The “Climate Smart” resolution was tabled until next month. We need to see of some of the conditions can be modified since it would be difficult for the town to comply with everything.
There was a discussion on financial reports: Eckler – this meeting was to be to settle financial accounts for the year, yet the board does not have the figures it needs; Enjem – the financials will be done when the bookkeeper gets the final figures; Palumbo – we should not be in this position; Eckler and Palumbo – we need to get a handle on court expenses, possibly not budget for a jury trial but leave the money in the fund balance and move if needed. Eckler asked who signed up for retirement that threw our budgeted amounts off by so much. The court clerk signed up retroactive for the last five years and the town is required to make the arrears payment in one lump sum. The court clerk will start paying out of her salary in January. The board questioned why the clerk did not have to pay arrears in one lump payment. The supervisor called the retirement system; the answer is “that’s the way the laws are written.” Eckler asked the supervisor: has he written the letter to the court asking the court to apologize to the election inspectors? No. Does he still have the Verizon check for the cell tower application or has he returned it to Verizon? The decision of what to do with the check should have been a board decision, not made exclusively by the supervisor. The supervisor still has the check. What about the $39.78 that belongs to the retired court clerk? The town has had it for a year now – the supervisor is working on it. Why did sales tax money go into the B Fund? It has always gone into DB. Again, that is a board decision. The board should be looking closely at vouchers for expenses for trips, meals, etc. If a town official wants to volunteer time to an organization that is not directly related to town business the taxpayers should not be required to pay those expenses.
Palumbo discussed differences in the latest audit list comparing the abstract to financial reports. Some of the differences may be in the timing when bills are paid. The land use officer’s salary is still not being charged to the correct account. The bookkeeper is trying to take care of it. The tax cap filings should be on file in the clerk’s office.
The board asked the supervisor what the problem was with the 2015 budget that the county called about. All the A1001 funds were incorrect – the 2014 figures were used, not the new 2015. There was a discussion on how to record the changes to the budget. The clerk filed a certified copy back in November, unaware that the budget was incorrect. Motion by Eckler, second by Snyder to accept changes made to the 2015 budget pages by the county to agree with the figures on the summary page. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
TOWN BOARD MEETING
December 29, 2014 Page 3 of 3
Motion by Bond, second by Palumbo that any member of the Planning or Land Use Board of Appeals that cannot complete the mandatory four hours of training may draft a letter to the town board explaining why. Bond - yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
Another public hearing on amending Local Law # 2 of 1999 will be held on January 19, 2015.
Motion to adjourn 11:25 AM by Enjem, second by Snyder. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
a discussion on how to record the changes to the budget. The clerk filed a certified copy back in November, unaware that the budget was incorrect. Motion by Eckler, second by Snyder to accept changes made to the 2015 budget pages by the county to agree with the figures on the summary page. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
TOWN BOARD MEETING
December 29, 2014 Page 3 of 3
Motion by Bond, second by Palumbo that any member of the Planning or Land Use Board of Appeals that cannot complete the mandatory four hours of training may draft a letter to the town board explaining why. Bond - yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
Another public hearing on amending Local Law # 2 of 1999 will be held on January 19, 2015.
Motion to adjourn 11:25 AM by Enjem, second by Snyder. Bond – yes, Eckler – yes, Palumbo – yes, Snyder – yes, Enjem – yes.
______________________________
Monica Harris, Clerk
|
