Village Board

Village Board Meeting Minutes Thursday, April 23, 2020 Present: Mayor Lee, Trustees Fowler, Fay, Speer, Zabelny Village Manager/Clerk Shari Pearce DPW Superintendent, Mike McHenry Deputy Clerk, Amy Harter Absent: Code Enforcement Officer, Mike Lissow Treasurer Maryalice Edwards Mayor Lee called the special Village Board meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a moment of silence. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss number of items during the COVID-19 lock down as mandated by Governor Cuomo. Resolution to enter into Executive Session at 2:07 p.m. to discuss a personnel matter, motion made by Trustee Speer, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried unanimously, 5-0. Resolution to exit Executive Session at 2:37 p.m. to discuss a personnel matter. The motion made by Trustee Fowler, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried unanimously, 5-0. Resolution to offer the Code Enforcement Officer position to Steven Lauth, with a base salary of $60,000, in lieu of insurance and three weeks prorated vacation for the rest of the fiscal year, and three weeks vacation each year thereafter, motion made by Trustee Speer, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried unanimously, 5-0. Payment Drop Box: Shari Pearce is recommending the purchase and installation of a walkup payment drop box. The location has not yet been determined. Shari, Mike McHenry and Keith Brown have discussed some options for placement, either near the ramp or the “little library”. The intent is to lessen the amount of the public from coming into the building. Shari noted this has been an idea she has wanted to implement for quite some time – not all residents want to pay postage and many bring their payments in the Village Office. It will also serve for the other tenants as we receive their mail daily. This may be an item that is reimbursable by FEMA. NYCOM meeting: Shari was asked to be part of a subcommittee through video conferencing to discuss how the municipalities are working through this crisis. She noted may people are applying for FEMA reimbursements. She and Mike McHenry plan to work next week on reimbursements. Shari explained the items that have been purchased and will be considered for payment are: 1. Payment drop box, laptop 2. Lost rent, 3. upgraded zoom, 4. IT services hooked up at home. Spectrum has provided a static address, that will allow up to five users to work from home with access to our network. Mike McHenry reported we don’t know if wages can be reimbursed, the cost of lost labor is $2000 per day. Shari stated that NYCOM estimates a 20- 25% loss in sales tax revenue, which equates to $300k loss for village. However, our fuel use is way down. Shari stated the reality is the Village may not be able to do all the projected projects. Trustee Fowler asked if the Village can we pay for cell phone plans for employees since that is the way they have been communicating. Shari answered that it can be added to the list. Trustee Fowler then asked if cleaning products are reimbursable. Shari answered that we have not purchased anything extra except for some masks that cost about $80. Monroe County provided masks at no charge. Mike McHenry stated we may have to continue to buy masks for our employees to interact with the public. Mayor Lee asked if there is a need to buy more laptops? Shari and Amy are currently sharing one laptop, which is needed to take the Village Board minutes. Shari has ordered one additional laptop for herself. The laptop is more convenient to use for minutes. Shari stated she is not sure if a laptop will be reimbursable. It was suggested that one can be purchased for the DPW, and one for the Code Enforcement Officer. Mike McHenry said he will use his tablet when working offsite. The board is in support of ordering additional laptops for staff use, including the DPW and Code Enforcement Officer. Resolution made by Trustee Fowler to authorize the Village Manager to purchase up 3 laptops at $900 each, seconded by Trustee Fay. Carried 5-0. Trustee Fowler stated it is important to catalog these on a replacement schedule and the board needs to think about them in future budgets. Mayor Lee stated it is a good possibility this lockdown could come around again in the fall. Resolution made by Trustee Zabelny to authorize the Village Manager to purchase a secured drop off box at a cost not to exceed $2200, seconded by Trustee Fowler. Carried 5-0. Shari Pearce noted this will be taken out of the contingency fund. Variance Requests: Shari Pearce noted Mike Lissow has received two variance requests. Shari is asking the Board’s opinion on hosting a Zoom meeting for a public hearing variance meeting. The Board passed a resolution that building permits are not being issued during this “New York on Pause”. Shari explained that Trustee Fay will not serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals while he is on the Village Board. Trustee Fay replied that he understands he cannot serve on the Zoning Board and he feels variances should not be issued at this time until the public can come into a public hearing setting. Trustee Fowler asked what the variance requests are for. Shari reminded the board that New York has been put on pause until May 15th; and Zoom meetings are not easy to manage because a link must be available to the public. Trustee Speer would like to accommodate the residents if the project is simple -people have the time to do a project and as civil servants it is our job to help them. Shari confirmed with Mike Lissow by phone that the applications consist of the construction of a shed and the construction of a larger barn type of garage. Both of these projects exceed the allowed size and are not for the same property address. Shari explained that each municipality is handling building permits differently; some are issuing permits. She noted that if there is only one person doing a construction job, it is ok for them to work. She suggested that since we have a new ZBA alternate member, a Zoom meeting would be a good opportunity since it is a small item of business. Trustee Zabelny agreed that it is not controversial. Trustee Speer thinks we should allow it, there are only 2 applications. Shari Pearce said something else to consider is if the ZBA members have the technology to be part of a video conference meeting. Trustee Speer noted since this pandemic could go on for some time, this may be part of a new normal. Applicants are given one year to complete construction once a permit is issued, the Village Board could consider lifting that restriction if need be. No action was taken. Water Payments: The board discussed offering payment arrangements to those that may need additional time to pay their bill and are supportive of that. A statement will be included on the bill to contact us if a payment arrangement is needed. Shari noted the during the video conference with NYCOM, there was discussion about delaying taxes, but no one offered any support; the municipalities are in need their revenue. There was general discussion about rent and taking advantage of this quiet time and cleaning the Community Center carpets, which will be done this week. There was a discussion of paying employees. Reopening the Finger Lakes area: Larry Speer stated Bob Duffy former Lt. Governor, has been placed in charged of opening up the Finger Lakes area. Larry suggested someone reaches out to him to answer questions for him and obtain his insight as to when we can expect reopening. Shari will try and contact Mr. Duffy. Honoring Jim Gates: Trustee Speer noted since this is the first meeting since Jim’s passing, the board should do something to honor him. He suggested a blank page in the April minutes and the board should consider something to along with Jim’s family to honor him. May meeting: Shari Pearce asked the board what direction should be taken to conduct the May meeting. Trustee Fowler offered to control the meeting from Zoom to assist Shari; she agreed that it would be helpful. Andy will reach out to the Town of Parma for their advice as they have hosted two meetings thus far. The board will use Zoom from home and as usual, the reports will be emailed to them. Shari also noted while on the NYCOM video conference meeting, it was reported minutes are required to be verbatim since they are being recorded. Shari noted this is a difficult task and we will be detailing the minutes as much as possible. New Board Member: Mayor Lee introduced Kim Fay, he has been temporarily appointed until the election can be held. There are two open seats on the board. Trustee Gates was not seeking re-election. Shari stated there is no news on the election. Once a date has been selected by Governor Cuomo, if necessary, the Clerk and Deputy Clerk can run the election. It has been suggested that election inspectors may be difficult to come by. The conversation turned back to Jim Gates. The board agreed to make a personal donation and are considering other ways to honor him. Jim was a dear friend to many and he will be missed by the Village Board. DPW Work: Mike McHenry informed the board that he has eliminated the planning of 35 trees this season. The projects that must be completed are sidewalk repairs/replacement for residents that are having their driveways refreshed, the 2018 CDBG sidewalk grant project, annual street paving maintenance. Currently, the department is doing daily jobs to keep up. Depending how long the lockdown goes, the project on Cedar Terrace and Carter Drive might be delayed. The crew has not repaired lawn damage due to snow plowing; it is normally completed by now. The Jennejahn Lodge project has three weeks of work left, then one more week will be needed for the DPW to complete their final work. Shari asked if the board wants to change the cancellation policy. Trustees Zabelny, Speer and Fowler all agreed a full refund should be given for those that choose to cancel their plans. St. Leo’s Church: Mayor Lee reported their roof construction has continued because their roof is leaking. That is an allowed repair. Recreation: Shari asked Tom Venniro what his plans are for the summer playground program. Tom is expecting he is hopeful to have some news from the Governor by May 15th . The Village Board can control how the building operates. Mayor Lee stated safety must be the first priority. Vacation: Mike McHenry stated he is not restricting time off for employees once the lockdown is lifted. There being no further business, Trustee Fowler motioned to adjourn the meeting at 3:30 p.m., seconded by Trustee Speer. Carried unanimously, 5-0. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Harter, Deputy Clerk In Memory of Trustee Jim Gates