Board of Trustees

Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 181 THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-FIRST REGULAR MEETING Rutherford Hall Village Hall May 12, 2015 A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale was held in Rutherford Hall in Village Hall on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 8:00 P.M. Present were Mayor Mark, Trustees Callaghan, Finger, Lee, Pekarek, Samwick and Stern. Also present were Village Manager Gatta, Deputy Village Manager Pappalardo, Village Attorney Esannason, Village Treasurer McClure, Village Clerk Conkling, and Assistant to the Village Manager Scelza. ******** The minutes of the Board of Trustees Regular Meeting of Tuesday, April 28, 2015 were approved on a motion entered by Trustee Finger, seconded by Trustee Lee, and carried unanimously. ******** Bills & Payroll Trustee Lee reported that he had examined the payment of bills made in advance of a Board of Trustees audit totaling $673,360.82 which were found to be in order and he moved that such payment be ratified. Upon motion duly made by Trustee Lee and seconded by Trustee Samwick, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: RESOLVED, that payment of claims made in advance of a Board of Trustees audit totaling $642,154.40 is hereby ratified. Trustee Lee further reported that he had audited the Abstract of Claims dated May 12, 2015 in the amount of $304,388.53 which includes $1,184.58 in Library Claims previously audited by a Trustee of the Library Board which were found to be in order and he moved that such payment be ratified. Upon motion duly made by Trustee Lee and seconded by Trustee Samwick, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 182 RESOLVED, that the Abstract of Claims dated May 12, 2015 in the amount of $304,388.53 is hereby approved. ******** Mayors Comments Mayor Mark stated that he just had a few comments to make this evening. First, he wanted to welcome Rob Cole to the Village Staff, who is joining the Village as Deputy Village Manager. Mr. Cole is from Oak Park, Illinois and has a wealth of experience in a wide variety of municipal issues and oversight of those issues. We look forward to his being with the Village and the Village benefiting from his knowledge and experience. Secondly, Mayor Mark stated that he wanted to mention the event that took place in Harwood Park two Saturdays ago. It was an outstanding example of volunteerism at work in the Village of Scarsdale. There were over a 100 volunteers who came out to plant over 200 shrubs and plants in Harwood Park, just north of the gravel parking lot near the High School. It was a very successful event and he congratulated the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Madeline Eppenstein and Susannah Jones for their work, Anthony DiDomenico of the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Department of Public Works helped by clearing the area - Benny Salanitro and John Carmody were also a big help. One other thing Mayor Mark observed was that many generations were represented there. There were young children, their parents, and senior members of the community. An event like this demonstrates what really can be done in Scarsdale when people turn out in a joint effort like this. It was a lot of fun, and he wished the plants well in growing! On a different issue, but one that has been mentioned to him by a number of Village residents, Mayor Mark stated that commuters on Metro North have noticed that for a month or so, perhaps more, the stairway on the northbound side of the northbound tracks that goes up to East Parkway has been closed because of its poor condition. This matter has been discussed with the staff, and it turns out that this stairway is owned by the Village and not by Metro North. It is up to the Village in the first instance to come up with a plan to repair it. The Mayor stated that he has asked the Village Staff to come up with such a plan. The Village intends to ask Metro North to contribute to the cost of repairs since it does service their riders. But whether they contribute or not, the Village will find a way to fund and repair that staircase. There is no timeframe for doing that yet but it is his hope that it can be done in short order. ******** Managers Comments None. Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 183 ******** Public Comments As there were no comments from the public, Mayor Mark closed the public comments portion of the meeting. ******** Finance Committee Upon motion entered by Trustee Samwick, and seconded by Trustee Lee, the following resolution regarding the Acceptance of a Gift from an Anonymous Donor for the Scarsdale Public Library Master Plan was adopted by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, the Scarsdale Library Board completed a Master Plan dated June 10, 2013 which identifies a number of building renovations and additions. These renovations and additions will increase the capacity of the Library to provide a broader range of rapidly evolving library services for future generations, while maintaining popular traditional collections and programs by offering a more balanced utilization of the building space within a safe, attractive, inviting and comfortable physical environment; and WHEREAS, the investment for creating this future environment of additions, alterations and renovations is presented in the June 10, 2013 Village of Scarsdale Library Master Plan and estimated at a cost of approximately $12 million, to be implemented in phases over a multi- year period, that keeps the Library open throughout the construction; and WHEREAS, the Scarsdale Public Library Board, at their October 21, 2013 meeting, authorized the retention of the fund raising consulting firm of Plan A Advisors, P.O. Box 165, Thornwood, NY 10594, to design and conduct a capital campaign to implement the projects in the Master Plan, said authorization supported by the Scarsdale Village Board via resolution dated April 8, 2014, attached; and WHEREAS, in May 2014, an anonymous benefactor donated $2,000 in memory of Elyse Maas toward the Scarsdale Public Library Master Plan Capital Campaign; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Policy #103: “Gifts to the Village of Scarsdale” of the Village Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 184 of Scarsdale Administrative Policies & Procedures Manual, acceptance of all gifts valued at $500 or greater must be approved by the Village Board of Trustees; and WHEREAS, the aforementioned May 2014 anonymous donation was inadvertently accepted by the staff absent the necessary Village Board approval and is now being submitted to the Board for their retroactive approval nunc pro tunc; now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Village Board of Trustees hereby accepts the gift of $2,000 in memory of Elyse Maas from an anonymous donor to be used toward the costs associated with the architectural services for the Scarsdale Public Library Master Plan Capital Improvement Project and extends its thanks and appreciation to the anonymous donor for this generous gift to the of May 13, 2014; and be it further; RESOLVED, that the actions of the Village Treasurer to complete the transaction and accept this financial gift of $2,000 and deposit it in the Library Capital Campaign Account are hereby ratified approved and confirmed. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Lee Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Mayor Mark ******** Police Commissioner Upon motion entered by Trustee Samwick, and seconded by Trustee Pekarek, the following resolution regarding Authorization to Execute an Intermunicipal Agreement with Westchester County for Prisoner Transportation was adopted the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, the Village of Scarsdale has participated in an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) with Westchester County to provide transportation between the Village of Scarsdale and the Westchester County Department of Correction, for prisoners remanded to the Westchester County Jail; and Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 185 WHEREAS, this agreement provides reimbursement to the Village of Scarsdale by Westchester County for the costs associated with prisoner transportation, said rates based upon established reimbursement rates per roundtrip, including an additional reimbursement for prisoner meals; and WHEREAS, the previous IMA expired as of December 31, 2014 and Westchester County recently proffered a new Prisoner Transportation Agreement to the Village of Scarsdale for a two (2) year term commencing January 1, 2015 and ending December 31, 2016; and WHEREAS, in accordance with the terms of the new agreement, Westchester County will reimburse the Village of Scarsdale at a roundtrip rate of $202.62 for calendar year 2015 and $207.69 for calendar year 2016, plus $0.56 or the prevailing IRS mileage rate at the time, per mile, for each prisoner roundtrip transport; and WHEREAS, the Chief of Police, in accordance with the attached memorandum, has recommended that the Village of Scarsdale participate in the Prisoner Transportation arrangement through the execution of the Intermunicipal Agreement attached hereto and made a part hereof; now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the Village Manager to execute the Prisoner Transportation Reimbursement Intermunicipal Agreement with the County of Westchester, in substantially the same form as attached hereto; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to undertake any administrative acts required under the terms of the agreement. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Lee Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Mayor Mark ******** Before the vote, Trustee Finger noted that in Appendix A of the aforementioned document, there is a typo in the detail of dates regarding the reimbursed rate. This correction will be made before the IMA is sent to the County. Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 186 ******** Personnel Committee Upon motion entered by Trustee Finger, and seconded by Trustee Lee, the following resolution regarding Authorization to Execute a Collective Bargaining Agreement with Local 456, The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Representing the Scarsdale School Crossing Guards, was adopted by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, the Village of Scarsdale (“Village”) and Local 456, International Brotherhood of Teamsters representing the Scarsdale School Crossing Guards (“Union”) are parties to a Collective Bargaining Agreement that expired on May 31, 2015; and WHEREAS, changes to the terms and conditions of employment were agreed upon by the parties and placed in the form of a Stipulation of Agreement (“Agreement”) dated May 1, 2015 attached hereto and made part hereof; and WHEREAS, the membership of the Union ratified the terms and conditions contained in the Agreement on May 7, 2015; and WHEREAS, the Agreement between the Village and the Union regarding the terms and conditions of employment for the period June 1, 2015 through and including May 31, 2019 is being presented for approval by the Village of Scarsdale Board of Trustees; now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Stipulation of Agreement between the Village and the Union dated May 1, 2015 regarding the terms and conditions of employment for the period June 1, 2015 through and including May 31, 2019 is hereby approved; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Manager and Human Resources Director are hereby authorized to execute a Collective Bargaining Agreement for the period June 1, 2015 through and including May 31, 2019 between the Village and the Union incorporating the terms and conditions of said Stipulation of Agreement. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Lee Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 187 Mayor Mark ******** Upon motion entered by Trustee Finger, and seconded by Trustee Lee, the following resolution regarding Wage Increases for Department Heads and Non-Union Personnel was adopted by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees (Village Board) has traditionally adopted annual salary increases for department heads and other non- union personnel not represented by collective bargaining agreements; and WHEREAS, for the last six (6) consecutive fiscal years the Village Board has approved an approximate 2% increase for department heads and other non-union personnel; and WHEREAS, the State of New York has been persistent with its policy to control the growth of local property taxes; has not provided any mandate relief; has not enabled local governments to pursue other revenue sources and does not distribute state discretionary grants and aid in any rational manner which results in a great challenge for local officials in governing towns and Villages, coercing the over-reliance on one source of local revenue, the property tax cap, where local overrides have been more difficult and disincentivized by the State of New York; and WHEREAS, primarily to be sensitive to the residents of the Village, Village Budgets in the past four (4) years, and for the forthcoming year, 2015-2016, have been prepared to reflect the current State of New York policy, but yet maintain a current level of services and stay within the confines of the property tax cap levy; and WHEREAS, negotiations in progress with the CSEA Village Hall, CSEA Library, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) School Crossing Guards are intended to be within the budgetary parameters established by the Village Board for the fiscal year 2015-2016 Adopted Budget with a property tax levy that conforms to the State of New York State of New York Sate 2% Cap; and WHEREAS, the Village Board has approved a successor collective bargaining agreements with the IBT Public Works, IBT Facility Maintenance, the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Scarsdale, and the Scarsdale Police Benevolence Association, which contained salary increases ranging from 2% to 2.60% for 2015-2016 with other Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 188 adjustments that provide a basis for adhering to the 2% levy cap; now therefore be it RESOLVED, that while respecting the collective bargaining process and the Taylor Law of the State of New York, the Village Board, respectfully, expresses its wish that the bargaining units and all employees recognize the great burden faced by local governments and the Village Board’s effort to be sincere, reasonable and reflective of the environment with wage settlements for its employees and, herein, approves a 2% salary increase for department heads and non-union employees effective June 1, 2015, and as may be determined by the Village Manager. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Lee Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Mayor Mark ******** Other Committee Reports None. ******** Liaison Reports Trustee Callaghan reported on that Scout Government Day held on Wednesday, May 6th. Twenty-two combination Girl and Boy Scouts participated. The Village was very cooperative in having a bus arranged for the Scouts to visit the water tower, the Fire and Police Departments. The Scouts visited various Village Hall departments and the day ended at the Village Court. Acting Justice Alemany was holding court and the scouts asked numerous questions of the Judge. It was a very successful day – this was the largest number of scouts participating in this particular event. As a result, the Boy Scouts got their Citizenship Badge. On behalf of the Trustees, he stated he would like to thank Village Manager Gatta and Deputy Village Manager Pappalardo for arranging this. He also thanked Deputy Superintendent of Public Works Justin Datino who did a terrific job with the Scouts. ******** Village Board of Trustees 05-12-2015 189 Written Communications Village Clerk Conkling reported that three (3) written communications have been received since the last meeting:  An email from Kathy Knudsen, 14 Montrose Road, requesting that her editorial published in the Scarsdale Inquirer concerning road conditions in Scarsdale be acknowledged under Written Communications. A response on behalf of Mayor Mark from Christopher Scelza, Assistant to the Village Manager.  An email from Phyllis Finkelstein, a member of the Leaf Education Task Force, concerning mulch mowing and the importance of utilizing experts in the field for education purposes.  An email from Susan Levine, Ardmore Road regarding the 2016 Revaluation. A response from Village Manager Gatta is attached. ******** There being no further business to come before the Board, Trustee Pekarek moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Trustee Lee and carried by a unanimous vote at 8:20 P.M. Donna M. Conkling Village Clerk