| PUBLIC HEARING and TOWN BOARD MEETING TOWN OF COXSACKIE March 13, 2018 |
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PRESENT: ABSENT:Thomas Burke, Councilman GUESTS: PRESS: Dan Zuckerman, Daily Mail The meeting was called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance at 7:00 pm. A motion to accept the minutes of February 13, February 22 and February 27 was made by Patrick Kennedy seconded by Michael Veeder and duly carried. Supervisor opened the meeting to the public stating that the Town has no real authority over the large scale solar arrays in excess of 25 megawatts as they are under the purview of the state. The Governor has called for 50% renewable energy by 2030. The projects will go through an Article 10 procedure. There will be a lot of public involvement and citizen concerns will be taken seriously. Supervisor asked that comments/statements be kept to a 3 minute limit noting that this is not a public hearing and there will be no debates. Many residents expressed their concerns about the installation of large-scale solar arrays in our Town. It was noted that a group of interested parties has been formed opposing these projects in residential and agricultural districts. Some of those concerns included: visual impacts, environmental issues, noise and increase of traffic while being built, reduction of property values, water contamination, effects on wildlife/habitats, decommissioning process, obsolete panels being buried, unattractiveness of big berms and high fences, no real benefit to property owners, lack of trust in the solar companies. Residents are also apprehensive about the Article 10 procedure. Patrick Kennedy stated that Scenic Hudson will be hosting a symposium (Solar Smart Hudson Valley) on March 27 in Hyde Park from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm. Registration information was passed along. EMS Chief Nadine Myrdycz reported 90 calls. Floors need to be cleaned polished and sealed. It was suggested to wait for better weather to have this done. Rick will get a price. Nadine noted that in accordance with the union contract she has posted a full time position that will be available due to the resignation of Shane Merchant. Supervisor stated that an information meeting for EMS employees with Greene County Emergency Medical Systems, Inc. will be scheduled soon. The meeting is mandatory; employees will be paid for attending and to the extent possible will be given an option of two dates to choose from. Beau questioned why the meeting is mandatory stating that the employees are not interested in attending. Rick wants everyone to be informed of the proposal and not go by hearsay and gossip as there is a lot of misinformation being spread around. Nadine wanted to publicly thank Mike Veeder for all his time spent at the station fixing the heating system. He spent many hours and the employees are grateful to have heat. The system will still need to be serviced by someone who is Navien certified. Leghorn Plumbing and Heating was suggested. John Bishop of Bishop Beaudry Construction reported that on February 8 the Town had publicly received and opened bids for the new municipal project on Bailey Street. He went on to say that the Town had done their due diligence in this process and recommends moving forward in awarding the bids. Town Clerk read the bids to be awarded on their base bids only, no alternates as follows: Michael Veeder made a motion to accept bids 1-5 as presented above. Linda Wilkinson seconded the motion which was duly carried. It was noted that the lowest bid of $47,457.74 for contract 6FA-Fire Alarm and Security from CIA Security did not conform to the bid requirements and was considered incomplete as it did not include a bid bond or certified check. The board discussed this matter and received legal opinions from the NYS Association of Towns and the Town attorney. Based on those discussions/findings the bid was awarded to John Coyne Electric Contracting in the amount of $63,100.00 as the lowest compliant bidder. Patrick Kennedy made the motion accepting the bid which was seconded by Linda Wilkinson and duly carried. All bids are on file in the Town Clerk’s Office. John will proceed with providing official notices to bidders, and have the contracts drawn up. Site work will begin in April. Linda Wilkinson reported on renewal of employee health insurance. She, Karen and Tom met with current representatives of Marshall and Sterling. Recommends staying with current plan (Blue Shield of Northeastern NY). CDPHP and MVP were looked at as comparable. Costs are up 18%; this amount has been budgeted for. There are no changes in vison or dental benefits. Pat Kennedy suggested that next year the Town look around further so as not to become complacent. The Town of Coeymans recently reduced their health care costs significantly by shopping around. Judge Dorpfeld requested that the board authorize hiring Kim Ruby as a part time clerk to assist the court with the backlog of work due to the Deputy Court Clerk being out for medical reasons. It was noted that Ms. Ruby currently works as a part time court clerk for the Town of New Baltimore. Her rate of pay will be $11.10 per hour. Michael Veeder made the motion to hire Kim Ruby effective March 14, 2018 which was seconded by Patrick Kennedy and duly carried. Wanda reported on the JCAP Grant, stating that the money awarded needed to be used or they would lose it; could not be put on hold and would go back to the State. The grant money was used to make purchases for the new building such as furniture, equipment, computers, and dishes. The Court section of the new building is all set except for the bench. A motion to accept the resignation of Shane Merchant as full time EMT was made by Michael Veeder seconded by Linda Wilkinson and duly carried. A motion to accept the 284 highway agreement as presented by the Highway Superintendent was made by Patrick Kennedy seconded by Michael Veeder and duly carried. A motion to accept the February Justice reports as presented was made by Linda Wilkinson seconded by Michael Veeder and duly carried. A motion to accept the budget transfers as presented was made by Patrick Kennedy seconded by Michael Veeder and duly carried. General Fund and Highway bills in the amount of $74,629.99 were audited on abstract #5, voucher numbers 2018-169 through 2018-222. At 8:25 pm Supervisor made a motion to enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing particular personnel matters, and on-going litigation. Patrick Kennedy seconded the motion which was duly carried. At 8:55 pm a motion to come out of executive session was made by Linda Wilkinson, seconded by Michael Veeder and duly carried. Councilman Kennedy brought up the issue of Medicaid fees; to be further researched and discussed. At 9:03 pm a motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Patrick Kennedy, seconded by Michael Veeder and duly carried.
Bambi Hotaling, Town Clerk |