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1995-11-11-S SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING NOVEMBER 11, 1995 7:01: p.m. MTG.#60 RES.572-574 TOWN BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT SUPERVISOR FRED CHAMPAGNE COUNCILMAN BETTY MONAHAN COUNCILMAN THEODORE TURNER COUNCILMAN CONNIE GOEDERT COUNCILMAN CAROL PULVER TOWN OFFICIALS: COMPTROLLER MS. GEOFFROY SUPERVISOR FRED CHAMPAGNE-OPENED THE MEETING-PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE RESOLUTIONS RESOLUTION SETTING PUBLIC HEARING ON WATER RATE INCREASE FOR WEST GLENS FALLS WATER DISTRICT RESOLUTION NO. 572.95 INTRODUCED BY: Mrs. Carol Pulver WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mrs. Connie Goedert WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury, as the governing board for the West Glens Falls Water District, having reviewed the finances of the Water District and having determined that a proposed water rate increase should be considered and having also determined it appropriate to set a public hearing concerning said rate increase, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby authorizes and directs that a public hearing be held on Wednesday, November 15, 1995, at 7:00 p.m., in the Atrium of the Town Office Building, for the purpose of considering public comment on a proposed new water rate schedule for the West Glens Falls Water District, which rate increase is proposed to be as follows: , and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the proposed water rates, if adopted, will take effect for water consumed after May 1, 1996, with the May 1996 billing statements to reflect water consumed at the new rate, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a notice of the public hearing authorized herein shall be generally in the form presented at this meeting, and the Town Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to arrange for publication of the same in the official newspaper of the Town and also post a copy of the Notice of Public Hearing on the Town Clerk's Bulletin Board. Duly adopted this 9th day of November, 1995, by the following vote: AYES Mrs. Monahan, Mr. Turner, Mrs. Goedert, Mrs. Pulver, Mr. Champagne NOES None ABSENT: None RESOLUTION SETTING PUBLIC HEARING ON WATER RATE INCREASE FOR QUEENSBURY CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT RESOLUTION NO. 573.95 INTRODUCED BY: Mrs. Carol Pulver WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mrs. Connie Goedert WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury, as the governing board for the Queensbury Consolidated Water District, having reviewed the finances of the Water District and having determined that a proposed water rate increase should be considered and having also determined it appropriate to set a public hearing concerning said rate increase, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby authorizes and directs that a public hearing be held on Wednesday, November 15, 1995, at 7:00 p.m., in the Atrium of the Town Office Building, for the purpose of considering public comment on a proposed new water rate schedule for the Queensbury Consolidated Water District and all extensions and consolidated districts and extensions therein, which rate increase is proposed to be as follows: BASIC OR FLAT RATE CHARGE FOR FIRST 12,000 GALLONS OF USAGE: CURRENT PROPOSED $17.00 $35.00 CHARGE FOR USAGE OVER 12,000 GALLONS: CURRENT PROPOSED $1.20 PER 1,000 GALLONS OF USAGE $1.68 PER 1,000 GALLONS OF USAGE , and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the proposed water rates, if adopted, will take effect for water consumed after the meter reading date for the February 1996 billing, with the May 1996 billing statements to reflect water consumed at the new rate, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a notice of the public hearing authorized herein shall be generally in the form presented at this meeting, and the Town Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to arrange for publication of the same in the official newspaper of the Town and also post a copy of the Notice of Public Hearing on the Town Clerk's Bulletin Board. Duly adopted this 9th day of November, 1995, by the following vote: AYES Mr. Turner, Mrs. Goedert, Mrs. Pulver, Mrs. Monahan, Mr. Champagne NOES None ABSENT: None PUBLIC HEARING 1996 TOWN BUDGET 7:05 P.M. SUPERVISOR CHAMP AGNE-I first would like to complement the Board on arriving at a bear bones budget that I believe that we have here to present. It is certainly many long hours have gone into this and great debates I have to be honest with you, including our highway department along with several others and certainly it has brought us to where we are today and again I have to tell you that we believe we are aware we need to be in the Town of Queensbury. I can tell you also that the general fund is down approximately a quarter of a million dollars but due to some real reduced and reduction in our revenues our tax base that has been eighteen cents on a thousand of assessed value will go up according to this budget that is being presented tonight approximately one point seven cents per thousand. At this point and early in the game I am going to turn the meeting over to Cathy Geoffroy who is at our left over here, who will make the presentation as she goes through this I am sure she is more than willing to stop at any point in time when she does her introductory remarks certainly the board members here are mostly ready and mostly willing to answer any questions that Cathy may have any trouble with. I have to tell you it is the Board's budget but this lady has put an awful lot of time and energy into this and certainly has the numbers much better probably than most of us sitting here at this table. So, with that Cathy why don't you begin. MS. CATHY GEOFFROY-I am going to run through some of the major highlights in the budget different things from last year things that are up things that are down. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Do all of you have copies of the budget that are on the desk over there? MS. GEOFFROY-In the general fund and that relates to all general town taxes and includes general, highway and cemetery, there is thirty five thousand dollars budgeted for an engineering study on Aviation Road there is an addition to two full time and one part time employee, two full time are for building and grounds and the one part time is for the cemetery. The contingency fund was dropped back from one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars to one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars the thought process here was to make sure that people were more thorough on how they budgeted and use the contingency only for the unforseen problem not as if, I ran over budget, more for real emergencies. There is a purchase of five additional vehicles to replace worn out vehicles in the Town's current fleet, four of them are the highway department and one is for building and codes. There is also money for purchase of a sweeper for the maintenance of the towns road, and additional one hundred thousand dollars in funding for pavement for maintenance of the towns roads. That is the major highlights, major difference in the general fund. As far as the fire and ems budget goes there is a proposed one point nine percent increase in the budget however that is not going to cause an increase in the tax rate. There was enough increase in the assessed value and monies in fund balance to not need an increase in tax. We are ninety nine percent done negotiating with the fire and ems companies so that number is pretty firm, we are at the final stages of contracting with them. The sewer department, the Quaker Road Sewer District will decrease twelve point three dollars per point which is down nine percent from last year, on the tax rates. User rates are only proposed to increase slightly, rates in the Pershing Ashley Coolidge and Reservoir Park districts will remain the same in 1996. The water district, the start of the water treatment plant expansion has major impact on the 1996 budget, to help finance the cost of construction five hundred thousand dollars of fund balance in the Queensbury Consolidated Water District has been transferred into the Capital Project for 1996. The tax rate in this district is expected to increase ten percent, however water uses charges are proposed to increase forty-eight percent on the flat rate and forty percent on the gallons over the minimum charge. The Town has modified their way of allocating the revenues in the water district and one of the sewer districts. We are looking at having the operating portion of the budget be paid solely through user charges and the capital portion which is debt service and capital construction cost to be paid through the tax. So, you are going to see some shift in the revenue base there between the tax and the user fee. This shift will be seen in the Queensbury Water District the West Glens Falls Water District and the Consolidated Sewer, the Queensbury Quaker Road Sewer District. The tax rate in the West Glens Falls Water District is proposed to increase eighty one percent, user fees are estimated to increase approximately one hundred and fifteen percent. This water district has had no rate increase for several years and it has an estimated fund balance deficit of nineteen thousand dollars at the end of 1995. A proposed user rate and tax rates for the 1996 budget are expected to offset the deficit and to provide for user rates to cover the cost of supplying water to this district for 1996. So, there was a big shift in that district to cover cost that were never covered in the past we used fund balance to help cover some of the cost and that is no longer available so now we will have to work on a raise for the taxes. Those are the major highlights in the budget I do not know if there are any others that the Board wants to discuss? SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Anything else that the Board wants to add to that? COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-Cathy, the shift that you are talking about doesn't really show up in the budget yet, the dollar amounts do, in the water I am talking about. The dollar amount do but it is under the categories are going to be shifting. MS. GEOFFROY-No, the dollar amounts are on the proper lines. COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-They are now. OK. MS. GEOFFROY-Anticipated what was going to be decided at last nights meeting ahead of time to try to get that into the budget, had you not agreed last night we would have shifted it back and let people know tonight that, that was what had happened. COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-Ok, thank you. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I might add at this point that in the water and sewer property tax vs user fees it is the opinion of this Board and certainly it is the recommendation, not just recommendation but border lining on the, on State Law that Capital Cost and debt service is in fact a part of the property tax. All other costs that are O&M, operation and maintenance certainly should be shifted to the user fee. I happen to be one that believes that given this break out could certainly enhance, improve if you will conservation and water usage within the Town. I have to say that is one of my main purposes for moving in this direction. So, with that, does the Town Board have anything more to add to what Cathy has already said as far as the highlights are concerned and if not we will move right into questions, concerns input from the audience. So, it is your turn, by the way you are seeing this budget for the first time at least in my history of Queensbury page for page just as the Board has reviewed it so we are all on the same page we are all looking at the same numbers and it ought to be fairly easy to follow through. Rather than going through it page for page on our side I guess we much prefer having questions and concerns coming from your side that addresses the issues that you are here to talk about. COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-Fred, I would just like to take this occasion before we start to compliment Cathy on the work she has done on this she reinforces a good decision that we made to have a comptroller of this town, the work that she did. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-See how nice and calm I am tonight, if you were here a year ago you would not have found me this way. Even my pulse is normal. So, go ahead it is up to you. Don't hesitate, you do not ever want to be last. Do I hear a motion to adjourn? Oh I am sorry. COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAIMANO-You cannot get off that easy. Nick Caimano, from the Town of Queensbury, on the face sheet Catherine, the fund balance, what fund balance is left of the general fund? MS. GEOFFROY-We are estimating approximately a million will be left. COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAIMANO-I have always been left to believe that a million dollars is actually zero that you always had to have at least a million dollars, does that put us in a bad situation a dangerous situation or what? MS. GEOFFROY-I do not believe so, the State recommended a ten percent of your next year budget as a maximum which in our instance is, the operating budget is five point eight million dollars so that would be five hundred and eighty thousand dollars so we are a little bit above the maximum that the State recommends so I do not see how we can be in too bad of a case by keeping that amount in there. COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAIMANO-I noticed also in the fire protection I do not see, we did capital set aside last year I do not know where that would show up, is that a fund balance now, or did we abandon that or what are we doing? MS. GEOFFROY-That is a fund balance right now as you can see we have not appropriated any fund balance, so that is set aside and that is there for the fire, set aside for the fire companies that were allocated it last year. COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAIMANO-What if the revenues do not make it in the fire protection district, you are almost even up, what happens then, do you cut or will you just use the fund balance? MS. GEOFFROY-Well, all of our revenues except for twelve thousand dollars in interest is guaranteed by the tax and once we levy the tax, so the only amount that is the variable is the interest amount and there is enough in fund balance other than the reserves for the trucks to cover that if interest fall short. COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAIMANO-So, you are sure of the appropriations and you are sure of the revenue. MS. GEOFFROY-Yes. COUNTY SUPERVISOR CAIMANO-Ok, thank you, thanks. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Thank you Nick. I might also add that since I have been paying attention to the budget that is post the roaring eighties you know when you guys were here, I would say Betty was here, when you were look at a couple of million dollars in there for fund balance I really have not seen that in the last three or four years but you are absolutely right there was a time when the Town was working off from a couple of million dollars at which time they had to spend nine hundred thousand of it, just to get it out the door. Must of been great times back then, right, library, Chapman and all of the rest were benefiting too. Ok, anyone else? MS. LISA SIMPSON-I am Lisa Simpson, I am the director of the Chapman Historical Museum, it is different than last year, you are right, Fred. I am here to say thank you to the Board for funding us at the same level that we were funded last year, we greatly appreciate that. As you know on the National and State level there are cuts coming and they are coming to the Chapman. We are were cut again by the State with our general operating support money. One of the things that we have been concentrating on the last year has been fund raising and also in increasing our visibility in the community and I think we have made great strides in that process. However, we find that most of the money we have been able to raise goes toward special projects such as exhibitions, education programs and some preservation things. That is all good and certainly things that we need, what we find the hardest to raise for is what we call general operating expenses which is the light bill, the salaries, the heating bills the snow plowing all of those mundane day to day operations that we have to do to keep the museum functioning. We do get money from New York State for general operating, but as I said that was cut this year. Our membership money contributes toward that our fund raising efforts contributes to that, but we find that the money that we do get from Queensbury and also from Glens Falls is very significant toward keeping the museum open and keeping us doing what we do best which is preserving the history of the community, but of Queensbury. We as you know collect objects actively, we have just recently purchased some important Queensbury documents related to the Civil War. We purchased the Civil War Monument minutes and the specs for the monument and we also purchased something to do with the number of soldiers who were involved from Queensbury in the Civil War. Our exhibitions this year have brought in a hugh number of people, as you know the Norman Rockwell Exhibition was very popular and we did some statistical research and we found forty eight percent of the people coming to see Norman Rockwell were tourist, they were not from Glens Falls or Queensbury. That was I think very significant and in fact word of mouth when talking to these people we found they were coming specifically to see the exhibit and they were staying an extra day. Many of them were on their way to the Adirondacks and saw about the exhibition and actually stayed in the area and of course that increases revenue for the community they stay, they eat, they shop. We hope that, that will increase obviously we can be a big boost for the economy in the area. So, I did want to come tonight just to say thank you and we appreciate your support so much it really means a great deal to the museum. I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-I happen to be one of the ones that did tour the Norman Rockwell Exhibit and although I was not a out of towner I did enjoy it, very well done and it was just a beautiful, beautiful display, for those of us that were around back in the 30's to enjoy Norman Rockwell. MS. LISA SIMPSON-Thank you. COUNCILMAN PUL VER-I have one question, I know you did an exhibit on women's suffrage, is that still going on? MS. LISA SIMPSON-It is, through the end of the year. COUNCILMAN PULVER-All right, great. I was too busy campaigning but I heard it was wonderful. MS. LISA SIMPSON-It is a great exhibit COUNCILMAN PUL VER-I would like to come down and see it. MS. LISA SIMPSON-It was a good example of how we used local history that was all material that was in our archives that had never been really used before and it is one, I think one of the ways that we are here to help the community is to bring out that important local history. COUNCILMAN PULVER-You can pass it on, I heard many nice things about Sue Carp who was involved with that. MS. LISA SIMPSON-Ok. I will mention that to her. COUNCILMAN PULVER-So mention that to her. MS. LISA SIMPSON-I will, thank you very much. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Thank you, Lisa, Mr. Naylor? This is scary. HIGHWAY SUPT. PAUL NAYLOR-Scary. COUNCILMAN PULVER-You are wearing your winter coat, you look so big. HIGHWAY SUPT. P AUL NAYLOR-Naylor is the name, highway is the game. I want to thank the Board for a good battle and a good budget. We can put our thirty year old sweeper to bed maybe and I might even take up sweeping myself. It is a good budget, you guys worked hard on it, and politics aside, it is a good budget. Like Ted said, we have got forget that stuff and we have got to move ahead, I appreciate it. Thank you guys. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Thank you Paul. COUNCILMAN CONNIE GOEDERT-Mr. Naylor-Out of your budget we are going to see the back yard cleaned up correct? HIGHWAY SUPT. PAUL NAYLOR-Well, until the new stuff comes in, you know how the budget system works darlin, I have to ask you for the money, then I have got to put the budget and bills together and then I have got to turn around and go out to bid and you still can say no all the way down through that process. Ok. When you say yes all the way that will go too. We have sold all our new stuff out front, pretty good bids, a dollar. Real bargains at least I do not have to truck it away. COUNCILMAN PULVER-We do not have to take it to the landfill. SUPERVISOR CHAMPAGNE-Ok. Anyone else? Cathy can't you add anything more I mean, twenty five minutes I am sure that Brendon will make this headline tomorrow morning that Queensbury Budget passes in twenty minutes. ...After the meeting I would like to talk to you about the number of votes that were gathered by some of us here that never got reported in the newspaper. Is there any way to get off the record here and talk? There are no other comments no other conversation here? Looks like there are mostly in house folks out there in the audience anyway. Does the Board have anything more to add? Ted we will give you the mic, it is all yours? COUNCILMAN TURNER-No. COUNCILMAN PUL VER-I think we will move to adjourn. COUNCILMAN CHAMPAGNE-I have not even started to sweat yet. COUNCILMAN PULVER-We have stretched it as long as we can. COUNCILMAN CHAMPAGNE-I think you are right. COUNCILMAN MONAHAN-I think we made our comments during those, how many meetings we had when we were throwing chairs at each other. COUNCILMAN CHAMPAGNE-Was this meeting advertised, we might as well hold Monday nights meeting now. Ok. I will entertain a motion to adjourn. RESOLUTION ADJOURNING MEETING RESOLUTION NO. 574.95 INTRODUCED BY: Mrs. Carol Pulver WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. Theodore Turner RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns its meeting. Duly adopted this 9th day of November, 1995 by the following vote: AYES: Mrs. Goedert, Mrs. Pulver, Mrs. Monahan, Mr. Turner, Mr. Champagne NOES: None ABSENT: None Respectfully submitted, Miss Darleen M. Dougher Town Clerk-Queensbury