2009-10-13-2009 SP MTG. #36
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-13-2009 MTG. #36 270
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING MTG. #36
OCTOBER 13, 2009 RES. 322
TOWN BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
SUPERVISOR DANIEL STEC
COUNCILMAN ANTHONY METIVIER
COUNCILMAN RONALD MONTESI
COUNCILMAN JOHN STROUGH
COUNCILMAN TIM BREWER
Supervisor Stec-Opened the Meeting
DISCUSSIONS: FIRE COMPANIES BUDGETS AND APPARATUS
NORTH QUEENSBURY VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
Vehicle
Supervisor Stec-They are finishing their first year of a three year contract.
Representative of North Queensbury Fire Co.-The Membership of the Fire Co. has
approved the purchase of a new engine tanker to replace two trucks 326 and 425. Bids
were let, Pierce Manufacturing -$657,348. they also offered discounts for pre-payment –
performance bond included in bid package – plan for financing over a six year period –
not requesting any additional funding for the purchase – cost to be covered in the three
year budget – we will need a public hearing as prescribed by law to secure the tax
preferred financing -
Supervisor Stec-How much will you be putting down?
Representative of Fire Co.-$200,000 - still looking at financing options.
Councilman Montesi-What will you do with the old trucks?
Representative of Fire Co.-Sell them.
Supervisor Stec-What will you do with the proceeds?
Representative of Fire Co.-If we can apply it to the debt and if it is financially
advantageous we would pay down the truck.
Supervisor Stec-We want the vehicle monies to stay with the vehicles and not used
someplace else.
Representative of Fire Co.-We do want to keep the debt down, we want to keep it on the
truck fund side.
Supervisor Stec-Proposed resolution would be to have the proceeds of the sold trucks
would go to either this vehicle debt or into a restricted vehicle fund. Spoke to the
company about using on line action, either through the Town or by themselves a viable
option for the sale of vehicles. Noted that in the resolution authorizing the purchase it
will be noted that two vehicles are being replaced. Asking all companies if there any
apparatus on the horizon to be purchased in the next four or five years….
Representative of Fire Co.-Spoke on their five year plan which includes a rescue boat
which is covered under our three year budget also.
Supervisor Stec-You are looking for us to make a decision before mid November.
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-13-2009 MTG. #36 271
Representative of Fire Co.-If not approved by then and new requirements for engines are
mandated by EPA or NFP come forth we would have to pay the difference as part of the
bid.
Supervisor Stec-We will set a public hearing on this in November.
Councilman Brewer-I personally would like the funds from the sale of the vehicles go
against the new vehicle.
Supervisor Stec-We will have Counsel word it in such a way that it will be placed against
the principal or restricted vehicle fund.
SOUTH QUEENSBURY VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
Supervisor Stec-We will be talking to South Queensbury Vol. Fire Co. about a vehicle
and their budget.
Vehicle and Contract
Representative of So. Queensbury Vol. Fire Co.- Questioned why they were not
mentioned for replacements in the MMA report…spoke to the MMA they were to send
me a copy but never received it…replacement of 1984 Mac
Supervisor Stec-they made an error on the replacement date…the 307 was due for
replacement this year.
Representative of Fire Co.-Cost of replacement of 307 $506,000 until 12/31 after that
the price would be increased by $25,000 to 30,000 for engineer change.
Councilman Montesi-Trade or sell the 307?
Representative of Fire Co.-Selling…estimated at $10,000 .. spoke about auctioning the
truck off.
Councilman Strough-Have you worked out a financial plan?
Supervisor Stec-How long would you finance it?
Representative of Fire Co.-Quoted a year ago G.F. National 4 ½ Percent payments
$3800. a month financing the whole amount with the tax exempt rate…20 year pay down.
Supervisor Stec-When does the building come off?
Representative of Fire Co.-2012. Discussed situation with neighbor regarding ¾ of an
acre. At present it cost us $10,000 a year to keep the 307 truck going.
Supervisor Stec-Budget was $259,000 including the $33,000 for the parking lot.
Councilman Brewer-What are you lacking?
Representative of Fire Co.-I do not have the proper equipment for my fireman, harnesses,
ropes, … noted firemen train the same
Councilman Montesi-last year you had a budget of $227,000 and this year you are asking
for $324,000 with the truck payment.
Councilman Brewer-We are trying to hold our budget at 1.4%
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-13-2009 MTG. #36 272
Representative of Fire Co.-307 was up to $15,000 – communications went up – turn out
gear only doing three sets a year bumped up to $5,000 – fire equipment went up from
15,000 to 24,000
Councilman Montesi-If we gave you the new vehicle at 48,000 per year if you left the
rest of the numbers at last years price you would still be able to buy equipment just not
as much as you want.
Councilman Brewer-What is the fire equipment at $20,000 a year?
Representative of Fire Co.-Chain saws, axes, hoses, hand tools…
Councilman Strough-Is this truck deliverable right away?
Representative of Fire Co.-365 days
Councilman Brewer-How much is in the truck fund?
Representative of Fire Co.-$70,000 We would like to put the old truck out to bid.
Councilman Strough-The vehicle that you got has to be replaced there is no doubt about
it, but by the tone of what is going on you would have to trim down what you are asking
for in operating budget here.
Supervisor Stec-You have a debt coming off in 2012 that will cover the payment of a
truck, order the truck in the middle of next year. The Fire Company needs to resolve the
issue with the property and the next door neighbor. If we are talking about a one year
contact regardless of whether you order it in December or July you are not going to need
the money in 2010. We can focus on the 2010 contract .. we know you are on borrowed
time with this truck we need to do something in the next 12 months, the question being
whether to do it in the next month or a year from next month. Asked the Company to a
bid on the vehicle and let us know and also get control of the property. May bump up
operations up more than 4%. Asked that the company fine tune its proposal and come
back in November for Board review. Would like the five fire companies to get together
regarding insurance coverage…each separate contracts but purchased together…also look
in other areas such as cleaning and garbage pickup.
Councilman Strough-How much would it cost for you to accelerate your mortgage
payments so that you are paid off next year so when the truck payments come in 2011 it
is a wash.
Supervisor Stec-If you can coordinate as much as you can … come back to the board on
how much you would need regarding the property and accelerating the mortgage
payments…
BAY RIDGE VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY
Vehicle and Contract
Supervisor Stec-On a one year contract, your budget I am fine with. $407,000. increase
of 2 ½ percent … Spoke on five companies bidding on property casualty insurance
…five separate policies. Also encourage the companies to look at bidding on janitorial
and lawn/plowing contracts all five companies…
Representative of Fire Co.-Need to do work on the station, painting etc. .. spoke on the
fuel spill – and the cost incurred and repairs to be done on the fuel system…to have an
engineered system with containment….
Supervisor Stec-In order to cover what you need to do on the fuel system you have to add
to the budget 4,452.00 increasing the total budget to 411,452.…the remediation loan of
32,500. will be for a nine year period … approximately 3.6% increase over last year…
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-13-2009 MTG. #36 273
Also spoke on the use of on line auctions for obsolete equipment…
Councilman Metivier-Questioned the communication equipment …
Councilman Montesi-Questioned the cost of the equipment…
Representative of Fire Co.-Communication equipment is constantly changing, the pagers
are over five hundred dollars a piece, you also have repair costs with those…
Supervisor Stec-Looking at a one year contact 411,452 grand total…
Vehicle
Representative of Fire Co.-2010 Pierce Pumper Tanker - $653,348. to be delivered in the
fall of 2010… looking at financing for either seven or ten years… ten year term 63,000
annually requiring an increase of our 2011 town contract of approximately $33,000 over
our existing contract….the seven year term would result in annual payments of
approximately $90,000 required an increase of the 2011 contract of $60,000…noted that
they have applied for a $300,000 grant from the Federal Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant
program that would if successful be applied toward the Lease or Loan….the sale of the
old apparatus would be applied to the Lease/Loan as well. The 2010 budget would not be
impacted payments would not begin until 2011. Two options, lease/purchase or tax
exempt loan…still looking at which will have the best rate…noted there is $70,000 in the
truck replacement fund…
Supervisor Stec-Would like any proceeds to go against the debt of this truck if that does
not make sense it should go into a restricted account for a truck fund.
Representative of Fire Co.-Truck will remain in service until warrantee or service issues
are resolved on the new truck… upon completion of the warrantee period the old engine
will be either removed from service or placed into a limited reserve status. At that point
we need to evaluate whether it is safe for us to do away with one truck. Basically we
have two engines now, a rescue engine and a tanker, if we do away with this engine we
have cases within the last two/three years where we have had two trucks out of service at
the same time…
Councilman Strough-That would be fine if we didn’t have four other companies…
Representative of Fire Co.- Where we are, we do not have hydrants in half of our area it
is important that we have the water supply with us when we arrive.
Councilman Strough-You would alert North that you have a truck down.
Representative of Fire Co. – That is what we do now, my point is this is something that
we really need to evaluate whether that is the best thing to do.
Councilman Strough-When you first put it to me it was a two for one, what I am hearing
tonight is different.
Representative of Fire Co.-Whether it be removed from service would be the two for one,
or in the MMA report it says the town needs a limited reserve piece if the town feels it
necessary that, that maybe the piece.
Supervisor Stec-The MMA report also says that we should have six fewer pieces of
apparatus. … more comfortable that it be two for one.
Representative of Fire Co.-That is fine. 2009 MMA report states a substantial cost
savings can be incurred by the Town by allowing Bay Ridge and North Queensbury
purchase both pieces of apparatus simultaneously…approximately $201,000 in savings…
The original cost of our truck 733,200 the dealer offered a discount of $43,852. Pierce
who is building the truck offering $35,000. discount adding those up $78,852 giving a
SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 10-13-2009 MTG. #36 274
price of $653,348. Pre-pay you can save $25,115. that is already figured in…want to
lock into the pre-2010 engine…
Supervisor Stec-The intent here is a permanent reduction in the fleet of one vehicle, I do
not have a problem if you say you want to sell one as fast as we can and we want to hold
the other one back twelve months…that would be in the resolution…sale proceeds to be
placed on the debt or is appropriate the truck fund. Will check with No. Qsby. on the
pre-payment if that is contingent on the package or not. The fire tax rate will go from a
little over eighty cents per thousand to eighty three cents a thousand as it appears now…
(Councilman Strough left the meeting)
RESOLUTION ADJOURNING TOWN BOARD MEETING
RESOLUTION NO. 322, 2009
INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION
SECONDED BY: Mr. Ronald Montesi
RESOLVED
, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns its Town
Board Meeting.
th
Duly adopted this 13 day of October, 2009 by the following vote:
AYES: Mr. Metivier, Mr. Montesi, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec
NOES: None
ABSENT: Mr. Strough
Respectfully submitted,
Miss Darleen M. Dougher
Town Clerk-Queensbury