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2005-07-18 SP MTG 33 Special Town Board Meeting, 07-18-2005, Mtg #33 1 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING Mtg #33 JULY 18, 2005 Res. #343-344A 7:00 P.M. BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT SUPERVISOR DANIEL STEC COUNCILMAN ROGER BOOR COUNCILMAN THEODORE TURNER COUNCILMAN JOHN STROUGH COUNCILMAN TIM BREWER TOWN COUNSEL Bob Hafner TOWN OFFICIALS Ralph VanDusen, Water/Wastewater Superintendent Jennifer Switzer, Budget Officer Marilyn Ryba, Executive Director of Community Development PRESS: Glens Falls Post Star SUPERVISOR called meeting to order…. 1.0 CRANDALL LIBRARY BONDING DISCUSSION Ms. Jennifer Switzer, Budget Officer-Reviewed options with the town and recommended IDA… Town Counsel Hafner-Noted that this is a business policy decision of the Town Board. The way the State statute forming the district was set up it envisioned that the bonding would be taken care of at the town level. That’s what that statute said. Since then the State has changed its rules and the State makes the rules, we do what they tell us. They have changed the rules to allow something like this library to be financed by the Dormitory Authority. They explained at the last meeting that the IDA’s have authority to finance these things. The difference, if it’s at the town level, that’s our debt, we’re liable for our share, it’s fixed now. We don’t know over time how our use and our growth is going to change compared to the other municipalities, so that’s something the five of you have got to figure out, whether you think that our share will grow over time or shrink or whether it will stay about the same. That’s an issue but if we go at the town level, it’s a snapshot; it’s our share, what our percentage is right now. If we go with us bonding it, it takes all three us. It takes all three municipalities and the way the local finance law is written, each municipality can put it to their voters to ratify your decision. If the town does it, the taxes come in for the town, the town pays its debt, and it never goes through the library. Okay, that’s choice one. Choice two, I don’t think from a practical point of view it matters to the town whether it’s Dormitory Authority or either IDA. I’ll go over what the differences are there. It’s a snapshot each year, you know, whatever the debt service each year, it’s going to be allocated based on what your share of the library is then. The library agreed that it would make its approval of the financing for something on each of the municipalities independently passing. Currently when the budget passes it’s not that way, it’s a majority of all three. They came up with an agreement that they would not put something like this and being affective without all three municipalities each passing it and that’s what they’ve agreed. The way they would get it on for a vote, is that they put their budget out, every year you guys pass a resolution that says we put the budget up, they’ll separate out their budget to have part one, the normal operating and part two to include this, and they said if it doesn’t pass in all three they won’t go forward, that’s what they told us at that meeting. So, that lets it go to the voters which was Special Town Board Meeting, 07-18-2005, Mtg #33 2 important, I heard from the five of you. Fourth, and it’s in these memos you’ve heard me talk about it briefly, again, it’s a policy decision not a legal decision but we have to point out to you the way the library budget works is it’s a ratchet. If any year someone doesn’t approve the budget, it goes back to last years. I think that’s how school budgets work; it’s the same type of philosophy. When you, the first time this is approved, their budget is increased, at the end of thirty years, if you’re near thirty-one without the debt service, if they put in a higher budget and it doesn’t pass, it goes back to what it was with the debt service in there. They’ve assured us that they won’t do that but no one knows what thirty years is going to do, you just have to know that that’s just part of how it works. Councilman Brewer recommended safety valve that can be put in place to protect us in year thirty-one… Supervisor Stec-As far as you’re concerned and Jennifer is concerned the Dormitory Authority and the IDA route are equivalent routes or coin toss. So the question is the IDA/Dormitory Authority route or the part of the town’s debt responsibility route. We all need to be on the same page. I can see an advantage and a disadvantage as far as the safety valve after thirty-one years and Lord knows where those shares are only going to go up. I mean, their wealth of shares are going to go up, the city’s is likely to go down and it’s a coin toss whether ours will go up or down. Councilman Boor-The other question is formula, it’s not only population. Supervisor Stec-It’s card carrying members… I can’t imagine Moreau wanting to put this on theirs, with their debt… Councilman Brewer –I can’t understand the resistance with the Dormitory Authority… If there’s a substantial difference, then I would want them to go with the best rate. Supervisor Stec-Jen is saying that there’s not a substantial difference. Councilman Brewer-Right, but I’m putting that out there to say if there is. Supervisor Stec-Whatever financially makes the most sense… I mean we can rank them and then communicate that to Glens Falls and Moreau, this is our ranking, we can tell them how strongly we feel or not feel about the ranking… The first two is a coin toss, but we need to be on the same page with the other two and I’m not aware that either one of them has made any decision yet. So, I think they’re going to kind of wait and see what we say. Councilman Brewer-Well I think it’s pretty clear that they’re not going to borrow the money themselves. Councilman Boor-Moreau may not be able to do anything so I’d kind of like to know what their situation is. Town Counsel Hafner-I would think the choice is between either, do it yourself or let them choose which of the three. Ms. Switzer, Budget Officer-That’s what I would leave it up to. Town Counsel Hafner-You know, do you want to do what the Statute says, or do you want to let them find another way to finance it using one of the governmental entities to finance it. Supervisor Stec-Do we feel strongly about any of the three? Councilman Strough-My preference would be through the Dormitory Authority or the IDA. Supervisor Stec-That’s my personal preference too. Special Town Board Meeting, 07-18-2005, Mtg #33 3 Councilman Brewer-Agreed. Councilman Boor-Agreed. Councilman Strough-So, if Glens Falls or South Glens Falls has a preference, I wouldn’t argue between the Dormitory Authority or the IDA, if they feel strongly about it, then fine. But I think with the changing times and everything else, I think it’s wrong to lock us into municipal issued bonds, especially when the bottom line is not significantly different. Ms. Switzer, Budget Officer-No, in my opinion it’s not…. And I don’t know if either one of the IDA’s has actually said yes… Supervisor Stec-Tomorrow I’ll communicate to Harry and the Mayor’s Office that we’ve considered these three options and we feel that either the IDA or the Dormitory Authority, whatever they’re comfortable with, that would be our preference. Town Board held discussion regarding the meaning of card carrying members, it was questioned how it specifically works with active memberships versus memberships and it was noted from a member of the library that Christine will provide that information to Jennifer. RESOLUTION CALLING FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION RESOLUTION NO.: 343, 2005 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Theodore Turner WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. John Strough RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourn from Regular Session to enter Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter, a pending Union Grievance Case and proposed town litigation matter. th Duly adopted this 18 day of July, 2005 by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Stec, Mr. Boor, Mr. Turner, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer NOES: None ABSENT: None RESOLUTION TO RECONVENE RESOLUTION NO.: 344, 2005 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. John Strough Special Town Board Meeting, 07-18-2005, Mtg #33 4 RESOLVED, that the Town Board of Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns from Executive Session and enters Regular Session. th Duly adopted this 18 day of June, 2005, by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Boor, Mr. Turner, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec, NOES: None ABSENT: None 2.0 TOWN USE OF DEBIT/CREDIT CARD DISCUSSION Ms. Switzer, Budget Officer reviewed options regarding the use of debit/credit cards for town purposes… Town Board held discussion regarding which credit cards to accept, the processing fees involved and who will be absorbing the processing fees… Town Board agreed to discuss further and consider conducting a survey to the public to see if there’s interest in using this service… 3.0 SEWER EXTENSION DISCUSSION Dennis MacElroy representing Tom Farone, owner of a fifty-four acre parcel along County Line Road in the Town of Queensbury spoke to the Town Board regarding the idea of providing municipal sewer and water to this parcel to serve a proposed subdivision…. Noted that the proposed subdivision of thirty-five units would require municipal sewer, the soils would not be conducive for private septic systems… It would require a sewer extension and the owner’s looking for some feedback from the board as to whether you would allow this proposal… Town Board held discussion regarding the available capacity, concerned that the extension for residential use would be taking away from the capacity put aside for light industrial use… Mr. Ralph VanDusen, Water/Wastewater Superintendent noted that the original concept was to serve the industrial park but it was not affordable to create a district that would just do that and that’s why each community had to kick in for future growth outside of the district to be able to provide sewers for that industrial zoned area.. … Noted that he feels there’s sewer capacity for both… Supervisor Stec-I think sewer can be available and we can leave it to the Planning Board as to how much sewer is going to be needed. The worse case scenario for thirty-five units would be eleven thousand gallons so I think it’s safe to say that up to eleven thousand gallons could be made available and whatever you negotiate with the Planning Board… So you’re looking for an indication from the board and I think you go to the Planning Board, find out, if they know there’s sewer available, they’ll give you Y units and then you design a system that’s going to be needed for Y units, you deal with Mike and Ralph then come back to the Town Board for a district extension… Town Board agreed. 4.0 WEST GLENS FALLS EMS BUILDING PRESENTATION Special Town Board Meeting, 07-18-2005, Mtg #33 5 Mr. Jim Tobin, Architect reviewed with the Town Board the proposed projects noting the following… The EMS Building is proposed to be 10,500 square feet which includes basement on a 3.3 acre parcel. There are two projects – the Park & Ride project and the EMS Building project which facility should be completed by March or April of 2006 and the Park & Ride project after that… Reviewed projected costs: 1.3 million for the building, the site development costs at less then three hundred thousand, and miscellaneous equipment and furnishings at a hundred thousand with the total budget costs at 1.7 million… Reviewed building plans referring to project drawings… We’ll be going to the Planning Board in August and are looking for support from the Town Board as to whether they can support this project as proposed… Town Board agreed to move forward with the project. 5.0 FOREIGN FIRE / INSURANCE Ms. Switzer, Budget Officer RESOLUTION TO ADJOURN SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING RESOLUTION NO.: 344A, 2005 INTRODUCED BY: Mr. Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr. Roger Boor RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns their Special Town Board Meeting. th Duly adopted this 18 day of July, 2005, by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Boor, Mr. Turner, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Stec NOES: None ABSENT: None No further action. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, DARLEEN M. DOUGHER TOWN CLERK TOWN OF QUEENSBURY