Loading...
2013-08-12 - Mtg 32 - SP SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 08-12-2013 MTG #32 275 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING MTG. #32 AUGUST 12, 2013 RES. 338 6:30 P.M. TOWN BOARD MEMBERS SUPERVISOR RONALD MONTESI COUNCILMAN ANTHONY METIVIER COUNCILMAN BRIAN CLEMENTS COUNCILMAN JOHN STROUGH COUNCILMAN TIM BREWER Wastewater Supt. Chris Harrington Director of Building and Codes Dave Hatin Zoning Administration Craig Brown Water Supt. Bruce Ostrander The Post Star DISCUSSION REGARDING NEW ENGINEER Wastewater Supt. Chris Harrington-Introduced Mr. Alex Benway Engineer to the Town Board Engineer Benway-Queensbury High School Graduate-attended Clarkson University graduated in 2012 (Civil Engineer) Geotechnical Engineer in Washington DC. Returned to Queensbury looking for position in engineering. Like to work with natural elements, problem solving with soil and water...I believe I can be of service to the Town. Wastewater Chris Harrington-This is an entry position ... there is a lot to learn... Engineer Benway-I am looking forward to having the opportunity with the water department to be part of the community again in Queensbury. Wastewater Supt. Chris Harrington-We will have to create a new title Water Treatment Plant Operations Engineer... looking at a starting salary of$62,000. Looking to start in early September. DISCUSSION: FORECLOSURE HOMES (Conditions of abandon houses) Councilman Brewer-I do not think it should be just on houses are that foreclosed on to clean up... Supervisor Montesi-How many places are foreclosed in the Town? Director Hatin-Approxi mate ly three dozen. Councilman Metivier-How many complaints do you get and what are the complaints? Director Hatin-One a week and generally not mowing the lawn...garbage ... we address the garbage, the landfill crew will pick it up. Councilman Brewer-Spoke about a situation with a pool and frogs disturbing the neighbors... Supervisor Montesi-Com plaint on Ridge where the pool fence gate was left open at an abandoned house...noted lawn was being mowed. SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 08-12-2013 MTG #32 276 Director Hatin-Regarding abandoned houses, the bank hires management companies, they do it for a while and then the banks are not paying them any more so they flip it to another agency ..they sell mortgages off or another agency is used... Councilman Strough-spoke to the Board regarding a foreclosed property, the house was not secured and kids had been in there...can lead to a public nuisance. Director Hatin-How far to you want to go with this? Supervisor Montesi-If you want to get really serious about it we are talking about the Town hiring a guy to cut the grass buying a lawn mower giving them a truck setting a schedule and then what is the down side...how do we get paid? They say put a lien on the taxes, most of the foreclosed homes once they sell the County will forgive some of those tax liens. Director Hatin-It is not just unoccupied properties; there are occupied properties with the same issue. Councilman Brewer-Suggested hiring a contractor to mow the lawns. Town Counsel Cathi Radner-It is not a public works job; they would be a contractor doing work on a case by case basis. You would need a time keeping mechanism so the people would be billed the actual cost for their project. Needs to go out to bid, and get the best deal possible, it would not fall within prevailing wage. Supervisor Montesi-We would have to manage what houses would get done and when. Director Hatin-We need a criteria of what triggers this...how far do we go? mow lawns, board up properties, locks on properties Town Counsel Radner-Noted the City of Binghamton, existing law part one for exterior property maintenance and one for registry for vacant buildings, that put the onus on a property owner who was leaving a property an absentee landlord, and estate whatever it might be if they knew the property was going to be vacant they had to register it and pay a fee and provide certain information on how long it was intended to be vacant and contact information for somebody, address, telephone number if there were any problems. There was also if there was a report of a vacant building and it is not on the list to get it added to the list. Councilman Strough-I would like a law for the worst case situations. Suggested that the Town Board would have to pass a resolution in each instance that way we all would look at it and if it is a health or public safety issue make the determination. Supervisor Montesi-Questioned if we have authority to go on private property to mow lawns? Town Counsel Radner-If it is lawn mowing you have existing powers to mow the lawn and bill them for it, Town Law 64 5A. For the worst case scenarios you do have certain powers under safe structure laws or as Department of Health. Open swimming pools you can take action under existing powers...the Town Board would have to make the decision to be pro-active or re- active. Councilman Brewer-First avenue to contact the property owner, if that doesn't work we would have to deal with it. Councilman Metivier-If we put a lien on a building and it goes to closing do you have to forgive that lien? Town Counsel Radner-Sometimes, it depends if they treat it as taxes you can usually get it back because municipal liens have a certain amount of weight but there has been some problems with some counties and I believe Warren is one of them not wanting to relevy those fees that SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 08-12-2013 MTG #32 277 they do not consider actual taxes. It also depends why it is foreclosed, if the bank is foreclosing or another taxing entity that is foreclosing whether or not you are on the priority list. Director Hatin-If the home is lived in they would go to court, if it is vacant I will try and contact an agency if we find one if it is the owner and has left town that one I would bring directly to the Town Board. Town Counsel Radner-You have power under New York Town Law 64 5A, I think passing a resolution to take action would be the smart way to go. I will put together a form resolution for you and then you fill in the blanks... set up a request for bids for an on call contractor who has to be available within three days of being called to mow lawns up to X number of times per season. Supervisor Montesi-Three day notice and mowed every two weeks. Director Hatin-How is the process started, do I send a letter to the registered property owner? If I do not get a response then it goes to the Town Board. How much time do we give them to respond and when do we reach the threshold of when the grass has to be mowed? The State code is ten inches. Supervisor Montesi-From the time you send a letter, give them two weeks to comply if non- compliant we cut the grass. We keep a record of what we are cutting... Director Hatin-A file will be made for each property. Bid per season, bid it out in March. Will start a list of the properties that need to be looked at. In regard to houses that are unsecure in those cases locks can be put on the doors. Town Counsel Radner-Just do the minimal to make it safe, if you cannot locate the owner or property maintenance person and it is unsecured you have got what is considered an attractive nuisance. Supervisor Montesi-To summarize we want to start quickly as we can, we have to put together a bid to get a feel from the contractors out there, every two weeks to mow, maybe a yearly contract...when the grass is ten inches tall we start the process, Dave sends a letter and two weeks later we have a resolution forth and do it.... DISCUSSION REGARDING PURCHASE OF WATER DEPT. VEHICLE Water Dept. Supt. Bruce Ostrander-In preparing the 2014 budget I was requesting a new vehicle and vacuum trailer, the Budget Officer noted there might be enough in the current budget to get it this year. Looking for a three quarter ton truck replacing a 1999 Dodge pickup... Board agreed to the purchase... Water Dept. Supt. Bruce Ostrander-Previously requested a temporary laborer in the distribution system he has been here about five months now I would like to put him on full time. Spoke about the waterline on Woodvale and Country Club...noted it has been a slow process will be completed in December private contractors. The Town just completed a new pit, in Kingsbury, near the airport. Board agreed to fill full time position. RESOLUTION ADJOURNING TOWN BOARD MEETING RESOLUTION NO. 338,2013 SPECIAL TOWN BOARD MEETING 08-12-2013 MTG #32 278 INTRODUCED BY: Mr.Tim Brewer WHO MOVED FOR ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: Mr.John Strough RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of Queensbury hereby adjourns its Town Board Meeting. Duly adopted this 12th day of August, 2013 by the following vote: AYES: Mr. Metivier, Mr. Clements, Mr. Strough, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Montesi NOES: None ABSENT: None Respectfully submitted, Miss Darleen M. Dougher Town Clerk-Queensbury