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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-01-29 - Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes REGULAR/SPECIAL MEETING VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING VILLAGE HALL, 938 KING STREET THURSDAY,JANUARY 29,2004-7:30 P.M AGENDA 6:45PM--EXECUTIVE SESSION-Personnel/Negotiations ROLL CALL PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: REPORT: Presentation of Coterminous Town/Village Committee Final Report RESOLUTIONS 1) SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING DATE TO CONSIDER A SUBDIVISION APPLICATION AT 13 BEECHWOOD BOULEVARD. 2) CONSIDERING MODIFICATION TO A REVISED SITE PLAN APPLICATION LOCATED AT 63 SOUTH RIDGE STREET 3) CONSIDERING THE APPOINTMENT OF ELECTION INSPECTORS FOR THE MARCH 16, 2004 VILLAGE ELECTION. 4) CONSIDERING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES PERTAINING TO: a) AN EMPLOYER-PROVIDED AUTOMOBILE POLICY, b) AVAILABILITY OF FAMILY TENNIS PERMITS TO INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES c) DAY CAMP DISCOUNTS FOR ALL VILLAGE EMPLOYEES. 5) ENDORSING A LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT FUND GRANT THROUGH NEW YORK STATE RECORDS AND ARCHIVES TO CONDUCT A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR PERSONNEL AND PAYROLL RECORDS RETENTION. 6) CONSIDERING THE REALLOCATION OF CAPITAL FUNDS IN THE ADOPTED 2003/2004 BUDGET Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page I of 22 ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT NEW BUSINESS Overview and recap of 2003 Leaf Season Trustees present at the meeting: BOARD: Mayor Francis Filipowski Trustee Carol Goodman Trustee Paul Rosenberg Trustee Dean Santon Trustee Robert Harris -Absent STAFF: Christopher Bradbury,Village Administrator Connie DiSalvo,Assistant to the Village Administrator Edward Beane, Esq.,Village Counsel Victor Carosi,Village Engineer Fred Siefert, Public Access Coordinator Robert Santoro, Police Chief Patti Conlon, Meeting Secretary Mayor Filipowski welcomed everyone to the January 29, 2004 meeting of the Board of Trustees. The meeting was called to order at 7:40 p.m. Mayor Filipowski acknowledged two employees: Police Officer John Cerny received a 911 call that a child was not breathing. He talked the caller through CPR and stayed on the phone until the child was breathing. Mayor Filipowski awarded Officer Cerny with a Certificate of Commendation for his life saving efforts in resuscitating an infant by communicating CPR via telephone. Officer Cerny stressed that everyone should learn CPR in order to save a life. The next employee was Carmella Swick. The Mayor presented Ms. Swick with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of 15 years of dedicated service to the Village of Rye Brook. First item on the agenda is the report of the Coterminous TownNillage Committee Trustee Rosenberg (Committee Chairman) summarized the objectives and conclusions of the committee's findings on becoming a coterminous Town/Village. The committee was attempting to determine if it is fiscally prudent for the Village of Rye Brook to become a Town/Village. Their findings determined that there is no strong financial incentive or political benefit for this to happen. However, the investigation into the workings of Town government left the committee with questions regarding how the taxpayer's money is Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 2 of 22 being spent. The committee discovered that improved relationships and better communication between the Town of Rye and Rye Brook must take place. Even though most committee time focused on the financial analysis, they all agreed that removing a layer of government must not be overlooked, regardless of the financial outcome. Mr. Schlactus (Committee Vice Chairman) spoke on the methodology used by the Committee to assess the viability of becoming a Town/Village. The areas designated for research were: Town Clerk, Highway Department, Tax Assessor, Receiver of Taxes, Town Court and the Town Parks Department. Where Town expenses needed to be allocated to Rye Brook they used the figure of 40% to arrive at estimates of the cost to Rye Brook. The 40%number was used as a point of determination and adjusted for economies of scale. Mr. Schlactus presented the conclusion that the process of Rye Brook becoming a Coterminous Town/Village would be a long, arduous, and uncertain one. They also concluded that the merits of eliminating the Town as a layer of government would be beneficial. Trustee Rosenberg concluded that without the full participation of the Village of Port Chester, it is neither financially nor politically feasible to proceed with the process of pursuing a Coterminous Town/Village. The Committee feels that the Town of Rye's services are not being delivered with adequate efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness to all sectors of the public. The Communities that constitute the Town of Rye need to work together to institute beneficial changes in government practices. The committee's recommendations include: 1) form a steering committee with representatives from Rye Brook, Port Chester, Rye Neck and the town of Rye to increase efficiency in the delivery of governmental services, 2)requests that the Trustees receive a monthly budget report from the town of Rye, 3)requests that the Trustees receive copies of all bid summaries for public work contracts in excess of$20,000 and purchase contracts in excess of$10,000. Trustee Rosenberg concluded by thanking the committee members, current and former trustees,Mr. Bradbury, his staff and Mayor Filipowski. Mr. Larry Rand of 30 Hillandale Road said he was shocked that this report was slipped onto the Board of Trustees agenda at the last minute. It was not published in the newspaper that it would be presented tonight instead of at the February 10th meeting, which is obvious by the very few members of the community in attendance. He was worried about the repercussions of this report. He believes it has cost our Village much in terms of good will Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 3 of 22 among the officials in Port Chester and the Town of Rye. Mr. Rand suggested that the Board of Trustees table the report and not have it printed and mailed to the residents at their expense. He believes that the Board should thank the Committee, terminate the process with this report and move on to more productive issues. Rye Town Supervisor Robert Morabito agrees that we need to foster cooperation between the Town of Rye and the Village of Rye Brook, but by calling for the monitoring of the Town of Rye's spending, the monitoring of monthly budgets, access to our bids is not the way to foster this cooperation. Mr. Morabito explained how the Town of Rye provides tremendous services to Rye Brook in an open, honest and forthcoming way. These services include: the court system, Crawford Park, summer day camp, youth soccer and volleyball, the fire department leases their garage for$1.00 a year and helping the schools when they need money. He stated that Rye Town provides a lot more services than 40%. Mr. Morabito stated that we need to have mutual respect for each other and wants to work together in a positive effort for all the communities involved. Mayor Filipowski agreed with Mr. Morabito that the Town of Rye gives tremendous service to Rye Brook and that more communication would be beneficial to all of us. Trustee Santon stated that the report is a lot to digest and was surprised to see it posted prematurely on the web site before review by the Board of Trustees. The Board should have a policy discussion as to what gets posted on the web site. He believed that there were some benefits to this report and that we need to focus on the Village of Rye Brook because we have a lot to clean up in our own shop. He will be making these recommendations to the Board and Village Administrator. He cited the $330,000 the Village of Rye Brook contributes to the Port Chester Library, that we do not have a contract or an agreement with. We get a letter and we pay. The State Comptroller recommended in the past that a Library agreement be put in place. Trustee Santon went on to say that Rye Brook typically had a"hands off'policy concerning Rye Town and all of a sudden we want to monitor them. We have enough on our own plates and need to deliver better services to our residents before we pile more on. Trustee Santon would like the last four State Comptroller audits from 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1995 to be put on the web site in order for the residents to see the auditor's recommendations. He also wants the budget hearings to be public and televised. Trustee Santon questioned Village attorney, Edward Beane if we have the right to get involved in monitoring Rye Town and believes at a prior meeting the Board was told that we had no jurisdiction and he needed clarification on this. Mayor Filipowski confirmed that we cannot get involved. Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 4 of 22 Mr. Dick Hubert of 53 Doral Greens Drive West served on the committee and acknowledged the effort that the members put in especially Trustee Rosenberg. He stated that the Town of Rye has paid part time elected representatives and a half a million dollar benefit bill that keeps growing. This is a reminder that we are dealing with a massive clash of cultures between Rye Brook and Rye Town. This board and all members of our committees are unpaid volunteers but for the team that runs Rye Town that kind of altruism is from another universe. Mr. Hubert urges us to approve the formation of a steering committee to explore the potential for increased efficiency, quality, consistency and transparency in the Rye Town services and the adoption of an independent Rye Town Ethics committee as recommended in our report. Mr. Hubert would like to see Rye Town turned into a mirror image of Rye Brook, free of national party designations among its elected officials, free of paid salaries to those officials and with brand new Town leadership. Supervisor Robert Morabito wanted to clarify one thing. There are no partisan politics or political parties in Rye Brook but he believes that the officials in Mamaroneck, Port Chester and the Town of Rye are all paid and it is not an anomaly to the Town of Rye. He wanted to address that the Town of Rye employs 14 full time employees with the remaining employees being part time or contractual. The bottom line is that Rye Town provides the best possible service for the least cost and Rye Brook is a significant benefactor of these services. He wanted to make it clear that the $500,000 that Mr. Hubert mentioned is mostly for retirees,people that left the Town of Rye many years ago and that they are obligated to continue to pay their benefits. Trustee Goodman addressed the formation of the steering committee. She has no problem with this Board forming a voluntary committee of residents to meet on their own to explore the feasibility of going coterminous. The issue now is whether the Board accepts or rejects the report and wanted legal opinion if Trustee Rosenberg should recuse himself from voting on the resolution and lastly whether we need to schedule a work session so that everyone on the Board is comfortable with voting on this. She does not think the Board is ready and recommends that if there are resolutions that we keep them separate. Mayor Filipowski agreed that it needs to be discussed and the resolutions kept separate. Mr. Bradbury wanted direction on whether the Board wanted the coterminous report to remain on the web site. Trustee Goodman stated that we should err in favor of putting things on the website and we should keep it there. 1) SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING DATE TO CONSIDER A SUBDIVISION APPLICATION AT 13 BEECHWOOD BOULEVARD. Mr. Bradbury read the resolution. Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 5 of 22 On a motion made by Trustee Goodman and seconded by Trustee Santon the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING DATE TO CONSIDER A SUBDIVISION APPLICATION LOCATED AT 13 BEECHWOOD BOULEVARD WHEREAS, Peter Hoffinan made an application to the Village of Rye Brook to subdivide a parcel of land at 13 Beechwood Boulevard on March 13, 2001; and WHEREAS, Grace Associates II, LLC purchased the property from Peter Hoffman and is seeking approval from the Village of Rye Brook to subdivide their 1.09 acre parcel into two building lots; and WHEREAS, the applicant deposited the sum of $10,000.00 on October 31, 2003 with the Village to be used toward professional fees incurred during the review of this application, and WHEREAS, a public hearing was scheduled for January 27, 2004 and has been cancelled due to inadequate compliance with the public notification requirements of Chapter 250-40 of the Village Code, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook shall hold a Public Hearing on February 24, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. at the Village Hall, 938 King Street, Rye Brook, New York 10573 to consider subdividing a 1.09 acre parcel of land into two building lots located at 13 Beechwood Boulevard; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the applicant shall comply with the public notification requirements of Chapter 250-40 of the Code of the Village of Rye Brook regarding notification. Mr. Bradbury reminded us of the time frame and that we needed to delay notification because of the two week notice. Trustee Santon reminded us that the Village Code requires that signs be installed two weeks prior to a Public Hearing. Robert Howard of Grace Associates spoke about setting up the signs and because of the weather, the signs were blown down. Ed Beane said the reason for the postponement was not only due to the signage but that there were other inconsistencies with provisions of the code with respect to original mail receipts and the area map that were not provided. Mr. Bradbury noted that the distance on notification needs to be verified because he believed it was possibly short. Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 6 of 22 Trustee Santon said the Village made good faith efforts and called the applicant's attorney about the signs being down and you had 4 or 5 days after getting the phone call to replace the signs and it did not happen. He regrets that a procedural issue like this holds the applicant up. Also noted that some residents within the 500 foot radius did not get notification and that the applicant needs to submit an area map showing the 500 foot radius. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye 2) CONSIDERING MODIFICATION TO A REVISED SITE PLAN APPLICATION LOCATED AT 63 SOUTH RIDGE STREET Mr. Bradbury read the resolution. On a motion made by Trustee Rosenberg and seconded by Trustee Santon the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION GRANTING REVISED SITE PLAN APPROVAL FOR 63 SOUTH RIDGE STREET WHEREAS, Richard Izzo, is the owner of the premises located at 63 South Ridge Street and has made an application to the Village of Rye Brook, pursuant to Section 250 of the Village Code, requesting revised Site Plan approval for minor site improvements regarding the rearrangement of a rear basement access doorway on the subject property located at Section 1, Block 20, Lot 4B, located in the R-2F Zoning District related to other site modifications being undertaken by the Applicant in conjunction with the Site Plan application approved by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook on October 28, 2003; WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees has reviewed the information submitted by the Applicant in support of this application including a Short Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) and the following documents: 1. A letter dated December 29, 2003 from Louis Contadino, AIA to Mayor Filipowski and the Board of Trustees with attached sketches modifying the existing building permit drawings. Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 7 of 22 2. A letter dated December 30, 2003 from Richard A. Izzo to Mayor Filipowski and the Board of Trustees. 3. A copy of the Resolution dated October 28, 2003 granting Site Plan Approval and a Special Use Permit for a Tier III Home Occupation at 63 South Ridge Street. WHEREAS, the subject application was referred to the Westchester County Department of Planning for report and recommendation; and WHEREAS, the Village Board has reviewed the recommendation submitted by the Westchester County Department of Planning which determined that the subject application is a matter of local importance only; and WHEREAS, the Village Board has determined that the proposed site plan application will not result in significant adverse environmental impacts; and WHEREAS, the Village Board has determined that the revisions to the previously approved Site Plan are minor in nature and that no further review is required; and WHEREAS, the Village Board is familiar with the Site and all aspects of the proposed site plan application and is satisfied that the Site Plan will comply with the standards and requirements of the Village of Rye Brook Code; and WHEREAS, the Village Board determined that the proposed action is an Unlisted Action pursuant to Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation law and 6 NYCRR Part 617 for which the Village Board is the Lead Agency for environmental review with respect to approval of said Site Plan. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook, in accordance with Article 8 of the State Environmental Conservation Law and 6 NYCRR Part 617, and upon review of the EAF and all other application materials that were prepared for this action, hereby adopts a Negative Declaration because the action will not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts, thereby ending the State Environmental Quality Review process; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that approval of this Site Plan application shall be granted; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all applicable provisions, conditions and restrictions of any prior approvals, site plans or special permits shall remain in full force and effect; and Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 8 of 22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no Certificate of Occupancy may be issued until all outstanding invoices incurred by the Village from its reviewing consultants have been paid in full. Mr. Izzo, the owner of the property, requested a small change for a handicap lift instead of a wheelchair ramp. He had already spoken to Westchester County and sent a letter to the Mayor Filipowski concerning this change. The Westchester County Planning Department said he did not need to resubmit the change. Mr. Beane suggested that we conditionally approve this tonight and he will submit it to the county. If the County gives us something in writing that we do not need to have this submitted then it is completed and Mr. Izzo will not have to come back. We need a new resolution. Mr. Beane will leave it to the end of the meeting as he works on the changes in order to adopt the resolution tonight. At the end of the meeting Mr. Beane went back to the 63 South Ridge Street and designated it Resolution R2A and titled it granting further revision of site plan approval for 63 South Ridge Street. Trustee Santon wanted to make sure it was in the same location and that an amended site plan will be furnished for the building inspectors review. Trustee Santon also wanted it deemed that this is a minor revision to the site plan and it be approved by the building inspector. On a motion made by Trustee Rosenberg and seconded by Trustee Goodman the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION GRANTING FURTHER REVISION OF SITE PLAN APPROVAL FOR 63 SOUTH RIDGE STREET WHEREAS, Richard Izzo, is the owner of the premises located at 63 South Ridge Street and has made an application to the Village of Rye Brook, pursuant to Section 250 of the Village Code, requesting Site Plan approval for minor site improvements regarding modification of the proposed handicap accessible entry located at Section 1, Block 21, Lots 46 and 49, located in the R-2F Zoning District which is related to other site modifications being undertaken by the Applicant in conjunction with the Site Plan application approved by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook on October 28, 2003 and January 27, 2004; WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees has reviewed the information submitted by the Applicant in support of this application including a Short Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) and the following documents: Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 9 of 22 4. A letter dated December 29, 2003 from Louis Contadino, AIA to Mayor Filipowski and the Board of Trustees with attached sketches modifying the existing building permit drawings. 5. A letter dated December 30, 2003 from Richard A. Izzo to Mayor Filipowski and the Board of Trustees. 6. A copy of the Resolution dated October 28, 2003 granting Site Plan Approval and a Special Use Permit for a Tier III Home Occupation at 63 South Ridge Street. 7. A copy of Resolution R-2 dated January 27, 2004 granting Revised Site Plan Approval. WHEREAS, the subject application will be referred to the Westchester County Department of Planning to determine if a report and recommendation is necessary; and WHEREAS, the Village Board has determined that the further proposed Site Plan revision and receipt of an Amended Site Plan will not result in significant adverse environmental impacts; and WHEREAS, the Village Board has determined that the further revisions to the previously approved Site Plan are minor in nature and that no further Board review is required ; and WHEREAS, the Village Board is familiar with the Site and all aspects of the proposed site plan application and is satisfied that the Site Plan will comply with the standards and requirements of the Village of Rye Brook Code; and WHEREAS, the Village Board determined that the proposed action is an Unlisted Action pursuant to Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation law and 6 NYCRR Part 617 for which the Village Board is the Lead Agency for environmental review with respect to approval of said Site Plan. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rye Brook, in accordance with Article 8 of the State Environmental Conservation Law and 6 NYCRR Part 617, and upon review of the EAF and all other application materials that were prepared for this action, hereby adopts a Negative Declaration because the action will not result in any significant adverse environmental impacts, thereby ending the State Environmental Quality Review process; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that approval of the Site Plan application shall be granted; and Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 10 of 22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all applicable provisions, conditions and restrictions of any prior approvals, site plans or special permits shall remain in full force and effect; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no Certificate of Occupancy may be issued until all outstanding invoices incurred by the Village from its reviewing consultants have been paid in full. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that if the County of Westchester Department of Planning determines that a report and recommendation is necessary, then this Resolution shall be null and void; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in such event, this application for further Site Plan Revision shall be placed on the Board's agenda for its February 24, 2004 meeting for further action. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye 3) CONSIDERING THE APPOINTMENT OF ELECTION INSPECTORS FOR THE MARCH 16, 2004 VILLAGE ELECTION. On a motion made by Trustee Rosenberg and seconded by Trustee Santon the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION INSPECTORS OF ELECTION VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK-MARCH 16,2004 RESOLVED,that pursuant to Section 15-116 of the Election Law, there shall be a minimum of two (2) inspectors of Election for each Election District in the Village Election to be held on Tuesday,March 16, 2004 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED, that the following Chairpersons, Inspectors of Election and Alternate Inspectors be hereby appointed: 920 Jean Mendicino, Chair 81 Hillcrest Avenue PCMS Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 11 of 22 920 Marie D'Ambrosio 56 Avon Circle, Apt. D PCMS 920 Rose Vecchiolla 55 Avon Circle PCMS 921 Estelle Cohen, Chair 50 North Ridge Street PCMS 921 Betty Sabourin 6 Lincoln Avenue PCMS 921 Betty Greto 3 West Street PCMS 922 Marie Capocci, Chair 20 '/2 Lincoln Avenue BBHS 922 Maria Silvestri 94 Avon Circle,Apt. 2D BBHS 922 Irving Starr 9A Bowman Avenue BBHS 923 Eugene Reich, Chair 11 Winthrop Drive RSS 923 Joseph DelBianco 304 Tompkins Avenue RSS Mamaroneck 923 Mort Sobel 116 N. Chatsworth Avenue RSS Larchmont 926 Mildred DiSanto, Chair 151 North Ridge Street PCHS 926 Josephine Aulenti 127 North Ridge Street PCHS 926 Sonia Briganti 54 North Ridge Street PCHS 927 Maria Varbero, Chair 10 Paddock Road RSS 927 Marion Stephens 95 Avon Circle,Apt. 2D RSS 927 Rita Bergman 387 North Ridge Street RSS 929 Judy Uhry, Chair 19 Rock Ridge Drive RSS 929 Mary Summa 50 North Ridge Street RSS 929 John Flanagan, Sr. 70 Betsy Brown Circle RSS 930 Linda Fricke, Chair 108 Old Orchard Road BBHS 930 Mindy Aronowitz 1636 Mamaroneck Avenue BBHS Mamaroneck 930 Naomi Starr 9A Bowman Avenue BBHS 931 Lillian Santasiero, Chair 23 Heirloom Lane BelleFair 931 Norma Muto 14 BelleFair Blvd. BelleFair 931 Chris Dunnigan 6 High Point Circle BelleFair ALTERNATES Lee Russillo 11 Knollwood Drive Mary Ellen Stephens 95A Avon Circle Vincent Embrendo 316 Betsy Brown Road Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 12 of 22 Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 13 of 22 RESOLUTION 4) CONSIDERING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES PERTAINING TO: a)AN EMPLOYER-PROVIDED AUTOMOBILE POLICY Mr. Bradbury read the resolution. On a motion made by Trustee Rosenberg and seconded by Trustee Santon the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION APPROVING THE VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK EMPLOYER-PROVIDED AUTOMOBILE POLICY WHEREAS, individuals holding the title of Village Administrator, Police Chief, Police Lieutenant, Village Engineer, Building Inspector and Superintendent of Recreation are currently authorized to take-home Village vehicles; and WHEREAS, since a written policy does not currently exist, the Village Board has requested the preparation of a written automobile policy for the use of Village-owned automobiles; and WHEREAS, the Village Administrator has prepared an employer-provided automobile policy and reviewed it with the Village Board. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Village Board of the Village of Rye Brook hereby approves the employer-provided automobile policy dated January 6, 2004; and be it further RESOLVED, that this policy shall become effective immediately. Trustee Santon wanted to know about the cost of maintaining the vehicles and how many miles were actually put on these vehicles because of the wear, tear and replacement costs. Also wanted to know how the gas situation is handled. He believes that the 50 mile radius is an excessive amount of miles to be putting on Village owned vehicles through personal use. Mr. Bradbury clarified that if the employee needed to return to the Village in an emergency situation that they would be here within the hour. Mayor Filipowski agreed that if all the individuals are required to return to the Village in an emergency that the 50 miles is not excessive. It was also stressed that the car not be used as the primary car for the employee's family. Trustee Goodman wanted to know about the liability if something happens when the car is being used for personal use. Mr. Beane told us that the Village has the liability either way and that we are insured for this use. Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 14 of 22 Mr. Bradbury started that currently there is no limit on mileage so it is a step in putting parameters in place. Trustee Santon had never thought of an employee needing to return to the Village in case of an emergency. He acknowledged that five of the six cars are used by Village employees who reside in close proximity to the Village and that the other car was under a separate agreement. Trustee Santon accepted the explanation in order to move forward. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye b) AVAILABILITY OF FAMILY TENNIS PERMITS TO INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK'S BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES Mr. Bradbury read the resolution On a motion made by Trustee Santon and seconded by Trustee Rosenberg the following resolution was not adopted: RESOLUTION APPROVING THE AVAILABILITY OF FAMILY TENNIS PERMITS TO INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE VILLAGE OF RYE BROOK'S BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES WHEREAS, the members of the Village of Rye Brook Boards, Commissions and Committees spend a significant amount of time volunteering to serve the community, and WHEREAS, these members of the boards, commissions and committees serve without any compensation for their efforts; and WHEREAS, the past practice has been to offer family tennis passes to interested volunteer members of the Village's boards, commissions and committees at no cost; and WHEREAS, the Village Board intends to formally adopt such practices and to inform all members of the availability of this benefit. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Village Board of the Village of Rye Brook hereby approves the issuance of family tennis permits at no cost to any interested members of the volunteer boards, committees, and commissions; and be it further RESOLVED,that each family tennis pass issued should be limited to the board, commission, or committee member,his or her spouse, and any children under the age of eighteen (18) living at the same address as the member; and be it further Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 15 of 22 RESOLVED,that any family tennis permit issued as a result of this resolution shall be considered void if the member is no longer on the volunteer board, commission or committee, although they will have the option of paying the pro-rated balance of the permit for the remainder of the tennis season (normally April through September); and be it further RESOLVED,that the Village Administrator and Mayor are authorized to inform all of the members of the boards, commissions and committees of the availability of this permit now and at the time of appointment or reappointment. Trustee Rosenberg believes that the Boards, Commissions and Committees should not receive any "benefits"for serving and this resolution should be amended. Trustee Goodman wanted to hear Trustee Santon's position on this. Trustee Santon agrees with Trustee Rosenberg. Trustee Santon brought up the policy of Rye Town Park Commission giving out park permits to its members and that Mayor Filipowski as a member of the Rye Town Park Commission hands out these passes. He wants a policy that we as Rye Brook would not accept these permits and give them out because it is revenue to the Town of Rye. The Mayor objected to Trustee Santon saying this and told him he has never personally used these passes. It needs to be a separate resolution if he wants to pursue it. It is a practice that has been going on for 20 years. Trustee Santon motioned that the prior unwritten practice be discontinued and that the members of the boards and commissions be notified that this policy is no longer in effect. Trustee Rosenberg seconded the motion. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye c) DAY CAMP DISCOUNTS FOR ALL VILLAGE EMPLOYEES. Mr. Bradbury read the resolution. RESOLUTION APPROVING A POLICY ON DAY CAMP DISCOUNTS FOR ALL VILLAGE EMPLOYEES WHEREAS, the Village Board recognizes the high cost of day camp for municipal employees with children; and Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 16 of 22 WHEREAS, the availability of a reasonably priced day camp would significantly benefit those employees who have young children,particularly the families with two wage earners, and may help promote employee retention; and WHEREAS, the addition of municipal employees' children in the Rye Brook day camp is not expected to cause any increase in cost to the Rye Brook taxpayers. NOW,THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Village Board shall allow all Village employees to have their children attend the Rye Brook day camp, at a cost of 50% off the regular resident fee for day camp for the first and second child of the employee only; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Administrator shall make this benefit known to all municipal employees beginning with the 2004 day camp season. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye 5) ENDORSING A LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT FUND GRANT THROUGH NEW YORK STATE RECORDS AND ARCHIVES TO CONDUCT A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR PERSONNEL AND PAYROLL RECORDS RETENTION. On a motion made by Trustee Santon and seconded by Trustee Goodman the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION ENDORSING A LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT FUND GRANT THROUGH NEW YOK STATE RECORDS AND ARCHIVES TO CONDUCT A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR PERSONNEL AND PAYROLL RECORDS RETENTION WHEREAS, the Treasurer's Office of the Village of Rye Brook would like to examine its personnel and payroll records retention system to help identify problems and propose solutions; and WHEREAS, the primary purpose of the Local Government Records Management Improvement grant is to help local governments establish records management programs and develop new program components; and Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 17 of 22 WHEREAS, the attached grant project application is seeking funding for the 2004-05 fiscal year to employ the services of a professional consultant to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study to examine the Village's personnel and payroll records retention system and propose a cost effective technology system that will efficiently allow for retrieval and storage of important data, NOW,THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Village of Rye Brook Board of Trustees hereby endorses the proposed grant project application to employ the services of a professional consultant at a total cost of$6,900 to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study to review the Village's personnel and payroll records retention system; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and the Village Clerk are authorized to sign all necessary documents to implement the purposes of this resolution. The purpose of the grant is to hire a consultant to conduct a needs assessment and feasibility study for our personnel and payroll records retention system. This grant and study improves our chances of receiving additional grant funding for a new technology system in the future. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye 6) CONSIDERING THE REALLOCATION OF CAPITAL FUNDS IN THE ADOPTED 2003/2004 BUDGET Mr. Bradbury read the resolution. On a motion made by Trustee Rosenberg and seconded by Trustee Goodman the following resolution was adopted: RESOLUTION REALLOCATION OF CAPITAL FUNDS -2003/2004 BUDGET RESOLVED, that $24,000 allocated in account number 901.5000.203 to replace a 1989 GMC Suburban be reallocated and combined with $30,000 in the same account number to purchase a new small dump utility truck; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the combined funds be used to purchase a slightly larger truck that can assist in snow operations. Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 18 of 22 Trustee Santon wanted to make sure it could pull the chipper truck and help streamline our leaf collection along with snow plowing. Trustee Santon wanted to know what happened to the 1989 GMC Suburban. Mr. Carosi stated it has been off the road for two years. There was concern about needing more manpower to operate this truck. Mr. Carosi said this will be a workhorse with the rest of our trucks. We have always had more vehicles than manpower. Mr. Bradbury said that this truck is being purchased for the Village's daily operations. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT: Mr. Bradbury reported on the King Street Study and that Greenwich, Rye Brook and the outside consultants met on January 21, 2003 and will meet again on February 23, 2004. They will have a larger public meeting in April to come to a solution of the King Street interchange and get the project underway. The Village received notification on January 29, 2004 for a proposed community residence facility at 62 Woodland Avenue from the Young Adult Institute (YAI). This comes under the site selection law,which has a 40 day time frame for the village to respond. There will be eight individuals with disabilities residing at this location. The Mayor wanted this on the agenda for February 10, 2004. We will try to notify the residents in the area and invite them to the meeting. Trustee Santon questioned if they needed any type of application or permit from the Village. Mr. Bradbury was not sure but said he would find out. Trustee Santon stated that if not we should, as a courtesy to the residents,notify and publicize this proposal. Mr. Bradbury said that YAI is also required to notify the residents and invite the Young Adult Institute to the meeting to answer questions and concerns of the residents. He also wanted to thank Connie DiSalvo as the Village received approval for a federal grant to develop a hazard mitigation plan. We do have some disaster plans in place and we did a study last year on hazard analysis with the County's assistance. This new grant allows us to improve upon a hazard mitigation plan and also allows us to receive further funding through other agencies for other disaster planning as well. NEW BUSINESS: 1) Discussion: Overview and recap of 2003 Leaf Season Mr. Carosi noted that our leaf collection stirs up much emotion amongst our residents. The Village began picking up leaves the first week of October, which is two weeks Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 19 of 22 earlier than usual. This season the DPW picked up 13,130 cubic yards of leaves. This was done while fighting two snow storms, a hurricane, wind and rain storms and through it all the DPW maintained the collection schedule. The residents need to be educated and also inform their landscapers about the requirements of our leaf pickup and how leaves should be placed. Residents and landscapers mix things in with the leaves. (toys, logs, branches, stones). These other things that are mixed in with the leaves clog the machines,which slows down the pickup process. A huge log destroyed the inside of one of our machines which is now being repaired. Things must be separated from the leaves that we pick up from the lawns. Mr. Carosi explained how the Village program works and that the Village is basically split based on which side of Ridge Street you live on. We strive for a two week interval between leaf pickups. We are always looking for ways to increase our efficiency. The Mayor thanked Mr. Carosi and commented that people who put the leaves in the street got their leaves picked up first because of the safety issues. We need to get the public to follow the same rules and the Mayor questioned how we could possibly do this. Trustees Santon stated his concerns about educating the landscapers and stressed that the residents are very concerned with leaf pickup. Spoke at length about the issues of leaf and branch pickup and suggested that we have the chipper out more frequently with two men. Spoke of the money we appropriated in 2002 ($25,000.00) for a leaf loader that was not ordered until October 18, 2002. This leaf loader was received in January 2003 and missed the leaf season. In August 2003 another leaf loader was ordered and the Village still hasn't received it. Trustee Santon suggested that we order our equipment well before leaf season. For example: Talcott's vendor dumps truck loads of leaves on Lincoln Avenue which happens to be right next to Blind Brook's drainage basin. Can't we give them some incentive to drive two miles further to the Village site on Lincoln Avenue to dump it so our men do not have to pick them up. It seems to me that it would be more cost effective to pay a part time person to operate the site to let people in to dump leaves. Trustee Santon said we need a policy discussion about what to do with these landscapers. If they don't abide by the rules we won't pick up their leaves. Something has to be done because it is not working and it has been deteriorating year after year. We have to adapt and improvise here and he invites the board to have a policy discussion during a work session as to what we should do about the landscapers and what we should do in general about the leaf and chipping situations. Mr. Carosi responded about chipping and what we expect of our DPW. The smaller branches are not being tied into 3 feet bundles as our code dictates. If the branches were being bundled correctly it would allow our sanitation contractor to pick them per his contract with the Village - instead everything is getting mixed into leaf piles. Mr. Bradbury agreed that we are not meeting the expectations of the residents of the Village. He explained how the trucks are used during the day and that we need to look at our service level to try and meet the expectations and be realistic about it. We have four Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 20 of 22 leaf loaders so we do have a backup. Mr. Carosi put a hold on the new leaf loader and had the company hold it for us instead of it sitting in our yard. Mr. Carosi touched on our snow removal efforts and the most recent storm. He publicly thanked the men of the DPW and appreciated the hard work they perform. He acknowledged how diligent they are about clearing the snow and making the roads safe. Our two mechanics are kept in the garage to replace and repair the trucks as needed during the storm. They also keep the police cars on the road. He also asked the residents to help by not putting the snow in the road when they clear their driveways and cars. He had to send out the plows again because the residents and their professionals put snow in the public roads after they had been cleared. The Mayor announced that to fill the unexpired term of Phyllis Frolich on the Tree and Beautification Committee he was appointing Richard R. Marino of 2 Whippoorwill Road. NEXT TRUSTEES MEETING February 10, 2004 and February 24, 2004 Grievance meeting February 17, 2004 There was a motion to go into an executive session by Trustee Rosenberg and seconded by Trustee Santon. Trustee Goodman Voting Aye Trustee Harris Absent Trustee Rosenberg Voting Aye Trustee Santon Voting Aye Mayor Filipowski Voting Aye There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 pm. Respectfully Submitted Christopher J. Bradbury Village Administrator/Clerk Board of Trustees January 29,2004 Page 21 of 22