Regular Monthly Meeting, Colton Town Board, September 13, 2017
County of St. Lawrence, State of New York, 94 Main St., Colton, 13625
Present: Dennis Bulger, Supervisor Councilpersons: Grace Hawley
Donna Arquiett, Clerk Katheryn Hayes
Darren Richards, DPW Sup’t. Donald Shoen
Ronald Robert
Others present: Shelley Rayner, Tina Miller, Ed Fuhr, George Cayey, Brad Barber, Mary Jane Watson,
Kevin Beary, Shirley Gardner, John Gray, Joe McWilliams, Ruth McWilliams, Brad Barber,
Kitty O’Neil, Rebecca Allen, Peggy Mousaw, Jerry Wilson and Rick
Absent: Kevin Hawley
Supervisor Bulger opened the regular monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. and asked the Board if they reviewed the
Agenda, asked for a motion to accept it.
Motion #1
ACCEPT MEETING AGENDA
Motion made by Mr. Shoen, seconded by Mrs. Hawley to accept the agenda as written.
Ayes 5 Shoen, Hawley, Hayes, Robert, Bulger
Noes 0
Motion carried
Motion # 2
ACCEPT MINUTES
Motion made by Mr. Shoen, seconded by Mr. Robert to accept the minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting of August 9, 2017.
Ayes 5 Shoen, Hawley, Hayes, Robert, Bulger
Noes 0
Motion carried
Mr. Bulger explained the transfers and the payment of $5500 to the County for help with the revision of the land use code book, adding “money well spent”.
Motion # 3
APPROVE WARRANT # 9, TRANSFERS, BANK STATEMENT & RECONCILIATION
Motion made by Mr. Shoen, seconded by Ms. Hayes to approve the bills on Warrant # 9 along with transfers, bank statement & reconciliation.
Ayes 5 Shoen, Hawley, Hayes, Robert, Bulger
Noes 0
Motion carried
General Fund $ 39,557.97
Highway Fund $208,097.47
Colton Light District $ 711.02
South Colton Light District $ 672.59
Sewer District #1 $ 1,650.63
Water District #1 $ 4,411.57
The following accounts are over budget as of August 31, 2017.
General Fund:
A4068.4 Black Fly, Contr. $274.93
A8020.41 Planning Board Contr. 0 ($2300.00)
A8010.4 ZBA Contr. 0 (200.00)
TOTAL $ 274.93
Recommended transfers:
A4068.41 Mosquito, Contr. $1000.00
A1990.4 Contingency 2500.00
TOTAL $ 3500.00
Highway Fund:
DA5140.4 Brush & Weeds Contr. $ 291.56
Recommended Transfer:
DA5140.1 Brush & Weeds, P.S. $1500.00
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Regular Monthly Meeting, Colton Town Board, September 13, 2017
Mr. Bulger asked the Board to vote on proposed Local Law # 4 – 2017.
Motion # 4
ADOPT LOCAL LAW # 4 – 2017 AS WRITTEN
Motion made by Mr. Shoen, seconded by Mrs. Hawley to adopt Local Law # 4 – 2017 To Override the Tax Levy Limit Established in General Municipal Law 3-c.
Ayes 4 Shoen, Hawley, Hayes, Bulger
Noes 1 Robert
Motion carried
TO OVERRIDE THE TAX LEVY LIMIT ESTABLISHED IN GENERAL MUNICIPAL LAW 3-c
Section 1. Legislative Intent
It is the intent of this local law to override the limit on the amount of real property taxes that may be levied by the Town of Colton pursuant to General Municipal Law § 3-c, and to allow the Town of Colton to adopt a budget for the fiscal year 2018 that requires a real property tax levy in excess of the “tax levy limit” as defined by General Municipal Law §3-c.
Section 2. Authority
This local law is adopted pursuant to subdivision 5 of General Municipal Law § 3-c, which expressly authorizes the town board to override the tax levy limit by the adoption of a local law approved by vote of sixty percent (60%) of the town board.
Section 3. Tax Levy Limit Override
The Town Board of the Town of Colton, County of St. Lawrence is hereby authorized to adopt a budget for the fiscal year 2018 that requires a real property tax levy in excess of the amount otherwise proscribed in General Municipal Law, §3-c.
Section 4. Severability
If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, or part of this Local Law or the application thereof to any person, firm or corporation, or circumstance, shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unconstitutional, such order or judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, or part of this Local Law or in its application to the person, individual, firm or corporation or circumstance, directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment or order shall be rendered.
Section 5. Effective date
This local law shall take effect immediately upon filing with the Secretary of State.
COURTESY OF THE FLOOR
Ed Fuhr, Colton resident said the work on Gulf and Fuhr Roads improves the safety and is a great job. Mr. Robert remarked the “shared roadway” sign or markings need to be added.
DOG WARDEN REPORT
Mr. McConkey was unavailable. Mr. Fuhr stated he had been in touch with him to check on dogs that were complained about on facebook and would be along the Higley 100 bike tour route. Mr. Fuhr said Mr. McConkey was at the event which reassured riders.
ASSESSOR’S REPORT Ms. Miller reported:
STAR - For those who have applied for STAR Credit Checks (new STAR applicants) and registered before July 1st 2017, should soon be receiving their credit check. The official date has changed to around October 1st. I would recommend waiting but if you are concerned about a check you should have received you may call (518) 457-2036. If you call now there is a long hold time therefore I recommend you wait until into October.
Sales - At the last meeting I stated I would have a sales report for you. At this time assessors have been unable to replicate our computers. Until that time that we can do so, I am unable to give a sales report. I am shooting for the next board meeting.
Bti REPORT Mr. Bulger reported Ms. Malik has been working on invasive species, especially Japanese knotweed and water milfoil. The water will be lowered this weekend in order to remove milfoil. Property owners, Ms. Malik and other volunteers will work Friday & Saturday pulling milfoil.
Mr. Bulger stated Erie Boulevard will be doing upgrades on their hydropower plant. Upgrades are part of the court stipulation in the lawsuit. Ms. Miller to check into it.
CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT Mr. Richards reported:
Currently we are at 68 permits for this building season with a few more projects coming. One denied permit. One complaint letter, see packet to the board. The Land Use Code states to issue a ticket at the end of 30 days. September we will have a Planning Board meeting on one possible subdivision. Mr. Richards mentioned the wind overlay maps. Mr. Beary asked if anyone has been approached by Avongrid. No. Mr. Fuhr replied he was aware of a couple residents that contacted Avongrid.
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Regular Monthly Meeting, Colton Town Board, September 13, 2017
Motion # 5
AUTHORIZE CEO TO ISSUE TICKET
Motion made by Mr. Robert, seconded by Mrs. Hawley to authorize the Code Enforcement Officer to ticket the violator for installing a fence cutting off a right-of-way.
Ayes 5 Shoen, Hawley, Hayes, Robert, Bulger
Noes 0
Motion carried
PLANNING /ZONING REPORT Mr. Fuhr reported:
The Dollar General store is close to opening. They were very good to work with. We had 15 conditions we wanted met and the contractors complied. I commend Darren for all the work he put into the job and the Zoning Board. The crosswalk is very nice, we just have to get D.O.T. to increase the timer for crossing the road. Mr. Fuhr stated there may be other possibilities for a wind turbine to go in the Town and are checking into all the choices. He added the Planning Board is trying to get someone from Chateauguay area to talk about their experiences with the wind turbines. Peggy Mousaw asked if the Town had a drone law. No. She stated they have been conflicting with the windmills.
TOURISM/BEAUTIFICATION REPORT Mrs. McWilliams reported;
With Labor Day came the closing of the Stone Valley Information Center in the Museum for the season; however, the Museum and information center continue to be available by appointment with Cyndy Hennessy (315-262-2524) and Scott Muller (315-244-9956) as contacts. And information also is available on racks in the J.R. Watson Community Center. A variety of products, including the new COLTON shirts, can be purchased by contacting them or visiting the Town Clerk’s office in the Town Hall. We sincerely appreciate the Colton-Pierrepont Senior Racqueteers and others who assisted Cyndy and Scott with staffing throughout the summer. Now we are wrapping up other summer activities as well as preparing for autumn and planning for next year. A few highlights follow.
Summer Music Series…2017 and 2018
The 2017 series began June 28 and concluded August 30 with a diverse mix of six groups sharing their talents. Over 600 people attended the performances in addition to the 60 performers. We sincerely appreciate assistance with venues and food by the Colton Historical Society, Colton Fire District, St. Paul’s – St. Patrick’s Altar Rosary Society, Colton Methodist Church, and Colt’s Pride Booster Club. Also we are grateful to the Colton Hepburn Library for displaying the barn quilts before the raffles were held on performance nights. And our two student helpers, Mary Donnelly and Lauren Buckley, were exceptional.
Lastly, we thank all those who helped the Tourism & Beautification Committee meet its fund raising goal of $3085 for the series.
Ø The town received advance support from the St. Lawrence County Arts Council through the Community Arts Grant Program as well as six business sponsors—Catamount Lodge & Forest LLC; Hide Away Café: Hoffman Eells & Gray CPAs; Paula Youmell / Wise Woman Nurse; Raquette River Pub; and S&L Electric; and
Ø Many individuals donated funds during performances and/or bought barn quilt raffle tickets, products including the Adirondack 102 Club books and Raquette River DVDs, and food from which some of the proceeds were shared with the committee.
Ø By Friday, September 15, our plans for the 2018 series will be submitted in a grant application to the St. Lawrence County Arts Council in hopes of once again getting advance support. In order to keep the series fresh and the grant application competitive, the 2018 series will feature groups that have never performed in town as part of the Summer Music Series of Colton Riverside Performances. We are looking for additional volunteers to assist the committee with organizing and hosting the performances next summer. If interested in being part of the project team, then please contact Ruth McWilliams (315-262-2450; ).
Raquette River Blueway Trail…Raquette River Dam Stories Exhibit & Events
The exhibit at The TAUNY Center in Canton continues through October 21. It is based upon stories and photos collected during the oral history project a few years ago and artifacts on loan from places including the Colton Museum and individuals including Ed Fuhr. The full digital archive of the Raquette River Dams Oral History Project is now online thanks to TAUNY’s partnership with the Northern New York Library Network. The archive is available throughnyheritage.org where you can browse interview audio and transcripts as well as field notes, photos, and other collected materials.
Before the exhibit closes there are still a number of related program events including a tour of the Rainbow Falls Powerhouse on September 22 and a screening of Niagara Mohawk’s Floating Islands film on September 28. More details about these and other events are available on the TAUNY website at: http://tauny.org/pages/207/22/current-exhibit.
Next Monthly Meeting – Monday, October 9 (4-5:30pm)
The agenda will focus on autumn activities including historic/scenic tour update and outdoor work, committee involvement in Winterfest, and the committee’s work plan for 2018.
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Regular Monthly Meeting, Colton Town Board, September 13, 2017
RECREATION Kevin LaMora was criticized for a couple things at the fishing derby and was considering giving it up. Mr. Bulger convinced him to stay and is looking for more volunteers. Call the Town Hall if you would like to volunteer.
RRPOC Mr. Bulger stated Jason from Brookfield will give a presentation, Q & A at the October Board meeting regarding the recent survey they performed. Since this is during a board meeting, it will be kept short. We may have to schedule another meeting too. Peggy Mousaw asked if they were going to supply overlay maps over the existing maps. Mr. Bulger didn’t know but mentioned a Town road is in the FERC line.
COUNTY LEGISLATOR’S REPORT Mr. Perkins reported:
A preliminary draft budget will be ready early next month. We filled the Community Services Director position and the Human Resources position. At the tax auction, 165 of 167 parcels were sold. The shared services plan is something we have been doing for quite some time, Mr. Bulger has been attending the meetings. Mr. Perkins talked about property tax being down a little. Peggy Mousaw asked if there has been any discussion on how the sales tax is distributed. No.
DPW REPORT Mr. Richards reported:
Transfer - DEC conducted an inspection this past week and found zero violations with our facility. We have become stricter on eliminating construction debris entering our Transfer station. There are several regulatory reasons why we cannot accept construction demolition based on Department of Labor and DEC Agency Enforcement.