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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019_01_02 Town Board Minutes January 2, 2019 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING AND WORK SESSION OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF MAMARONECK HELD ON JANUARY 2, 2019, BEGINNING AT 5:00PM IN CONFERENCE ROOM D AND CONTINUING AT 8:00 PM IN THE COURT ROOM OF THE TOWN CENTER, 740 W. BOSTON POST ROAD, MAMARONECK, NEW YORK PRESENT: Supervisor Nancy Seligson Councilwoman Abby Katz Councilwoman Jaine Elkind Eney Councilwoman Sabrina Fiddelman Councilman Jeffery L. King ALSO PRESENT: Christina Battalia, Town Clerk Stephen V. Altieri, Town Administrator Connie Green O’Donnell, Deputy Town Administrator William Maker, Jr., Town Attorney CALL TO ORDER - WORK SESSION On motion of Councilwoman Elkind Eney, seconded by Councilwoman Katz, the Work Session was unanimously opened at 5:00PM. Discussion - Comprehensive Plan – Consultant Interviews Supervisor Seligson distributed to the Town Board Members a handout to guide the discussions this evening with the two consultants. The memo stated seven key talking points; 1) How is the CP affected by removing certain issues? The Town is considering extracting several more urgent issues such as commuter parking and FAR 2) Outreach, public engagement 3) Land Use 4) Transportation 5) Recreation 6) Municipal Services 7) CP Time frame and cost The Town Board met for approximately forty five minutes with representatives from AKRF Planning, Peter Feroe, John Neill and Matt Carmody. Review Vehicle and Traffic Resolutions The Town Board discussed the resolutions prepared by the Town Clerk intended for insertion as required into the Vehicle Traffic Law under sections §219-44 and §219-56. A few changes were made and the Town Clerk will reissue them for the next worksession on January 16. The Town Board will defer their adoption to the next Town Board meeting on January 16. Review - Town Fee Schedule Deferred until January 16. Review - Organization Meeting Agenda The Town Board reviewed the resolutions and removed adoption of the Fee Schedule until the Town Board meeting on January 16. On motion of Councilwoman Elkind Eney, seconded by Councilwoman Katz, the Board unanimously agreed to enter into an Executive Session to discuss appointments to boards and commissions. EXECUTIVE SESSION Appointments to Boards and Commissions 1 January 2, 2019 On motion of Councilwoman Elkind Eney, seconded by Councilwoman Katz, the Board unanimously agreed to resume the Regular Meeting. Discussion - Comprehensive Plan – Consultant Interviews The Town Board met with representatives of Ferrandino & Associates, Vincent Ferrandino, Brian Dempsy and Susan Hopkins. The Town Board spent approximately forty five minutes with the consultant; also working from the discussion guidelines distributed by Supervisor Seligson. SWEARING IN RECEPTION The Town Board hosted a reception outside the Town Courtroom in celebration of Councilman King’s Swearing In this evening. CALL TO ORDER - REGULAR MEETING The Regular Meeting of the Town Board was called to order by Supervisor Seligson at 8:00 PM, she then pointed out the location of the exits. Supervisor Seligson noted that the Town Board met for a worksession beginning at 5:00 o’clock this evening, adding this is an open meeting that all residents are welcome to attend. SWEARING IN CEREMONY Councilman Jeffery King, accompanied by his family, was sworn in to Office by former Town Justice Dolores Battalia. Councilman King addressed the audience. SUPERVISOR’S STATE OF THE TOWN REPORT The Town of Mamaroneck looks forward to a strong 2019 with continuing high level services for residents, abundant recreational programming, excellent staffing under the leadership of Town Administrator Steve Altieri, advances in sustainability and resilience, planning for the future and the top financial rating possible. I want to thank the Town Board members for their dedication, care for and commitment to the Town and its residents. It’s been wonderful to have Sabrina Fiddelman and Jeff King join Jaine Elkind Eney and Abby Katz in our effort to run a good government and a great town. Let’s take a look back at 2018. There were many notable events during the year that challenged the resources of the staff and Town Board. The four March Nor’easter storms that caused catastrophic th damage to the electric grid in the Town and County certainly tested us. By March 7, half the residents of the Town did not have power. We went into emergency response mode as we tried to get Con Ed to reinstate electric service. We continued to work with Con Ed and others throughout the year to help Con Ed improve communications and response. Deputy Supervisor Jaine Elkind Eney participated on the United Westchester Committee which created a ”Storm Response Report” including 14 immediate actions for Con Ed. There were two significant fires in the Town in 2018, one in January at 1, 3 Dillon Road where 40 residential apartments were evacuated. Several people had minor injuries, and thankfully everyone recovered. The second one was just two weeks ago when Excelsior Cleaners burned down in the Fernwood Shopping Center. Luckily, no one was hurt in that fire, but all of the stores in the shopping center had to close and most remain closed today. The TMFD did a great job at both fires reminding us of how lucky we are to have such a professionally trained and dedicated fire department. 2 January 2, 2019 In March, MHS students rallied in Harbor Island Park to call for safer gun laws and protections at school in response to horrible national gun tragedies. The students inspired us with their poise and courage. The Town Board passed legislation banning guns from all Town-owned buildings later in the year. After Governor Cuomo passed legislation intended to help NY residents deduct taxes in response to new federal tax legislation that eliminated this valuable deduction known as SALT, the Town began investigating if and how it could help residents take advantage of the Governor’s efforts. There were many meetings and discussions and much research accomplished to determine how to proceed. After four months of work, the Town decided not to enact legislation as the school district, which represents the largest portion of our resident’s taxes, decided not to participate. Subsequently, the IRS ruled that deductions would not be allowed. The Larchmont/Mamaroneck Joint Garbage Commission created a new website, www.lmsanitation.org, in April to help residents easily find all the sanitation and recycling information they need on their phones or computers. The website includes a program called Recollect that allows a user to find out how to recycle or reuse any item as well as determine their individual garbage/recycling schedule. I hope everyone is finding it helpful. The Town held two environmental cleanup events, one in the spring and one in the fall. A total of 100 people removed litter from the Hommocks Conservation Area, a state designated area of environmental significance. Two of the largest special events organized and run by the Recreation Department were the Annual Bunny Hop Run with 285 runners and the Food Truck Festival with 16 food trucks and thousands of participants. The Town Fire Department was also an important partner for these events. This past spring, we welcomed LMCTV to its new headquarters on the third floor of the Town Center. They renovated the space and have made a wonderful base there. We welcomed a new State Senator to our area, Senator Shelly Mayer who was elected in a special election in April. I was proud to be elected president of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association this past May and the Town hosted the September WMOA meeting at Winged Foot Golf Club. We recognized certain employees for their length of service to the Town in our annual ceremony and this year, Town Administrator Steve Altieri, was recognized for 35 years of service to the Town. The Town was awarded 5 NYS grants from DEC for a total of $66,000 to implement 4 electric vehicle charging stations each with two ports. We also received a rebate toward the cost of one of our electric vehicles. The Town was honored with a 2018 Westchester Eco Award for launching the food waste composting program in 2017. There are over 600 households participating and together we removed approximately 70 tons of waste from the solid waste stream turning it into nutrient rich compost for gardens. The Town’s Sustainability Collaborative worked to make all the outdoor concerts and movies zero- waste events by providing recycling or biodegradable waste alternatives. We worked with the Mamaroneck School District to display MHS student artwork in the Town Center. We replaced the 30 year old signs at the Town Center with new, attractive, clearer signs. We worked with sister municipalities to stop a proposed tunnel connecting Westchester and Long Island through Long Island Sound. We demanded the Army Corps of Engineers slow their proposed storm barriers project for New York Harbor in order to study the effects on surrounding areas such as the Westchester and Long Island coastlines. And they have altered their timeline and review. We’ve been preparing to update the Town’s Comprehensive Plan including threading together the various updated documents that focus on hazard mitigation and environmental review as well as looking at land use, recreation, affordable housing, parking, transportation and municipal services. The Town is looking forward to awarding a consulting agreement soon to begin the Comprehensive Plan update. Another issue that has arisen in recent months is commuter parking on residential streets. The Town hired a consultant in December to assist in evaluating the issue and developing solutions. 3 January 2, 2019 We have tried to help residents deal with their concerns about the prevalence of coyotes in our area. We reached out to the NYS DEC and other communities for guidance. In response to resident concerns, the Town hosted an information session on the topic of coyotes in November. Kevin Clarke, a Wildlife Biologist with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation was the guest speaker. Kevin made it clear that coyotes do not prey on humans, but they could be interested in cats and small dogs. He suggested walking dogs on a leash at all times and perhaps carrying a stick. Coyotes are in every County in the State. He said the species is here to stay. A joint project between the Town of Mamaroneck and City of New Rochelle will give new life to a beloved local bridge. The Pryer Manor Road Bridge (aka Red Bridge) is part of Pryer Manor Road, a roadway over the tidal waters of Premium River at its junction with Premium Mill Pond. These waterways form the boundary between the Village of Larchmont to the east and the City of New Rochelle to the west. Due to tidal action, the bridge’s arched openings have deteriorated over the years. The concrete work at the Pryor Manor Bridge is substantially complete and we must allow a 28 day curing period which kicked off last week. So with the odds and ends needed to finish the construction, the planned re-opening is during the first two weeks of February. If the winter weather worsens, it could be slightly longer to re-open. Sadly, Red Bridge will be closed during construction. The Town will be replacing the Waverly Avenue Bridge in the Village of Mamaroneck. For this project the Town was awarded a $1.75 million grant to defray a large portion of the expense. Also, the Town, working with the Village of Mamaroneck and Town of Rye will replace the Hillside Avenue Bridge. The Town is working jointly with the Village of Larchmont, City of New Rochelle and Village of Pelham Manor on repairs and renovations to the sanitary sewer lines in the New Rochelle Sewer District this year. The Town plans to make improvements to the Mamaroneck Valley Sewer lines next year. The consortium of communities was awarded a $5.7 million grant from NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation towards the sewer repairs. WJWW will continue to make improvements to the drinking water system moving more water flow to the lower part of the district and adding UV treatment to the upper part of the system. Additional flow in the lower part of the system was needed to cover demand and firefighting needs. The lower part of the system already has UV treated water coming from NYC DEP’s Shaft 22 in Yonkers, but the upper part of the system is not yet treated with UV. It is required by the NYS DOH. We will repair and pave streets and finish the repairs to the iconic, but old Weaver Street Fire House. I look forward to continuing to work with the Town Board and great staff to maintain our high level of resident services, prepare the Town for future needs, and respond to resident requests and work to make the Town of Mamaroneck the safest, healthiest, community we can. CITIZEN’S COMMENTS Supervisor Seligson asked if anyone in the audience would like to address the Board, and there was not. BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS The Meeting was called to order by Commissioner Seligson, and then on motion of Commissioner Elkind Eney, seconded by Commissioner Fiddelman, the Board of Fire Commissioners was unanimously declared open. Present were the following Members of the Commission: Commissioner: Nancy Seligson Commissioner: Abby Katz Commissioner: Jaine Elkind Eney Commissioner: Sabrina Fiddelman Commissioner: Jeffery L. King 4 January 2, 2019 1. FIRE CLAIMS On motion of Commissioner Elkind Eney, seconded by Commissioner King, it was RESOLVED that this Commission hereby authorizes payment of the following Fire Department Claims as approved by the Fire Chief and audited by the Comptroller’s Office: VENDOR DESCRIPTION AAA Emergency Supply Co. RIT Firefighter Escape Training - Volpe & Nabi $230.00 Amazon 785.03 Supplies: New chair for Intern, Rope, Belts for Vaccum cleaner, etc. Atlantic Westchester, Inc. Replace Control Board on Gas Furnace 820.71 Bound Tree Medical, LLC. Medical Supplies 606.21 Cablevision Cable Services for 12/23/18 - 1/22/19 210.55 Fire-End & Croker Corporation Gloves 84.15 Proftech LLC Calendars (Desk, Wall & Diary) 131.13 R. G. Brewer Inc. Supplies - building 28.86 Rickert Lock & Safe Co. Repair to Secretary's door 225.00 Sound Shore Pest Control Exterminating Services on 11/26/18 65.00 Seagrave Fire apparatus, LLC 1999 Ladder Rental - Rent due January 2019 7,500.00 Town of Mam'k Fire Dept. Batteries for Scott Pak Testing 115.71 UniFirst Corporation Cleaning Supplies 12/7/18 68.44 UniFirst Corporation Cleaning Supplies 12/14/18 68.44 United Overhead Door Corp. Reset power, replaced photo sensor 625.50 Verizon Fire HQ Service 12/10/18 -1/9/19 255.44 Villa Maria Pizza Food for Spec Drill 12/13/18, Fire Standby 12/21/18, Fast Drill 12/13/18 391.92 0.00 Total: $12,212.09 The above resolution was put to a roll call vote: Commissioner King Aye Commissioner Fiddelman Aye Commissioner Elkind Eney Aye Commissioner Katz Aye Commissioner Seligson Aye There being no further business to come before the Commission, on motion of Commissioner Elkind Eney, seconded by Councilwoman Katz, the Commission unanimously adjourned and the Town Board reconvened. AFFAIRS OF THE TOWN 1. 2019 Organizational Agenda APPOINTMENT OF CIVIL OFFICERS On motion of Councilwoman Fiddelman, seconded by Councilman King, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that Jay Reynolds is hereby reappointed as Civil Officer of the Town of Mamaroneck to serve a term of office of one year, effective January 1, 2019 and terminating on December 31, 2019, and BE IT FURTHER 5 January 2, 2019 RESOLVED, that Frank Cioffi is hereby reappointed as Civil Officer of the Town of Mamaroneck to serve a term of office of one year, effective January 1, 2019 and terminating on December 31, 2019, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the foregoing appointments shall be effective immediately upon the appointees taking and subscribing the oath mandated by section 25 of the New York Town Law. DESIGNATION OF TOWN BOARD MEETINGS On motion of Councilwoman Katz, seconded by Councilwoman Elkind Eney, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that the 2019 regular meetings of the Town Board be held at 740 W. Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck beginning at 5:00 PM on the following dates: January 2, and January 16 July TBD February 6 and February 20 August TBD March 6 and March 20 September 4 and September 18 April 3 and 17 October 2 and October 16 May 1 and 15 November 6 and 20 June 5 and 19 December 4 and 18 AND, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that said meetings, dates and places may be changed at the pleasure of the Board upon notice being given. DESIGNATION OF OFFICIAL NEWSPAPERS On motion of Councilwoman Elkind Eney, seconded by Councilwoman Fiddelman, it was unanimously RESOLVED, that The Journal News is hereby designated as the official newspaper of the Town of Mamaroneck for the purpose of publishing legal notices during 2019. DESIGNATION OF DEPOSITORIES OF FUNDS: On motion of Councilman King, seconded by Councilwoman Elkind Eney, it was RESOLVED, that the following banks and trust companies are hereby designated as depositories for funds of the Town of Mamaroneck for the year 2019 to be: NYCLASS Investment Pool The Bank of New York Mellon JP Morgan Chase Bank, Mamaroneck Wells Fargo Bank NA, Mamaroneck Sterling Bank, Mamaroneck The above resolution was put to a roll call vote: King Fiddelman Elkind Eney Katz Seligson 6 January 2, 2019 DESIGNATION OF BANK SIGNATURES On motion of Councilwoman Fiddelman, seconded by Councilwoman Elkind Eney, it was RESOLVED, that all authority heretofore granted to withdraw funds from and to draw checks, drafts and other orders upon the Town of Mamaroneck accounts maintained at the aforesaid banks hereby is rescinded and revoked and hereafter such withdrawals, checks, drafts and other orders shall be authorized by signatures or facsimile signatures of the Town Supervisor or Deputy Supervisor and Comptroller or Deputy Comptroller and Deputy Receiver of Taxes; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all withdrawals, checks, drafts and other orders relative to the Community Services Discretionary Fund located at JP Morgan Chase Bank shall be authorized by the signatures of Anna Danoy, Director of Community Services and Public Housing, and Stephen V. Altieri, Town Administrator, and BE IT, FURTHER RESOLVED, that all withdrawals, checks, drafts and other orders relative to the Town of Mamaroneck PHA accounts at JP Morgan Chase and the Town of Mamaroneck PHA account at Sterling Bank, shall be authorized by the signatures of Anna Danoy, Director of Community Services and Public Housing, Anthony Siligato, Town Comptroller, and Nancy Seligson, Town Supervisor, Martha Ronaghan, Deputy Comptroller, and BE IT, FURTHER RESOLVED, that all withdrawals, checks, drafts and other orders relative to the Town Clerk’s account at JP Morgan Chase Bank, shall be authorized by the signature of Christina Battalia, Town Clerk. The above resolution was put to a roll call vote: King Fiddelman Elkind Eney Katz Seligson OFFICIAL UNDERTAKING OF MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS On motion of Councilwoman Elkind Eney, seconded by Councilwoman Katz, the following was approved, WHEREAS, various sections of Town Law and Public Officers Law require that certain officials execute an Official Undertaking, and WHEREAS, we, the Town Board of the Town of Mamaroneck require the Supervisor, Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Town Justices and Town Comptroller execute an Official Undertaking as required by law, and WHEREAS, Nancy Seligson, of the Town of Mamaroneck, has been elected to the Office of Supervisor of the Town of Mamaroneck, and WHEREAS, Christina Battalia, of the Town of Mamaroneck, has been elected to the Office of Town Clerk of the Town of Mamaroneck, and WHEREAS, Jean Marie Brescia, of the Town of Mamaroneck, has been elected to the Office of Town Justice of the Town of Mamaroneck, and WHEREAS, Ronald Meister, of the Town of Mamaroneck, has been elected to the Office of Town Justice of the Town of Mamaroneck, and WHEREAS, Anthony Siligato, of Bardonia, NY, has been appointed to the Offices of Town Comptroller and Tax Collector for the Town of Mamaroneck. 7 January 2, 2019 NOW, THEREFORE, the respective Officers above, do hereby undertake with the Town of Mamaroneck that we will faithfully perform and discharge the duties of our office, and will promptly account for and pay over all moneys or property received as a Town Officer, in accordance with the law, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town of Mamaroneck does and shall maintain coverage, presently with the New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal; $1,000,000 limit per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate limit, for the Supervisor, Town Clerk, Town Justices and Town Comptroller/Tax Collector, to indemnify against losses through the failure of the Officers, covered thereunder, to faithfully perform their duties or to properly account for all monies or property received by virtue of their positions or employment, and through fraudulent or dishonest acts committed by the Officers covered thereunder. The above resolution was put to a roll call vote: King Aye Fiddelman Aye Elkind Eney Aye Katz Aye Seligson Aye REPORT OF COUNCIL The Town Board Members reported on their various activities and meetings since the last Town Board Meeting. ADJOURNMENT On motion of Councilwoman Fiddelman, seconded by Councilwoman Katz, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 9:45 PM ________________________________ Submitted by Christina Battalia, Town Clerk 8