CLERMONT TOWN BOARD

AUGUST 5, 2013

The Clermont Town Board held its regular meeting on Monday, August 5, 2013 at 7:00 P.M. at the Town Hall. Those in attendance were Supervisor Raymond Staats, Councilwoman Nancy Moore, Councilman Robert Desmond, Councilman Evan Hempel and Councilman Edward Kahle. There were six other residents present and Joe Gentile of the Register Star.

The Supervisor asked for a moment of silence in memory of our Assessor Henry Greenhouse who passed away. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Supervisor asked for a motion to enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person.

A motion was made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Hempel at 7:05 P.M. to enter into executive session for this purpose. All in favor. So carried.

A motion was made to come out of executive session at 7:25 P.M. by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilwoman Moore. All in favor. So carried.

MINUTES: The minutes of the July meeting were reviewed and accepted on a motion made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilman Hempel. All in favor. So carried.

TOWN CLERKS REPORT: The Town Clerk read the report for July and presented the Supervisor a check for the General Fund for $1,092.50. A motion was made to accept the Clerk’s report by Councilman Hempel, seconded by Councilman Desmond. All in favor. So carried.

CORRESPONDENCE:

• A notice was received from the Town of Germantown regarding a public hearing on a zoning change to be held on July 22, 2013 at 7:00 P.M.
• The Town Clerk will be starting to sell Deer Management Permits on Thursday, August 15^th through October 1^st.

• Web Committee: No report
• Supervisor Staats welcomed a young man from Boy Scout Troop 42 who was present at the meeting and working towards his Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

• HOVER GRANT: Councilman Kahle reported that the paperwork for the Hover Grant has been submitted. He will be working with Mary Howard on a grant for the park, which fits the criteria.

• TOWN PARK: Councilman Desmond met with a supplier of park equipment and did receive some pictures and an estimate. He has asked for a revised estimate based on some changes. He would like to purchase the swings this year. About eight or nine years ago a survey was sent out and the highest item suggested by residents were walking and running paths, the second on the list was public recreation and parks. He agrees with Councilman Hempel that we don’t want to spend a lot of money, but may be able to do this through grants, the Con Ed funds and fund raising.

OLD BUSINESS:

• BRIDGE UPDATE: The County is still working on getting the bridge replaced and should have numbers available next month. The Livingston Town Supervisor and Traffic Safety Board have sent letters.

• DATA COLLECTION: The data collection is ongoing and another 200 parcels have been completed. The data collector will still be going around so if you see her, this is what it is about. Councilman Desmond stated that this is something that the state asked us to do every four years to stay in the program and reimburse us a small amount if we stay in the program.

• AUDIT UPDATE: We have not gotten the final report from the auditor. Mr. Preusser is waiting for a few responses to come back.

• COURT COPIER: The new copier for the court should be delivered soon, there was a mix up on the delivery.

NEW BUSINESS:

• ASSESSOR OVERPAYMENT: Our attorney received a verbal response from the State Comptrollers Office on the overpayment of the Assessor. They stated that we were correct for 2013 but for the retroactive for 2012 was not correctly done by resolution. There was an overpayment of approximately $400.00 in 2012 but the board voted to pay him because of additional work he had been doing. The board feels comfortable with the documentation that we have and that it was handled the best way possible. The board does not want to spend anymore money on this, nor does it want to try to recoup from the estate of the assessor or the bookkeeper.
• RESOLUTION NO. 50 of 2013: Service of Notice of Claims to the Secretary of State pursuant to General Municipal Law ~53 designating Mary Helen Shannon, in her capacity as Town Clerk, to receive notices of claims served upon the Secretary of State. If there were a notice of claim against the town filed with the Secretary of State, the town would get half of the fee of $500.00. A motion was made by Councilman Desmond to approve the resolution, seconded by Councilman Kahle. All in favor. So carried.
• ACADEMY REPAIRS: Supervisor Staats opened the following bids for the repair of siding and painting on the Community House on the west and north side:

Jennings Contracting: $7,450.00

Staats and Sons Enterprises: $2,950.00

Darryl Millus: $5,300.00

• APPOINTMENT OF ASSESSOR:

The death of Henry Greenhouse was a great loss to the assessing community, County and Town. The current data collector, Cheryl Kaszluga, has almost finalized her training for assessing. The County Real Property and New York State Real Property have approved her. The Supervisor asked for a motion to appoint Cheryl Kaszluga to the position of Sole Assessor. Motion made by Councilman Desmond, seconded by Councilwoman Moore. All in favor. So carried.

• TOWN CLERK COMPUTER: The town clerk’s computer has been delivered and will be installed next week.

SUPERVISORS REPORT:

• SALES TAX: Received 2^nd quarter sales tax check for $77,050.00 bringing the amount received for the year to $149,700.00. We are on track with sales tax revenues.
• CLERMONT VILLAGE GREEN BBQ: The BBQ is held on Saturday, August 10^th. Tickets are on sale now and Tami Connolly said that there would be takeouts available.
• TOWN PARK: Basketball Protection Pad has been put on the basketball hoop.

• COURT HOUSE: Project is moving along and is now scheduled to be completed in January
• PINE HAVEN NURSING HOME: Soil borings and site work is being done by the architectural firm to determine if it is a viable plan to build a new nursing home.
• COUNTY ROUTE 8 PAVING: The County is working on County Route 8 from about South Road to Germantown.
• The Supervisor will be attending the County Department Head meeting this week. They will be looking at how to cutback in the departments. We will be starting on our budget next month.
• SEPTEMBER TOWN BOARD MEETING will be held on Tuesday, September 3^rd due to the Labor Day holiday.

• BIDS FOR COMMUNITY HOUSE PROJECT: There are inconsistencies with the bids for the work on the Community House, that makes it difficult to award this bid to either bidder. Councilman Kahle would like to meet with the bidders to clarify. The Supervisor would like Councilman Kahle to meet with the bidders because he has a conflict with two of the bidders and will be recusing himself from any decision.

• LAPTOP FOR ASSESSOR: County Real Property has told the Supervisor that the assessor’s laptop has outgrown its use for memory and hard drive. They have suggested getting a Lenovo from Staples for $599.99 which will improve the loading of information. A motion was made by Councilman Desmond for the purchase not to exceed $700.00 from the Assessor account A1355.4 seconded by Councilman Hempel. All in favor. So carried.

• A check was lost by Councilman Kahle and the replacement check issued. Both ended up being cashed. Councilman Kahle will not receive a check this month to make up for this.

ABSTRACTS:

A motion was made by Councilman Desmond to pay General Abstract #8, vouchers #189-218 in the amount of $9,393.80, seconded by Councilwoman Moore. All in favor. So carried.

A motion was made by Councilman Kahle to pay Highway Abstract #8, vouchers # 73-83 in the amount of $5,770.38, seconded by Councilwoman Moore. All in favor. So carried.

PUBLIC COMMENTS:

DIANNE O’NEAL: Town Historian O’Neal has been trying to locate names of Clermont Veterans who served in wars or conflicts so that the Veterans Commemorative Plaque can be made for the Community House. She has spoken with County, State and Federal representatives through Congressman Gibson’s office. Because of privacy issues, no one could give her any information. Melissa Hogan of the County VA offices, suggested she go to the American Legion, VFW and post notices looking for veterans who live or lived in Clermont. Councilman Desmond suggested checking the County Clerk’s office for the discharge papers file and advertising in the paper.

DESIREE WEBBER: Desiree suggested making some changes to the Community House to make it more appealing for showers, weddings and other functions. She suggested hanging curtains, moving the furniture from the parlor into the sitting area. The parlor could have tables and chairs for meetings, card clubs, luncheons, etc. Also there are some minor repairs for the community house and church, which should be done. The cost of cleaning the buildings should be figured into the cost of the use. She would also like to see a place for the boat from the bicentennial, such as the history barn in Livingston or the Germantown school.

A motion was made to adjourn by Councilman Kahle, seconded by Councilman Hempel at 8:20 P.M. All in favor. So carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Helen Shannon, RMC

Town Clerk