Ellicottville Town Board Review
By Jim Gill (09/26/2008)

Town Supervisor John Burrell called the monthly Town Board meeting to order this past Tuesday night, September 23, 2008 at 6:00pm. Present at the meeting were Councilman Bob Scharf, Bob O’Brian, Ken Hinman, Greg Fitzpatrick, Town Engineer Mark Alianello and Chief of Police James Comstock.

Amendment to local law – Proposed Local Law No.1 – 2008

Section 4 (d) (5) of Local Law 6 – 2006 entitled “A local law Providing for the Administration and Enforcement of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code” is hereby amended to the extent that subsection (v) is amended as follows:“(v) where applicable, include a site plan that shows any existing and proposed buildings and structures on the site, existing topography and proposed grading including a drainage plan, and erosion control plan to be implemented during construction, the location of the intended work, and the distance between buildings and structures and the lot lines.”
The board voted unanimously to accept the amendment

Justice Court Assistance Program: Supervisor Burrell received a response on the application for a grant under the Justice Court Assistance Program. The application is complete and will be considered shortly for an award during the current grant cycle. The town will be notified on or about October 31, 2008 concerning the disposition of the application.

Audit of Claims: Present Vouchers & Financial Statements for approval – Accepted unanimously

Budget Work Session: All departments have submitted their budgets for the upcoming year. A budget review meeting was scheduled for Thursday September 25th commencing at 6:00pm.

Town Clerk’s Report: A new postage machine from Acme Business machines approved by the board on June 25, 2008 was found to be unsatisfactory as it lacked automatic feed needed for water bills and tax statements. The machine is being returned. A request was made to purchase a machine from Pitney Bowes in the amount of $2,991.00 c/w automatic feed. The board voted to approve the Pitney Bowes machine.

Meeting with Senator Cathy Young and Assemblyman Joe Giglio: Mayor Charles Coolidge chaired a meeting on September 18th to discuss the challenges faced by town and village taxpayers on assessments. Both politicians were receptive to suggestions from some of the citizens attending promising to follow up and report back on their findings at a later date.

Police Report: Town Chief of Police James Comstock submitted his written report on August Police Department activity for the month of August. Total calls for Service/Complaints – 206, Arrests – 8, Traffic – 206 traffic tickets issued.
A discussion on former police officer Steve Arrowsmith was held in Executive Session, results of the meeting were not released.
Comstock asked if a 20 year retirement plan is being considered in the upcoming budget session. Supervisor Burrell mentioned they will be looking at a plan that would not come out of the Police Fund and would come out of the general budget. Comstock also asked for 4-5 full time officers including the village constable. A recommendation was made for 2 or more on duty including one full time and one part time. Councilman Scharf suggested the issue should not be discussed without Comstock present and was tabled until the October meeting.

Building Inspector’s Monthly Report: (Positive news in the housing industry) The report shows $846,200.00 in building permits issued from 7-28-08 through 9-10-08. A total of 54 permits have been issued year to date.

Director of Real Property Services: A recommendation was made to discuss this in Executive Session. The board members met for 30 minutes, no public comments followed.

Engineer’s Report: Town Engineer Mark Alianello discussed findings on the Songbird Subdivision. The location was originally a village dumpsite that closed in the mid 50’s; a site check has revealed some levels of waste. The board recommended contacting the County Health Board to see how to proceed.

Proposed Salt Storage Building: The Highway Department is planning to construct a salt storage building on Bryant Hill Road. Alianello recommended the board accept a base bid from Eastern Cover-All Inc. in the amount of $107,250.00, a recommended modification will add another $4,71000. Total cost for the building would be $135,000.00, funding for the project will come from the State C.H.I.P.S fund. The town is expecting to receive $149,000.00 from the state. The board voted unanimously to proceed.

Highway Superintendent Report: Superintendent Dave Golley was not present, he forwarded a bid from Regional International Corporation for a 2008 Heavy Duty 4x4 all wheel drive diesel powered cab and chassis in the amount of $136,000.00. This was the only bid received. The bid was within the budget and board members agreed to accept the bid.

Stephens Association Agreement: This firm handles all grant work including procurement; all board members were in agreement to extend their contract for another year in the amount of $13,000.

Additional topics covered: Worker Compensation Policy – ENB Insurance renewal