TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
SEQR/PUBLIC HEARING
Proposed Local Law #1-2020
TRANSIENT/COMMERCIAL USE OF DWELLING UNITS
MONDAY, 9/14/20 6:30 PM
ROBERT YATES, SUPERVISOR PRESENT
DICK SENA, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
DUNCAN MCNEILL, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
LOUISE ORTMAN, COUNCILWOMAN PRESENT
STEVE SENSKE, COUNCILMAN ABSENT
OTHERS PRESENT: John & Beth Ward; David Groth; Clayton & Helen Emick; Anne Golley, Assessor; Pierre Chagnon, Legislator; Robin Miller, Bookkeeper; Brad Lawson, Zoning C.E.O.; Howard Peacock, Justice; Dan Strickland, Highway Superintendent; Nancy Thomas, Town Clerk
Mr. Yates brought the hearing to order at 6:30 PM.
- PLEDGE
Mr. Yates asked for a moment of silence for all those affected by the Covid 19 Pandemic and in memory of 9/11/2001.
Flags are at half-mast in the town according to the Governor’s order.
Mr. Robbins said the town has completed a Municipal Referral and SEQR for the proposed Local Law and submitted it to the County Planning Department. They have replied that in their opinion it is a matter of local concern.
Mr. Yates opened the floor for public comment.
John Ward, 5105 Spring St. (Cheney’s Point)
Mr. Ward said his home is in the R-1 District and his family has owned it for 60 years. He said they have made many upgrades to the property and have enjoyed the quality of life in the neighborhood for many years. He said he has spoken to approximately 20 families in his immediate area who asked him to speak on their behalf regarding objections to this proposed law. He said this law introduces commercial use into residential areas. He said many people already rent out their lake front homes in the area and he feels that the town’s intent to issue some type of criteria for this is a good thing. He said they are in a different situation; their home sits back from the lake (on a block bounded by Spring St. on 2 sides, Ash St. on 1 side and Chautauqua Ave. on the Lake side). He said they have a deeded ROW to the lake across property and a community dock that they pay for. He said most of the homes in the area also have easements/ROW to the lake over that property. There was discussion of the ROW to the lake and he indicated that at some point the Town had taken title to it and a number of families have ROW access over that town property. He said a few years ago a neighbor’s home was sold to a young woman and they assumed it was for a summer residence. The following year they noted the house advertised on Airbnb as having lake access over that town ROW and questioned if the town should be concerned about any liability regarding this or not. He also said the proposed Local Law states that if the criteria outlined in Section A. are met, Section B. states that the C.E.O. “shall issue” the permit. He stated this allows for no hearing; public input; or discretion on the part of the C.E.O. He asked if Sec. A. Criteria Required, e. “any and all complaints” includes excess noise; partying late into the evening, etc.? He stated that the people who own homes on either side of the ROW are very much opposed to the law in its current form. He said mainly the concern is about the quality of life in what has been a serene residential community for as long as he can remember. Will this law turn the area into a resort community? He said that is the last thing anyone who lives there wants. He said to make this law
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applicable to the entire R-1 District is wrong and asked the board to take another look at this and perhaps carve out areas where this would be allowed (i.e. lakefront) or not allowed. He said to allow it everywhere is not fair to current residents and he would be happy to work with the board on mapping out areas where it might be more appropriate. He also indicated that Section A. f. should be amended to indicate that “Owner(s) are responsible for trash removal. He thanked the board for their consideration.
Beth Ward stated that with all the stipulations in the law, who is going to be inspecting these rentals for compliance of smoke detectors, radon detectors, etc. She asked who will do this or if the town will need to hire someone. She also asked who will regulate/control the number of persons at one home? She noted that there are issues with aquifers and water supply in the area; many wells have gone dry. Can the area support the additional strain on resources? She expressed concern about heavy traffic; lack of parking (cars parked on both sides of road); 30 people in one home with tents in yard; golf carts being driven up and down the road by children as young as 5.
Mrs. Ortman asked Mrs. Ward if the language/agreement is making the situation worse for them or if they are talking about an existing situation.
Mr. Sena suggested that Mr. Lawson speak regarding the law.
Mr. Lawson said the law came about because he had received complaints and in our current zoning in the R-1 District there is no Transient Rental Law. Since there is no law, everyone is doing this illegally. He said for the town to try to go after everyone and give them citations for doing this would be in his mind ludicrous since it has been going on for so many years. He said since Zoning was established in 1989 the Transient Rentals were not allowed in those districts, but it always continues to happen. He said the Planning Board spent time looking at other laws and working with County Planning to come up with this law which is not too restrictive, but restrictive enough to make people understand there are rules to be followed. He said it also identifies those properties that are not paying the county bed tax and allows for the collection of those funds which will hopefully benefit the health of lake and its waterways. Mr. Lawson spoke about the regulation process and how it would be implemented.
Mr. Sena said that when the Planning Board was in the process of developing this law they had done a quick search of homes for rent by Airbnb online and come up with over 100 in North Harmony. He said that is where we are trying to help the situation with regulation for these uses.
Mrs. Ward asked how or if the town can enforce this law. She said that Bemus Pt. has not been able to regulate it and many of the owners/renters do not follow the rules.
Mr. Ward asked if the law addresses the number of people that can be in a residence.
Mr. Lawson said this is not addressed specifically in this law.
Mrs. Ortman said this is our first attempt to get a handle on where the rental properties are in the town and register them so that if a complaint does come in Mr. Lawson would know how to contact those owners. She said we are not looking at a gated community type situation or a situation where we regulate numbers of cars or numbers of people per residence; there is no way we could enforce that. She said the main idea was to corral it and get a handle on it; increase participation in the bed tax and know where owners could be contacted if needed. She said obviously if there is a major problem in the neighborhood, the first step is to call the police.
There was further general discussion of what constitutes a violation under Section E. and whether late night loud noise disturbance would be considered a violation.
Mr. Lawson said it may be if we have something to back it up. He said there is a Town Law (Nuisance) that does address noise and if it could be tied into that, enforced.
Mr. Ward said if that he and others in the neighborhood believe that their right to peaceful existence is being violated, they will call the sheriff’s office and provide a copy of the incident report to be filed with the town. He said perhaps that could be given to the Zoning Board of Appeals in making a Violation decision under Section E.
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Mr. Lawson and Mrs. Ortman agreed this was a good idea. Mr. Lawson said the things being discussed are exactly what we are looking at so we can curtail that type of behavior. He said our community is based on tourism but there has to be a start.
Mrs. Ward said the first thing that should be regulated is the number of people in a house. She said there are so many cars parked along the roads on weekends that no fire or rescue vehicle could pass if there was an emergency. She said for instance, in a 4-bedroom home; no more than 8 people, etc.
Mrs. Ortman said there is no way the town could enforce that. She said if the parking situation is a recurring offence then the C.E.O. should be contacted. She said she doesn’t think we can sit here and make a comprehensive list of all the things that renter’s might do at the property and could not be enforced with the personnel currently available.
Mr. Emick said the way he reads the law it is still the property owners responsibility to maintain the property and provide rules/instructions for renters. He said basically the law is about paperwork and that is what we need on these properties.
Mrs. Emick said when you register at the County for the Occupancy Certificate, the owner is responsible for reporting how many rooms and numbers of persons that can occupy it based on what the county allows. She said this information has to be posted prominently in the house and if those numbers are exceeded and the owner does not comply, that is where the C.E.O. would come in. She said a copy of the County Occupancy Certificate must be presented to the C.E.O. when requesting a Town Permit under this local law. She said there will be 2 step process in place.
Mrs. Ward asked who would enforce this?
Mrs. Emick agreed that the Sherriff’s department could not handle these types of complaints. She neighbors have a right to complain; that complaint goes to C.E.O.; addressed from there with the homeowner as the responsible party.
Mrs. Ward asked what would happen to the owner?
Mrs. Emick said that would be up to the C.E.O. She said like Mrs. Ortman stated, it is a start to try and eliminate some of these issues.
Mr. Groth said he owns 3638 & 3640 Watson Rd. and rents out his lakefront cottage. He said this legislation is simply keeping the good owners/renters honest and will help find those that are not. He said his neighbor rents through Airbnb, but he has her phone number and if it is late and renters are a little too “busy”, he calls, wakes her up, and things quieten down very fast. He said that information will be available with this law and as far as parking goes; that is a police issue.
Mrs. Emick said it is also the homeowner’s responsibility to indicate how many parking spaces there are.
Mr. Yates asked Mr. Ward how many homes in his area are rentals.
Mr. Ward said on his block there is one Airbnb rental. He said someone had reported her and she is no longer renting it. He said if this new law is passed she will rent it again.
Mrs. Ward said there are at least 9 rentals in the Quigley Park area.
There was further general discussion and Mr. Ward asked if this law is passed and there are ongoing problems, could the law be amended.
Mr. Yates said if the law is approved in Resolution tonight, it will absolutely have to be amended as there are just too many gray areas in it and enforcement is a huge issue. He said this is a start, maybe not a perfect one, but a start.
Mrs. Ward asked if Mr. Lawson, C.E.O. has any type of form that could be used for inspection of rentals for compliance.
Mr. Lawson said not at this time. He said if someone comes in to get a permit to rent, it may be possible to have a form that allows him to inspect the home.
Mr. McNeill compared the law to a new game where there aren’t any rules. He said we are trying to establish the rules and need the public’s input to do so.
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There was discussion of the Zoning Board of Appeals authority in addressing violations.
Mr. Yates asked Mr. Lawson how long the Planning Board had worked on this law.
Mr. Lawson said over a year.
Mr. Yates said he feels there is more room for discussion and he does not feel comfortable in making a decision yet. He said he thinks the Planning Board may be the way to go with this.
Mr. Lawson said it may be appropriate for the Planning Board to hold the next Public Hearing on the subject.
- MOTION # OF 79 2020
- SENA MOTIONED THAT THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY TAKE LEAD AGENCY STATUS ON THE SEQR FOR PROPOSED LOCAL LAW #1-2020 TRANSIENT/COMMERCIAL USE OF DWELLING UNITS. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- SEQR – TRANSIENT/COMMERCIAL USE OF DWELLING UNITS
Mr. Sena requested that the attorney review the Short EAF in its entirety.
Mr. Robbins reviewed Part I & II of the Short EAF with those present.
- MOTION # 80 OF 2020
- SENA MOTIONED FOR A NEGATIVE DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SEQR ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW #1-2020 TRANSIENT/COMMERCIAL USE OF DWELLING UNITS. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 81 OF 2020
- SENA MOTIONED TO TABLE ACTION AT THIS TIME ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW #1-2020 TRANSIENT/COMMERCIAL USE OF DWELLING UNITS AND REFER THE MATTER TO THE PLANNING BOARD FOR FURTHER REVIEW. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. A ROLL CALL VOTE WAS TAKEN. MR. YATES (YES); MR. MCNEILL (YES);
MRS. ORTMAN (YES); MR. SENA (NO). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED (YES – 3) (NO – 1).
- MOTION # 82 OF 2020
ON A MOTION MADE BY MR. SENA, SECONDED BY MR. MCNEILL, AND NONE BEING OPPOSED, THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS BRIEFLY ADJOURNED AT 7:30 PM.
Nancy Thomas
Town Clerk
TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
TOWN BOARD MEETING
MONDAY, 9/14/20 7:00 PM
ROBERT YATES, SUPERVISOR PRESENT
DICK SENA, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
DUNCAN MCNEILL, COUNCILMAN PRESENT
LOUISE ORTMAN, COUNCILWOMAN PRESENT
STEVE SENSKE, COUNCILMAN ABSENT
OTHERS PRESENT: John & Beth Ward; David Groth; Clayton & Helen Emick; Anne Golley, Assessor; Pierre Chagnon, Legislator; Robin Miller, Bookkeeper; Brad Lawson, Zoning C.E.O.; Howard Peacock, Justice; Dan Strickland, Highway Superintendent; Nancy Thomas, Town Clerk
Mr. Yates brought the meeting to order at 7:40 PM.
- MINUTES: 8/10/20 & 8/24/20 (SPECIAL MTG.)
- MOTION # 83 OF 2020
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE 8/10/20 AND 8/24/20 TOWN BOARD MEETING AS PRESENTED BY THE CLERK. MR. SENA SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- PUBLIC COMMENT:
- ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- BUILDING UPDATE
Mr. Yates said we are delayed on our inspection for the punch list. He said they are shooting for the end of the month, but even with some setbacks, everything is looking pretty good.
- HARMONY HISTORICAL SOCIETY – YARD SALE / QUILT RAFFLE SAT. 9/17/20
Mrs. Thomas said the Historical Society will not hold their annual Fall Festival this year due to Covid. They will hold a socially distanced one-day yard sale at the grounds on Saturday 9/17/20. She said the Panama Fire Department will do a pick up chicken BBQ and 3 beautiful quilts will be raffled off.
- CORRESPONDENCE: The following correspondence has been received by the Supervisor and is available for review:
- Assessor – July Property Transfers – Assessed value $384,700; Sale price $452,500 (inc. +$67,800)
- OLD BUSINESS:
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- Hadley Bay – Muck issue
Mr. Yates said even if the Army Corps of Engineers gave permission we would not be doing anything this year as it is the end of the season. He said the Corps states that currently the property slated to be turned into a permanent buffer is now categorized as a wetland and they don’t want it disturbed. He said they did indicate that if town wants to dig it all out and remove it to another location it would be alright. He said according to them he cannot disturb a wetland, but he can remove it. He said we will put the issue aside for now and hopefully in the Spring they can go in with mobi-trac’s and clean up what they can.
- Water District Study
Mr. Yates said there is nothing new on the Water District Study at this time.
- New Town Building – Stay with BAN or seek Statutory Bond at fixed interest rate
Mr. Yates said he believes the town has agreed to stay with the BAN. He asked if a motion needs to be made.
Mr. Robbins said the town has already done that for this year, but there is legislation signed into effect by Governor Cuomo allowing the use of a 7-year payment period going forward (current BAN is 5 year). He said that extension could be done next year if the board wants to review and consider it.
- Logging at Town Properties Butts Park and Town Gravel Pit
Mr. Yates said the logging has started at Butts Park and they will be moving on to the Gravel Pit on CR 33 soon. He asked Mr. Sena if he would be able to check on things once in a while.
Mr. Sena they have brought in equipment and he is not sure if they are in the process of cutting or cleaning up.
Mr. Strickland agreed to keep an eye out for any road damage.
- NEW BUSINESS:
- SUNRISE COVE SEWER
Mr. Yates said over the weekend the Sunrise Cove sewer plugged up and the BPU had been there all of Saturday, Sunday and today digging holes to try and locate the plugged area. He said this is the effect of a poorly planned sewer and it is costly. He said it will be resolved and the town will probably have to front the funds for the repairs until such time as a means of funding by the users in the district can be implemented (i.e. billed directly or a line item in taxes).
- NYMIR – Offering free Sexual Harassment Training Course
Mr. Yates said all employees of the town would participate in this course for their required annual training. He said a date and time where all employees can be present would need to be established. He said this will include the Highway. He said this could probably be done on a weekend.
There was discussion between Mr. Strickland and Mr. Yates regarding Highway employees. Mr. Strickland said he would prefer to do it during working hours.
Mrs. Miller said she would be willing to go to the highway building and give the class.
Mrs. Thomas said our current certification expires at the end of October.
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- CHAUTAUQUA LAKE & WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ALLIANCE – 2020-2021 Consolidated Local Funding Grant Application –SUBMISSION DEADLINE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 by 4 PM ET
Mr. Yates said the town can make 2 applications for grant funding: 1) in lake (herbicide treatment) and 2) Watershed. He said he has been working with the Watershed and Eco Strategies has been doing a lot of preliminary work on Ball Creek. Primary locations of erosion issues are Tri-James property, Castor Well Drilling, and just below the Town Building by the County Road. He said he has put together a plan to try and stop the erosion which will not only help the County Road and 2 property owners, but will also make a significant difference in the silt loading to the lake. He said Eco Strategies already has a loading chart report study which can be included with the application. He asked for a volunteer who would be willing to work with the CLP’s Mary Hutchison to submit an application for herbicide treatment. He said he had spoken to Mr. Senske and he indicated Mr. Sena might be interested in doing that application.
Mr. Sena said on a limited basis as he is still way behind in his work schedule due to Covid. He said between he and Mr. Senske they could probably do that.
Mr. Yates said he would contact Ms. Hutchison and give her Mr. Sena’s and Mr. Senske’s information so she could contact them.
Mr. Sena said the Ball Creek issue is also on I-86 and indicated there is a crater or erosion on the ditch in front of his house and the Mitchell house. He said although he has spoken to the engineers they have only done some stone work, but there is a lot of silt washing down there.
- MOTION # 84 OF 2020
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE THE TOWN TO SEEK GRANT FUNDING THROUGH THE CHAUTAUQUA LAKE AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ALLIANCE CONSOLIDATED LOCAL FUNDING GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS:
1) HERBICIDE TREATMENT THROUGH THE CLP
2) BALL CREEK WATERSHED EROSION
MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- TRANSFER STATION – BEICHNER WASTE
Mr. Yates said he had spoken to Mr. Beichner regarding the transfer station contract and they have indicated they have no interest in renewing the towns contract for 2021. He said we will have to seek other contractors through the bid process. Their contract expires 12/31/2020.
- COURT – Requesting authorization to engage PAY.GOV for online court payments
Mr. Yates said Mrs. Zimmer has requested this in an effort to streamline the process and assist with the collection of fines.
Mr. Peacock said Mrs. Zimmer has researched this for almost a year and he supports this action.
Mr. Sena said Mrs. Zimmer outlined it well and the information indicates that there are no costs to the town with the PAY.GOV program and they are responsible for all charge backs.
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- MOTION # 85 OF 2020
- SENA MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE THE COURT TO ENGAGE PAY.GOV FOR ONLINE PAYMENTS TO THE COURT. MR. MCNEILL SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- TOWN CLERK – Request that Town adopt Model Resolution for new Retention and Disposition Schedule for NY Local Government Records (LGS-1): replaces MU-1
Mrs. Thomas said the State has developed a new records retention schedule which guides the retention and destruction of all records. She said we need to adopt the schedule by 1/1/2021.
- MOTION/RESOLUTION # 86 OF 2020
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO ADOPT THE NEW RETENTION AND DISPOSITION SCHEDULE FOR NEW YORK LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS (LGS-1) EFFECTIVE 9/14/2020. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
RESOLVED, By the ___TOWN BOARD___ of ___THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY __ that Retention and Disposition Schedule for New York Local Government Records (LGS-1), issued pursuant to Article 57-A of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, and containing legal minimum retention periods for local government records, is hereby adopted for use by all officers in legally disposing of valueless records listed therein.
FURTHER RESOLVED, that in accordance with Article 57-A:
(a) only those records will be disposed of that are described in Retention and Disposition Schedule for New York Local Government Records (LGS-1), after they have met the minimum retention periods described therein;
(b) only those records will be disposed of that do not have sufficient administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical value to merit retention beyond established legal minimum periods.
- REPORTS:
PIERRE CHAGNON, LEGISLATOR
Mr. Chagnon said the following occurred at the August Legislature meeting:
Mr. Chagnon said in regard to the towns earlier public hearing; the county has been negotiating for over a year with Airbnb to try and get them to collect the Occupancy Tax directly when bookings are made and transmit it to the County. He said they signed the contract last Friday. This will begin on 10/1/20.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the County previously extended the 2020 tax foreclosure redemption date from April 15 to August 7, 2020, in order to afford additional time for property owners to reacquire their foreclosed property prior to the auction, and with the expectation that the County’s annual tax foreclosure auction would be held in late September. As a result of several COVID-19 impacts on legal foreclosure procedures and the logistics of holding a public auction, it will not be feasible to complete the tax foreclosure and hold an auction in late September. So we further extended the 2020 tax foreclosure redemption date to correspond to the 2021 tax foreclosure redemption date of April 15, 2021, so that a combined 2020 and 2021 tax foreclosure auction can be held in June 2021.
Big Inlet Brewing and Chautauqua Marina were recognized for demonstrating exemplary customer service and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The businesses were recognized through the Chautauqua
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County Hospitality Business Recognition Program, which allows the public to nominate tourism or hospitality businesses in Chautauqua County who they believe have done a great job of balancing their customer service and product delivery with customer and employee safety. The program is made possible through the collaboration of Chautauqua County, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, and Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau.
We adopted a Motion Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Passage and Ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Congress passed the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920 to declare, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex”. The women’s suffrage movement has its origins in New York State at the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, the first women’s rights convention ever held in the United States. The Chautauqua County Legislature honors the role of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in further promoting the core values of our democracy as promised by the Constitution, and we reaffirm the desire of counties to continue strengthening democratic participation and to inspire future generations to cherish and preserve this historic precedent.
ANNE GOLLEY, ASSESSOR
Mrs. Golley said in September the office has been fielding calls and walk-ins regarding the school tax bills. She said they have been providing apportionments to the school tax collector when property owners split their parcels. The office is keeping in contact with Brad Lawson, C.E.O. so they can process and pull the building permits for reassessment for construction or demolition purposes.
HOWARD PEACOCK, JUSTICE
Mr. Peacock read the following report into the record.
COURT REPORT FOR MONTH OF AUGUST 2020 September 14, 2020
$29,643.00 in fines, fees, and surcharges was collected by the Court and given to the Town of North Harmony CFO for the court cases reported to the NYS Comptroller for August 2020. We opened 316 new cases and closed 191 cases.
The court is also asking that the board make a motion to allow us to offer online payments as an available option for paying fines. Here is a brief summary of what we are looking at:
GovPayNet (soon to be AllPaid) works specifically with government agencies to allow us to take debit/credit card payments and echeck payments from our defendants at NO COST to the Town. Defendants will pay the fee if they choose to use debit/credit or echeck and will clearly see the fee charged before continuing with the payment.
Once approved, we can be ready to accept online payments in about 21 days after we return the signed agreement. We can withdraw at any time with a 30-day written notice.
All payments are guaranteed. We will not be responsible for any chargebacks (this is a HUGE benefit, as fighting chargebacks takes up a lot of time).
They provide training via webinar and provide links for placement on our website or the defendants can go directly to GovPayNet’s website.
A report will be emailed to Katie daily with the prior day’s activities. She will have until 3pm to accept, adjust or delete payments. This is another huge benefit, as on occasion defendants do not pay the correct amount. Refunding an overpayment takes up an enormous amount of time & the refund check
never usually gets cashed. This option allows for us to adjust to the correct amount without having to issue a refund.
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At 3:30, the collection of fines will then be pushed through to the Judge’s checking account as an ACH. There will also be a monthly report emailed with the month’s transactions.
We are hoping this option for paying will help on a number of fronts, such as reducing foot traffic into the court, a quicker turnaround time on receiving payments, reduction in our daily mail and to just make paying a fine a little simpler/easier for people.
Respectfully Submitted, Katie A Zimmer Court Clerk September 10, 2020
Action taken on this under New Business, Motion #85-2020
Mr. Peacock said the numbers are starting to go up a little. He said on their first night of court they had 160 cases and out of that 50 were scheduled to appear and the rest pled by mail. He said out of the 50 scheduled to appear, 12 showed up. He said he has spoken to a Representative from Garrett regarding a walk through metal detector and they will email the court the specifications for that.
DAN STRICKLAND, HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT.
Mr. Strickland said things are winding down at the highway. He said they still have to blacktop next door. He said they were finished with the drains on Magnolia and were supposed to blacktop today but it was cancelled because the blacktop plant needed all employees on deck and it was rescheduled for Monday.
Mrs. Ortman asked if the highway had any expenses related to the Ferry Project.
Mr. Strickland said the town will bear the cost of repairs to the road ramp that leads to the ferry. He said he had spoken to the County and they are extremely busy, so he agreed the town could do the work.
BRAD LAWSON, ZONING C.E.O. (Copy of Report in Minute Book)
Mr. Lawson reviewed his report for those present. He said the situation on College St. is cleaning up pretty well.
JOHN STOW, D.C.O.
Mr. Yates said that Mr. Stow’s report indicates that he had two calls this month. One for a dog on Spooner Rd. that was taken to the CCHS. He indicated that there was an issue with keys to the holding room. The second call was for a dangerous dog incident which is still unresolved as the owner did not appear in court on his appointment.
Mr. Peacock said the court would send him a letter.
NANCY THOMAS, TOWN CLERK (Copy of Report in Minute Book)
Mrs. Thomas said she had nothing further to add to her written report.
She said the only correspondence was from the BPU stating their intent to send courtesy notices to property owners in the beginning of October advising them of past due charges eligible for re-levy on the 2021 taxes. November 15, 2020 is the final date of payment before re-levy.
- MOTION # 87 OF 2020
- SENA MOTIONED TO ACCEPT THE TOWN CLERKS REPORT FOR AUGUST 2020 AS PRESENTED. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
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ROBERT YATES, SUPERVISOR (Copy of Report in Minute Book)
General Fund Savings Bal. $439,809.67
Capital Fund Checking $ 15,744.33
Capital Fund Savings $355,510.48
All Funds Highway $448,287.72
- MOTION # 88 OF 2020
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO ACCEPT THE SUPERVISOR’S REPORT FOR AUGUST 2020 AS PRESENTED. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 89 OF 2020
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF THE GENERAL FUND VOUCHERS IN THE AMOUNT OF $13,596.16 AS REVIEWED AND AUDITED EARLIER. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 90 OF 2O20
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF THE HIGHWAY FUND VOUCHERS IN THE AMOUNT OF $78,256.73 AS REVIEWED AND AUDITED EARLIER. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 91 OF 2O20
- MCNEILL MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF THE CAPITAL FUND VOUCHERS IN THE AMOUNT OF $93,128.63 AS REVIEWED AND AUDITED EARLIER. MR. SENA SECONDED. YES (4): SENA, MCNEILL, ORTMAN, YATES. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 92 OF 2020
ON A MOTION MADE BY MR. SENA, SECONDED BY MRS. ORTMAN, AND NONE BEING OPPOSED THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 8:20 PM.
Nancy Thomas
Town Clerk