TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
SEQR & PUBLIC HEARING LOCAL LAW SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS
SEQR & PUBLIC HEARING BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS
MONDAY March 14, 2022, 6:00 PM
ROBERT YATES, SUPERVISOR ABSENT
DICK SENA, COUNCIL PRESENT
LOUISE ORTMAN, COUNCIL (absent until 6:55 PM) PRESENT
STEVE SENSKE, COUNCIL PRESENT
MIKE PFEIL, COUNCIL PRESENT
OTHERS PRESENT: Lucas Faria, Galehead Development; Pat Rice, Planning; Dan Thomas; Kelly Johnson, Attorney; Pierre Chagnon, Legislator; Stephanie Gibbs; Ben Karlson, Dep. Highway Sup’t.; Howard Peacock, Justice; Nancy Thomas, Town Clerk
In the absence of Mr. Yates and Mrs. Ortman, Mr. Sena chaired the hearing.
- MOTION # 33-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2-2022 AMENDING SECTION 621 OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY ZONING CODE REGARDING SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS AT 6:05 PM. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (3): SENSKE, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
Mr. Sena asked if anyone wished to speak regarding the proposed Local Law.
Mr. Faria representing Galehead Development said he wished to speak and referenced a letter sent by their attorney Hodgson Russ, on 3/9/22, to the town board (copy appended to the minutes). He said Galehead is a Solar Development company currently working with the owner of the property in question (David Beers Sec. 383.00-2-36, 130.60 acres in the AR District located on land bordering Butts, Open Meadows, and Spooner Roads) and they are trying to develop a large-scale solar project there. He said there are 3 criteria when looking at new projects: 1) land opportunities 2) financials of the project 3) interconnection feasibility. He said the location was chosen because of the ability to connect to the utility infrastructure and availability of land. He spoke at length about his company and their goals and provided maps for the board. He said when his company had first applied for their project with the town using those 3 criteria, the land was within approved zoning for solar but since then there has been a moratorium and the new proposed law prohibits solar in the AR District.
Mr. Sena said he had attended the Planning Board meetings at which Galehead’s plans were introduced.
Mr. Rice said our zoning has not changed for that property district and that solar has always been prohibited in the AR District.
Mr. Pfeil said Mr. Faria had stated that his company had applied for their project earlier in this meeting but there has been no written application to the town.
Mr. Faria said the application he mentioned was the interconnection with the utility company.
Mr. Rice said Galehead had come to about 2 Planning Board meetings prior to this hearing.
Mr. Faria said Galehead had previously met with Mr. Lawson as well and their attorney Hodgson Russ had communicated with the town regarding the project.
Mr. Sena stated he had been at the November meeting attended by Mr. Faria’s colleague, and it had been made clear that this type of solar was not allowed in the AR district. He said there was further discussion between the parties at this meeting.
Mr. Faria asked if the town might consider creating an overlay district over the areas which have robust utility infrastructure that way targeting could be more intentional.
Mr. Senske asked if this is just a financial impact decision for Galehead.
Mr. Faria said yes, in the respect that they have already invested in the project as outlined in the letter from Hodgson Russ.
Mr. Faria referenced the letter from Hodgson Russ and stated that one alternative to developing solar in NY would be to apply for transmission lines which would involve a larger scale solar project (anything above 20 MW – requiring about 100 acres). He said the town would still be involved but the main permitting authority would be the State. He said they would prefer to work with the town rather than going the other route.
- MOTION # 34-2022
MR. SENA MOTIONED TO ADJOURN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2-2022 AMENDING SECTION 621 OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY ZONING CODE REGARDING SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS AT 6:45 PM. MR. SENSKE SECONDED. YES (3): SENSKE, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- SEQR – LOCAL LAW SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS
- MOTION # 35-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED THAT THE TOWN BOARD TAKE LEAD AGENCY STATUS ON THE SEQR FOR PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2-2022 AMENDING SECTION 621 OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY ZONING CODE REGARDING SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS AND OPENED THE HEARING AT 6:46 PM. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (3): SENSKE, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- SEQR PART I, II & III
Mr. Sena reviewed the Full Environmental Assessment Form Part I – Project & Setting; Part II – Identification of Potential Project Impacts; and Part III – Evaluation of the Magnitude and Importance of Project Impacts and Determination of Significance in its entirety. He noted since this is a local law there is no specific project identified. He asked if there were any questions.
Mr. Sena said based on review of the SEQR this project will result in no significant adverse impacts on the environment, and, therefore, an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.
- MOTION # 36-2022
MR. PFEIL MOTIONED FOR A NEGATIVE DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE SEQR FOR PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2-2022 AMENDING SECTION 621 OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY ZONING CODE REGARDING SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS. MR. SENSKE SECONDED. YES (3): SENSKE, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
Mrs. Ortman joined the board at 6:55 PM.
- MOTION # 37-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO CLOSE THE SEQR HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2-2022 SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS AT 6:56 PM. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
6:30 PM – SEQR & PUBLIC HEARING – BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW
- MOTION # 38-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW #3-2022 – TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW AT 6:57 PM. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
Mr. Sena asked if anyone wished to speak regarding the proposed law. He said basically this is a new law to address regulations and safety procedures related to solar systems and battery energy storage.
- MOTION # 39-2022
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW #3-2022 – TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW AT 6:58 PM. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- SEQR – LOCAL LAW BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
- MOTION # 40-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED THAT THE TOWN BOARD TAKE LEAD AGENCY STATUS ON THE SEQR FOR PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 3-2022 TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW AND OPENED THE HEARING AT 6:59 PM. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- SEQR PART I, II & III
Mr. Sena reviewed the Full Environmental Assessment Form Part I – Project & Setting; Part II – Identification of Potential Project Impacts; and Part III – Evaluation of the Magnitude and Importance of Project Impacts and Determination of Significance in its entirety.
Mr. Sena said based on review of the SEQR this project will result in no significant adverse impacts on the environment, and, therefore, an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.
- MOTION # 41-2022
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED FOR A NEGATIVE DECLARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON THE SEQR FOR PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 3-2022 TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW. MR. SENSKE SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 42-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO CLOSE THE SEQR HEARING ON PROPOSED LOCAL LAW 2-2022 SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS AT 7:18 PM. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
TOWN BOARD MEETING
MONDAY March 14, 2022, 7:00 PM
ROBERT YATES, SUPERVISOR ABSENT
DICK SENA, COUNCIL PRESENT
LOUISE ORTMAN, COUNCIL (absent until 6:55 PM) PRESENT
STEVE SENSKE, COUNCIL PRESENT
MIKE PFEIL, COUNCIL PRESENT
OTHERS PRESENT: Lucas Faria, Galehead Development; Pat Rice, Planning; Dan Thomas; Kelly Johnson, Attorney; Pierre Chagnon, Legislator; Stephanie Gibbs; Ben Karlson, Dep. Highway Sup’t.; Howard Peacock, Justice; Nancy Thomas, Town Clerk
Mr. Sena brought the meeting to order at 7:19 PM.
- PLEDGE & MOMENT OF SILENCE
- MINUTES: 2/14/2022
- MOTION # 43-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE 2/14/2022 TOWN BOARD MEETING AS PRESENTED BY THE TOWN CLERK. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- GRIEVANCE DAY WILL BE WEDNESDAY 5/25/22 AT TOWN OF CHAUTAUQUA
- PUBLIC COMMENT:
- EARL JOHNSON, REALTOR – RE OLD AFD TRAINING CENTER BUILDING
Mr. Johnson said he is here on behalf of Pete and Karen Peeden who are interested in purchasing the referenced building to use as offices for their business Citadel Supply. He said there is no outside storage planned and noted they worked on the heating for the new town building. He asked if the board would consider referring this to the Planning Board.
Mr. Sena said there has been discussion on uses for that building for a long time. He said some the uses requested just didn’t apply, but recently the Planning Board had discussed that professional offices might be a good fit. He noted that his company works with Citadel, and he feels they are reputable.
Mr. Senske asked if offices is an allowed use in the C1-A District and if Mr. Johnson has spoken to anyone about this.
Mr. Johnson said he had spoken to Mr. Lawson about it.
After further discussion it was decided that the Peeden’s should make a presentation at the next Planning Board meeting on 4/12/22. Peeden’s should provide hours of operation; deliveries; impact on residential neighborhood; planned improvements, etc.
Mr. Faria asked if it would be possible for Galehead to attend the next PB meeting and present a similar package regarding their project.
Mr. Sena said certainly.
- CORRESPONDENCE:
The following correspondence has been received by the Town of North Harmony and is available for review at the offices:
- ASSESSOR – JANUARY PROPERTY TRANSFERS – A/V $104,000; S/P $116,000 (+12,000)
- OLD BUSINESS:
Mr. Sena said he and Mr. Yates have completed the Court Audit.
- MOTION # 44-2022
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED FOR A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION TO THE AUDIT OF THE 2021 JUSTICE COURT BOOKS. FURTHER NOTING THAT THE RECORDS HAVE BEEN DULY EXAMINED AND THAT THE FINES THEREIN COLLECTED HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER TO THE SUPERVISOR OF THE TOWN AS REQUIRED BY LAW. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- TRANSFER STATION – 2021 Annual Report of Operations has been filed with the DEC by Beichner Waste Management
- NEW BUILDING REPAIRS
- Sullivan Electrical – Cost on putting in heat tape on north side gutters
Mr. Sena said this is probably needed because of ice buildup on the north side and we will be asking
for a quote on that.
- Court Room – Black Walnut Veneer repairs
Mr. Sena said the adhesive on the black walnut veneer in the court room is peeling off. He said we are in the process of working this out with the builder as a warranty issue.
- RESOLUTION FOR SALE MONEY FROM THE OLD TOWN BUILDING TO BE USED TO PAY DEPT ON THE NEW TOWN BUILDING
- MOTION # 45-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED FOR A RESOLUTION OF INTENT TO USE $105,783.40 REALIZED FROM THE SALE OF TOWN PROPERTY LOCATED AT 3445 OLD BRIDGE ROAD TO PAY DOWN THE DEBT ON THE NEW TOWN OFFICES. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- CHAUTAUQUA UTILITIES – New gas supplier for Town Buildings – A price of $4600.00 for road push and all materials
Mr. Sena said the board had discussed concerns about our gas supplier at the Highway Building at a previous meeting. The current supplier, PPP Future Development are in financial straits and are not reliable. He said he believed Mr. Yates thought that Northrup would do the road push for the highway gas line at no charge but that will not occur. He said Chautauqua Utilities is asking $4,600 to do the push.
Mr. Pfeil said his understanding is that the $4,600 is just the materials for the push.
TOWN BOARD
3/14/2022 (Pg. 6)
Mr. Sena said we have nothing in writing from the utility and this should be looked at under the procurement policy as to whether it needs to go to bid. He said this should be tabled until we receive documentation from the utility as to costs.
There was general discussion that we have no written contract with PPP and they have threatened to shut off gas.
Mr. Senske noted that we have received a bill for gas this month from PPP.
There was general discussion that we have no written contract with PPP and they have threatened to shut off gas.
Mr. Pfeil said we should authorize the supervisor to request verbal proposals. He said this should be done for timing concerns.
There was discussion of who pays for the pipe from the road push to the structure and who pays for the road push pipe. There was also discussion that we should have something in writing on the costs before going forward. There was also discussion of PPP’s responsibility to remove the brine tanks at the Highway building and legalities involved in turning off gas supply to a customer.
- MOTION # 46 OF 2022
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERVISOR TO REQUEST PROPOSALS (VERBAL OR WRITTEN) FOR A ROAD PUSH TO CONNECT GAS LINES TO THE HIGHWAY BUILDING. MR. SENSKE SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- NEW BUSINESS:
- HIRE BAHGAT & LAURITO-BAHGAT AT $125.00/HR – ARPA FUNDS
Mr. Sena said he and Mr. Yates had discussed at length the ARPA Funds and the paperwork process. Mr. Yates indicated that every municipality he had spoken with had hired a professional to navigate the process and make sure that when funds are spent, they are properly documented and approved actions. He said Bahgat & Laurito-Bahgat seem to be the accounting firm that is being most used in this process at a cost of $125/hr. which can be charged to the ARPA fund.
- MOTION # 47-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERVISOR TO CONTRACT WITH BAHGAT & LAURITO-BAHGAT AT A COST OF $125/HR TO NAVIGATE APPLICATION AND SUBMITTAL FOR ARPA FUND EXPENDITURES ON BEHALF OF THE TOWN. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- RFP FOR ENGINEERING – PHASE 2 BALL CREEK STABILIZATION PROJECT
Mr. Sena said we had received two responses to the request for proposal and both were in line with requirements:
- WMB Geologic Engineering Services $21,500.00
- EcoStrategies $18,000.00
He said EcoStrategies had worked on Phase I of the project and their bid is the lowest.
MOTION # 48-2022
MR. PFEIL MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE THE SUPERVISOR TO CONTRACT WITH ECOSTRATEGIES FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES ON PHASE 2 OF THE BALL CREEK STABILIZATION PROJECT AT $18,000.00. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- LOCAL LAW #2-2022 – A LOCAL LAW AMENDING SECTION 621 OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY ZONING CODE REGARDING SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS
- MOTION # 49-2022
- MR. PFEIL MOTIONED TO ADOPT LOCAL LAW #2-2022 – A LOCAL LAW AMENDING SECTION 621 OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY ZONING CODE REGARDING SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED.
Discussion:
Mr. Senske asked Mrs. Johnson for clarification of the letter sent by Hodgson Russ on behalf of Galehead Solar and if it is a threat.
Mrs. Johnson said yes, it is a threat. She said basically they are saying change your zoning for our spot or we will go over your head to the state and put in something much larger.
Mr. Sena said at the Planning Board meeting that is what Mr. Rice and Mr. Lawson understood.
Mr. Senske said in the letter they stated that the town is removing the AR as a permitted district for solar.
It was noted that is not true and Galehead has never requested a permit for their project.
Mrs. Johnson said that is correct. She said their threat does have weight but is not accurate. She said the town is in a difficult position because they do want to comply with the state but also want to protect its residents and residential areas are what is being targeted instead of less impactful areas. She said she and Mr. Robbins have discussed this at length and would suggest if it is carried further the town might want to hire outside council because it is so specific and will be contentious. She said the Planning Board has been working on this law diligently for months to make sure this is in the towns best interest.
Mr. Sena said everyone, had advised Galehead from the outset that the project location is in the AR District and not allowed. He said they propose to clear cut 35 acres on a steep hillside that drains right into Goose Creek.
YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- LOCAL LAW #3-2022 – BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW
- MOTION # 50-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO ADOPT LOCAL LAW #3-2022 – BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE LAW. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
Mrs. Johnson said there will be amendments coming because NYS has already changed some of the regulations though not enough to impact adopting the law at this time.
- OPEN DISCUSSION ON SPENDING OPTIONS USING ARPA FUNDS
Mr. Sena said Mr. Yates wanted the board to discuss ways to use ARPA funds. Ideas suggested are:
Expanding Broadband
Water lines for Ashville
Purchase a new truck for the Highway
Assist low-income residents to hook into Phase 1 of the sewer extension
Engineering study for remaining extension of water lines in North Harmony
Engage grant writer to assist in application for water extension
Funding for Lake Maintenance
Assistance to Local Small Businesses affected by the pandemic
Mr. Chagnon and the board discussed creation of a county water district which would require portions of at least 2 towns. It was discussed that Town of Chautauqua had received $2,000,000 to address the water issue in their town, but there is still interest in lines from North Harmony up to the Institution.
Mr. Pfeil said to extend water in North Harmony we would have to do an engineering study and have it completed before any grant funds could be applied for.
Mr. Chagnon agreed and said there is a lot of grant money becoming available for drinking water. He said the Federal infrastructure funds are supplementing the states Clean Water Revolving Funds for sewer and drinking water.
Mr. Pfeil said he feels the truck for the Highway is also a good idea. He said we have an ageing fleet and Mr. Karlson is putting together a 5-year plan to address this.
Mrs. Ortman said Mr. Yates had spoken to someone about this and the truck might be a stretch because the funds are for infrastructure and losses due to Covid.
There was discussion that the County and Jamestown seems to be spending a great deal of ARPA funding on equipment and vehicles.
Mr. Chagnon said one of the criteria used for the expenditure of ARPA funds is lost revenue and that may impact where the funds can be expended at the county level.
Mr. Senske suggested some of the funding might be used for the lake (i.e., herbicides; more weed cutting; etc.).
- DICK SENA – SNOW TOTALS – 3/14/22 Current total 147 ¼ inches (last year 117”)
- REPORTS:
PIERRE CHAGNON, LEGISLATOR
Mr. Chagnon said the following occurred at the February Legislature meeting:
We received an inspiring State of the County address from County Executive Wendel.
- He highlighted the 2021 challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic
- The Chautauqua County Health Department held 173 COVID-19 vaccine clinics and administered over 40,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to homebound residents, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, senior housing complexes, senior day centers, and centers for persons with developmental disabilities.
- Throughout 2021, the county partnered with community organizations and schools to conduct 9,586 COVID-19 tests.
- The Office of Emergency Services distributed over 40,000 at home COVID-19 test kits, over 48,000 KN95 facemasks, and over 10,000 cloth facemasks.
Because of successful budgeting for 2021 and a strong economic recovery, we contributed over $8.5 million to the fund balance bringing it to 10% of revenues, comfortably in the middle of our Finance Policy range of 5 to 15%.
He highlighted economic development activities resulting in $164 million of new capital investments creating 314 new jobs and retaining 1,750 existing jobs. We ended 2021 with
the lowest unemployment rate since the 1990’s. But he acknowledged the work still to be done to address the continuing trend of population decline.
- He reviewed numerous County infrastructure projects begun in 2021, including the South & Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer Districts’ Westside Sewer Extension project.
- And he discussed the on-going efforts of re-imagining County government, including the hiring of a Safety Coordinator and a full-time Airport Manager, establishing a telework policy, rebranding of the CARTS transportation system, and the restructuring of the Finance Department and the Department of Public facilities.
- He ended by reviewing the three pillars of his strategy going forward: Strengthening communities, Growing our economy, and Investing in our future.
HOWARD PEACOCK, JUSTICE
Mr. Peacock read the following report into the record:
COURT REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2022
March 14, 2022, Board Meeting
For the month of February:
$45,564.50 in fines, fees, and surcharges was collected by the Court and was given to the Town of North Harmony CFO for the court cases reported to the NYS Comptroller for February 2022. We opened 165 new cases and closed 317 cases.
Katie A. Zimmer, Court Clerk
March 7, 2022
Mr. Peacock said he had spoken to Judge Markey, Unified Court System Supervisor, who was enquiring about the North Harmony/Harmony Court merger. He said he had told him that our Attorneys were working on it. He said Judge Markey indicated that they have no interest in how it is accomplished as long as they receive some type of written notification to place in their file.
Mr. Pfeil asked if that needs to be done by public referendum.
Mrs. Johnson said there is not a lot of information on merging courts. She said they have spoken to Judge Markey also and he gave them a pamphlet and told them to look at other courts that have gone that route for guidance.
Mr. Thomas said 4 towns in our area have recently merged; Mina, Sherman, Finley Lake, and French Creek all have court in Mina now and they would be a good resource for information.
Mr. Sena thanked Mrs. Zimmer for her help with the audit.
Mr. Peacock noted that the court is almost caught up with the backlog from COVID.
BEN KARLSON, DEPUTY HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT
Mr. Karlson said the highway has been upgrading to LED lights in the cold storage building. He said Mr. Mayr had done some hydraulic repairs to the backhoe. He said Mr. Mayr had requested a fleet maintenance program and they have been testing a Samsara program on Truck #10 and #15 for the last 3-4 months. He said Mr. Mayr is familiar with this program and has agreed to set up 7 units to share between
vehicles during the seasons and maintain the system. He said the program helps manage vehicle maintenance needs and costs, parts costs, diagnostics, etc. He asked the board for authorization to enter into a 2-year contract with Samsara at a cost of $1,700/yr. for the program. He said he does have a copy of the contract.
Mr. Pfeil said we are trying to build a 5-year plan for maintenance and replacement of vehicles and this program will be very useful. He asked if information from the program can be downloaded as an Excel spreadsheet.
Mr. Karlson said he did not believe it could.
MOTION #51-2022
MR. PFEIL MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPUTY HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT TO EXECUTE THE FLEET MAINTENANCE CONTRACT FOR 2 YEARS WITH SAMSARA AT A COST OF $1,700/YR. MRS. ORTMAN SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
Mr. Karlson said there are 3 vouchers that he is questioning with S&W for repairs to the fuel pumps.
He asked if when they are finalized the board would allow them to be paid. The board agreed that they would sign off on the vouchers for payment once they are finalized.
BRAD LAWSON, ZONING C.E.O. (Copy of Report in Minute Book)
Mr. Lawson was unable to attend the meeting, but his report is entered in the minute book.
ANNE GOLLEY, ASSESSOR
TOWN OF NORTH HARMONY
ASSESSOR’S REPORT
March 2022
Work continues for the valuation for new construction and demolition. All properties will be valued for the May release of the new assessments.
The appropriate legal notice for assessment inventory required by the State of New York Real Property Tax Law was filed with the Post Journal for publication on March 1, 2022.
Grievance Day for the 2022 assessment roll will be Wednesday, May 25th by appointment at the Town of Chautauqua.
As always, thank you for your continued support of the Assessor’s Office.
JOHN STOW, DCO
I had one phone call this month for a coyote on a milk house roof, acting strange and missing a bunch of fur, itching a lot. I called the DEC for the lady and asked them to investigate.
NANCY THOMAS, TOWN CLERK (Copy of Report in Minute Book)
Mrs. Thomas gave a report on 2022 Tax Collection. She said of the Warrant amount of $3,818,289.50, we have collected $3,470,038.93, with an unpaid amount outstanding of $350,958.96 (or 9.19%). She asked the board to authorize Mrs. Gibbs attendance at the NYSTCA Annual Educational Conference in Albany at a cost of approximately $600.00.
MOTION # 52-2022
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE STEPHANIE GIBBS TO ATTEND THE NEW YORK STATE TOWN CLERKS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN ALBANY 4/24-27/2022. MR. SENSKE SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 53-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO ACCEPT THE TOWN CLERKS FEBRUARY 2022 REPORT AS PRESENTED. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
ROBERT YATES, SUPERVISOR (Copy of Report in Minute Book)
- MOTION # 54-2022
MR. SENSKE MOTIONED TO ACCEPT THE SUPERVISORS FEBRUARY 2022 REPORT AS PRESENTED. MR. PFEIL SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 55-2022
MRS. ORTMAN MOTIONED TO AUTHORIZE PAYMENT OF THE FOLLOWING VOUCHERS AS REVIEWED AND AUDITED EARLIER:
GENERAL FUND $66,044.25
HIGHWAY FUND $24,055.26
MR. SENSKE SECONDED. YES (4): SENSKE, ORTMAN, PFEIL, SENA. NO (0). THE MOTION WAS CARRIED.
- MOTION # 56-2022
ON A MOTION MADE BY MR. PFEIL, SECONDED BY MR. SENSKE, AND NONE BEING OPPOSED THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 8:45 PM.
Nancy Thomas
Town Clerk
