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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-10/02/1990103 SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD October 2, 1990 A Special Meeting of the Southold Town Board was called to order by Supervisor Scott L. Harris at 10:00 A.M., Tuesday, October 2, 1990, at the Southold Town Hall, Main Road, Southold, New York. Present: Absent: Supervisor Scott L. Harris Councilman George L. Penny IV Councilwoman Ruth D. Oliva Councilwoman Ellen M. Latson Councilman Thomas H. Wickham Town Clerk Judith T. Terry Justice Raymond W. Edwards Town Clerk Terry formally presented the 199.1 Tentative Budget of the Town of Southold to the Town Board. Supervisor Harris then read his 1991 Budget Message. SUPERVISOR HARRIS: The Town of Southold has enjoyed its 350th Anniversary with celebrations and festivities reflecting on its heritage. Part of that heritage is providing varied and beneficial services to its people. We have made significant strides in holding the line for expenditures that have occurred. Being confronted in 1990 with a significant budgetary imbalance and ~through prudent fiscal practices, the Town of Southold has been able to keep overall spending limited to the bare essentials. The Town is facing fiscal cut-backs from State and County government. Provided services are now being shifted to local municipalities leaving the Town in a position with having to totally fund these services. As a result of current economic conditions, decreasing revenues have forced implementation of a spending freeze on programs. These decreases are reflected in items such as mortgage tax, State Aid, and Town fee's structure. An additional result is a slower growth in the Town's tax base. Increases in the budget include allowances for items such as the Town's expenditures for lighting (Lilco), gasoline and fuel due to the current situation in the Middle East, which cannot be ignored, while salary increases are by negotiated contracts. Town spending has been limited to 4.06%, less than the rate of inflation. This minimal increase in spending, coupled with anticipated revenue reductions and the 1989 budget deficit carried into 1990, all reflect in a net tax rate increase of 14.5%. This amounts to about $78 per household, based on an average assess- ment. A number of steps had to be implemented and will continue in order to assure that our Town is on sound financial footing, while still being responsive to the concerns of the community. -'~ ' We are proud of the financial accomplishments that we have achieved in a short period of time, and through continued cooperation coupled with needed .~_ services Southold Town taxpayers will ultimately receive continued benefits. At this time, Judy presented the Budgets to the members of the Board, and attached, of course, to the back of it is budgetary stats for your information. So, we'll schedule at some point soon, whatever the Town Board feels, we'll get into budget meetings, deliberating and coming up with a budget. At this point, we'll go to the next two items, that we have on for this meeting today, and we're entertaining two resolutions, which you have in front of you, dealing with Solid Waste Management. Last night, the Solid Waste Management Task Force had a meeting to discuss these two resolutions, and Tom I'll let you take it from this point, and what these resolutions will do for us in the Town. COUNCILMAN WICKHAM: We have two resolutions in front of us, which came out of the last meeting of the Town Board, and the Task Force, when the Task Force met last niqht, as you said. One of the resolutions calls for a public information 1 0 4 OCTOBER 2, 1990 meeting of the Solid Waste Management Plan prepared by our consultants Dvirka and Bartilucci. As you recall at the last Town Board meeting, that plan was officially released to the public at large, and the Plan, and the DGElS, called for a public hearing on the 30th of October. It was our belief, that a public information meeting, proir to the meeting, would help the people of the Town better make a positive contribution during the hearing processes. So, the purpose of the public information meeting is not to take the place of the hearing, but rather to explain, answer questions, and in general, outline what the Solid Waste. Management Plan is all about. That's the purpose, and the date it's proposed for that is the 16th of October. I might add that this particular resolution the Task Force, last night, raised several questions, and we're considering a minor amendment, that would enable us to put in a small authorization, for expenditure of funds to advertise for it, to prepare some visual aids for it, and I believe it would be a few hundred dollars. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: It would be $342.00 in ~he Suffolk Times for a full page, and The Traveler would be $455.00 for a half of page. We would have to get the copy into them by this Thursday or Friday, and I should call them back later today, authorization to hold that section of the paper. COUNCILMAN WICKHAM: So, this is the information that we received last night, and we'd like to add a clause, that would appropriate up to $900.00 for advertising and preparation of visual aids materials for this public information meeting. The other resolution is a proposal, that we bring to the Board today, that the Board would consider beginning the process of preparing legislation, that would be needed in the event that the Town would do without the Solid Waste Management Plan prepared by our consultants. Now, this all in the future. It still has to go to public hearing, than there's a period of comment. The Town is not prepared to commit itself to this report, and certainly not at this time, but we thought it would be prudent for the Town to begin expertisiously to do the research, and the back- ground, and the legal work, that's required to put in place the ordinances, so they--could be enacted at some future time, in the event the Town should adopt them. That's the purpose of the two resolutions in front of us this morning. SUPERVISOR HARRIS: is there any discussion on each of these resolutions before -entertaining passing them? 1.-Moved by Supervisor Harris, seconded by Councilman Wickham, WHEREAS, the Town of Southold is the Lead Agency under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) for the preparation of a Solid Waste Management Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement; and WHEREAS, a proposed Solid Waste Management Plan/DGEIS has been prepared by the Town's Solid Waste Management consultant; and WHEREAS, by resolution dated September 25, 1990, the Town Board of the Town .- of Southold, after considering the proposed Solid Waste Management Plan/DGEIS with regard to completeness under the requirements of SEQRA, determined that the Solid Waste Management Plan/DGEIS is satisfactory with respect to its scope, content, and adequacy for the purpose of commencing public review; and WHEREAS, the-Town Board further resolved the the proposed Solid Waste Manage- ment Plan/DGEIS be released for public review and comment to appropriate involved agencies and interested agencies; and WHEREAS, the Town Board further resolved that comments on the proposed Solid Waste Management Plan/DGEIS be accepted for consideration by the contact as noted on the Notice of Completion until November 13, 1990 and.set October 30, 1990 from 3 P.M. to 5 P.M. and 7 P.M. to 9 P.M. as the date and time of the public hearing to receive comments on the proposed Solid Waste Management Plan/ DGEIS, as required by SEQRA, and WHEREAS, the Town Board appreciates the importance of the Solid Waste Manage- ment Plan/DGEiS and desires to afford the public an opportunity, in addition the October 30th Public Hearing, to engage in a dialogue concerning issues pertaining to this proposed Solid Waste Management Plan; now therefore be it RESOLVED that the Town Board in interest of facilitating review of the proposed Solid Waste Management Plan and promoting a dialogue concerning same, schedule an informal, meeting for October 16, 1990 at 7:30 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. at the Southold Town Recreation Center, Peconic Lane, Peconic, for the purpose of dis- cussing and providing information about the Solid Waste 'Management Plan/DGEIS and invite and welcome the public's attendance; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board be on record that this session is an informal meeting, that it is not to be considered a public hearing as required by SEQRA, that any comments received at this hearing shall be considered unoffical and that those' wishing to insure the official recording of their comments are respectfully advised to appear at the October 30th meeting; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes an expenditure not to exceed $900.00 for the purpose of preparing visual aids and advertising the October 16, 1990 informal meeting. 1.-Vote of the Town Board: Ayes: Councilman Wickham, Councilwoman Latson, Councilwoman Oliva, Councilman Penny, Supervisor Harris. This resolution was declared duly ADOPTED. OCTOBER 2, 1990 SUPERVISOR HARRIS: The second resolution,'~his~ morning, again deals with pre- paring the Town for implementing the Solid Waste Management Plan, Draft Environ- mental Impact Statement, if approved, whatever avenue is decided. 2.-Moved by Supervisor Harris, seconded by Councilman Wickham, WHEREAS, the Town of Southold is the Lead Agency under the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) for the preparation of a Solid Waste Management Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement; and WHEREAS, a proposed Solid Waste Management Plan/DGEIS has been prepared by the Town's Solid Waste Management consultant, which plan contains several alterna- tives for managing the Town's solid waste stream; and WHEREAS, the Town Board recognizes that several of the proposed alternatives, if adopted, will require amendments and/or additions to the Town's existing ordi- nances and/or policies; and WHEREAS, the Town Board recognizes that the departments responsible for imple- menting these amendments andlor additions need !ead time to prepare such amend- ments and/or additions; and WHEREAS, the Town Board is desirous of expediting the implementation of these amendments and/or additions; now therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Town Board direct the aforemention responsible departments - to begin preparing any amendments and/or additions necessary to the Town's ordi- nances which may be necessary upon adoption of the several alternatives contained in the Solid Waste Management Plan/DGEIS. 2.-Vote of the Town Board: Ayes: Councilman Wickham, Councilwoman Latson, Councilwoman Olvia, Councilman Penny, Supervisor Harris. This resolution was declared duly ADOPTED. SUPERVISOR HARRIS: Is there any comments? COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: Yes, just one other thing. I would like to have about 45 minutes to an hour scheduled on the Work Session to discuss the Plan, and I would like it, if Tony 'Cbn~tta would come out to answer some of the questions on October 9th. SUPERVISOR HARRIS: Would you like to do it in the afternoon? The morning ~is completely booked right through. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: I think we should sit down and discuss it. I have some questions, and I'd like him to be there. COUNCILMAN WICKHAM: I agree with Ruth's idea of discussing it in a work session. I think it's very important, but I question whether we're ready for Tony at this time. Why don't we have a session in the Work Session to get our own concerns on the table, because a lot of the questions, that I think we all have have less to do with Tony, and the preparation of the report, than with the direction that the Town wants to go. In other words, they are our decisions in a sense. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA: I would like to know, in some respects, how he came to those conclusions. SUPERVISOR HARRIS: We don't have to do it at a work session. We could do it at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. We'll sit down with him, if you want to have a joint meeting. COUNCILWOMAN LATSON: I would prefer to have the Town Board, iust with the Town Board for discussion. COUNCILMAN WICKHAM: You mean exclusively? COUNCILWOMAN LATSON: Sure, because that way we know the Town Board can specifically address any questions to Mr. Conetta, and since the final decision of the implementation will be lying with us in a short period of time. COUNCILMAN WICKHAM: Would it be desirable to have a meeting just among our- selves, first, to identify the issues, and to perhaps ex~lain some of them, and get some basis before we bring them out? COUNCILWOMAN LATSON: In the past, we always directed everything right to the consultant. COUUNClLMAN PENNY: Are you talking about eliminating the Task Force from this discussion? I think the Task Force should be invited, if they have any imput. They may have questions, also. I don't see why we'd want to exclude them. COUNCILMAN WICKHAM: So, it would be an informal Tow~ Board meeting, which the Task Force would be invited to. 105 1 0 6 990 COUNCILMAN PENNY: I feel much more closer in conjunction with this report, than we are, and maybe, between the both of them, we get some answers, SUPERVISOR HARRIS: We'll schedule that as soon as possible. COUNCILWOMAN LATSON: You don't want to do it at the next Work Session? SUPERVISOR HARRIS: I don't think there's time. That day is a zoo already. COUNCILWOMAN OLIVA' Is there any chance, that we could get some of our preliminary agenda by Friday afternoon, because it's very diffiCult when we have ~ people coming in, but we only get the agenda like three, four o'clock on Monday ~ afternoon to even know who's coming in, even the preliminary. I know that you're L going to be adding things on Monday, but I would appreciate some sort of prelimi-_ - nary one on Friday afternoon. SUPERVISOR HARRIS: We'll work on it with Paddy. No problem. We have people scheduled from 9:30 right through until 12:00 with appointments. I can tell you right now, if you want to know who's been scheduled already, if that would help at all. The basic thing we have, is appointments all morning. I don't know when we're going to get to the discussion. That's why I thought a day, just designate it just for this, and I think it warrants it. It certainly is important enough, that it warrants a special meeting. If you want to call a special meeting, it can be, but it's work session, and we'll do that as soon as possible. We'll schedule it for next week as soon as we can. Could we have a motion to close? Moved by Councilman Penny, seconded by Councilwoman Latson, it was RESOLVED that the Town Board meeting be and hereby is adjourned at 10:30 A.M. Vote of the Town Board: Ayes: Councilman Wickham, Councilwoman Oliva, Councilwoman Oliva, Councilman Penny, Supervisor Harris. This resolution was declared duly ADOPTED. Southold Town Clerk