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Home My WebLink About10/2010ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Town Hall Annex. 54375 Route 25 P,O. Box 1179 Southold. New York 11971'0959 Fax (631) 765-90fl,I Telephone (631) 765-1809 TO: FROM: RE: DATE: Elizabeth Neville, Town Clerk (for Distribution to Supervisor Russell and Town Board Members),~ Leslie Kanes Weisman, ZBA Chairperson/Department Itead ~/1~ COMBINED MONTHLY DEPARTMENT HEAD AND N~"~ //' APPLICATIONS/FEES REPORT for: October 2010 November 8, 2010 Il. II1. Requires Immediate Attention: Nothing at this time Items of Concern: Carryover: Voting fi'om Fishers Island via Videocoufercncing The Chairperson thanks the Town Board for their directions to Network and Systems Administrator Lloyd Reisenberg, at the October 5th TB work session, to proceed v;ith the final details on installing videoconferencing equipment on Fishers Island and in the Meeting Hall in Southold Town llall to be followed up with installation in the ilrst floor annex conference rotan where ZBA evening Special Meetings will be held in 2011 Carryover: Workplace Violence/Harassment On October 4, 2010, the Chairperson received a letter from Phillip Behz responding to the ZBA Workplace Violence Incident Report dated 9/14/2010. Our office appreciates the Task Force's efforts to address ongoing security issues in the physical layout of our workplace and acknowledges the Town Board's support of holding our nmnthly evening Special Meetings in the first floor annex conference room to improve security in the building. Board Policies and Office Practices: hnprovements in records management 1. ~cw langnage added to instructioos on all types of applications to thc ZBA Ahhough it is not the responsibility of the ZBA staffto do so. as a courtesy to applicants and their agents, out' office has been mailing or faxing correspondence received from ueighbors and governmen! agencies related to applications that are awaiting public hearings. Ilowever, recently there have been two instances in vdfich applicants have objected to conditions imposed on ZBA decisions for bul!t;ers to wetlands on the grounds that they did not receive LWRP and Trustees recommendations and therefore did not address those comments at the hearing. By law it is the applicants/agents responsibility to prepare and present their arguments to the Board and to be conversant with all contents of the relevant office file. Thcrelbrc, to avoid such problems in future and place the burden where it belongs, all application instructions for ZBA ;ariances and permits now state: I LEASE NOD';: It is the applicant/agent's responsibility to review the contents oftbeir ZBA office file for updates on an,',' correspondence received from neighbors and/or agencies sucb as IV. [.Wq~p, County Planning, Trustees, Town Planning etc. prior to the date of any scheduled public hearings." 2. Nex~Y_procedures at l>ublic hearings To better insure that during l:mblic hearings, the Board m~d applicants discuss all ~ssues related to correspondence received related to an application, the Board Assistant developed a checklist form that is now a part of each office file. This tbm~ lists the date and nature of all correspondence in the file. Tlie Board Assistant ' preparing copies of those forms mid attaching conies of the 1~** ......... ts now public hearings. At the start of each hearing, the Chairperson is now asking each applicant if they have received and/or reviewed each of the letters in our file; mid, if not, they are handed a copy to review and address at the hearing. As a result, the public record reflects testimony and questioning directed to reduce or eliminate any ' st rprises" or unwan'anted conditions in decisions rendered by the Board. 3. _New~rocedures fOr~s to FOI~L. a ZBA a~!olication Our office files are organized with required application ant~ related materials in a very specific order for easy access and consistency. The office staff recently informed the Chairperson that many people, who review our original files based up~m a FOIL request, open the clips and remove paperWork in order to make copies, and incon-ectly relocate those materials in Our file. In rare instances, it appears that some parts of the file may have been removed and taken. To avoid both problems, staffwill now personally assist and wait with the public when files are being reviewed; and a co;et sheet has bee t prepared attd attached to each FOIL application to the ZBA labeled "Procedures for Public Access to Records tinder FOIL." This form must be read, signed and dated an ...... ,. d states. When ',qcwlng the contents o£any Zoning Board file by FOIL request, DO NOT unclip or remove any of the documents in the file. Il' you would like a copy of something, p ease place a paperehp on tte ~tem and the Zoning Board staffwill make the copy for you. Copies are .25 cents each. The stall' will oversee your review and will answer any questions you may have. Please sign below to indicate that you have read, understand and agree to the above procedures, and theu fill out the attached FOIL request. That~k you for your cooperation?' Financial/Budget Issues: 2011 ZBA Bt d~oet The proposed 2011 ZBA budget was discussed with the Town Board on October 17 as follow tip to the initial presentafion 1o the Supervisor, (?omptroller and Deputy Complroller on Septemher 3, 2010. increases i~.~.ZBA Fee___~s The Chairperson presented a proposal to increase ZBA fees to the Town Board during the October 19, 2010 work session. After a productive and generally supportive discussion, the matter was remanded to the Code Committee for additional discassion and development. The Chairperson thanks the Supervisor for his immediate response to the re uestto , q place the ttem on tile '1 own Board's agenda. Personnel Matters: Part Time Data Entry Staff Our ofliee continues to request a part time data entry employee front the DOL to assist with legacy data entry. VI. Activities of the Board/Accomplishments: Vo Regular Meeting: Date: Oct. 21, 2010 Call to Order: 9:06AM Adjourned: 3:53 PM Public Hearings: Total: 12 Number of new applications heard: 8 Number of Carryovers from previous heatings: 4 Number closed reserving decision to Iater date: 5 Number closed subject to receipt of additional information: 4 Number adjourned to another date: 3 Number adjourned w/o a date: 0 Number of Resolutions passed: 2 Number of decisions made: 2 Next Regular Meeting: December 2, 2010 Special Meeting5. Date: Oct. 7, 2010 Call to Order: 5:07 PM, Adjourned: 7:30 PM Number of assigned draft findings discussed: 10 Number of decisions made: 10 Number o f Resolutions passed: 6 Number of Site Inspections made by Board members: 12x 5 = 60 M unicit¥ Work Sessions: October 4, 20 l 0 and October 7, 2010 Meetings attended/initiated by ZBA Chairperson/Department Head ,, 10/01- Assr TA re: review draft decisions 10/04- Municity review session · 10/04- Planning Board work session re joint application with ZBA · 10/05- Town Board work session re: videoconferencing installation · 10/06- Plmming Board Chairperson trod Land Preservation Dept. Head re possible variance relief and subdivision on parcel with Town owned development rights 10/7 - Department Heads Municity meeting · 10/08- EAP Management'[raining Senfinar · I0/12- Supervisor and Town Board re: budget hearings · 10/18- Assr TA applications before the Board/litigation ,, 10/19- Town Board c: Proposal to Increase ZBA Fees · 10/19- Code Enforcement re certain applications before the Board 10/20- Building Dept. Head Mike Verity re: certain code intel-prctations on Notices of Disapproval · 10/21- Asst TA re: 280-A standards and applications betbre the Board · t0/26- Department Heads Meeting · 10/28- EAP Management Training Seminar · 10/28-ZBA Staff Staff Activities Nnmber of people assisted at the counter: 69 hours spent assisting: 171n's. 25 min. (Assista.ce it~cludes filli~g out ne~v applications, mailing~ attd postit~,gs, providin,g co]nes of decisions. FOIL requests anti other materials, w d general iaquirie3) Meetings attended by ZBA staff · 10/4 Vicki Toth and Lucille Cappabianca attended a Municity session 10/7 --- Vicki Toth attended a Department Heads Municity meeting ° 10/08- Vicki Toth attended an EAP Management Training Seminar · 10/28- Vicki Toth attended an EAP Management Training Seminar · 10/28- ZBA Staff meeting with Department Head VI. MONTHLY REPORT ON NEW APPLICATIONS AND FEES Total Applications Received for the month of October, 2010:7 Total Fees Collected in October, 2010: $3,400.00 Respe~ugy, Submitted Leslie Kanes Weisman ChairpersoM3epartment Head