VILLAGE OF AURORA BOARD OF TRUSTEE’S MEETING
April 21, 2010 
Held at the Aurora Firehouse Meeting Room

Present:   Mayor Bonnie Apgar Bennett 
	  Trustees -  Elisabeth MacCormick, Janet Murphy, Marie Taylor & George Farenthold  

Also Present:   
		Village Residents:  David Brooks
		Cayuga County Legislator George Fearon
		Code Enforcement Officer Michael Piechuta
	             Deborah Brooks, Deputy Village Clerk/Treasurer
	
	 Mayor Bennett called the Regular Monthly Meeting to order at 7:22 PM. Trustee Farenthold asked why the Pledge of Allegiance wasn‘t listed on the agenda.  Mayor Bennett responded that some people are against saying a pledge to a flag instead of the country.  She further noted that Ms. Nance had asked if this could be removed due to her religious beliefs. Trustee MacCormick added that she could understand the awkward situation saying the Pledge is for some people.   Discussion ensued.  

	Trustee Farenthold reminded those in attendance that he is married to Lisa Marsh Ryerson, President of Wells College.
	
	 Mayor Bennett asked for approval of the March 17, 2010 Minutes.  Trustee  Farenthold moved approval and Trustee MacCormick seconded.  Discussion - Trustee Farenthold noted that he had sent an email to Ms. Brooks with several questions on these Minutes.  Ms. Brooks responded to Trustee Farenthold‘s concerns:  1) The Upstate Safety Task Force meeting was rescheduled for Wed. April 21 at 1:00 pm at the Fargo, but was reported at the 3/17/10 meeting that it would be held on 4/15/10 thus the minutes of 3/17/10 reflect that announcement.   2) In the election 'summary' we give 2 listings to John McCartney. First (in the narrative) credit for 1 vote and secondly in the list as John McCartney as having 39 Votes - this was reported correctly as Mr.  McCartney did receive one vote for Mayor and 39 votes for Trustee.  3) Trustee Farenthold noted that he wrote and sponsored the Mayor Gunderson Resolution and somewhere I would like to have authorship/sponsorship credit - Ms. Brooks said that this change could be fixed as Trustee Farenthold did sponsor the Resolution and she would ask Ms. Nance to make a correction to her Minutes before posting them to the Village web page.  Trustee MacCormick moved acceptance of the March 17, 2010 Minutes with the correction to the Resolution.  Seconded by Trustee Murphy.  Trustees Farenthold, Murphy & MacCormick voted in favor of the motion.  Mayor Bennett & Trustee Taylor abstained from voting because they just joined the Board tonight.  Motion Carried 3:0:2.

	 Changes to the Agenda -   Mayor Bennett added letters from Cameron Taylor, Sheriff Gould & William Maloney to agenda.

	Announcements -  1]  Mayor Bennett presented to the Board the letter received on 3/25/10 from the Aurora Free Library President, Cameron Taylor, thanking the Village Board for their financial support over the years and how the Village‘s contribution is very important in the planning and operation of the Library. 

 2]  Mayor Bennett continued with Sheriff Gould’s letter which announced the establishment of a website for Registered Sex Offenders in Cayuga County - www.cayugacounty.us/sheriff/so-local.htm. 

2] Mayor  Bennett  read the 3/29/10 letter from Winnie & Phil Murphy in which they explained they had a water leak at their barn at 8 Burnham Lane, which has no sewer connection.  Ms. Brooks explained that the Murphy’s would like the Board to consider reducing their April Water/Sewer bill the amount of the excess used in the Sewer amount to an average of their normal sewer use.  Trustee MacCormick moved to allow for the adjustment of sewer on the Murphy bill.  Trustee Farenthold seconded the motion. Motion Carried 5:0. Mayor Bennett asked Ms. Brooks to see to this correction. 

3] Mayor Bennett informed the Board that a letter from William Maloney was received on April 15, 2010 in which Mr. Maloney tendered his resignation from the Planning Board effective immediately.

4] Mayor Bennett informed the Board that she has been looking into who is liable at the Aurora Inn Dock which is located next to the Village Park on the lakeshore west of the Post Office, if someone gets hurt while swimming.  Trustee Murphy noted that the Village’s sign in the Park clearly says “no swimming” in the park.  The Mayor noted having spoken with Attorney Fusco who advised that the dock is a liability and suggested a fence be put up along the property lines.  The Mayor added that she has spoken with Aurora Inn Manager, Sue Edinger, about this concern.  Ms Edinger said that the Aurora Inn will place signs up on their dock for insurance purposes.   Discussion ensued with members noting that they weren’t in favor of fencing such a small area, but that signs by the Aurora Inn would be helpful to the cause.

5]  The Mayor voiced her concern that the Village was in need of trash barrels in various areas along Main Street.  Mayor Bennett felt that the barrels should be chained to poles, etc so they couldn’t just walk away as they are quite expensive.  Discussion ensued with concerns for size of top openings so the Village workers wouldn’t be hauling property garbage and that the local businesses should also provide trash cans at their properties for patrons to use.  Trustee Murphy also reminded the Board of the growing problem on the sidewalks in front of Wells College where the students or workers go to have a smoke.  She said that the sidewalks are littered with butts and it is very unsightly.  The Board felt that Wells College should provide proper butt containers in these areas not the taxpayers.

6]  Mayor Bennett asked the Board to consider ways in which Wells students could be used as Interns for various projects for the Village.  She noted that there are many talented individuals who are interested in projects to add credits to their diplomas.

	Deputy Clerk Brooks reported on the plans for the May Cayuga County Association of Villages dinner which Aurora is hosting.  Ms. Brooks said that a BBQ Buffet menu will be served at the Aurora Inn on May 18, 2010.  Social hour at 6:30 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM at a cost of $18.00 per person.  Ms. Nance has asked David Eckhardt from the U.S. Geological Survey to discuss “Drilling and Fracking:  The Marcellus Shale - Will it Affect My Village?”  Reservations are due into the office by May 11, 2010.

	Deputy Clerk Brooks informed the Board that the office has received applications for Liquor Licenses from the Aurora Inn Inc. for the Wells College Campus & renewals for Village Market; for the Fargo Bar & Grill; for the Aurora Inn and from Boeff Golf, Inc. for the Wells College Golf Course.

	Deputy Clerk Brooks reported that she had to call in Hills Heating to service the firehouse boiler unit this week, due to no heat.  She reported that the service representative informed her & Mr. Wilmot that the unit is leaking water and at some point in the future will need to be replaced.

	Visitor Recognition -  Mayor Bennett welcomed Mr. Brooks, Mr. Fearon & Mr. Piechuta  to the meeting.   
	Mr.  Fearon discussed briefly his thoughts on the importance of the Pledge of Allegiance being said at meetings with the Board.  2]  Mr. Fearon also highlighted that an emergency meeting can be call within 48 hours instead of the 72 hours as stated in the annual meeting resolutions.  3]  He informed the Board that NYS Retirement has recently added a new Tier V to the program and said they would have to amend the Benefits Package to reflect that change, at another meeting.   4]  He noted that Cayuga Community College was hosting a discussion on the Fracking at the Bisgrove Theater on April 29, 2010 from 7:00-8:30 PM.  5]  Mr. Fearon recommended using the trash cans seasonally with removal during winter months.  6]  Mr. Fearon informed the Board that Mr. Ted Herrling at CCC offers summer internships for young adults.

	Treasurer’s Reports -   Ms. Brooks reported that the books looked fine, but that the checkbooks for Water & Sewer were very low and hoped that some of the larger accounts would pay their bills soon.  

	Mayor Bennett presented the Budget Modifications to the Board:

GENERAL FUND: 

$      285.55	FROM   A1990.4 - Contingency Account
$      285.55	TO 	 A8010.4  - Zoning - Contractual

SEWER FUND

$     319.17	FROM	  G1990.4 - Contingency Account

$       71.42	TO	  G8120.4 - Sanitary Sewers - Contractual
$     247.75	TO	  G8130.45 - Sewage Treatment - Chemicals

	Trustee Farenthold moved approval of the Budget Modifications; seconded by Trustee MacCormick.  Motion Carried 5:0.
  
	The Mayor presented the bills for payment on Abstract # 11:
  
	General Fund - voucher #s 348, 353, 356, 358, 359, 362, 365-369, 371, 373-375, 377-379, 381-384, 389 & 390 in the amount of $20,567.23.  Trustee Farenthold moved payment of General Fund bills, seconded by Trustee Murphy.  The Board unanimously approved payment of the General Fund bills.  Motion Carried 5:0.

	Water Fund - voucher #s 351, 352, 368, 371, 376, 387, 391 & 392 in the amount of 
$ 3,453.23.  Trustee Farenthold moved payment of Water Fund bills seconded by Trustee Taylor. The Board unanimously approved payment of the Water Fund bills.  Motion Carried 5:0.

	Sewer Fund - voucher #s 349, 350, 354, 357, 360, 364, 366, 367, 368, 370, 372, 380, 385, 386 & 388 in the amount of $ 6,498.99.  Trustee Taylor moved payment of Sewer Fund bills with a second by Trustee Farenthold. The Board unanimously approved payment of the Sewer Fund bills.   Motion Carried 5:0

Committee Reports:

	Buildings and Grounds - Trustee Farenthold reported that the Upstate Safety Task Force met today at the Fargo to discuss with a representative from the Governor’s office the recent ruling by NYS DOT to not enforce regulations on the trash trucks.  Trustee Farenthold informed the Board that the committee will pursue the issue further as they felt that some sort of misunderstanding has occurred with the Governor and the local truckers who haul supplies and farmers produce.  2]  Trustee Farenthold informed the Board that the Finger Lakes Museum final site has not been chosen yet because he felt NYS is not able to comment to their offer with the current state financial problems.  
	Trustee Farenthold then proceeded to Streets & Public Safety with a concern that he would like to see signs installed denoting “school zones” for the Aurora Preschool at the United Ministry Church and at Wells College/Peachtown Elementary School with reduced speed zones.  Mayor Bennett noted the areas are very small and Village would not be able to enforce speed change even if signs were allowed by NYS DOT.  Trustee Farenthold will look into speed zones at the schools.
	Trustee Farenthold also noted that the NYS DOT Bridge Project south on State Route 90 isn’t very safe.

	Recreation, Parks & Public Safety - Trustee MacCormick reported that she has heard from Wells College Dean of Students that the Village will not be able to use the Schwartz Center for the boxing and tennis lessons, due to the college’s own problems.  She does have a letter coming allowing for the Swim Program to use the dock area.  Ms. Brooks reported that she has placed ads in the newspaper and posters around the Village for lifeguards for the Village’s June 29th to August 22nd, 2010 Swim Program.
	
	Streets & Public Safety - Trustee Murphy informed the Board that the speed bumps were installed to slow down the Court Street traffic.  Discussion ensued about placing a third speed bump at the south end of Court Street  to slow down traffic coming off of Cherry Avenue.
	
	Water & Sewer - Trustee Murphy reported that Village Maintenance Person, Adam Van Horn, has passed his Lab Class and will be moving on to the class for WWTP operator’s license this fall.  
	Trustee Taylor reported that Mr. Wilmot told her we needed some rain to help clear out old leaves from catch basins. Also that the WWTP was running well.
	Mayor Bennett reported that Mr. Wilmot was notified by NYS DEC that the Village needed to update their Sewer Ordinance to today’s requirements.  She said that Mr. Wilmot is working on the rewrite and will report back to the Board at a later date.

	Community Preservation Panel -  December 2, 2009 Minutes
	Planning Board - March 10, 2010 Minutes 
	Zoning Board of Appeals - no report
	Zoning Officer - Mr. Piechuta reviewed his March 17  to April 21, 2010 Report with the Board.
	Village Historian -  no report

 Old Business :
	
	  Trustee Murphy reported to the Board on the recent meeting with the Union Springs representative regarding the renewal of the Time Warner Franchise Agreement.  She noted that it would be to the advantage of the village to draw up an extended contract of ten (10) to fifteen (15) years as this would make Time Warner be more competitive with other cable companies.  She further added that we could get live feed services such as at the Opera House, but we would have to use it at least twice per year.  
	Trustee Murphy informed the Board that a six (6) months extension has been granted because of working with a state representative and that the next meeting would be in Union Springs on May 25th at 6:30 PM.  There will be a public forum at a later date.

	Mayor Bennett  recommended that the Board adopt the 2010-2011 Budgets.  She noted that the total Appropriations for General Fund are $400,347.00 and taxes to be raised are $81,754.00
with the Tax Rate of $1.71/1,000.  Mayor Bennett reminded the Board the Water Fund Appropriations are $85,580.00 and Sewer Fund Appropriations are $127,659.00 and were self supporting. Trustee Farenthold move the adoption of the 2010-2011 Budgets.  Trustee Taylor seconded the motion.  Motion Carried 5:0.
 
	New Business :

	Mayor Bennett presented contracts for the following: 

	a)  2009-2010 & 2010-2011 - Aurora Free Library $3,000.00.   Moved approval by Trustee Farenthold & seconded by Trustee Murphy.  Motion Carried 5:0.
	 b) 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 - Morgan Opera House $1,800.00.  Moved by Trustee Murphy & seconded by Trustee Farenthold.  Motion Carried 5:0.
	 c) 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 -  Youth Recreation Contract with the Town of Ledyard to receive $1,500.00.  Moved by Trustee Farenthold & seconded by Trustee MacCormick.  Motion Carried 5:0.
	 d)  2010 SCAT VAN Agreement of $700.00 to be paid during the 2010-2011 fiscal year.  Moved by Trustee Farenthold & seconded by Trustee Murphy.  Motion carried 5:0.
	 e)  2009 & 2010 Aurorafest Agreements in the amount of $2,750.00.  Ms. Brooks noted that the 2009 check was paid in June of 2009 and would not be paid for 2010 until contracts are signed by the Aurorafest Chairman.

	Trustee Farenthold  moved that the Board go into Executive Session to discuss several personnel issues at 9:02 PM.  The motion was seconded by Trustee MacCormick.  Motion Carried 5:0.
	Trustee Farenthold motioned to close the Executive Session at 10:05 PM and to return to the regular monthly meeting.  Trustee Taylor seconded the motion.  Motion Carried 5:0.

	Mayor Bennett, upon the recommendation of Attorney Fusco, asked the Board to  consider holding a Public Hearing on May 19, 2010 to approve a Municipal Home Rule Request to the State Legislature for a Special Law to amend State Village Law 3-300 (14) to allow the Aurora Village Clerk to be a resident of Cayuga County.  Trustee Farenthold moved that the Village Board under the advice of counsel  hold a Public Hearing at the May 19, 2010 meeting to amend the Home Rule Law.  Trustee Taylor seconded the motion.  Motion Carried 5:0.
	Mayor Bennett, upon the recommendation of Attorney Fusco, also asked the Board to consider the appointment of Dee Nance as temporary, part time secretary to the Board until the Home Rule Law has been amended by the NYS Legislature.  Mayor Bennett informed the Board that Ms. Brooks will sign all paperwork for the Village.  Trustee Farenthold motioned approval to appoint Dee Nance as temporary, part time secretary to the Village Board at the rate of $12.00/hour with Ms. Brooks signing village paperwork.  Trustee MacCormick seconded the motion.  Motion Carried 5:0.
 		 
	Trustee Farenthold motioned for adjournment at 10:12 PM.  Seconded by Trustee Taylor.  Motion Carried 5:0.  

Respectfully Submitted,

 Deborah M. Brooks
 Deputy Village Clerk