Minutes
City of
REGULAR MEETING
The
regular meeting of the City of
Council Member Present: Steve
Gold, Deanna Leake, Charles Kelly, Eleanor Thompson, Marlene Fredericks, Randy
Casale and *Sara Pasti (arrival noted)
Also in attendance were: City
Attorney Richard Wolf
Media represented by: Goldee
Greene, Beacon Free Press
Note: Resident
Clark Gebman recorded the meeting with his personal camcorder for his personal
use.
Residents at beginning of
meeting: 20
Public Hearings:
1. Public Notice of
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Beacon will hold a public hearing on
Monday, January 7, 2008 at the City of Beacon Municipal Center, One
Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New York at 7:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the
matter is reached on the agenda, to consider a proposed local law to Amend
Beacon City Code Chapter 219 Water By Amending §219-15 & §219-29.
Mayor
Steve Gold read the following, which is the law referred in the hearing
above: This will give the residents
a better understanding of the Amended Law and what is being voted on:
BE IT ENACTED by the City Council of the
City of
SECTION
1. TITLE
This local law shall be entitled,
"Amendment to Beacon City Code Chapter 219 Water By Amending § 219-15
and §218-29."
SECTION
2. PURPOSE
WHEREAS, the City of Beacon City Council has
passed a directive to the Water Department to convert all water meters to a
radio read water meter and to have same installed at every location served by
the City of Beacon Water Department, and
WHEREAS, certain property owners have not
allowed their meters to be converted as required, and
WHEREAS, the failure to allow the installation
of the radio read water meters has caused additional expense to the City. In
order to recoup these expenses, there is imposed a 15% penalty on water bills
until the radio read water meters are installed.
SECTION
3.
Beacon Code Chapter 219 is amended as
follows:
219-15. Supply and Installation of
Meters; Deposit, is amended to read by adding a Subsection C as follows:
§219-15-C. Any property owner or
owners who has/have not allowed the installation of radio read water meters as
of the date of passage of this Local Law shall be surcharged a penalty of 15%
on each and every water bill until such time as the radio read water meter has
actually been installed. This penalty can be appealed to a due process hearing
pursuant to Chapter 34.
219-29. Establishment of Schedule; is
hereby amended to add a new subsection A. (4) as follows:
219-29.A. (4) Penalty of 15% on each and
every water bill on property without radio read water meters until such time as
the radio read water meters are actually installed.
This local law shall take effect
immediately upon its filing with the Secretary of State.
This local law would take effect immediately
upon filing with the Secretary of State. Complete copies of the proposed local
law are available at the
All
interested persons and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard on said
proposals at the date, time and place aforesaid.
Public Hearing Comments:
None
Motion
to close Public Hearing: Council
Member Thompson. Seconded: Council Member Kelly. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
2. To Regulate the
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
that the City of Beacon will hold a public hearing on Monday, October 1st,
2007 at the City of Beacon Municipal Center, One Municipal Plaza, Beacon, New
York at 7:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter is reached on the agenda,
to consider a proposed local law to
Public Hearing Comments:
Dennis
Pavelock read what the increases in some home heating costs. He also read a comment from a person who
had a wood-burning stove who saved almost $500.00 on a $1000.00 bill. If used properly it will not cause more
smoke. People in Beacon should be
allowed to use alternate sources of heat.
No further comments:
Motion
to adjourn: Council Member
Casale. Seconded: Council Member Kelly. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
Community Segment:
Speaker: Lt. Dowd from the Police
Department.
I
want to share with you how we got to this point and where we are right
now. We contracted with Mike
Carpenter to assist in the accreditation standards of the policy manual. We started this procedure back in
January. I sat down with
Capt. Scofield and we spoke about the policies recommended by the DOJ. In Nov. Capt Scofield sat down with the
DOJ to see what progress we made so far.
They made some suggestions. We also have a policies manual in
place. The next step is that it
should be approved by the city council.
Lt.
Dowd answered questions asked by the council.
Mayor
Steve Gold and the council thanked Lt. Dowd for his informative presentation.
Mayor
Steve Gold asked for the approval of the following minutes:
Council Meeting – 12/03/07
Motion
to accept Council Meeting Minutes:
Council Member Casale.
Seconded: Council Member
Thompson. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
Council Meeting – 12/17/07
Motion
to accept Council Meeting Minutes:
Council Member Casale.
Seconded: Council Member
Thompson. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
Reports: Text from the
following reports for
Mayor's
Communications read by Mayor Steve Gold.
City
Administrator Report of Activities
City
Attorney Report of Activities – 1st Meeting of the Month
Mayor
Steve Gold read his report of activities
Council
Members read their Reports of Activities
First
Clark Gebman:
I hope this council does something about my long list of requests. I have been waiting to follow-up with
the new administrator on the long list of requests. I can't wait any longer and I hope this
council employs someone that will help me get the files pertaining to all the
items I requested.
Carl Villegas:
If you are not going to issue tickets what is the sense of having the
law. The operator of the plow says
that he calls someone when there is a problem but no one comes out. It should not be like that. I have seen fire trucks that cannot get
down the street. I keep telling people
to get off the street.
No further comments.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS –
Resolutions:
Local Laws And Ordinances:
1. To Regulate the
Public Hearing and this resolution will be adjourned
until specifications for special use permit are completed by Planning
Consultant.
2. Resolution No. 07 for 2008 - Law to No.
01 of 2008 - Amend
Mayor Steve Gold: asked for a motion to waive
Second Reading of this amendment to the law because he read it during the
Public Hearing at the start of this meeting.
Motion
to waive second reading: Council
Member Casale. Seconded: Council Member Leake. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
Motion
to adopt local law to amend Beacon City Code: Council Member Casale. Seconded: Council Member Leake. On roll call, all voted in favor. Motion carried.
*NOTE: Council Member Pasti arrived to the meeting. (Specific time not noted.)*
Resolutions:
1. Resolution
No. 08 of 2008 - Authorize Mayor to Accept Bid and Execute Contract with
Residuals Management Services, Inc. dba Earth Care,
RESOLVED, that the Mayor be
authorized to accept the lowest responsible bid submitted Residuals Management
Services, Inc., dba Earth Care, Vernon, NJ and be it further
RESOLVED, that the Mayor be
hereby authorized to execute a contract with Residuals Management Services,
Inc., dba Earth Care, Vernon, in the amount of $83.24 for a Five Year Contract
per Ton Cost for the Beacon STP Sludge Cake.
Motion to authorize mayor to accept bid and execute
contract: Council Member
Casale. Seconded: Council Member
2. Authorize Mayor to Execute Settlement
Agreement
and Release (Piacente v. City of
WHEREAS, there is pending litigation between
Jennifer Piacente (“Piacente”) and the City of Beacon, as part of a
Federal Court Action entitled Buddenhagen,
v. City of Beacon, 04-CV-290 (
WHEREAS, Piacente has brought a separate
retaliation action against the City of
WHEREAS, the City of
WHEREAS, the City of
WHEREAS, the City of Beacon and Piacente have
agreed to settle all the foregoing matters as set forth in a Settlement and
Confidentiality Agreement With General Release in order to resolve the
foregoing and terminate actions and proceedings;
RESOLVED, that the Mayor be authorized to execute
the Settlement and Confidentiality Agreement With General Release between the
City of
Motion to move this resolution to the end of the meeting
because it requires discussion at an Executive Session. Council Member Thompson. Seconded: Council Member
Votes from the Executive Session, which took
place prior to the conclusion of this meeting, began at
Motion to authorize Mayor to Execute Settlement Agreement
and Release (Placente v. City of
There were six votes against and Council Member Pasti
abstained. With six (6) votes
against and one (1) abstention, motion was defeated.
3. Resolution
No. 09 of 2008 - Approve of Mayor’s offer of Appointment to Meredith
Robson as City Administrator, subject to a proposed contract of employment.
RESOLVED,
that City Council hereby approves the Mayor’s offer of appointment to
Meredith Robson, subject to a contract of employment, as City of
Motion to approve mayor's offer of appointment to Meredith
Robson as City Administrator:
Council Member Kelly.
Seconded: Council Member
Thompson:
Discussion:
Council
Member Kelly: Explained in detail
the procedure that he followed to select this person.
Motion to Enter Executive Session Personnel
Issue at
Motion
to End Executive Session: at
Discussion:
Council
Member Leake: I am not saying that
she is not qualified; I am saying that she is not from this area.
Council
Member Thompson: I did not meet
this person. We did a lot of
bonding in Beacon. I think that Miss
Robson can do some planning. I want
to say that I asked for many years about the city administrator living in
Beacon, we all asked about that. I
was told that we could not find anyone to come here to do that job. I felt that they should live in the City
of
Council
Member Kelly: I believe that you go
for the best talent that you can.
This is what we strive to achieve.
We look for the best person for the job with professional
credentials. It is not saying that
Beacon does not have good candidates.
We wanted the best and believe that this person is the best and has the
skills and talents that are required.
It really comes down to the Mayor's decision. We are approving of the Mayor's
appointment. Unless there is
something really wrong with the candidate, I strongly support this candidate.
Mayor
Steve Gold: We really did interview
a lot of people and it came down to three candidates. I heard Miss Robson speak and heard what
she could offer to the City of
Council
Member Casale: I want to say that
she has a wealth of experience and an extensive financial background. But, I cannot vote for someone that
lives in another state. I feel that
this position should stay in the state of
Council
Member Pasti: Beacon does not have
that requirement where they have to live in Beacon. We hope that they will relocate if they
do not live in Beacon. Is that
person going to do a good job for Beacon to deal with the issues that we
have? I think that Meredith will
take us to a place where we should be.
I recommend her highly.
On
roll call, there were five (5) votes in favor and Council Members Casale and
Leake voted against (2). On a vote
of five in favor and two against, motion carried.
Meredith
Robson: Thanked everyone for the
opportunity to work with Beacon. I
will commit to all of you that I will give you my utmost. Thank you again. Thank you very much.
Local Laws And Ordinances:
1. Resolution
No. 10 of 2008 - Proposed Local Law to Amend Subsection A of Section 211-16
of the Beacon City Code to Increase the Fines for Parking Vehicles on City of
Beacon Public Streets and Roads after an Accumulation of Snow of Two or More
Inches. Set Public Hearing for
Motion to set Public Hearing for
Comment:
Council
Member Casale: Should "may be
removed" be changed to "will be removed"?
Attorney
Wolf: Using "May" allows discretion.
All
voted in favor. Motion carried.
2. Resolution
No. 11 of 2008 - Proposed Local Law to Add Section 211-16.2 to the Beacon
City Code to Prohibit Snow Blowing or placing Snow or ice onto the City of
Motion
to set Public Hearing for
Ratifications / Appointments:
1. Resolution
No. 12 of 2008 - Approval of Mayor's re-appointment of City of Beacon Director of Finance
RESOLVED, that City Council hereby approves the
Mayor’s re-appointment of Toni J. Tracy as City of Beacon Director of
Finance.
Motion
to re-appoint Toni J. Tracy as Director of Finance: Council Member Casale. Seconded: Council Member Thompson. On roll call, all voted in favor. Motion carried.
2.
Resolution No. 13 of 2008 - Planning Board
APPROVE appointment of John Gunn – for
a three-year term on the Planning Board.
Term to expire
Motion to appoint John
Gunn to Planning Board: Council
Member Kelly. Seconded: Council Member Pasti. On roll call, all voted in favor. Motion carried.
3.
Resolution No. 14 of 2008 - Conservation Advisory Commission
APPROVE appointment of Roberta Marsh to the
Conservation Advisory Commission for a two-year term expiring
APPROVE appointment of Chris Ruhe to the
Conservation Advisory Commission for a two-year term expiring
APPROVE appointment of Phil Shea to the
Conservation Advisory Commission for a two-year term expiring
Announcement:
Tom Baldino -Chairman
Motion
to approve appointments: Council
Member Kelly. Seconded: Council Member Thompson. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
4.
Resolution No. 15 of 2008 - Human Relations Commission - Two Year Terms
– Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Malcom Attaway to the Human Relations
Commission for a two-year
term. Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Soma Gupta to the Human Relations
Commission for a two-year
term. Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Keith Milkove to the Human Relations
Commission for a two-year
term. Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Fonda Muhammad to the Human Relations
Commission for a two-year
term. Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Dorothy Paulin to the Human Relations
Commission for a two-year
term. Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Dolores Paterson to the Human
Relations Commission for a
two-year term. Term to Expire
APPROVE appointment of Gary Perez to the Human Relations
Commission for a two-year
term. Term to Expire
Motion
to appoint Human Relations Commission:
Council Member Thompson.
Seconded: Council Member
5. Resolution No. 16 of 2008 - Zoning
Board of Appeals
APPROVE appointment of John Dunne to the Zoning
Board of Appeals for a three-year term expiring
APPROVE appointment of Richard Kish to the
Zoning Board of Appeals for a three-year term expiring
Motion
to appoint Zoning Board of Appeals:
Council Member Casale.
Seconded: Council Member
Pasti. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
6. Resolution No. 17 of 2008 - Recreation
Commission Three Year
APPROVE appointment of Shannon Washington to the Recreation Commission for a
three-year term. Term to expire
Motion
to appoint Recreation Commission:
Council Member Kelly.
Seconded: Council Member
Thompson. All voted in favor. Motion carried.
Final
Lou
Amoroso,
Mayor
Steve Gold: I am suggesting that we
put this on the workshop on how we can get volunteers to work for the fire
department.
Clark
Gebman: At the last planning board
meeting I asked them to restore my application. I was prevented from talking about the
water coming across my property. I
said that I was not prepared to surrender my constitutional rights that
evening. I will go to my grave
before I will allow this city to trample my civil rights.
Dennis
Pavelock,
Cathy
Deutermann: I am here t talk about
community watch but I will talk about the snow ordinance. If we enforce what is on the books it
may solve the problem. My street is
terrible. On the other hand, the
city should not be putting boulders on our sidewalks when they plow. We will have a community watch meeting
in two weeks.
Budget Amendments requiring Council Action for
1.
Amend the General Fund Balance for the Attorney Department (Code: A
1420.450406)
in the amount of $174. This is to cover the
following expenses for the case of Tarshis,
Motion to amend the general fund balance: Council Member Thompson. Seconded: Council Member Kelly. On a roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried.