Present: Linda Mastellar (Chair), Cindy Lont, Seth Brandow, Frankie Long, Thomas Björkman (Secretary). Absent: Lauren Burling. One vacancy. Staff: Julia Stanley (Clerk)
Called to order at 7:01 pm
Approval of Minutes for April 27, 2023
Moved by Lont, Second by Brandow. Approved 5-0.
General public comment.
Jim Foggo, via email. The Lin project is very large, what is the protection for the Town and residents if the project fails partway? Can a bond be required, to make sure the site can be restored.
Town Website
Clerk Stanley presented to the Town Board, and was approved to go ahead building a new website for the town.
The Town already has a domain name and hosting paid for through 2026. The new website can be run through existing host. Stanley determined that she can create a WordPress site on that basis. A quote from FingerLakes1 received today was very high, and did not include the necessary features.
Each Town department should have a liaison to make sure website manager Stanley puts the necessary information on the site.
Administration
Mastellar will order a smaller official stamp to approve subdivision maps, so that it fits the space on survey maps better.
The planning board needs to have an attorney on retainer for upcoming complex land use issues. Mastellar is making contact to make sure the attorney is free to represent us.
The board should not accept anything of monetary value from people or companies that have, or anticipate having, business before the board. What should be the threshold for our work? The State law (Gen. Mun. Law 805-a(2)) has a limit of $75 in value or an intent to influence the performance of official duties.
Short Term Rentals
Waiting list. Transparency is needed so the list cannot be manipulated, but also privacy needs to be considered. It would be good to have the STR Clerk maintain it.
Concerns that have come up. One property had an issue regarding a fire pit and a raft that infringed on the neighbors that needed to be changed as part of the permit. The raft was replaced with a dock, which may be there. The fire pit is still there and the neighbors are concerned. The issue will be referred to Code Enforcement to verify that the requirements of the permit were met. Complaints should go to Code Enforcement, as the neighbors did.
Complaint documentation. The Planning Board will keep records of complaints so that the number of recorded complaints is clearly know if a permit is at risk of non-renewal. The procedure will be sent to residents in a mailing.
Sale of property with future reservations. When an STR is sold that has rental contracts in place what happens to the reservations? The permits are not transferrable. If the buyer cannot obtain a permit immediately, they cannot take over the rental contracts. The seller can’t honor the rental contracts they made. The solution for the property owners is to close the sale at the end of the rental season and not to make new reservations later than the closing date.
Notes for next Zoning Code revision
· Completion bonds need to be required for large projects.
Adjourn
Moved Long, Second Brandow. Approved 5-0.
Adjourned at 8:26 pm.