March 5, 2024
The regular meeting of the Varick Town Board was called to order by Supervisor Robert Hayssen at 7:00 p.m. Present were Councilmen Richard McCulloch, James Velie, and Eric Riegel, Town Clerk, Donna Karlsen, Bookkeeper, Angela Testa, Highway Superintendent, Ben Freier, Water Operator, Ben Karlsen, Attorney for the Town, Emil Bove, and STR Secretary/Planning Board member, Cindy Lont. Also present were Jean Currie & Andrea Tillinghast from Edith B. Ford Memorial Library. Absent: Councilman Tom Fox.
Privilege of the Floor: Edith B. Ford Memorial Library President Jean Currie welcomed the Town of Varick to the library’s charter. She reported that the library was founded in 1899 and currently serves the Village and Town of Ovid, Town of Romulus, and Town of Varick. She presented the 2023 Annual Report to the board, noting that two of the 2024 trustees, Andrew Herkovic and Ann Kaminski, live in the Town of Varick. She thanked the town for their annual contribution to the library.
Approval of Abstract: A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by James Velie and so carried unanimously to approve Abstract Number 3, Vouchers 51 to 77 in the amount of $30,117.90.
Highway: Mr. Freier reported that Roy Gates, County Highway, stated they use Auction International to auction off excess county equipment. Mr. Freier would like authorization to work with Auction International to put excess town equipment up for bid. The town will have the right to accept or deny any bids.
A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Eric Riegel and so carried unanimously to authorize Highway Superintendent Ben Freier to work with Auction Internation to auction Town of Varick’s excess equipment.
Mr. Freier further reported that he would like to schedule the replacement of the culvert pipe on Yale Farm Road and will order the necessary parts and schedule the equipment to complete the replacement with authorization from the board. He also noted that he will follow up with the repair of the barn roofs.
A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Richard McCulloch and so carried unanimously to authorize Highway Superintendent to complete the replacement of the culvert pipe located on Yale Farm Road.
Judge: Mr. Riegel will set an appointment with the court clerk to audit the books.
Supervisor Report: A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Jim Velie and so carried unanimously to approve the written Supervisors Monthly Reports for December 2023 and January 2024.
RESOLUTION NO 24-004
| AMENDMENT TO THE | ||||
| TOWN OF VARICK | ||||
| 2023 BUDGET TRANSFERS | ||||
| WHEREAS there are not sufficient budget appropriations in the District Fund Budget to meet obligations of the Fund for the year 2023, and | ||||
| WHEREAS, in conformity with Town Law and good bookkeeping practices, amounts should not be over appropriated, be it | ||||
| RESOLVED, that the Financial Officer is hereby authorized and directed to make amendments to the 2023 budget to correct over budget line items as follows: | ||||
$332.21 from App Fund Balance A599 to Building Cleaning A1620.100
$1804.69 from App Fund Balance A599 to Building Contractual A1620.400
$559.09 from App Fund Balance A599 to Contingency A1990.400
$66.25 from App Fund Balance A599 to Zoning Secretary A8010.102
$698.41 from Fund Balance SL1-915 to Street Lighting SL1-5182.400
$2971.28 from Fund Balance SL2-915 to Street Lighting SL2-5182.400
$30.00 from Repairs SS1-8120.400 to Transportation SS1-8140.400
$83.89 from Contingency SS2-8189.400 to Transportation SS2-8140.400
$91.17 from Fund Balance SS2-599 to Transportation SS2-8140.400
$5.34 from Fund Balance SW1-599 to Badger SW1-310.410
$11.86 from Fund Balance SW1-599 to Social Security SW1-9030.800
$31.32 from Fund Balance SW2-599 to Insurance SW2-1620.430
$ 47326.80 from Fund Balance SW2-599 to Pumping supply SW2-8320.400
$104.71 from Fund Balance SW2-599 to Transportation SW2-8340.400
$111.07 from Fund Balance SW3-599 to Utilities SW3-8310.430
$9.89 from Fund Balance SW3-599 to Transportation SW3-8340.400
$8.66 from Fund Balance SW3-599 to Social Security SW3-9030.800
$261.06 from Repairs SW4-8320.430 to Utilities SW4-8310.430
$54.82 from Repairs SW4-8320.430 to Transportation SW4-8340.400
$30.00 from Repairs SW4-8320.430 to Social Security SW4-9030.800
| MOVED: Richard McCulloch | |||
| SECONDED: Eric Riegel So Carried Unanimously |
Code: No Report
Water/Sewer Operator Report: February 2024
· Marked Out Dig Tickets as requested
· Called in Dig tickets for upcoming jobs
· Changed meters as needed
· Read each master meter and did calculations of daily usage
· Answered customers question in each sewer and water district
· Did final reads as needed
· Changed out grinder pumps as needed
· Took Bac T samples in each water district
· Filled out and submitted monthly report to health department
· Ordered parts for upcoming projects
· Did Thm and Haa5 testing for Varick 4
· Took generator over to Witmers and had serviced for sewer 1
· Did water shut offs as needed
· Turned water on as needed
· Looked into potential leaks in Varick 1 and Varick 4
· Received training on our leak detection equipment
· Serviced and exercised hydrants on Seneca lake
· Restocked on parts for sewer and picked up more pumps
· Nate had sit down meeting with health department regarding D license (certified)
· Flushed dead to gain more chlorine residual in Varick 3
· Scheduled Vac Truck rental for summer projects
Mr. Karlsen reported that both he and Nate were trained on the new leak detection system. During training they were introduced to a new piece of equipment, Gutermann Loggers, that when placed on valves or hydrants can detect leaks and pinpoint the location. It is run through the cloud and includes a startup 5-year hosting fee and cellular fee. The cost of the system is $3,190 or $4,190 to include a Samsung Active 3 Tablet, which is optional. It was noted that this piece of equipment could be purchased with the original ARPA funds received.
A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Richard McCulloch and so carried unanimously to purchase a Gutermann Loggers system using ARPA funding.
Mr. Karlsen reported that he met with Seneca County Health Department for the annual review of water districts, and the town received no violations. He also reported that Nate met with the health department to complete his Class D certification.
Varick Sewer District No. 1: Mr. Karlsen reported that the department had one of the generators serviced. The second generator will need to be further assessed.
A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Eric Riegel and so carried unanimously to approve payment of Varick Sewer District No. 1 2023 processing of sewage to Seneca County Water & Sewer in the amount of $2,580.
Varick Sewer District No. 2: Mr. Karlsen and Mr. Craig will receive further training on repairing the new style grinder pumps and will be scheduling the pump-out of the lift station.
Varick Water District No. 1: Mr. Karlsen reported that Varick and Romulus went in at 2:00 a.m. March 5th searching for a water leak. The departments think they may have isolated the leak in the Town of Romulus but will continue to investigate. He also reported that the installation of master meter by Seneca County may have been done incorrectly causing the master meter to record higher water usage. The Town of Romulus will be following up with the county on this matter.
The board determined there was not sufficient information provided to assess the accuracy of the County billing and did not approve the payment of the past due amount. No water payment will be issued to the county for 2023 fourth quarter until further review of the account balanced can be reviewed.
Seneca Lake Water District: Exercising and painting all hydrants is completed. They have been able to access all but one remaining meter that is currently reading in the district. He reported that they have scheduled the rental of a VAC truck to replace valve bolts and curb stops on lake road for a week in June. The water department will work Monday to Monday to maximize the rental time of this equipment.
Mr. Karlsen was given board approval to add the machine that turns valves to the list of excess equipment to be auctioned off. He reported that the department does not use it.
Varick Water District No. 3: Water usage is up in this district, but no leak has been found as of this date. They are suspecting it might be an increase in consumer usage and possibly due to the construction of Fayette’s number 8 water line. They will continue to monitor.
Supervisor Hayssen reported that the Town of Varick/Town of Fayette received a letter notifying them that a Seneca County Special Water and Sewer Committee meeting was held January 16, 2024, where they discussed the new billing process for the towns. The Town of Varick will be getting the full water bill under Account No. I344 and will then bill the Town of Fayette accordingly. Seneca County will no longer be doing the billing. They also provided a past due balance on Account No. I344A in the adjusted amount of $84,041. They noted this past due amount is to be split 58% or $43,743.78 to Fayette and 42% or $35,297.22 to Varick . These amounts due will be moved to Account I344 for Fayette and I344B for Varick. The board discussed the new billing system and the past due amount the county provided. The board again determined there was not sufficient information provided to assess the accuracy of the billing and did not approve the payment of the past due amount. It was suggested that Varick and Fayette only pay the county for their consumers’ usage until further review can be done of the amounts submitted by the county.
A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Eric Riegel and so carried unanimously to approve payment to the county for 2023 fourth quarter consumer water usage that had been reported to the county in the amount of $7,562.17.
No bill was issued to Fayette at this time.
The board reviewed the proposed agreement for services for the benefit of Fayette 5 Water District to complete water billing as described under the “Nature of service to be rendered by the Town of Varick”. Attorney Bove will review and return for the supervisor’s signature.
A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Richard McCulloch and so carried unanimously to direct Supervisor Hayssen to sign the agreement for services for the benefit of Fayette 5 water district subject to Attorney Bove’s review and approval.
Varick Water District No. 4: Water usage will continue to be monitored with isolating of valves once the Gutermann Logger’s system is received.
Town Clerk: A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Jim Velie and so carried unanimously to approve the Town Clerk’s February 2024 report: Supervisor: $670, NYS Ag & Markets: $2, Total Disbursements: $672.
Minutes: A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Eric Riegel and so carried unanimously to approve the minutes of February 6, 2024.
Personnel: Nothing to report.
Assessor: Nothing to report.
Planning Board: Cindy Lont reported that Frankie Long resigned from the Planning Board and Jeff Vest would be interested in filling the vacancy. The Planning Board supported his appointment.
A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Eric Riegel and so carried unanimously to accept Frankie Long’s resignation from the Planning Board.
A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Richard McCulloch and so carried unanimously to approve the appointment of Jeff Vest to fulfill Frankie Long’s terms of office to expire December 31, 2026.
Cindy Lont also reported that they received a new STR owner supervised application. The Planning Board inquired about a town code of ethics policy regarding gifts. It was reported that the town does have an adopted Code of Ethics which would address the receiving of gifts.
Web Site: Cindy Lont reported that they are looking to add a FAQ section to the site and adding the building code.
Capital Project: Varick Sewer 3/Varick Sewer 4: Mr. Hayssen reported that Councilman McCulloch, Town Clerk, Donna Karlsen and Bookkeeper, Angela Testa attended a meeting at the Town of Fayette with Town of Fayette council members, engineers from Hunt Engineering and Mary Chappel from Municipal Solutions to discuss funding for the sewer capital projects in both towns. Municipal Solution submitted a contract for services and after reviewing it was suggested that a “not to exceed” amount be added to the contract. The title of the sewer districts needs to be updated as well.
A motion by Richard McCulloch, seconded by Jim Velie and so carried unanimously to direct Supervisor Hayssen to sign the agreement between the Town of Varick and Municipal Solutions for scope of services to be provided for Varick Sewer 3/Varick Sewer 4 capital project with the addition of a “not to exceed” amount added.
A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Richard McCulloch and so carried unanimously to hold the regular meeting of the Varick Town Board on April 3, 2024, due to presidential elections being held April 2, 2024.
Eric Riegel referred to the resolution Number 24-003 “A Resolution to Support All Business in Seneca County”passed at the February 6 board meeting. Mr. Riegel asked each board member if they supported Seneca Meadows. The board members agreed that they support all businesses that are members of the Seneca County Chamber of Commerce that meet the criteria set forth in the adopted resolution.
A motion by Eric Riegel, seconded by Jim Velie and so carried unanimously to adjourn the board meeting at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
Donna Karlsen, Town Clerk