NO. 10                                                                                         Page 1

                                                                                         

                                                 APRIL 9, 2013

                                  WEB SITE http://macedontown.net

 

The Special Joint Meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Macedon and the Village Board of the Village of Macedon held April 9, 2013 at the Palmyra Macedon Intermediate School, 4 West Street, Macedon, NY and via web at 11201 N El Mirage Road, El mirage, Arizona was called to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Upon Roll Call, the following members of the Board were

Present:

Town

Councilperson

Paul Kenyon

Councilperson

David Maul

Councilperson

David McEwen

Councilperson

Sandy Pagano

Supervisor

William Hammond

 

Village

Mayor

Marie Cramer

Trustee

Donald Lohse

Trustee

David Sliney

Trustee

David Kelly

Trustee

Bev Bassage

 

Absent:    

                                                           

Also Present:

Town Clerk

Judy Gravino

Deputy Clerk Treasurer

Kathy Reilly

 

The Special Joint Meeting between the Village of Macedon Board of Trustees and the Macedon Town Board was called to order by Jim Forshay, Facilitator for the meeting.

 

Opening statement by Jim Forshay:

The objective of this first of possibly many meetings between the two boards, is to reconcile outstanding differences regarding the following subjects:

 

Fire Department

Sewer

Ambulance

 

In addition, we would hope to establish a firm method of trust and communications between boards.

 

This is a special meeting between the boards not a public hearing, therefore, no questions or comments will be taken from the public.

 

The boards are asked to remember that we are all residents of Macedon.

 

To start the Mayor or Supervisor will present their definition of the problem we are discussing and then the other board leader will reply with their definition of the same problem and we shall proceed from there.

 

We will limit ourselves to one speaker at a time.

 

To resolve issues let’s try and find a common ground on each subject, no matter how small, and work from there.

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This will likely be the first of several meetings if we are to accomplish our goals.  Minutes will be kept and dispersed to each in a timely fashion.

 

Summation from:   William Hammond and the Macedon Town Board

This meeting is to try to resolve the long-term differences between the Town Board and the Village Board over the reporting and financing of the Village owned Fire Department as was requested by the town and village residents.

 

The Town taxpayers pay approximately 70% of the annual costs to operate the Village Fire Department based on assessed value.  The Town taxpayers also contribute 70% of the Capital Reserve for Fire Trucks; money that is set aside to accumulate for future purchases without causing a major impact on taxpayers at the time the purchase is made.  This money is to be kept in a capital reserve fund and accounted for independent of any other funds.

 

This fire protection district will increase due to growth, which will increase the taxable assessed value placed on this district probably more than any of our other fire protection or fire districts in this Town due to its geographical location.  Its residents will continue to pay an increased percentage of the total annual costs for the Village Fire Department.  Currently there is a 70%  Town and 30% Village investment in this district.  The town-outside village taxpayers within this District have been provided annual fire protection through an annual contract.  The Village of Macedon continues to increase their assets with Village fire department purchases.  Please bear in mind that any purchases made through the Village of Macedon annual budgets and funding are owned by the Village of Macedon and not the Macedon Fire Department.

 

As representatives of the residents in the Macedon Fire Protection District, the Town Board has a duty and responsibility to oversee the ad valorem (tax) money collected to provide fire protection for the Town outside Village residents who reside within this district.  We have three reasonable goals we would like to achieve and put our differences aside.

 

  1. Most important – the Town residents in the Macedon Fire Protection District have a voice in the manner their fire tax dollars are spent on Capital Equipment Purchases either by permissive or mandatory referendum. If not, it is taxation without representation.

 

  1. The Village of Macedon shall provide a detailed annual revenue and expenditure report on the Macedon Fire Department, including any surpluses or deficits for each fiscal year.

 

  1. The Town of Macedon will create and account for our share of the Capital Reserve Funds for the Village of Macedon Fire Department raised through our District.  Towns are held to a different accounting standard than villages in respect to procedures and policies.  Any special district within the Town of Macedon has to have an individual accounting fund set up for that specific district.  Any revenues raised by that district, including tax revenues can only be spent to provide services for those who reside within that special district.  It has its own fund accounting with checks and balances and can never be used for anything other than providing services for that special district.

 

The Farmington and Macedon Center Fire Departments (protection districts) and the Walworth Fire District are stand -alone entities.  Any assets or purchases made by these departments are owned by that department and are not connected to any municipality or governmental entity, whether it is a town, village, city, county, etc…  Therefore, their agencies have to report annually to

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the state and federal governments as tax-exempt agencies.  The Macedon Fire Department is just that, a department of the Village of Macedon.

 

The Macedon Fire Department does have its own tax identification number and reports as well for those monies raised directly by them and are not reported through the Village of Macedon such as any fundraisers (pancake breakfast $, etc…).  The monies raised through any fundraiser events hosted by the Macedon Fire Department are their monies and may be spent as the membership of the department sees fit.  This discussion tonight only has to do with outside Village taxpayer monies paid to the Village of Macedon to provide fire protection service to the Macedon Fire Protection District.

 

Opening Remarks from Mayor Cramer

Let’s forget the past, it has been good the last 12 months and hope to leave on a positive note.

 

Trustee Sliney requested permission for the Fire Chief to be permitted to answer questions that he could answer better relating to the fire department.  It was the consensus to allow.

 

The Facilitator read the proposals submitted by the Town Board to the Village Trustees:

 

PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES FOR DISCUSSION WITH VILLAGE

         

ALTERNATIVE 1

 

The Town will pay the Village under the present structure less the equipment reserve payment.  Village will continue solely responsible for payments on the aerial truck.  All present equipment would be owned by the Town and Village in proportion to the contributions made by each, which the Macedon Fire Department would use.  As to future purchases, the Town will establish and contribute to a capital reserve fund pursuant to General Municipal Law 6-c, ensuing the Town residents in the Macedon Fire Protection District have the same rights to permissive referendum as do Village residents.  The Village will be required to return the Town’s share of any unexpended reserve balance.  Each year, the Village will provide run sheets of actual expenditures so any surplus or deficit will result in a credit or debit in the following year’s budget.  Pursuant to General Municipal Law 209-d, the Macedon Fire Department would directly receive 35% of the contract amount to be used for fire purposes only.  The Town will also contract with Macedon Center for service in the Macedon Fire Protection District to provide coverage to those areas in the district they could reach sooner (i.e. western locations), to be toned simultaneously with Macedon Fire Department without need for mutual aid requests, and to maintain a presence in the district sufficient to allow them to purchase and/or house future equipment purchase by the Town.  Town could buy village aerial truck as its first equipment purchase by taking over outstanding payments.

 

ALTERNATIVE II

 

The Village will take such steps as legally required to allow the Macedon Fire Department to be independent from the Village.  The Town and Village will contract at the current budget less the equipment reserve payment.  The Village will transfer all of its equipment and apparatus to the Macedon Fire Department.  The Town will waive any interest in said equipment.  As permitted under General Municipal Law 209-d, the Macedon Fire Department, as owner of the equipment and apparatus, will receive 100% of the proceeds of the fire contracts to be used

 

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                                                 APRIL 9, 2013

 

for fire purposes only.  Essentially, the Town and Village’s role would be to negotiate and sign the contract with the Macedon Fire Department.  Macedon Center will maintain a presence within the district as set forth above in Alternative I.  By combining the personnel and equipment of both departments contracting with Town, it is the intention of the Town to increase its ISO rating from its current 5 to 4 which would put the Town into an A category for insurance rates.  Currently, the Town and Village have a B rating.  To give some sense of the conversion to premium savings, the difference between a C and a B is approximately 7 to 8% of the fire premium only.  The difference between a C and an A is approximately 25%.  “A” ratings are reserved for fire districts with an ISO rating of 1, 2, 3 and 4.  “B” ratings are for fire districts with an ISO rating of 5, 6, 7 and 8.  “C” is for 9 or not rated.  Therefore, the Town and Village have been spending a lot of money to improve ISO ratings.  However, that means nothing without regard to the insurance rating.  Therefore, even if the Town’s ISO rating went from a 7 to a 5, there is not difference in the premiums because the Town is still in a “B” zone.  The village would also be allowed to contract with both departments if it also wished to avail itself of the combined manpower and equipment resources.

 

ALTERNATE III

 

Town and Village will retain Brad Pinsky to obtain special legislation which permits the town and village to extend the town’s fire protection district into the village.  The village would then abolish its fire department, which shall continue as a non profit independent fire company.  The town would then tax all town residents and village residents who are in the fire protection district.  The town would be liable for all costs and funding of the fire department, including VFBL (workers’ compensation/disability) and would bear all liability for the acts/omissions of the fire company.  The town would be the municipality “in control of” the fire company and the village would no longer have any responsibility or liability for fire protection.  The Town would contract with both the Macedon Center and Macedon Fire Department for service in such a way as to have all town residents (including village) share all town assessed properties.  Same ISO considerations as above.

 

ALTERNATIVE IV

 

The town and village form a “joint fire district” where all of the village and part of the town bounded on the east by the Macedon-Palmyra line, north by the canal, west by the west line of the village extended north to the canal and south to the Town line, and south by the town line becomes part of a fire district.  This would create one tax rate where all of the residents could run for commissioner and vote in all of the proceedings.

 

Area west of the proposed north south extension of the present western village boundary would be reformed as a new fire protection district or an extension of the Macedon Center fire district who would be required to maintain a presence south of the canal.  This would put all of the Town’s large commercial and industrial property as well as Waste Management in one fire protection district to avoid duplication of specialized equipment.  Same ISO consideration as above.

 

The Facilitator read the proposal submitted by the Village Board of Trustees to the Town Board:

 

 

 

 

 

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                                                 APRIL 9, 2013

 

INTERMUNICIPAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE TOWN OF MACEDON

AND THE VILLAGE OF MACEDON

REGARDING FIRE PROTECTION

 

THIS AGREEMENT, made and executed in duplication this 14th day of March, 2013, by and between:

 

The Town Board of the Town of Macedon, a municipal corporation with principal address at 32 West Main Street, New York 14502 (hereinafter referred to as the “Town”), and

 

The Village Board of the Village of Macedon, a municipal corporation with principal address at 81 West Main Street, Macedon, New York 14502 (hereinafter referred to as the “Village”).

 

WITNESSETH;

 

WHEREAS, there has been duly established in the said Town of Macedon a fire protection District known as Macedon Fire Protection District embracing territory in said Town of Macedon as more fully described in the resolution establishing such district and duly adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Macedon on April 13, 1954; and

 

WHEREAS, following a public hearing duly called on March 14, 2013, the Town duly authorized a contract with the Village for fire protection to portions of said fire protection district upon the terms and conditions set forth herein; and

 

WHEREAS, this contract has also been duly authorized by the Village Board of the Village of Macedon,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Town does engage the Village to furnish fire protection to portions of said fire protection district bounded and described as follows:

 

              ALL that part of the Town of Macedon, County of Wayne and State of New York, bounded and described as follows: Beginning at a point where the north line of the Barge Canal lands of the State of New York intersects the west line of the Town of Macedon; thence easterly along the northerly line of the Barge Canal to the point of where the northerly line of said Barge Canal intersects the northerly line of the Village of Macedon; thence westerly, southerly, easterly and northerly along the boundary lines of said Village of Macedon to the north line of said Barge Canal; thence easterly along the northerly line of said Barge Canal to the east line of the  Town of Macedon; thence south along said east line of the Town of Macedon to the southeast corner of said Town of Macedon; thence westerly along the south line of said Town of Macedon to a point located 600 +- feet easterly from the centerline of Canandaigua Road; thence northerly on a line 600 +- feet east of and parallel to the centerline of Canandaigua Road to a point in the south line of Town Lot 18; thence westerly along the south lines of Town Lot 18 and Town Lot 17 to a point located 300 +- feet easterly from the centerline of Farmington Road; thence northerly on a line 300 +- feet east of and parallel to the centerline of Farmington Road to a point in the south boundary line of lands now or formerly owned by David Martz; thence southwesterly along the south line of said lands of Martz 300 +- feet to a point in the centerline of Farmington Road; thence northerly along the centerline of Farmington  Road to its intersection with the centerline of Victor Road; thence                northeasterly along the centerline of Victor Road to the southeast corner of lands now or formerly owned by Harry and Shirley Weigert; thence northwesterly along the south line of said lands of Weigert to a point in the east line of Town Lot 16;

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thence southerly along the east line of Town Lot 16 for a distance of 100 +- feet to a point in the south boundary line of lands now or formerly owned by Carl and Alida Koch; thence westerly along the southerly boundary line of said Koch and other lots of record to a point in the common boundary line of Water District No. 6 and Water District No. 4; thence northerly along said common boundary line of said Water Districts to its intersection with the south line of the former right-of-way of the Rochester & Syracuse Railroad Co.; thence westerly along the south line of said former railroad right-of-way to the west line of the Town of Macedon; thence northerly along the west line of the Town of Macedon to the point and place beginning.

 

The general terms of the contract are as follows:

  1. The Village shall answer and attend upon all calls in said fire protection district:
  2. The said Village shall at all times while the agreement is in force and effect, furnish and provide sufficient apparatus and equipment and personnel to provide the fire protection required by such contract;
  3. The contract shall continue for a period of five (5) years, commencing January 1, 2014 and shall terminate on December 31, 2018, at midnight;
  4. For said fire protection services, the said Village will receive definite sums for each year under the contract, set forth as follows:

2014:  $95,000

2015:  $97,500

2016:  $100,000

2017:  $103,000

2018:  $106,500

  1. Neither the said Town of Macedon nor the Macedon Fire Protection District in the Town of Macedon shall be liable for any loss or damages sustained to the fire apparatus or other equipment of the said Village.
  2. The Town of Macedon shall pay any and all claims authorized by law for medical expenses, loss of wages, compensation, benefits and other claims arising by reason of the injury to or death of a fireman sustained while answering, attending upon or returning from any such call, in case said Village shall be compelled or required to pay any such claim, the said Town of Macedon shall reimburse the said Village the amount paid within thirty (30) days after making such payment.
  3. Nothing herein contained shall prevent the Village from participating in any mutual aid plans now in effect or hereafter placed in effect in Wayne County, nor prevent the Village or the members thereof from taking part in any parade, exhibition or drill sponsored by or under the control of any duly authorized fireman’s association or department.

 

 

The Village Board asked for a clarification of the Town’s requests to update the Village Fire Contract:

  1. The Town will contribute to a Town capital reserve fund and hold their reserve monies.
  2. All present and future equipment will be owned by the Town and Village in proportion to the contributions made by each.
  3. Each year unexpended reserve balances or deficits will be accounted against the next year’s budget.
  4. Fiscal accounting to the Town either monthly or quarterly, to be decided.
  5. Macedon Fire Department will receive 35% of contracted amount directly.
  6. Macedon Center Fire Department would have a presence in the district.

 

The Facilitator, Jim Forshay thanked both boards.

 

 

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Village Board of Trustees will get back to the Town with their counter proposal and Town will offer possible dates to meet again.

 

The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.

 

 

 

 

_________________________________

Judy W. Gravino, RMC

Macedon Town Clerk