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[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1500 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
TO OUR TOWN BOARD, UH, WORK SESSION.UM, IT'S, UM, A LITTLE AFTER, UH, STARTING TIME, ABOUT A HALF HOUR LATE, FIVE 30.
UM, AND, UM, OUR FIRST ITEM IS TO DISCUSS, UM, WITH, UM, EDGE ONE COMMUNITY COUNCIL, PHIL PINE AND LUCAS CHFI SAFETY AND SIDEWALKS.
AND HERE ARE THEIR COMMITTEE REPORTS.
DON'T FORGET TO TURN THE MICS.
I'LL HAVE LUCAS, UH, PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE PROCESS AND HOW THE REPORT WAS, UH, CREATED.
UH, WE'LL, WE'LL GO THROUGH THE FINDINGS OF THE REPORT.
I'LL GO THROUGH THE FINDINGS OF THE REPORT, AND THEN, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS AND, AND HAVE A DIALOGUE.
THANKS FOR HAVING US THIS EVENING, AND WE APPRECIATE THE AUDIENCE.
WE KNOW IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE TRAFFIC SAFETY.
IT'S BEEN ON EVERYONE'S MIND IN TOWN.
SO WHEN PAUL INVITED ME TO BE ON THE GREENBERG LEVEL TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE A FEW YEARS AGO, LEARNED A LOT, WORKED WITH PEOPLE ACROSS THE TOWN, AND THEN I THOUGHT, WELL, WHAT IF WE DO THIS FOR EDGEMONT, HAVE OUR OWN TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AS PART OF THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY COUNCIL.
AND ONE THING I LEARNED FROM DOING IT TOWN WIDE, IF YOU EVER WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN, IS REALLY KIND OF KEEPING IT SHORT BECAUSE OUR, OUR COMMITTEE LOST STEAM OVER TIME.
SO WE TRIED A DIFFERENT APPROACH HERE WHERE WE WANT TO ENGAGE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH, IN A WAY THAT THEY COULD AFFORD TO SPEND TIME.
SO THE MOST NUMBER OF PEOPLE WERE SUBMITTING SURVEY RESPONSES, AND THEN THEY WERE ALSO HIGHLIGHTING AREAS THAT THEY SAW FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE WHERE THERE WERE PROBLEMS FOR BIKING OR WALKING OR SIDEWALKS OR CROSSWALKS.
AND WE COLLECTED ALL THESE IDEAS AND PUT 'EM ON A MAP, AND THEN PEOPLE COULD VISUALIZE WHERE THE PROBLEMS WERE.
AND THEN WE STARTED TO MEET NEIGHBORHOOD BY NEIGHBORHOOD.
EDGEMONT HAS HOW MANY? EIGHT, UH, EIGHT NEIGHBORHOODS ASSOCIATION, EIGHT NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO EACH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION HAD THEIR OWN MEETING ON ZOOM IN AN HOUR.
WE WENT LINE BY LINE AND WE CREATED A LIST OF DOZENS OF THESE HAZARDS THAT WE WANTED TO ADDRESS, AND THEN WE PRIORITIZE THEM IN ADDITIONAL SURVEYS.
SO A TOTAL OF 632 RESPONSES FROM RESIDENTS.
AND WE CREATED THIS REPORT, AND DYLAN CAN READ THE HIGHLIGHTS, UM, AFTER WE COVERED EVERYTHING AT EDGEMONT, AND WE SAID, WELL, WE'RE GONNA WANNA FOCUS ON SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS.
SO WE FOCUSED ON THREE OF THE BIGGEST ROADS.
SO WE FOCUSED ON ARDSLEY ROAD, FORT HILL ROAD, AND OLD ARMY ROAD.
AND, UH, WE DIDN'T COVER CENTRAL AVENUE SINCE IT'S DEALING WITH THE STATE, BUT WE WANT TO ADDRESS THINGS THAT ARE RELATED TO THE COUNTY AND THE TOWN.
UH, AND BEFORE I JUMP INTO THIS, DO YOU WANT TO TOUCH QUICK, UH, BRIEFLY ON THE MONTHLY MEETINGS THAT WE HAVE WITH SERGEANT ALS? YEP.
GREENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN GREAT.
KARA'S BEEN GREAT MEETING WITH US, UM, MONTH AFTER MONTH NOW WE HAVE A REGULAR STANDING MEETING WHERE WE GO OVER THE ITEMS THAT ARE NOT COVERED ON THE BIG MAJOR ROADS.
AGAIN, FORT HILL, OLD ARMY AND ARDSLEY ROAD.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER SMALLER AREAS, MISSING CROSSWALKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT COULD BE HANDLED WITH A LOT LESS SPENDING.
DOESN'T NECESSARILY REQUIRE BIG EXPENDITURES WITH THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
SO WE'RE DEALING WITH THOSE AS THEY COME UP AND GOING THROUGH THE LIST WITH SERGEANT ELLIS, WHO'S BEEN EXCELLENT.
SO THE, THE THREE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS OUTTA THIS REPORT, UH, REQUESTS FROM EDGEMONT RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN, UH, A TIMETABLE AND SCHEDULE FOR THE INSTALLATION OF SIDEWALKS, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MEASURES AND RELATED, UH, UH, FEATURES ON FORT HILL ROAD, OLD ARMY ROAD AND ARLEY ROAD, INCLUDING ENGINEERING TRAFFIC ANALYSIS TO ENSURE A SAFE AND VIABLE ROADWAY DESIGN PRIORITY SHOULD BE THE INSTALLATION OF AN ADA COMPLIANCE SIDEWALK ON FORT HILL ROAD, STARTING AT UNDERHILL ROAD, AND, UH, CONTINUING TO LONGVIEW DRIVE.
UH, THE SECOND PRIORITY, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAFFIC COMING MEASURES ACROSS EDGEMONT WITH THE PRIORITY FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A SPEED TABLE ON OLD ARMY ROAD, AND AN IMMEDIATE INCREASE IN POLICE PRESENCE AND SPEED ENFORCEMENT.
UH, AND THIRD, THE INSTALLATION OF A SMART TRAFFIC LIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION OF ARLEY ROAD AND FORT HILL ROAD.
UH, THE SUPPORT IS CONTINGENT UPON THE LIGHT, BEING ABLE TO SENSE TRAFFIC BEYOND THE LINE OF SIGHT SO THAT THE LIGHT CAN REFLECT IN REAL TIME TO ACTUAL, UH, PRO, UH, REAL TIME TO ACTUAL TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, NOT MERELY BASED ON THE EXPECTED TRAFFIC PATTERNS BY TIME OF DAY, UH, TO PROACTIVELY PREVENT CONGESTION BUILDING UP ALL THE WAY TO CENTRAL AVENUE AND ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE THREE OTHER DIRECTIONS.
UH, THE ECC URGES THE TOWN TO SHARE A MODEL TO, UH, FOR HOW THE LIGHT WILL PERFORM AT VARIOUS TIMES A DAY PRIOR TO INSTALLATION, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LIGHT IS EASILY, UH, REC, UH, REPROGRAMMABLE BASED ON THE IN, UH, INFORMATION LEARNED DURING THE, UH, THE FIRST WEEK AFTER INSTALLATION.
UM, SO THESE WERE, WERE OUR PRIORITIES.
WE, WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT BASED ON, UH, VARIOUS FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.
SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THESE, THE, THE TIMELINE OF THESE PRIORITIES MIGHT SHIFT, BUT WE'D
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LOVE TO HEAR, UM, FROM THE TOWN BOARD ON, UH, THE REACTION OF THE REPORT.AND, AND ANY QUESTIONS WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER.
GARRETT, DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GRANT THAT YOU'RE, THAT YOU DISCUSSED WITH THE TOWN BOARD? SURE.
AND FIRST OFF, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT THE REPORT IS EXCELLENT AND SUPER HELPFUL.
UM, I JUST, THE FACT THAT YOU DID THIS WITHOUT A CONSULTANT IS, YOU KNOW, VERY APPLAUDABLE, SO EXCELLENT JOB.
UM, WHEN I READ THE REPORT, UM, UNDERSTANDING THAT THE FORT HILL ROAD SIDEWALK WAS THE NUMBER ONE OPPORTUNITY, UM, OR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, UM, YOU KNOW, GAVE THAT A LOT OF CRITICAL THOUGHT, I THOUGHT CRITICALLY ABOUT OLD ARMY ROAD, THOUGHT ABOUT THE, UM, SIGNAL, THE PROSPECT OF A SIGNAL AT OLD, AT FORT HILL AND LEY ROAD, AND, UM, AT LEAST AS FAR AS OLD ARMY ROAD.
AND I, I WILL SPEAK TO FORT HILL.
UM, IT STRIKES ME AS A GREAT CANDIDATE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM GRANT.
AND AS A REMINDER, THE TOWN HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL THREE TIMES NOW WITH THE TAP GRANT BUILDING SIDEWALKS ON STATE ROADS.
THE TAP GRANT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE FOR STATE ROADS.
THE, THE, THE LOCAL, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IDENTIFIES, UH, BY MAP LOCAL ROADS THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING.
AND, UM, WHILE BOTH FORT HILL AND OLD ARMY ARE ON THAT LIST, OLD ARMY STRIKES ME AS THE SUPERIOR CANDIDATE FOR THE TAP GRANT.
WITH MY KNOWLEDGE AND THE TOWN'S KNOWLEDGE OF THE INPUTS THAT GO INTO A SUCCESSFUL TAP GRANT APPLICATION.
UM, OLD ARMY REALLY CHECKS THE BOX IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO SCHOOLS, SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOLS.
AND THAT IS LIKE ONE OF THE MOST HIGHEST PRIORITIES ABOUT THESE GRANTS.
UM, IN MEETING WITH THESE GENTLEMEN, THEY'VE IDENTIFIED DIFFERENT CROSSWALKS THAT ARE MAJOR CHALLENGES ALONG OLD ARMY, UH, OLD ARMY ROAD.
AND THE TAP GRANT IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO EMPLOY TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES, BUT DO IT IN A WAY WHERE YOU HAVE A DEDICATED ENGINEER THAT'S INDEPENDENTLY HIRED AND THAT ESSENTIALLY DESIGNS OUT EACH PORTION, EACH SIDEWALK IDENTIFIES WHETHER THINGS LIKE SPEED TABLES ARE A GOOD OPTION.
AND IT'S JUST EXACTLY THE TYPE OF, UM, GRANT MECHANISM THAT I THINK THIS PRO, THE OLD ARMY ROAD SIDEWALK WOULD BE A MAJOR CANDIDATE FOR.
SO IN MY OPINION, UM, IF THE TOWN BOARD WERE SUPPORTIVE, I FEEL THAT, UM, TOWN STAFF WORKING WITH ENGINEERING COULD PUT TOGETHER A VERY STRONG TAP GRANT APPLICATION FOR OLD ARMY.
JUST QUICKLY, UM, KNOWING THAT FORT HILL IS THE NUMBER ONE SI SIDEWALK PRIORITY IDENTIFIED IN THIS REPORT, THE ONLY REASON THAT I CAUTION AGAINST A TAP GRANT FOR FORT HILL ROAD IS I FEEL LIKE THERE'S TOO MUCH VARIABILITY IN THAT FUTURE DESIGN FOUR HILL ROAD, UM, IS, IS NARROW, IS 26 FEET IN RIGHT OF WAY LENGTH.
SO I'M NOT TALKING CURB TO CURB OR EDGE OF PAVEMENT TO EDGE OF PAVEMENT.
I'M ACTUALLY TALKING ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE PRIVATE PROPERTY STARTS TO THE OTHER SIDE.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE 26 FEET AND NOW YOU HAVE A NARROW ROAD IN THERE, YOU REALLY HAVE MINIMAL SHOULDER, UM, OF RIGHT OF WAY TO PUT A SIDEWALK.
NOW THAT IN ITSELF IS NOT, UM, FATAL TO A PROJECT BECAUSE YES, YOU CAN ACQUIRE PRIVATE PROPERTY, BUT FROM WHAT, WHEN I SEE THAT NARROW OF A RIGHT OF WAY, UM, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD YOU'RE ACQUIRING PROPERTY ALMOST THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SPAN.
SO THAT OFFERS, UH, YOU KNOW, COMPLEXITY FROM BOTH A COST PERSPECTIVE.
UM, BUT THEN IN ADDITION, UM, THERE IS THE PROSPECT WITH FORT HILL ROAD THAT NOT ONLY IS THE RIGHT OF WAY WITH SO NARROW, BUT THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL SPACE COULD CONCEIVABLY BE TOO NARROW TO PHYSICALLY FIT TWO ROAD LANES, WHICH ARE PRESENTLY THERE, AND THEN A FIVE FOOT SIDEWALK.
UM, SO I DO HAVE CONCERNS THAT, UM, THE ONLY WAY TO REALLY AFFECT A SIDEWALK FOR THAT SPAN IS POTENTIALLY TO DO A ONE WAY.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT THAT DOESN'T, UM, RANK AS HIGH SUPPORTIVE VIA THIS REPORT, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT ONE WAY IS A VERY DRAMATIC CHANGE.
UM, BUT WITH THOSE SORT OF VOLATILE CONDITIONS, UM, IT, THAT'S NOT WHAT THE TAP GRANT REVIEWERS WANT TO SEE.
THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE AN APPLICATION THAT SAYS, WELL, THE GOAL IS A SIDEWALK, BUT WE'RE NOT SURE HOW WE'RE GONNA GET THERE.
UM, I FEEL LIKE THAT WOULD RANK VERY LOW AND WE WOULD INVEST A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TIME.
I THINK THE PUBLIC SUPPORT WOULD BE THERE FOR IT, BUT I JUST, I FEEL THAT THAT WOULD RANK VERY LOW, AND I JUST PERSONALLY WOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT INVESTING SO MUCH TIME INTO THAT.
AND THE WILD CARD AND THE WILD CARD IS THE PEOPLE WHOSE PROPERTY IS AFFECTED AND WHETHER THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO COMPLY.
AND THAT BECOMES PROBLEMATIC EVEN
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FOR THE MOST WORTHY OF PROJECTS.I'VE, IN MY EXPERIENCE, I'VE, I'VE COME ACROSS THAT.
AND JUST TO BE TRANSPARENT THOUGH, IT TRULY IS NOT FATAL TO A PROJECT BECAUSE TO BE VERY TRANSPARENT, WEST HARTSDALE AVENUE, UM, SIDEWALK, I THINK IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THERE WILL BE 10 PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS.
UM, SO IT, IT, IT DOES HAPPEN.
IT'S JUST, I, I'M, I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT IT WOULD BE THE WHOLE SPAN OF ACQUISITIONS, RIGHT? 'CAUSE NOT FATAL, BUT IT, IT IS PROBLEMATIC AND THEN AND LESS LIKELY FOR THE STATE TO BE WILLING TO TAKE YEAH, THEY'LL GO WITH IT.
THEY'LL GO WITH SOMETHING THAT'S MORE CERTAIN.
UM, SO THERE'S THAT PROSPECT OF THE TAP GRANT, AND IF THE TOWN BOARD SUPPORTS THAT WE KNOW WHAT TO DO, WE KNOW HOW TO EXECUTE A COMPETITIVE GRANT, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE WE WILL GET IT.
UM, IT'S AN, YOU SAY THAT EACH TIME
UM, THIS PROJECT, IT COULD BE UPWARDS OF, YOU KNOW, $3.5 MILLION.
SO THE 80% COULD BE SAY, YOU KNOW, TWO NINE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, 600,000 FROM LOCAL MATCH.
IT'S NOT A SMALL PROJECT, BUT, UM, UM, IF THE TOWN BOARD'S SUPPORTIVE, WE WILL DO THE WORK.
AND IT'S, IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
AND THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PART ABOUT THESE TAP GRANTS.
UM, EVEN LIKE INDIVIDUAL LETTERS FROM RESIDENTS, UM, MEAN A LOT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST THE LETTERS FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, WHICH OF COURSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
AND, AND WE CAN CERTAINLY COORDINATE ON, UM, A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN OR, OR ANOTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
UM, IN, IN TERMS OF, OF JUST SORT OF SEQUENCING, UH, SEQUENCING, IF, IF THE TOWN WERE TO APPLY FOR A TAP GRANT FRAUD ARMY ROAD, WOULD THERE, UH, STILL BE I GUESS THE APPETITE OR THE OPTION TO, UH, ALSO INVESTIGATE WHAT, WHAT NEEDS TO BE CLARIFIED WITH FORT HILL, UH, SO THAT IT COULD BE CONSIDERED FOR EITHER A FUTURE CAPITAL BUDGET OR, OR FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF TAP GRANTS IN THE FUTURE? YEAH, SO IF WE JUST GO ONE BY ONE, SURE SO'S LET'S ASSUME OLD ARMY, POTENTIALLY GREAT CANDIDATE FOR TAP GRANT AND, AND THAT MIGHT BE A VIABLE ROUTE.
FORT HILL ROAD, THE MECHANISM TO ADVANCE THAT I BELIEVE IS TO, UM, EMPLOY A SURVEYOR TO DO A BOUNDARY AND TOPO SURVEY.
WE DID, UM, PREVIOUSLY EXECUTE AN RFP FOR THAT.
SO WE HAVE THOSE RFP RESPONSES.
THEY JUST NEED TO BE REFRESHED WITH 2023, UM, PRICES AND THINKING.
SO, UM, I THINK WE'VE GOT A LEG UP AND WE CAN REALLY JUST HAVE THAT RFP REFRESHED.
AND WHAT WE WOULD BE ASKING A CONSULTANT TO DO IS DO A BOUNDARY AND TOPO SURVEY AND, UM, WITH THAT OBTAINED THAT, UM, UM, ENGINEER WORKING WITH A SURVEYOR COULD THEN TAKE IT TO THE NEXT STEP AND SAY, UM, AS IS, YOU KNOW, DESIRED IN THE REPORT, CAN WE ACHIEVE A SIDEWALK AND KEEP THAT TWO-WAY TRAFFIC? THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE DESIRE AND IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE.
UM, AND SO THOSE ARE THE STEPS YOU WOULD TAKE.
AND IF THAT ENGINEER SAYS, UM, YES, WE CAN THEN GREAT.
IT WOULD BE US COMING BACK AS STAFF TO THE TOWN BOARD TO SAY, UM, WE'VE PASSED THE TEST, IF YOU WILL, FROM A SURVEY AND ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE, AND WE WOULD SEEK AUTHORIZATION TO, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS PREPARED FOR A SIDEWALK IN THAT SPAN FROM UNDERHILL TO LONGVIEW.
IF THAT SURVEY REVEALS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S TOO NARROW AND THAT, IN THEIR OPINION, UM, WITH PRIVATE PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS, IT'S REALLY, UM, GONNA BE TOO MUCH OF A CLIMB.
UM, AND THEY OPINE THAT, UM, THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY AFFECT A SIDEWALK IN THAT SPAN IS A ONE-WAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD WORK WITH THE TOWN BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY TO FIND OUT IF THERE'S AN APPETITE FOR THAT.
I DON'T THINK THE TOWN WOULD WANNA INVEST MONEY IN A ONE-WAY STUDY IF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY'S VERY NON-SUPPORTIVE.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN THINK ABOUT AS WE GET THERE.
SO THE LOGICAL STEPS ARE TO REFRESH THAT RFP, WHICH, YOU KNOW, DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF TIME, GET A SURVEYOR ON BOARD.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING I FEEL LIKE WE COULD ACHIEVE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS FAST AS THE BOARD'S SUPPORTIVE OF.
OTHER THING IS THAT IF WE DID THE OLD ARMY ROAD, WHICH HAS THE, A BETTER CHANCE OF GETTING THE GRIN AND PEOPLE SEE HOW IT'S ENHANCING THE LOOK OF THE COMMUNITY AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, UH, IT WILL GENERATE MOMENTUM AND PEOPLE MAY SAY, WOW, LOOK, WHAT A GREAT IDEA, YOU KNOW, DOING MORE SIDEWALKS, YOU KNOW, IS SO, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN, IF IT TAKES US BETWEEN, UH, WRITING THE GRANT AND GETTING THE GRANT AND CONSTRUCTION, IT'S USUALLY LIKE A TWO TO THREE YEAR PROCESS BEFORE, SAY OLD ARMY ROAD WOULD BE, ISN'T BEFORE OLD ARMY ROAD ACTUALLY WOULD HAVE THE SIDEWALK.
IT'S PROBABLY TWO YEARS, RIGHT? TWO TO THREE YEARS.
IT'S A VERY DELIBERATIVE AND GOOD PROCESS.
UM, THE GRANT'S DUE AT THE END OF JANUARY.
I IMAGINE THE STATE WOULD LET, UM, THOSE COMMUNITIES KNOW WHO ARE AWARDED
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BY THE END OF THE YEAR.UM, SO NOW WE'RE INTO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALREADY INTO THE START OF 2025, WE WOULD IMMEDIATELY GET A SURVEY OR ENGINEER ON BOARD AND, UM, THEY WOULD DO ESSENTIALLY A YEAR TO A YEAR AND A HALF DESIGN PROCESS.
AND THEN YOU DO BIDDING AND THEN YOU DO CONSTRUCTION BIDDING.
SO YOU ARE TALKING A GOOD THREE TO FOUR YEARS, 40.
BUT WE ALSO, WE COULD ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE GRANT, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE GRANT WE COULD ALSO BE PURSUING, UM, YOU KNOW, GRANTS FOR THE FORT HILL 'CAUSE THERE'S OTHER FUNDING SOURCES FOR, FOR SIDEWALKS OR CAPITAL BUDGET, UM, YOU KNOW, FUNDING FOR, FOR PART OF IT.
SO MAYBE WE COULD EVEN GET SOMETHING STARTED ON FORT HILL WHILE WE'RE DOING WELL, WE STUDY ANYWAY.
AND ULTIMATELY SOMETHING LIKE FORT HILL, UM, YOU KNOW, MY HOPE WOULD BE THAT
BUT IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, AND THE COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, IS COGNIZANT OF THAT AND SAID, WE'RE OPEN TO A ONE-WAY, AND NOW YOU REALLY, YOU'RE OPENING UP THE PROSPECT OF A ONE-WAY ALL THE WAY FROM UNDERHILL TO FORT HILL.
IF THAT'S THE, IF AND ONLY, IF THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY GET A SIDEWALK.
IF THAT WERE THE CASE, THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED COMPLETE STREETS FUNDING FROM THE COUNTY THAT I COULDN'T IMAGINE A PROJECT THAT WOULD SCORE HIGHER THAN, THAN THAT.
UM, BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE, YOU'RE BRINGING SAFE CYCLING AND SAFE PEDESTRIAN THROUGH A MAJOR ARTERY IN, IN THE TOWN.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL IF AND ONLY IF, UM, YOU CAN'T KEEP THAT TWO-WAY TRAFFIC.
WHAT I FIND LIKE SO EXCITING ABOUT THIS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THANKS TO YOUR EFFORTS, GARRETT, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE, WE'VE TURNED, UM, THIS WHOLE CORRIDOR INTO A MUCH SAFER AREA.
SO YOU HAVE HILLSIDE, THE SIDEWALK FROM HERE TO SOUTH ROAD, UM, IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION NOW.
YOU HAVE THE JUNIPER HILL ROAD, UH, YOU KNOW, SIDEWALK NEAR, UM, UM, WHERE GINA LIVES.
UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S HAPPENING.
YOU HAVE THE WEST HEARTS DAILY AVENUE SIDEWALK FROM, UH, EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE ALL THE WAY TO NORWOOD ROAD, DUFFS FERRY ROAD, SIDEWALK, UH, DUFFS FERRY ROAD TO, UH, ONE 19.
AND THEN NOW WE'RE APPLYING FOR ANOTHER SIDEWALK FROM, UH, ACME SUPERMARKETS TO THE HEALTH CENTER.
SO PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO, AND THEN COUNTY IS, UH, GONNA GIVE US A GRANT, UH, FOR, UM, FROM THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO, UM, TO BASICALLY TO THE GAS STATION.
SO PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO, UH, WALK OR BIKE FROM, UM, EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE, THE HARTSDALE TRAIN STATION, ALL THE WAY TO THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
IF YOU, IF WE DO THE SAME EFFORT IN EDGEMONT, YOU, YOU COULD HAVE THE OLD ARMY ROAD SIDEWALK GOING TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.
WE COULD, UH, UH, TRANSITION TO MOUNT JOY AND THEN WE COULD ALL, AND WE COULD ALSO BE DOING FORT HILL.
SO YOU COULD HAVE THE WHOLE, UH, A WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WILL BECOME PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY.
AND YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IF WE COULD SAVE A COUPLE LIVES, UH, IT'S WORTH IT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S THE BIGGEST NEGATIVE, AND THESE CAN COMMUNITIES IS IT'S NOT PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY.
SO I'M, I'M REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF, YOU KNOW, THE WORK YOU'VE DONE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS LIKE A ROLE MODEL FOR, UH, THE WAY ALL COMMUNITIES NEIGHBORHOODS SHOULD DO, YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY INITIATIVES.
YOU INVOLVE THE COMMUNITY CAME UP WITH A REALLY GOOD REPORT AND YOU ARE HELPING US GIVE A, GIVE US A ROADMAP TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
SO GARRETT, UM, ARDSLEY AND FORT HILL ROAD.
SO THAT, AND UM, PLEASED THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE'S RECEPTIVE OR THAT, THAT THERE'S A GOOD CLIMATE FOR THE PROSPECT OF A SIGNAL THERE.
I MEAN, WE HAVE A GREAT TEMPLATE AT SPRAIN ROAD AND UM, AND ARDSLEY ROAD, WHICH, YOU KNOW, I PERSONALLY DID NOT TRAVERSE THAT OFTEN, BUT ANYTIME I DID IN A NON ARDSLEY ROAD DIRECTION, IT WAS VERY SCARY.
AND, UM, THAT INTERSECTION JUST FUNCTIONS SO MUCH SAFER AND BETTER NOW.
AND I KNOW THAT IT'S NOT APPLES TO APPLES IN TERMS OF THIS INTERSECTION WHERE I FEEL LIKE A LOT MORE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY HERE.
BUT, UM, NONETHELESS, VERY PLEASED THAT, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER ON.
AND, UM, THERE WAS SOME ENGINEERING WORK DONE AND I THINK IT VALIDATED, UH, BOTH SAFETY AND TRAFFIC EFFICIENCY THAT THIS TRAFFIC SIGNAL WOULD BRING.
UM, I READ THE REPORT IN THIS RESPECT AND IT DOES RAISE GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF A GREEN TURNING ARROW.
UM, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THERE'S A BIT MORE ENGINEERING.
THERE WAS SOME GOOD PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING DONE TO VALIDATE THE CONCEPT.
WE JUST NEED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
SO, UM, IN THAT RESPECT, I DO THINK, UM, AN RFP TO BRING A CONSULTANT ON TO UM, REALLY GET THAT PROJECT, UH, TO CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS WITH SOME ENGINEERING TO REMAIN, UM, ENSURING THAT THERE'S, UM,
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YEAH, I THINK WE DO HAVE SURVEYS IN PLACE, SO I THINK THE RIGHT OF WAY IS NOT GONNA BE AN ISSUE.BUT YEAH, I JUST THINK WE CAN REALLY, UH, IF THE TOWN BOARD'S SUPPORTIVE OF THAT PROJECT, AND I KNOW SERGEANT FONTAN ELLIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR ADVOCATE OF WHAT THAT WOULD DO FROM A SAFETY PERSPECTIVE ALONE.
UM, SO IF TOWN BOARD'S RECEPTIVE TO THAT PROJECT, UM, WE COULD GET THE ENGINEERING TEAM IN PLACE HIRED AND UM, GET THAT PROJECT DESIGNED.
WE DID THE HAWK, THAT WAS A GOOD TEMPLATE IN TERMS OF COST AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ROUGHLY A 500 TO $600,000 BUILD.
I DON'T SEE WHY THIS WOULD BE, UM, ANY DIFFERENT THAN THAT, WHICH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A LOT OF MONEY, BUT IT'S, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE SAFETY IT WOULD BRING, AND ALSO THE TRAFFIC EFFICIENCY, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, THAT WOULD BE A VERY, UM, A VERY, UM, YOU KNOW, MONEY WELL SPENT IF, IF I REMEMBER FROM THE ORIGINAL STUDY IT BROUGHT THE INTERSECTION FROM AN F TO AN A YEAH, AN F TO AN A OR AB, WHICH IS JUST, I'VE NEVER SEEN, YOU KNOW, IMPROVEMENTS LIKE THAT.
LIKE USUALLY JUMPER JOY, IF YOU GO FROM AC TO AB MINUS AND IT'S LIKE, YEAH, I, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL EXPERIENCE IT WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO GO FROM CENTRAL TOWARDS THAT INTERSECTION AT RUSH HOUR AND YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SITTING THROUGH MINUTES AND MINUTES AND MINUTES.
UM, THAT'S JUST NOT GONNA BE THE CASE IF A SIGNAL'S INSTALLED THERE.
REMINDS ME OF MY FIRST LAW SCHOOL EXAM,
UM, WE WANNA KNOW THAT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT CAN ACTUALLY SENSE AROUND THE BLIND TURN.
LIKE HOW DOES IT HAPPEN? WILL THINGS BE INSTALLED BEYOND THE BLIND TURN? 'CAUSE IF IT ONLY SEES TO THE BLIND TURN, THERE IS A RISK OF THAT BACKUP.
THE THE MAIN COMMUNITY CONCERN THERE IS YOU'RE GONNA NEED A LEFT-HAND TURN OR IT'S GONNA BE ONE DIRECTION COMING FROM CENTRAL AVENUE AND THREE OTHER, UH, LANES COMING IN WILL BE RED LIGHT, WHICH MAY WORK JUST FINE.
WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT THE EXPERTS ON TRAFFIC FLOW, BUT WE JUST WANNA SEE THE MODEL FOR EXACTLY HOW IT WILL NOT BACK UP.
SO WE JUST REALLY WANT GOOD DETAILS ON THAT.
BEFORE ANY DOLLARS ARE SPENT ON CONSTRUCTION, ARE YOU SAYING TO DO ADDITIONAL STUDIES TO DRILL DOWN OR TO GO MORE IN DEPTH ON THE STUDIES THAT WE'VE DONE? MAYBE SOMETHING THAT WOULDN'T REQUIRE ANY MONEY.
IT'S FOR THE PROSPECTIVE VENDORS WHO WILL BE SUPPLYING THE TRAFFIC LIGHT.
IF THEY CAN EXPLAIN HOW THIS LIGHT WILL KNOW THAT THERE'S TRAFFIC IN BEYOND THE LINE OF SIGHT, WILL, WILL SENSORS BE PLACED UNDER THE ROAD OR ON THE SIDE THAT WILL THERE BE AUXILIARY CAMERAS BEYOND THE LINE OF SIGHT TO EXTEND THAT LINE OF SIGHT, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
IT PROBABLY SHOULD JUST BE IN THEIR REGULAR SALES PITCH TO EXPLAIN.
SO I DO BELIEVE THAT WOULD BE BEST DONE THROUGH, UH, THE SAME ENGINEER THAT'S GONNA DESIGN IT AND THE SIGNAL AND, AND, AND, AND CREATE THE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY WILL BE WELL VERSED IN, UM, EXACTLY WHAT AN ADAPTIVE TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNAL CAN DO.
AND UM, THEY WILL OPINE ON HOW IT SHOULD BE PROGRAMMED, WHETHER IT'S SPLIT PHASE, LIKE YOU SAY, ONE DIRECTION GOES AND THEN THE NEXT DIRECTION GOES.
UM, AND THEN MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, YOU CAN SPLIT PHASE OR YOU CAN HAVE TWO OPPOSING WITH GREEN AS LONG AS THEY GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO OUR COMMUNITY.
'CAUSE THAT'S THE SINGLE BIGGEST CONCERN.
RIGHT? SO I DO THINK THAT THE RFP WOULDN'T BE JUST STRAIGHT CONSTRUCTION DRAWING PREPARATION.
I THINK IT WOULD HAVE A BIT OF, UH, EXTRA SOFT COST TO UM, YOU KNOW, BE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT, UM, HOW THAT SIGNAL WOULD BE SEQUENCED AND HOW IT WOULD AVOID THE CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE.
SO I THINK THAT'S REASONABLE AND I THINK THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION THE TOWN WOULD WANT, UM, BEFORE IT MADE THAT EXPENDITURE.
ELLEN, DID YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? NO, I WAS JUST AGREEING THERE'S OKAY.
SO WE'RE, THIS MAKES LOGICAL SENSE TO NOT PURSUE THE TAP GRANT BECAUSE OF THE VARI THE VARIABILITY THAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROJECT.
AND SO IS THERE A WAY THAT THE TOWN BOARD CAN COMMIT TO REDUCING SOME OF THAT VARIABILITY WITH THE SURVEY THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED IN THE NEXT BUDGETING CYCLE SO THAT THAT SURVEY CAN JUST DEFINITELY GET UNDERWAY? THIS BEING THE CAPITAL BUDGET? NO, A SURVEY WOULDN'T BE, I THINK, I DON'T THINK A SURVEY WOULD RISE TO THAT LEVEL OF COST.
UM, PROBABLY TALKING ON THE ORDER OF, UM, SAY 50,000 WITH AN AD ALTERNATE TO DO ADDITIONAL STUDIES IF WARRANTED IN TERMS OF ONE WAY.
[00:25:01]
UM, SO I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD BE CA I THINK THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE OPERATING THROUGH THE TYPICAL DP W ALLOCATION FOR, UM, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS.SO IT'D BE TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL IF THERE WAS A WAY TO LET US KNOW AS A COMMUNITY WHEN THAT SURVEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO HAPPEN, UM, IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS SO THAT WHEN THE NEXT TAP GRANT OPPORTUNITY COMES AROUND, WE CAN APPLY FOR TAP GRANT FOR FORT HILL ROAD OR POTENTIALLY EVEN EARLIER, MAYBE NEXT YEAR IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET.
BUT REALLY THAT SURVEY SEEMS LIKE THE NEXT STEP.
GARRETT, I'D ALSO ASK FOR THAT SURVEY.
IF YOU CAN ASK SPECIFICALLY WHICH PROPERTIES WOULD BE IMPACTED BY LAND NEEDING TO BE PURCHASED FROM THE TOWN, YOU CAN THEN WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY COUNCIL.
'CAUSE WE CAN TALK TO THOSE HOMEOWNERS AND WE CAN TALK TO THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL WHO REALLY WANTS TO SEE THAT SIDEWALK BUILT.
BUT OF COURSE THEY DON'T WANT TO IMPACT THEIR NEIGHBORS.
SO IT'S HOW MUCH DOES THE COMMUNITY WANNA LEAN INTO THAT? WE JUST WOULD REALLY LOVE TO SEE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT WHICH PROPERTIES WILL BE IMPACTED.
AND THEN ALSO IF YEAH, THAT WOULD BE REALLY, WOULD IT MAKE SENSE FOR, UH, YOU TO WORK WITH THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY COUNCIL AND COMING UP WITH LIKE A DRAFT OF THE SCOPE FOR, YOU KNOW, A SURVEY AND THEN WE COULD HAVE A MEET, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD MEET WITH THE ECC THANK YOU AND THEN, UM, AND THEN BASICALLY SAY THIS IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND IF PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS WAY WE COULD SORT OF GET A LITTLE SOUNDS GREAT, PAUL.
AND THEN WITH OLD ARMY ROAD, SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POTENTIALLY TWO TO THREE YEARS FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, WE'RE ON A GOOD ROLE RIGHT NOW WITH GREENBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONSIDERING POTENTIALLY LOWERING THE SPEED LIMIT, PUTTING IN A SCHOOL ZONE ON OLD ARMY, WHICH WOULD REDUCE THE SPEED LIMIT FROM 25 MILES AN HOUR TO 20 MILES AN HOUR.
AND THEY'RE ALSO THINKING ABOUT RECOMMENDING TO DPW TO PUT SOME CROSSWALKS IN.
SO, YOU KNOW, IF, IT SEEMS LIKE WE WOULDN'T HEAR BACK UNTIL YOU SAID MAYBE THE END OF 2024 ABOUT WHETHER WE WIN THE GRANT, BUT IF THIS GRANT WASN'T HAPPENING, WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE CROSSWALKS IN ON OLD ARMY BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
SO HOW DOES THE TAP GRANT PROCESS IMPACT WHAT LOOKS LIKE IMMINENT PROGRESS ON CROSSWALKS? THERE'S THREE CROSSWALKS APPROXIMATELY, WE WERE EVEN TALKING ABOUT POTENTIALLY SPEED TABLES.
UM, DOES THE TAP GRANT DELAY ALL THAT IMMINENT PROGRESS OR IS THERE, CAN WE DO THESE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME? YEAH, GOOD QUESTION.
SO IF THERE ARE MEASURES, SORRY, IF, IF, IF THERE ARE MEASURES THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED, UH, IN THE IMMEDIATE THAT, UM, THE TOWN CAN MAKE WITH AN UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WOULD NOT SEEK TO BE REFUNDED, UM, THOSE CAN BE UNDERTAKEN, YOU JUST WOULD NOT GET REFUNDED THROUGH THE TAP GRANT.
SO, UM, YEAH, IF THERE ARE SHORT TERM INCREMENTAL SORT OF QUICK FIXES IF, IF YOU WILL, THAT ARE LOGICAL, UM, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S NO REASON TO HOLD THAT FOR THREE YEARS UNTIL YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SHOVEL READY ON A TAP GRANT.
UM, BUT YOU WOULD WANNA BE MINDFUL THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME THRESHOLD LEVEL WHERE YOU'RE GONNA SAY, OKAY, WELL MAYBE WE SHOULD HOLD OFF ON, MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS MAKES LESS SENSE.
THEY DON'T EM EMBARRASS ONCE YOU SPEND IT.
BUT I THINK'S NO LONGER ON THE TABLE.
I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT MAYBE $10,000 PER CROSSWALK AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THREE CROSSWALKS.
THESE ARE, SO IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL IF, IF YOU COULD MONITOR CLOSELY THE PROGRESS THAT GPD ISS MAKING ON OLD ARMY ALREADY AND POTENTIALLY A FEW MORE CROSSWALKS GET IN THE BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.
THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL BECAUSE WE CAN'T WAIT TWO TO THREE YEARS FOR CROSSWALKS THERE.
THE WHOLE REASON I GOT INVOLVED IS BECAUSE AN A TRUCK CARRYING ALL THESE BATTERIES, WHICH IS NOT PERMITTED ON OLD ARMY, IT WAS DRIVING THROUGH A THREE OH EIGHT HIT A TELEPHONE POLE.
THAT'S WHEN ALL THE KIDS ARE WALKING OUT ON THE MOST NARROW PART OF OLD ARMY ROAD, KNOCKED THIS TELEPHONE POLE, JUST POPPED IT OUT.
IT WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE ROAD JUST DANGLING LIKE, UH, LIKE ONE OF THE, THE BOW ON A VIOLIN ON TOP, JUST ALL THE, AND IT WAS DOZENS OF KIDS WALK THERE ON OLD ARMY.
AND THEN THE WORST PART THAT THAT TELEPHONE POLE GETS PUT RIGHT BACK IN THE CENTER OF THE SIDEWALK, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TOGETHER TOWN AND EDGEMONT FAILED TO USE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVEN JUST MOVE THAT TELEPHONE POLE AND IT JUST WENT RIGHT BACK IN THE MIDDLE.
SO IT WAS JUST, IT JUST SHOWED THAT WE NEED TO DO MORE TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SAFETY.
UM, THE FINAL THING I'D MENTION IS THAT THERE'S A VERY INVOLVED COMMUNITY ON MOUNT JOY AND THEY REALLY WANNA SEE A SIDEWALK THERE IN MOUNT JOY.
GARY, IS THERE ANYTHING TALKING YOU CAN, UM, SHARE WITH US ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW MOUNT JOY TIES INTO OLD ARMY? I UNDERSTAND IT CAN'T BE PART OF THE TAP GRANT, BUT WHAT OPTIONS DOES THAT LEAVE THE TOWN? UM, DOES IT, IS IT JUST CAPITAL BUDGET IN THE FUTURE? AND ANY THOUGHTS FROM THE TOWN BOARD ON, ON WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR MOUNT JOY THAT IS ALSO A VITAL ROAD TO GET BOTH TO THE HIGH SCHOOL.
AND INTERESTINGLY ABOUT MOUNT JOY, PEOPLE FROM ACROSS GREEN ACROSS CENTRAL AVENUE CAN USE MOUNT JOY
[00:30:01]
TO GET TO THE HIGH SCHOOL TOO.SO IT IT AFFECTS ALL THREE SCHOOLS.
YEAH, I, I, SERGEANT FONTAN ELLIS AND, AND DPW OR THEY DO, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THESE INTERSECTIONS AND WHICH OBVIOUSLY MEETING WITH YOU ON A MONTHLY BASIS, UM, IS VERY HELPFUL IN THAT REGARD.
BUT, UM, I KNOW SERGEANT FONTAN ELLIS HAS EXPLORED AN INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AT MOUNT JOY, WHICH COULD BE, UM, SOFT DELINEATORS IN PAVEMENT MARKINGS NOW THAT IT'S A ONE WAY, UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE IMPLEMENTED, UM, SOON IF THERE'S NOT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL BUDGET FOR A FULL BLOWN MOUNT JOYCE SIDEWALK AT PRESENT.
SO THERE, THERE MAY BE ACTUALLY, UM, PEDESTRIAN MINDED STRIPING AND DELINEATORS STRATEGICALLY PLACED THAT, UM, COULD BE VERY BENEFICIAL AND, AND, AND GIVE SAFE MORE SAFETY THAN IS THERE PRESENTLY TO, TO STUDENTS.
SO THAT WOULD BE LIKE A PAINTED SHOULDER? YES.
WITH POTENTIALLY STRATEGICALLY PLACED, UM, DELINEATORS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT DOES BECOME COMPLEX WHEN YOU HAVE TO PLOW.
UM, BUT IT IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT IS BEING EXPLORED BY THE TOWN THROUGH DPW AND, AND, UM, AND, AND, AND, AND THE POLICE.
AND VERY SPECIFIC TO MOUNT JOY.
THE MOST SURPRISING SURVEY RESULTS WE FOUND WERE THAT PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON MOUNT JOY ARE HAPPY TO GIVE UP LAWN BECAUSE IT'S IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
IF A SIDEWALK IS COMING, THEY'RE EVEN HAPPY TO GIVE UP ALL THAT STREET PARKING BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO THEM.
SO WE'D BE REMISS IF WE DIDN'T BRING UP MOUNT JOY.
'CAUSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE CAN'T BE IN THE ROOM TONIGHT SITTING IN THESE CHAIRS, BUT THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO A SIDEWALK ON, ON MOUNT JOY.
SO LET'S KEEP THAT CONVERSATION GOING.
IF YOU NEED MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY, WE CAN FIND OUT MORE ANSWERS.
YEAH, I THINK THERE WAS SOME HESITATION ABOUT LOSING STREET PARKING, BUT, BUT I THINK THERE IS A SOLUTION, UM, FOR, FOR MOUNT JOY.
AND I'LL SAY IF, IF WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS ON FORT HILL AND WE'RE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS IN OLD ARMY, THEN IT REALLY PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY AS LUCAS ME MENTIONED WHERE, WHERE MOUNT JOY, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY IT WAS MOUNT JOY HIGHWAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS REALLY THAT CONNECTOR FROM THE, THE GREENVILLE, THE GREENVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SIDE OF EDGEMONT TO, UH, CELIA IN THE HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, I'M WONDERING, GARRETT, WHEN BEFORE, UH, WE WERE, WE ASKED YOU IF, UH, THE MOUNT JOY COULD BE INCLUDED IN THE GREEN, AND YOU SAID THAT'S NOT A STATE.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESN'T RECOGNIZE MOUNT JOY AS A ROAD THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED IF WE APPLY FOR THE GRANT FROM, UH, FOR, FOR, UH, FOR, UM, UM, OLD ARMY.
UM, AND WE INDICATE THAT, UH, MOUNT JOY CONNECTS TO BOTH CLE AND THE HIGH SCHOOL, UM, WITH THE, AND WE HAVE SORT SOMETHING SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE, OUR, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA DO OLD ARMY ROAD, BUT WE'RE ASKING PER PERMISSION, UH, IF, UM, WE HAVE EXTRA MONEY TO USE THE MONEY TO CONNECT OLD ARMY ROAD, UH, MOUNT JOY, ARE YOU ABLE TO PUT SOMETHING IN THAT, UH, THAT WOULD NOT JEOPARDIZE THE, THE GRANT APPLICATION, BUT MIGHT GIVE US THIS WAY? WE COULD, IF THEY'RE INTERESTED, YOU KNOW, AND THEY GIVE US A GRANT, MAYBE THEN WE COULD HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSIONS AND THEY MIGHT SAY, OKAY, UH, OR MAYBE WE COULD REACH OUT TO OUR FEDERAL ESTATE, UH, LAWMAKERS AND SEE IF THEY WOULD, UH, GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY.
BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID, IF WE COULD GET MOUNT JOY AND OLD ARMY, YOU KNOW, AND PART OF OLD ARMY THAT WOULD, THAT MIGHT GIVE US MORE BANG FOR OUR BUCK IN TERMS OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
I MEAN, LOOK, PUT PUTTING THE GRANT ASIDE, THE GENERAL APPROACH, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH SIDEWALK CONNECTIVITY IS TO SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE, RIGHT? SO WE WILL CERTAINLY IN THE GRANT APPLICATION BE IDENTIFYING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN ARTERY AND THERE ARE CONNECTIONS OFF OF THAT, WHICH WE ASPIRE TO, AND LOCALLY WE WILL, WE WILL BE LOOKING TO INVEST IN.
AND I THINK THAT HELPS THEM SEE A LARGER PICTURE AND HOW THAT GETS SCHOOL CHILDREN FROM NOT JUST THOSE THAT LIVE ON OLD ARMY ROAD, BUT, YOU KNOW, CONNECTOR ROADS LIKE THAT.
SO, UM, IT'S CER YEAH, WE JUST, YOU CANNOT SPEND THE DOLLARS, UM, ON MOUNT JOY WITH THIS GRANT.
WELL, AND, AND I'LL ASK THAT QUESTION A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT WAY.
UM, WOULD THERE BE EFFICIENCIES IF, WHILE THE OLD ARMY ROAD PROJECT IS, IS ONGOING TO FIND OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, WHETHER IT'S THE CAPITAL BUDGET, WHETHER IT'S OTHER GRANTS TO DO MOUNT JOY AT THE SAME TIME, POTENTIALLY USING THE SAME CONTRACTOR? POTENTIALLY? UM, POTENTIALLY BECAUSE WE HAVE, IF IT TAKES THREE YEARS, TWO OR THREE YEARS TO GET FROM A TO Z, WE HAVE A COUPLE YEARS TO LOBBY STATE LAWMAKERS AND FEDERAL LAWMAKERS TO, UH, TO SIMPLEST EXAMPLE, HILLSIDE AVENUE.
UH, IT'S GONNA BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION SOON, IT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION, BUT THE ACTUAL SIDEWALK PORTION'S GONNA BE, UM, NEXT YEAR.
BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST SIMPLE EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE ALL THEIR CREWS, THEY ARE MOBILIZED.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE THEM, UM, BUILD A SMALL SIDEWALK ENTRANCE TO THE DRIVEWAY OF TOWN HALL ON THE RIGHT, WHERE IT JUST
[00:35:01]
TURNS OFF INTO GRASS, SMALL RETAINING WALL, QUICK JOB, THEY WILL DO IT.WE'RE GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
WELL, YOU'RE INDICATING IS ON A LARGER SCALE, BUT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE MINDFUL OF THAT AND MAYBE THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY THERE.
OH, IF I COULD JUST ASK ONE QUESTION, UM, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO SHARE ANY EXPERIENCES THAT YOU'VE PERSONALLY HAD OR THOSE THAT YOU'VE, UM, DISCUSSED WITH OTHER RESIDENTS ABOUT THE ONE-WAY CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE TOWN OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS? BECAUSE SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT ANGST, BUT YOU KNOW, TREPIDATION ABOUT THAT CHANGE AND IT'S A DIFFICULT DECISION FOR THE TOWN BOARD, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY MADE THAT DECISION AND YOU KNOW, WE, THERE'S NOT A YELP
I MEAN, L LUCAS PROBABLY LIVES, LIVES IN THIS SPACE A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT I WOULD SAY ANECDOTALLY, I'VE, I'VE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF NEIGHBORS, UM, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING NEIGHBORS WHO ARE SOME OF THE MOST VOCAL BEING AGAINST THE ONE WAY ROAD THAT NOW THAT THEY'VE LIVED THROUGH IT, THEY'VE REALIZED THAT IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY SAFER.
UM, AND, AND FOR THE 30 EXTRA SECONDS THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IN THEIR MORNING COMMUTE OR THEIR EVENING COMMUTE, UM, THAT THEY RECOGNIZE NOW THAT IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION.
ANECDOTALLY, I'VE HEARD THE SAME THING.
I DO THINK THAT IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
I THINK IT'LL BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FOR FORT HILL THOUGH, BECAUSE THERE'S, YOU DON'T HAVE HENRY STREET AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE OTHER ROADS.
BUT IF YOU COULD, IF WE COULD GET THAT IN, IN A WRITTEN FORM, THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE HELPFUL AND CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT IF CAN BE HELPFUL IN CONVINCING OTHER LO LOCATIONS.
THAT, LOOK, THIS IS, THIS WAS THE, THE PRE, WE CAN DO THAT FOR YOU.
YEAH, WE, WE, WE CAN PUT TOGETHER A, A SIZZLE REEL OF, OF HAPPY, UH, HAPPY NEIGHBORS.
JUST A QUICK NOTE, UH, MYSELF, UM, SERGEANT FONT ELLIS, DPW REPRESENTATIVES, TOWN ENGINEER, UH, WE DID MEET WITH THE EDGEMONT SUPERINTENDENT, JUST, JUST, YOU KNOW, 15 MINUTE MEETING JUST TO SAY CHECK QUICK, CHECK IN, NEW SUPERINTENDENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY PRESENTED A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, IDEAS ABOUT CHANGING SOME OF THE ENTRANCES AND EXITS TO THE SCHOOLS.
SO, UM, WE REALLY, IN 15 MINUTES, WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE MUCH TIME TO GO INTO DETAILS, BUT WE DID, UM, GET A GOOD, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSION GOING.
AND, UM, LIKE WE DO WITH ALL OUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WE'RE GONNA REMAIN IN CONTACT WITH THEM AND BE APPRISED OF, YOU KNOW, THEIR PLANNING SO THAT WE CAN SYNC UP.
AND EDWIN ALSO HAS A NEW DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES, UH, MR. RDO IS ON AS WELL.
UM, WELL, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK.
WHILE I HAVE THE MIC, I ALSO WANNA THANK LUCAS FOR ALL OF HIS WORK AND, AND LUCAS'S COMMITTEE AND EVERYONE WHO FILLED OUT A SURVEY, SENT AN EMAIL, WAS A PART OF THIS PROCESS.
UH, THIS HAS REALLY BEEN A, UH, AS PAUL MENTIONED, REALLY HAS BEEN A MODEL FOR, FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
AND IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT LUCAS.
THANKS FOR THE AUDIENCE TONIGHT.
IF THERE'S ANY NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE LISTENING AND THEY WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT HOW WE DID THESE SURVEYS WITH THE SPECIFIC TOOLS WE USE, WE'RE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY COUNCIL.
AND YOUR WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED QUITE A BIT INTERNALLY.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA GET A BETTER GRANT WRITER, YOU KNOW, FOR THESE TAP GRANTS THAN GARRETT.
MATTER OF FACT, WHEN IT GETS CLOSE TO THE DEADLINE, HE, HE, THAT LIGHT DOESN'T GO OFF OVERNIGHT.
HE JUST, HE JUST GRINDS THEM OUT.
SO IF HE, IF HE, FRANKLY, IF HE TELLS ME THIS HAS A BETTER CHANCE THAN THIS MM-HMM.
AND, AND I, I DO, I, I APPRECIATE GARRETT'S PARTNERSHIP AND, AND THE PARTNERSHIP OF JASON AND RICH AND SERGEANT FONTAN ALICE, WHO'S BEEN HAVING THESE MEETINGS.
OH, YOU INCLUDED RICH IN THAT.
HE'S ABOUT TO COME UP HERE, DEAL WITH HIS EGO.
THE PARTNERSHIP HAS BEEN REALLY, UH, REALLY APPRECIATED.
WHICH IS, WHICH IS WHAT WE AIM FOR.
BOBBY, REGARDS TO YOUR WIFE, SHOULD WE CALL ROBERTA FOR THE BUDGET? LONG TIME WE HAVE TO CALL.
WE HAVE TO CALL ROBERTA FOR THE BUDGET DISCUSSION.
DID YOU WANNA GO FIRST? YOU CAN GO FIRST.
LET ME JUST, SHOULD I CALL HER? COME DOWN A HALF HOUR LATE? SO THAT'S A HALF HOUR.
OH, THAT'S WHY THAT'S I WAS AT, THAT'S AT, THAT'S I WAS ASKING.
[00:40:01]
NOT AT ALL.SHALL I TALK ABOUT NO, NO, NO.
MORE PERSONALITY OR, YEAH, IT'S LIKE
SO WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THIS OVERNIGHT? SNOW PARKING.
I DON'T THE, YEAH, I SPOKE TO IRIS MCCLAY JUST TO LISTEN IN ON, ON RICHARD'S.
I APPRECIATE YOU RECEIVING MY EMAIL.
YOU CAN HELP HIM OUT IF YOU WANT.
AND WHERE'S, WHERE DID HE GO? OH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
WHERE DID HE GO? I'M, I'M CALLING HIM.
YEAH, I HAVE TIME FOR A PIT STUFF.
WELL, YOU WANNA GO NOW? WE'RE WAITING FOR ELLEN, SO IF YOU WANNA, I ALREADY WENT.
WELL THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON YOUR SCHEDULE.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ENGINEERS OUT.
OKAY, SO NOW WE'RE GONNA START, UH, THE BUDGET OR CONTINUE THE BUDGET DISCUSSION.
AND, UM, FIRST WE'LL HAVE RICH FOND DISCUSS, UH, THE BUDGET.
AND UH, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THE TIME YOU GET.
IS IT NOT ON CLOSER? YEAH, CLOSER.
GINA TOLD ME TO SPEAK UP A LITTLE BIT.
I WANT TO THANK THE BOARD FOR THE TIME TONIGHT TO DISCUSS THIS.
UH, AND I WANT TO THANK RIGHT HERE
UM, THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR TEAM.
AND WHEN I SAY OUR TEAM, I SPEAK VERY HIGHLY OF JOE AND AMANDA, PEGGY, UH, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, GARRETT.
UM, IT REALLY HAS, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE LAND USE MEETINGS ON THE FRIDAYS, REALLY COME TOGETHER AND WE HAVE COME UP WITH IDEAS PRELIMINARILY ON HOW TO MAKE EFFICIENCIES GET BETTER SERVICE, QUICKER RESPONSE TIMES.
UM, AND THAT'S SOME OF WHAT WE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET.
AND THERE WERE TWO MATTERS OR TWO ITEMS THAT WERE PULLED THAT WOULD'VE KIND OF SET US TOWARDS THAT, THAT NEXT GOAL THAT WE'RE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES, OH, THIS THING, SOME OF THE SIMILARITIES WITH I'LL USE IN PARTICULAR, 'CAUSE LIZ IS HERE, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND LIZ AND FRANK.
AND WHAT THEY ARE ABLE TO DO TO HELP US, ESPECIALLY IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY, DPW OPERATIONS.
RIGHT? SO FRANK, LIZ HAVE A SPECIAL SKILL SET.
YOU JUST SAW GARRETT HERE, RIGHT? GARRETT HAS A SPECIFIC SKILLSET.
WE'RE LOOKING TO KIND OF CROSS OVER INTO THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS WITH THESE MORE, WITH THESE SKILLSETS.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAD PUT IN WAS THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
BECAUSE DPW IS ONE FULLY STAFFED, 164 EMPLOYEES.
IT'S THE BIGGEST DEPARTMENT IN THE TOWN.
IF THE LIBRARY WANTS AN ADDITION, COMES TO DPW, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, RFQ FOR PARKING OR FOR, UH, AN EXPANSION ON THE BUILDING.
IT COMES TO D EVERYTHING YOU JUST HEARD HERE.
ONCE GARRETT GETS THAT GRANT, IT'S GONNA RUN THROUGH ENGINEERING AND DPW, THE CROSSWALKS, THE RAISED, UH, AREAS RUNS THROUGH DPW.
THERE'S NOT A DEPARTMENT HERE THAT DOESN'T RELY ON US IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
UM, WE'VE DONE SOME THINGS RIGHT.
[00:45:01]
WE COULD DO THINGS MORE EFFICIENTLY.'CAUSE THAT'S THE PRESS WE KEEP HEARING.
YEARS BACK, THEY STARTED THE SIDE LOADER.
THERE ARE SOME PLUSES WITH THAT AND THERE'S SOME MINUSES WITH THAT.
BUT STAFF HAS BEEN THROUGH IAN, I THINK IT'S DOWN 10 OR 11 NOW.
AND THANKS TO GARRETT AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, THEY KEEP GIVING US MORE WORK.
SO EVERY TIME THERE'S A SUBDIVISION OR A DEVELOPMENT, GARBAGE NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP.
ROADS NEED TO BE PLOWED, WATER NEEDS TO BE SERVICE SEWERS IN THERE, STREET LIGHTS, TREE WORK, STREET SWEEPING, I CAN GO ON AND ON.
SO WE ARE HERE AND WE LOVE OUR JOB.
WE TRY TO SERVICE THE RESIDENTS THE BEST WE CAN, BUT WE ARE LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE COULD BETTER SERVE.
AND TWO OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WE HAD IN THERE, AND I'M GONNA TRY TO SAY GENERAL 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC EMPLOYEES.
BUT ONE OF THEM WAS ADDING A, A POSITION OF OVERSIGHT.
AND WE FEEL FRANKLY THAT FRANK, UM, COULD POSSIBLY DO BOTH ROLES IF AND WHEN THAT DEPARTMENT IS FULLY STAFFED.
AND I THINK EVERYBODY KNOW, KNOWS THE STRUGGLES WITH THAT NOW.
UM, BUT WE THINK THAT WILL BE GREAT EFFICIENCIES BETWEEN THE TWO DEPARTMENTS.
YOU KEEP SAYING FRANK, I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE CLEAR.
IT'S BETTER IF YOU USE TITLES.
SO OUR BUILDING INSPECTOR, MM-HMM.
ALSO HAS GREAT EXPERIENCE IN TRUCKS.
UM, VERY MECHANICAL AND HAS GREAT INSIGHT INTO CERTAIN THINGS WE COULD BE DOING A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
AND WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER.
WE WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO MORE SOLIDIFY THAT.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE, THE, THE SUGGESTIONS WE HAD PUT IN THERE THAT WAS CUT.
ANOTHER ONE WAS, UH, COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC IN TERMS OF THE CUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, HOW IT WAS REMOVED? NO, BUT COULD YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC IN TERMS OF THE ROLE OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT YOU'RE ENVISIONING? SO, AND THE BUDGET IMPACTS EVERYTHING YOU'RE HEARING HERE.
WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE OVERSEEING 164 PEOPLE.
ONE FULLY STAFFED, TWO PEOPLE.
WE HAVE GENERAL FOREMANS IN EVERY, UH, DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU LOOK AT, LET'S SAY THE STRUCTURE ON WHITE PLAINS, OR YOU LOOK AT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE, EVEN OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT, THERE IS A SUPERINTENDENT BETWEEN THE ADMIN STAFF AND THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
AND WE HAVE GREAT BOOTS ON THE GROUND HERE.
WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
THAT PERSON IS THE IN-BETWEEN, RIGHT.
THERE'S A PERSON BETWEEN THE BOARD AND THE DEPARTMENT HEADS.
LIKE A MANAGER OR AN ADMINISTRATOR.
THAT WOULD BE THAT, THAT PERSON IN DPW.
AND YOU'RE SAYING IT WOULD BERAN.
SO, SO, SO THE THING IS, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, IN THE BUDGET THAT WAS CUT.
UM, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT UPGRADING FRANK'S POSITION TO, UM, THE SALARY, UH, YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT COULD BE SORT OF LIKE A CONSOLIDATE, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF JUST SAYING, OH, WE'RE CREATING A NEW POSITION.
WOULD IT BE BUILDING INSPECTOR AND SUPERINTENDENT? YEAH.
JUST IN TERMS OF BUDGET DISCUSSIONS, I THINK IT'S BEST TO TALK ABOUT SPECIFIC PERSONNELS SALARIES, EMPLOYMENT HISTORY, ANY OTHER CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.
THE ONLY REASON I'M SAYING IT IS BASICALLY IF WE'RE ADDING A SALARY, UH, POSITION AND BASICALLY WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, USE THAT POSITION TO CONSOLIDATE FUNCTIONS AND MAKE GOVERNMENT RUN, YOU KNOW, MORE EFFICIENTLY, THEN THERE'S VALUE, YOU KNOW, TO THAT.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN THE LONG TERM WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH SAVINGS.
SO, YOU KNOW, SO I FEEL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ONLY A NEW, IT'S REAL IF YOU'RE ADDING A LITTLE EXTRA, UM, YOU KNOW, MAY, UH, AND AT THE SAME TIME YOU, YOU KNOW, THE PRESENTATION YOU MADE TO THE TOWN BOARD A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AGO ABOUT, UM, CONSOLIDATING FUNCTIONS IN BOTH DPW AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
I THINK THAT LONG TERM IS THE WAY, UH, TO GO.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE, UM, LIKE TONS AND TONS OF, UM, LARGE APPLICATIONS LIKE REGENERON, YOU KNOW, IN A COUPLE YEARS.
UM, SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WAYS OF MANAGING, UH, BETTER, MORE EFFICIENCY.
I DON'T USE THE WORD, SORRY, BUT THE POSITION IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT POSITION THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING SO THAT WE COULD ACHIEVE THIS WAS CUT.
BUT NOW YOU'RE SAYING THAT MAYBE IT COULD BE A COMBINED POSITION WITH A BUILDING INSPECTOR.
WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN A, A NEW POSITION.
SO, AND I JUST GOING BACK TO THE CONSOLIDATION, BUT I, I LIKE THE SECOND OPTION BETTER.
I WANT TO, YOU GOTTA DEFINE THAT.
THERE'S EFFICIENCIES THAT COULD BE HAD.
SO PEOPLE WILL COME INTO GARRETT'S OFFICE, OUR OFFICE,
[00:50:01]
THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT OFFICE, AND THEY GO BACK AND FORTH RIGHT.ALL TO ULTIMATELY GET A BUILDING PERMIT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO IMPROVE THAT EFFICIENCY.
'CAUSE IT IS INVOLVED, RIGHT? YOU HAVE THREE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND YOU GUYS SEE IT EVERY WEEK AT LAND USE.
WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE HOW WE CAN IMPROVE UPON THAT.
THERE ARE, UH, SYSTEMS THAT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT HAS PUT IN PLACE THAT I THINK THE REST OF US ARE KIND OF BUYING INTO, WHERE YOU ARE ABLE TO REVIEW THINGS ON SCREEN ALL AT ONCE, ALL AT THE SAME TIME BRINGING THINGS IN DIGITALLY RATHER THAN ON PAPER.
THEY REALLY ARE CHANGING A LOT OF THE WAY THE WORK IS DONE AND THE FLOW OF THE WORK.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND WORKING WITH CURRENT STAFF TO SEE HOW WE COULD WORK CLOSER TOGETHER TO MAKE THOSE EFFICIENT ALL.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT WHEN SOMEBODY, AND ANYBODY WHO'S COME IN FOR A BUILDING PERMIT HAS EXPERIENCED THIS, YOU GO TO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT, YOU THEN FIND OUT YOU NEED TO HAVE STEEP SLOPES AND WETLANDS.
YOU HAVE TO GO TO A DIFFERENT OFFICE, PAY A DIFFERENT, UH, PAY A FEE TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION.
YOU THEN FIND OUT THAT YOU NEED SOMETHING DEALING WITH, UH, STORMWATER OR WHATEVER.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU NEED A VARIANCE, THAT'S EVEN ANOTHER DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT.
AND WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING IS TO MAKE THOSE OPERATIONS MORE EFFICIENT.
UM, WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT IS THAT YOU HAVE A PLUMBING INSPECTOR.
WE USED TO HAVE A FIRE INSPECTOR, THEN YOU HAVE A BUILDING INSPECTOR WHO COULD DO ALL OF THOSE, THOSE JOBS.
BUT IF THE PLUMBING INSPECTOR GOES OUT TO A, TO A A PROPERTY, THEY LOOK AND THEY SEE THE PLUMBING, THEY COULD SEE OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE AROUND ON THAT PROPERTY.
WE THEN HAVE TO SEND OUT ANOTHER INSPECTOR WHO HAS THOSE QUALIFICATIONS TO DO IT.
WHEN YOU COULD JUST HAVE BUILDING INSPECTORS WHO CAN DO IT.
SO THAT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE.
SO I'M NOT GIVING AN EXAMPLE IN DPW, I'M GIVING AN EXAMPLE IN BUILDING, BUT THAT'S WHERE IT IS.
THERE'S A FEAR THAT'S GOING THROUGHOUT OUR STAFF THAT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BY DOING EFFICIENCIES IS, AND I'M NOT SURE WHO'S SPREADING THIS, IS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING RID OF PEOPLE.
NO, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO GET RID OF PEOPLE.
IT'S VERY HARD TO FIND PEOPLE.
WE HAVE LOTS OF VACANCIES AND WE HAVE RETIREMENTS COMING UP.
AND SO WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE WORKLOAD THAT WE HAVE AND IN AND IN, INSTEAD OF EXPANDING THE WORKFORCE, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO FIND EFFICIENCIES SO THAT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE AND WORKING REALLY HARD AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, SOME BURNING THEMSELVES OUT, CAN AT LEAST WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY TO GET THE WORK THAT'S THERE TO BE DONE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
LET LET YOU SAY CONSOLIDATION.
CONSOLIDATION THAT'S ALWAYS MEANS YOU'RE LAYING PEOPLE OFF OR YOU'RE DOING WHATEVER.
IT'S NOT A CONSOLIDATE, IT'S A STREAMLINING OF PROCESS.
FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE A TITLE IN OUR OFFICE THAT HAS THE SAME QUALIFICATIONS AS A BUILDING INSPECTOR AND THEY GO OUT AND THEY LOOK AT THINGS WITHIN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
BUT WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE, FOR INSTANCE, IF IT'S A GRASS COMPLETE, THEY COULD, THERE COULD BE CROSSOVER BETWEEN THE TWO.
THEREFORE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO SEND, YOU KNOW, THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE OUT.
LIKE FRANK AND LIZ WILL TELL YOU IN A MINUTE, YOU KNOW, IF ONE PERSON'S OUT THERE, YOU COULD HIT ALL THE INSPECTIONS AT ONCE RATHER THAN THAT FOUR PEOPLE.
BUT THAT LOGISTICALLY, YOU WOULD HAVE TO AT THIS JUNCTURE HIRE THAT PERSON IN A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT.
YOU CAN'T JUST CROSS CROSSPOLLINATE QUOTE UNQUOTE.
I MEAN YOU CAN LOGISTICALLY, BUT YOU PUT IT, CAN YOU PUT IT IN TWO BUDGETS? YOU KNOW, X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS AND ONE BUDGET XI TWO BUDGETS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, MY, MY FAILING IS, AND I'M REALLY GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, UM, YOU KNOW, I SORT OF FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BASICALLY LOOKING AT MAKING THE TOWN MORE EFFICIENT.
IF WE HAVE TO CHANGE PEOPLE'S, UM, IF WE HAVE TO, COULD GIVE PEOPLE A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY.
UM, AND AS A RESULT WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE A MORE EFFICIENT OPERATION AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE GONNA COME OUT AHEAD RATHER THAN, RATHER THAN BEHIND.
AND IF WE COULD SAY TO THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE HAVE DIFFICULT BUDGETS, WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT LAYOFFS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE THING IS, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT MANAGING WITH THE EXISTING PERSONNEL AND YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S VACANCIES, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING IF WE COULD GET PEOPLE TO DO, YOU KNOW, MAKE, MAKE THE PRO THE, THE
[00:55:01]
WHOLE PROCESS BETTER, UM, FOR, UM, FOR THE CUSTOMER, THE EXPERIENCE BETTER.BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, UM, GIVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, MORE IMPROVE, INCREASE THEIR SALARIES, YOU KNOW, TO DO SO.
I FEEL THEN IT BECOMES A WIN-WIN FOR LIKE EVERYBODY.
SO, BUT INCREASING A SALARY, INCREASING SALARIES IS IMPORTANT.
BUT IT'S ALSO THAT I THINK IF I'M UNDERSTANDING IT, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE REALLY STRETCHED.
BUT I'M TIME-WISE, SO I, I, IT'S, IT'S POSITIONS WE NEED TO FILL AS WELL.
THERE ARE POSITIONS I'LL TALK ABOUT OUR ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE THREE ENGINEERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY WAITING ON RESULTS FROM TESTS.
SO WE HAVE SIX TOTAL POSITIONS IN THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT WITH THE ENGINEERS.
I MEAN, UM, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO, SORRY.
I WAS GONNA GIVE HIM KUDOS 'CAUSE HE, BUT WE HAVE ONE RETIRING, 300 ACTIVE.
THERE WILL BE ACTIVE LISTS WHERE WHEN THESE LISTS COME OUT, MUNICIPALITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
WELL, DON'T PUT THAT OUT THERE.
'CAUSE WE DON'T WANT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES TO TAKE OFF THE LIST.
WELL, LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE BUILDING.
AND WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY WORRIED, UNDERSTOOD THAT WE'RE GONNA BE IN THAT SAME BOAT.
AND WE ARE STRUGGLING TO FILL ONE POSITION.
WE'VE HAD APPLICANTS COME IN, THEY SEEM INTERESTED AND THEN THEY PULL AWAY.
SO HEARING THAT, WHY ARE THEY PULLING AWAY? WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE THE REASONING IS WHY THEY'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH SAM.
FROM EVERYTHING WE'VE SEEN, WE ARE NOT COMPETITIVE WITH THE COMPETITIVE SALARY WISE.
IN WHICH WAY, SALARY WISE, THE BENEFITS HERE ARE FANTASTIC.
THAT'S WHY YOU COME TO GOVERNMENT.
BUT THE SALARIES AND SOME OF THE PERKS THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ARE GIVING TO APPLICANTS ARE BETTER THAN WHAT WE'RE GETTING.
WELL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOW UP FOR WORK TWICE A WEEK.
WELL, THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S NOT, CLEARLY THAT'S NOT HERE AND THAT'S NOT THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES.
MAYBE ON THE HIGHER LEVELS THAT'S THE CASE.
BUT HERE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS TALK TO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND THEY COULD FILL YOU IN ON THAT.
BUT THE, THE, SORRY, SO YOU'VE HAD HOW MANY APPLICANTS FOR, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED BY THAT DEPARTMENT AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW.
SO IN ADDITION, HOW MANY APPLICANTS HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH? HOW MANY, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU MET WITH SO FAR? SO WE'VE PUT THIS, THESE APPLICATIONS OUT EVERYWHERE.
WE'VE HAD A TOTAL OF THREE APPLICANTS APPLY, AND ALL THREE HAVE TURNED THEM DOWN.
A LOT OF IT IS THEY COME IN, THEY'RE COMING MIDDLE MANAGEMENT OR MIDDLE ENGINEERING, WHERE THEY'RE NOT YET AT THE LEVEL OF MAYBE JASON, BUT THEY'RE CLOSE AND THEY ARE AT A JOB WHERE, LET'S SAY THEY'RE GETTING, AND PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T GIVE ANY SPECIFIC FACTORS OF THEIR CURRENT JOB.
NAMES, TITLES WE'RE, I DON'T TITLES, BUT EVEN SPECIFICS WHERE THEY WORK OR NO, NO, NO SPECIFICS.
BUT THEY, THEY HAVE, WHERE THEY'RE CURRENTLY WORKING A FEW WEEKS VACATION AND THEN TO COME HERE, YOU GET VACATION AFTER A YEAR'S TIME, YOU BUILD UP THAT VACATION.
SO WE'RE SEEING THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE DETERRING PEOPLE FROM, SO BENEFITS.
WHAT OTHER POSITIONS? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW, NOT THAT I DON'T WANNA TAKE YOUR TIME AWAY.
AND I GOTTA SAY, WE JUST WANNA, YOU, YOU'VE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.
WHO IS YOU? UH, GINA JACKSON
ONE OF THE, I WAS TOLD I CAN'T HAVE SEPARATE MEETINGS WITH YOU ANYMORE.
BUT BY THE WAY, THAT'S A PERSONNEL MATTER.
BUT WE'RE WORKING TO, UH, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF VACANCIES.
AGAIN, JUST LIKE BUILDING TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, I WON'T SAY WHERE OR WHO, BUT MM-HMM.
WHEN THAT CIVIL SERVICE LIST COMES OUT, DO YOU HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN IF THEY GO FOR A HIGHER PAID PAYING JOB ONCE THAT LIST COMES OUT? NO.
AND THE PROBLEM NOW IS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING IN-HOUSE, THERE'S A REAL LACK OF ENGINEERS OUT THERE.
UM, THERE ARE COMPANIES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, SCOOPING UP ANYBODY WHO RETIRES.
THEY'RE GOING TO THE SCHOOLS, THEY'RE MAKING PITCHES.
AND THEY'RE JUST, THE APPLICANTS AREN'T, IT'S, IT'S, AND WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES IN THIS BOAT.
THERE'S OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE IN THE SAME, SAME BOAT.
AND THEY'VE KIND OF SWITCHED GEARS IN HOW THEY'RE APPROACHING THESE THINGS.
UM, DID YOU WANT, DID YOU HAVE ANY, WHAT IDEAS OR WHAT HAVE THEY TOLD YOU HOW THEY SWITCHED TO GEARS? DO YOU HAVE TO USE A CIVIL SERVICE LIST FOR, TO HIRE? OH YEAH.
YOU DON'T, YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T LIKE GO TO A COLLEGE, YOU KNOW, WHERE SOMEBODY'S AN ENGINEER AND SAY, UH, WE HAVE A JOB.
AND IF THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE CIVIL SERVICE
[01:00:01]
EXAM, THEY CAN'T CALL.SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU QUALIFY FOR A TITLE, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, TAKE THE TEST, GET ON THE LIST.
IF YOU'RE WITHIN THE TOP THREE, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD POSSIBLY GET THE JOB.
JUST LEMME FINISH MY QUESTION.
SO WHEN YOU'RE TALKING TO YOUR OTHER PARTNERS AROUND THE TOWN, AROUND THE COUNTY, WHAT, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE DIFFERENTLY TO TRY TO RETAIN OR ATTRACT ANY NEW EMPLOYEES? THEY'VE INCREASED, UH, PERKS AND SALARY.
AND, AND WHAT DOES THAT DEFINE AS? SO FOR INSTANCE, GENERALLY SOMEONE WHO'S IN A AN ASSISTANT POSITION WOULDN'T TAKE A CAR HOME.
THAT COULD BE A PERK THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING.
I JUST WANNA, SO THAT'S A BENEFIT.
YOU HAD TO BE MINDFUL WHEN, THAT'S HOW I GOT ELECTED.
UHK TOOK A CAR HOME, AND SO WE JUST HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL.
THE CITY BOUGHT CRACK AND COCAINE.
AND I SAID, I'M NOT GONNA, I SWEAR IT WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS A TOWN EMPLOYEE.
I DO YOU REMEMBER? AND I SAID, I'M NEVER GONNA, WE HAVE GIVE SOMEBODY SOME CASE WHERE WE CAN DETECT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
I MEAN, THINGS HAPPEN, BUT, BUT YOU DID, DID LITTLE.
BUT ANY OTHER THINGS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE HAVE NO, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY MINDFUL OF THE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
UH, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW LAST YEAR MANAGEMENT GOT AN INCREASE AND THEY'RE STILL WORKING ON THE, THE, UH, CONTRACTS.
THE CONTRACTS WITH THE TWO UNIONS.
I KNOW THERE'S REAL SENTIMENT ABOUT THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU START TO FEEL THESE THINGS AFTER A WHILE, YOU KNOW, YOU START TO HEAR IT, SEE IT.
UM, AND I, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THE STAFF THAT GREENBERG HAS.
I MEAN, EVERY DAY, ESPECIALLY IN DPW, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OUT THERE.
AGAIN, WE'RE HEADING TO THE WINTER SEASON WHEN EVERYBODY'S HOME SLEEPING AT NIGHT, THE TEAM'S GONNA BE OUT THERE PLOWING.
YOU'VE SEEN THE WATER MAIN BREAKS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
I REALLY FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT WE HAVE TO REALLY START LOOKING AHEAD TO TAKE CARE OF STAFF.
IT'S ADPW DOES AN AMAZING JOB.
WE HAVE TO ALSO REMEMBER THAT THE SUPPORT STAFF IN THE BUILDING HERE HELPS MAKE THAT WORK.
SO IT'S, WE JUST, OVERALL, WE HAVE A REALLY TERRIFIC STAFF.
BUT YOU, IT IT'S JUST, IT GOES FROM EVERYBODY.
I MEAN, PEOPLE CLEANING THE BUILDINGS TO FIXING EVERY POLICE CAR AND, AND THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
YOU KNOW, I STARTED HERE OR RIOTING IN THAT POLICE CAR AS A POLICE OFFICER.
EVERYBODY WE'RE WE'RE COLLECTION.
NO, IT'S COMPLETELY, I STARTED HERE.
THINGS ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.
AND YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE THE SAME STAFFING AND THERE'S A LOT MORE RESPONSIBILITIES.
AND WE NEED TO MEET, WE NEED TO MEET TODAY'S TIMES.
AND, AND I TRULY APPRECIATE, I TRULY APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I HAVE TO SAY, AND I, AND I ALWAYS TELL YOU, COMMISSIONER, THAT WE HAVE AN PHENOMENAL STAFF.
I MEAN, EVERY TIME THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, I'VE COME DOWN TO THE GARAGES AND COME DOWN TO THE DIFFERENT SUBSTATIONS, AND I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERYBODY CAN BE HAPPY ALL THE TIME AND, AND IT GETS CHALLENGING.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVE A STAFF THAT IS FAMILY AND THAT, AND THIS TOWN BOARD CARES ABOUT THIS FAMILY.
AND THIS IS WHY WE'RE GOING TO DO, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS AS HAPPY AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
AND, BUT WE DO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE DOES AND WE LOVE THAT EVERYONE WORKS COLLECTIVELY.
I JUST, I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO EVER THINK THAT WE DO NOT APPRECIATE.
AND I KNOW THINGS GET OVERWHELMING, SO, NO, THEY'RE GOLD.
NO, IT'S ALL I WILL TELL YOU, IT'S ALL BRIAN.
MANAGED TO KEEP THE SNOW BUDGET, YOU KNOW, UNDER CONTROL FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS.
BRIAN SIMMONS, WHO'S BEEN THE DEPUTY NOW ABSOLUTELY.
YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT HIM.
AND IT'S A GREAT TEAM, TRACY TEAM, IT'S A VERY GREAT, GREAT, GREAT LEADERSHIP.
EVERY, HE'S NOT ANYBODY IN THERE.
GOOD LUCK WITH BUILDING HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
WAIT, WAITING FOR US TO GET A COPY OF WHATEVER THEY ASKED FOR.
I WAS HOPING THAT YOU COULD HAVE, CAN YOU PROVIDE US A COPY? WHICH, OR IS THAT UP ON UNI OR WHAT, WHAT IS, SO WHERE IS IT WHAT THEY ASKED FOR, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SUPERINTENDENT OF HIGHWAYS, NO, NOT SIDEWAYS.
SUPER WHAT PUBLIC WORKS, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, WHAT YOU COULD ENVISION WOULD BE, UH, GIVING, UM, SAY THE BILL.
I'M JUST SAYING IF WE WANNA MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT, UM, AND NOT HAVE LIKE A NEW, YOU
[01:05:01]
KNOW, POSITION, UM, UPGRADING, UH, THE SALARY OF, UM, BOTH THE BUILDING AND HAVE THE BUILDING INSPECTOR HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTINUING TO WORK IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UM, WORKING AS, UH, WORKING WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT IN, IN TERMS OF PROMOTING EFFICIENCIES, BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, COULD BE, UH, COST SAVER RATHER THAN LONG TERM.
I'M GONNA GIVE WHAT YOU MEAN FOR EFFICIENCY IS WHAT'RE SAYING, AND I'LL, I'LL GIVE YOU JUST A FEW QUICK EXAMPLES.
WE HAVE HAD A PROBLEM ON CENTRAL AVENUE WITH GREECE, WHICH IS MM-HMM.
IT'S BASICALLY FROM A RESTAURANT.
UH, IT'S BEEN GOING ON, I WANNA SAY.
THEY SAID, CHARLIE GRACE SAID ABOUT 20 YEARS WE'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN RESTAURANTS AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA GIVE THEIR NAMES.
AND IN COMES FRANK, THE BUILDING.
THE BUILDING BUILDING EXPECTED
'CAUSE OF A BUNCH OF REASONS, WE WON'T SAY WHERE IT WAS.
BUT GUESS WHAT, THAT 20 YEAR PROBLEM WHERE WE WERE GOING OUT IN OVERTIME, CLEANING THIS ON WEEKENDS, NOT BEING ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE IT'S COMING FROM IS GONE.
SOMETHING HAPPENS OVER AT THE LIBRARY.
JUST CALL UP AND THEY YES, YES, YES.
JUST LEMME JUST ASK, LEMME JUST ASK ONE OTHER QUESTION.
I CAN MYSELF, YOU KNOW, EARLIER, UH, YOU SAID YOU, SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES ARE, COULD BE UPSET BECAUSE MANAGEMENT GOT LIKE A 3% INCREASE AND THEY'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE COUNTRY.
RIGHT? THE QUESTION I HAVE IS, IF, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE ASKING FOR UPGRADES IN THEIR SALARIES, IF WE GIVE UPGRADES TO EXISTING, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, HIGH, HIGHER LEVEL EMPLOYER EMPLOYEES, BUT DON'T, BUT THE CONTRACTS HAVEN'T BEEN SETTLED, WILL THAT, IN YOUR OPINION, HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR ONE UNION, UH, NEGOTIATIONS? BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GIVING SOME PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, UM, SALARY INCREASES, BUT YOU'RE NOT, YOU HAVEN'T SETTLED THE NO, I'M JUST, NO, I'M JUST ASKING.
I'M SAYING, AND, AND I'M SAYING, DO YOU FEEL THAT IT WILL HAVE ANY POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT ON, UM, YOU KNOW, ON UH, THE EXISTING WORKFORCE? BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT BOTH ROBERTA AND ME, YOU KNOW, HAVE HAD DURING THE BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET PROCESS EVERY TIME, YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID, OH, LET'S LOOK AT SOMETHING.
SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU DO IT FOR ONE, THEY NEED TO HAVE THOUSAND PEOPLE.
AND I, I REMEMBER IN TIMES PAST THAT UNTIL THE CONTRACTS WERE SETTLED, AND UNLESS I'M MISTAKEN, NO ONE GOT ANYTHING UNTIL THE CONTRACTS WAS SETTLED AND THEN PEOPLE GOT IT RETRO.
AND AGAIN, HAPPY HOLIDAY AGAIN.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE BUILD THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
RIGHT? THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY NAMES, DO WE?
SO I, I HOLD, JUST, JUST, JUST BEFORE WE GET STARTED, YOUR MICROPHONE'S OFF.
I WOULD BE REMISS, I DO NOT RECOGNIZE THAT OUR, UH, FIRST FEMALE DEPUTY BUILDING INSPECTOR SITTING AT THE TABLE.
THIS IS WHAT WE, THIS IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DIVERSITY, THIS IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RECOGNIZING LEADERSHIP AND GREAT TALENT.
AND HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN WAITING TO GET INTO THIS ROLE.
THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
WE TALK ABOUT CHANGE AND MAKING GREAT CHANGE.
SO I, I HAVE TO RECOGNIZE YOU.
BUT THERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF, WE HAVE OUR FIRST FEMALE DEPUTY BILL INSPECTOR.
AND SHE'S MAKING $30,000 LESS THAN LESS THAN THE PRIOR BILL INSPECTOR WHO WAS MALE.
SO, YOU KNOW, SO WHY IS THAT? WELL, WELL THAT WE HAVE TO DISCUSS THAT.
SO I JUST WANNA GO BACK TO WHAT, AND IF YOU COULD JUST PULL YOUR MICROPHONE, PAUL PAUL'S LAST POINT.
UM, I THINK THAT REALLY THE, WE'VE LOST ANOTHER EMPLOYEE IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
WE ARE DOWN TO THREE INSPECTING STAFF.
WE USED TO HAVE SEVEN FULL-TIME INSPECTORS.
WHY DID THE LAST ONE LEAVE? UM, ALL OF THEM LEFT BECAUSE OF MORE BENEFITS, HIGHER SALARIES.
SO THEY DIDN'T RETIRE, THEY WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE? OH NO, THEY WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT FEEL THAT THEY WERE GETTING, UM, REALLY THAT THE, THE SALARIES WERE NOT BEING ADJUSTED OR ADDRESSED.
AND, UM, WHEN YOU'RE BEING OFFERED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT MORE, YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE YOU INTERVIEWED FOR THE JOBS
[01:10:01]
WE'VE INTERVIEW? MULTIPLE.AND MOST OF THE, THE RESUMES THAT WE HAVE BEEN GETTING IN ARE NOT QUALIFIED.
BUT THEY'VE ALL TAKEN CIVIL SERVICE.
NO, DON'T YOU HAVE TO HIRE, DO YOU WANNA TALK INTO THE MICROPHONE? DON'T YOU HAVE TO HIRE FROM CIVIL SERVICE? WE DO.
AND THERE'S ONLY ABOUT SIX PEOPLE ON THAT LIST.
AND NONE, NONE HAVE ACCEPTED THE POSITION BECAUSE OF THE SALARY IS TOO LOW.
WHEN YOU CAN GO TO ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY AND MAKE 40 TO $50,000 MORE, THERE'S A PROBLEM.
WE'RE NOT GONNA ATTRACT ANYONE.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR A PLAN EXAMINER FOR OVER A YEAR.
AND TO RICH'S POINT, YOU CAN'T ATTRACT ENGINEERS, PEOPLE THAT ARE QUALIFIED, PEOPLE THAT HAVE PES, RAS, YOU CANNOT ATTRACT THAT TYPE OF, OF QUALIFIED PEOPLE TO THE TOWN WHERE WE USED TO BECAUSE WE WERE COMPETITIVE.
THAT COMPETITIVE EDGE IS GONE.
ARE ANY OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE HAVING? NO.
WE'RE GETTING PEOPLE CALLING OUR EMPLOYEES AND SAYING, WE CAN OFFER YOU X, Y, AND Z.
SO IF WE HAVE NOTHING TO COUNTER WITH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE COME IN AND SAY, I'VE GOTTEN THIS OFFER.
HE SAID, THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET IT HERE.
WHEN, WHEN YOU, WHEN WE HIRE SOMEBODY IN THE BUILDING, UH, DEPARTMENT AND YOUR DEPARTMENT BRINGS IN REVENUE, ALSO DO MOST, YOU KNOW, WHAT, FOR EACH BUILDING INSPECTOR, HOW, WHAT PERCENT OF THE REVENUE, WHAT PERCENT IS OFFSET BY, UM, BY SELF SELF-REPORTING.
NO, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT A FEW.
IF WE HA IF WE INCREASED REVENUE, THE SALARIES, UM, WILL THAT GEN AND WE, AND WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE MORE INSPECTORS, WILL, WILL THE ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS COVER THE ADDITIONAL UM, YES.
SO IT WOULD BE A NET PLUS RATHER THAN A NET MINUS IN THE BUDGET.
AND IT'S, AND IT'S NOT JUST LIMITED TO THE INSPECTORS, IT'S OUR OFFICE STAFF AS WELL.
SO WE ARE HAVING OFFICE STAFF GETTING CALLS FROM OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, ESPECIALLY FROM ONES IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT AND OFFERING THEM 15 TO $20,000 MORE THAN THEY'RE MAKING NOW.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BRING TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION.
AND NOT JUST SPECIFIC TO THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, BUT TOWN WIDE, THAT THERE REALLY HAS TO BE A SURVEY OF ALL OF THE TOWN SALARIES AND A, A LOOK AT THE BENEFITS.
WHEN SOMEBODY CAN LEAVE HERE AND START A NEW JOB AND AUTOMATICALLY GET THREE WEEKS VACATION AND SICK TIME AND THEY'RE ACCRUING THINGS.
HOW DO YOU TRACK SOMEBODY AND SAYS, NO, I'M SORRY YOU CAN'T GET VACATION FOR THE FIRST YEAR.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S CONTRACTUAL.
I UNDERSTAND THAT'S A UNION NEGOTIATION.
BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE COGNIZANT OF WHEN THE BOARD IS MAKING THESE NEGOTIATION DECISIONS WITH THE UNION.
IT MAY BE SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER.
THERE'S OTHER THINGS OTHER THAN SALARY THAT YOU CAN ATTRACT PEOPLE TO, TO THE TOWN.
UM, WE HAD A CONVERSATION NOT LONG AGO WITH DEPARTMENT STAFF THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MANY YEARS AND THEY SAID THAT GREENBURG USED TO BE A GREAT PLACE TO WORK.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE? IT'S REALLY SAD.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE HIGHLIGHTED?
MOST CONCERNING PAUL, IS THAT SOMEHOW $5.180 MILLION HAVE BEEN ADDED TO MY REVENUE LINE.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? OKAY, WELL FIRST OF ALL, I'VE SPOKEN TO, UM, PEOPLE, UM, LAST YEAR, UH, I BELIEVE, UH, YOU PUT IN, UM, 4.5 MILLION IN BUILDING PERMIT, UH, FEES.
AND, UM, BECAUSE WE HAD, BECAUSE WE HAD KNOWN PROJECTS THAT WERE COMING IN, YOU PUT 4.4 MILLION, 4.5 MILLION AND THAT WAS THE ESTIMATE.
AND I REMEMBER INITIALLY WHEN I SPOKE TO YOU, I THINK IT WAS LIKE 2 MILLION THAT YOU PUT IN AND THEN WE UPPED IT AT THE LAST MINUTE TO 4.5 MILLION.
NO, I I REMEMBER WE, I REMEMBER SPEAKING TO ROBERTA, WE UPPED IT.
IT WAS VERY LOW ROBERTA, BUT NOT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
NO, I, I I KNOW THAT WE CAME IN VERY LOW.
AND THEN, UM, DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WE'VE GOTTEN THIS YEAR? 15 MILLION.
NOT 4.5 MILLION, WHICH WAS BUDGETED.
WE GOT $15,747,000 AS OF AS OF TODAY.
NO, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, LAST YEAR AT THIS, WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING? OKAY, LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME, LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME, THEY BASICALLY SAID IT WOULD BE AN ESTIMATED 4.5 MILLION.
I BELIEVE, UM, THAT THE AMOUNT THAT, UM, I PROPOSED IS A REASONABLE AMOUNT.
WELL, DO YOU KNOW WHAT, IF THE BOARD WANTS TO CHANGE IT, THEY COULD CHANGE IT.
BUT
[01:15:01]
WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT THAT ENTAIL? LET'S, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE SUPERVISOR FINER TO PRESENT ME WITH NUMBER ONE, HOW YOU CAME UP WITH AN ADDITIONAL $5 MILLION IN BUILDING PERMIT REVENUE.BASED ON WHAT? OKAY, BASED ON, FIRST OF ALL, REGENERON, OH, LET ME JUST SAY SOMETHING.
LEMME SAY REGENERON, WHICH PROJECT IN REGENERON ARE YOU REFERRING? WHICH PROJECT ARE YOU REFERRING TO IN REGENERON? LIZ.
FIRST OF ALL, I UNDERSTAND REGENERON.
I'VE SPOKEN TO PEOPLE, UM, ASSOCIATED WITH REGENERON.
THEY HAVE A TOTAL OF, I THINK SEVEN OR EIGHT BUILDINGS.
WHAT THEY'RE ALREADY PERMITTED PAUL, THEY'RE IN THAT THE $13 MILLION WE ALREADY TOOK IN.
WELL, I, I JUST, WE HAVE, UM, ELMWOOD THAT I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA BE GETTING, ELMWOOD IS NOT GONNA BE COMING IN PROBABLY AT LEAST UNTIL, IF IT COMES IN NEXT YEAR AT ALL, IT WOULD BE TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR.
AND THAT WOULD BE PHASED OUT INTO MULTIPLE YEARS.
WELL, I, WE HAVE, UH, SHELL BORNE THAT IS NOT EVEN BEEN APPROACHED FOR A PERMIT.
AND THEY ARE, THEY'RE, THEY MAY NEED TO GO BACK TO THE ZONING BOARD TO REMOVE CONDITIONS THAT WERE PLACED.
ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY, I GOT A LETTER, AN EMAIL FROM SHELOR INDICATING THAT THEY HOPE THAT THE CONSTRUCTION IS GONNA START, UH, IN THE SUMMER.
I, I MET WITH SHE BORNE AS WELL, AND THE ARCHITECT AND THE ENGINEER.
AND THEY SAID THAT THEY ARE GOING BACK TO THE ZONING BOARD BECAUSE CONDITIONS THAT WERE PLACED BY THE ZONING BOARD WITH REGARD TO CONSTRUCTION TYPE IS TOO COST PROHIBITIVE.
SO I THINK I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.
'CAUSE I HEARD, PAUL, THAT YOU WERE REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE THAT HAD, UH, POTENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS TO SEE IF THEY WERE GONNA COME IN.
THIS, IS THIS AFTER YOU ADDED $5 MILLION TO THEIR REVENUE LINE AND WITHOUT THAT 5 MILLION IN THEIR REVENUE LINE, AREN'T WE OVER THE TAX CAP? IS THIS 5 MILLION DO, IS THIS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE, YOU KNOW, LIKE, FIND ME SOME VOTES, FIND ME SOME MONEY.
NO, FRANCE, I, I JUST, I JUST WANNA KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THIS, THIS $5 MILLION WAS NECESSARY TO GET US SO THAT THE LEVY, UM, DOESN'T HAVE ONLY, HAS ONLY HAS A 6% INCREASE.
I I HAVE SPOKEN TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE.
I BELIEVE JUST LIKE LAST YEAR WHEN WE SAID IT WAS 4.5 AND IT TURNED OUT IT'S OVER, IT'S GONNA BE PROBABLY $16 MILLION BUILDING DEPARTMENT REVENUES.
I DO NOT, I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THE AMOUNT THAT I CAME UP WITH IS, UM, IS CLOSE TO WHAT I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET, BUT BASED ON WHAT? BUT WAIT, BUT WAIT, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.
BUT BASED ON WHAT, SO YOU, LET ME JUST FINISH BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ALL THE TIME.
SO WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE TO SAY THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO BE, THIS IS WHAT THE INCREASE IS GOING TO BE.
SO WHAT EVIDENCE DO YOU HAVE THAT H WE ARE GOING TO INCREASE BY $5 MILLION? DID YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE BUILDING AND THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT I'M THINKING BEFORE I PUT THIS IN MY BUDGET.
THIS IS, I WANT TO JUST GET SOME INFORMATION TO SAY, DOES THIS, DOES THIS SUPPORT MY THOUGHTS? ALRIGHT, THIS IS ALL WE'RE ASKING AND THIS IS, AND THIS IS WHAT THE DEPARTMENT HEAD AND THIS DEPARTMENT HEADS ARE ASKING.
I SAID I, I HAD MULTIPLE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO, UM, WHO I TRUST.
ELLEN AND WHO? I BELIEVE SO I BELIEVE I CAME UP WITH A, A NUMBER THAT, UM, THAT I PREDICT WILL BE CLOSE TO ACCURATE.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN, SO WAIT, SO IT MAKE SENSE.
DO IT WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT BEFORE YOU PUT THAT DOWN, JUST TO MAKE SURE DISAGREE.
I DISAGREE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, BUT YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE CAN, I JUST SUGGEST THAT BECAUSE OKAY, THIS HAS BEEN THAT WE, THAT WE'RE NOT MAKING SURE TO CROSS OUR T'S AND DI OURIS.
WE REALLY, I, WE'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, WE NEED TO TAR START THE PROCESS SOONER.
AND THIS IS WHERE WE'RE AT, WHERE WE HAVE PROJECTIONS THAT, THAT ARE BASED ON YOUR FEELINGS, BASED ON REVENUE THAT WE'VE GOT IN THE PAST AND SPEAKING TO, AND IT'S WISH FULFILLMENT FOR THE END USER TO SAY, THIS IS WHEN WE WANT TO GO TO CONSTRUCTION.
IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT'S NECESSARILY GOING THAT WAY BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, IT, IT REALLY, UM, MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER MORE CLOSELY.
LET LET'S LEARN FROM THAT
SO I, WHAT YOU'VE SAID IS THAT YOU'VE SPOKEN TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE AND THEY'VE GIVEN YOU, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE REASONS, UH, WHY YOUR PROJECTED INCREASE, UM, IS ACCURATE.
BUT YOU HAVEN'T REALLY SAID, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE, WHERE WHERE YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN US ANY CONCRETE DATA.
[01:20:01]
WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY'RE PROJECTED TO APPLY FOR THE BUILDING PERMITS, HOW MUCH THOSE PERMITS ARE GONNA BE? AND, AND, AND, AND THEREFORE YOU, THEY SHOULD BE EXPECTING 5 MILLION MORE DOLLARS IN REVENUE.LET ME JUST, YES OR NO, LET ME SAY, YEAH, NO.
DO YOU HAVE THAT? LET ME, DO YOU HAVE THAT YES OR NO? I, I'M NOT, THIS IS NOT A TRIAL.
BUT I'M JUST ASKING YOU A QUESTION.
LET SAY, WHY DON'T YOU LET ME TALK? OKAY.
WELL, WHY CAN'T BE NO, WHY CAN'T IT BE A YES OR NO AND THEN CAN GIVE YOU EXPLANATION.
LEMME JUST SAY SOMETHING WITHOUT, WITHOUT EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, GANGING UP AND YELLING.
SO I HAVE ALWAYS TO BUDGET, I'VE BEEN TOWN SUPERVISOR, BEEN VERY CONSERVATIVE WITH MY, UH, APPROACH TO, YOU KNOW, BUDGETING.
SO I'VE ALWAYS ERR ON THE SIDE OF BEING, YOU KNOW, CAREFUL.
SO AN EXAMPLE, 2021, WE WERE SLATED TO USE 8 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE AND WE USED 1.2 MILLION.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GONNA SAY? WE'RE YOU BUILDING? WE ASKING, BUT HERE THE QUESTION.
BUT HERE THE SERIOUSLY, THIS IS, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO HAVE A ARGUMENT HERE.
THE QUESTION IS YOU PUT IN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY.
DID YOU HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT BASED ON WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE AND YOUR FEELINGS WERE TO SAY, DOES THIS MEET MY THOUGHTS? YOUR 5 MILLION.
5 MILLION? DID YOU HAVE THAT CONVERSATION? BECAUSE I TALK TO LIZ.
HERE, HOLD ON, HOLD LIZ, HOLD ON.
OKAY, SO IF YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH LIZ, AND LIZ IS BRINGING YOU A SPREADSHEET WITH EVIDENCE SHOW WITH EVIDENCE SHOWING TO YOU THAT THIS DOES NOT MEET THIS $5 MILLION, THAT WAS A CONVERSATION THAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED BEFORE IT WAS PRINTED AND EVERYBODY WAS HAVING THIS CONVERSATION BECAUSE CLEARLY, AND THIS IS YOU AND I, WE, WE ALWAYS GET IN THIS BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSION OF NOT HEARING AND LISTENING TO THE DEPARTMENT HEADS WHEN THEY'RE SAYING, SUPERVISOR, WE CAN'T DO THIS.
THIS IS NOT GOING TO MEET WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
SO AGAIN, I'M GONNA STOP HERE.
I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO LIZ.
BUT THIS IS, THIS IS AGAIN AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT I'M REFERRING TO WHEN WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS.
I, I SPOKE TO MULTIPLE, YOU DISAGREE WITH ME THAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO YOUR DEPARTMENT HEADS TO BACK UP YOUR ASSERTION THAT YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
IS THAT EASY TO, THE QUESTION IS THAT, SO THAT'S, YOU HAVE ANY NUMBERS AT ALL? I'VE SPOKEN TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NUMBERS.
DO YOU THE NUMBERS YOU WANT, THE NUMBERS YOU'RE ASKING, THAT'S ALL.
YOU'VE GIVEN THEM A CONCRETE NUMBER TO INCREASE THEIR REVENUES BY WHY? WHAT, WHAT DOES IT COME FROM? RIGHT? YOU CAN'T NEED CAP WITH WHO, WHO CAN'T THAT WITH WHO? AND DO THEY HAVE THE NUMBERS WITH PEOPLE INVOLVED, WITH INVOLVED IN THE, UH, REGENERON PROCESS AND THE OTHER APPLIC OTHER APPLICATIONS? THE NUMBERS? WE THE NUMBERS.
SO DO YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE NUMBERS? PAUL? WE CAN I SAY SOMETHING? HE DOESN'T HAVE NUMBERS.
WE CAN I SAY SOMETHING? WE, AT, WE MEMBERS OF THE TOWN BOARD HAVE TO VOTE ON THIS BUDGET.
AND WITH THE DEARTH OF INFORMATION YOU'RE ASKING US TO GO ON FAITH, YOU'RE NOT GIVING US SPECIFICS.
IT'S NOT ONLY THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, BUT ULTIMATELY OUR NAMES ARE ON THAT BUDGET TOO.
SO PLEASE DON'T TAKE OFFENSE THAT WE'RE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS.
I BELIEVE THAT THE, I BELIEVE THAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT I'M COMING, FIRST OF ALL, THIS BOARD HAS TO DECIDE, UH, WHAT TO DO.
YOU COULD DO WHATEVER YOU WANT WITH THE BUDGET.
ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT I BELIEVE THAT THE BUDGET THAT I PROPOSE, UM, WILL, IF YOU ADOPT IT IN ITS ENTIRETY, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, I COULD LIVE WITH, THAT WE COULD LIVE WITH THAT WILL MAINTAIN, UH, A HIGHER LEVEL OF SERVICES AND NOT CAUSE ANY, ANY PROBLEMS. AND AGAIN, JUST SO I COULD MAKE IT CLEAR, WHEN WE DID THE BUDGETING, I MENTIONED BEFORE, AND I GET, YOU'RE GONNA SAY IT'S NOT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, BUT YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE NUMBERS AND ESTIMATES IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN INACCURATE IN 2021, AS I SAID, WE SLATED TO USE 8 MILLION FUND BALANCE.
WE USED 1.2 IN 2022, WE WERE SLATED TO USE 11.8 IN BALANCE.
I THOUGHT THIS, THIS IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT COME FROM, WE SHOULD, SHOULD ALLOW THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT TO FINISH THEIR DISCUSSION, TRYING TO COME UP WITH THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING WITH SOMETHING TIGHT AND IN 2020.
OKAY, BUT THAT'S YOUR OVERALL BALL.
PAUL, WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT HERE.
PAUL, WE HAVE BUILDING DEPARTMENT HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT PAUL.
PAUL, I KNOW YOU UNDER PAUL HERE, WE HAVE THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THEIR BUDGET, NOT YOUR OVERALL OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE PAST.
LET'S CONTINUE TO HEAR FROM THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT THAT ULTIMATE ULTIMATELY LET, LET LIZ'S CONTINUE.
ULTIMATELY, UH, EVERY, UH, VOTE WE'VE TAKEN ON BUDGETS IN THE PAST WAS MADE BY THE TOWN BOARD.
NOT ONLY MAY, IT WAS THE TOWN BOARD VOTED ON ALL THE BUDGETS IN THE PAST ACCOUNTABILITY RIGHT NOW.
SO DON'T SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE DATA YOU HAD WAS, WAS INACCURATE.
[01:25:01]
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ALL THE FUND BALANCE THAT WE'VE ANTICIPATED USING, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING PERMIT FEES.PAUL, I'M TALKING ABOUT BUILDING PERMIT FEES.
OKAY, SO YOU COULD CHANGE WHATEVER YOU WANT.
I WANT TO KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, IF WE DON'T HAVE THAT $5 MILLION THAT HE ADDED TO THE REVENUE OF THE BILLING DEPARTMENT, DO WE MEET THE TAX CAP? WE WOULD HAVE TO USE MORE FUND BALANCE.
ROBERT, ROBERTO, WE'VE USE ROBERTO BALANCE.
CAN YOU SPEAKING TO THE MICROPHONE PLEASE? EVERYONE CAN HEAR.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S WE'RE OUT HERE SAYING.
YOU HAVE TO USE MORE FUND BALANCE, RIGHT? AND OUR FUND BALANCE IS ALREADY IN TROUBLE IN THE BEAT BUDGET.
IT'S NO, THERE, THERE'S SOME WIGGLE ROOM IN THE B BUDGET.
WOULD WE HAVE TO GET THAT $5 MILLION? WOULD WE HAVE TO GET THE $5 MILLION FROM, FROM THE FUND BALANCE? YES.
SO WE'D HAVE TO DRAW DOWN $5 MILLION.
WE IS THERE ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE BUDGET WHERE YOU DECIDED TO JUST INCREASE REVENUES BECAUSE YOU TALKED TO SOMEBODY ON THE PHONE? IT'S NOT TALKING TO PEOPLE ON THE PHONE.
SO YOU COULD DOCUMENT THAT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE KNEW IF THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT KNEW WHO YOU MET WITH AND WHEN THEY'RE BRINGING IN THEIR BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATIONS AND HOW BIG THE PROJECT IS.
SO IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THAT TO US SO THAT WE DON'T THINK, I DON'T THINK I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF, THAT YOU JUST INFLATED A NUMBER AND I LISTEN WHEN, WHEN LIZ DOES HER SPREADSHEETS, THEY'RE REALLY, THEY'RE VERY DETAILED.
NOW COULD SOMEBODY COME IN AND, YOU KNOW, SPRING ANOTHER, ANOTHER PROJECT? YES.
BUT, BUT, BUT NO, WHAT I, I DON'T WANT TO SEE, I WANNA SEE WHAT YOU'RE BASING YOUR 5.5 0.1.
YEAH, IT'S A TOTAL OF 5.1 8 0, 5 0.180 INCREASE OVER WHAT SHE SAID.
AND WHAT REALLY TROUBLES ME IS YOU DIDN'T GO BACK TO HER AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU MADE A MISTAKE HERE.
UH, THEY FOUND OUT THAT YOU HAD INFLATED HER NUMBER WHEN THEY GOT THE BUDGET BACK, WHEN THEY SAW THE BUDGET, THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT.
AND INSTEAD OF SPEAKING TO TOWN STAFF AND RELYING ON TOWN STAFF, YOU MET WITH PEOPLE.
BUT THIS IS A BUDGET AND WE NEED YOU TO ACCOUNT FOR THE $5.1 MILLION, NOT BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED IN 2011 OR 2021.
MM-HMM,
YOU KNOW, AND WE HEAR THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS THING GOING ON, YOU KNOW, AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AS I JUST NEED THIS NUMBER REACHED, OKAY, THEY REACHED A NUMBER.
THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN AT ANY LEVEL.
BUT I FIND THIS VERY TROUBLING BECAUSE IT REALLY PUTS OUR WHOLE, WHOLE BUDGET AND WHAT THE NUMBER REALLY SHOULD BE IN DOUBT.
BUT I WOULD HOPE THAT WHATEVER INFORMATION YOU HAVE, YOU GIVE IT TO LIZ SO THAT IF, IF IT'S, IF IT'S ANTICIPATED THAT SHE COULD ADD IT TO THE SPREADSHEET IF SHE CAN, IF SHE CAN'T, SHE CAN'T.
BUT WE NEED FOR SOMETHING THAT SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW, $5.1 MILLION, $5.18 MILLION, UM, SOMEHOW YOU HAVE TO PUT JUSTIFY THAT, PAUL, YOU JUST CAN'T SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY FEELING THAT IT'S GONNA BE THIS IS, THIS IS, THIS IS TO ME IS OUTRAGEOUS.
WELL, WE'LL SEE NEXT FINISH NEXT YEAR IF YOU GET THE 5 MILLION, WHICH I THINK WE'LL GET, OKAY.
BUT WE, WE, WE, WE JUST HAVE TO BE SMART.
AND IF YOU DON'T, WHAT HAPPENS? AND IF YOU DON'T, WE ARE GONNA DRAW MORE FROM FUND BALANCE.
YOU KNOW, FUND BALANCE HAS ALREADY BEEN DRAWN DOWN.
YOU KNOW, MONEY HAS COME OUT OF WHAT WE HAD ALLOCATED FOR THE COURTHOUSE, YET WE NEED TO HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A POLICE STATION COURTHOUSE, YOU KNOW, WORK DONE.
UH, WELL, I, I I'M REALLY, I'M VERY, VERY MUCH TROUBLED ABOUT, I DO TAKE DID WE, DID YOU HAVE ELSE, BY THE WAY, PIECE THE FUND BALANCE? UH, LAST YEAR IN 2023, WE, UH, IN 2023 WE WERE SLATE TWO TH WAIT, WAIT, ONE YEAR WE WERE SLATED TO USE 10.8 AND WE INCREASED IT BY 6.2, I THINK.
WAS THAT, THAT WAS LAST YEAR, I BELIEVE.
SO L LIZ, I'M SORRY, WHAT DO YOU WANNA FINISH PLEASE? WELL, THERE, THERE'S OTHER ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN CUT.
AS SUPERVISOR HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, THE BUILDING INSPECTOR'S BASE SALARY, IT DOES NOT MEET ANY OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS WITHIN THE TOWN.
AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THE STIPEND FOR THE BUILDING INSPECTOR AND THE BUILDING DEPUTIES DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE DEPUTIES.
UM, WE'VE REALLOCATED, UM, THE VACATED PLUMBING INSPECTOR TITLE TO AN ASSISTANT BUILDING INSPECTOR.
SO THERE'LL BE NO INCREASE IN THAT.
[01:30:01]
THE OFFICE ASSISTANT POSITION WE HAD TWO, ONE WAS ELIMINATED.UM, AND A SENIOR OFFICE ASSISTANT THAT WAS A PROMOTION.
WE HAD NEVER REQUESTED THE OTHER POSITION TO BE ELIMINATED.
BUT THAT WAS, UM, THE MICROFILMS. WE'VE REQUESTED AN INCREASE OF $20,000 TILL WE CAN COMPLETE OUR SCANNING PROJECT.
AND THE A HUNDRED DOLLARS, UM, WAS THAT CUT THAT WAS CUT THAT 20,000 OF UH, WAS, WE'RE ASKING FOR THAT TO BE PUT BACK IN AND THEN, UM, THE EPASS WAS CUT TO ZERO, WHICH IS A HUNDRED DOLLARS.
UM, SO ANYWAY, THE OVERLY OVERALL BUDGET IS ACTUALLY WITH THOSE INCREASES IS LESS THAN THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL.
UM, BECAUSE ONE OF THE SALARY LINES WAS NOT REDUCED, UM, TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE IN THE CSEA GUIDELINES.
SO, UM, WE ORIGINALLY CAME IN WHEN 4,876,729.
THE NEW WOULD BE 4 MILLION 863 184.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY LESS WITH THE, WITH THE INCREASES.
SO IS DOES THAT CONTAIN WHAT YOU WERE ASKING FOR AND WHAT WAS CUT? YES, IT DOES.
COULD YOU WHAT I SENT IT TO THE BOARD EARLIER.
I THINK YOU NEED TO SEND IT TO ME AGAIN BECAUSE I, MY CURS, I DELETED SOME MISTAKE.
BUT TO PAUL, TO GO BACK TO THE REVENUES PAGE, WHAT'S THAT? GO BACK.
UM, WITH REGARDS TO THE REVENUES, PAUL, I DO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION, I MEET WITH PLANNING, I'M PART OF ALL OF THE PRE-APP APPLICATIONS.
I CONSIDER THOSE WHEN I'M DOING THE NUMBERS, I AM, AS I HAD STATED PREVIOUSLY, I DO A YEAR BY YEAR ANALYSIS.
I LOOK AT TRENDS, I LOOK AT THE NEWS, I SEE WHERE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IS GOING.
AND I LOOK AT THE, YOU KNOW, I DO CHARTS.
I LOOK AT WHAT'S COMING IN AND OUT.
JUST SO YOU UNDERSTAND, REGENERON DOES HAVE A LOT OF TRADE PERMITS, BUT BECAUSE THE INITIAL BUILDING PERMIT WAS OVER A MILLION DOLLARS, WE ARE NOT COLLECTING FEES ON THOSE.
SO THOSE THAT THERE IS NO MORE MONEY COMING IN FOR THE REGENERON PROJECTS THAT'S DONE.
THE ONLY NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING IN IS A ONE MORE BUILDING AT REGENERON THAT IS STILL IN THE PLANNING PHASE.
SO TO, FOR IT TO HAVE THAT LARGE SCALE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES, I'M NOT DISCOUNTING THOSE.
THE, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO COME UP TO 5 MILLION.
I AM PUSHING IT WHEN I'M LOOKING AT 2 MILLION BASED ON THE TRENDS THAT I SEE COMING, BASED ON THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE DAILY WITH CONTRACTORS, THAT JOBS ARE NOT COMING IN LIKE THEY WERE.
SO I, I AND FRANK, I SHOULD SAY FRANK, IT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE
WELL, HE'S LIKE MADONNA, YOU KNOW,
IF WE DO NOT, I MEAN THAT'S, AND I, I TAKE, UH, UH, OBVIOUSLY I'VE WORKED WITH YOU FOR A LONG TIME.
I TAKE EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAY WITH CONSIDERATION AND ALTHOUGH I DISAGREE WITH YOU AND I DIDN'T LIKE HOW THIS JUST APPEARED, IF IN THE FUTURE IF WE COULD JUST SIT DOWN AND WORK TOGETHER, IF YOU THINK SOMETHING IS GONNA COME DOWN THE, THE PIPE, LET ME KNOW.
I WILL, I WILL SIT THERE, I WILL TALK TO THE, TO THE DEVELOPERS WITH YOU AND SEE WHAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING TO DO.
WELL I WILL, UH, SPEAK TO MY CONTACTS AND, AND GET BACK TO YOU.
AND IF YOU COULD WRITE UP WHAT THEY TELL YOU AND WHAT THE PROPERTIES ARE AND HOW MUCH THEY EXPECT TO HAVE IN BUILDING PERMIT FEES.
SO IT ADDS UP TO $5.18 MILLION.
BECAUSE THEN WE COULD RELY ON THAT NUMBER.
SO FOR THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING, THAT WOULD GREAT.
THAT AND I DID, I DID INCREASE THE LINES FROM WHAT I ORIGINALLY, THERE'S A COUPLE THAT I DID DO FACTOR OUT, UM, BASED ON THE LAST MONTH'S TREND.
SO THEY'VE COME UP VERY MINORLY.
NOT CERTAINLY 5.8, BUT I'M AT 2.5.
YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S IT.
WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
OH, JUST HOW MANY TOTAL, UH, EMPLOYEES WERE IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT SAY THREE YEARS AGO? UH, THREE YEARS AGO THERE WERE SIX FULL-TIME.
ONE PART-TIME INSPECTOR WITH FOUR FULL-TIME OFFICE STAFF.
UH, WITH THE PLAN EXAMINER WAS 12.
UM, HOW MANY, THERE ARE THREE INSPECTORS AND FIVE, THREE FULL-TIME OFFICE STAFF.
[01:35:01]
TROUBLE GETTING PEOPLE.UH, LET ME ASK A QUESTION IN TERMS OF, UM, WHAT RICH FA TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE, SORT OF THE CONSOLIDATION, UM, IF, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT NOT CONSOLIDATION.
EFFICIENCY, BOTH EFFICIENT CONSOLIDATION OF FUNCTION.
UH, AND I JUST WANT TO TOUCH ON THAT TOO.
JUST IT'S CONSOLIDATION OF EQUIPMENT, CONSOLIDATION OF THE USE OF SOFTWARE.
THAT CONSOLIDATION IS WHAT WE'RE SPEAKING OF AND SHARING PERSONNEL.
PERSONNEL IS, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE SHARING.
THERE MAY BE OVERLAP IN THE SENSE THAT WE CAN ASSIST EACH OTHER, BUT SHORT OF THAT, WE'RE ADDING PERSONNEL, RIGHT? WE NEED TO ADD PERSONNEL.
WE NEED TO KEEP THE PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE DOING ALL THIS WORK AND GIVE THEM EXTRA MONEY TO DO IT.
AND LOOK AT THE SALARY LINES, INCREASE THE SALARY LINES, BENEFIT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DOING THE WORK IN ADDITION TO FILLING THE POSITIONS.
WE ARE RUNNING ON A SHOESTRING, AT LEAST I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT IS HURT, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS.
WE TALK TO EACH OTHER EVERY SINGLE DAY.
BUT THE QUESTION IS, WE MAY NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO DO EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS.
SO THE QUESTION IS IF, UH, DID SOME OF THE EFFICIENCIES, ARE WE ABLE TO REDUCE SOME, UH, PERSONNEL THROUGH ATTRITION OR NOT FILLING A VACANCY? WE'RE ALREADY IN HALF THE PERSONNEL IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MAKE A, UH, INCREASE THE BUILDING PERMIT FEES BY $5.3 MILLION, THEN YOU COULD DO IT.
I MEAN THAT'S, I'M ASKING THEM, WE, WE, WE NEED TO KEEP THE SAME WAY THAT WAY THE SAME NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, IF NOT ADD MORE EMPLOYEES TO KEEP UP WITH THE AMOUNT OF PERMITS THAT ARE COMING IN.
BUT LET ME ASK ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I WAS CONFUSED.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ASKING FOR, UM, UM, MORE OFFICE STAFF, BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU'RE CLAIMING THAT WE'RE GONNA GET LESS REVENUE BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING, UH, LESS BUILDING PERMIT, YOU KNOW, FEES.
WELL, RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT THE, WE'RE AT THE, WHY DO YOU, WHY ARE YOU ADDING CLERICAL WHEN YOU'RE HAVING, UH, LESS WORK? ARE YOU TALKING TO ME OR TO THEM? YEAH, I'M ASKING.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT I SENT YOU EARLIER, THE NUMBER OF PERMITS HAVE GONE UP.
EACH PERSON HAS TO PROCESS THOSE PERMITS.
WE HAVE PEOPLE COMING IN, WE'RE GOING TO START MOVING TOWARDS ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION THAT DOESN'T REDUCE STAFF.
THAT ACTUALLY IS GONNA INCREASE THE STAFF.
WE ARE, HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH LESS STAFF FOR YEARS.
I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, BUT WE'VE INCREASED BUILDING PERMITS.
SO YOU'VE RE YOU'RE INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PERMITS, BUT THERE'S THERE FOR FOR MUCH LESSER AMOUNT.
SO IT DOESN'T EQUATE TO THE 5.1 MILLION.
BUT IT, IT OR ANYTHING IN BETWEEN.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY AND TO ANSWER PAUL'S QUESTION IF I'M UNDERSTANDING IT, IS THERE ARE MORE PERMITS, THEY'RE SMALL PROJECTS.
THEY DON'T BRING IN THE FEES, BUT THEY STILL GENERATE, EACH ONE HAS TO BE PROCESSED.
SO THAT IS WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE.
IT DOESN'T, CAN I TRY? IT DOESN'T, CAN I TRY THIS? BECAUSE PAUL, I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND.
DON'T SAY WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
WELL, ITS BASED ON, ON YOUR COMMENT IS THAT, HEY, THE BUILDING PERMIT FEES ARE DROPPING, SO WE DON'T NEED AS MUCH STAFF.
THE THE FEES ARE PAID UP FRONT.
THE INSPECTORS HAVE TO GO OUT AND INSPECT IT WHILE IT'S BEING CONSTRUCTED.
THEY'RE NOT BRINGING IN MORE PERMIT FEES WHILE THAT'S HAPPENING.
ALL THOSE INSPECTIONS, THEY COME BACK TO THE STAFF.
THE STAFF HAVE TO PROCESS THOSE INSPECTIONS.
SO YES, YOU MAY HAVE HAD A ONE SHOT THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND NOW IT LOOKS LIKE, OH, THERE'S NO, THEY'RE NOT DOING ANY WORK BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED AS MUCH IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S WHERE IT REALLY KICKS IN BECAUSE NOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY ACTIVELY CONSTRUCTING.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, SO WHEN I SAY YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, WHEN YOU SAY THE BUILDING PERMIT FEES ARE GOING TO DROP, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU NEED LESS STAFF.
MATTER OF FACT, IT MAY MEAN THAT YOU EVEN NEED MORE BECAUSE IT'S NOT NECESSARILY A NEXUS.
THERE ISN'T A NEXUS BETWEEN HOW MANY BUILDING PERMIT FEES COME IN AND HOW MANY STAFF YOU HAVE DEPENDING ON THE PROJECTS.
AND SO, BUT YOU'RE, THEY'RE DOING, THEY'RE DOING AMAZING WORK.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU KNOW, YOU PRAISE THE BUILDING INSPECTOR ALL THE TIME BECAUSE HE'S OUT THERE ALL THE TIME.
UH, UH, UH, MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE, ARE BUILDING SAFELY.
AND UM, IF THEY'RE NOT THEN, YOU KNOW, HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE AND YOU NEED, HE, HE NEEDS SUPPORT BECAUSE THERE ARE SO FEW PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT NOW BECAUSE OF SALARIES, UH, BECAUSE OF PEOPLE
[01:40:01]
LEAVING.UH, THAT'S NOT A, THAT THE WAY WE'RE OPERATING IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE WAY TO DO IT.
BUT I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK THAT BECAUSE BUILDING PERMIT FEES ARE DROPPING, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT CAN, YOU KNOW, START TO GET INTO A HAMMOCK AND RELAX.
'CAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.
THE, THE BUILDING PERMIT FEES ARE NOT DROPPING.
BUT THE ANOMALY PERMITS WHERE IT'S, THAT'S WHAT I MEAN.
THE REGENERON ONE SHOT, YOU'RE LOOKING AT ONE SHOT DEALS THAT ARE ARE RARE.
BUT THE, THE PROBLEM THAT I SEE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOUR, YOUR RECOMMENDATION WAS HOW MUCH IN BUILDING PERMIT FEES THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR.
SIX OR EIGHT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO WE, YOU'RE RECOMMENDING 2.55 AND THIS YEAR IN 2023, IT WAS SO FAR 15,000,007 FOUR 7,000.
AND HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS ONE SHOT? ONE, ONE SHOT? ALL I'M SAYING IS, TO ME IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE IF THERE'S SUCH A DRAMATIC DECREASE IN, UM, AND UM, PAUL, THAT WAS FOUR PERMITS FOR REGENERON.
WELL IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME TO HAVE TO STAFF WHEN THERE'S LESS WORK.
SO LET SEE LESS IF I CAN MAKE SOME SENSE.
IT'S NOT EQUATING TO LESS WORK'S LESS WORK.
WELL, BUT, BUT HERE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, MY UNDERSTANDING, AND, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THE AMOUNT OF WORK ASSOCIATED WITH A PERMIT ON ANY GIVEN PROJECT DOESN'T EQUAL THE AMOUNT OF MONEY PAID FOR THE PERMIT.
SO, SO IF SOMEONE IS COMING IN TO BUILD A BUILD, YOU KNOW, IF REGENERON COMES IN AND THEY'RE BUILDING A, AN 80,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING AND THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE BUILDING AN 80,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING AND THEY HAVE TO PAY, YOU KNOW, $3 MILLION FOR THEIR PERMIT, RIGHT? THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT THAT GENERATES MAY BE THE SAME AS THE AMOUNT OF WORK AS A HOMEOWNER THAT COMES IN AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, ADDING A, ADDING A, ADDING A ONE ROOM TO THEIR HOUSE.
LIKE THE AMOUNT OF WORK IS THE SAME.
WELL, WASN'T THE ISSUE WAS, I'M NOT, MY RECOLLECTION IS I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE REDUCE THE NUMBER OF, UH, EMPLOYEES.
I'M SUGGESTING THAT WE DON'T INCREASE THE NUMBER OF, THEY NEED THE EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE BEEN SITTING HERE TELLING YOU.
YOU DON'T BELIEVE THAT, BUT YOU'RE NOT DOING THE JOB EVERY DAY.
LIKE THEY, THEY ARE THING, THEY'RE NOT.
WAIT PAUL, BUT THESE ARE YOUR EXPERTS ARE EVERY, ARE YOUR EXPERTS.
EVERY DEPARTMENT HAD, WANTS MORE STAFF.
I DON'T BELIEVE WE NEED IT ACROSS.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE SHOWING YOU.
THIS IS THE EVIDENCE THAT THEY'RE SHOWING YOU THAT THEY NEED THE DEPARTMENT, THAT THEY NEED THE EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S WHAT WE ARE BEING TOLD.
THAT'S WHAT WE, WE ARE SEEING.
LIKE IS SOMETHING TO BACK IT UP OTHER THAN JUST THAT PROJECT IS ALSO GONNA BE STRETCHED OUT TO AN EIGHT YEAR PROJECT.
SO THAT ONE TIME FEE IS GONNA COVER EIGHT YEARS OF INSPECTIONS.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AN IMPORTANT FACTOR.
YOU KNOW, THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU TAKE THE FEE IN HERE EIGHT YEARS FROM NOW, WE'RE STILL GONNA BE ON THE SAME PROJECT YOU COLLECTED ON.
I MEAN THAT'S, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I UNDERSTAND IT'S, IT'S PROCESS'S TWO ASPECTS PROCESS.
THE ONE FEE COVERS MULTIPLE INSPECTIONS TIMES X.
IN ADDITION, THE OTHER WORK THAT THEY'RE GETTING IN SMALL PROJECTS HERE AND THERE, EACH ONE TAKES ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF WORK TO FILE, IF NOT THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF WORK TO FILE.
SO THAT PROCESS HAS TO GO THROUGH SO THEY CAN BE DOING 1,001 BEDROOM ADDITIONS AND STILL NOT EQUAL ONE REGENERON PROJECT PROJECT.
BUT THE WORK IS STILL THE SAME.
EVERYBODY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE WORK IS STILL THE SAME.
THAT'S WHY I JUST NEED, I JUST NEED TO KEEP DRIVING THAT POINT HOME.
I'M, YEAH, WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT.
I JUST, YEAH, IT'S JUST I'M SEPARATE.
NO THAT ANYTHING ELSE? I'M SORRY.
UM, DEPUTY, DEPUTY FILLING A SPECTRUM, GOING BACK TO SCHOOL.
SO JUST, JUST A LAST MINUTE SPECIFIC QUESTION, UM, ABOUT THE GREENBERG HOUSING AUTHORITIES MANHATTAN AVENUE PROJECT.
THEY HOPE TO GIVE YOU ALL THEIR COMPLETED DOCUMENTS BY TOMORROW.
THEY'RE TRYING TO GET ON YOUR CALENDAR NEXT WEEK.
SO WE CAN GET THOSE RESIDENTS BACK IN.
OH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, OKAY.
SEE, TAKE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY.
HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING, GUYS.
YOU MUST SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY ON THURSDAY, THANKSGIVING.
ALRIGHT, ARE WE GONNA ADJOURN TO, I SAY WE'RE GONNA ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
[01:45:01]
I THOUGHT WE WERE MOVING THAT NEXT EXEMPTION.ARE WE CHANGING THAT? I THOUGHT THAT WAS GOING 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED, UH, KOBE FOR THAT.
IS, IS KOBE'S, SO YOU'RE MAKING A MOTION? NO, SHE'S NOT COMING.
OKAY, SO THE, I'M SORRY, THEN I MOVE THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
TO DISCUSS, UM, PERSONAL MA MATTERS INVOLVING SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS AND TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE IN VARIOUS MATTERS.