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IN[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1525 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
CONGRESS.WELCOME TO OUR TOWN BOARD, UM, UH, WORK SESSION.
UH, TODAY IS DECEMBER 3RD, AND, UM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ELLEN HENDRICKS, UM, IS HERE.
AND, UM, WE HAVE, YES, THREE MEMBERS BY REMOTE.
WE, WE HAVE A QUORUM ACCORDING TO TOWN CODE AND STATE LAW BECAUSE WHILE WE HAVE TWO MEMBERS PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN TOWN HALL, WE HAVE ONE MEMBER, COUNCILWOMAN JACKSON, WHO NOTED HER PHYSICAL ADDRESS IN THE PUBLIC NOTICE THAT WENT OUT FOR TONIGHT.
SO THAT COUNCIL, ITS THE QUORUM AS WELL.
AND COUNCILWOMAN HABER AND COUNCILMAN SHEEN ARE ALSO VIA ZOOM, BUT THEIR LOCATIONS WERE NOT PUBLISHED.
WHILE THEY DON'T COUNT TOWARDS THE QUORUM, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT AND ALL MEMBERS MAY VOTE IN THE, ALTHOUGH TYPICALLY WE DON'T VOTE DURING WORK SESSIONS ANYWAY.
OKAY, SO THE FIRST ITEM, UM, RELATES TO, UM, A REQUEST.
UM, A COUPLE, UM, UH, DAYS AGO, UM, SOME RESIDENTS CONTACTED US, UM, AND THEY WANTED TO PUT A, UM, HOLIDAY DECORATIONS AT, UH, AN ISLAND.
IT'S LITTLE PARKLET IN, UH, ON, AT THE ENTRANCE OF ORCHARD HILL AND CANTERBURY ROAD.
UM, AND, UM, UH, SOMEBODY COMPLAINED BECAUSE IT HAP HAPPY HANUKKAH.
UM, SO IT WAS, UH, TAKEN DOWN.
AND THEN I GOT A BUNCH OF COMPLAINTS YESTERDAY THAT IT WAS TAKEN DOWN.
UM, AND PEOPLE WERE UPSET BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THIS IS THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
AND, UM, LET, LET ME JUST CLARIFY ON, THERE WAS ONLY A HAPPY HANUKKAH SIGN, NO OTHER RIGHT MESSAGE.
SO THEN, UH, I GOT AN EMAIL FROM, UH, THE PERSON TO PUT UP THE SIGNS AND SHE SAID SHE ALSO ORDERED A MERRY CHRISTMAS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST ASKING THE TOWN BOARD FOR PERMISSION TO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, RESTORE THE, UH, THE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS AND, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH COULD ALSO SAY, UH, HAPPY KWANZA KWANZA.
AND YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE DONE, WE'VE DONE, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE USED THAT PARKLET, YOU KNOW, FOR CAMPAIGN.
THEY PUT CAMPAIGN SIGNS THERE OVER THE YEAR.
WELL, IT, IT'S A PUBLIC SPACE AND RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF MEANING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHATEVER THEIR RELIGION.
AND, UM, AND I THINK BECAUSE IT IS A PUBLIC TOWN SPACE, THAT IT'S FINE FOR US TO HONOR ALL THE HOLIDAYS.
AND, YOU KNOW, EITHER NONE AT ALL OR ALL THE HOLIDAYS OR SEASONS GREETINGS, WHICH COVERS IT ALL.
BUT I'M HAPPY WITH ALL, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GET A KWANA SIGN UP RIGHT AWAY.
SO I WILL, UH, WE COULD SPEAK TO HER AND THEN, UM, TELL HER THAT WE SHOULD ALSO PUT UP A HAPPY KWANZA, YOU KNOW, SIGN AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FINE.
SO, SORRY, JUST FOR CLARITY, ARE YOU ASKING THE RESIDENT TO PUT UP AQUINA SIGN? ARE YOU, I'M, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED.
WELL, THIS WAS, UH, THE HAPPY HANUKKAH AND THE MERRY CHRISTMAS SIGN WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, SHE PAID FOR IT.
UM, SO YOU KNOW, IF ANYBODY HAS A HAPPY QUO SIGN AND THEY CAN, OH, OKAY.
THE WAY, THE WAY, THE WAY I UNDERSTOOD THE WAY IT WAS JUST STATED THAT YOU'RE GONNA ASK THE RESIDENT TO PUT A AZA SIGN.
THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO MAKE SURE, THAT'S WHY I THINK BE CLEAR.
I DIDN'T, I BELIEVE THAT THE RESIDENT OF THEIR OWN VOLITION PUT UP THE SIGN THE DECORATIONS.
AND THE SIGNAGE ON TOWN PROPERTY OR THE COMMITTEE? IT WAS THE COMMITTEE.
IT WAS, OR WAS THIS AN INDIVIDUAL WAS A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE, BUT THE, THE WOMAN WHO, UH, WAS LIKE LEADING THE EFFORT, SHE SAID, SHE EMAILED ME THIS MORNING SAYING SHE HAD ORDERED A MERRY CHRISTMAS SIGN.
SO IT WASN'T LIKE A NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP.
BUT IT WAS JUST FOR CLARITY FOR, FOR COUNCIL.
THE TOWN, THE TOWN DID NOT INSTALL OR PAY FOR THOSE DECORATIONS.
BECAUSE THAT ONLY TOOK, UH, FIVE SECONDS.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO SIGNS, IT IS TIME, PLACE, AND MANNER, YOU KNOW, MERRY CHRISTMAS.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT, UH, HAPPY KWANZA.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT HANUKKAH, UH, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO COME ALONG AND PUT A SIGN SAYING THERE IS NO, GOD, THE TOWN'S GONNA BE HARD PRESSED TO SAY, YOU CAN'T PUT IT ATTORNEY TO EXPLAIN THAT.
BASED ON THE LEGAL MEMORANDUM I SENT EARLIER TODAY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK WE COULD BE, SHOULD BE ROOS, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK IT'S A HOLIDAY SEASON AND PEOPLE WANNA
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CELEBRATE.AND I THINK THAT, UM, HOPEFULLY JUST AS LONG AS EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT, I UNDERSTAND THAT A SIGN COULD SAY THAT FREE SPEECH IS, IS UH, RIGHT, THE IMPORTANT ISSUE HERE.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? YEAH, BUT WASN'T IT ALSO DETERMINED BY THE TOWN ATTORNEY THAT IT'S CONSIDERED SECULAR IN NATURE, NOT REALLY RELIGIOUS AT THIS POINT? THEY ARE CONSIDERED MORE SECULAR HOLIDAYS.
SO IT'S NOT REALLY SO MUCH OF A RELIGIOUS ISSUE.
IT, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT ITEM, WHICH DECORATIVE ITEM WE'RE REFERRING TO.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WE COULD SAY IT IS TODAY'S DECEMBER'S, EXCUSE ME, SUPERVISOR, I WASN'T QUITE FINISHED.
I JUST THINK IT'D BE A NICE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE PEOPLE THE BENEFIT OF THE DEBT TO DO THE RIGHT THING IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS.
IF IT'S A PROBLEM, WE DON'T DO IT AGAIN.
AND I DON'T APPRECIATE BEING CALLED A SCROOGE 'CAUSE I'M POINTING OUT WHAT THE, BECAUSE LET ME POINT OUT THAT OUT THAT THERE'S A MURAL THAT HAS TIED UP OURSELVES, YOU KNOW, FOR A VERY LONG TIME WITH UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
SO I JUST WANT TO PUT IT OUT THERE SO THAT WE'RE GOING INTO THIS WITH OPEN EYES AS WHAT POSSIBILITIES ARE.
AS EVEN THOUGH I THINK MERRY CHRISTMAS AND AVANZA ANNIKA, UM, I'M SURE PEOPLE WILL COME UP WITH SOME OTHER HOLIDAYS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GIVE IT A TRY, BUT JUST, JUST
WELL, WE COULD DO WHAT WE DID IN THE PAST AND YOU KNOW, LIKE THE CHRISTMAS SIGNS THAT WE HAVE OF THE FLAGS THAT WE HAVE OF, UM, THAT SAYS SEASONED GREETINGS, WHICH IS INCLUSIVE OF EVERYONE.
SO IT'S NOT, IT DOESN'T TAKE AWAY, DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, UM, OUTSHINE ANYONE.
SO WE, WE COULD THINK ABOUT REALLY LOOKING AT SOMETHING THAT, TO USE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE YEAH.
INSTEAD OF JUST, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUAL RANGE.
I'M SYMPATHETIC TO THE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY DECORATED IT.
THEY PUT UP SIGNS THAT THEY PUT UP.
THEY JUST HAVE TO BE AWARE THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE THE ONLY SIGNS THAT APPEAR THERE AND THEN COME BACK TO THE TOWN BOARD AND SAY, HOW ARE YOU ALLOWING THAT TO BE UP THERE? AND LET ME POINT OUT SOMETHING CALLED A MURAL.
UH, COUNCILMAN SHIN NEXT, UM, ITEM SUSPENDING REGULAR TIME FOR SPEAKING ON BUDGET PUBLIC HEARINGS, 2025 OPERATING AND 2025 CAPITAL BUDGETS IN 2026, 2027 CAPITAL PLAN, UH, 12 11 24 TOWN BOARD, UM, UM, MEETING.
AND IS THIS SOME, IS THIS A SOMETHING? I DON'T RECALL DOING THAT BEFORE, BUT IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE DO FOR EVERY MEETING? SO, SO THIS IS A REQUEST FROM A RESIDENT.
UM, THIS IS NEW BECAUSE THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE CAPITAL BUDGET AND THE PRELIMINARY OPERATING BUDGET ARE BEING HEARD AT THE SAME TIME.
WE HAVE THE OPERATING BUDGET THIS TIME OF YEAR CAPITAL, TYPICALLY MORE OVER THE SUMMER, A FEW MONTHS EARLIER.
UM, SO RESIDENTS AT THIS POINT, UH, AT THE FIRST HEARING, THEY HAD FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK ON BOTH ITEMS. THERE IS A REQUEST TO GET 10 FULL MINUTES, UH, BECAUSE FIVE MINUTES FOR CAPITAL, FIVE MINUTES FOR THE OPERATING BUDGET, EITHER WAY IS LEGAL.
IT'S UP TO THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD WHAT YOU FEEL THE BEST POLICY IS.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT REALLY CLEAR IN THE WAY THIS IS WRITTEN.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE SUSPENDING TIME, TIME LIMITS ALTOGETHER.
THAT'S WHY IT SAYS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE 12 11, 12, 11 24 TOWN BOARD MEETING A SUSPENSION OF RULES FOR THIS HEARING AND THIS HEARING ONLY NOT RIGHT, BUT IT'S ALSO THE IMPOSITION OF A NEW RULE.
IT'S THE IMPOSITION OF A RULE THAT WOULD SAY IF WE AGREE UPON IT, FIVE MINUTES FOR EACH BUDGET.
AND, YOU KNOW, AND I, YEAH, THAT'S, I THINK IT'S A LITTLE UNCLEAR IN THE WORDING.
I THINK WE SHOULD SAY SUSPENDING REGULAR TIME LIMITS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING ON, ON, YOU KNOW, UH, IT IS, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THIS WAS REALLY ABOUT UNTIL WE JUST STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT.
WELL, THAT'S WHY I, WE BOTH SAID SOME, BUT, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'VE CLARIFIED IT NOW FOR US ALL AND ANYONE WHO'S LISTENING.
SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS SUSPENDING OUR REGULAR FIVE MINUTE, UH, LIMIT AND, AND ALLOWING TO HAVE FIVE MINUTES FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET AND FIVE MINUTES FOR THE OPERATOR.
I, I WOULD SUGGEST A FULL 10 MINUTES, A FULL 10 MINUTES CLARITY.
CAN I CLARITY FOR A SECOND? BECAUSE THESE ARE, TO ME, IN MY MY OPINION, IT'S TWO DIFFERENT HEARINGS.
SO ARE YOU SAYING, WHICH I THINK YOU'RE SAYING, I HOPE YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT THE OPERATING BUDGET AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT THE, UM, CAPITAL BUDGET.
YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO COMBINE THE TWO.
BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE, IS IT GONNA BE SEPARATE? CAN I GET
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I I I WOULD SUGGEST NOT SEPARATING THEM BECAUSE YOU OPEN THE HEARING AT THE LAST TOWN BOARD MEETING AS ONE HEARING AND ALLOWED ONE FIVE MINUTE PERIOD FOR BOTH OF THE BUDGETS.I'M NOT SURE IF THE COMPTROLLER HAS SIGNED ON.
I KNOW SHE WAS RUNNING A LITTLE LATE, BUT SHE DID EXPLAIN.
BUT IF WE'RE IMPOSING NEW RULES, WHY WOULD WE HAVE TO ADHERE TO WHAT WE DID THE LAST TIME? I, BECAUSE WE HAVE A TRANSCRIPT THAT DETAILS THE ENTIRETY OF BOTH BUDGETS.
SO TO NOW SPLIT IT INTO TWO, IT'D BE CONFUSING FOR THE RECORD.
AND TECHNICALLY THOSE ARE TWO SEPARATE MOTIONS TO OPEN, TWO SEPARATE HEARINGS.
SO IF WE'RE CONTINUING THIS HEARING FROM LAST TIME, WE'RE, WE'RE REOPEN THE HEARING, BUT THE SUSPENSION OF THE RULES WOULD BE FROM FIVE MINUTES, TWO TO FULL 10 MINUTES.
TECHNICALLY, COULD SOMEONE FOCUS SEVEN MINUTES ON THE CAPITAL BUDGET AND THREE MINUTES ON THE OPERATING BUDGET? TECHNICALLY, YES.
BUT IF THE COMPTROLLER WAS ON, I THINK SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THAT THEY'RE INTERTWINED AND THEY, THEY REALLY DO GO TOGETHER AND SHE THINKS IT'S THE BEST PRACTICE TO HEAR IT ALL TOGETHER.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 10 MINUTES FOR THE OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET, AND THEN ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES FOR THE HEARING ON THE CAPITAL PLAN? NO, NO.
WHAT EFFECT? SO BEFORE, WE USED TO HAVE FIVE MINUTES FOR THE OPERATING BUDGET, FIVE MINUTES FOR THE CAPITAL, UH, CAPITAL BUDGET.
WE'RE COMBINING THOSE TWO BUDGETS THIS YEAR FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.
YOU COULD EITHER TALK 10 MINUTES ON THE OPERATING, BUT THEN YOU'VE USED UP YOUR TIME AND YOU DON'T GET TO TALK ABOUT THE CAPITAL.
OR YOU COULD USE 10 MINUTES ON THE CAPITAL, BUT THEN YOU DON'T GET TO TALK, TALK ABOUT THE OPERATING, OR YOU CAN DO FIVE AND FIVE.
NO, MY QUESTION IS WHEN IT SAYS 200 2025 CAPITAL BUDGET AND 2020 6 27 CAPITAL PLAN, THAT'S PART OF THE SAME YES.
HERE, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH, THAT'S CONFUSING TO ME.
IT'S BASICALLY 10 MINUTES TOTAL.
SO LAST YEAR, THAT'S THE WAY THE DOCUMENT RAISED.
THAT'S THE WAY THE DOCUMENT, RIGHT.
SO LAST YEAR FOR THE CAPITAL BUDGET HEARING, IT WOULD'VE SAID 2024 CAPITAL BUDGET AND 20 25, 20 26 CAPITAL PLAN.
AND AT THAT TIME, PEOPLE WOULD'VE ONLY RECEIVED FIVE MINUTES PER, PER ROUND.
NOW IF YOU'RE, YOU HAVE TO CLOSE THE HEARING ON 1211.
SO THERE WILL BE A SECOND ROUND AS WELL.
AND HOW LONG IS THAT SECOND ROUND? IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOUR DETERMINATION IS.
IT'S IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING THE SAME PROTOCOL AS LAST YEAR, BUT JUST COMBINED THAT SECOND ROUND IS TYPICALLY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AS THE FIRST ROUND AS WELL.
A SUPER MAJORITY OF THE BOARD COULD SUSPEND THE RULES WHICHEVER WAY YOU PLEASE.
IT COULD BE 10 MINUTES FOR BOTH 10 AND FIVE.
WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE 10 MINUTES TOTAL FOR THE FIRST, THAT WE LIMIT A SECOND GO ROUND TO FIVE.
BECAUSE WHY? UM, BECAUSE IT'S A SECOND GO ROUND.
IF SOMEONE HAS SPOKEN FOR 10 MINUTES ALREADY, THEY'VE SPOKEN ABOUT WHAT THEY WANNA SPEAK ABOUT, AND IF THEY WANNA SPEAK ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON THE CAPITAL BUDGET AND THEN COME BACK AND SPEAK ABOUT THE, THE, UM, THE OPERATING BUDGET, I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WOULD NEED MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES BECAUSE THE, I IDEALLY, ONE WOULD THINK THAT IT'S FIVE MINUTES FOR EACH BUDGET IN THE, EVEN THOUGH THAT'S FLEXIBLE.
I, I JUST, IT'S A LOT OF TIME AND, UM, I, I THINK THAT PEOPLE CAN SAY, CAN SPEAK OF THEIR CONCERNS IN THAT FIVE MINUTE RANGE.
OFTEN, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT GO OVER A MINUTE OR TWO, BUT IT'S NOT NECESS.
THEY ALREADY HAVE HAD 10 MINUTES.
SO I DON'T SEE WHY WE WOULD NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER 10 MINUTES.
I JUST, I JUST THINK THAT IT, I JUST THINK WE SHOULD BE CONSISTENT.
WELL IN SOME, IF WE GAVE FIVE, IF WE GAVE 10 AT ONE POINT, WE SHOULD GIVE 10.
AGAIN, I JUST THINK WE SHOULD BE CONSISTENT.
AND HOW DO YOU FEEL FRANCIS AND JOY AND PAUL? WELL, I, I, I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT THEY WERE DISADVANTAGED BY US MERGING THE TWO BUDGETS.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE CASE IF WE SAY YOU GET 15 MINUTES.
UM, BUT THE MERGE, BUT WE GOT 20 MINUTES WHEN THEY WERE SEPARATE.
AND I, I JUST THINK IT IS, IT'S NOT, IT'S, IT'S A CONTROVERSY THAT'S NOT WORTH IT'S AT.
YEAH, I MEAN, I SEE BOTH SIDES.
UM, I AGREE IT'S AN IN ORDER, IT IS A, IT IS A LONG PERIOD OF TIME TO SPEAK, BUT IF THEY SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, IT SEEMS
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TO BE CONSISTENT.YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S FAIR ENOUGH.
I GO TO TO SLEEP AT TWO IN THE MORNING, SO I DON'T MIND WHATEVER THE BOARD ONCE.
SO, WELL, I DON'T THINK, I DON'T THINK, I DON'T THINK THAT, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK COLLECTIVELY AS A BOARD WE SHOULD VOTE ON, WE SHOULD HAVE THAT DISCUSSION, NOT JUST THE MAJORITY.
I MEAN, PAUL, WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? I DON'T, I DON'T REALLY CARE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE, UH, IF YOU KNOW PEOPLE WANT TO SPEAK LONGER, THAT'S FINE WITH ME.
AND IF, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO GET OUT EARLIER, THAT'S FINE.
YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT ALSO.
I DON'T, WELL, YEAH, I UNDERSTAND BOTH SIDES.
I DON'T, I WANNA PREFACE IT THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO GET OUT EARLY.
I JUST THINK THAT WE NEED TO PREFERENCE IT, THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FAIR ACROSS THE BOARD.
YEAH, I, IT DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY WON'T ABUSE IT AND IF WE GIVE THEM A LITTLE EXTRA TIME, YOU KNOW, I THINK MOST PEOPLE WILL BE, YOU KNOW, REASONABLE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE AT THE HEARING ANYWAY.
YOU'LL PROBABLY BE LIKE 99 3, 3 OR FOUR PEOPLE.
UM, SO, SO DO WE HAVE, HAVE, HOW DO WE DO THIS? DO WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THIS AND CAN WE VOTE UNNOTICED AND DO WE VOTE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING NEXT WEEK? YOU, YOU COULD VOTE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 1211 MEETING.
IT DOES TAKE A SUPER MAJORITY.
SO FOUR OUT OF FIVE HAVE TO VOTE.
SO IF IT WAS THREE OUT OF FIVE, TYPICALLY RESOLUTION WOULD PASS.
IT WOULD NOT, IN THIS CASE, SUSPENSION OF THE RULES REQUIRES FOUR OUTTA FIVE.
WELL, I DON'T FEEL, I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT RAISED AN OBJECTION.
I DON'T FEEL THAT STRONGLY ABOUT IT, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM.
SO WE'LL SET THAT UP UNLESS YOU THINK WE NEED A SPECIAL NO, I JUST DON'T THINK A SPECIAL MEETING.
SO, SO WE'LL DO THAT ON, UM, SO WE'LL DO THAT NEXT WEDNESDAY.
UH, I THINK THERE MIGHT BE ONE MEMBER OUT TOWN, BUT THAT IT, IT, SO IT WOULD BE, IF IT, IT'S A SUPER MAJORITY, WOULD THAT BE THEN THE FOUR OUT OF FOUR OR THREE OUT FOUR? IT WOULD BE THREE OUTTA FOUR, BUT WE CAN HOLD A VOTE, UH, NEXT WEEK IF YOU PREFER AT THE WORK SESSION AS WELL.
YEAH, WELL THAT, THAT OTHER, ONE OF THE OTHER PEOPLE MENTIONED I THAT THEY MIGHT BE OUTTA TOWN.
SO, YOU KNOW, LET'S SEE WHAT THAT, HOW THAT SHAKES OUT.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST BET TO VOTE ON TUESDAY AND GET THAT OVER WITH.
WOULDN'T THAT BE AN ABSOLUTE MAJORITY? A SUPER MAJORITY STILL WOULD'VE TO BE OUT OF THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER.
THREE OUTTA FOUR IS WHAT, WHAT, UM, HE SAID.
BUT I'M, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA LOOK, I'M GONNA LOOK AT OUR RULES, RULES SPECIFICALLY SAY FOUR MEMBERS.
SO WE HAVE DO IT ON, WE'LL HAVE TO BE FOUR.
SO IT'S EITHER ALL FOUR OF US VOTE ON, ON WEDNESDAY OR FOUR OUTTA FIVE, BUT IT PROBABLY BE FIVE ON TUESDAY, SO, ALL RIGHT.
UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE DATE OF THE BUDGET, UH, VOTE.
BEFORE YOU DO THAT, I THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY LET THE PUBLIC KNOW WELL IN ADVANCE BECAUSE THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PREPARING FOR A FIVE MINUTE PUBLIC HEARING A VOTE AND PREPARING FOR 10 MINUTES.
ARE WE BASICALLY SAYING THAT EVEN IF A MEMBER'S AWAY WE'LL HAVE FOUR VOTES AND THEY CAN RELY ON CHANGE? YES.
SO, SO, SO WE, SO SO WE, WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO MAKE THAT CHANGE, TO MAKE THAT VOTE OR TO MAKE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT? YES.
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO NOTICE, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO VOTE ON IT FIRST.
RIGHT? IF, IF, IF, IF YOU WANT IT TO MAKE A MOTION NOW, CAN WE DO THAT? PROCEED EARLY? LET'S DO IT NOW SINCE WE'RE ALL PRESENT.
I JUST THINK, I THINK IT'LL BE FAIR.
SO THEY CAN PREPARE WHATEVER NOTES THEY WANNA PREPARE AND QUESTIONS THEY WANNA PREPARE THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH TIME, SO, OKAY.
SO I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE SUSPEND REGULAR TIME FOR SPEAKING, UH, FOR SPEAKING ON THE BUDGET AND OPERATING, UM, BOTH FOR, FOR THE, UM, I'M SORRY, 12
AND THAT WE WILL HAVE 10 MINUTES FOR THE FIRST GO ROUND, AND THE SECOND GO ROUND WILL BE 10 MINUTES AS WELL.
AND IT'S A COMBINATION OF TALKING ABOUT BOTH BUDGETS IN THOSE 10 MINUTES YES, CORRECT.
OF A SECOND CORRECT COMBINATION OF TALKING THE OPERATING BUDGET AND, AND THE, AND THE, UM, CAPITAL BUDGET.
I DON'T MEAN TO PUT YOU, I DON'T MEAN TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT THERE, CAN YOU JUST GIVE SOME CLARITY ON, UM, THE DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR WITH THE, THE COMBINING OF THE CAPITAL OPERATING BUDGET? UM, YOU SAID YOU HAVE SOME INSIGHT INTO THAT AND YOU COULD JUST YES, WE DO HAVE A MOTION MIDDLE OF A MOTION.
WE, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
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FAVOR? AYE.SO NOW WE SHOULD POST AT ACCORDING, YOU KNOW, THAT MAKES SENSE, COUNCILMAN SHE TO POST EARLY, THAT WE WILL ALLOW FOR THE BUDGET, UH, FOR TWO 10 MINUTE.
SO CAN WE, CAN WE, CAN WE ASK THE TROLL TO GIVE SOME CLARITY INTO THAT SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY THE DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR MEANS? SURE.
UM, SO THIS YEAR WE'RE GOING, I GUESS, UH, IN PRIOR YEARS, GREENBERG HAS ADOPTED THE BUDGET SEPARATELY.
UM, GENERALLY, UH, THE CAPITAL AND THE OPERATING BUDGETS ARE ADOPTED TOGETHER.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT WOULD WHY THAT WAS A PREVIOUS POLICY, BUT MUNICIPAL LAW ALLOWS FOR THAT.
AND SO, UM, THAT MAKES MOST MOST SENSE TO ROLL THAT DEBT SERVICE IN RATHER THAN HAVE IT COME IN MID-YEAR.
BUT TO HAVE IT COME IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND BE PART OF THAT BUDGET.
KIMBERLY, WOULD YOU MIND JUST EXPLAIN FOR THE PUBLIC WHAT THAT MEANS? THE DEBT SERVICE? SO WE HAVE AN ANNUAL DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT.
SO WHEN WE GO OUT TO BORROW, WE GO OUT TO MARKET, THERE'S BIDS, AND THEN WHOEVER WINS THE BID, UM, WE ARE AWARDED AN INTEREST RATE.
THERE'S AN AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE AND THAT AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE OR TABLE HAS ON IT, UH, THE ANNUAL DEBT SERVICE.
SO, UM, I RECENTLY CIRCULATED A SHEET.
I THINK I, I HAD COPIED THE BOARD ON THAT AND TO ONE OF THE RESIDENTS WHERE I PUT TOGETHER ALL THE DEBT SERVICE.
SO THAT'S ALL THE BONDS FOR EACH YEAR, AND THEN THE ANNUAL PAYMENTS.
AND SO WHEN WE DO THE OPERATING BUDGET, WE'RE ONLY GOING TO TAKE WHAT'S DUE FOR THAT YEAR AND PUT THAT INTO THE BUDGET EACH YEAR.
SO BE THE SUM OF THOSE AMORTIZATION SCHEDULES ON THE CALENDAR YEAR, THAT WOULD BE DUE.
AND THAT'S WHAT GETS ADOPTED IN THE BUDGET.
FOR THE NEW BORROWING, WE GET AN ESTIMATED AMORTIZATION AND WE PUT THAT IN THERE.
SO WHAT I DID WAS I USED, UH, THE 2024, 'CAUSE IT WAS A SIMILAR AMOUNT THAT WE WERE BORROWING.
UM, THE WEIGHTED AVERAGE WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, AND THAT'S THE ESTIMATED USEFUL LIFE ON THOSE ASSETS.
SO I THINK IT WENT FROM 15 TO 13.
AND SO I FELT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH JUST TO PUT THOSE NUMBERS IN AS AN ESTIMATE FOR THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT FOR 2025.
AND IT IS JUST THAT AN ESTIMATE AND IT, BUT YOU FEEL CONFIDENT THAT BECAUSE OF THE CLOSENESS OF THE TWO, THAT IT WILL BE GIVE A REASONABLE, IT'LL BE GIVE, IT'LL GIVE SOMETHING THAT'S CAN BE REASONABLY EXPECTED BY RESIDENTS.
AND WE, UH, DO YOU WANNA ALSO BRIEFLY MENTION, WE GOT THE AAA BOND RATING, UM, FROM, UH, MOODY'S AND STANDARD AND POORS LAST WEEK, AND WE, UH, HAD 16 BIDS.
AND WHAT CAME IN THE INTEREST RATE WAS LIKE YOU SAID, 2.8 OR SOMETHING.
UM, AND I HEAR THAT'S MORE THAN, UM, ANY OTHER MUNICIPALITY THAT THEY HAD, UM, OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW YEARS.
AND WE'VE GOT AN EXCELLENT RATE, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING THE CLOSING DOCUMENTS TODAY JUST TO PUT TWO PLUS TWO TOGETHER ON THAT TO SIMPLIFY IT, EVEN THOUGH PROBABLY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT, THE, THE BETTER YOUR BOND RATING, THE BETTER INTEREST RATES YOU CAN GET BECAUSE YOU'RE CONSIDERED MORE RELIABLE.
SHOULD WE SET THE DATE FOR THE BUDGET VOTE? BECAUSE IF WE'RE HAVING THE HEARING ON DECEMBER 11TH, UH, WE HAVE TO 1216, WE HAVE THE NEXT TOWN BOARD MEETING AFTER THAT.
IS GONNA BE THE DATE THE BUDGET'S GONNA BE VOTED ON.
UM, OKAY, UH, I JUST HAD A QUESTION.
UM, I HAD ASKED THAT WE DISCUSS, UH, THE NOISE ORDINANCE, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST FOR A SECOND BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE COMPLAINING THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NOISE ORDINANCE ISN'T BEING, THAT'S, THAT IS A LONGER CONVERSATION THAN A SECOND.
WHY DON'T WE PUT IT ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT WEEK? OKAY.
CAN I JUST, JUST, JUST AS A PREVIEW, THE SUGGESTION THAT I HAVE IN TERMS OF ENFORCEMENT, WHICH IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, IS TO SEE IF WE COULD, UM, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO COULD, UM, ENFORCE THE LAW.
AND I THOUGHT THAT IF WE AUTHORIZE A BUILDING INSPECTOR, UH, OUR INSPECTORS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO ISSUE SUMMONS AS FOR, UH, NOISE RELATED COMPLAINTS, IT WOULD GIVE US A
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BETTER CHANCE OF ACTUALLY, OKAY, SO LET'S PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT WEEK AND, AND WE CAN DISCUSS IT THEN.GENERAL, BE MINDFUL, THERE ARE FOUR VACANCIES IN THE BILLING DEPARTMENT AND WE'RE ASKING VERY FEW PEOPLE TO TAKE ON MORE.
AND NOW YOU'RE ASKING TO PICK EVEN MORE.
OR IT COULD BE EVEN, CAN WE DISCUSS THAT NEXT WEEK? LET'S DISCUSS NEXT WEEK, PLEASE.
OKAY, NEXT WE GENERAL BUDGET DISCUSSIONS.
ANY, ANY DISCUSSION? NO COMMENT.
DON'T EVEN DO, DON'T DO IT, PAUL.
I WAS JUST TRYING TO MOVE, I WAS TRYING TO MOVE ALONG THE BUDGET, THE, THE DISCUSSIONS.
SO ANYBODY HAVE ANY COMMENTS? I GUESS THE OBVIOUS THING IS, PAUL, YOU HAD A 68% INCREASE IN YOUR, IN THE SUPERVISOR'S BUDGET, UH, PROPOSED VERSUS LAST YEAR.
AND WHAT IS YOUR BASIS FOR THAT? AND IN TIMES WHEN, UH, MANY OF YOUR EMAILS ARE COMPLAINING THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY AN EXTRA DOLLAR BECAUSE OF THE, UH, UH, PAYING THEIR WATER BILL, UM, AND YOU'LL FIND THAT TO BE TERRIBLE.
UM, A 68% INCREASE IS FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL.
SO WASN'T THAT, AND THAT DEVOLVES TO THE TAXPAYERS, WAS IT THEN DENY, INCLUDE KIMBERLY ISN'T PART OF IT? UH, UH, THE OP THE, UH, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS? YES.
SO I BELIEVE THE INCREASE IS IN THE SALARY SECTION, RIGHT? ADDING A POSITION OF, UH, SOMEBODY WHO WOULD HELP WITH, UH, WITH OPERATIONS.
YOU KNOW, I SORT OF FEEL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THE TOWNS RUN, WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD VACANCIES SAY IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, AS FRANCIS JUST MENTIONED, FOR PROBABLY TWO YEARS.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD PROBLEMS IN THE HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH THE, WITH FINDING ENGINEERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER JOB OF, UM, TIGHTENING UP THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE OPERATIONS.
UH, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A GOOD, I DON'T SEE THE CORRELATION THERE.
IF WE NEED, IF WE NEED BUILDING DEPARTMENT INSPECTORS AND WE NEED ENGINEERS, HOW IS SOMEONE GONNA COME ALONG AND TIGHTEN UP? DOES THAT MEAN ELIMINATING THE POSITIONS? NO.
BASICALLY, UM, ANALYZING, I WOULD LIKE TO SOMEBODY TO LOOK AT ALL THE OPERATIONS TO HELP ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS, YOU KNOW, ASSIST ME IN TRYING TO OVERCOME SOME OF THE, UH, CHALLENGES.
AND, UH, BUT YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE FINANCIAL, RIGHT? THAT'S PART OF YOUR RIGHT.
BUT I, YOU KNOW, THE THING IS, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE HAS AN OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, RIGHT? THAT'S A DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT THAN THIS.
RIGHT? SO, AND YOU KNOW, THE GOVERNOR HAS AN OPERATION, SOMEBODY WHO'S IN CHARGE OF OPERATIONS.
I FEEL THAT THE POSITION COULD BE, UH, USEFUL AND THEY COULD BE WORKING WITH THE BOARD WITH, UH, WITH THE CONTROLLER.
UM, IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, DEALING, WELL, WE DO HAVE THE CONTROLLER, WE HAVE A GREAT CONTROL DEALING ISSUES COME UP EVERY SINGLE DAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, YOU HAVE EMPLOYEE ISSUES, YOU HAVE MANAGERIAL ISSUES, YOU HAVE LITTLE PROBLEMS HERE AND THERE.
AND YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS, UH, TO RUN THE TOWN, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, BETTER TO TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE PRO TO, UH, SPEND MORE TIME ANALYZING ALL THE PROGRAMS. UM, YOU KNOW, ARE WE OVERSPENDING? UH, YOU KNOW, ARE WE, YOU KNOW, SPENDING TOO MUCH ON, UH, OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS? ARE WE SPENDING, YOU KNOW, ARE WE GETTING GOOD VALUE FOR THE DOLLAR? I THINK, YOU KNOW, JOE, YOU MENTIONED THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD A VACANCY IN YOUR, UM, DEPARTMENT AND YOU'RE USING, UM, SOMEBODY A, A PRIVATE FIRM, AND YOU SAID IT'S ACTUALLY SAVING MONEY.
IT, IT IS BECAUSE OF MY OVERSIGHT OF THAT SPECIAL COUNSEL IT HAS, RIGHT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE THING IS, IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT LONG TERM OPERATIONS FOR THE TOWN, YOU KNOW, IS THAT A TREND THAT WE WANT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER IF THERE'S VACANT POSITIONS DOING MORE OUTSOURCING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YES.
COULD I, COULD I JUST INTERJECT? I I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S A MATTER OF SEMANTICS.
YOU WANT TO CALL IT THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, OR YOU WANT CALL IT A TOWN MANAGER, BUT THAT'S NOT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT THAT WE NEED ASSISTANCE WITH.
SO MAYBE WE NEED TO HAVE A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION ABOUT DEFINING WHAT THAT ROLE IS.
UM, AND MAYBE IT CAN'T BE ADDRESSED IN THIS ONE BUDGET CONVERSATION.
[00:30:01]
A MUCH BIGGER ISSUE, I WOULD SAY.YOU KNOW, I, I JUST SORT OF FEEL THERE'S, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TAKE A TOTAL LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THE TOWN'S, YOU KNOW, OPERATING, YOU KNOW, GET, UH, THE OTHER ISSUE THAT I SEE IS, UM, ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THE EDGEMONT IN CORPORATION, YOU KNOW, PETITION.
UM, AT SOME POINT THE COURTS ARE GONNA RULE AND WE MAY NOT WIN.
AND IF WE DON'T WIN, UH, THE CHA YOU KNOW, THE, THE PETITION CHALLENGE AND THERE'S A REFERENDUM AND, UM, AND THE RESIDENTS MOND, UH, VOTE, VOTE, VOTE TO INCORPORATE.
I THINK WE'RE, I TRACK NO, NO.
LET ME JUST SAY, UH, IT'S NOT OFF TRACK BECAUSE BASICALLY WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO COULD HELP US START PLANNING A TRANSITION IN THE, UH, PO IF, IF BASICALLY THAT OCCURS, BECAUSE I WANT TO BASICALLY HAVE A, UM, I WANNA HAVE SORT OF A, A WORST CASE SCENARIO PLAN.
SO THIS WAY, UM, IF EDGEMONT DOES INCORPORATE, UM, IN TWO YEARS OR THREE YEARS OR, OR WHENEVER, UM, THAT WE HAVE THE SMOOTHEST TRANSITION, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLE.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T DO THIS THE LAST MINUTE, YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, START, UH, START PLANNING FOR EVENTUALITY.
SO I COULD SEE THAT PERSON BEING, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, BEING VERY, VERY, UH, UH, USEFUL.
YOU KNOW, THE REGENERON DOLLARS, WE'VE BEEN RELYING ON A LOT OF, UM, UM, UH, THAT REVENUE.
BUT THAT'S YOUR JOB IS THE FISCAL OFFICER.
THAT'S THE TOWN SUPERVISOR'S JOB.
BUT THAT, SO YOU WANNA HIRE SOMEONE TO DO, DO WANNA TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO PART OF YOUR JOB? NO, I WANT TO JUST LIKE, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE HAS AN OPERATION PERSON.
YOU'RE TALKING A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT.
LET ME, LET ME SAY, I WANNA HELP YOU OUT.
I DON'T THINK YOU CAN USE THE TOWN, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN USE GEORGE LA'S POSITION AND COMPARE IT TO YOUR POSITION.
NO, BUT LET ME JUST SAY SOMETHING THERE.
TWO, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT.
EVEN IF YOU ARE PAID MORE MONEY, LET ME JUST THAT RESPONSIBLE FOR, LET ME, IT'S NOT NEARLY AS MUCH AS HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR.
NO, BECAUSE LET ME, LET ME SAY, FIRST OF ALL, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND THE TOWN AND THE STATE IS THE, WITH THE TOWN MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, THERE'S NO, UH, YEAH.
THE TOWN SUPERVISOR DOESN'T HAVE VETO POWER, DOESN'T HAVE HIRING POWER, DOESN'T HAVE FIRING POWER.
SO IT'S ALL FIVE OF US HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS ON EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUDGET.
IT'S NOT ONLY, IT'S NOT ONLY ME, IT'S ALL OF US, YOU KNOW, TOGETHER.
AND MY FEELING IS THAT THAT IS TRUE SUPERVISOR.
BUT THIS IS YOUR FULL-TIME POSITION.
RIGHT? I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT.
AND, AND THAT THE OPERATIONS DIRECTOR AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR THAT.
'CAUSE THAT'S THE ONE I KNOW BETTER.
HAS, THERE'S SO MANY MORE DEPARTMENTS AND FUNCTIONS AND EMPLOYEESS THAT THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT IT'S A, IT'S A LOT MORE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 1,000,004 PEOPLE VERSUS 46,000 PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANNA TAKE IT OFF THE, OUT OF THE BUDGET, THAT'S FINE WITH ME.
BUT, UH, THE THING IS, BECAUSE I PUT IT IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, I BA I'M CONVINCED THAT WE'LL SAVE MONEY.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DELETE IT, DELETE IT.
I DON'T, I HAVE, WELL, I, I, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A AAA BOND BETWEEN YOU AS THE FISCAL OFFICER AND, AND, AND, AND THAT'S RIGHT.
KIMBERLY, WHO IS AN EXCELLENT, THEN DELETE IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT, DELETE IT BECAUSE NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
WE'RE NOT DELETING ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO, I HAVE, LEMME JUST SAY NOW IN ANY WAY.
I, I, WE'RE NOT ALL, I'M, YOU KNOW, I MOVE ON.
I'M, I'M RECOMMENDING, I THINK, I THINK, I THINK COUNCILMAN SHEEN WANTED TO SPEAK.
LET'S LET HIM HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY.
'CAUSE WE ARE GOING TO, UM, WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PUTTING THINGS OUT THERE.
IT, I JUST HAVE AN ISSUE WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HEAD OFFICE, THE HEAD DEPARTMENT, UM, HAS A 68% INCREASE WHILE WE'RE ASKING OUR WORKERS, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, TO SEE WHERE, WHERE CAN THEY CUT AND WHAT COULD THEY DO WITHOUT.
AND YOU KNOW, I I I, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOOD FOR MORALE.
I DON'T THINK THAT, UM, UH, IT, IT WAS 150 PUT IN LAST YEAR AND THAT DIDN'T FLY.
UM, SO NOW YOU MADE A 1 75, LIKE AS IF, OKAY, THAT COULD MAKE IT BETTER.
BUT I I, I DON'T SEE HOW HAVING, UM, THIS TOWN MANAGER OR OPERATIONS OFFICER OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, UH, IS GOING TO, UM, HAVE BETTER LUCK, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE LIST.
AND, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT, IT'S JUST NOT GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
[00:35:01]
DELETE IT.I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH DELETING IT.
NO, YOU KNOW WHAT? BECAUSE I LEMME JUST SAY SOMETHING.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM IF, IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH IT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AAA BOND RATING.
I THINK THE TOWN'S WELL MANAGED.
I BASICALLY, UH, COULD LIVE WITHOUT IT.
I, I PERSONALLY THINK THAT THE POSITION WOULD SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN, BUT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DELETE IT BECAUSE I HAD, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE TOWN WILL BE MANAGED, UH, EFFICIENTLY WITH OR WITHOUT IT.
I THINK, WE'LL, WE WOULD DO BETTER, UM, UH, IF, UH, WE LEAVE IT IN BECAUSE I FEEL THAT THERE'S DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONAL, UH, ISSUES THAT COME UP.
AND I FEEL THAT, UM, UH, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE USEFUL.
BUT AGAIN, I HAVE NO PROBLEM IF THE BOARD, UH, WANTS TO DELETE IT BECAUSE AS FRANCIS SAID, YOU KNOW, UH, IF YOU THINK IT'S GONNA BE, BE UP FOR MORALE, AND IF YOU DON'T THINK, IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME THAT IT'S GONNA SAVE MONEY IN THE LONG RUN, THEN YOU SHOULD DELETE IT.
WHAT, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO BACK UP THE FACT THAT IT WOULD SAVE MONEY? DO YOU, IS THAT A FEELING? OR DO YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF STATISTICS THAT YOU COULD SHOW US THAT WOULD HELP US TO AGREE WITH YOU? I BASICALLY, IF THERE WAS SOMETHING BESIDES JUST YOUR FEELING THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN BE, WE COULD TALK ABOUT.
I, I FEEL THAT, UM, THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MORE OF, UM, ANALYSIS, UH, UH, THAT I THINK DEPARTMENTS COULD, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, BE DOING.
I, BUT, BUT YOU'RE, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU FEEL THAT I'D LIKE SUPERVISOR, IT'S ALL FAIL, IT'S FAILING.
AND I BASICALLY BASED ON, YOU KNOW, THE EXPERIENCES THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAVE, I I I FEEL WE, BUT IF YOU COULD, IF WE GET THE RIGHT PERSON, WE WILL SAVE MONEY.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU COULD, IF YOU COULD HAVE A, SOMEONE IN YOUR STAFF FIND AND AGGREGATE STATISTICS THAT WOULD GIVE US THAT KIND OF SURETY THEN AND, AND, AND, AND DATA THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO BASE THAT DECISION ON RATHER THAN JUST YOUR FEELING, THEN IT'S SOMETHING WORTH CONSIDERING.
WELL, THE, THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD DO, LET JUST SAY, LEMME JUST LET ME JUST SAY ONE OTHER THING, TALKING ABOUT, LET ME SAY NO, BUT, BUT IF HE, IF HE IS, NO, BUT NO, IT'S NOT A DEFINED ROLE, HOWEVER, BUT IF THE SUPERVISOR IS STATING THAT HE NEEDS HIS POSITION ALL, I THINK THE ASK IS HERE IS THAT HE PROVIDE EVIDENCE OR SOME SORT OF REPORT OR STATISTICS TO SHOW WHAT THE NEED IS NOT, IT HAS TO BE MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN A FIELD.
IT HAS TO BE SHOWING US HOW THAT THIS PERSON WILL MAKE AN IMPACT ON, ON WHAT WE ARE CHALLENGED WITH.
IT'S JUST IT HAS TO BE ON PAPER.
WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY, LET LEMME JUST SAY, LET ME, LET ME JUST SAY, LET ME JUST SAY ONE OTHER THING.
UH, IF, WHEN THINGS ARE IN THE BUDGET, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THINGS WE HAD FOR THE PAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS, HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT, WHICH WE, AND WE NEVER, I THINK WE HAD A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR.
UM, SO THE THING IS, WE, YOU KNOW, IF WE LEAVE THIS IN THE BUDGET, WE COULD POTENTIALLY, UM, AS A BOARD, WE COULD ADVERTISE, UH, WE COULD BASICALLY, UH, WE COULD SPEND SOME TIME DECIDING, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT UH, SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES WE FEEL, UH, COULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE TOWN.
AND THEN WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH, UH, THE CONTROLLER, FIND OUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT SHE THINKS, YOU KNOW, WHERE SHE THINKS THERE'S SOME WEAKNESSES, UM, YOU KNOW,
NO AND NO, I'M SAYING, AND THEN IF, IF WE FIND THE RIGHT PERSON, THEN WE COULD HIRE THAT PERSON.
IF WE DON'T FIND THE RIGHT PERSON, WE COULD BASICALLY LEAVE THE POSITION, MAKE ORDER.
WE WANT MODIFY TO HAVE SOMEONE FOR HR AND THE, AND IT'S ON US TO WELL HIRE THAT.
THE COUNTY SAID WE CAN'T, I SAID WE NO, NO, NOT, THAT'S NOT, NO, HE SAID NO, THEY DID CLEAR.
HE SAID WE COULDN'T HIRE A DIRECTOR.
HE DID NOT SAY WE COULDN'T HAVE A CONSULTANT.
SO LET'S MAKE SURE WE'RE CLEAR.
LET'S MAKE SURE WE STATE OKAY.
SO THEN, UH, RIGHT, SO THE, SO THIS PERSON PERHAPS COULD ALSO BE, UM, HELPING THE UNION I RESOURCES OFFICE POSSIBLE.
THAT, THAT WOULD CONSULTANT WOULD BE SPECIFIC.
YOU NEED A HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL.
IF WE COULD WAIT TO THE NEXT MEETING, I'M GONNA HAVE THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE CONSULTANT DONE TOMORROW.
OKAY, SO THAT'S FINE FOR THE, FOR THE HR CONSULTANT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? YES, YES.
[00:40:01]
OKAY.YES, I'M WORKING ON VERY GOOD.
CAN I ASK A REALLY GENERAL, AND I, THIS IS, UH, PAUL, SO, SO THE OTHER, THE OTHER CONCERN, ARE WE, ARE WE FINISHED, ARE WE FINISHED WITH THIS? ARE WE FINISHED WITH THE TOWN MANAGER OF TOWN TOWN OPERATIONS OPERATIONS MANAGER.
SO THE OTHER, ARE WE DONE WITH THAT? BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO MOVE ON TO ONE OF THE CONCERNS THAT I HAVE.
SO ONE OF THE CONCERNS I HAVE THAT WE ARE ACROSS THE BOARD GIVING EVERY EMPLOYEE 3% AN EMPLOYEE PUT IN AN INCREASE FOR 6% FOR YOUR ASSISTANT.
AND I JUST WANTED A JUSTIFICATION BEHIND IT.
WELL, I, FIRST OF ALL, THERE'S OTHER POSITIONS IN THE TOWN.
THIS CAME UP, UH, YOU KNOW, IN I GUESS OCTOBER BECAUSE, UM, THERE WERE, UM, SOME REQUESTS BY SOME DEPARTMENT HEADS TO GIVE SALARY INCREASES OVER THE 3% TO PEOPLE ON THEIR STAFF.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN ATTORNEY, YOU MADE A REQUEST.
THERE'S OTHER, THERE WERE OTHER, WHAT WAS IT ABOUT? PROBABLY EIGHT OR NINE PEOPLE, I THINK.
I THINK, I THINK, I THINK MAYBE I, MAYBE I MISSTATED MY QUESTION.
NO, LET ME JUST SAY, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA EXPLAIN, LEMME I THINK
LET, LET ME JUST, LET ME JUST ASK, ASK MY QUESTION AGAIN.
SO MY QUESTION IS, CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US JUSTIFICATION? YES, I WILL.
OF THE OVER THE THREE, OVER THE 3% INCREASE FOR YOUR EMPLOYEE? NOT FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.
JUST FOR YOUR PARTICULAR EMPLOYEE.
BUT I WROTE IT DOWN, WAIT, HOLD ON FOR A SECOND.
AND, AND I ALSO, THE 3% IS A COST OF LIVING INCREASE THAT WE YEAH.
SO THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF WHAT THAT 3% IS.
I JUST, JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE.
I'M JUST, WAIT, RELAY AN EMAIL EARLIER WITH ALL OF HIS RATIONAL FOR THAT.
JUST SAY I DID NOT SEE THE, I DID NOT SEE THE, YEAH, SO, SO BASICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED THAT MY ASSISTANT, UM, HAS BASICALLY, UM, BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK, UH, ON EVENINGS, ON WEEKENDS, UM, UH, SOMETIMES ON HOLIDAYS.
UM, SHE'S BEEN DOING THINGS THAT I THINK ARE OVER, UH, YOU KNOW, DOING MORE THAN THE RESPONSIBILITY.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT, OKAY, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA EXPLAIN IT.
FOR EXAMPLE, SHE'S, UH, ORGANIZED AN EMPLOYEE, EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION BREAKFAST AND BARBECUES.
THAT TAKES AN AWFUL LOT OF TIME.
UH, SHE ASSISTED AND CLEANING UP, UH, THE LIST OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, THIS PAST, UH, YEAR, UM, UH, SHE REORGANIZED AND UPDATED THE EMPLOYEE PHONE DIRECTORY FOR THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR SHE HAS ASSISTED THE HISPANIC, UH, LIAISON OFFICE.
UH, SHE'S HELPED ORGANIZE PUBLIC EVENTS, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, WE HAD, SHE'S BEEN ASSISTING WITH THE FARMER'S MARKET.
SHE ALSO HELPED ORGANIZE, HELPED ORGANIZE A FIRST ARTIST MARKET AT PRESSOR PARK, WHICH HAD OVER A A HUNDRED, UH, YOU KNOW, VENDORS.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, TOOK AN AWFUL LOT OF ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS.
SHE HELPED ORGANIZE THE REPAIR CAFE, UH, WHERE WE HAD, WE HAD TWO REPAIR CAFES, UH, THIS YEAR.
UM, AND PEOPLE GOT, UH, ITEMS FOR REPAIRED FOR FREE.
UH, SHE, UM, ALSO, UM, UH, HAS HELPED ORGANIZE THE GREENBERG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, UM, WHICH, UM, WE FORMED AND HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL.
IT'S FIRST TIME IN DECADES THAT YOU HAVE A FUNCTIONING, UH, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT TOOK AN, AN AWFUL LOT OF, UH, TIME, UM, AND EFFORT AND IT'S SUCCESSFUL.
WE HAD AN EVENT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, OVER 30 PEOPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, SHOWED UP AND, UH, WE'RE GETTING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING INTERESTING, UM, EVENTS.
UM, SHE ALSO CREATED, AND I THINK THIS IS GREAT FOR MORALE, UM, SHE CREATED A PERIODIC EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER, UH, THAT SHE, UM, SHE WRITES AND PUBLISHES, UM, HIGHLIGHTING, UH, INTERESTING THINGS FOR EMPLOYEES.
AND ALSO HIGHLIGHTING, UM, SOME EMPLOYEES WHO DESERVE, UM, YOU KNOW, RECOGNITION.
UM, SHE ALSO, UH, ORGANIZED, UH, UH, DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, VACCINATION CLINICS.
WELL, THAT, THAT EVERYONE WORKED REALLY HARD DURING THE PANDEMIC, BUT, BUT SHE, NO, BUT I'M SAYING, CAN I, AND, AND SHE ALSO ORGANIZED THANKSGIVING MEALS AT THE HEALTH CENTER FOR THE LAST, UH, THREE YEARS.
AND, UM, WE HAD, I THINK OVER 500 MEALS GIVEN OUT.
SO, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GOT THE MEALS.
AND ALSO THE, THE, THE MEALS THAT WERE DONATED WERE PUT TO GOOD USE.
SHE ALSO HELPED RESTART THE GREENBERG STUDENT NEWS NETWORK.
THEY, UH, PRODUCED THEIR FIRST, UM, PROGRAM, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, RECENTLY.
BUT IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET IT GOING, AND NOW IT'S FUNCTIONING.
[00:45:01]
I ASKED HER TO, UH, REVIEW AND REVISE THE TOWN SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY.UM, AND WHEN THERE WERE COMPLAINTS, YOU KNOW, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE POLICE OFFICER FILED, YOU KNOW, THE LAWSUIT, YOU, SHE, SHE WORKED, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, ON THAT, UH, SHE'S ALSO ASSISTED THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WITH THE BAIT COURT ELEVATION GRANT.
UH, WHICH HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, UH, VERY TIME CONSUMING.
UH, SHE WROTE GRANTS TO RECEIVE FUNDING FOR VACCINATION EFFORTS.
UM, SHE HELPED, UH, WRITE NOMINATIONS FOR SENIOR CITIZEN HALL OF FAME ANNUALLY.
UH, THE LAST, UH, TWO, UH, CAROL ALLEN, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS NAMED THE HIGHEST AUNT RECEIVED THE HIGHEST HONOR.
UH, SHE'S ALSO HELPED THE VETERANS ANNUALLY WITH THEIR BREAKFAST AND BARBECUES, THE VETERANS WITH THEIR BREAKFAST AND BARBECUES.
AND SHE CREATED, UM, A WEBSITE FOR THE GREENBERG CHAMBER, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY ARCHIVES, WHERE WE HAVE BASICALLY, UM, UH, LIKE A, A WEBSITE, UH, LISTING, UH, HISTORIC, UH, UH, INITIATIVES IN TERMS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN, YOU KNOW, HISTORY.
UH, SHE ALSO, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND SHE'S DONE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS, BUT, WELL, CAN YOU, NORMALLY, CAN YOU, CAN YOU EXPLAIN FIRST OF ALL WHAT HER REGULAR DUTIES ARE DURING THE DAY? SO WE KNOW A WHAT, FIRST OF ALL, WHAT THESE SUPPLEMENT, WHAT IS IT, WHAT ELSE IS SHE DOING DURING THE DAY? WELL, BASICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, SHE DOES TYPICAL WORK THAT AN ASSISTANT TO ANY, UH, PUBLIC OFFICIAL WOULD DO.
SHE, UH, UH, UH, SHE HELPS MANAGE MY OFFICE.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN HELPS MANAGE YOUR OFFICE? WELL, YOU KNOW, I, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN THOUGH? WELL, IF I BASICALLY HAVE CONS, IF THERE'S A CONSTITUENT INQUIRY, I EITHER I HANDLE IT, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, OR SHE, SHE HANDLES IT.
SHE DOES FOLLOW UP WITH, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT IF I'M, IF I ASK HER TO DO THAT.
SO YEAH, THERE, THERE'S AN AWFUL LOT THAT IS, IS DONE.
I, COULD I, COULD I OBJECT HERE? COULD I INTERJECT HERE? 'CAUSE FRANKLY, ALL THOSE THINGS IN THAT LIST, I BELIEVE WE'RE DONE AT YOUR DIRECTION, BUT I THINK WE'RE REALLY SLIPPING INTO UNINTENTIONALLY PERSONNEL ISSUE HERE THAT I DON'T THINK IS, SHOULD BE OKAY.
I THINK THIS IS AN APPROPRIATE DISCUSSION TO HAVE HERE.
WHAT'S ON NEXT ON THE AGENDA? I THINK THAT'S A VERY GENERAL QUESTION ABOUT WOULD THIS, IT'S, IT'S AT THE DISCRETION SUPERVISOR.
WE TYPICALLY DON'T TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT DURING THESE, DURING A WORK SESSION.
WE CAN'T GET, WE CAN'T CIRCUMVENT THE RULES.
'CAUSE THAT'S NOT, I THOUGHT WE WERE TRYING TO BE CONSISTENT WITH ALL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
I HAVE ONE THING ABOUT THE BUDGET.
I THOUGHT WE HAD DISCUSSED THAT WE WOULD HAVE A, UH, LINE IN THE BUDGET FOR THE TOWN COUNCIL THIS TIME, WHICH HAS NOT HAPPENED BEFORE.
I KNOW, GINA, YOU HAD SAID THERE WERE EXPENSES THAT COME OUT OF YOUR POCKET THAT, UH, YOU FEEL SHOULD BE NOT PART OF YOUR PERSONAL, UM, SHOULD NOT COME OUT OF YOU PERSONALLY, WHICH I AGREE WITH.
THAT, AND WE, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY, BUT WE DID TALK ABOUT IT.
AND THEN I SORT OF WENT BY, IT WAS SORT OF WENT BY THE WAYSIDE.
JOY IF, UH, UM, COUNCILWOMAN HABER, IF I RECALL WHEN WE DISCUSSED IT, UM, WEREN'T THERE OTHER, UM, OTHER TOWN COUNCILS THAT HAD, UH, ALLOCATIONS OF MONIES AND AS WELL AS, UH, TRUSTEES IN, IN, UM, BOARDS FOR VILLAGES.
SO, SO IT'S NOT
SO IT'S NOT ASKING SOME, RIGHT.
SO IT'S NOT ASKING SOMETHING THAT IS UNTOWARD AND UNUSUAL.
SO IS THIS LIKE A SLUSH FUND THAT ANYBODY COULD SPEND FOR ANYTHING? THEY WANT A SLUSH FUND? NO, NO.
I WOULDN'T CALL IT SLUSH FUND.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT SLUSH
IT'S AN ALLOCATION OF MONEY TO USE FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS SO WE CAN HAVE OUR OWN DISCRETION ON WHAT WE USE TO GO, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT A SUMMER MONEY.
I DON'T COME TO THE BOARD WHEN I SPEND MONEY IN THE COMMUNITY.
IT'S WHAT I, IT'S WHAT I CHOOSE TO DO.
RIGHT? SO WHAT, WHAT COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER HABER WAS MENTIONING WAS THAT THERE ARE, SO THERE ARE THINGS THAT DO COME UP.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO DO EVERYTHING AS WE WOULD LIKE TO PO POSSIBLY DO AS I WOULD LIKE POSSIBLY DO.
I DON'T WANT SPEAK SPEAK FOR ANYONE ELSE.
SO IF, IF THERE'S A MINIMUM AMOUNT, I MEAN, IF, I MEAN, IF WANNA LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, I THINK I HAVE STILL HAVE MOST OF MY RECEIPTS.
YOU WANNA TAKE THE RECEIPTS, YOU WANNA DO AN AVERAGE OR
[00:50:01]
THINK ABOUT 'EM.NOW, KIMBERLY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON WHAT OTHER MR. POWERS ARE DOING, YOU KNOW, FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND TRUSTEES TO SEE EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN BE ALLOCATED OR HOW THAT CAN BE SET UP.
I'VE SEEN THE BUDGET LINES BEFORE, BUT THEY'RE NON-MATERIAL.
THEY'RE MINIMUM, THEY'RE LIKE 500 TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS.
NO, BUT I'M SAYING DID, WOULD THEY HAVE, LIKE LET'S SAY A COUNCIL PERSON SAYS, OH, I WANT TO, UH, BUY, UM, UH, SOME CONSTITUENTS, SOME, SOME DINNERS.
WOULD THEY BASICALLY BE ABLE TO BUY IT WOULD HAVE TO, UH, IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE OR PURCHASING.
SO I WOULD HAVE TO, MYSELF OR SHERRY WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE IT AND RIGHT.
SO EACH EXPENSE IS APPROVED OVERSIGHT, NO OVERSIGHT.
KIND OF LIKE WHAT WE DO FOR THE, LIKE WHAT WE DO FOR THE DEPARTMENTS.
NO, BUT WITH THE TOWN BOARD, WOULD THE TOWN BOARD HAVE TO, WOULD THEY HAVE TO BE A PUBLIC, PUBLIC ACCOUNTING OF THE, UH, OF, OF EACH OF THE EXPENDITURES EXPENSE? LIKE WOULD THIS HAVE TO BE APPROVED AT A TOWN BOARD? WE CAN PUT AN EXPENSE REPORT.
IT'S NOT A NO, BUT WOULD THIS HAVE TO BE, WOULD THIS HAVE TO APPROVED BY THE TOWN? IT'S FO WOULD THIS HAVE TO BE APPROVED BY THE TOWN BOARD AT A PUBLIC MEETING? OR BASICALLY IS IT SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST PUT IN A REQUEST AND THERE'S NO PUBLIC VOTE? BECAUSE I'M SAYING PEOPLE COULD BASE, I, I BASICALLY THINK THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THAT DO WE VOTE ON EVERYTHING THAT YOU SPEND MONEY ON ALL THE MAIL AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, IF I'M, ALL I'M ASKING RIGHT NOW IS, DO YOU WANT OR BASICALLY, UH, GIVE THE BOARD BASIC, EACH MEMBER OF THE BOARD A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY CARES THAT THEY COULD SPEND NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO, IF THEY, IF THEY HAVE RECEIPTS AND, UM, NOBODY'S BASICALLY, OR DO YOU WANT TO HAVE, UH, OR I THINK, I THINK THEN WE KEEP YOU, I THINK WE SHOULD LET THE COMPTROLLER BECAUSE AS THE EXPERIENCING IT AND THOSE, THE LAWS, THE FINANCIAL LAWS BEHIND IT, TO GIVE US DIRECTION ON HOW THAT SHOULD BE RECORDED, I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE.
NO, WE CAN, WE CANNOT ESTABLISH PETTY CASH ACCOUNTS FOR EACH OF THE BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, OF COURSE, SUNDRY LINE THAT'S COMPLICATED FOR, YOU KNOW, A MINIMUM AMOUNT LIKE OF 500 AND PROBABLY A MAXIMUM OF A THOUSAND ANNUALLY.
AND SO, SO KIMBERLY, IS THAT ACROSS THE BOARD FOR, FOR TOTAL OF A THOUSAND OR $5,000? THAT'S FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD, YES.
SO WHAT HAS BEEN, SO IN THE BUDGET, I PAID MORE IN THE BUDGET FOR 2025.
NOW THAT'S LAST YEAR IT WAS 12,300.
AND THERE WAS A FOOTNOTE THAT IT SAID IT INCLUDES THE EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY OF $12,000, WHICH MEANT THAT 300, $300 WAS LEFT.
WHY THE EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY WAS PUT INTO THE TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET.
BUT THAT HAS NOW DROPPED TO $7,000, BUT IT STILL SAYS INCLUDES $12,000 FOR THE EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION.
SO, UM,
BUT I WOULD WANT, SINCE PAUL, YOU KNOW, USED THE TERM SLUSH FUND, WHICH IS VERY DEROGATORY, WHAT I WOULD LIKE ASHLEY, IN HIS BUDGET, IT TALKS ABOUT $4,000 FOR PRINTING AND DEVELOPING.
AND HE SPENDS MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN THAT ON POSTAGE, UH, FOR ALL THE MAILINGS THAT HE SENDS OUT THAT THE TOWN COUNCIL DOESN'T GET TO SEE.
AND SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE IS FOR US TO ALLOCATE OUT A POSTAGE LINE, MAILING LINE, UH, IN THE BUDGETS.
AND THAT'S WHERE YOU DRAW FROM.
AND YOU DON'T DRAW FROM, UH, GENERAL, GENERAL FUNDS, UH, IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
UM, AND SO LET'S HAVE TRANSPARENCY SO THAT THERE IS NO FUND WHERE YOU CAN GO AND GRAB AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU WANT FOR ANY MAILINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO.
AND FRANKLY, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
WELL ACTUALLY, UH, THE BOARD PASSED A, A, A RESOLUTION, UH, EARLIER THAT I THINK, UH, KRISTA HAS TO, UH, UH, SHARED THE MAILINGS WITH THE TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE.
WELL, YOU KNOW, THE, SHE IF YOU WANT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE WITH THE COUNCIL.
IT'S SUPPOSED THE RESOLUTION SAID THE TOWN CLERK.
AND APPARENTLY SHE HASN'T, SHE, SHE, SHE HASN'T SHARED WITH THE TOWN CLERK.
WE JUST, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT.
UH, LET, LET, LET'S, LET'S NOT GO
[00:55:01]
DOWN THIS RABBIT HOLE.WHATEVER IS YOUR EXPENSES FOR MANNINGS, IT SHOULD BE IN YOUR BUDGET, UM, AND DRAWN FROM YOUR BUDGET.
AND IF THE TOWN COUNCIL WANTS TO DO THAT, IT SHOULD BE ON OUR BUDGET.
SO THERE'S TRANSPARENCY IN HOW MUCH THESE THINGS ARE ACTUALLY COSTING.
GENERALLY, GENERALLY, EVERY THURSDAY, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S STILL HAPPENING.
BUT EVERY THURSDAY ABOUT 900 LETTERS GO OUT.
SO, SO DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WILL ASK? THEY DON'T GO TO ME.
I WILL ASK THE, I WILL ASK, UM, UM, KRISTA, IF WE COULD TRY FIGURING OUT, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH WE SPEND, UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY DO, UM, DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS EACH WEEK.
WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE FROM, UH, THEY'RE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED.
THEY COME IN, UM, EVERY THURSDAY.
AND SHE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DETERMINE THAT.
SO SHE DOESN'T HAVE, SHE JUST HAS TO JUST SEPARATE IT OUT, SAY, THIS IS HOW MUCH WE ARE CHARGING OUT.
IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT DIFFICULT.
I MEAN, YOU'RE MAILING OUT 900, 900 LETTERS, SO, YOU KNOW, $900.
900, 900 LETTERS, TIMES, WHATEVER THE STAMP IS.
THAT'S HOW MUCH IT BEEN IN A WEEK.
SO I THINK, I THINK KIMBERLY, KIMBERLY CAN SPEAK TO WHERE THAT, THAT LINE ITEM SHOULD BE AND WE CAN CAPTURE THAT.
SO NOTHING COMES, NOTHING THAT NO MAIL, EXCUSE ME.
NO MAILS COMING FROM YOUR OFFICE SHOULD COME OUT OF ANOTHER LINE.
IT SHOULD COME OUT OF THAT PARTICULAR LINE.
SO WE CAN, SO THERE IS A TRANSPARENCY 'CAUSE WE, WE LITERALLY JUST THROW OUT.
SO IT SHOULD BE CLEAR, I'M CREATING A POSTAGE LINE IN THE SUPERVISOR'S BUDGET AND A LINE FOR A CENTURY LINE MISCELLANEOUS.
WELL, THERE IS A SENDRY LINE IN THE COUNCIL BUDGET, BUT YOU'RE ALSO GONNA PUT A POSTAGE LINE AND THE COUNCIL BUDGET BUDGET AS WELL.
AND DO YOU WANT ME TO, HE CALLS IT POSTAGE IN DEVELOPMENT, WHATEVER THAT MEANS.
BUT LET ME, LET ME MENTION, I ALSO WAS ASKED LAST YEAR TO, UM, PUT ON THE MAILINGS THAT I SEND OUT, BECAUSE BASICALLY THE MAILINGS WILL SAY, UH, THERE'S A BUDGET HEARING.
UH, IF THERE, IF YOU'RE A SENIOR CITIZEN AND YOU NEED A SNOW ANGEL VOLUNTEER, UH, UH, YOU COULD, YOU COULD MAKE A CALL IF YOU'RE, UM, IF YOU, UH, ARE A SENIOR AND YOU NEED HELP WITH, UM, UH, NAVIGATING THE COMPUTERS, THERE'S A TECH ANGELS PROGRAM.
UH, UH, THE, THE POOL IS OPEN THIS WEEK.
IF YOU'RE, IF, UH, YOU'RE A VETERAN, THESE ARE SOME PROGRAMS, YOU KNOW, IT BASICALLY, UH, BUT I, I'VE PUT ALL THE NAMES OF EVERYBODY ON THE TOWN BOARD, UH, THE TOP OF EACH LETTER.
SO THE THING IS, NONE OF THESE MAILINGS WE, BUT, BUT PAUL, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING NOW.
BUT I, UH, NO, BUT, BUT WE HAVE NO CLUE WHAT OUR NAMES IS GONE.
BUT YOU CAN BE SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT? WHY? WELL, I, YOU KNOW, I, I BEL THIS CAME UP, THIS CAME UP WHILE WE WERE INTERVIEWING SOMEBODY LAST WEEK, I THINK IT WAS THE WEEK BEFORE.
AND THEY SAID, HEY PAUL, I REALLY ENJOYED YOUR NEWSLETTER.
AND WE DIDN'T, WE'RE SITTING THERE LIKE WHAT NEWSLETTER? RIGHT? WHAT NEWSLETTER? RIGHT.
SO IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU WORKED WITH THE TOWN COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, IN PUTTING THESE THINGS OUT.
BUT, BUT RIGHT, BUT, AND SAY, RIGHT.
AND LET ME, LET ME MENTION THAT WHEN, YOU KNOW, I, WHEN I WRITE THESE THINGS, SOMETIMES THERE COULD BE SOMETHING, UM, THAT PERTAINS TO A SPECIFIC AREA.
FOR EXAMPLE, BRIGHTVIEW, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY GOT A BUILDING PERMIT, SO THE WORK IS GONNA START.
SO THE PEOPLE IN, UM, IN HARTSDALE MAY NOT REALLY CARE ABOUT, OR, OR THE, THE, OKAY.
I THINK THE POINT, THE POINT WANNA KNOW, THERE'S NO DISAGREEMENT.
WE JUST WANT A COPY THAT WE'LL GET YOU COPIES IN THE FUTURE.
AND THEN I'LL, WE'LL, I'LL WORK WITH KRIS ON THIS.
WE'LL JUST HOPE IT HAPPENS THIS YEAR.
IT WILL HA IT WILL HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY.
GREAT TO, SO CAN I ASK KIMBERLY A GENERAL QUESTION? YEAH.
CAN KIMBERLY HEAR ME? UH, YEAH.
MY UNDERSTANDING OF A BUDGET IS YOU HAVE INCOME AND EXPENSES.
THE INCOME IS MORE OR LESS REAL, AND THERE ARE ELEMENTS IN THE INCOME THAT YOU CAN'T CONTROL, LIKE HOW MUCH IS MORTGAGE TAX COMES
[01:00:01]
IN, OR SALES TAXES.HOWEVER, ON THE EXPENSE SIDE, YOU HAVE GREAT POSSIBILITIES TO GO UP AND GO DOWN.
SO, SITTING HERE TONIGHT, I'M HEARING ABOUT ALL KINDS OF PHANTOM POSITIONS, WHICH ARE ON THE EXPENSE SIDE TO USE MR. FINDER'S EXAMPLE, LAST YEAR YOU HAD A NEW JOB TITLE, WHICH YOU KNOW, WASN'T GOING TO BE FILLED, AND YET IT WAS $150,000 OF EXPENSES THAT TAXPAYERS HAD TO MAKE UP.
WHY ARE THE EXPENSES APART FROM PROJECTIONS CONTAINING LINES WHICH HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO MEANING WHATSOEVER OR INTENTION OF EVER BEING USED? IF NOT TO CORRECT THE WORD THAT I HEARD TONIGHT, SLASH FUNDS THE INTENTION OF THE BOARD.
THE, THE, UH,
SO THERE WAS NO LOSS THERE TO BUDGETING THAT POSITION, NOT USING THOSE FUNDS, NOT UTILIZING 'EM, BUT I'D RATHER PUT MY TAXES INTO MY SAVINGS ACCOUNT RATHER THAN THE TOWN'S SAVINGS ACCOUNT.
BUT AT THE TIME WHEN THE BUDGET WAS ADOPTED, UM, IT WAS INTENT OF THE BOARD TO, UM, TO FILL THOSE POSITIONS OR TO, TO HI, YOU KNOW, TO HIRE A CONSULTANT.
AND IT, IF IT TURNS OUT THAT WE DIDN'T FIND THE RIGHT PERSON, OR THERE'S, THERE WERE OTHER REASONS WHY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN, THEN IT BASICALLY ISN'T DONE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD VACANCIES IN THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT FOR, FOR MONTHS BECAUSE IT WAS HARD TO FIND SOMEBODY.
WE HAVE NOW VACANCIES IN THE BUILDING, UH, DEPARTMENT.
SO THE POSITIONS ARE BEING FUNDED, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GONNA BE JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, UH, OR A WEEK FROM NOW.
YOU KNOW, WHEN THE POSITION'S GONNA BE FILLED.
YOU KNOW, THEY, WHEN THEY GET THE RIGHT PERSON, THEN, UH, UH, THEN THERE'S A LINE IN, YOU KNOW, IN THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT.
BUT THE $175,000 THAT YOU ARE SEEKING IS NOT GONNA BE FILLED.
WELL, IF THE BOARD BA THE BOARD BASICALLY WE DON'T AGREE TO IT, IT WON'T BE IN THE BUDGET.
IF, IF WE, IF THE BOARD AGREES TO SOMETHING, IT WILL GO IN THE BUDGET AND IDEALLY THAT POSITION WOULD BE FILLED, BUT THAT'S ONLY IF WE DO SO.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOUR LINE OF QUESTIONING, I THINK THEY'RE GOOD QUESTIONS.
AND IF YOU'D ASK THEM NEXT WEEK, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
THIS, WELL, ONE MORE PART OF IT.
LAST YEAR YOU DIDN'T, BECAUSE YOU HAD AN APPROVED BUDGET, $150,000 FOR THIS PERSON THAT YOU KNEW YOU WEREN'T GONNA FILL.
IT WAS A CONSULTANT THAT WHO SAID IT WASN'T GONNA FILL.
IT'S THE WHO SAID WE WEREN'T GONNA FILL IT.
THE OPERATION, NO, THAT WAS NEVER APPROVED.
IT WAS IN THE BUDGET APPROVED THAT, THAT WAS APPROVED.
I JUST ASKING, CAN WE MOVE ON? I JUST HAVE WANTED TO ASK KIMBERLY, YOU KNOW, ONE QUESTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY THE BOARD DOESN'T LIKE THE IDEA OF THE OPERATIONS, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR IN MY BUDGET.
ARE THERE ANY POSITIONS IN YOUR DEPARTMENT WHERE, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, FINANCIAL, FINANCIAL POSITIONS, A BUDGET ANALYST OR SOMETHING WHERE, WHERE YOU FEEL THAT IF, UH, THE BOARD, INSTEAD OF DOING THE OPERATIONS PERSON WOULD GIVE YOU, UH, ANOTHER, UH, POSITION THAT IT COULD HELP YOU DO A BETTER JOB OF DEALING WITH CONTROLLER FUNCTIONS? I MEAN, AGAIN, AGAIN, PAUL, BASED ON YOUR FEELING.
NO, I'M JUST ASKING THE CONTROL STILL, BUT, BUT SHE DIDN'T SAY SHE NEEDED THAT.
SHE DIDN'T SAY SHE NEEDED THAT POSITION.
NO, I'M NOT, I'M THE DEPARTMENT CAN TELL WHAT SHE NEEDS.
NO, BUT I'M, I'M ASKING IS THERE, FROM A STANDPOINT, IF WE BASICALLY WANNA SAY, LISTEN, WE REALLY WANNA RUN THE TIGHTEST OPERATION, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLE.
UM, AND WE'RE LOOKING, UH, WE'RE LOOKING, YOU KNOW, TO SAVE MONEY, WE'RE LOOKING TO DO A BETTER JOB REVIEWING PROGRAMS IN THE TOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, TO SEE IF WE'RE GETTING, GIVING, UH, TAXPAYERS REAL VALUE FOR THE DOLLAR.
IS THERE ANY POSITION IN THE CONTROLLER'S, UH, OFFICE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE RIGHT NOW THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE USEFUL? WELL, WE'RE, WE'RE INTERVIEWING NOW FOR THE JUNIOR ACCOUNTANT'S POSITION, AND, UM, THERE IS THE SENIOR OFFICE ASSISTANT, WHICH I'D LIKE TO SWITCH TO FINANCIAL ASSISTANT AND POSSIBLY THAT POSITION COULD DO SOME FINANCIAL ANALYTICS.
YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT A FIVE YEAR PLAN, AND THAT'S ALL PART AND PARCEL
[01:05:01]
OF THAT, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE COMPTROLLERS WORKED ON AND WORKING ON.UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE WANT A TOWN ADMINISTRATOR, THAT'S A DIFFERENT POSITION, BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF POSITION THAT WOULD HANDLE, THAT WOULD HANDLE THAT, THAT'S, THAT WOULD REQUIRE ADDITIONAL CHANGES, WHICH WE DIDN'T GO GO THROUGH HERE.
BUT, UM, AGAIN, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE BASING YOUR FEELING THAT WE NEED THIS ON BASED ON A FEELING RATHER THAN HAVING DATA, THEN WHY WOULD WE EVEN CREATE A POSITION WHO HANDLES SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE HIRED TO DO BASED ON A FEELING.
I THINK THAT IF WE HAVE DATA THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IN ACHIEVING WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE, IF YOU CAN BACK IT UP AND THAT WOULD TELL US ALL ON THAT.
WELL, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S UP TO, IT'S UP TO THE BOARD AND I'LL BASICALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I I STILL BELIEVE THAT IT WOULD'VE BEEN A, A, A HELPFUL POSITION IF WE GOT THE RIGHT PERSON.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT PERSON, THEN IT'S NOT WORTHWHILE THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THAT WE WOULD HIRE BASED ON YOUR FEELING.
NO, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALL, I MEAN, THERE'S BEEN INTERNAL ISSUES AND I WANT TO BASICALLY BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER JOB DEALING WITH, UH, THE INTERNAL OPERATIONS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IF THE BOARD DOESN'T LIKE IT, I'M, I'M VERY PLEASED WITH THE WAY THE TOWN IS MANAGED AND I, I FEEL WHEN I GO AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN, MOST PEOPLE ARE VERY PLEASED WITH HOW RESPONSIVE THE TOWN GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN TO THEM.
SO IF, SO, IF THE BOARD DOESN'T WANNA PUT THE POSITION IN, THAT'S FINE WITH ME BECAUSE I FEEL BASED ON THE FEEDBACK I GET FROM RESIDENTS, THAT THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH THE WAY THE TOWN IS OPERATING.
SO ANOTHER ISSUE, UM, THAT I HAVE REGARDING THE BUDGET IS THAT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT CAME UP WITH A PROJECTED REVENUE OF ABOUT, UM, 3.2 MILLION AND IT WAS BASED ON THEIR LISTED PROJECTS THAT THEY EXPECT TO COME IN, OR YOU INCREASE THAT BY ANOTHER 3.8, UH, 5 MILLION.
UM, WHAT PROJECTS ARE THOSE? OKAY, WELL, WE HAD THE SAME DISCUSSION A YEAR AGO.
UM, AND TWO YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, THEY CAME IN, THEY LOWBALLED THE BUDGET.
I THINK LAST YEAR THEY SAID IT WAS GONNA BE 2 MILLION AND TURNED UP.
I THINK IT'S LIKE, WHAT IS IT, 9 MILLION? WELL, THEY DIDN'T REALLY LOWBALL IT, THEY JUST BA THEY BASED IT ON DATA.
SO, BUT THE THING IS, YOU KNOW, THEY ACTUALLY SAID OCTOBER 30TH, 15 MILLION.
OKAY, SO IT'S 15 MILLION INSTEAD OF 2 MILLION.
AND EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD WAS YELLING AND SCREAMING AT ME SAYING, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING, I 5 MILLION.
BUT IT ON A FEELING, ALL WE ASKED FOR AT THE TIME WAS SOME SOMETHING TO BACK IT UP THAT WASN'T THAT PEOPLE WERE JUST YELLING AND SCREAMING.
WE WERE ASKING FOR THE DATA TO BACK IT UP.
BUT WE GOT, WE DID MUCH BACK, BACK TO COUNSEL AND SHEEN'S QUESTION.
I, I BASICALLY, UM, UM, HAVE SPOKEN, UM, TO, UH, REPRESENTATIVES OF, UH, OF, UH, UH, DEVELOPERS.
AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT I GAVE IS BASED ON, UM, THE INFORMATION I RECEIVED.
DO YOU HAVE EMAILS AND STUFF THAT WE CAN JUST HAVE THAT FOR OFF RECORD BECAUSE I YEAH.
CAN WE BACK THAT UP? THAT'S IMPORTANT.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THAT IN OUR FILE SO WE HAVE THAT.
I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD JUST GO OFF OF JUST A CONVERSATION.
IT'S MORE THAN A HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE.
SO I DID MEET WITH, UM, GARRETT AND WENT OVER SOME OF THE FUNDS, UM, THAT WERE OUTSIDE OF REGENERON.
SO I DID FEEL COMFORTABLE ADDING SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL MONEY, UH, DUE TO THE NEW, I BELIEVE IT WAS A NURSING FACILITY AND THERE WAS ANOTHER FACILITY.
UM, AND THIS WAS PART OF THE PROCESS WITH THE S AND P REVIEW.
UM, BUT I DON'T HAVE, UM, THOSE EXACT NUMBERS.
WELL, THE, THE, UH, ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, THE, THE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY, WE GOT THE BUILDING PERMIT THIS YEAR.
NO, BUT WE GOT, WE GOT THAT, UH, PERMIT, UH, THIS YEAR.
THIS YEAR WE GOT 600,000 DO ALMOST $600,000.
BASICALLY THAT DOESN'T GO TO WHAT NEXT YEAR BUDGET.
BUT I, I BELIEVE THAT NEXT WHAT IN NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, ALL I'M ASKING IS WHICH PROJECTS ARE THERE THAT YEAH, BECAUSE WE, REGENER
[01:10:01]
HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THEY'RE STEPPING BACK AND WAITING UNTIL THEY SEE HOW THE EXISTING BUILDINGS ARE WORKING OUT BEFORE THEY GO FORWARD.IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO DO THEM, BUT THEY DON'T ANTICIPATE DOING THEM NEXT YEAR.
SO, UM, I'VE HAD, LEMME SAY I'VE HAD TWO PHONE CALLS, UM, AND UH, YOU KNOW, I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT I PUT IN IS, IS ACCURATE, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T WANT HER CAN YOU GIVE IT AN EMAIL? CAN WE HAVE AN EMAIL? SO WE JUST HAVE, THEY, I THIS WAS DONE BY PHONE.
CAN YOU ASK FOR, CAN YOU ASK FOR SOMETHING? I DON'T WANNA GIVE THE EMAIL.
YEAH, THEY DON'T WANT DO IT BY EMAIL.
SO WE CAN HAVE JUSTIFICATION AND YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT HAS THEIR EVIDENCE, SO RIGHT.
THEY, THEY, WE SHOULD JUST, THEY, THEY, UH, DON'T WANT TO DO IT BY EMAIL, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD TAKE IT OUT WHATEVER YOU WANT.
HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH DO YOU, HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH CREDIBILITY DO YOU GIVE TO SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED AND DOESN'T WANT TO SAY WHAT IT IS THAT'S GOING
WELL, ALL, ALL I COULD SAY IS THAT THE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD THE SAME DISCUSSION FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS WHERE EVERY YEAR, UH, UH, THE, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT COMES IN WITH A VERY LOW NUMBER.
AND EVERY YEAR IT'S WAY ABOVE.
WELL, IT DID HAPPEN LAST YEAR.
I DON'T RECALL IT HAPPENING BEFORE THAT THIS YEAR.
IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THE LAST, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THE YEAR BEFORE, WHICH REMEMBER
EVERYBODY WAS PAUL, PAUL, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT WORKS WITH, WORKS WITH DEVELOPERS EVERY DAY.
THEY ARE RECEIVING THIS INFORMATION EVERY DAY.
IF YES, IF SOMETHING CAME IN THAT WAS UNEXPECTED, THAT'S GREAT.
BUT THEY'RE GOING BUDGET BASED ON THE EVIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE AND BASED ON WHAT THEY'RE, WHAT THEIR, THEIR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPERS AND, AND, AND EMAIL.
SO THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO GO BY.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA JUST PULL A NUMBER OUT THE SKY AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE I, THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE WE CAN MEET.
'CAUSE WHAT IF WE DON'T MEET THAT NUMBER? YES.
BUT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T COUNT ON LUCK FOR THIS YEAR.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, WE'RE CONSISTENT AND WE HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT THIS IS WHERE WE SHOULD BE BUDGETING AT.
I, I, I BE, I BE, I AM VERY CONFIDENT THAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT THAT I GAVE IS, UH, IS VERY REASONABLE.
AND, UM, I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL BE EXCEEDED JUST LIKE IT'S BEEN THAT MY, THE DOLLARS AMOUNTS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, PROPOSING IN THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT BUDGETS, UH, FOR REVENUE HAS BEEN MORE THAN, UH, PUT IN FOR AT LEAST TWO OR THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS.
AND WE'VE HAD THE SAME DISCUSSIONS EVERY YEAR FOR A COUPLE YEARS.
UM, I, I, I USUALLY AM CONSERV VERY CONSERVATIVE IN MY PROJECTIONS RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN JUST COMING UP WITH, WITH NUMBERS.
AND I, I, I KNOW I DID MY HOMEWORK, BUT AGAIN, IT'S UP TO THE BOARD.
IF YOU WANT TO DELETE SOMETHING, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE, BECAUSE IF WE DELETE IT, WE'RE GONNA GET, WE'LL END UP GETTING THE, THE MONEY THAT I PUT IN ANYWAY, THEN WE'LL HAVE MORE MONEY NEXT YEAR.
JUST PROVIDE THE EVIDENCE FROM YOUR CONVERSATIONS OF YOUR DEVELOPERS AND LET, CAN GIVE IT TO YOU IN EMAIL SO THE BOARD CAN REVIEW IT.
AND IF WE CAN HAVE IT, AND THEN THAT'S IT, THEN WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BASING EVERYTHING CORRECTLY.
WE CAN'T, BASED ON THE FEELING, AND I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, YOU'VE BEEN LUCKY EARLIER AND WE GREAT FOR YOU, YOU KNOW, THAT GREAT FOR THE TOWN THAT YOU'VE BEEN LUCKY, BUT WE JUST NEED TO BE, WE JUST NEED TO BUDGET SMARTLY AND I'M JUST NOT, I'M JUST NOT CONFIDENT.
I'M JUST NOT COMFORTABLE RATHER THAT WE, THAT WE JUST PULL A NUMBER AND SAY, I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BID IT.
BECAUSE LAST YEAR I, YOU KNOW, I WAS LUCKY AND, AND WE DID EXCEED IT.
I HAVE TO GO BASED ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS OR SEEN, WHAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS BRINGING IN BASED ON THEIR NUMBERS, BASED ON THEIR RECORDS, BASED ON THE DATA.
AND, AND THAT SAME LUCK WHERE WE HAD, YOU KNOW, A VERY, VERY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN BUILDING PERMITS IS WHY NEXT YEAR IS NOT GONNA BE THAT SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT CAME IN THIS YEAR INSTEAD OF BEING SPREAD OUT OVER MULTIPLE YEARS.
WELL, I, I, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T KEEP EXPECTING THAT TO HAPPEN, PARTICULARLY SINCE REGENERON THEMSELVES OR SAYING THAT THEY WILL NOT.
UH, THEY WANT TO SEE HOW THE EXISTING BUILDINGS, A TREMENDOUS DEVELOPMENT GOING ON OVER THERE.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT IN MY LIFE.
UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE.
WE CAN'T EXPECT THAT TO KEEP HAPPENING.
WELL, LET ME MENTION THAT, UM, I WAS ASKED, UH, NOT TO GO PUBLIC ON SOME THINGS.
I'M HAPPY TO SHARE INFORMATION IN EXECUTIVE SESSION IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING PERMIT, UH, DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD, AND I COULD DO THAT TONIGHT.
[01:15:02]
OKAY.HAVE YOU GOT THE EMAILS BEING PROVIDED EMAILS TO, UH, I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW.
OH, I, I THINK MAYBE WE SHOULD SAVE THAT FOR NEXT WEEK.
I'M NOT, I CAN'T THINK OF AT THE MOMENT A WAY TO MOVE THAT TO EXECUTIVE SESSION.
BECAUSE WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, SOMEONE JUST SAYING PLEASE KEEP IT CONFIDENTIAL, DOES NOT MEET THE STATE LAW REQUIREMENTS.
UH, BUT I COULD, COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND SEE IF IT FITS ANY OF THE REQUIREMENTS.
ARE WE, ARE WE THROUGH AT THIS POINT? WE HAVE A MOTION, PAUL, I HAVE MOTION, UH, FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISCUSSING PERSONNEL MATTERS INVOLVING SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS AND TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON VARIOUS MATTERS.