VILLAGE OF TIVOLI BOARD OF TRUSTEES
REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES
April 19, 2023
A meeting of the Village Board of Trustees was held on April 19, 2023 at the Historic Watts DePeyster Hall, Tivoli, NY. Mayor Griffith opened the regular meeting at 7:04 PM.
Present: Mayor Griffith, Deputy Mayor Majer, Trustee Shilling, Trustee Baldino, Trustee Mangieri
Public Present: Masha Zabara, Hayden Sartoris and John Collins
Others Present: Christine Chale, Village Attorney
Media: PANDA
The Mayor asked all present at the meeting to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Clerk’s report included:
- 398 Trash tags sold
- Three payrolls were processed by Village Treasurer, Bonnie Day
- Deputy Clerk has been working with the Zoning and Planning Boards
- Village Elections were held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 from 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Tivoli Firehouse. There were 152 total votes; Mayor Griffith received 148 votes; Trustee P. Baldino received 138 votes, and Trustee B. Shilling received 135 votes. There were 2 write-in votes, and no absentee ballots.
On a motion by Deputy Mayor Majer, seconded by Trustee Mangieri, the March 15 Regular Meeting Minutes, March 21 Special Meeting Minutes, and April 12 Public Hearing and Workshop Minutes were approved, all in favor.
On a motion by Trustee Baldino and seconded by Trustee Shilling, the Treasurer’s Report for Abstract #11 totaling $48,773.22. was approved. Trustee Mangieri moved that the bills be paid for the abstract as presented, Deputy Mayor Majer seconded the motion, all in favor.
Zoning Report
Trustee Shilling read the report provided by Z3 Consultants.
Regular Business:
On a motion made by Trustee Mangieri, seconded by Trustee Baldino, Adoption of the Re-Organizational Package; all in favor.
Attorney Chale made note that the mileage in the resolution needed to be changed to $.655; on a motion made by Deputy Mayor Majer, seconded by Trustee Shilling, RESOLUTION Relating to Annual Reorganization, with the change, was approved; all in favor.
RESOLUTION Re-Adoption of the Code of Ethics; on a motion made by Trustee Baldino, seconded by Trustee Mangieri; all in favor.
On a motion made by Trustee Baldino, seconded by Trustee Mangieri, the public hearing on Local Law No. C (Proposed) of 2023 to Amend Article III Entitled “Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Workers Exemption,” of Chapter 205 Entitled “Tax Exemption for Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Workers Pursuant to Section 466-a of the Real Property Tax Law was opened. John Collins asked questions about how long a volunteer would be eligible for the tax exemption, and asked what would happen if the volunteer became inactive. Masha Zabara added she thought it was a good idea. On a motion made by Trustee Mangieri, seconded by Trustee Shilling, all in favor, the public hearing was closed.
RESOLUTION Authorizing Adoption by the Village Board of Trustees of the Village of Tivoli of Local Law C (Proposed) of 2023 Amending Chapter 205, Article III of the Village of Tivoli Code Regarding Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Workers; on a motion made by Trustee Mangieri, seconded by Deputy Mayor Majer; all in favor.
RESOLUTION Relating to Adoption of 2023-2024 Budget; motion made by Trustee Baldino, seconded by Deputy Mayor Majer; all in favor.
RESOLUTION Authorizing Submission of an Application for A Municipal Investment Grant Regarding Firehouse HVAC and Fire Suppression Improvements; motion made by Deputy Mayor Majer, seconded by Trustee Shilling; all in favor.
Trustee Reports:
Trustee Shilling
Trustee Shilling advised everyone of an event/fund raiser for the Tivoli Fire Company on Saturday, April 22, 2023 from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Lasting Joy Brewery. This event is for the capital campaign.
Trustee Baldino
Court Report: Trustee Baldino read the contents of the report which was provided by Court Clerk McGarry; $4,452.00 was remitted to the Office of the State Comptroller.
Trustee Mangieri
Trustee Mangieri read the police activity report, and commented that she saw law enforcement on Route 9G with cars being pulled over.
Deputy Mayor Majer
Deputy Mayor Majer spoke about the Tivoli Free Library which has many activities coming up, along with Historic Red Hook, and Olana.
The canoe launch in Tivoli Bays is out; also, ticks are out, please do be careful.
Hudson River Sweep will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2023. The O-Zone and River Keeper join in for this event, and the amount of trash collected has reduced over the years since the start of this yearly event. She urged people to come out and help as it is a quality day.
Mayor Griffith
Mayor Griffith advised the winter parking ordinance is now over. It will resume in November.
Coming up in June, there will be public forums on drainage throughout the Village. Ryan Morrison of Tighe & Bond will be offering information on 2 separate areas within the Village. The dates for these forums are upcoming.
With the passing of the Honorable Howard Clark, Mayor Griffith has appointed the previous Acting Justice, Danielle Cordier, to Village Justice. Justice Cordier will finish out the rest of Justice Clark’s term, and will run for the office of Village Justice during next year’s elections.
Construction will potentially begin in July of the sidewalks which will be replaced; this project is the result of a recent CDBG grant. The old blue stone will be taken up, and reused in other projects throughout the Village. Small pieces of the bluestone may be available once the project begins.
Mayor Griffith spoke of his re-election and thanked everyone who works and volunteers for the Village. He went on further to say it is a pleasure working with everyone, and he is looking forward to working with everyone the next 2 years.
Trustee Shilling asked for a letter from Mayor Griffith in regards to the new legislation urging politicians to stop the radioactive wastewater dumping into the Hudson River. Mayor Griffith agreed to this cause.
Also, Trustee Shilling mentioned that Deputy Mayor Majer will be speaking at Tivoli Artist’s Gallery on May 27, 2023 about history and Tivoli’s 4 Corners.
Public Comment
John Collins spoke about how cell phone service has deteriorated lately, and he experiences many dropped calls. He asked the Village Board for help with this matter, and wanted to know if the Village can contact Verizon and have this fixed. Masha added that she also has issues with her cell service, T-Mobile.
John went on to bring up a prior complaint that he has had with a neighbor. He came and was looking for an update on the complaint regarding personal property. It appears that Gary Beck, the ZEO, had responded to John reaching out, however, John is not yet happy with the result, and he is livid. He does not feel the building inspector has done a full survey, and he is looking for more action. He provided photos to each member of the village board. He mentioned that he had sent emails, however, they had been returned indicating the email address was inactive. John wants the Code Enforcement Officer, Gary Beck, to assess what is supposed to be removed, and he is requesting a full assessment and survey.
Hayden Sartoris is looking for climate smart activity; Mayor Griffith will look into some options and see what other things can be done regarding the climate.
Masha Zabara asked whether there would be a large community event again this summer. Mayor Griffith advised that Tivoli Community Day will be brought back this year, and will be held on August 5. The Tivoli Fire Department will also be involved; there will be hot dogs, a band, and potentially a dunk tank.
Masha also added that there is now an ADA compliant ramp for Thrift2Fight, and a handicapped parking spot has been approved.
Mayor Griffith added that he will be a special guest at a forum on June 25, 2023; this group will discuss inclusivity, and will look into what more can be done for handicapped persons.
On a motion by Deputy Mayor Majer and seconded by Trustee Baldino, the meeting was adjourned at 7:56 PM, all in favor.
Submitted by,
Robin L. Bruno
Village Clerk