March 16, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes
REGULAR MEETING – VILLAGE OF NORTHVILLE
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
The Village Board met Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 7:00 PM via Zoom
Present: John Spaeth, Mayor
Steve Collins, Trustee
Sue Eckert, Trustee
John Markiewicz, Trustee
Sue Sedon, Trustee
Absent:
Wendy Reu, Village Clerk
Nathan Matthews, Treasurer
Dan Reidell, Highway Superintendent
Mayor Spaeth called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Motion to approve the minutes of the February 16, 2021 Regular Meeting was made by Trustee Markiewicz, seconded by Trustee Collins, and passed by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
PUBLIC COMMENTS – Mayor Spaeth reported that prior to the meeting, it was advertised that the Board meeting would be conducted via Zoom and communication could be submitted via email to the Village. No communication from the public arrived.
Northville Central School Presentation- NCS Superintendent Leslie Ford, along with the NCS Board attending the Zoom meeting to give a presentation on their capital project that dealt with adding lights to the soccer field. It was reported that the project was recently voted down and Dr. Ford felt there might not have been enough public information out about the project so she asked the architect and owner of the lighting company to give a short presentation to the Village Board and any public present. Nathan Lindsey from Musko Lighting reported that the current plan was to install four 70-foot light poles. He provided slides detailing the illumination of the soccer field and the surrounding neighborhood.
REPORT OF COMMITTEES:
Police – No report.
Streets – The DPW report was read and is on file at the Clerk’s office. DPW Superintendent Reidell stated he was looking at getting new equipment to reduce the amount of salt we use. He stated we are being asked to reduce salt but not being asked to use zero salt. He stated that this winter was the worst year for lack of clearing sidewalks in the Village. Trustee Eckert stated that so many people don’t bother to clear their sidewalks. Mayor Spaeth stated we have some options regarding the clearing of sidewalks. He stated the Village can cause sidewalks to be cleared by bidding it out to private contractors and obtaining a cost that is competitive. The Board agreed to review the sidewalk law as it stands and develop a plan before next winter.
Trustee Eckert asked about the sign on the Village green. He stated she was approached by Randy and Jo Palmateer and they asked to get a key to assist with maintaining the sign. Mayor Spaeth stated that there have been many conversations with them in the past and no action was taken on their part to keep the sign updated.
Water – It was reported that usage decreased from 2,002,000 gallons in February2020 to 1,952,000 this year. Water testing and operations were normal.
Code Enforcement- Mayor Spaeth reported that Interim Code Enforcement Officer Unislawski is still assisting the Village with the position. He indicated he is investigating complaints and completing annual reports required by the State.
Joint Youth – Trustee Sedon stated they are planning on hosting an Easter Egg hunt at the NCS practice field on April 3rd at 10 a.m. It was reported they would be observing all Covid protocol as required.
LWRP – Mayor Spaeth reported the survey results are in and have been reviewed. He stated there were no real surprises in the results. He stated that it was apparent that some people went across the board and were negative on everything. He stated that in the early stages, the group put together a matrix of projects that were considered a priority by the public and those projects still appear to be priority despite some negative comments. He indicated the spillway walkway received an 8.2 on a scale of 1-10 in the survey.
TRANSERS
Treasurer Matthews requested the following transfer:
$3,000
From: A1930.4 Judgement & Claims – Contractual
To: A1620.4 Buildings – Contractual
Trustee Eckert made a motion to approve the transfer as requested. The motion was seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
PAYMENT OF BILLS
The monthly financial report was reviewed and bills to be paid from the General Fund in the amount of $ 43,143.37, and from the Water Fund in the amount of $ 4,425.47 were presented for payment. Motion to approve payment was made by Trustee Eckert, seconded by Trustee Markiewicz and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
OLD BUSINESS:
Mayor Spaeth reported a request has been received from a mobile food vendor for a permit for the summer. He stated that we currently had a moratorium on vendor permits due to COVID. He stated that as things are starting to open back up, he asked for thoughts on whether we were ready to lift the moratorium. During discussion, the Board determined that they did not see a problem with opening up mobile vendor permits as long as they followed COVID protocol but did not want to allow door to door at this time. Trustee Eckert made a motion to open vendor permits, to exclude door to door vendors, and required applicants to observe all COVID protocol. The motion was seconded by Trustee Collins and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
Mayor Spaeth gave an update on the spillway. He stated that a 1935 agreement between HRBRRD and the Village turns over all levels of responsibility to the Village, whether we own it or don’t own it. He stated he is working with our insurance carrier to assess the impact of this document on our coverage.
NEW BUSINESS:
A request was received from the Booster Club to conduct a coin drop on Saturday, April 24th from 9-12. Trustee Collins made a motion for the Booster Club to conduct a coin drop on the date requested, on Bridge Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets, observing all safety protocol and provided they have appropriate liability coverage. The motion was seconded by Trustee Eckert and carried by voice vote as follows:
Aye: Trustee Collins, Trustee Eckert, Trustee Markiewicz, Trustee Sedon
Nay: 0
Abstain: 0
Mayor Spaeth discussed a proposal for a Pilot Agreement with Community Heritage for their property on South First Street. He stated the proposal would be for 5% of the total rents of the units. Mayor Spaeth stated that currently, he is working the Assessor to determine if the parcel was wholly exempt and would report back at a future meeting.
It was determined that the Budget Hearing would be conducted on Wednesday, April 20, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Organizational and Regular meeting. It was reported that the Board would meet in person and the public can participate via Zoom.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business before the Board, motion was made to adjourn by Trustee Collins, seconded by Trustee Eckert and passed by voice vote with no one dissenting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Wendy L. Reu, Clerk
