Present: M. Koplinka-Loehr, Chair; D. Kiefer; G. Totman; S. Davis; P. Penniman (arrived at 12:09 p.m.)
Staff: S. Whicher, Assessment Director; R. Erb, County Administrator; G. Potter, Information Technology Services Director; D. Squires, Finance Director; A. Fitzpatrick, Personnel Commissioner; M. Reynolds, Deputy County Clerk; A. Valenti, County Clerk
Called to Order
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m.
Changes to Agenda
Ms. Kiefer requested an item under new business be added to the agenda. A budget adjustment from the Board of Elections was also added to the agenda.
Chair's Report
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr said he did not have a report.
County Administrator’s Report
Mr. Erb reviewed the question about a copyright policy. He said under the law Copyright protection exsists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright. He said since 1978 it has not been necessary to file for a copyright in order to claim all rights. The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. However, there are certain advantages to registration. The use of the notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if a proper notice of copyright appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to a defense based on innocent infringement in mitigation of actual or statutory damages.
Ms. Kiefer feels it is important to put people on notice in a public way so that someone cannot claim the document. Ms. Kiefer said her concern is resale or manipulation of it as part of a resale. She feels that there may be some documents worthwhile registering and that the County should decide. Mr. Erb said he would work on it.
Mr. Penniman arrived at 12:09 p.m.
Mr. Erb reported on the proposal to transfer the tourism program from the Planning Department to the Clerk of the Board's program. He said this is happening because of the shift in personnel in the Planning Department that has occurred. Most recently an intern was handling some of the responsibilities but has since left. This resulted in a short-term problem leading to it now being handled in Administration. One reason for proposing the Clerk's office handle this is staff is already familiar with the program and an area that some Board members frequently request information. Mr. Erb said he would like to see this program handled in the Board office along with the funding that is attached to it.
Ms. Kiefer said she does not believe tourism has anything to do with the Clerk's responsibilities and feels it belongs in a program of the Planning Department. Ms. Kiefer feels the analysis of certain issues needs to be done by staff with economic development or planning capabilities. There was a brief discussion about hiring an intern through the Planning Department on an as-needed basis for doing the analysis.
Mrs. Covert stated that the Board office would be providing administrative support for the Strategic Tourism Advisory Board and the standing committee of the Board. Ms. Kiefer feels that some of the duties, i.e., minutes, agendas, etc. for the advisory board should be handled in the Planning Department. Mr. Erb said that it is his understanding that the program is more fiscal and administrative. Mr. Koplinka-Loehr agrees that the administrative function of the program should be in the Clerk's office, but the analysis of the program should be handled in the Planning Department.
Mr. Penniman expressed his opinion that the administrative side of the tourism program should be done by the Clerk's staff. Mr. Totman agreed.
The committee agreed to discuss this item further during budget reviews.
Finance Director's Report
Mr. Squires spoke briefly about the upcoming auction of real property and said he expects a large crowd. Mr. Penniman asked a follow-up question from the Budget and Fiscal Policy Committee concerning local versus non-local banks and requested more information on the subject. Mr. Squires stated that local means they are located in the County. He said any branch located in Tompkins County qualifies as a local bank.
Report from the Public Information Officer
Ms. Skinner referred to the memorandum distributed to Board members concerning the upcoming forum on the County budget. The Budget and Fiscal Policy Committee determined they wanted a simple event. She said there is a budget summary on the web and it will be updated as Committees take action. The October budget meetings will be televised. Also, the Newsletter will be available following the last meeting in October.
Ms. Skinner reported the Public Information Advisory Board will be meeting tomorrow and one of the issues it will be discussing is whether or not the County web site should link to citizen group web sites. There was a request from ASAP to have a link from the County's web site and she said Joel Gagnon will be attending the meeting to discuss this topic. She asked that if Board members had any questions or comments on this issue to let her know. Ms. Kiefer expressed her opposition to allow the County's web site to include links for citizen group web sites, believing that this is a dangerous door to open.
Approval of Minutes
It was MOVED by Mr. Totman, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to approve the minutes of August 3, 2000 as submitted.
Information Technology Services
County Clerk Land Records Electronic Document Management System (EDMS)
Mr. Potter updated the Committee on the status of the County Clerk Land Records Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) project. He said the County Clerk's office has been proposing a land records document-imaging system for some time. He briefly reviewed the history and said five years ago a plan was done. However, for a variety of reasons the project did not move forward. He said since he took over the GIS program, this project has been in discussions and a proposal brought forth. There was a business process analysis completed within the County Clerk's office to define how document imaging would be integrated into their operation and to define the criteria or conditions for all documenting projects within other departments as well, with the hopes the County would not have multiple imaging systems. An RFP (Request for Proposals) was developed and seven responses were received. Interviews were conducted with four of the firms and sites were visited throughout the State. At this time he distributed copies of the proposed resolution. A $50,000 grant was received from the New York State Archives and Records Association and the remaining funding is included in the GIS capital program. He noted the vendor being recommended was the lowest bidder. He said what is distinctive about this proposal is that it is coming from same group that developed the software in the Assessment Department. The other critical point with recommending this firm is it was one of only two of the vendors that agreed to give the County total control of the application which was one of the requirements in the RFP. It gives the County the ability to take the source code of this application and adapt it for other document imaging programs.
Ms. Davis asked about the Board of Elections document-imaging project. Mr. Potter said the Board of Elections would not be able to integrate with this application. The State chose to do their document-imaging project and it would have to come from their vendor. Although the image format is the same, the software is different. He said the module that is requested by the Board of Elections is already developed for that particular application in that office. Mr. Potter commented that if the Board of Elections wished to move forward with their project, he would be happy to help them with it.
Mr. Potter said he is also proposing that a position of programmer analyst trainer in his Department be extended through 2001 to work directly with this project. Funds for this are available in the GIS capital program.
It was MOVED by Mr. Penniman, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to submit the following resolution to the full Board for approval:
RESOLUTION NO. - AWARD OF CONTRACT - PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF LAND RECORDS ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
WHEREAS, the Tompkins County
Clerk's Office and Information Technology Services Department have solicited
for proposals in accordance with established Tompkins County and New York
State purchasing procedures, and
WHEREAS, seven (7) proposals
were received, reviewed, and evaluated based on criteria documented in
Section 7 of the Request for Proposals, Land Records Electronic Document
Management System, dated June 20, 2000, and
WHEREAS, the Tompkins County
Clerk's Office and Information Technology Services Department recommended
the project be awarded to Systems Development Group, Inc., now therefore
be it
RESOLVED, on recommendation
of the Government Operations Committee, That the County Administrator,
or his designee, be authorized to execute a contract for the project with
Systems Development Group, Inc., of Utica, New York in an amount not to
exceed $135,000 for the development, purchase, and installation of various
software components, and additional services needed to complete the project,
RESOLVED, further, That
the County Administrator, or his designee, is hereby authorized to execute
change orders totaling up to ten percent (10%) of the agreement amount,
RESOLVED, further, That
funding for this contract is provided in the GIS Capital Program fund HF1680
and grant funds received from the State Archive Local Government Records
Management Improvement Fund.
SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20
Mr. Potter explained the Wide Area Network (WAN) project. He said the way the County currently pays for the cost for connectivity from the downtown location to all of the other County facilities is ambiguous and different departments are treated differently. ITS maintains a WAN to every public facility and the cost that is paid out to Bell Atlantic is not based on the number of employees but the location. The cost for the buildings in the downtown area is $43 per month. However, for the Public Safety Building or Public Health Department cost per month is up to $750. It is his preference to pull those costs together within his Department so that they have complete ownership of those lines. This item has been presented as an alternative or amendment in his budget. The idea is to shift some of funding from those departments to his department. The committee agreed to discuss this further during budget reviews.
Assessment Department
2000 Real Property Tax Legislation
Mr. Whicher explained the changes to the 2000 Real Property Tax Legislation. He said some of the laws primarily dealing with the senior exemptions have been adjusted. He said he will be bringing forth resolutions to reflect the changes. He said the most important change in legislation that is being discussed is the definition of "Movable Machinery and Equipment". The exemption will be phased in over 10 years so there will be time to resolve the issues and adjust to the outcome. Discussions have begun with the State and hopefully an agreement will be reached that will exclude AES Cayuga's generators. He said he will keep the Committee informed as this evolves.
Six-year plan
Mr. Whicher briefly reviewed the six-year plan for the 2001-2006 rolls. He said this report is a shell of what the employees would like to accomplish over the next six-years and is required by the State.
Update on Advisory Board Workshops
The following report was submitted by Ms. Bradac, Training and Development Coordinator:
"Diane connected with Cathy Covert and Wendy Skinner for general information about County Advisory Committees and discussed potential training needs and format.
A master list of Advisory Committees (developed by the Board Office) was reviewed for details (how many Departments, who are their staff support, what are their missions/purposes, how many employees and how many community members are involved, etc).
After several phone calls to determine interest and referrals, a list of fifteen local trainers was developed who may have expertise and experience in this area.
The Purchasing Department assisted with sample wording suggestions for this type of RFP. An RFP has been drafted, is circulating, final revisions are being made and will be sent out this Friday, Sept 8th. The RFP due date is Monday, Sept 25th. If you are interested in receiving a final copy of the RFP, please let me know and one will be forwarded to you this Friday.
Michael Koplinka-Loehr and Cathy Covert have agreed to review and evaluate the submitted proposals.
A thorough training needs assessment and contact with Board members is anticipated for Sept-Oct, 2000. The actual workshops are planned to be conducted from Nov-Dec, 2000 and Jan-March, 2001. It was noted that there are leadership and membership changes annually in January and a recommendation has been made to consider some of the training as an option from Jan-March 2001."
Ms. Kiefer requested a copy of the RFP be kept on file in the Board of Representatives' office.
Naming of County Facilities
Copies of the following procedures for naming County facilities were distributed to the Committee and reviewed.
"Draft Policy on Naming of County Facilities
Authority
The authority for officially naming County-owned buildings, rooms, roads, and other facilities and material items (e.g., podium, gavel, bench, garden, collection) rests with the Board of Representatives. The following procedures, and guidelines/standards will be used to consider naming requests.
Procedures
Requests for naming designation shall be made to the County Administrator and shall be referred to and reviewed by the committee of the Board that deals with governmental operations/administration, which will be responsible for making a recommendation to the full Board. The committee may request input from the appropriate program committee during the consideration of the naming request.
Any program or activity that will confer naming rights based on financial contribution will require approval in advance from the Board of Representatives.
Rules
Building names will be related to the service(s) provided therein / the function(s) the building serves in so far as possible.
Facilities will not be named for commercial enterprises.
Criteria
When considering the naming of a facility, space, or material item, the committee and full Board will utilize the following criteria:
The significance of the individual's contribution to Tompkins County;
The length of the individual's service;
The relationship between the individual's contribution and the nature of the facility/item to be named.
Note: If the request comes from staff or a department and the committee decides the request does not meet the criterion of countywide importance, the staff of the affected department may informally name something for its own internal use."
Discussion followed and Mr. Koplinka-Loehr felt the Library Foundation should be made aware of the draft policy that is being proposed. It was noted that if the policy is adopted, that it could be revisited at anytime.
The Committee requested that a resolution to adopt the policy be drafted and circulated to Board members as well as the Library fundraising committee.
Mr. Erb stated his concern with informal naming that might get changed at a future date. However, he is supportive of plaques being displayed recognizing people's contributions.
Board of Elections
Budget Adjustment
It was MOVED by Mr. Totman, seconded by Ms. Davis, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to submit the following budget adjustment to the full Board for approval:
Revenue:
1450.42770 Other Misc.
Revenues $1,700
Appropriation: 1450.52206
Computer Equipment
$1,700
Explanation: We have had unanticipated revenue due to two special elections for the Ithaca City School District. This money will be used to replace a computer and reduce our OTR request for 2001.
Items to be Considered for Discussion
Public Works Organization
Mr. Erb updated the Committee on the proposal and discussions concerning the organizational structure of the Public Works Department. He said the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee will continue their discussions this issue at their next meeting. The proposal that is being considered is to not replace the position of Public Works Commissioner. It also requests the Divisions to function as departments. In order to allow that, positions are being reclassified. He said the Division managers have taken on some of the functions of the Commissioner which has also resulted in an increased workload. The proposal provides them with the staff support from existing positions to help lighten their load. He described the changes in positions for each Division that are being recommended. There will be an Associate Engineer position created in the Engineering Division which will allow James Kazda to develop the capital program. In addition, a Senior Cleaner position was created in the 2000 budget. He also stated the Public Work's Administrator's position has been rewritten to create a closer relationship with Administration. He said this is a key position to allow the County Administrator to oversee the Department Heads within Public Works.
Ms. Davis asked if the racism issues raised in certain Divisions have been addressed or included in the proposal. Mr. Erb said the Public Works Administrator is currently serving on the Affirmative Action Committee and there will also be training opportunities available.
It was noted that the positions being reclassified or upgraded are being handled as a competitive process.
Evaluation of Board's Two-Year Goals
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr asked if there was a suggested proposal to move forward in reviewing these. There was no indication made that there was and he agreed to discuss this with the Chair of the Board.
Program Evaluations
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr reported the Tompkins 2020 Committee was charged with this responsibility but has not met around that topic. It is hoped that progress could be made. He noted that the Government Operations Committee will be reviewing two different departments and programs this year--Human Rights and Information Technology Services.
Information Technology Services Database
Mr. Potter said there is a separate GIS layer or coverage that identifies the boundaries of the Agricultural Districts which are reviewed and renewed every seven years. The Department has been working with the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board in identifying those boundaries. Mr. Potter also reported another project being worked on is developing a new layer of the soils information.
Human Rights Award
Ms. Davis said the Human Rights Commission will be meeting at the end of this month and will be discussing this item.
Board Salaries
Mr. Erb reviewed the dates of when past resolutions approving Board salaries were adopted namely, terms commencing January 1, 1986, salaries were set April 1985; 1990, salaries were set May 1989; 1994, salaries were set May 1993; and 1998, salaries were set December 1996. It is hoped to have a resolution adopting Board Salaries before the end of the year and at the latest by May 2001. Mr. Erb said an intern is compiling comparative information for the Committee to review. The Committee suggested having information from the six contiguous counties of Tompkins County and other upstate counties comparable in size. Ms. Kiefer reminded the Committee that some counties have legislators that carry out most of the policies, majority and minority leaders, county executives, etc. The Committee agreed to discuss this further at the October meeting. It was also requested that when this information is available that it be circulated to the full Board as well.
New Business
Ms. Kiefer gave the Committee a report about the Information Management Committee meeting and its discussions concerning policies that would be used for County equipment. She said during that conversation, she realized the County does not have a Personnel Handbook and suggested this be established as a goal for next year. There appeared to be general agreement to do that.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.
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