MINUTES
PLANNING COMMITTEE
(Tompkins County Board of Representatives)
DECEMBER 19, 2002 - 1:30 P.M.
HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM
Members Present:    Dooley Kiefer, Peter Penniman, Frank Proto, Nancy Schuler

Member Excused:    Martha Robertson

Staff Present:        Katie Borgella, TCPD; Joan Jurkowich, TCPD; Ed Marx, Commissioner, TCPD; Kathy Wilsea, Secretary, TCPD; Jonathan Wood, County Attorney

Guests:        Susan Blumenthal, City of Ithaca Common Council; Ed Hershey, City of Ithaca Common Council; Pat Vaughan, City of Ithaca Common Council
            
                
I    Committee Administration

A    Call to Order

Chair Dooley Kiefer called the meeting to order at 1:41 PM.  Frank Proto was not yet present.

B    Agenda Changes

More advisory board appointments were added to the agenda.

C    Approval of Minutes

Peter made a motion to accept the minutes of the November 21st meeting, and it was seconded by Nancy.  No changes were submitted.  Approved 3:0.

D    Announcements

Dooley said Martha was excused from the meeting.

II    Planning Department

E    Commissioner’s Report
Proposal for Multi Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan – Ed reported that he was contacted by Don Barber of Caroline regarding a meeting held by municipalities to discuss joint preparation of a hazard mitigation plan.  Although the deadline is unclear, municipalities must have a plan in place in the near future to qualify for post-disaster funds.  Nancy is aware of the requirements, and said a local plan might bring funding even if a disaster is not local.  Ed said the Town of Dryden has prepared a plan and the Town of Newfield has one in process.  Don Barber proposes a joint plan, as developing it together will reduce costs.  This concept is acceptable as long as the plan addresses all the municipalities involved.  As a preliminary figure, Don Barber suggests the County’s contribution would be $3,000.  

Ed favors pursuing discussion on this.  He has discussed it with Lee Shurtleff, Steve Whicher is aware of the idea, and Ed will meet today with local officials on the subject.  The State Emergency Management Office will be having workshops in the next few months on plan development, and some grant money is available for the development process.  Nancy noted there is a template in place.  Although it would be difficult to identify all potential hazards, Nancy said there is a rating system.  The City has prepared an inventory of schools and daycare facilities.  Peter asked how broad the definition is of hazard.  Ed said it is very broad – natural, manmade and human-caused.  This might mesh with the Flood Hazard Mitigation Program.  Ed speculated that the report currently being developed by a consultant for FHMP might be the County’s contribution.   Peter felt it makes sense to coordinate efforts.  Tompkins County would be called upon to share resources in any emergency.  Trumansburg and Ulysses already expect to be joining in this effort.  In the event of a disaster, New York City could send refugees here.

Dooley asked which department will take the lead.  Ed said it is not clear yet.  Kate Hackett is currently the County Hazard Mitigation Coordinator.  He will continue to discuss this with Lee Shurtleff.  Nancy noted that Cheryl Nelson, Jackie Kippola and Wendy Skinner are involved with the County hazardous materials team.  Ed felt that if the County becomes a partner, we need to join in soon and contribute to the process as well as the product.

Downtown Ithaca Development Draft EIS – Ed said Planning Department staff is wrapping up the response to the draft.  Issues include the expected 1/3 reduction in effectiveness of the solar panels on the Library due to shading, and addressing how the Mental Health Department and the Library will function during the construction phase.  There are also some traffic impacts that were not adequately addressed, particularly the effect on pedestrians and bicyclists.  Also, the potential of soil contamination at the hotel site needed further clarification.  The draft EIS also did not fully recognize as an impact the shadow of the hotel on Building “C” which will occur during winter.  Staff also has questions on traffic mitigation, as this plan maxes out capacity, yet zoning allows more density at other sites downtown.  It is unclear how they will make accommodations in the future.  Joan said that all the less expensive options are in use, and any future project might trigger very expensive options.  Katie Borgella noted that the draft EIS has been shared with Arel Lemaro (Facilities), Janet Steiner (Library), and Bart DeLuca (Mental Health).  Ed pointed out that if any substantive changes are made in the scope of the proposed development, the City will need to redo the EIS.  The Cayuga Green Client Committee has not met recently.  Peter asked about the impacts on Mental Health and the Library, and Ed said they will primarily be during the construction phase.  Peter asked if the same problems impact local businesses, and Ed said yes.  The air handling system for the Library is on the south side of the roof, and Arel is concerned that the filters may need to be upgraded.  Nancy said that according to Steve Nicholson of EMC, whoever has a negative impact on the solar panel use has a responsibility to provide financial mitigation.  Dooley said this was not written into the agreement with the City when the solar panels were installed.  Although the dollar figure is unclear, Ed said Arel speculated the loss will be $7,000 to $10,000 per year.

New York State Association of County Planners – Ed attended this meeting 12/6.  He said much of the discussion centered around budgets.  Of the members present, those that had budgets that were passed came from counties that resulted in 6 to 15% increases in taxes.  Budgets for counties that had not been passed at the time of the meeting were contemplating 16 to 30% increases.  Apparently there has been legislation passed to allow individual farmers to opt into agriculture districts outside of the standard review process, but representatives at the meeting expect the governor will not sign the legislation, in part because of the additional work it would create for county planning agencies.

Comprehensive Plan – Ed said TCPD staff is currently scheduling presentations to community organizations and advisory boards.  The target is to have the draft Statement of Purpose ready in March or April.  He will join the meeting on January 2nd of the new planning group of the Municipal Officials Association.  Ed said he and Tom Mank spoke at the DSS Commissioner’s advisory group, and even there discussion turned to traffic in the City.  Nancy commented on trains blocking traffic.  Ed said he always hears comments about “traffic here is nothing compared to  . . .”, but it is an issue here.  Some of the traffic mitigation projects planned for the southwest area of the City are very expensive projects.

Zoning Review Intermunicipal Agreement – Work is going on internally at the Planning Department on the draft.  They hope to begin reviewing this with municipal professionals early next year.

Municipal Assistance Requests – Ed has requests he hopes to respond to for the Town of Danby, the Village of Lansing, and the Town and Village of Groton.  There is also the pending agreement with Enfield, as mentioned last month.  Nancy wondered if municipal staff have made area legislators aware of interaction.  Ed said there are questions about how and when to move forward.  He needs the staff position filled.  The BOR lacks agreement regarding direction of the contract system.  He doesn’t want to make agreements that can’t be kept.  Dooley asked if it was reasonable to sign agreements with annual review clauses.  Ed said at least that would document the intent to work together for a period of time.  Peter felt the budgeting can’t be predicted more than a year ahead, but there are other agreements that span more than one year.  The BOR would probably understand the proposed system if explained to them.  Joan said the Department has staff resources, but it would be difficult to retain them “in case” there would be need by the municipalities.  But if long-term agreements existed, the Department could exhibit the need to retain staff.  There are four projects of interest for contracts now, and more appear to be in the wings.  The position exists, and this would be a ‘subscription’ for advanced services.  Peter asked if municipal contracts are funding half of the position, how much time is devoted to it.  Joan said full time.  

Ed said the Town of Dryden called recently, too.  They had budgeted to hire a planner, and the supervisor is willing to talk with the County about the possibility of contracting for part of the planning services.  They are also discussing sharing staff with the Town of Ithaca.  Ed wants the County to be in a position to offer this.  Dooley said she found Betty Falcao’s comment at Planning Advisory Board interesting.  Betty couldn’t believe the County didn’t feel it was appropriate to offer services to municipalities whose residents are County taxpayers.  Peter asked how many municipalities are expected to be interested.  Ed said staff had envisioned a three-year phase in, but it looks like they could do 4 or 5 contracts, maybe even 6, in the first year, so this might start bigger than TCPD thought.  The Town and City of Ithaca are not expected to join, as they have their own professional planning staff.  They have voiced support of this concept, as they feel it will benefit intermunicipal planning issues.

F    Resolution – Acceptance of Snowmobile Trail Grant

Ed said New York State requires signs at all snowmobile trail crossings of NYS highways, which is coordinated with DOT.  The County is now interested in seeking similar signage for County roads.  This could happen in three ways:  funded by NYS Department of Parks, have the County bear the cost, or have the snowmobile clubs be responsible.  It is estimated to cost $1,500 for materials, plus labor.

Frank Proto arrived at 2:35 PM.

Ed said the snowmobile grant received this year is more money than was anticipated, noting that it comes from fees.  He asked if committee members want to attach strings to qualification for the rest of the funds.  The signage could be charged back from Public Works.  Frank thought it was an opportunity to recover some money, as we can’t get administration fees from the grant process.  Committee members agreed the signage should be required in the agreements with the clubs.

Peter made a motion to adopt the resolution as written.  Frank seconded it.  Members agreed to add a note at the bottom of the resolution that the County will require signage as part of trail development and maintenance.  Passed 4:0.

III    Appointments

Motion by Peter to reappoint Ron Updike to Soil & Water Conservation District.  Seconded by Frank, passed 4:0.

Motion by Peter to move the Environmental Management Council slate as presented by the Executive Committee.  Seconded by Frank, passed 3:0 (Nancy on break).

Motion by Frank to move the slate of the Water Resources Council as submitted by the Nominating and Membership Committee and passed by the Council.  Seconded by Peter.  Peter would like a check of membership for geographic distribution.  Dooley expressed concern that the Committee needs to follow its procedures for seeking applications for municipal seats.  Passed 4:0.

Motion by Peter to appoint Matthew Mix to the Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board.  Seconded by Frank, passed 4:0.

IV    Cayuga Lake Watershed Intermunicipal Organization

H    Call for Cooperation

Jonathan Wood joined the meeting to provide comments.  He had reviewed the document for language, and the changes proposed seemed appropriate to him.  Jackie Kippola could not find a previous agreement.  

Motion by Peter to craft a resolution to authorize executing the document with no termination date specified.  Seconded by Nancy.  Passed 4:0.  

V    Aquifer Study

I    Prioritization recommendations from Water Resources Council

Kathy reported that the Aquifer Committee provided their final draft to the WRC members for comment, and this will be on a future agenda for this committee.  Dooley said she got the impression at the WRC meeting that the committee’s work is done, but they lack sufficient information for clear prioritization.

VI    SEQR Policy

J    Update on revisions

Ed said he has received few comments.  Two were of the “looks good” variety, and one was a hypothetical interpretation question.  The IDA voted to form a subcommittee to address SEQR policy, and it includes Peter, Ed, and Mike Stamm.  To date, Ed and Katie Borgella have met with Mike Stamm to get started.  Jonathan Wood said he and Ed have previously discussed the mention of IDA in this draft document.  Jonathan wondered if there should be input from the Economic & Workforce Development Committee.  Ed speculated that paragraph 3 could be deleted if IDA develops their own policy.  Frank said the previous concerns had been regarding IDA having a loose or nonexistent policy.  He would prefer to see what they come back with before deleting paragraph 3.  Peter said there is no timetable at IDA.  

Jonathan Wood said he did not understand the other wording in the first sentence regarding the IDA.  Ed said it is about intent, that if it is determined that the County is an involved agency, the IDA should follow the county procedure.  Jonathan’s other comment regarded the policy as it exists now, where all Unlisted actions are referred to EMC.  He offered an example of the County purchasing Food Net’s facility and renting it to Foodnet.  He felt that would have no need to go to the EMC, but might be an Unlisted action.  There should be some qualification of things with no environmental impact.  The total number of items that went to the BOR office last year with the short form was only 4 or 5.  Dooley asked if he would develop clear wording for this.  Jonathan said he will develop it with Planning staff.  He said sometimes the number of days for the EMC review is an issue.  A project might need a quicker time frame, i.e., purchase offers.  Some circumstances require speed.  Nancy felt EMC is responsive to special needs.  Dooley asked for development of language about exceptional circumstances.  Katie noted the old policy provided 15 working days, whereas the new policy is clearer, allowing 30 calendar days.  Dooley said we are still waiting for other comments.

VII    Committee Goals

K    Review of 2002 Goals

Dooley referred to the blue handout of 3/21/02, Planning Committee 2002 Goals, and said the committee completed all but the optional items discussed at the beginning of the year, and she was pleased with the group’s accomplishments.

VIII    Looking Ahead to 2003

L    Information discussion with members of the City of Ithaca Planning and Economic Development Committee

Susan Blumenthal, Ed Hershey, and Pat Vaughan joined the meeting.  Dooley welcomed the Councilpeople and noted that the County Charter acknowledges the City as the cultural and economic center of the County.  She said it seemed appropriate to end the year with an informal meeting and brainstorm what topics are coming up that we might work on together.  Peter said he was interested in partnerships in three areas:  1) Development projects in the City that impact County employees, including parking.  2) Economic Development – the County’s ED plan singles out the City as the center of economic activity.  Within that, density development policy and issues regarding downtown development.  3) The City being the physical, cultural, and economic center of the County impacts all County residents and that impact should be considered.  Dooley asked if there were other issues, and Frank expressed an interest in sharing this committee’s goals with the visitors.

Pat Vaughan said County projects can also impact City residents.  Specifically, the EMC has impact.  Occasionally the City gets notices and invitations to comment on County projects.  Nancy voiced concern about the timeliness of submissions for County review, as she felt it is important to respect the role of the County’s Planning Department.

Frank mentioned that a couple years ago he had an inquiry about whether or not he wanted to be on distribution lists for agendas of City committees.  Susan Blumenthal and Pat Vaughan said such sharing of information is ongoing.  Frank asked if there was any comment on the County’s role.  Could they provide any suggestions for improvement?  Joan noted the staff of the City and County interacted on the waterfront trail initiative.  

Dooley noted the City has a chief elected official whereas the County doesn’t, so County legislative committees are of necessity involved in policy early on.  Dooley said the County Planning Committee may have more input in decision-making than their City counterpart.  She was unsure whether the City Council has an opportunity for early comment.  Ed Hershey said he was surprised that for water and sewer intermunicipal activity there is no County involvement.  He also the letter of the law exists regarding comment periods, so it is beside the point to talk about extended deadlines.  There is a need to identify issues early, so discussion can occur then.  The recent situation with the Prosecutor’s Office was offered as a poor example of intermunicipal communication.  Some issues are naturals – Park & Ride, for example.

Frank asked if City committees can initiate and advance things or if they need to wait for the Mayor to send an issue to them before they can consider it.  Ed Hershey said most things at the committee level come from staff and colleagues, but Susan noted this is not uniform.  Pat said she chairs the Neighborhood & Issues Committee, and she takes agenda items from community calls and staff concerns.  Some items overlap and committee chairs discuss them and decide how they should be addressed.  Dooley said parking affects all of us, and asked if it is handled by the City Planning/ED Committee, the Cayuga Green Client Committee, or where?  How are decisions made?  Staff members are commenting in their role, but that differs from interactions.  Susan noted the Cayuga Green Client Committee had some County contribution.  Pat said a working group exists regarding parking during the construction phase.  Ed Marx said the County is involved in that, but it is dealing with details after the decision was made.  He offered an example of the parking fees increasing and how it will affect visitors to County offices.  Dooley said early warning would be welcome.

Peter acknowledged parking and traffic issues, but said the largest issue is the need for opportunities to look at the “big picture”.  IDA passed a policy recently to encourage tax abatements for projects in dense development.  He estimates the tax abatement savings for the Ciminelli hotel project at $5 million.  Based on information available to him, he decided he can support it in a borderline way.  He questions use of public funds for parking on top of abatement.  He would like to know that the City was looking at all of them as a whole.

Dooley asked if there were any suggestions for 2003.  Ed Hershey said they remain unsure about committee structure for next year.  Dooley said she is personally concerned about the solar panels being blocked by the parking structure.  Susan said mitigation is mentioned in the EIS, but no specifics.   Frank said dumping fees at the wastewater treatment plant and the intermunicipal sewer project need further discussion and better understanding.  Nancy said the timing of when we are asked to comment is a key issue.  Dooley stressed that dialog is important.  Frank mentioned that 29% of city parcels are paying all of the taxes.  Ed Hersey said issues tend to get compartmentalized, but intermunicipal relations seem to need examination.  This discussion didn’t even get a chance to touch on youth services today.  He feels that intermunicipal planning will be a large issue that will require a lot of the time of the next mayor.  Dooley commented that an Intermunicipal Relations Committee used to exist.  

Ed Hershey said the efforts of County and City staff working with Census figures for redistricting is a good example of working together.  Not everyone was happy with the results, but they tried to work it out.  Dooley said the County ITS Department is working with the City now on communication connections for the emergency communications center project to be headquartered by the airport.  

Dooley thanked the guests for joining the meeting.

IX    Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 4:09 PM.


 


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