Hello, everyone, and welcome to the August 19 regular session of the Town Council, and we
will begin, as always, with the federal meetings. Councilor Clayson, would you lead us?
Well, I'd like the allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the
Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all.
All right. Now we begin with roll call. We currently
have two counselors out with who's been excused. And everyone else is here. Next we
will move on to public forum. Public forum is limited to 15 minutes total. Each
speaker will have three minutes. Speakers must be a resident of the town and
new market, a property owner in town with new market, or a designated
representative of a recognized civic organization or business located in
town and new market. When at the podium please state your name and address for
record. This address is to address your comments to the chair and the town council as a body,
not as any individual member. And this is not your way of dialogue. The council will not respond
to your comments at this time, though if something needs to be followed up on, we will
research it and come back with an answer later. Is there anyone from the public who is invisible?
All right.
Okay. We will now consider public forum closed. Next, we move on to the public
hearing or ordinance number 1-26-2027, amended Chapter 2, Article 3, establishing of a Heritage
Commission.
And I will now open the public hearing.
Nope. So I guess we will close the
public hearing. Next, we will move on to the Town Council to consider acceptance meeting
minutes. Regular meeting minutes of July 15th. Is there a motion to accept the meeting minutes?
So what?
Is there a second?
Second.
Thank you.
Any discussion on meeting minutes of the regular session on July 15th?
Seeing none, please call the roll.
Councilor Connery?
Aye.
Council Baxter?
Aye.
Council Chair?
Aye.
Council Playsford?
Aye.
Motion passes.
Oh, good.
Council work.
Aye.
Board.
It's okay.
We talked about it.
Next, we have the acceptance of the non-public meeting in minutes of July 15.
Is there a motion to accept the minutes?
So moved.
And is there a second?
Second.
Is there any discussion on these minutes?
Seeing none, would you please call the roll?
Mr. Connolly, I abstain.
Council Blackstone? Aye.
Council Sharon? Aye.
Mr. Grisbrook? Aye.
Council Water? Aye.
I should pass this course area.
All right. Next is Town Council to consider her nominations, appointments, elections, and races of the nation.
We'll be starting with a motion to appoint Carla and Romano-Clar and avoiding to the
energy and environment advisory committee with a term expiration of April 2029.
Is there a motion?
I'll move to accept that motion.
And is there a second?
I'll second.
Second.
Is there any discussion or comment?
Yes.
So, when the person that was nominated for the arts committee last time, I was told that
there is a procedure and then someone should have spoken with that candidate beforehand.
Did someone speak from this committee, speak with Carville?
I believe that that was a misunderstanding and that it's not a requirement.
Right, it's not a requirement. Just was that the chair given the opportunity to work aware of Carla?
Not anybody.
It's not the chair of the Arts Commission's appointment. It's the council's appointment.
Right.
right. You made a change last year that said that they could write a letter of
recommendation if they wanted to but I think you may come in we may give it
a situation where the chair isn't you know may not be under the terms of the
person that's applying or whatever other reason so it's not something that is
necessary or required. So not that that's a problem with our
committees but like sometimes in town like the communities to come like all
about that one person is running it is my committee this is my group of people
and basically not happening here and we're trying to avoid people coming
with a cult of personality kind of thing. Okay thank you. Okay now getting back to
Carla and Romano Clark, Appliance Energy Environment Committees was there anything
Okay, I'm seeing none. Please call the roll.
I'll say finally.
Aye.
I'll say Blackstone.
Aye.
I'll say Sharon.
Aye.
I'll say Graysburg.
Aye.
I'll say Ward.
Aye.
Motion passes Graysburg.
Okay.
Before we move on, I just wanted to know if I will have access to the Internet.
The Wi-Fi is down right now.
Is there any other break?
Okay, we'll have you read it.
Here, we got the...
This is not a package.
I don't know if that's a package or not.
You can adjourn the recess to be...
I can print up packets.
Does anyone else...
Does anyone else have any trouble right now?
Party's already on my system.
Yeah, I'm tired of it.
Then, no need to...
You're getting back on so many things this summer?
All right.
Moving on.
Alfred Melodon, Modali, I apologize.
Complaint me to the Energy and Environment Committee
with a term exploration in April, 2029.
I will accept the motion to appoint Alfred Melodon.
So moved.
Is there a second?
Second.
Okay.
Any discussion?
Seeing none, could you please call the roll?
Councilor Conlon, Councilor Blackstone.
Aye.
Councilor Scherer, Aye.
Councilor Graesberg.
Aye.
That's all right.
Motion plus 5-0.
Next, we have Andrea Frey, resignation as an alternate member of the Conservation Commission.
I will accept the motion to accept the resignation of Andrea Frey as an alternate member to the
Conservation Commission.
So moved.
And do I have a second?
Second.
Can I ask what are you saying?
So moved.
Oh.
Thank you.
So moved.
Yeah.
We'll get to that in a minute.
Yep.
Any discussion?
I believe she's just trying to go down a full number next.
Seeing no further discussion, we'll please call the roll.
Councilor Connery?
Aye.
Councilor Blackstone?
Aye.
Councilor Sharon?
Aye.
Councilor Blackstone?
Aye.
Councilor Bessler?
Aye.
Councilor Smith?
Aye.
Councilor McDonnell?
Aye.
Councilor McDonnell?
Aye.
I'll accept the motion.
So, yeah.
And you would have eight seconds.
Second.
Alright, any discussion?
Oh, Councilor Jackson.
Andrea has been a
a strong contributor
as an, as a
alternative member.
She is a high school teacher
and she teaches this stuff in school
and is very committed to it
and is a solid candidate.
And I just take this moment and say thank you to everyone tonight who has applied for an
appointment on the committee, and thank you for everyone who is currently on the committee
who can't run without you and if you're interested, you're always looking for people.
Alright, if there's no further discussion, could you please call the roll?
That's a fine name.
That's a Blackstone.
Aye.
That's a Sharon.
Aye.
That's a Blaisburg.
Aye.
That's a Ward.
Aye.
That's a Syster.
Next we have the report of the town manager.
Thank you Mr. Chair.
The first item is I have attached to my report of the updated goal setting summary.
Yeah, I'm just going to do the work and document for my projects for facilitated sessions in
May of 2024 and 2025 as we updated a whole brand new list.
And as the council look at the full document, let me know if there's anything that needs
correcting or prior to your shift within your head.
Next, the town has the results of the Independent Operational Service Level Analysis for the
New Market Fire Rescue Department.
I was finished in July on this MRI.
We commissioned the studies here of current staffing and performance measures up against
national standards.
We had a way of service demand as heading as it being proposed.
What they found is that the short version is that MRI found that we have a highly
functional department with strong service at exceptional value. New
Market Fire Rescue runs on a budget of about $695,000, plus and half the average
of the five comparable CECOs in varying departments. An MRI estimates our staffing
model saves tax credits more than a million dollars a year. The department
operates on a hybrid of two full-time positions, one of the currently vacant,
who had 43 on-call members and roughly 30 per person out, that on-call roster is well
above what MRIs we see as the community is like ours.
In 2015, the department responded to 1,013 emergency calls, 905 medical calls and 408
were in fire related. Emergency medical service is now what we get called for most often
and much like every other department, the city projects a call-alonging approach 2,000
by 2030 as the town borders. The city also points to challenges shared by the
Fire Department's nationwide decline in volunteerism, difficulty covering daytime
and overnight shifts, rapidly rising apparatus costs. On performance fire
response time met the national 10 minutes of urban benchmark 75% of the time, the
2005 just under 80% goal, while EMS response time was consistently strong
throughout the year. The report makes 32 recommendations. The central ones are
keep and strengthen the current on-call per unit career hazard model.
The study expressed the design to preserve on-call force and not replace it.
Established a 24-7 in station initial response crew of three personnel
beginning in 2027 to improve response times as tall volume arises.
Filled with 18 full-time firefighter position.
Transition of fire chief to full-time mobile at fiscal year 28.
It was used currently to help part-time and shared by the Director of Public Works.
Use the ambulance revenues to help fund the recommended staffer and review EMS ability
to reach annually, and coordinate review of major residential development proposals
for public safety capacity planning.
The Board has meant to be starting point for community conversations with the Feature
of Fire EMS and Services in Newmarket.
The Council is giving people a review of the study at its September 16 meeting with
MRI they're going to present all the findings. And the full board is also available on the
town website for the public.
Reconstruction of the upper parking lot at Town Hall has
become a work expected to take about three weeks. Last week we saw cutting the asphalt
in preparation of new curving in front of the building. There's a cut now.
That's
within a day or two, somebody is building, somebody just be ready. This week, yeah, we hope to see
the new curbing installed in the next week for the asphalt removal repayment and striping.
On repayment, the project includes, as I said, the curbing around the perimeter near the van,
the other building to help prevent the damage to Town Hall. We're also narrowing the width of
the entrance on Cheswell Street and bringing a lot of pavement markings up to current standards.
They're not currently good, correct?
No, I don't know.
If you ever notice, some vehicles are tighter than others.
But also, the reason why we're going to narrow it on Cheswell Street
is cars flying in and out of there,
because it's so wide, and the way it's set up there,
that we're trying to narrow it to make it safer.
There will be disruptions to the parking
in the town hall operations.
Well, while the work is underway,
we appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation
as we get through it.
I just do say a word around
this change.
We do intend to be open.
We're only going to have name of a,
we're supposed to be happy about what we can.
So it shouldn't be that much of a more,
more of a nuisance of noise than it is.
That'd be up to you in a minute here.
The next is, I want to hear a council update
on this could be a product that we'll be working on.
I'm not going to sell away some management
until I 24th to talk through what I move
to on-day trash and recycling collection
could look like for new market.
If you notice recently in the town of Gump has gotten rid of their in-house collection and
now is contracted with SELA and they have automated collection on the side. We are looking at how
Derham Dover conquered it by handling single changes. The main takeaway is that all three
are moving towards automation, but each is moving differently. Especially when it comes
is just pay-as-you-throw, contract structure and timing.
It also threw away the drop from the groove from any of them.
Since they're not copy-only-launched,
the summer builders will not convert until 2027.
For new market, we haven't made a decision.
We wouldn't be refining numbers and policy options
in the back during the upcoming project process.
One IM would be funding living totals.
I'm recommending that we be using the surplus
from the dissolving the solid waste fund
to fund these totals.
We're estimating, you know, $350,000 for a new toast for everybody.
I just made a table of all of the different things that we're going through.
When I say automated, what it is, is we technically sound like we're cutting.
Instead of refreshing up this, we're going to have a gin, a chocolate coffee, and I'm going to throw it in it.
One of the things that I are estimating is there will be a cost savings in the long run.
The plane board has adopted the master plan.
That wraps up the multi-year effort by the board of understaffed consultants and residents.
It turned out public sessions and sent in comments along the way on the state law and the master
plan is the planning boards to adopt not the town council, but it matters what we're on
the planning board.
It's the foundation for our zoning and nature relations, and it is what the board needs
on the new development proposals.
The old plan had gotten dated in a few places, so we have to give this guidance that reflects
what we like to do today and where prisons said what they want.
And now it's the real work now is implementation and putting action will require the zoning
regulatory amendments where the order is changed as needed, along with alignment to the capital
improvement program and plan's recommendations. Staff are using the adopted plan to develop those
items and expect Council to see related proposals for the next several budget cycles and ordinance
cycles. I just want to thank the Planning Board and Community Development Staff for their
sustained work on this effort. We do have a preliminary 2027 expense and revenue.
Just please note, it's the first month of the year of the funding out of the ordinary.
We haven't seen anything out of the ordinary.
We do have a lot of revenues that are coming from
July.
Nothing out of the ordinary expenses.
It's just the normal annual
payments that we do in July and August.
So nothing really out of the ordinary there.
Also, one more thing I want to let everybody know.
We've been talking about 27.
We are playing the fiscal year, 28 budget.
The department heads are currently preparing their budgets and their birth time.
They're presented to me within a couple weeks
and I'll present the proposed budget to the Time Council by the Charter of Mandated deadline
of October 15th. I reviewed the optical deadlines and recommended the Fallen calendar. We went
over that last week at the meeting. Most of them were established by state laws and but
I would ask the Council to reserve, second, October 31st beginning at 9 a.m. The workshop
to review the proposed budget for Council to share what we do is we try to hammer
We were helping one day. I had my old apartment heads come in and then I adopted the budget
as the next meeting. So we used the basketball for four or five hours.
Did you save the three for him?
And it was on me.
You can wear a costume.
We usually.
Yeah.
He started wanting to get that by new.
He knew we were bringing treats. Treats.
But by the way, we have.
And what's the main official job?
It's a budget workshop.
The
next item is that the Charter of Preventor
requires that I write a five-year financial forecast.
When we're finishing one covering fiscal years 28 to 32,
we have run a three-way baseline
concerning the optimistic and all three-point
in the same direction,
to plan our property tax levy increase
with a little over 2% a year.
Expenses and non-tax revenue grow
above the same rate,
so the amount we must raise to tax the levy
grows a little more in gear.
The forecast also seems to be valued between 2030, which will bring the tax rate down noticeably
without changing what the time collects.
Again, this will be plenty to hold, not a prediction, and plenty can move it.
The economy is in aid or a decision to bond a large capital project.
And I'll bring my full report to you in September.
Finally, the state primary election will be held on September 8th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
here at Town Hall.
The council will need to work the poll.
and literally the council must be present when the polls close to certify the election.
And if you have the schedule there and if you have not signed up, please go on the Excel spreadsheet
and sign up. And that is all I have today, Mr. Chairman.
Okay. Next we get a committee...
Oh, sorry.
Is this okay?
Yeah.
Is this okay?
Yeah.
Is this okay?
Yeah.
Is this okay?
But not just now like I wasn't getting some stuff. So you said there was some updates to the town council. That was the first thing you said.
The goals.
Council goals. Is that documented?
In my report. Yeah.
Oh, okay. And, okay, I'll just look at it again. And then the, the, has it been discussed the, because you're getting it, we're proposing a new full-time fire chief.
And then the public works director will do it.
I'll never propose anything yet.
Oh, okay. All right. Okay.
And then the last thing with Kasella.
So right now the town handles the trash collection.
Yeah. Kasella does now.
Oh, okay. So they're just-
They will change the system.
One of the big issues is the pay-as-you-draw system that we currently have.
And how do you monitor that when you have it in a can?
So that's what we're looking at right now. Like I said, so you're always getting rid of the pay-to-throw system
Concord it has AI cameras
That will now check what you throw the bag goes in. I don't know how it works
and
They can find you if you do not use them
So we'll have to look at it, but remember if we remove the page and throw system
So, the collection, garbage collection is all on taxes, I think.
With the record, your time in the market debt this time is not considering AI monitoring.
We are not saying anything.
No, we're not in that still.
So, don't worry about that. That's not happening.
Thank you.
Okay.
Yeah, Councilor Blackstone.
So, we have this orange bag fund.
And we we took that money and we put it into the General Lightyear to improve our balance sheet
We write and and it was to to allow us to get loans at a lower rate
You know to improve our point. It's gonna partially. Yes, and so if we now taking money out of that
That kind of defeats that purpose
I think it'd be better to just put that in a budget just put the $400,000 in the budget or just put 200
if I could answer. Yeah. We have enough money to do both. Okay. So now, without impacting
our balance sheet, yes. Yeah. Okay, so. And that's what that money was supposed to be going
for, the solid waste of things, not just offset the balance sheet.
But again, these are
just, we're still planning to see what we do.
Any other questions or comments? Oh,
But one of the things that looks like the study found for the fire department is
emergency medical service call volume could approach 2,000 per year by 2030
as the new market grows. I know you've done sort of the financial projections but
is there what's the what's the projection for sort of in general the population?
What I've seen would probably be 10,000, we're right now going 9,500, 9,600, probably 10,000
to 10,000.
So modest, okay
let's see, 1,300 to 2,000 seems to be kind of a big jump we
we would anticipate that that P- growth would result into a much larger percentage jump
in the number of calls.
So, do you think the community
reports, does anyone have any reports this evening?
For tourism, the RFP for the mural chemistry is due September 1st. We would love more
submissions for that RFP.
The committee
did not meet this month, so it sounds like it was moving forward.
Councillor Clayson?
I think we're met and adopted.
All right,
we move on to the old business.
We start with Resolution 2026-2027-1 Investment Policy.
Is there a motion?
So moved.
Is there a second?
Second.
Okay.
Now, is there any discussion?
This is just another annual adoption, but we have to adopt an investment policy every
year.
Nothing has changed in it from year before, but we have to do it annually.
As soon as we want to find this, we have to sign here.
It's just a ministerial thing that we have to do.
Any questions, comments?
Seeing none, can you please call the roll?
Councilor Cronin?
Aye.
Mr. Blackstone?
Aye.
Mr. Scherron?
Aye.
Mr. Blaisberg?
Aye.
Mr. Ward?
Aye.
Mr. Monson-Spires?
Aye.
Okay.
Next we have Ordinance Number 1, 2026-2027.
Amen.
In Chapter 2, Article 3, Reception, Harris Commission.
Is there a motion?
But I see the town manager.
Councilor Donnerwood was the one who was spearheading this.
So he was the one who was speaking to this.
It was absent.
since I would like to know about the consequences
over for a third week in action at the next meeting.
Do we have to go through anything?
You can just ask, but there's no objection.
Is there any objection to holding this over
to the next meeting?
I see none.
Now we move on to ordinances in the first meeting.
And thanks to our Spotify problems, I got it.
Oh, sorry.
Resolution number 262705, water and sewer truck three,
whereas water and sewer department part,
We need to replace and bear as the Department of Funds will attract replacement in the Capital
Reserve Fund and whereas the Department has received a good quote for the funding board
for $425,000.
You can pick up from the sum of $43,174.
Now they have 4B resolved by the New York Attack Council, and the New York Attack Council
authorizes withdrawal of $21,587 from each of the Water and Sewer Capital Reserve
Funds for a $425,000 pick up in addition to the Time Council authorizes the purchase
is a 4215 pickup for the sum of $1,174 funds by chair award by request.
Resolution 2627 creates new pump station evaluation, but I'm sorry, 262706 creates new pump station
evaluation whereas the creates new pumping station is in the pumping of electrical improvements
and whereas the station is having issues with wastewater flow velocities and screaming
whereas the creates new pumping station is critical for Star Trek.
Now therefore be resolved by the New Yorker Town Council and the New Yorker Town Council
authorizes withdrawal of $30,000, $460 from the suit capital reserves, for creating a suite
of funding stations with E-Valuation.
In addition to the Town Council authorizing the Town Manager and the Retreat Agreement,
the right payers with some $30,000, $460 will complete the created dispute funding
station evaluated for short-term to long-term improvements.
Specialized by Chair Muir by request.
New business and correspondence.
Is there any corresponds to that council?
All right, now it's time for any closing comments.
Are there any closing comments this evening?
Seeing none, our next meeting will be September 2nd, 2026,
but we'll also be meeting for the budget workshop
on August 31st.
October.
I was hoping because I was calling.
Yeah, never mind.
Never mind.
Next meeting will be September 2nd, 2026.
Thank you, everyone, and I will consider us adjourned.
Wow.