Village of Bloomfield Board of Trustees Meeting of August 28, 2013
Present: Mayor Mark Falsone
Trustees: Francis Coleman, Dave Conklin, Scott Kimball
Kathy Conradt, Brian Rayburn
Guest: Nancy Long,
Excused: Trustee Clayton Barnard
The meeting was opened at 5:30 pm with the pledge to the flag.
Minutes: The July minutes were approved as submitted.
Mayor’s report:
1. Received information that the State will reduce the tax cap levy to 1.66% for 2014.
2. Gave a chronological progress report of activities performed by the CEO in regard to 5 Main St.
3. Reported on the assistance and courtesy fee waiver received from Chatfield Engineers for their assistance
with the damaged pump houses
4. Reported on the draft code book prepared by the clerk. Following review by the mayor, deputy mayor and
DPW supervisor, the trustees will be asked to review the document for completeness and accuracy.
Developing the code book in-house saved the village thousands of dollars.
5. Reported on the insurance coverage of damage at the pump houses – thanks to the diligent efforts of Joel
Steele of the Steele Insurance Agency and the DPW Supervisor
6. Reported on a letter received from Rowe Realty concerning 6 Michigan St. A meeting was held with the
CEO to discuss the status of the property and a letter of response will be sent to the realty company.
7. Many compliments have been received regarding the flower carts.
Clerk’s report:
1. Board reviewed financial report for July 2013. There is no need to amend the budget for the roof at the
WWTP as the project was budgeted out of the shop account.
2. Abstract #3 (vouchers 69-98, B1) was audited and approved for the following amounts: General Fund
$10,511.15 Water Fund $11,763.88, Sewer Fund $9,488.10, Beautification Fund $495.75, and Trust and
Agency Fund $7601.52. The clerk and DPW Supervisor declared that all goods have been received and all
services have been rendered. Trustee Coleman motioned, Trustee Kimball seconded and it was unanimously
carried to pay the bills as presented. Trustee Conklin motioned, Trustee Coleman seconded and it was
unanimously carried to approve the following transfer: in the General Fund $544 from A1990.4 to A8540.4
3. Reported on a resident complaint regarding the water rates with concern that the money collected is in
excess of operating costs and being placed in savings.
4. Reported that there is new software available, Hydro Dash, modeled after the AMP software currently used
by the Village. This new, free software is intended to assist with annual budget planning to determine the
water system’s financial sustainability. Preliminary numbers have been entered into the excel spreadsheets
and charts were available for review.
CEO report: reviewed.
1. Mayor will follow up on status of 6 Michigan St. and 3 Main St.
2. Will inquire of CEO: what is the understanding about permission to enter rental units for fire inspections –
the village policy may need clarification.
Public works report: Brian reported:
WATER:
1. The pump station repairs are complete and appear to be working well. It was determined that power surges and at
least one, if not more, direct lightning strikes is what destroyed the pump station equipment.
2. Payment in full has been received for a fire hydrant that was destroyed in a car accident in June.
3. Reviewed a draft school hydrant agreement. A few minor modifications to the document are needed to render it
recordable with the County Clerk’s Office. The contract will give the Village some control over the hydrants and lines, to
eliminate the need for a backflow preventer, without taking ownership. Trustee Coleman motioned, Mayor Falsone
seconded and it was unanimously carried to support the concept of the contract and to authorize Brian Rayburn to
follow through with the Bloomfield Central Schools to draft a final document for signing.
4. A large project for the Town of East Bloomfield is planned for September. The project consists of getting a
new 6 inch water main and casing pipe under 5&20 for the new Nedlow Brewery.
SEWER AND WWTP
5. JP has finally satisfied the requests from the funding agency for the sewer project. Next spring is a realistic
start date.
6. The Ontario County jail inmates are scheduled for September 8th to paint the exteriors of the three large
buildings at the WWTP. This is a free service to the village. The inmates are supervised at all times by sheriff's
dept. personnel.
7. All of the sewer easements cleared in the last couple of years have been mowed and maintained for the
summer.
STREETS AND EQUIPMENT
8. A new sidewalk plow tractor has been ordered. It should be delivered prior to the plowing season.
9. The Elm Street drainage project that had been rescheduled for several years has been nearly completed. It
appears to have helped with flooding significantly during the last several rainstorms.
10. Crosswalks have been striped for school. The radar sign has been ordered. The new updated version of
the sign was released last week however there is no deliver time frame.
11. In September, sidewalk repairs and closing up some of the still open projects are planned.
12. The area of Main St. near the Town Hall has settled due to the large water main break that occurred there.
The road will be milled.
WOLCDC: Mayor Falsone will meet with Wayne Houseman in September to discuss the future of the
WOLCDC.
Comprehensive Plan committee: the next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 3
New business:
1. The trustees discussed the water/sewer contract for the Town of East Bloomfield for 2014. The
water rate will remain the same as 2013, as recommended by the water committee. Trustee
Coleman motioned, Mayor Falsone seconded and it was unanimously carried to adopt the
water/sewer contract with the Town of E. Bloomfield for 2014 as presented.
2. The Cemetery Association applied for, and received, a sign permit for a new sign at the main
entryway on Main St. As it is a not-for-profit, the Association is now requesting that the Village
Board waive the sign permit fee. Trustee Coleman motioned, Trustee Kimball seconded and it was
unanimously carried to waive the sign permit fee for the EB Cemetery Association.
3. Received a request from a resident to lower the sewer unit charge, due to the increased water
usage during the summer months to serve a sprinkler system for the yard, which has increased the
sewer units to 1 and ½. The resident also requests reimbursement for the sewer unit charge in
excess of 1 unit for 2011 and 2012. The following was discussed:
a. Concern for reimbursing past charges as there is no way to determine actual water usage
for the residence versus the sprinkler system
b. This request will set a precedent for a situation which is not unique in the Village of
Bloomfield
c. Village policy is and has been that the resident is responsible for tracking and for notifying
the village of water usage for filling pools, etc. This would be more difficult for sprinkler systems,
therefore an “x” meter should be installed, at the owner’s expense, to measure water used that
does not enter the sewer system.
d. Trustee Conklin expressed concern for the resident’s responsibility to install the meter such
that it could be installed and used improperly.
e. The water consumptions for quarters 1,2 and 4 are less than 50,000 gallons. It is
reasonable to assume that water consumption for the summer quarter (for normal, non-sprinkling
use) would not exceed 50,000 gallons.
Trustee Coleman motioned, Mayor Falsone seconded to deny the request of the owner of property
located at 39 Michigan St. for reimbursement of sewer unit charges in excess of 1 unit for the years
2011 and 2012 and further to make the change going forward with the condition that the property
owner install an “x” meter, at the property owner’s expense, to measure water used in the sprinkler
system for future sewer unit determinations. The roll call vote was: Trustee Coleman – yes, Trustee
Kimball – yes, Mayor Falsone – yes, Trustee Conklin – no and Trustee Barnard was excused. The
motion was carried.
4. The Village Board of Trustees officially recognizes Halloween as Thursday October 31 with
celebration from 5-9 p.m.
Adjournment: Mayor Falsone motioned, Trustee Coleman seconded and it was unanimously carried
to adjourn the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Conradt, Clerk