PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

Monday, February 13, 2023 - 9:30 AM

Steve McNally, Chairperson

Ike Tyler, Vice-Chairperson

Chairman McNally called this Public Safety Meeting to order at 9:30 am with the following Supervisors in attendance: Clayton Barber, Robin DeLoria, Stephanie DeZalia, Derek Doty, Shaun Gillilland, Charlie Harrington, Roy Holzer, Steve McNally, Noel Merrihew, Jim Monty, Tom Scozzafava, Matt Stanley, Ike Tyler, Joe Pete Wilson, Margaret Wood and Mark Wright. Kenneth Hughes and Davina Winemiller were excused.

Department Heads present: James Dougan, Emily Evatt, Judy Garrison, Miriam Hadden, Michael Mascarenas, Mary McGowan, Jack Moulton, Heather Sheehan, David Reynolds, Matt Watts and Daniel Woods.

Also present: Jen Fifield and Krista Moran.

News media: Sun News – Alana Penny

McNALLY: I will call the public safety committee to order, please rise for the salute to the flag. Veteran’s office – Noel Merrihew.

MERRIHEW: Good morning Mr. Chairman. No report this morning. Thank you.

McNALLY: County Sealer, Dan Woods.

WOODS: Good morning. First I am proposing for a resolution accepting and placing on file the 2022 Weights & Measurers Annual Report.

RESOLUTION ACCEPTING AND PLACING ON FILE THE 2022 WEIGHTS & MEASURERS ANNUAL REPORT. Harrington, Holzer

McNALLY: Questions, concerns? All in favor, opposed – carried. Anything else?

WOODS: After the annual report, I also have my January report if anybody wants to look at that. If anyone has any questions on my January report?

McNALLY: Questions for Dan?

DOTY: Dan, I’d like to say that is an impressive report to know that you made the rounds and hit everywhere in one current year. The amount of money you are bringing into this county is commendable and I think you’re doing a great job.

WOODS: Thank you sir.

McNALLY: All right anything else? If not, you’re all set.

WOODS: Thank you. Have a great day.

McNALLY: Okay, Board of Elections – Jack Moulton, Mary McGowan.

McGowan: Hello everyone. I am Mary McGowan. My first time in front of you so I’m a little shaky. Last month all Board of Election employees attended the New York State Election Commissioners Conference in Albany for training and to learn new legislative updates. It was quite the eye opener for me, many hands are involved in the election process and everything from the computerized machines to cyber security on down line. It didn’t scare me away. I am still here. As you all know, I replaced Sue Montgomery-Corey and the news of her death did ripple through Essex County and beyond so I lost my mentor so I ask that you do bear with me on the learning curve and thank you for the opportunity to serve.

MOULTON: We do have the 2022 annual report from the Board of Elections we need a resolution to accept and put that on file.

RESOLUTION ACCEPTING AND PLACING ON FILE THE 2022 BOARD OF ELECTIONS ANNUAL REPORT. Wright, Doty

McNALLY: Questions, concerns? All in favor, opposed – carried.

MOULTON: Great. A couple other announcements for you guys, first the petitions, the political calendars come out, I know I’ve sent it to our caucus if you need it let us know. Otherwise the first petition circulation day is February 28 and you’ve got to file them by April 3, first day to file. You do have to file between 9 and 5 so even though the office hours say 8:30 to 4:30, you’ve got to show up 9 to 5.

The next, we are, this week are going to start to consolidate a couple of election districts. This really won’t impact really anything you guys do but we’ll streamline a lot of our paperwork, time, staff time, it’s going to make it much more efficient for results at the end of the night just kind of all-around win. I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you hear about it, it really won’t affect your voters but and then lastly, like Mary said, we were at the conference. They have approved new machines. Our machines are approaching 15 years old so, more than likely we would like to try and get those this year instead of during a Presidential year where everything is a lot, you know. So, we are getting a quote this week and we’ll probably be back to the board with some additional funding requests.

TYLER: Is there money in the budget for those?

MOULTON: We’ve been putting away as a reserve each year for the last couple years. I want to say there’s about one-hundred and fiftyish in there right now. We expect I think the initial quote was like five-hundred and then we talked at the conference, I think it’s going to be closer to like three-fifty so, we will probably be about two-hundred shy. Some of that we’ll be able to put into our budget the existing, we have a little grant funds left but.

DEZALIA: Where are we with early voting locations? Being that North Hudson is usually a location we have a lot on the ballot this year and I’m not really sure with that many on the ballot we could be closed for that many days so I think it’s something we need to look at because there’s supervisor, town clerk, assessor, pretty much all of our offices are all on the ballot.

MOULTON: Yeah, we met last week and we did talk about that and how that is going to be down there so we have talked about it. We haven’t really finalized where our sites are going to be. We know, legally we have to have one in Lake Placid but we haven’t decided if we are going to have a second one or where it’s going to be yet but we do know we can’t put you guys out of the office for ten days.

DEZALIA: Thank you.

McNALLY: Alright, thank you. District Attorney? Emergency Services – Matt Watts.

WATTS: Good morning. So I do have one resolution to go out to bid and award a contract for tower lighting and maintenance at Terry Mountain with money to come from budgeted funds, not to exceed $150,000.

RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASING AGENT TO GO OUT TO BID A CONTRACT FOR TOWER LIGHTING AND MAINTENANCE AT TERRY MOUNTAIN RADIO TOWER WITH FUNDS TO COME FROM BUDGETED FUNDS. Tyler, Doty

McNALLY: Questions, concerns? Where’s this money coming from?

WATTS: We budgeted it into the SICG grant.

McNALLY: Anybody have any questions? All in favor, opposed – carried.

WATTS: Thank you. You have my report, any questions on that?

MONTY: It’s not a question on the report Matt, last week we were talking about Verizon cutting back their rentals on some municipal owned properties. Verizon has equipment on some of our towers?

WATTS: They do, I believe it’s Belfry.

MONTY: Have you anything from them?

WATTS: We did. Jackie Murray who is our attorney for all the communication stuff sent us something and suggested that we reject the offer because I can’t off the top of my head remember what the reduction was, they want to reduce it just like they did for everybody else. So, my recommendation would be to reject it as well.

MONTY: Absolutely.

McNALLY: What’s the chances of them pulling it off?

WATTS: I’m not really sure. I don’t think they could. I don’t think they would find any other place to put it.

McNALLY: Public safety is our main concern here.

MASCARENAS: Matt, did she speak to the contract in terms of what they are required to do? I mean, you’re rejecting the offer it tells me you have a contract long term.

WATTS: Correct. It is the same one that everybody else has, the thirty year but it renewed, every what, five years I believe? It’s at the time where one of those five years could be renewed and they want to of course, lower it just like they do everybody else.

DELORIA: Matt, this contract that you’re speaking of is a request of renewing the contract, you’re using the word reject doesn’t that rejection come to the full board through Mike’s office?

MASCARENAS: You certainly could. You could push a resolution forward to reject the offer.

DELORIA: We should, if we decide that we are going to give you this instead of that I would think the board needs to decide that, that way if there is further action going forward as with what JoePete is dealing with and maybe some of these other towns. I haven’t had anything in the mail but I can assure you, we’re going to keep it status quo, we are not going to change anything.

WATTS: Great.

GILLILLAND: Matt do you think Jackie Murray could come in and go into executive session and give us some legal advice on this issue?

WATTS: Yes, I can set that up.

GILLILLAND: Thanks.

WATTS: What meeting would you like her to come to Mr. Gillilland?

GILLILLAND: Whatever she is available.

MONTY: Now, our county contract and you may have said it and I didn’t hear you, is it a fixed term contract with an automatic reopener or is it a ten year contract, fifteen year contract with a reopener every five years?

WATTS: I believe it is a thirty. I don’t remember off the top of my head. I can look it up and email you guys.

MONTY: I’m just curious, if it is a fixed year contract how they can even, if we don’t agree with reopening, how they can even think about doing it?

WOOD: We renegotiated a five year amount two years ago, three years ago now in 2020 and they have come back now and want to open it up again and reduce the pay. AT&T has been pushing since May to make changes effective now November 1, 2025 and our town attorney has those contracts. We haven’t heard from Team Mobile yet but we expect to. So, the fact that we have a five-year term in your thirty-year contract doesn’t appear to be anything to Verizon. I can’t say that for sure but to come back after two years and start pushing to change things.

McNALLY: Do they have a justification why they want to lower the cost?

WATTS: Not that I am aware of.

McNALLY: They just don’t want to pay. Anybody else? Okay, you’re all set, thank you.

SCOZZAFAVA: How many towns actually have contracts with Verizon and towers? Six. I’m just thinking instead of everybody going off in different directions maybe we can Shaun, invite up the attorney and let’s all try to stay on the same page on this thing that way we are not spending individually a ton on attorney fees, it’s just a suggestion but I think it would work much better if we were unified to sit down and negotiate with them.

McNALLY: Anybody else? Thank you. Emergency Medical Services, is there somebody here for that?

MASCARENAS: Matt is that guy.

McNALLY: Do you have anything for Emergency Medical Services?

WATTS: No nothing right now.

McNALLY: Sheriff’s Office – Dave Reynolds.

REYNOLDS: I just have one resolution accepting and placing on file the Sheriff’s 2022 yearly report.

RESOLUTION ACCEPTING AND PLACING ON FILE THE 2022 SHERIFF’S OFFICE ANNUAL REPORT. DeLoria, Holzer

McNALLY: Questions, concerns? All in favor, opposed – carried.

REYNOLDS: And if you have any questions about the yearly report or the monthly?

McNALLY: Anybody? Okay, thank you. Probation – Heather Sheehan.

SHEEHAN: Good morning everyone. You have my report and if you have any questions I can answer them.

McNALLY: Anybody have anything for Probation. I guess not. You’re all set, thank you. Public Defender – Emily Evatt.

EVATT: I have no report. Thank you.

McNALLY: Anybody have anything for Emily? Conflict Defender – Miriam Hadden.

HADDEN: Good morning everybody. I did provide a copy of my report to everybody this morning. If anybody has any questions I can answer.

McNALLY: Any questions? If not, thank you. Anything else?

GILLILLAND: I’m not on the committee but if I could, I would like to call for an executive session to discuss an ongoing contract with ROOST and brief the board where we are with that.

McNALLY: Moved by Tommy, second by Mr. Wright. All in favor, opposed.

THE COMMITTEE MOVED INTO AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 9:45 A.M. TO DISCUSS A CONTRACT WITH ROOST AND MOVED BACK INTO OPEN SESSION AT 10:05 A.M.

McNALLY: Can I have a motion to move back into session? Mr. Tyler, second by Mr. Wright. All in favor, opposed. Anything else in front of the public safety committee?

MONTY: Noel have they found somebody who is going to replace Jim when he leaves in April do you know? Jim Pierce, he submitted his papers to retire.

MERRIHEW: I did not know that.

MONTY: I’m sorry, you did not know that. Jim submitted his papers to retire.

MERRIHEW: By next month, I’m sure I’ll have something. I’ll try to find out what we need to do to replace him. Thank you.

McNALLY: Anything else? If not, we are adjourned.

As there was no further discussion to come before this Public Safety Committee it was adjourned at 10:05 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Judith Garrison, Clerk

Board of Supervisors