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Town of Victory Special Board Meeting Public Hearing for 2016 Budget October 26, 2015 Council Member present Leonard Hand Eleanor Pittroff Lester VanDyke Michael Wiggins Supervisor Victoria Davis Clerk Others in attendance attached Meeting moved to Victory Fire Hall due to Volume of people in attendance. Meeting called to order with Pledge of Allegiance at 7:05 pm. Proposed Budget of $ $504,057.00 Lester Vandyke discussed the rate per thousand; it is $5.90 in 2015 it was $6.11 around a 20 cent decrease this year. He also explained the use of unexpended fund balance and compared the years prior to this years proposed use of $ 29,542.00. Mike discussed the events which lead to the Town Boards decision to end trash removal service after one sealed bid was received at much higher rate than previously seen. With no subsidies from the tax money the permits would cost about $246.00 per permit. It was question from the public why the Town Board did not put this back out for bid. Mike stated he did not see enough time to complete the budget with putting it back out for bid. Laurie Reichert questioned what paper were the request for bids put in, Mike stated it was in the Towns News Paper (Lakeshore News). Mike wanted to address a few comments he has heard before open the floor to the public. First being that the Town Board should be working for the tax payers, he stated they are working for the Tax payers but this also includes the ones that do not use the trash service. He has also heard that the money is in the budget to pay for it, he stated that the money has not been appropriated in the budget for garbage service. He has also heard that trash is a line item in the budget so it requires a referendum; he stated it is up to the Town Board to decide if something is a proper expenditure of funds. Laurie Reichert spoke about the town board not advertising the end of trash removal as they had stated they would at the previous board meeting. She also discussed the need for a referendum, she found with a FOIL of an email from The Association of Towns that the only way the board can take away a service is by board resolution at an open meeting. She stated that ending trash removal would not be in the best interest of the tax payers for several reasons. Such as hoarding trash leading to rodent infestation, people will also be burning and barring trash effecting home value and the environment. She stated that there will be issues with getting the trash cans down the drive way and keeping them there ---PAGE BREAK--- when the plows drive through. She also questioned having to pay an extra amount to dependable who bought out our contract. It was questioned by the public that has the board considered all the alternatives, such as what is used at the Town of Conquest or joining with another Township. It was also questioned if the Town had reached out past the advertisement requesting sealed bids. It had only gone into the Lakeshore News. Suggested by the public is buying our own roll offs to be duped and run by the town it is also suggested that the Town look into buying there own garbage truck. The Town Clerk stated that she had contacted local trash removal companies in search for residential prices. Upon doing this several companies requested to inform of bids in the future. Also that Dependable Disposal offered a compactor system at a much lower cost that was never discussed with the board at the September 22nd meeting. Nancy questioned if there was time to put it back out to bid and get the budget in on time. The clerk discussed the dates that involve the budget process. Leonard stated that he thinks that is needs to put back out to bid for the same services offered now and expect that we will see a service rate increase and an increase in taxes. Nancy makes a motion to reopen the bid and delay the hearing until the bids come back seconded by Leonard; All ayes. Eleanor stated that she would like to see what the people who bid could offer in other services as well. Motion to end the meeting at 8:20pm made by Seconded