TB Meeting Last Night

Another friendly, informative meeting from the Town Board last night. I honestly do appreciate the friendly "feeling" of the board, and people smiling and getting along nicely. Everyone is friendly. It seems to be a much nicer atmosphere to conduct Town business in, and I do have to say that I appreciate ALL of you participating in that on a consistent basis. It doesn't seem fake to me, it seems genuine. When you disagree on something it doesn't come off nasty at all, it's just people disagreeing.
It's ok to disagree on things, but I do like that you are civil and friendly to each other. I think it makes a big difference. I just wanted to let you know that, again, it's a good meeting.

They answered "Doug's" question about the planning board vacancy. A PBM has moved to the city and has resigned from the PB, and the remainder of the term is being filled by Patrick Russi. Congratulations, and good luck to Patrick!

Congratulations and good luck to Pat Meredith who was appointed to DPW commissioner!

I sure hope at the next TB meeting that Barb Genier is officially reappointed as Town Clerk. She deserves to be reappointed. She serves ALL of the Town well.

The public hearing about the sewer extension was great. The third gentleman who got up to speak was great. Mr. Metzger(?) at the 50:37 mark of the video. He's lived in Irondequoit for 58 years. He wants a sewer. I don't blame him. (The house I grew up in had a septic system. Ugh. Hated it. Gross.) I think taxes to pay for things like sewer systems are what we pay taxes for. It's a need. It's public infrastructure that is (in my opinion) environmentally important. Living in the town for a certain amount of time doesn't mean you should get this or that (like living in Irondequoit for over 50 years and wanting a consolidated library and community center for instance), but I would think a sewer system is a need. A new library/community center is a want. Cover the needs first and worry about the wants when a community can afford it.

Public input at the beginning of the meeting was short and sweet. Short because there were only two people who gave input. Sweet because they were both nice residents of Irondequoit who conducted themselves civilly, and professionally.

Thank you!

First up was a member of the Library Board (10:45 mark of the video) who wished to clarify the purpose of hiring the consultant, and also wanting to clarify that the LB was not "hiding" anything with their joint TB/LB workshop in April, and that it was advertised in the usual place it is advertised.

I never accused them of hiding anything about the meeting. I just didn't know about the joint workshop. I know that the Library Board of Trustees meets every third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 P.M. Meetings are held at the Pauline Evans Branch and anyone wishing to speak at a meeting must sign up ahead of time at the Pauline Evans Branch, because it said it at the bottom of this link, nothing about workshops though, or joint TB/LB workshops. Because I didn't know about the joint tb/lb workshop, I could not attend the meeting, and I could only go by the meeting minutes, and in that blog I accused the LB of hiring a political consultant to campaign for the one library process. It said it in the minutes. That's what I have to go by.

If this meeting was advertised, I would like to ask....where? Where was it advertised that it was a joint TB/LB workshop?

It wasn't in MPN. I searched the archives for "Irondequoit workshop" for March and April, and there was nothing mentioned in any bulletin or announcement.

It wasn't in the April 2nd, or April 9th Legal Notices in MPN.

It wasn't in the D&C. I searched their archives for March and April and no articles were found announcing it.

It wasn't listed on the Town Calendar Of Events.


It wasn't listed in the Town Board Workshop Meeting Schedule. It just said TB Wkshp, not joint LB/TB.


I even googled Irondequoit joint town board library board workshop meeting, Irondequoit Public Library workshop, Irondequoit Library Workshop and a bunch of others and nothing comes up announcing that joint workshop.

It wasn't on your website. Just a link to your meeting minutes from your regular library board meetings. Workshop minutes were attached to the April 21st regular LB meeting minutes.


It wasn't in the Your Space library news section. The last entry on there is from November 9th, 2009.

It wasn't announced on your Irondequoit Library Facebook page



It wasn't announced on your Twitter account.


Sooooo....where was it advertised? If you could tell me that "usual place it is advertised" - it would be very helpful. Maybe I could find it and learn when your joint tb/lb workshops are?

Mr. Barone was up next for Public input and he talked about a light on Hudson that seemed a little out of tune with the flow of traffic, and he also brought up a good point about when preliminary budgets are due. The County wants everyone to have their preliminary budgets in by no later than November 20th. That would be after elections if there were an election that year, and Mr. Barone points out that budgets should come out before elections so voters have that information before they elect officials. I agree. He thought that preliminary budgets were due in September but that is in other counties, not Monroe - and that's the "estimates" budget due no later than October 20th. Right now, Preliminary budgets for towns are due no later than December 20th. They would like to move it up a month so taxpayers are aware of the budget and taxes associated with that.

You can read the NYS town laws at this link.
According to this link, they have until the 20th of October to submit estimates....tentative budget due no later than October 30th...preliminary budget no later than November 10th....and no later than December 20th for the preliminary budget to become official annual budget.. At least that's how I understand it.

*Scroll down to TWN and click on that (towns).
*Scroll down to, and click on Article 8 (finances).
*Sections 102-115 deal with the budget and when certain things are due.

§ 104. Submission of estimates.

1. The head of each administrative
unit, except as otherwise provided in section two hundred two-a of this
chapter, shall submit on or before the twentieth day of September to the
budget officer an estimate of revenues and expenditures of such
administrative unit for the ensuing year.
In towns in Westchester and Monroe counties such estimates shall be submitted on or before the twentieth day of October.
Estimates shall be submitted in such form and shall contain such information as the budget officer shall prescribe.

2. If the head of an administrative unit shall fail to submit an
estimate by the designated date, the budget officer shall forthwith
prepare the estimate for such administrative unit.

§ 106. Preparation, filing and review of tentative and preliminary
budgets.

1. The budget officer, upon receipt of the estimates of the
various administrative units, shall review the estimates and may confer
with the head of any such unit in regard to such estimates. He may
require the head of any such unit to furnish information and to answer
inquiries pertinent to such review.

2. Upon the completion of the review of the estimates, the budget
officer shall prepare a tentative budget which shall include his
recommendations and which shall be in the form prescribed in and in
conformance with section one hundred seven of this article. He may also
prepare a budget message explaining the main features of the tentative
budget and containing such additional information as he may deem
advisable. On or before the thirtieth day of September, or in towns in
Westchester and Monroe counties on or before the thirtieth day of
October, he shall file in the office of the town clerk the tentative
budget, the budget message, if any, and the estimates and schedules.

3. The town clerk shall present the tentative budget to the town board
at a regular or special meeting to be held on or before the fifth day of
October. In towns in Westchester and Monroe counties the town clerk
shall present the tentative budget to the town board at a regular or
special meeting to be held on or before the tenth day of November. The
town board may call upon the head of any administrative unit and the
budget officer to discuss the tentative budget and the estimates as
originally submitted. The head of any administrative unit may request in
writing that he be permitted to explain his estimates to the town board.
The town board shall review the tentative budget and may make such
changes, alterations and revisions as it shall consider advisable and
which are consistent with law.

4. Upon the completion of such review, the tentative budget and any
modifications thereof as approved by the town board, shall become the
preliminary budget. The preliminary budget shall be filed in the office
of the town clerk and the town clerk shall reproduce for public
distribution as many copies as the town board may direct.


§ 109. Final revision and adoption of budget.

1. After the public hearing, the town board may further change, alter and revise the
preliminary budget, subject, however, to the requirements of subdivision
one of section one hundred seven of this chapter.

2. The preliminary budget as submitted or amended shall be finally
adopted by resolution of the town board not later than the twentieth day
of November, except that in towns in Westchester and Monroe counties not
later than the twentieth day of December. The preliminary budget as
adopted shall be known as the annual budget for the town for the fiscal
year beginning on the first day of January next succeeding, and it shall
be entered in the minutes of the town board.

3. Upon the adoption of the resolution required by this section the
amounts proposed to be appropriated shall thereupon be appropriated. In
the event that the town board shall fail to adopt a budget as of the
twentieth day of November, or in towns in Westchester and Monroe
counties as of the twentieth day of December, the preliminary budget,
with such changes, alterations and revisions, if any, as shall have been
made by the town board, shall constitute the budget for the ensuing
fiscal year.