Welcome to the official website for the village of Oneida Castle, NY.
Just a reminder that we will not be snowplowing the sidewalks this winter. Some of the sidewalks have already been dug up and the sidewalks that have not been dug up have been damaged when all the trees were removed. We don't want to take chance of having a hunk of concrete going into the snowblower and damaging it The bright side is that the majority of the sidewalks will be replaced. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and a great Christmas and New Year. Here are the November minutes.
Jack
November 11, 2024
The regular monthly meeting of the Oneida Castle Village Board was called to order by Mayor John Deschamps at 7:00pm in the village hall. Also present were Trustees Ackerman and Gwilt, Clerk Canada and Treasurer Meyers. The following residents were also in attendance: Charles Wesseldine, Carol Deschamps, Judy Decker, Mickey Moore, Richard Moore, Frank and Janet Sarensky, Karen Sarensky, Sandy Healy, Stephanie Tubbs, Andrew Tubbs, Rob Wright, Erin Trexler, James Smith, Cody Carnaya, Thomas Lenio, Kathy Wojciechowski, Scott Butler, Tom Cochran, Kelley Schrank, Chuck Campbell, Rhonda McLaughlin, Ash Lovett, Royal Littler, Sharon Bognaski and village attorney Melisssa Felton
MINUTES
A motion was made by Trustee Ackerman and seconded by Trustee Gwilt to accept the minutes.
B. REPORTS
Cody Carnaya is a village resident and a financial planner. He spoke of ways to finance the sewer hook ups for the homeowners. If a person is able to save $250 a month for the time period of 2 years before required hook up, that would cover the average cost of $3-5,000. Other options would be a Helock loan (line of credit) or a 203K loan which is a refinancing of the entire home if a person has a 20% equity in the home.
Mr. Carnaya volunteered to head a committee in researching EFC loans for the village as an environmental improvement.
C. PUBLIC CONCERNS
A question came from the floor as to whether or not a person could do their own digging for the lateral. The Mayor answered yes but there is a lot to it which would have to be inspected by our Codes when done. One would have to consider grade and pitch for the water to flow properly.
Melissa Felton, village attorney, stated that Madison County has used aa lot of grants and she will make some calls in an effort to assist with this.
Another question that arose from the floor concerned the fine that would be imposed if you don’t hook up. Mayor Deschamps stated that the website said $500 but that would be up to the judge.
Mrs. Moore says she travels in and out a lot and is concerned about getting to work on time and the grandchildren to school. Mr. Moore is concerned about the water that they will find on the east side of State St. Mrs. Moore said that there men are very approachable and helpful and she has questioned them on their time frame.
Ms. Lovett questioned who is the engineer and does he come to the job site. She would like more contact information and feels like people’s experiences are not being addressed. People need to talk to someone in charge. Trustee Gwilt suggested that residents either write down or email one of the Board members who will take these questions to the monthly meeting. Mayor Deschamps said he would be glad to take any written concerns tonight after the meeting.
Several questions also arose concerning putting the stake at your property line. Rob Wright asked if sump pumps can go into the sewer system. The Mayor answered no they cannot empty into the sewers. Washing machine water and anything that goes into a drywell can.
Tom Cochran asked a question about filling your septic tank up with water instead of sand. Mr. Deschamps stated that it is a state law that says it must be filled with sand and inspected.
Mr. Smith asked if the Board would be bringing an engineer for information. Ms. Lovett wanted to know who is in charge of Mr. Jabloncky . The Board explained that the engineering firm is named Ramboll, formerly OBrien and Geer. They have a project manager that overseas the site and can be seen riding around the job site. Residents can approach him and ask him questions.
Mr. Moore asked if it was the Town of Vernon Codes that will do the inspecting. The Mayor responded by saying that whoever comes will have the regulations and specs. If a permit is required, there will be no charge.
Mr. Butler asked if the ground was ever tested for water and who is responsible for the cracks in his cellar. This should be taken up with Jablonsky construction.
D. BUSINESS
The business portion of the meeting began with the reading of a resolution for Local Law 1 of the year 2024 which would place a 6 month moratorium on commercial Free Standing photovoltaic systems within the village of Oneida Castle. A roll call vote was taken with three ayes. This resolution was signed and certified by the clerk. Notice was given that the Village Board of Oneida Castle will hold a public hearing on the proposed law at the Village hall on December 2, 2024 at 6:30pm. This notice was placed on the outside bulletin board and will be published in the Rome Sentinel.
In other business, Sherri Stone spoke for her son, Gabriel, who is working on his Eagle Scout badge in Oneida Castle. She explained that he could not be here tonight and told about his Fitness in Oneida Castle project. She thanked Rocks and Blocks for donating the cement and Scott Moyer for pouring the concrete. In closing, Mrs. Stone mentioned that Gabe is still seeking donations for the completion of his project.
Mayor Deschamps announced that the members of the DAR are doing a program called Wreaths Across America. Wreaths can be purchased to be placed on cemetery graves by Dec 1. See the Mayor for a form.
E. TREASURERS REPORT
Mrs. Meyers began her report with the cash flows for October. Inflows were $953,339.98 and outflows were $998,632.42 making a monthly total of negative $45,292.44. This includes an EPA grant for inflows and a sewer payment for outflows.
Year to date inflows were $1,017,031.32 and year to date outflows were $1,086,382.12 making an overall total of a positive $69,350.80.
There is currently $1263,964.86 in checking and $105,670.49 in savings. The general fund balance is $264,918.01.
The Veteran Memorial Fund has $6,832.21 and the Ada Karr CD has $13,848.74.
A motion was made by Trustee Ackerman and seconded by Trustee Gwilt to accept this financial report.
A motion was made by Trustee Ackerman to go into executive session in order to discuss a possible pending litigation. This was seconded by Trustee Gwilt. The regular meeting was adjourned at 8:00pm and will not be reconvening tonight. The next scheduled meeting will take place on December 2, 2024 with a public hearing at 6:30pm and a meeting at 7:00pm.
The executive session ended at 8:45.
Respectfully submitted,
Jean Canada, Clerk