The Ontario County Board of Supervisors met for a regular meeting on April 1, 2021. During the meeting, the Board continued its long-standing process of blocking resolutions into groups for consideration. The Board considered and unanimously approved 39 resolutions without discussion or debate.
The Government Operations and Insurance Committee moved five resolutions to the full Board for consideration.
The first Resolution authorized acceptance of a $91,912.47 grant from the New York State Board of Elections. These grant funds were from the Cybersecurity Remediation Grant Program for program costs running from December 21, 2019, through December 31, 2021.
The Board also approved the purchase of a book scanner for the Department of Records, Archives, and Information Services. The County received five bids to provide the scanner, one of which was disqualified for not meeting the bid specifications. The County determined Indus International, Inc. (West Salem WI) to be the low bidder who offered a product that met bid specifications. The Board authorized a contract for $20,000 for the purchase of the scanner and an additional $3,250 annually beginning in 2022 for scanner maintenance services.
The Government Operations and Insurance Committee also brought forward an administrative Resolution to authorize the continuation of Intermunicipal Cooperation Agreements with school districts for the provision of school tax bill preparation services. As has been typical, this year’s resolution called for a one-year agreement starting April 1, 2021, and ending March 31, 2022. The Resolution approved agreements with the Bloomfield Central School District, the Canandaigua City School District, the Geneva City School District, the Honeoye Central School District, the Honeoye Falls-Lima Central School District, the Livonia Central School District, the Marcus Whitman Central School District, the Naples Central School District, the Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District, the Victor Central School District, and the Wayland-Cohocton Central School District.
The Committee’s fourth resolution approved the renewal of a contract with Canandaigua Quick Print for printing services. This renewal is the fifth and final renewal authorized under the original contract between the County and Canandaigua Quick Print and would run through February 28, 2022.
The Government Operations and Insurance Committee’s final resolution accepted $4,335 in grant funding from the New York State Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Abatement Grant Program. The grant funding covers services provided from August 1, 2020, through July 31, 2021.
The Health & Human Services Committee presented 10 resolutions to the Board for approval.
The Committee’s first Resolution was a Proclamation designating April 5-11, 2021 as Public Health Week. The theme of the 2021 Public Health Week was “Building Bridges to Better Health”. The Proclamation was intended to promote a better understanding of the value of public health programs and the numerous opportunities to adopt healthy preventive lifestyles.
The Board also approved a contract with Dr. William Dean of Pathology Services PLLC (Geneva NY) for autopsy services. The contract pays Dr. Dean at the rate of $750 per autopsy. The Contract covered services provided from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022.
The Committee also presented a Resolution seeking authorization to enact a sliding fee schedule for 2021 for public health services. The fee schedules are based on the current year’s Federal Poverty Guidelines and the Department of Public Health used the fee schedules to determine clients’ eligibility for reduced fee payments for services. The Board later approved a separate resolution for a sliding fee scale for services provided by the Department of Mental Health.
The Health & Human Services Committee’s fourth Resolution was to authorize acceptance of a $21,893 grant from the New York Department of Health for services associated with expedited partner therapy for the treatment of Chlamydia Trachomatis infection. This grant was extended through December 31, 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on services provided under the grant.
The Board also approved acceptance of reimbursement grant funding from the New York State Department of Health for a rabies control program. The grant provides Ontario County with $37,588 annually for five years for total funding of $187,940. The program runs from April 1, 2021, through March 31, 2026.
The Board also extended an existing contract with Health Research, Inc. for emergency preparedness program services. The contract was set to expire March 15, 2021, but the Board’s action extended the contract through December 31, 2021, at no additional cost to the County.
The Health and Human Services Committee also submitted three Resolutions making appointments to the Finger Lakes Workforce Development Board and the Finger Lakes Workforce Investment Board. The board approved appointing Erica Wright, Vice President Finger Lakes Extrusion Corp. (Canandaigua NY), Robert Coyne, Executive Director Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association (Rochester NY), and Randi DiAntonio, Vice President New York State Public Employees Federation (Rochester NY) to each board. Wright and DiAntonio will serve on the Boards until June 30, 2022, while Coyne will serve until June 30, 2022.
The Planning & Environmental Quality Committee proposed nine resolutions for the Board’s consideration.
The Committee recommended a Resolution authorizing a contract between the County and the Ontario County Industrial Development Agency. The Industrial Development Agency would pay the County approximately $169,000 for economic development related services, including managerial, administrative, financial, website hosting, and publication services. The Contract also authorized the use of some County facilities and would run from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. The Board also approved an identical contract with the Ontario County Economic Development Corporation for approximately $71,000.
The Board also approved a proclamation designating April as Fair Housing Month. Fair Housing Month was intended to promote non-discrimination in housing. The Proclamation sought to prevent discrimination in housing because of age, color, familial status, handicap, national origin, race, religion, or sex. The County will display Fair Housing informational posters in County buildings and post information regarding Fair Housing on the County’s webpage. The County will also provide municipalities with posters to display in their buildings.
The Board also approved four Resolutions appointing Sue Kell (Manchester NY), Gregory Farkas (Clifton Springs NY), Christen Smith (Canandaigua NY), and reappointing Martin Avila (Victor) to the Ontario County Planning Board.
The Planning & Environmental Quality Committee also submitted two Resolutions related to the Seneca Watershed Intermunicipal Organization (SWIO). The first Resolution approved a contract with Hobart and William Smith Colleges in the amount of $5,000 for the operation of the program. The second Resolution approved the County signing a memorandum of understanding regarding membership in SWIO and appointing Supervisor Louis Guard (Geneva) as the Board’s representative on SWIO. Guard abstained from the vote on both Resolutions because of his employment at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
The Public Safety Committee brought three resolutions for the Board’s adoption.
The Committee’s first Resolution authorized a letter of consent regarding T-Mobile Northeast LLC wireless communications equipment located at a County-owned tower at 701 High Street, Victor, New York. The letter of consent was necessary because T-Mobile took over the site from the previous tenant Omnipoint Communications, Inc. and because T-Mobile wished to upgrade the wireless communications equipment located at the tower site. The actual equipment upgrade work would be performed by Transcend Wireless on behalf of T-Mobile.
The Board also accepted a Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Grant from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services in the amount of $5,172. The grant funds permitted the County to conduct in-person and online HazMat trainings and drills. The grant contract ran from April 1, 2021, through July 31, 2022.
The Committee’s final Resolution authorized a contract with TCI Equipment, LLC for the purchase of E-911 equipment. The contract includes equipment purchase, installation of the equipment, and a four year maintenance contract at a total cost of $24,784.43.
The Board heard eight resolutions from the Public Works Committee. The first two of these Resolutions were related to the phone room renovation project at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC). The first Resolution approved a no-cost contract extension with FirstLight through August 31, 2021, for installation and programming of equipment during Phase II of the project. The second Resolution approved quotes from FirstLight for three Cisco Headsets ($804.60), annual licensing for A-Flex Voice ($39,000), and for three years of basic support and service coverage of the phone system ($7,180.80).
The Board also awarded a contract for construction inspection services related to the replacement of culverts on County Road 36. Ravi Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C. (Rochester NY) was awarded the contract for $150,000.
The Committee’s next Resolution created a Capital Project for intersection improvement work to be done at County Road 4 and County Road 20. The Resolution also authorized County staff to procure Federal funding for the project and approved a contract in the amount of $192,230 with Bergmann Associates (Rochester NY) for preliminary engineering and related services for the project.
The Public Works Committee also presented a resolution to facilitate a budget amendment to complete part of the Hopewell Complex Improvements project. This budget amendment would fund drainage improvements for a stretch of land between the Records and Archives Building and the end of the Ontario County Jail parking lot. The drainage improvement work would be performed by the Ontario County Highway Department.
The Board also authorized a contract in the amount of $1,404 with Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES for the purchase of natural gas. The contract was necessary because natural gas is used exclusively to heat many County facilities.
The County also granted a one-year contract extension with Gotta Do Contracting, LL for hauling and disposal of sludge from Honeoye Lake. The contract extension is based on the same terms as the original contract and would run through May 14, 2022.
The Public Works Committee’s final Resolution authorized the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association to use County parkland for the 2021 Gypsy Moth Scout and Scrape event. The project is a volunteer effort to rid the Gannett Hills Park in Naples of a harmful infestation of gypsy moth eggs. The initial events were scheduled for April 17, 2021, April 24, 20201, and May 1, 2021.
The Ways and Means Committee concluded the evening’s meeting with five resolutions. The first Resolution presented by the Committee established a stipend to be paid to County staff entrusted with caring for a Therapy Dog to be used to assist victims of crimes with Court appearances. The cost of the Therapy Dog and at least 80% of the stipend will be paid using grant funds from the New York State Office of Victim Services received by the District Attorney’s Office.
The Committee also presented a Resolution authorizing the creation of a temporary County Police Officer position. The temporary position would last only 90 days and would not have any benefits associated with it. The position was required because of the temporary disability of a County Police Officer.
The third Resolution submitted by the Ways and Means Committee approved removing two funds from the County’s Deferred Compensation Plan for County employees. The County sought to remove the Invesco Comstock Y Fund and the Invesco Equity and Income R6 Fund because of long-term underperformance. The Resolution also called for replacing the underperforming funds with the American Century Strategic Allocation: Mod. Inv. Fund and the Hartford Dividend and Growth HLS IA Fund. In a related action, the Board also adopted an amended Model Plan and Schedules A and B for County Employees in the Deferred Compensation Plan.
The final Resolution of the evening adopted an amended Ontario County Cash Management and Investment Policy.
Todd covers local government in the Finger Lakes. He has a JD degree the Lincoln Law School of Sacramento. Send tips to [email protected].