The Town of Champion met in regular session on Monday, January 6, 2003 at 7PM at the Town Municipal Building. Present were: Supervisor Buckley, Councilmen Watkins, Stewart, and Buzzell, Highway Superintendent Sech, and Attorney Farley. Councilman Peck was absent.

Supervisor Buckley opened the meeting for public comment. No one from the public spoke.

• Councilman- Mr. Buzzell inquired about the boundaries for the Great Bend Street Lighting District and reported on outages.
• Highway Superintendent- Mr. Sech submitted his written monthly report. It was reviewed and discussed by the Board. Mr. Sech discussed the power pole directly in front of the Town Board and recommended its re-location to an area adjacent to the old barn. The Board authorized the Clerk to submit a request in writing for the re-location.
• Assessors- Mr. White reported that the office continues to update data for the 2003 tax roll.
• Town Attorney- Mr. Farley reported on lease negotiations with Time Warner. Language and terms have been informally agreed to and a final draft of the agreement is pending. Supervisor Buckley reported that he has directed Time Warner that no modifications to the building shall be made without prior approval and inspection by the Town.
• Planning Board- Mr. LaBarge reported that due to a lack of business the December meetings of the board were cancelled. Regular meetings will resume on January 14, 2003.

Motion by Mr. Watkins, seconded by Mr. Stewart to approve the minutes for December 2 and December 31, 2002 as presented. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Stewart to pay the following bills as presented:

General #1-17...........................................................$20,977.86
Highway #1-12.........................................................$150,090.14
RACOG #1-3...............................................................$2,222.22
SD#1 O&M #1-3.............................................................$648.81
WD#1 O&M #1.................................................................$20.00
WD#2 O&M #1-2............................................................$171.34
WD#3 O&M #1-2........................................................$12,940.00
WD#4 O&M #1-3........................................................$18,838.04

Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

The Supervisor's monthly report was read and discussed. Copies of the 4^th quarter report were distributed to the Board. Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Watkins to approve the report as presented. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Supervisor Buckley reviewed correspondence received by his office. The Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce has requested funds to support Winterfest 2003. Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Watkins to appropriate $250.00 for Winterfest activities pending execution of a contract between the Town and the Chamber. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Jefferson County Solid Waste Management has informed the Town that they will be raising the fees for recycling pickups from $45.90 to $61.20 effective February 1, 2003.

Missing Links Snowmobile Club has informed the Town that their trails are closed until such time that they can obtain insurance coverage. This closure is affecting all trail systems within New York state.

The State Comptrollers Office has sent notice that they will be sponsoring a training session directed at Town Board members to review the Board's reponsibilities relative to annual audit requirements. The session will be held on January 24, 2003 from 7-9:00PM at the Town of Champion Municipal Building and will be open to all interested municipalities.

The Carthage Area Rescue Squad submitted for the Board's information proposed rate increases.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Watkins to appoint the following individuals to the position noted:

• Deputy Clerk- Janice Houghton and Margaret Brotherton
• Registrar- Christina Vargulick
• Deputy registrar- Janice Houghton
• Historian- Suzanne Wiley
• Town Attorney- Timothy A. Farley
• Zoning Enforcement Officer- Brian S. Phelps
• Planning Board member- Frank Koster
• Zoning board member- James Barnes
• Deputy Supervisor- Thomas Stewart

Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Watkins to appoint John D. Peck as the voting delegate at the Association of Towns convention. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Stewart to set salaries as presented (see attached). Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Stewart to re-adopt the investment and procurement policies and forms without amendment. Ayes-4. Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Buzzell to set the first Monday of the month at 7:00PM as the meeting date and time of the Town Board; the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM, as necessary, as the Planning Board meeting date and time; and the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30PM, as necessary, as the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting date and time. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Buzzell to designate Key Bank, Community Bank, HSBC, Pathfinder and J P Morgan Chase as the depositories in which the Supervisor, Town Clerk, Tax Collector, and Justices shall deposit all monies coming into their hands by virtue of their offices. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Watkins authorizing all elected officials to attend all necessary schools. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Watkins, seconded by Mr. Buzzell to set the mileage reimbursement rate at $.32/mile. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Watkins to designate the Carthage Republican Tribune and the Watertown Daily Times as the official newspapers of the Town. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Watkins, seconded by Mr. Buzzell to authorize the Supervisor and Deputy Supervisor to sign checks. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Buzzell to designate Family Practice Associates as the firm to perform all necessary alcohol and substance testing. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Stewart, seconded by Mr. Buzzell to adopt the retirement resolution as amended (see attached). Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

The 2002 financial records of the Supervisor, Town Clerk, and Justices were audited and signatures were affixed.

The Supervisor reviewed the financial status of the water and sewer districts. Water District #2 continues to operate at a deficit. Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Watkins to increase the quarterly rate in Water District #2 by $10/quarter effective with the second quarter billing. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Watkins to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing a particular personnel matter. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried. Executive session began at 8:15PM.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Stewart to return to open session. Ayes-4, Nays-0. Motion carried. Open session resumed at 8:34PM.

Motion by Mr. Buzzell, seconded by Mr. Stewart to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:35PM.