Councilor Contemplations – May 2022

by Sara Bollinger – Manlius Town Councilor

Communication

Belated appreciation to Councilor Heather Waters who insisted on adding Open Podium to Town Board meetings back in January 2020. She worked hard to figure out the appropriate logistics and update the Rules of Decorum pre-pandemic. Since then, the Open Podium has provided a great opportunity for residents to bring up issues that are not on the agenda and concerns the Town Board may know nothing about. It only takes a few minutes and I find it has been a very impactful improvement for Town Board meetings.

While COVID-19 infection is still impacting many people in the Manlius community, the Executive Orders extending the Public Health Emergency have ended. This means that most of the flexibilities and exceptions permitted during the PHE have also ended. For this reason, the Town proposed, held a public hearing and passed a Local Law permitting Town Board members to participate virtually if they are unable to participate in person, as long as a quorum of Councilors are present at the in-person meeting at Town Hall.

Comprehensive Planning

Haudenosaunee Listening Session https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYjpz8R3Zu0 Don’t skip this! You will learn a lot you didn’t know you didn’t know.

Trash, Garbage, Refuse, Recycling

The transition to automated trash pick-up has been rough for the Town. Staff have received hundreds of calls and emails. While the number and passion are high, it is important to recognize that about 90% of trash district participants are satisfied with the new arrangement. Automated trash and recycling are already in place in the Village of Manlius and the Towns of Pompey and DeWitt. We are pleased to let people know that
Supervisor Deer negotiated for a 90-day window for residents to swap 95- gallon containers for 65- gallon containers at no cost. If you would like to swap, you must contact the Town as soon as possible.

Work Sessions

Your Town representatives have enhanced a mechanism for engagement called a Work Session or Workshop. These are meetings of the Board to learn and discuss, but no votes or official actions will be taken. It is planned that these will be scheduled from 5 to 6 PM prior to the first Board Meeting each month. The next Work Session will be July 13th with guest speaker Emanuel Carter about Zoning.