North Syracuse — The village of North Syracuse is still mulling over a possible change to the code that would restrict the percentage of a homeowner’s front yard that can be made of paved asphalt or stone. The issue first arose last month when village officials discussed what to do about homeowners who park multiple vehicles on their lawns, creating an eyesore.
“This is something that we’ll be trying to improve the quality of our residential properties,” Mayor Gary Butterfield said at the Jan. 14 meeting of the board of trustees.
Butterfield said the village is reviewing other municipalities’ codes to see how they handle the issue. Village attorney Scott Chatfield reviewed a section of the village of Liverpool’s code that deals with driveways.
“We need to find a balance,” he said. “We don’t want to be too restrictive, but some of the things going on in our village need to be limited.”
Trustee Paul Linnertz said he personally agreed that the proliferation of vehicles on lawns is an aesthetic issue, but he does not want to “infringe on people’s personal rights.”
“There’s that rift between your perception of what’s acceptable and mine, and my ownership and my property and I’m the king of my castle,” Linnertz said.
“The public hearing will be interesting,” Deputy Mayor Fred Fergerson said.
As for residents whose driveways comprise more than the allowable percentage of front yard — which has yet to be determined — Chatfield said the code could include an “abatement provision,” which would allow a homeowner to rectify the situation within a “reasonable period of time” after the restrictions would go into effect.
Resident David Robinson expressed his concerns about the number of rental properties in the village contributing to the problem. He said houses that used to be single-family homes are increasingly becoming rental properties in which groups of friends share a house, and multiple vehicles may not fit in the existing driveway. Robinson said he saw a car parked in a front yard just behind the sidewalk and nearly touching the residence, which could be a hazard.
continued — The board of trustees has no concrete proposal for changing the code yet, but Butterfield said the village planning commission will hold a workshop on the asphalt issue soon. His goal is to implement changes to the code by spring or early summer.
“That may be aggressive, but I’m hoping to keep on track,” he said.
Village appoints deputy clerk/treasurer
Also at the Jan. 14 meeting, the board voted to appoint Julia Getman as deputy clerk/treasurer. The position has been the subject of months of back and forth at village board meetings.
The previous deputy clerk/treasurer, Denise Papa, was a member of the Teamsters Local 317 union, but village attorney Scott Chatfield said since the deputy clerk/treasurer handles governmental business in the absence of the clerk/treasurer, it should not be a union position.
“To make it part of the collective bargaining unit when the nature of the position enjoys confidentiality to the management of the village [is] a conflict of interest,” Chatfield told the Star-Review.
After Papa’s departure, the village board created the position of “confidential assistant to the clerk/treasurer” to restore the position to its previous non-union status, but the Onondaga County Department of Personnel Rules for the Classified Service, which handles civil service testing and positions, said that title would be a competitive, tested position.
The board voted 4-1 to appoint Getman, whose previous position in the village was classified as “Codes Typist 1,” to deputy clerk/treasurer. Trustee Paul Linnertz cast the dissenting vote because he objected to raising Getman’s salary from $28,000 to $32,000.
“I feel she has a lot to offer,” said Clerk/Treasurer Dianne Kufel. “It’s a difficult position … it’s got a lot to it.”
“She was lobbying for this. She said it’s equal to what the other person was making,” Mayor Gary Butterfield said of Getman’s raise.
“I’m all for the appointment. I’m just not in favor of the raise at this time,” Linnertz said.
Getman’s provisional appointment expires July 15, 2016.
