SKANEATELES - Two business issues, one involving government and the other concerning the thriving downtown business district, were the main topics of discussion Monday at a village board meeting.
The village is considering buying an AIMS - an Automated Issuance Management System - from EDC Corp., which has its East Coast headquarters on Dwight Park Drive, in Syracuse.
The system would help the village track and collect from those who get parking tickets.
And while the system is impressive in how it automates the process of handling tickets from identifying license plate numbers to actually writing letters to parking ticket violators, the board agreed AIMS should be evaluated only as a tool to free up the village police for more important duties and not to raise government revenue in an unfair manner.
Trustee Tim Lynn stressed that the village should not be known as a community that tries to help balance its budget by writing tickets, and the other trustees agreed.
Police Chief Lloyd Perkins, who was impressed by the efficient of AIMS during two presentations he attended, said the purpose of AIMS was to make scofflaws pay their fines.
“This doesn't change what we do on the street,” he said.
AIMS would cost close to $18,000 initially, with an annual maintenance fee of $800.
Village police wrote approximately 2,000 tickets last year, which means the time it would take to earn revenue after paying off such a system could be relatively short depending on the number of tickets that are ignored each year.
Members of the Skaneateles Artisans, which is in the former McLaughlin's Department Store on Fennell Street, urged the board to allow temporary signage as construction continues on the Old Stone Mill.
Such signs have long been common during the popular Dickens' Christmas.
The signs would be discreet, located just below the street signs, and would have general messages to guide shoppers to certain areas, according to Trustee Sue Jones.
Following further discussion on the best design and specific locations of the directional signs, they would be put up for approximately six months and then the board would consider having such signage allowable under the village's detailed sign ordinance.
In other business:
€ The new fire station, at the intersection of Routes 41A and 20, will be completed in December.
The brickwork has been completed after some early problems and work on the outside trim and inside drywall has begun.
Volunteers from the department have also agreed to put down topsoil themselves, to save their organization some money.
€ Research continues on the viability of automatic sensor system that would read electrical and water meters.
If the system is agreed upon by the board and installed, all of the electrical meters in the village - and most of the water meters - would have to be replaced. Marc Angelillo and Lynn will attend next Monday's meeting of the municipal board to see how a joint meeting between that board and the village board should be conducted.
The system would help the village track and collect from those who get parking tickets.
And while the system is impressive in how it automates the process of handling tickets from identifying license plate numbers to actually writing letters to parking ticket violators, the board agreed AIMS should be evaluated only as a tool to free up the village police for more important duties and not to raise government revenue in an unfair manner.
Trustee Tim Lynn stressed that the village should not be known as a community that tries to help balance its budget by writing tickets, and the other trustees agreed.
Police Chief Lloyd Perkins, who was impressed by the efficient of AIMS during two presentations he attended, said the purpose of AIMS was to make scofflaws pay their fines.
“This doesn't change what we do on the street,” he said.
AIMS would cost close to $18,000 initially, with an annual maintenance fee of $800.
Village police wrote approximately 2,000 tickets last year, which means the time it would take to earn revenue after paying off such a system could be relatively short depending on the number of tickets that are ignored each year.
Members of the Skaneateles Artisans, which is in the former McLaughlin's Department Store on Fennell Street, urged the board to allow temporary signage as construction continues on the Old Stone Mill.
Such signs have long been common during the popular Dickens' Christmas.
The signs would be discreet, located just below the street signs, and would have general messages to guide shoppers to certain areas, according to Trustee Sue Jones.
Following further discussion on the best design and specific locations of the directional signs, they would be put up for approximately six months and then the board would consider having such signage allowable under the village's detailed sign ordinance.
In other business:
€ The new fire station, at the intersection of Routes 41A and 20, will be completed in December.
The brickwork has been completed after some early problems and work on the outside trim and inside drywall has begun.
Volunteers from the department have also agreed to put down topsoil themselves, to save their organization some money.
€ Research continues on the viability of automatic sensor system that would read electrical and water meters.
If the system is agreed upon by the board and installed, all of the electrical meters in the village - and most of the water meters - would have to be replaced. Marc Angelillo and Lynn will attend next Monday's meeting of the municipal board to see how a joint meeting between that board and the village board should be conducted.
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