Board of Trustees

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF BALLSTON SPA, NY held January 1,2026 Present: Mayor Rossi, Trustee Price-Bush, Trustee Dunkelbarger, Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, Trustee DuBuque, Village Clerk Little. 1) Call to Order 2) Pledge to the Flag 3) Swearing-In of Village Judge (By Judge Walsh) Julie Gazetos sworn in as Village Justice. Incoming Village Trustees (By Village Judge Gazetos) Trustee Charlene DuBuque and Trustee Paul Dunkelbarger sworn in. Trustee DuBuque made a statement Thanking the everyone here today and who voted, looking forward to serving everyone in this role. Trustee Dunkelbarger made a statement thanks everyone for coming out and who supported him through the election. Mayor Rossi recessed for 5 minutes for pictures 4) Announcement of Executive Liaisons as follows: Deputy Mayor- Bernadette VanDeinse-Perez Liaison to Public Works-Paul Dunkelbarger Liaison to Fire Departments-Frank Rossi, Jr Liaison to Police Department- Frank Rossi, Jr. Liaison to Park & Tree Board- Charlene DuBuque Liaison to the Arts & Committee on the Arts- Charlene DuBuque Liaison to the Library- Mary Price-Bush Liaison of Insurance and Human Resources- Bernadette VanDeinse-Perez Liaison to Youth Social Services Agencies- Mary Price-Bush & Charlene DuBuque Liaison of not-for-profit organizations- Paul Dunkelbarger Liaison to Senior Social Services Agencies and Senior Welfare- Mary Price-Bush & Charlene DuBuque Liaison to BSBPA- Bernadette VanDeinse-Perez Liaison to the Planning & Zoning Boards- Paul Dunkelbarger Liaison to the Historic District Commission- Charlene DuBuque Liaison to Emergency Management Services & organization- Mary Price-Bush 5) Consent Agenda re: Clerk Appointments Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush that: Rebecca Little be appointed Village Clerk for the remainder of the term after retirement by former Clerk Teri O’Connor, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2027. Rebecca Little be re-appointed Deputy Village Treasurer for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Rebecca Little be appointed Registrar of Vital Statistics for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026 (Note: Deputy Registrar will be appointed at a later date.) The Village Clerk be designated the Records Management Officer with the necessary powers to carry out the efficient administration of the preservation of all Official Village Records, received by the Clerk’s Office, Departments of the Village of Ballston Spa, including all personnel and Human Services Records for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. 1  All Ayes 6) Consent Agenda re: Staff Appointments Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush, seconded by Trustee DubBuque that: Brandi Burns be re-appointed Associate Village Justice for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. The following individuals be appointed or re-appointed part-time Police Officers for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026: John Cioccke Stanley DeLong Michael DeMartino Cody Fabian Charles Fischer John Gaba Daryl Haberneck Hector Monge Eric Muller Kurt Nolan Scott Ostrander Stephen Porcello Jason Quinones James Redden Ariel Santiago Michael Welch The following individuals be re-appointed crossing guards for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026: Carmen Isabella Doug Fuller William Lewis be re-appointed Assistant Building Inspector for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. (Note: Building Inspector will be appointed at a later date, with David LaFountain as holdover until that time.) Bob Cavanaugh be re-appointed Fire Code Enforcement Officer for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Bob Cavanaugh be re-appointed Inventory Control Officer for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Kathy Barner be re-appointed as Building Department Clerk for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Frank S. Rossi, II, be re-appointed Budget Officer for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. All Ayes --- 7) Consent Agenda re: Boards/Committees/Commissions Motion made by Trustee Dunkelbarger, seconded by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez that: Rory O’Connor be re-appointed Chair of the Planning Board for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. (Note: this does not affect his membership that was approved in 2022, as his term as a member expires in 2027 – extended to no earlier than December 31, 2027, due to Official Year changes). Mathew Ercoline be appointed as a member of the Planning Board for a period of five years, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2030. Robert Bush, Jr., be re-appointed as an alternate to the Planning Board for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. John Luciani be re-appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a period of five years, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2030. Anna Stanko be re-appointed Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. (Note: this does not affect her 2  membership that was approved in 2025, as her term as a member expires no earlier than December 31, 2029). Paul Laskey be re-appointed as an alternate to the Zoning Board for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Donna Martin be re-appointed as an alternate to the Zoning Board for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Karen Avenarius be re-appointed as an alternate to the Zoning Board for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. The following individuals be re-appointed to the Committee on Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026: Anna Stanko Bernadette VanDeinse-Perez Rebecca Little Anna Stanko be re-appointed as Chair to the Committee on Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Kristopher Williams be re-appointed to the Park and Tree Board for a period of three years, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2028. Christopher DuBuque be re-appointed to the Park and Tree Board for a period of three years, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2028. Caitlin Parwana be re-appointed as Chair of the Park and Tree Board for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. The following individuals be re-appointed to the Committee on Police Procedures for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026: Kelly Gregory Ray Otten Lorri Riggs Homer Nathan Robert Bush, Jr. Ray Otten be re-appointed as Chair of the Committee on Police Procedures for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. Patty Tesch be re-appointed as a member of the Library Board for a period of five years with the end date not to be before December 31, 2030. Ashley Bush be re-appointed as a member of the Committee on the Arts for a period of three years with the end date not to be before December 31, 2028. Ashley Bush be re-appointed as Chair of the Committee on the Arts for a period of one year, with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. (Note: Due to likely/needed changes to the Ethics Board and Historic District Commission codes in the first half of 2026, appointment of new members and re-appointment of current members will occur after terms are specifically determined in such revised code. Existing members will be considered holdovers at this time.) All Ayes 8) Consent Agenda re: Training Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush, that: WHEREAS, there is to be during the coming official year a) the New York Annual Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting and Training School; b) New York State Conference of Mayors Fall Training School for Finance Officers and Municipal Clerks; and c) Schools for Department of Public Works Working Supervisors; and 3  WHEREAS, it is determined by the Board of Trustees that attendance by certain municipal officials and employees at one or more of their meetings, conferences or schools benefits the municipality. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: Section 1. The Village Board of Trustees, the Village Clerk, the Village Treasurer, the Deputy Village Treasurer, Accounting Assistant, Public Works Working Supervisor, and other employees as appropriate are hereby authorized to attend the above listed conferences and schools and others as determined by the Mayor. Section 2. That this resolution shall take effect immediately. All Ayes 9) Mileage Reimbursement Motion made by Trustee DuBuque, seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger, that: WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees has determined to pay a fixed rate for a mileage as reimbursement to officers and employees of the Village who shall use their personal vehicles while performing their official duties on behalf of the Village; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: Section 1. That the Board of Trustees shall approve a reimbursement to such officers, and employees at the current IRS reimbursement rate. Section 2. That this resolution shall take effect immediately. All Ayes 10) Consent Agenda – Misc. Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush, that: The following banks and depository organizations be designated as the Official Depositories of Village funds subject to change by a resolution of the Board of Trustees at any time: The Adirondack Trust Co., Generations Bank, NYCLASS, and Metropolitan Commercial Bank. The Daily Gazette be designated as the Official Village Newspaper. The Village Clerk be authorized to send a single letter to the news media providing the schedule of regular meetings, further the Village Clerk shall post a public notice of such schedule. Field Horne be appointed as Historian of the Village of Ballston Spa for a period of one year with the end date not to be before December 31, 2026. The Village Purchasing Policy has been reviewed and re-adopted by the Village Board. All Ayes 11) Public Comment on Any “Other Motions” in Section 12: Liz Kormos 89 Hyde- Motion a; the organizational meeting announced at the December 15th meeting stating that for this Organizational meeting- notice was posted on 12/31/2025. Stating it was not 72hrs prior. Requested the affidavit of the meeting notice. Motion f- Motion on IMA has this been approved by Milton and what area does this cover? 12) Other Motions a) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush_, seconded by Trustee DuBuque approving the attached Rules of Procedure (Note: Amended to include reference to subsequent approval of Section 45-9 of the Village Code). All Ayes b) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving the attached schedule of regular Board of Trustees meetings for calendar year 2026. All Ayes c) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush seconded by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez approving payment of $49,000.00 to Neoplanta Restoration, Inc., for work performed (and approved previously by the Board) to remove asbestos from the Ballston Spa Public Library. All Ayes d) Motion made by Trustee Van Deinse-Perez seconded by Trustee Price-Bush declaring a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe utilized by the Ballston Spa Fire Department as surplus. All Ayes e) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving the sale of a 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe utilized by the Ballston Spa Fire Department to a private 4  individual buyer for $5,000.00, and authorizing the payment to Garage Fire Apparatus Sales of $500.00 as a broker’s fee, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the relevant paperwork related to such sale and payment. All Ayes f) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez seconded by Trustee Price-Bush approving the Intermunicipal Agreement between the Town of Milton and the Village of Ballston Spa related to Milton Water District No. 3, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the Agreement. All Ayes g) Motion made by Trustee DuBuque seconded by Trustee Price-Bush accepting the resignation of full-time Police Officer Edward Braim, effective 1/15/2026, for the purpose of retirement. All Ayes h) Motion made by Trustee Dunkelbarger seconded by Trustee DuBuque approving the payout of 80 hours of comp time to full-time Police Officer Edward Braim, for his paycheck dated on or about 1/3/2026. All Ayes i) Motion made by Trustee Dunkelbarger seconded by Trustee Price-Bush approving the payout of 80 hours of comp time to full-time Police Officer Edward Braim, for his paycheck dated on or about 1/10/2026. All Ayes j) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez_ seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving the payout of 2.5 hours of comp time to former Village Clerk Teri O’Connor on or about 1/3/2026 (Note: This was time computed as the final remaining comp time she had not used.) All Ayes k) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving the payment of $8,536.89 to the New York State Volunteer Firefighter Cancer Benefit Program to avoid potential 2/1/2026 cancellation. All Ayes l) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving the attached part-time Police Chief employment contract between the Village of Ballston Spa and Police Chief David Bush, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the contract. Mayor Rossi notes amendments to contract duration to cover calendar year 2026 and location to 78 Thompson St. VanDeinse-Perez- Aye DuBuque-Aye Dunkelbarger-Aye Price-Bush- Recuse Mayor Rossi- Aye Motion Passes 4-1 m) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving a new salary rate for Village Clerk/Deputy Treasurer Rebecca Little of $67,500.00 per year apportioned as $52,500.00 per year for Clerk and $15,000.00 per year for Deputy Treasurer, effective January 1, 2026. All Ayes n) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger approving the purchase of 300 tons of Morton’s road salt, totaling $19,671.00. All Ayes o) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush seconded by Trustee DuBuque approving the installation of attic insulation at the Ballston Spa Public Library by Wainschaf Associates, Inc., for the cost of $12,029.70, and approving the execution of any relevant related paperwork by the Mayor. All Ayes 13) Adjournment: Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush, seconded by Trustee DuBuque, that the meeting be adjourned at 12:34 pm. 5 Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca Little Village Clerk 6