Board of Trustees

REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF BALLSTON SPA, NY held January 26,2026 Present: Mayor Rossi, Trustee Price-Bush, Trustee Dubuque, Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, Trustee Dunkelbarger, Village Clerk Little, Village Administrator Moskowitz, Attorney Buettner via ZOOM 1) Call to Order 2) Pledge to the Flag 3) Minutes a) Meeting Minutes of the 1/12/26 meeting are tabled until next meeting. 4) Public Hearing – Proposed Local Law No. 1 of 2026 (Residency Requirements for Appointed Officials, Planning Board Members, and Zoning Board Members) – 5 Minutes per Speaker Mayor Rossi made a statement to elaborate why this proposed law is being reviewed for updates. Marilyn Stephenson- made a statement against this proposal, people appointed must be village residents. Nathan Ward via Zoom- made a statement against this proposal and his history on being a planning board alternate. John Cromie- made a statement against this proposal, village boards are excellent training positions, concerned if this passes it could hinder our municipality existence. Lisa Spidel- made a statement against this proposal, questions why it was proposed? Residents should be on the boards. Keith Lewis- made a statement against this proposal, at least 22 democrats and republicans have pledged up to $500 each to support challengers against any trustee that votes for this law. Paul Farnan- made a statement about state wording in these cases but doesn’t agree with the proposal. Mike Iacolucci- made a statement, encouraged the Board of Trustees to hear the residents speaking up about this and consider it, requests the trustees explain why they vote on this law and why you will vote the way you do. Carrie Curvin- former Ethics committee member made a statement about importance on village residents having voices and support the prior speakers comments. Encouraged more publicity in order to broaden the pool of participants. Kristina Maas- agrees with prior speakers, made a statement asking where it was posted for openings and against changing the law at this time. Richard Bashant- made a statement about those who do have experience possibly staying on as advisors as support to newer members, he agrees with everyone else, decision makers should live in the village. Liz Kormos-made a statement, listing specific wording be used if the law is to be changed to avoid confusion. Land use ideas should be made by the people who live here. Ben Baskin- made a statement against this proposal. Agrees with prior speakers. Urges the Chair and the majority of these boards be from the village. Jared Iacolucci- made a statement against this proposal. Agrees with prior speakers. Shawn Raymond- made a statement against this proposal. Kamran Parwana via zoom- current member of ZBA- against this proposal- directed 4 questions to the Mayor. Courtney Ellis via Zoom- agrees with prior speakers, made a statement against this proposal. Also asked about qualifications for candidates and requests for volunteers made clear. Alex Funicello- made a statement about communication issues and treatment of those who do volunteer. Mike McNamera- made a statement in favor of the proposal, and asked that the qualifications for candidates be considered for these positions. Christin Iacolucci-made a statement against this proposal, feels these decisions should be made by village residents. Jean Relyea- Agrees with prior speakers, doesn’t support this proposal. Asked the mayor about why information is not made more public about these open positions? Erin McCredy- Prior planning board member, Agrees with other speakers- doesn’t support this proposal. Needs more community communication for these position openings. Rory O’Connor- agrees with a great deal of prior speakers, agrees there should be more notice on these openings, made a statement on what is involved when becoming a planning board member. 1 Cathy Gibson- made a statement in addition to her email feels having people on the planning board that are not Village residents dilutes the power of residents. Mackenzie Gray- gave her opinion as a new resident, opposed to allowing outside folks on the boards. Kyrstle Nowhitney- skeptical of the proposed measure and doesn’t support having outside residents on the planning and zoning boards. Looks forward to being more involved. Gina Marozzi- not a village resident but chose to have a business in the village, stresses that business owners that may not reside in the village but still pay taxes and still care about what happens in the village. Melissa Taylor- resident of Milton, gives her time to the village. Recalls a time that she was interrupted for being outside the village but now are proposing that people outside the village now can have a voice and vote. Ellie Dillon- made a statement supporting businesses but wants the residents to make the decisions long-term. Josh Ness- Optics are bad, blown away this is even on the table. Mathew Ercoline-made a statement and supports this amendment Karen Avenarius- made a statement that people who own property in the village do have a vested interest in the village. Mila Woodfield- made a statement against allowing cases for outside individuals, is opposed to this. Mayor Rossi made a motion to close public hearing. Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger to close Public hearing at 8:45pm All Ayes Board Discussion: Trustee VanDeinse-Perez addresses the public request for board members view on the proposal- she doesn’t support the proposal it’s current form, but if it were to come back with revisions she may. Trustee DuBuque at first she did support the law, but after hearing from the public and since the residents are directly affected by this change, feels they do deserve to be heard. In it’s present form she doesn’t support it, amendments (45-5), some language changes could save those who have given so much and to be fair to the community not to lose those people. This board does exist to serve the resident tax payers. Feels the 5 board members can come together and create something that is worthy Trustee Price- Bush Thanks everyone for speaking up, this is what public hearings are for, this was very successful. Mayor Rossi called 5 minute recess 5) Presentations - none 6) Public Comment on agenda items only (3 minutes per speaker) Liz Kormos- item h- made a statement about selection process leading to few applications and her background regarding her consideration for appointment as an alternate. Nathan Ward- made a statement supporting motion h and i. feels Matt should be removed and replaced by one of these 2 candidates. Andy Manion- Member of Library Board, made a statement thanking all who have supported the Library over the last year. Town of Milton also supports the Library and had a meeting and wanted to thank everyone for their support and looks forward to working with them. Gina Marozzi- Feels h and I should be tabled due to all the interest that has been brought up tonight. Made a statement regarding Liz Kormos’s prior experience. Made a comment regarding Ben Baskins prior experience. Is against these appointments. Martha Iacolucci- made a statement as to why people will not apply for the positions if their names are going to be brought up like this in front of the public. Jared Iacolucci- feels the comment from Gina was inappropriate, we are supposed to encourage residents to apply, hopes the board can recognize that and supports both candidates. 2 Keith Lewis- Encourages people to go back and review older meetings by Mayor Fitzpatrick. Thinks it was wonderful that people came out and expressed concern. Krystle Nowhitney- this is reason why people do not step up for positions in village politics. Urged the Board and Mayor to consider the tenor of these meetings for why people do not participate. Lisa Spidel- made a statement about every motion on the agenda she would like the boards opinions on each vote so they get to know the board members. Ben Baskin- Agrees with Lisa Spidel. On motion h supports Liz’s candidacy. He applied in case there was no one else, he is happy to let others who would like to have the chance to participate in this government. If they don’t then he is happy to contribute. Alex Funicello- made a statement about Liz Kormos’ nomination, doesn’t make sense to change to a new law if there are people who want to apply, agrees it makes sense to table these 2 nominations to make room for new people but otherwise these two people should be considered based on qualifications. Shawn Hinkley- commented thanking the board and prior members of the board, made a statement about community interest forms, seems like same people keep making it to the boards, looking for change and improvements try to find them. Bob Bush- h and I given all the interest tonight, we should consider tabling these two to open it up to other people. Need to reach out to public. Christen Iacolucci- since g is going to be tabled, she supports moving forward with h and I since they are appointments as alternates. Village residents should be on these boards, need a diversity of opinions. 7) Consent Agenda Items for Consideration a) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush to approve the following consent agenda: i) Motion to approve Wendy Richards be hired to paint the EML firehouse interior at a cost of $2,625.00 ii) Motion to approve Ballston Spa Public Library to set up an account with Ingram Book Company to purchase wholesale books that replaces the Baker & Taylor that is going out of business. iii) Motion to approve the purchase of 200 tons of Morton’s road salt by the Ballston Spa DPW at a cost of $12,514.00. 8) Motions/Resolution a) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush, that Retired Police Officer Edward Braim’s vacation, sick, personal and comp time be paid as a final payout of his accrued time in accordance with the PBA contract (Vacation: 128 Hours; Sick: 206 Hours; Personal: 40 Hours; Comp: 38 Hours, Total of $13,782.04). All Ayes b) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush, seconded by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, approving the resolution granting authority to the State of New York to adjust Village of Ballston Spa-owned water valves on NY-50 included in PIN 1811.50 pavement resurfacing and set aside SFY26B Project. All Ayes c) Motion made by Trustee Van Deinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger, approving the retention agreement between the Village of Ballston Spa and Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart, & Rhodes, P.C., regarding bond counsel services, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. All Ayes 3 d) Resolution regarding SEQRA Type 2 action related to the Milton Water District #3 Pump House. Attorney Buettner explained that the type 2 action is necessary to move forward with the bonding authority for resolution e. Motion to approve the resolution SEQR type 2 made by Trustee Dunkelbarger, seconded by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez Roll Call: Trustee VanDeinse-Perez- Yes Trustee Price- Bush- Yes Trustee DuBuque- Yes Trustee Dunkelbarger- Yes Mayor Rossi- Yes All Ayes e) Resolution regarding borrowing authority of $600,000.00 related to Milton Water District #3. Attorney Buettner explained the rules of this authority. Motion to approve the resolution borrowing authority in e made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Price -Bush Roll Call: Trustee VanDeinse-Perez- Yes Trustee Price- Bush- Yes Trustee DuBuque- Yes Trustee Dunkelbarger- Yes Mayor Rossi- Yes All Ayes f) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger, approving the Supplemental Agreement for engineering services by LaBella Associates, D.P.C., related to Milton Water District #3 Improvements, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. All Ayes g) Motion none-taken Proposed Local Law No. 1 of 2026 (Residency Requirements for Appointed Officials, Planning Board Members, and Zoning Board Members). (Note: This is a placeholder motion, in case the Board determines it is appropriate to move forward with a vote. A vote may not occur at this meeting. No Action Taken h) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger, that Elizabeth Kormos appointment consideration be tabled as an alternate to the Planning Board. Roll Call: Trustee VanDeinse-Perez- Yes Trustee Price- Bush- Yes Trustee DuBuque- Yes Trustee Dunkelbarger- Yes Mayor Rossi- abstain Tabled I) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee DuBuque, that Benjamin Baskin appointment consideration be tabled as an alternate to the Planning Board. Roll Call: Trustee VanDeinse-Perez- Yes Trustee Price- Bush- Yes Trustee DuBuque- Yes Trustee Dunkelbarger- Yes Mayor Rossi- abstain Tabled Mayor Rossi called for recess after an outburst from a resident. Resident refused to leave as instructed, resident requested Police be called. Back in session at 9:41pm j) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush, seconded by Trustee DuBuque, approving the agreement between the Village of Ballston Spa and the Town of Milton related to the Village Library’s operations, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. All Ayes k) Motion made by Trustee Dunkelbarger, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush, approving the agreement between the Village of Ballston Spa and the Town of Milton related to the Village events, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. All Ayes 4 l) Motion made by Trustee Price-Bush, seconded by Trustee DuBuque, approving the agreement between the Village of Ballston Spa and the Town of Milton related to the Village Library’s capital project, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. All Ayes m) Motion made by Trustee VanDeinse-Perez, seconded by Trustee Dunkelbarger, approving the agreement between the Village of Ballston Spa and the Town of Milton related to the Village Swimming Pool operations, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the agreement. All Ayes 9) Mayor’s Announcements- 10) Treasurer’s Report- Utl. bills have been sent out. Budget season is upon us, please contact the treasurer, budgets are due by end of Feb., contact Jennifer to schedule appointments with Mayor to go over Budget. Meical cards-WEX HRA cards have been received, for employees enrolled. Access via the website or mobile app. 11) Liaison Reports Trustee VanDeinse-Perez- Chocolate Fest Feb 6th at 5pm, Revitalize Ballston Spa will presenting at the Feb 8th BOT meeting, Fire Dept 2025 had 540 fire calls, represents 5,480 service hours. 2,354 hrs of training/ drills. 1,153 hrs of various specialized training. Trustee Price-Bush Sledding down Bath St scheduled for March 7th 11-2pm, New President elected to the Friends of the Library and they also had a 3 month social media blitz campaign raised $24,000. Trustee DuBuque- Historic District Commission holds its next meeting Feb 10th, COA touch of Woodwinds at Brookside Museum Feb 14th at 3pm. Program Music rescheduled to Feb 21st at 3 pm at Brookside Museum. Registration is strongly encouraged. Preparing for National Poetry month in April additional details will be shared as they develop. The Next meeting will be at Brookside Feb 11th, there is a vacancy for this committee- please apply if interested. (not subject to residency limits). Park and tree looking ahead to budget season, exploring improvements to Wiswall, Kelley park and Old Iron Spring. Consistent watering is set for the parks. Reach out if you are looking to plant a tree and feel free to reach out to them for any assistance needed. Trustee Dunkelbarger- DPW completed commercial water meter readings, started estimated readings. Received completed water leak detection survey. Continues to clean up water Dept on Lowe St., starting flooding the ice rink, installed School banners as part of the Front St beautification. Is preparing equipment and materials for this upcoming snowstorm to ensure safe and efficient operation. If you have a fire hydrant in your yard please make sure you shovel the snow from around it through the storm to help your community. 12) Old Business 13) New Business 14) Public Comment on Any Issue (3 Minutes) Sean Hinkley- h & I, made a statement regarding putting off the Alternate candidates. Would prefer other people, but if no one else applies is it worth putting them off 2 more weeks. Liz Bittle- BSBPA event-networking breakfast at Golden Hour Salon at Feb 3rd 8am -930 am Alex Funicello- Wanted to welcome the new trustees, supports the idea of having the board give their feedback on why they decide or vote the way they did and like that Trustee VanDeinse-Perez listened to that feedback and voted to table. Mike Iacolucci- Votes and extensions- wanted clarification on the trustees or mayor abstaining from votes. 5 Ben Baskin- Recruiting process could be strengthened, Process of getting back to both applicants including those who do not get a callback. Also supports what prior speaker mentioned about Mayor abstaining from voting. Keith Lewis via Zoom- Confused and wants Board to address what it plans to do to mitigate the appointment of the planning board members from the January 1st meeting. Mayor Rossi replied no, Attorney advice session discussion cannot be shared. Christen Iacolucci- Asks the Board about last meeting of 2025 about the resolution brought to the board about immigration enforcement. Michele Juda, town of Milton resident- recently requested Mayor clarify the property tool he created, claims she had been blocked by the mayor on his page. Mayor Rossi responded that the page was unpublished and there would be more information when he speaks later. 15) Other Business (Including, but Not Limited to Board Response to Public Comment) Trustee Dunkelbarger- Responds to the outburst from a resident calling the Board members “Cowards” for tabling the nominations. He clearly heard Mr. Baskin and Ms. Kormos withdraw their nominations if there were other people interested; they both said it which is why he supported the tabling of h and i. Trustee DuBuque- Agrees with Trustee Dunkelbarger, they are doing their best, could have voted no, instead we tabled it which means not now. Let’s get proper information to make sure we are making the best decision. Trustee Price Bush- no comment Trustee VanDeinse-Perez- Getting back to people, would be a good practice to start adopting. Mayor Rossi- Mayor will be taking some time off over the next few to take care of himself, not goodbye, just needs a breather. He made a statement regarding this announcement. 16) Executive Session (If Needed) not needed 17) Adjournment/Voucher Audit: Motion made by Trustee DuBuque, seconded by Trustee Price-Bush, that the Vouchers be audited, and the meeting adjourned at 10:11pm. General Fund $ 174,687.07 Capital Projects 2,183.68 Library Fund 1,601.80 Total $ 178,472.55 Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca Little Village Clerk 6