Village Board

Village Board Meeting 5:30 p.m. April 20, 2021 Present: Mayor Lee, Trustees, Fowler, Speer, Zabelny, Farrell Village Manager/Clerk Shari Pearce DPW Superintendent, Jeff Pearce Asst Superintendent, Chad McManus Amy Harter, Deputy Clerk Absent: Maryalice Edwards Guests: Linda Viney Mayor Lee called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. with the pledge of allegiance followed by a moment of silence. The meeting was held in person and was available via zoom. Public Works Wages: DPW Superintendent, Jeff Pearce stated two employees have reached six months of employment with the Village, Jeff is recommending an increase in pay of $1.00 per hour for Steve Catone and Cody Pierce. Resolution to authorize the DPW Superintendent to increase wages of Steve Catone and Cody Pierce at a rate of $1.00/hour, they have reached six months of employment. Motion to approve made by Trustee Fowler, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried unanimously, 5-0. Manager NYCOM Conference: Village Manager, Shari Pearce is seeking approval to attend the Spring Conference in Bolton Landing, New York June 9-11th along with the Treasurer. This is a budgeted item. Resolution to authorize the Village Manager and Treasurer to attend the spring NYCOM conference June 9-11th, in Bolton Landing, New York. Motion made by Trustee Speer, seconded by Trustee Farrell. Carried unanimously 5-0. Resolution to approve the Standard Workday of six hours for Joe Lee, Andrew Fowler, Shelly Kordish and Sherry Farrell. This shall be reported to the New York State Local Retirement System based on their Record of Activities. Motion made by Trustee Zabelny, seconded by Trustee Speer. Carried unanimously, 5-0. 1 Special Police: Shari Pearce explained members of the Special Police placed an order for handcuffs, baton and pepper spray. When the committee was formed, the municipalities agreed that the members would not be furnished with these items; their duties would only include traffic control. Kevlar vests were provided for their protection. The Village Board agrees these items shall not be provided to the members. It was noted that the Town of Parma was notified these items are not covered by their insurance carrier. The board also discussed the possibility of purchasing a vehicle for their use. The Village purchased a light bar and magnetic decals for the Chevy Traverse used by the Building Department for use of the Special Police. The Town of Parma also offered the use of their Building Department vehicle. The board is not interested in purchasing an additional vehicle. Public Forum Mayor Lee opened the public hearing at 6:00. There was no one present to speak to the board, the public hearing was promptly closed. Proposed Budget Resolution to adopt the annual budget for fiscal year 2021-2022. The tax rate remains at $2.61/thousand. Total budget amount as follows: Motion made by Trustee Fowler to approve the budget as presented, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 4-1, Trustee Speer opposed. The reasons given for opposition; Trustee Speer stated the entire board should be involved in the budget process. He stated he was told out of a $4.5 million budget, only $20,000 was available to “play with”. He said that during this year of COVID a raise of 4.5% was too much because so many people have lost their jobs, the residents would not go for it. He feels the Manager is so busy, and has so much vacation that she cannot take, she needs an Assistant Manager to help with her job. He stated that Human Resources should be handled outside (the Village) by an independent because HR cases have been handled horribly; that he has personally been under investigation for four months and still hasn’t heard anything. He wants an Employee Assistance Program that the board did not agree to with an advocate for employees. General $ 3,166,551 Water $ 617,556 Sewer $ 671,572 Capital $ 44,000 Total $ 4,499,679 Trustee Fowler replied to Trustee Speer, the comment pertaining to $20,000 was taken out of context. He explained after the budget was complete there was a surplus of $20,000 that could be used for miscellaneous items. As for the Employee Assistance Program, the board agreed to look into it, it could be funded by the Workers Compensation refund, but it would not need to be 2 placed in the budget, Trustee Speer had estimated it would be a cost of $3,000. Trustee Fowler noted the budget committee worked hard and was able to create a budget without raising taxes. Mayor Lee commented there have been many changes this past year and the employees worked very hard throughout the pandemic, and all jobs were completed. Mayor Lee is very pleased to offer a raise without raising taxes. Executive Session Trustee Fowler made a motion to enter into Executive Session to discuss an upcoming employee leave and personnel to cover the absence. The motion was seconded by Trustee Zabelny, carried 5-0. Trustee Fowler made a motion to exit out of Executive Session. The motion was seconded by Trustee Zabelny, carried 5-0. Adjournment Respectfully Submitted, Amy Harter, Deputy Clerk 3