Village Board

Village Board Minutes May 5, 2026 Present: Mayor Fowler, Trustees Attoma, Brower, Farrell, Zabelny Manager Shari Pearce Treasurer Danielle Kruger DPW Superintendent Jeff Pearce Asst Superintendent Chad McManus Code Enforcement Officer Ron Bragg Deputy Clerk Amy Harter Absent: None Guests: Nancy LePort, Debbie Hebing, Dan Bodrati, Rich Kane, Larry Gursslin, Jan Starwald, Rick Francis, Kathy Grayson, Augusta & Michael Welsh, several unidentified guests This meeting was held in the Board Room and was available via Zoom. The meeting was called to order by the Mayor with the Pledge of Allegiance and a Moment of Silence. Legal Posting Confirmation: The Clerk certified that all postings were completed per guidelines. Roll Call: Mayor Fowler confirmed all were in attendance. Citizen of the Year Presentation Mayor Fowler presented Nancy Leport with the 2026 Citizen of the Year Award. A plaque was provided and a reception was held. Congratulations Nancy! Approval of Minutes Resolution to review and approve the minutes of April 7, 2026. Motion made by Trustee Brower, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Resolution to review and approve the minutes of April 27, 2026. Motion made by Trustee Attoma, seconded by Trustee Zabelny, Trustee Farrell abstained. Carried 4-0-1.  Approval of Vouchers Resolution to review and approve the May vouchers as presented. Motion made by Trustee Farrell, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Prepaid $42,634.01 TA $1,269.41 General $76,945.56 Water $1,052.61 sewer $74,979.31 capital $53.71 Total $196,934.61 Public Comment Ron Bodrati, 65 Little Tree Lane, reported that he and his neighbors have had major water problems that is running off of 256 East Avenue. Mr. Bodrati noted that his neighbor at 67 Little Tree was provided with drainage basins when the house was built in the 1960’s. He noted this is an admission of a problem with the construction and is seeking the Village to rectify the issue. He would like the property owner at 256 East Avenue to be fined for a violation of Chapter 173, 2. Ron Bragg commented he doesn’t feel there is any violation as there has been no construction or changes to the property, Mr. Bodrati noted he disagreed and there is a violation of the code. Jeff Pearce and Chad McManus have inspected the area and agree that nothing has been built or changed. Jeff suggested Mr. Bodrati tie into the drains at 67; the owner has already agreed to this. After a lengthy board discussion, Jeff Pearce will contact the owner of 256 East Avenue to make him aware of the water problems; Jeff will report back to the board. Recreation Report • Recreation Update o Special Events Recap ▪ None to recap since last meeting o Upcoming Special Events ▪ Sources of Strength 5K Color Run (Village Community Center Grounds) – Saturday, May 30 • In Conjunction with the Northwest Community Health Fare • Thank you to the Village DPW for assisting with associated road closures during the race.  ▪ Annual Community Wide Garage Sale – Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6 ▪ Clams and Bands (Parma Town Park Grounds) – Saturday, June 6 ▪ Summer Smash (Parma Town Park Grounds) – Friday, July 24 o General Program Update ▪ Winter Spring Programming – Full season released and winding down ▪ Summer Programming – Experience guide to be released this week o Senior Center Update ▪ Meal and Show (Village Community Center) • Wednesday, April 22 – Free Dinner with the Rotary Club – 75 Attendees • Wednesday, May 20 – 45 Registered • Wednesday, June 10 – Anniversary Dinner at Whitehall Mansion – 43 Registered ▪ Senior Trips – The first trip is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27 and has 45 registrants o AARP Tax Services – The 2026 service wrapped up on April 10. The service provided 395 free tax filing appointments and all of our appointment slots filled several weeks prior to the start of the service. • Parks Update o Park Use – Organized Park use season has begun and most requests have been processed to date. Requests and will continue to in throughout the season. o Dog Park Closing – On March 8 we decided to temporary close the Bark Yard Dog Park until further notice due to conditions. As discussed, the grass in the Bark Yard is still very young and in its first full year of establishment. It has not yet had enough time to fully thicken and develop the strength needed to handle heavy use during wet spring conditions. Our goal is to protect our investment so the park can continue to improve and remain one of the best in the area. We plan to reopen as soon as conditions allow. o Capital Projects – ▪ Parma Town Park Splashpad – Following the completed site engineering and several mobilization meetings, work has begun. Our goal is to work diligently through the spring and have an official opening date during the start of the 2026 splash pad season. ▪ Parma Town Park Campus Site Plan - We worked with LaBella Associates to make several adjustments/additions outside of the initial scope. Work on the plan will continue as follows: • Further Conceptual Site Plan Adjustments • Full Draft Plan Development • Draft Plan Shared for Review • Steering Committee Meeting #3  • Draft Plan Town Board Proposal • Miscellaneous o Part Time Recreation Office Clerk and Program Assistant Position – We welcomed Alyshia O’Connor to the team as our Part-Time Recreation Clerk and Program Assistant since our last meeting. Alyshia comes with extensive high-level administrative experience and has hit the ground running. o America 250 – We continue to work with the Historical Society and other community stakeholders to provide programming and education in celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States. Library Report Director’s Report: May 2026 Meeting Submitted by Grace Engelbrecht Budget: We have a closed out 2025 budget from the Town. Our new copier – as discussed in April – will exceed the allotted equipment line, but a budget transfer can be done. Statistics: Month Door Computer Wi-Fi Ref Physical Overdrive Kanopy Count Sessions Sessions Questions Circulatio Circulatio (Streamin n n g) April 4,089 261 434 171 3,785 1,815 10 2026 Programs & Services: In April, we offered 47 events with an attendance of 706 people. This includes onsite, offsite, and virtual events. Highlights include Magic Joe during April break (40 people) and Sound Bath event (adult – 20 people). There were four meeting room reservations for outside groups and individuals. Zuzu tabled at the Cadet Carnival at Village Elementary School. Personnel: We had a great staff training day on April 24th that garnered a lot of discussion about policies and best practices. Thank you to the Board for providing lunch! Upcoming & Other: The Library Board approved our New York State Annual Report, which was submitted on April 14th. A public Annual Report to the community is available at the library and on our website. In April, I attended the Hamlin-Hilton-Parma-Greece Community Partners Meeting with Hilton Central School District and the Hilton Community Council of Churches meeting. I will be attending the Parma-Hilton Historical Society meeting on May 20th. Our new copier, which now has fax capability, was installed on April 23rd. We received a grant through The Rural Libraries Grant Program, powered by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation (RCWJRF). We will be working with the Genesee Land Trust to install a Storywalk at Salmon Creek Nature Preserve. Code Enforcer’s Report Ron Bragg reported that Dunkin’s progress is slow, likely due to weather. Parkland Place, 261 East Avenue, no additional information for this project has been received for the Zoning Board. Fee Schedule and IPS Software: Ron noted there are several inquiries regarding roof repairs/replacements and whether or not a permit is required. He feels depending on the project a permit may be required. There are also several applications for solar array, which needs to be updated in the IPS software. This will be addressed and an amendment to the fee schedule will be presented at the June meeting. Treasurer’s Report Resolution: To renew two CD’s that matured Monday, May 4th, 2026 for 30 days at a rate of 3.49% with Canandaigua National Bank. Motion made by Trustee Zabelny, seconded by Trustee Brower. Carried 5-0. Resolution: Budget adjustment for 2026-2027 to match revenue to fee schedule. Motion made by Trustee Farrell seconded by Trustee Attoma. Carried 5-0. Increase (credit): G-0-2120-00 $49,582 Decrease (debit): G-0-9090-00 $49,582  Increase (debit): G-2-8120-4C $49,582 Decrease (credit): G-0-9090-00 $49,582 This budget adjustment has a zero affect to the tax cap or fund balance and increasing expenditure so revenue and expenses match. Resolution to authorize the Mayor and Village Clerk to sign the tax warrant in the amount of $1,166295.14. Motion to approve made by Trustee Farrell, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Total Taxes for current Budget $ 681,344.30 For the maintenance of Sewers 418,651.20 For Relevied Property Maintenance Charges 15,274.12 For Relevied Water Rents & Charges 51,025.52 Total Taxes $1,166,295.14 DPW Superintendent’s Report Resolution to accept the bid from Power & Construction for streetlight and electrical for routine repairs from date of acceptance through December 31, 2029. Motion made by Trustee Farrell, seconded by Trustee Attoma. Carried 5-0. Resolution to increase the wages of Scott Duetsch by $1.00 per hour. Motion made by Trustee Farrell seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Resolution to increase the wages of Zach Klein by $.50 per hour, retroactive to his previous review period. Motion made by Trustee Farrell seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Resolution to acknowledge the updated Stormwater Management Plan is available for public review in the Village Office, 59 Henry Street, Hilton NY 14468, during regular business hours. Motion made by Mayor Fowler seconded by Trustee Attoma. Carried 5-0. The DPW Superintendent expressed his gratitude to the Town of Parma for providing manpower recently. Mayor Fowler expressed his appreciation to the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, the DPW staff and Community Center maintenance for their efforts with the remodeling of the Board Room, Building Department Office and Mayors Office, especially in the expedited timeline. Manager/Clerk’s Report Resolution to formally accept Dan Verace for the position of Superintendent of Public Works per the terms the board agreed upon at the April 27th meeting; Mr. Verace will tentatively start June 1, 2026. Motion made by Mayor Fowler, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Resolution to accept the administrative refund for the Upstate Worker’s Comp program in the amount of $10,282, to be deposited into the general fund. Motion made by Trustee Farrell, seconded by Trustee Brower. Carried 5-0. Vehicle Usage Policy for the DPW. This will be sent to NYMIR for their review. This item is tabled and will be placed on the June agenda. Resolution to modify the budget dates for 2027 to March 16th and March 18, 2027. Motion made by Mayor Fowler, seconded by Trustee Zabelny. Carried 5-0. Resolution to authorize the Village Manager to seek input from our Village Engineer on the pointing project before moving forward with a bid proposal. Motion made by Mayor Fowler, seconded by Trustee Farrell, carried 5-0. Water Authority transition: The contract has been officially signed, and the turnover date is May 4th. Shari stated the DPW went around with the county on the 4th to obtain all the automated readings in the Village and high usage accounts; this will provide for a clean break between the two entities. Ambulance district: Shari reported the Town Supervisor sent the RFP off May 1 st; she believes they are looking for a 30-45-day turnaround and sometime in June there will be a joint meeting to review them. Lockdown policy: Shari noted after the incident this past week with the schools not being notified of a lockdown, the board would like to review and possibly amend the Village’s policy. The mayor is having a meeting with the Security Director in the near future. This item was tabled, board will review the policy thereafter.  Board Discussion and Reports Parental Leave Policy – Trustee Attoma provided a written proposal for consideration as follows: This proposal recommends expanding Hilton Village’s fully paid parental leave from 1 week (5 business days) to 3 weeks (15 business days) for eligible full-time employees following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. The board discussed the proposal and agreed to review and update both the Maternity and Paternity leave policy in the near future. Resolution to grant three weeks of paternity leave to one said DPW employee, Bayard Burch, upon the birth of his child, in one week increments to be used within the first year. Motion made by Mayor Fowler, seconded by Trustee Brower. Carried 5-0. The board will be updating the policy in the near future for all employees. Garage Policy – Mayor Fowler is proposing a policy within the Department of Public Works that would prohibit the use of the DPW facility and tools outside of the scope of Village business. The Deputy Clerk has been directed to contact NYMIR to clarify insurance ramifications if the practice is permitted. Leases: The Village Manager reminded the board that Community Center leases will be provided to the tenants later this month. There have been discussions of reconfiguration of Room 202, which is utilized by the Apple Fest Committee. The Village needs additional meeting space and will be diving the space from one large room into two. The Mayor and Village Manager will meet with the Apple Fest Chairperson to discuss this project. Trustee Zabelny attended the most recent Board of Education meeting. Trustee Farrell attended the Town of Parma recent meeting. She reported a moratorium on solar farms has been put in place for the next six months. Newsletter: Mayor Fowler has been distributing a digital newsletter and there are 250 subscribers. A printed newsletter will be sent out this month to all residents. Public Comment Debbie Hebing, 315 Parma View Drive, asked for clarification on tax relevies regarding water and refuse. The Treasurer explained that residents that fail to pay their water bills and extra refuse charges will see the fees on their Village tax bills.  Adjournment Trustee Farrell made a motion to adjourn at 8:45 p.m., seconded by Mayor Fowler. Carried 5-0. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Harter, Deputy Clerk