Urban Renewal Agency

Meeting of the Olean Urban Renewal Agency Wednesday, November 19, 2025 8:30 a.m. Room 119 – Olean Municipal Building Attendance: Members –Earl McElfresh, Deanna Foster, Joe Keary, Adam Jester, and Linda Witte. Staff - Keri Kerper, Community Development Program Coordinator and Tiffany Taylor, Managerial Confidential Administrative Secretary. 1. Roll Call Mr. McElfresh called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. and asked that the record show that all members were present except John Crawford and Mayor Aiello, who were excused. 2. Reading & Approval of the October 15, 2025 Committee and Regular Meeting Minutes A motion to approve the October 15, 2025 minutes was made by Ms. Witte, seconded by Mr. Keary. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. 3. July, August, September, and October Financials Ms. Kerper explained she has requested the financials from Ms. McDivitt numerous times and was assured we would have them today, but we do not. Ms. Kerper explained this is becoming an issue. Ms. Kerper advised she has explained to Ms. McDivitt that we need to get the financials done and cleaned up, and noted there has not been a lot of activity financially. Ms. Kerper explained the Agency’s fiscal year began July 1, 2025, and we have not received any financial reports since that date. Mr. Jester asked if the Agency should bid out its bookkeeping services, and Ms. Kerper explained the Agency has not bid out these services since she has worked with the URA. Ms. Foster explained the Agency began using Ms. McDivitt after a recommendation from the Agency’s previous Chairman Charles Corcoran. Mr. Jester explained at this point if we have not been getting the financials as requested, we have cause for terminating our agreement with Ms. McDivitt and we should bid out the services. Mr. Jester explained he has had similar difficulties with other organizations he is a member of and explained small bookkeeping is tough to find right now. Mr. Jester explained he feels this bid could be an attractive opportunity for the right people. Ms. Jester explained the Agency is not saying Ms. McDivitt is not capable of performing these services, only that the service has been subpar for quite some time and we need the financial statements. Ms. Kerper explained Ms. McDivitt did write a check that we needed and she does our PARIS reporting, so she is responsive in that regard. Mr. Jester explained the bid process does not mean Ms. McDivitt will no longer be doing the Agency’s bookkeeping, only that we are looking out for the organization and seeing what other options are out there. Mr. Jester explained Agency members are volunteers who take time out of their schedules to meet and it is important financials are prepared to be discussed at meetings.  Ms. Kerper explained she will put together an RFP for bookkeeping services for the Agency, as we currently do not have one. Ms. Witte inquired about her contract and Ms. Kerper explained she is not sure Ms. McDivitt has one. Ms. Taylor explained she will look through Agency minutes to see if she can find more information on when Ms. McDivitt first began working with the Agency, and explained she will look at RFP examples to assist Ms. Kerper preparing a new RFP. Ms. Kerper explained she will look into her URA documents to see if she has a copy of an agreement with Ms. McDivitt. Ms. Kerper explained she will have the Agency review the RFP prior to its release to ensure it is on the right track with what the Agency needs and wants. Ms. Witte explained the Agency’s attorney should review the document as well. Ms. Foster noted the maturity dates for the CDs are January 15, 2026 and April 29, 2026. 4. New Business None 5. Old Business a. Strategic Planning Ms. Kerper explained there are a couple of properties she would like the Agency to think about. Ms. Kerper explained it is her understanding Ellicott is no longer looking to move forward on a housing project that the Planning Board approved on a two acre parcel behind Little Caesar’s. Ms. Kerper explained next to that parcel, where there are car and shed dealerships, is an approximately 50 acre parcel owned by Benderson Development. Ms. Kerper explained since she has worked for the City of Olean nothing has happened with this parcel. A motion to enter into executive session to discuss the proposed acquisition of real estate was made by Mr. Keary, seconded by Mr. Jester. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. Executive session began at approximately 8:45 a.m. A motion to adjourn from executive session was made by Ms. Witte, seconded by Mr. Keary. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. Executive session adjourned at approximately 9:00 a.m. A motion to authorize Ms. Kerper to approach local developers regarding the development and purchase of real property was made by Mr. Jester, seconded by Ms. Witte. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. 6. Bills a. Olean Times Herald $49.82 Publication of RFP for Professional Auditing Services A motion to approve the payment of bills was made by Ms. Witte, seconded by Mr. Keary. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried.  7. Next Meeting Date The next meeting of the Olean Urban Renewal Agency is scheduled for Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. in Room 119 of the Olean Municipal Building. 8. Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Jester, seconded by Ms. Witte. Voice vote, ayes all. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 9:05 a.m.