Busy, but quick, session held at Senior Center
The Village Board met for just about an hour at the Senior Center on Monday evening; the board’s last meeting that will include the public until the current COVID-19 resurgence dies down. A crowd wasn’t really an issue at Monday’s meeting though… there were just three people in the audience.
There was no major business on the agenda, but several discussions were held and announcements made. They included;
— Mayor Joe D’Onofrio announced that the village received a $5090 refund from CGR, the firm the board initially contracted with for a police consolidation study before they received the dissolution petition last summer. Upon receipt of the petition, the board opted to use Laberge Group for the work. The village had paid CGR $5600.
— D’Onofrio asked for a moment of silence for former Village Trustee Jim LoRusso, and for Marilyn Kelly.
— The board postponed making a decision on a request for a sewer bill reduction due to a now-fixed leak in a residence. It is at the board’s discretion to reduce sewer bills if a leak causes a significant increase in a bill, so long as the full water bill is paid, which it was in this case. Board members sought some more information in this case. Among the discussion was the worry about setting a precedent by continuing to reduce the bills, as more and more requests are made.
— Trustee Melanie Guerrero raised concern about actions taken at a “full blown” meeting she said was cancelled in December. It was the December 20 meeting, which was held in the morning (reported on in the December 24 issue of The News) instead of the typical evening due to the close proximity to the holidays. Guerrero was unable to attend because of her work schedule. She voted no on accepting the minutes from the meeting. She also questioned $1000 approved for “law enforcement activity”; the board held a brief executive session after the meeting so that she could be filled in on that matter.
— It was announced that two meetings of interest are coming up. On January 13, D’Onofrio and Deputy Mayor Brian Aylward are scheduled to meet with Town Supervisor Bob Livsey and Deputy Supervisor Rich Sullivan, along with engineers from both municipalities. And, at 10 a.m. on January 22, inside the gates of Ondaora Park, a public information meeting about the water/sewer project planned there. The meeting will be cancelled if there is bad weather.
— Police overtime was addressed by Aylward, as it was noted the village is currently advertising for both full and part-time police officers. He noted that paying overtime is not ideal, but “shifts have to be covered”. Guerrero commented about the high cost of police services; Trustee Jim DiSalvo noted that it is the “only 24/7 department that the village has” and said it makes sense it would cost the most.
— Date changes for two upcoming meetings due to holidays — the Monday, Jan. 17 meeting moves to Tuesday, Jan. 18 (Martin Luther King Day) and the Monday, Feb. 21 meeting moves to Tuesday, Feb. 22 (Presidents’ Day).
Emergency Declaration
Also on Monday, the mayor prepared and signed a declaration designating a State of Emergency in Highland Falls, due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The order allows suspension of the village’s procurement policy for some supplies; allow village officials to meet without the public; allows department heads to adjust work schedules to help keep employees safe; and urges all residents to take health precautions as suggested by the New York Governor’s Office.
The order is good through January 25.
