Trustees Amy Mann and Jim Joseph have swapped their commissioner assignments in the village board’s latest annual board organization, with Mann transitioning from police commissioner to village works commissioner, and Joseph leaving village works to become police commissioner.
“I do think it is important to shift duties every few years to create well-rounded board members and give fresh eyes to the various commissions,” Mann said during the board’s July 7 reorganizational meeting. She praised the members of the Cazenovia Police Department for their hard work and teamwork during her tenure as police commissioner.
Joseph praised the village Department of Public Works employees as well, saying particularly that “the village is blessed to have Bill Carr” as the DPW administrator. “It’s been a pleasure to work with him,” Joseph said.
The swap was practically the only change made to the board’s list of appointments for 2014, which were announced at the July 7 meeting. Also new this year was the creation of a Sustainability and Climate Action Plan Committee, for which Trustee David Porter will act as commissioner, and a change in the village fee structure to waive site plan review fees if there are no external changes to a structure.
Appointments maintained for 2014 from 2013 included: Kathy Burns as village clerk and treasurer for two years; Sue Dady as deputy village clerk and treasurer for one year; Kerry Bishal as village court clerk for one year; Patrick O’Sullivan as acting village justice for one year; Bill Carr as superintendent of public works, zoning enforcement officer and building codes inspector, each for one year; and Jim Stokes as village attorney for one year.
The board retained its monthly meeting schedule for 7 p.m. on the first Monday of every month and retained the Cazenovia Republican as its official newspaper.
Also at the meeting, the board:
—Adopted a new local law that will implement the state’s “certified local government program,” which recognizes communities that have an established historic preservation process. Under the newly approved law, the village Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Committee (HPC) will take on certain responsibilities previously done by the village planning board, in a shift that is expected to streamline the historic preservation planning and zoning process.
—Unanimously approved the hiring of Phil Stevens as a full-time police officer in the Cazenovia Police Department. Stevens is currently a part-time officer in the CPD.
—Heard from DPW Director Bill Carr that his department plans to mill and pave Burton Street from Evergreen Lane north to the village line beginning on July 21.
—Discussed creating a new requirement to have all village planning and zoning applications submitted to the village clerk in electronic format as well as in hard copy in the future. This change would facilitate easier sharing of documents between municipal board members, as well as between the village and members of the public. Village Attorney Jim Stokes said such a change may require an amendment to the village code, so the issue was tabled until the board’s Aug. 4 meeting.
—Heard an overview on the ongoing work of planner Dan Kwasnowski for the potential Riverside Drive redevelopment plan.
Primary duties
Trustee Amy Mann Deputy Mayor and Public Works Commissioner
Trustee David Porter Commissioner of Water & Sewer and Fire Commissioner
Trustee Jim Joseph Police Commissioner and Parking Initiatives
Trustee Fritz Koennecke Parks & Recreation Commissioner and Court Liaison
Additional committees/duties
Mayor Kurt Wheeler Western Gateway Committee
Trustee Dave Porter Lake Watershed Committee
Trustee Fritz Koennecke Lake Watershed Committee
Trustee Amy Mann Carpenter’s Barn/Lakeland Committee
Trustee Fritz Koenecke Carpenter’s Barn/Lakeland Committee
Mayor Kurt Wheeler Shared Services Committee
Trustee Jim Joseph Shared Services Committee
Trustee Dave Porter Sustainability/Climate Action Plan Committee
Trustee Amy Mann Tree Commissioner
Trustee Jim Joseph Parking Committee/HCBD Initiatives
Trustee Fritz Koennecke Employees Health Insurance Consultant
Trustee Jim Joseph CACDA Representative
Proposed appointments for 2014:
Katherine A. Burns Village Clerk / Treasurer – Two Years
Susan M. Dady Deputy Village Clerk-Treasurer – One Year
Kerry Bishal Clerk to the Justice – One Year
Patrick O’Sullivan Acting Justice – One Year
William L. Carr Superintendent of Public Works – One Year
William L. Carr Zoning Enforcement Officer – One Year
William L. Carr Building Codes Inspector – One Year
Samuel D. Usborne Street Crew Chief – One Year
Charles Seager Water Superintendent – One Year
Jeffrey L. Hughes Superintendent of Cemetery – One Year
Proposed appointments for 2014:
Anne McDowell Village Planning Board Member – Five Years
William Keiser Zoning Board of Appeals Member – Five Years
Elizabeth Moore Historic Preservation/Architectural Advisory Review Committee – Five Years
William L. Carr Advisor to Planning Board – One Year
Russ Brownback Village Ethics Committee – One Year
Tom Clarke Village Ethics Committee – One Year
Steve Thomas Village Ethics Committee – One Year
Proposed tree commission appointments for 2014:
(Note that there are numerous members but five must be appointed officially per tree regulations)
Amy Mann (Chairperson) Tom Tait, Ted Bartlett, Jennifer Wielt and Betsy Moore
Proposed appointments for 2014:
James T. Stokes Village Attorney – One Year – Designated Legal Services
Dunn & Sgromo Engineering Village Engineer – One Year
Designations for 2014:
Official day and time for regular board meeting – First Monday of each month, 7 p.m.
Official newspaper – Cazenovia Republican
Official depositories – Key Bank, M & T Bank, Chase Manhattan, HSBC Bank, State Bank of
Chittenango
Official mileage for the year 2014-2015 – 56 cents per mile
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
