Village, town halls closed

To help minimize the spread of the coronavirus, area town and village halls moved quickly last week to make decisions that officials hope will help keep members of their communities safe.

At this time town and village halls are closed to the public but these facilities are and continue to work to address the needs of their communities.

The Village of Skaneateles made the decision to close village hall to the public on March 18.

At this time in person business will be by appointment only.

The village has advised that anyone needing assistance contact the village offices by phone or email.

“Village hall is physically closed.,” the statement read. “In-person business is by appointment only.  Please call our departments to determine if we can handle your needs without a visit to the office.”

If residents are dropping off a utility bill payment, the village asks that people utilize the drop box located on the side of the building. Bills can also be paid by mail and online. Please contact the office if you have difficulty getting your payment to us.

The village board chairs will be making decisions about how to conduct meetings and structure agendas. Updated information will be posted on the website.

“We will do our best to share any and all relevant information with you as the current situation develops,” the statement from the village said. “Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. The health and well-being of the Skaneateles community will continue to be our most important priority.”

Village of Skaneateles contact information: Village hall, 315-685-3440 or [email protected].

The town has also decided to take the same measures.

The Town of Skaneateles will always be here for our residents,” Town Supervisor janet Aaron wrote in a letter to the community last week. “The way we conduct business and meetings is temporarily changed as of March, 17 2020 by a state of emergency declaration for the Town of Skaneateles. It enables your town government to respond rapidly to emergent issues and continue business.”

Aaron encouraged the community to call town hall with any question or concerns and said messages could be left for the various departments.

The number for town hall 315-685-3473 and department information can be found at townofskaneateles.com.

At the time Aaron said the town transfer station will remain open.

And in the event of an emergency situation Aaron said she would like to remind people that 911 is the best number to call as it is contact with all area emergency services.

As of press time Elbridge Village Hall announced it will run on reduced hours and will be open Monday through Friday 9 to 3 p.m.

The village advised that trash stickers can be purchased at Tops and said the village will reassess the situation on April 6.

The Town of Elbridge also announced several other closings including justice court which is closed until further notice and all cases for town or village court are adjourned for 45 days.

The community center is closed for all group activities until at least April 6.

Little league has been postponed until April 13 and all town recreation programs are also suspended. Please contact Joe Patrick with questions at 315-689-9031 ext 9.

The Town of Camillus municipal offices remain open for essential services, but per orders of the governor, have reduced non-essential staff.

Much of town business such as tax payments, dog licensing, exemption filing, payment of court fines, questions/inquiries, and other matters can be handled using email, telephone, U.S. mail, or by taking advantage of the information and online payment options on our website: townofcamillus.com.

Before you visit a town office in person, people are asked to please take a moment and consider whether your business can wait or, if not, whether it be conducted via one of these alternative options rather than visiting in person. For health tracking purposes, any visitors to the building offices will be asked to sign in with name, address, and phone number.

Emergency and other essential services such as snow and trash removal will continue as normal however, the Town of Camillus has made the following changes to comply with limitations on social gatherings,, though the town advises all of this is subject to change.

The March 23 planning board, the March 24 town board meeting, and April 7 ZBA meetings have been cancelled.

The court offices are closed.

There will be no court proceedings in the courts of Justice Dotzler or Justice Petosa, nor will any evictions or small claims be accepted, until the first week of May 2020.

Notorial services will be available by appointment only and will be restricted to urgent/emergency matters such as healthcare proxies, power of attorney, etc. for Town of Camillus residents only.

All parks and recreation programs and events are canceled at this time and no registrations will be accepted until further notice.

The Senior Center will be closed through the end of the month. The AARP Tax Aide Program has been canceled and the AARP Smart Driver courses for March and April are canceled. Food Sense pickup will still take place on March 25.

The Town Shop teen center is closed until further notice.

The office is open and available to provide essential services to the public however, due to staffing reductions and public health concerns, it is asked that the public avoid coming in for any non-urgent matters such as new licenses, passports and  certified copies.

Marcellus has also advised residents that facilities are closed at this time.

Residents can contact 315-673-3112 to make an appointment or can call 315-506-9253 for sewer of highway emergencies.

And all communities again remind resident to call 911 with any emergencies.