By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
With the abrupt resignation earlier this month of David Barnhart, the village of North Syracuse is without a code enforcement officer.
Mayor Gary Butterfield declined to state the reason for Barnhart’s departure, but he said the village already has two applicants for the position from the civil service list.
Despite Barnhart’s absence, life goes on in North Syracuse, and paperwork is piling up in the codes office.
“Some items cannot wait,” Butterfield said at the June 22 meeting of the Village Board of Trustees.
The board voted 3-1 to authorize Butterfield to sign permits and time-sensitive documents for the codes department. Trustee Chuck Henry cast the sole dissenting vote, and it is Mayor Butterfield’s practice to abstain from board voting.
Henry said he feared a “backlash” because Butterfield is not a state-certified code enforcement officer. “No offense, Mr. Mayor,” he said.
Village Attorney Scott Chatfield said it is acceptable for the mayor to sign off on permits and other documents, but the village should consult a professional when it comes to inspections and other technical matters.
“Why don’t we just take out that middle step and do shared services with Cicero?” Trustee Pat Gustafson suggested.
Butterfield said he discussed the matter with Cicero Supervisor Mark Venesky, who said, “We’d love to do that,” but Butterfield said Cicero is down a code enforcement officer itself at the moment.
Henry suggested reaching out to other municipalities such as the towns of DeWitt and Salina or the villages of East Syracuse and Minoa.
Butterfield proposed enlisting the help of Sheila Weed, architect and owner of Group 1 Design.
“I’ve worked with her for 35 years and she’s very knowledgeable with codes,” Butterfield told the Star-Review. “I have a level of comfort with her.”
Butterfield told the board Weed has agreed to assist the village with reviewing plans and performing inspections on a per diem basis. The board voted to pay Weed $50 per hour for her services.
“I’m in favor of it as long as it’s her doing the inspections,” Henry said.
“I don’t want to be on the hook for inspections,” Butterfield replied. “I’m just trying to keep the ship afloat.”
Election results
Also at the June 22 meeting, Mayor Gary Butterfield and Trustees Diane Browning and Pat Gustafson congratulated Deputy Mayor Fred Fergerson, Trustee Chuck Henry and Village Justice Robert Bertrand on their re-election victories. The village election was held June 20.
According to the unofficial tally from the Onondaga County Board of Elections, Fergerson received 104 votes, Henry received 89 votes and 51 voters cast write-in ballots. Fred Wilmer ran as a write-in candidate.
Bertrand, running unopposed, received 110 votes. There were also three write-in votes in the village justice race.
The Onondaga County Board of Elections was expected to certify the results Tuesday, June 27, after counting absentee ballots.
