By Jason Klaiber
The Village of Fayetteville detailed steps for pandemic readiness as well as aspects of its preliminary budget at its March 16 meeting.
Mayor Mark Olson said the village’s supplies for its fire services, public works department and clerk’s office would not be loaned out to any other municipalities.
The village hall at 425 E. Genesee St. will allow visitors only by appointment, and the same will go for the codes enforcement office and the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce.
The senior center will remain closed through March 30.
Fayetteville’s department of public works and fire department will both only be open to “essential” personnel only, according to the mayor.
The village court has also been closed.
The surfaces inside the village hall have been sanitized, Olson said.
Olson initiated a freeze on budget spending for “all non-essential things.”
Heat, lighting, fuel and vehicle maintenance have been excluded from the spending freeze.
Contingency plans have been created with the village department heads, according to Olson.
Though he said the aim is to keep the village running as normal, Olson said “safety is paramount.”
“It truly does take a village to get through something like this, and this will be a true test of what this village is made of,” Olson said. “We are trying to be as prepared as possible.”
At the March 16 meeting, the board authorized the mayor to sign an intermunicipal agreement to share resources and labor with the Town of Manlius, the Village of Manlius and the Village of Minoa.
The website http://www.fayettevilleny.gov, which provides the phone numbers for the village offices after a click on the “Contact Us” tab, will also present up-to-date information related to COVID-19.
Briefs will be sent out pertaining to emergency operations.
The village board’s next meeting, set to take place on March 30, will not be open to the public, but it will be taped with links made available.
The board discussed the highlights of the village’s 2020-2021 preliminary budget as well.
The preliminary budget shows a $7.20 tax rate, the same as last year’s.
Assessment went up 3.5%, while ambulance billing is down $125,000 or 11%.
The year-to-date revenue total and overall expenses were both up $47,000.
The debt service for the village hall has been paid.
Deer management has been funded at $20,000, and $1,500 was added in the budget for the Fayetteville Free Library.
