By Phil Blackwell

Still in the process of seeking a new comptroller, the town of Cicero will maintain the services of its current comptroller, Shirlie Stuart, for a period after her previously scheduled retirement early in July.

At its June 24 meeting, the Cicero Town Board approved an agreement where Stuart would work 40 hours per month continuing her comptroller duties through at least the end of September.

This happened despite objections from two board members, Judy Boyke and Michael Becallo, who were concerned about costs and ultimately voted against the contract.

But it was still approved by a 3-2 margin. Councilors Jonathan Karp and Nancy White said it was better to keep Stuart in place while the hiring process continues. So far, only two people have applied for the comptroller’s job.

Meanwhile, the board settled the matter of a zone change of property on State Route 31 near the Point Place Casino in Bridgeport slated for a farm-to-table restaurant. By a 3-1-1 vote (Boyke abstained and supervisor Bill Meyer voted no), the change was approved.

Karp said that, while he was sympathetic to concerns raised by residents at the June 10 public hearing, he still believed the property could be used for agricultural purposes and that “ultimately, that property will be developed” by other potential businesses.

The board also dealt with several personnel matters, including a transfer of responsibilities at the Youth Bureau’s CanTeen.

With parks and recreation director Jody Rogers’ retirement, Rogers’ duties with the CanTeen were officially transferred to Toni Brauchle, who has worked at the CanTeen for much of its decade-long history.

“She (Toni) is the best person to take on these responsibilities,” said Rogers, noting how they had collaborated on the CanTeen’s growth as it went through many rounds of growth and relocations.

Melissa Dougher was approved to take over as the Parks and Recreation Department’s new recreation director, effective Aug. 1.

Also,  the board approved purchasing nearly $1,900 of acrylic panels from Design Stops Signs & Graphics to be installed in various town buildings, designed to keep viruses such as COVID-19 from spreading.

Supervisor Bill Meyer said that acrylic panels were already in place inside the doorways of town offices, but now they would be applied for physical barriers between desks so that employees would not need to wear masks on a continual basis.

Onsite Development was given the okay to do $21,800 worth of removal of dead trees and branches from Plank Road Park and William Park, along with Taft Settlement Cemetery. Boyke said that those branches were “creating havoc,” especially at William Park along the shore of Oneida Lake.

A $2,400 donation was made by an anonymous Cicero resident to the town’s police department for supplies and equipment.

Meyer said that a special town board meeting on July 9 will address trash collection returns, with another regular meeting set for July 23.

Those will likely remain closed to the public, said Meyer, because the board room can only fit in a handful of people while conforming to social-distancing policies.