by Kristina Gabalski
Things are looking pretty black in Brockport and that’s good news for the village.
Village Treasurer Dan Hendricks presented board members with financial reports for the fiscal period ending 8/31/12 during the regular village board meeting October 23 and was asked by Trustee Bill Andrews how he feels the village is doing financially.
Hendricks said the village is paying its bills on time and that there is more than $1 million in the fund balance. “The village is in good financial standing,” he said. “From my perspective, you’re in good shape.”
The village has been in financial distress and faced a dissolution vote in June of 2010 over high taxes.
“Kudos to all who brought the village from financial distress to the black,” Police Chief Daniel Varrenti said.
During his report, Chief Varrenti presented Hendricks with a check for just over $2,900 from the NYS STOP DWI Foundation to reimburse the Brockport Police Department for overtime.
“It will go into the general fund and add to the fund balance,” Varrenti said.
“I think we’ve done a fantastic job in a very short amount of time,” Trustee Kent Blair said.
Mayor Connie Castaneda said at one point the village was not financially stable and trustees should remember how the village got to that point.
“It has been a painstaking process from there to here,” she said, and credited former treasurer MaryBeth Lovejoy with turning things around.
“We still face many, many challenges,” the Mayor added, “pensions, retirement costs and health insurance are all things we can not control.”
In other business, the board approved the hiring of J. O’Connell & Associates, Grants Consultants of Clarence, to act as grant writer for the village. O’Connell is the largest grants consulting firm in Western New York.
“I’m happy we’re hiring a grant writer,” Trustee Margaret Blackman said during her report. “I think we got the top firm in the region and they will serve us well.”
Trustee Kent Blair said that he, too, was excited about the hiring of a grant writer and would be submitting to them a grant that would benefit the Brockport Police Department.
The hiring of a grant writer was included in this year’s village budget.
Blackman reported that the 2012 Village-To-Village Challenge (a rowing event), would be held November 3 on the Erie Canal between Brockport and Spencerport. The event was formerly held on the canal on the east side of Monroe County.
Blackman said the Welcome Center would open at 7:30 a.m. that day for participants and that the event begins at 9:30 a.m.
She said she is donating cider and donuts for participants and Stetson Club President Brian Winant told the Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald that his organization would provide coffee and bagels.
“I’m looking for volunteers,” Blackman said, who would be willing to walk or cycle along the canal following the rowers for safety purposes.
“It’s going to be a really great event for Brockport,” she said.
Board members also decided to terminate the services of special prosecutor Robert J. Lunn who they hired July 19 to prosecute the zoning and building code violations case against Mayor Connie Castaneda in the Town of Ogden court.
The mayor said the village has been informed that Lunn’s services are no longer needed as the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.
The village paid attorney Lunn a $5,000 retainer and is asking for the unused retainer back.
Mayor Castaneda has stated for the record that Lunn was also paid by the village prior to the July 19 vote which authorized the village to hire him. She has asked the board if they are interested in working to retrieve those funds.
No action was taken on that request.
