Timothy Bearup

During this organizational meeting, numerous official appointments and procedural adoptions were finalized for the Town. Key actions included the appointment of Harris Beach as Attorney for the Town, not to exceed $70,000.00 annually. Several policies and procedures were affirmed, such as the Procurement Policy, Investment Policy, Fee Schedule, and Employee Handbook. Appointments were made for various roles including Eastern Shores Associates as Brokers of Record, Dunn and Sgromo Engineers PLLC as Engineer, NBT Bank and NYCLASS as Official Banks, and the Post Standard as Legal Newspaper. Stipends and compensation levels were set for several positions, including the Code Enforcement Officer ($76,000.00), Deputy Clerk, Justice Court Clerks, and chairs/members of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Environmental Conservation Commission. Specific appointments were confirmed for positions on the Planning Board, Board of Assessment Review, Zoning Board of Appeals, Environmental Conservation Committee, and Board of Ethics. The mileage reimbursement rate was set at $0.725 per mile, and the regular meeting schedule was established for the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. The Town Supervisor was appointed as the 2026 representative to OCEBA.

The board discussed financial reports, including supervisor and clerk bank reconciliations and the approval of voucher payments. Key agenda items included planning for the upcoming Earth Day event, authorizing compensation for a former highway department employee, and interviewing candidates for a town board vacancy. Additionally, the board approved a support letter for the Anadaga Man Triathlon and received an update regarding the Department of Transportation's project to install a new traffic signal at a local intersection.

The discussion covered the approval of previous meeting minutes, the scheduling of recording secretaries for the remainder of the year, and updates regarding a dropped lawsuit concerning a solar project on Sweet Road, which is no longer viable. The committee discussed the necessity of creating a new Town Master Plan and the committee's potential role, alongside coordinating submission deadlines for future communications and Earth Day events to streamline efforts for the administrative contact. New business involved proposing the assignment of specific focus areas (e.g., solar contacts, contests, grants) to committee members for clarity. The group debated the role of the ECC in researching and promoting grants, concluding that active searching for grants is likely not beneficial given current resources and focus areas, although supporting the town with infrastructure grant applications remains a possibility. They also discussed creating a schedule for monthly blurbs and linking social media announcements to articles regarding 'Planet Pompy.'

Key discussions included the status of the Norbut Solar project, noting that the Town is facing a lawsuit regarding the permit denial based on arguments that NYS law supersedes local law. Preparations for Earth Day on April 25, 2026, were detailed, involving vendor confirmation, fundraising coordination, and planning for rock painting and seedling distribution. The committee agreed to repeat both the photo contest, starting in March, and the snowman contest, scheduled for the February school break. John reported on ongoing work with the Cornell cooperative extension concerning potential DEC grants for the Town. No updates were provided regarding cell towers.

The meeting included discussions on the committee's social media and website update schedule, as well as an after-action review of the snowman contest which had low participation. Coordination efforts were established for the upcoming Earth Day event, with designated members stepping into lead roles. Additionally, progress updates were provided regarding the photography contest, tree procurement, logistics for the Earth Day event, including volunteer management, music arrangements, and equipment needs, and potential coordination for incoming payments via Venmo.