The regular meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT) began with a candid statement by Mayor Sharon Torres using blunt language as she acknowledged the trials of the past week. She recognized the negative reactions to the tree-felling at Florence Park and said the Village had to do better. She referenced the weather and flooding by starting with “Saturday sucked” and assured residents that she is listening and taking their problems with flooding to heart. She stated she hoped “we (BOT) are in agreement.”
Ethics Board Urges Adoption of Revised Code
Daniel Karson, Chair of the Ethics Board, addressed the BOT at the work session for what he stated was the “fifth or sixth time” he spoke to them about adopting the revised Code of Ethics. Karson was clearly concerned about the March 11th vote rejecting the code revision and the comments made by some members of the BOT and the public.
In a methodical and chronological accounting of the process the Village followed to arrive at the revisions, Karson started with the first discussion on July 18, 2020 and recounted the 23 meetings over six months and “a few thousand hours” of work to rewrite the code and the subsequent discussions with the BOT. He reminded the BOT that they have had the latest revised code for one year and three months and pointedly asked if they had even read it.
Karson also addressed a comment made at the March 11th BOT meeting regarding the qualifications of the current members of the Ethics Board, most of whom were not a part of the code revision process. Their collective education and experiences are impressive and, as Karson pointed out, directly relevant to their role. (See full statement HERE.)
After some discussion with the BOT everyone agreed to amend the language regarding discrimination to include age and other factors to make the language consistent with NYS law. Village Attorney Robert Spolzino will make the changes and present a revised version of the code at the next work session (April 8).
Code of Conduct
At the work session, Mayor Torres raised the need for a Code of Conduct for elected officials and senior staff members. She had apparently circulated a standard to other BOT members. She asked for a commitment from the BOT to work on such a Code and all agreed.
Cameras and Washingtonville Environmental Testing
Also at the work session, the BOT discussed the possibility of returning the portable flood/security cameras, a measure Trustee Lou Young strongly opposed stating that they gave useful information to the staff. The BOT was informed that staff were working on an in-house solution to a camera system that would negate the monthly rental fees. The BOT agreed to determine if the staff had any concerns about removing the cameras.
Relatedly, the BOT discussed the idea of using the savings from returning the cameras to help fund the environmental testing requested by Washingtonville neighbors. See previous article HERE.
K9 Ike to Get a Colleague
At the regular meeting, the BOT accepted the donation of $11,000, primarily from Vincent’s Garage, for the purchase of a second Canine Officer. There was no discussion of the ongoing operating costs for a second canine.
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