Fredonia trustees approve Police Benevolent Association pact after brief procedural dispute

The Village of Fredonia Board of Trustees approved a two‑year collective bargaining agreement with the Fredonia Police Benevolent Association covering June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2027, at the May 12 meeting after a short exchange in which at least one trustee said they had not received the latest agreement and asked to table the item.

At the start of the agenda discussion a trustee said they had not had an opportunity to review the final agreement and moved to table the resolution. Other trustees said the board had received the agreement weeks earlier, the village attorney had reviewed it and was “fine with it,” and members who had reviewed it said the text was the same as prior drafts. The mayor and trustees then moved to approve the agreement, and the formal resolution on the meeting agenda authorized the mayor to sign the pact on behalf of the village.

Why it matters: police labor agreements set wages, benefits and working conditions and affect the village’s budget and operations. Several members of the public later urged the board to provide clearer summaries of contract terms in resolutions for taxpayers’ review.

Public comment at the meeting included a request — from Frank Begano, who identified himself as representing the Concerned Citizens Advisory Board — that the board provide a summary of major contract terms in the resolution text rather than only a motion to approve, so the public can see how taxpayer funds will be used. Trustees acknowledged the request during public comment but proceeded with the vote; the resolution passed as presented in the meeting packet.