Votes at a glance: Chautauqua County Public Facilities Committee approves appointments, leases and multiple year-end budget amendments

The Chautauqua County Public Facilities Committee on Thursday voted on a series of routine but substantive staffing, lease and budget items.

Appointments: The committee confirmed reappointment of a parks commission member and confirmed two new appointees — Alexander Pickett to the Chautauqua County Landfill Commission and Nathan Stock to the Chautauqua County Airport Commission — by voice vote.

Leases and office space: The committee authorized a one-year lease at the Chautauqua County Airport for a restaurant operator identified in meeting materials as Basil and Bones, with a lease term that starts April 1, 2025; the rent amount in the resolution was shown as $750 (document did not specify periodicity). The committee also approved a two-year lease with the Village of Mayville for approximately 525 square feet of office space at 1 South Erie Street for the sheriff’s reentry hub, at $450 per month; funding comes from the fiscal year 2021 COSAP grant. A proposed amendment to a lease with the City of Dunkirk to increase office space for the county public defender was discussed in committee but the committee took no action and the item will appear before other committees. A separate proposed lease with Jamestown Rental Properties was moved to be tabled by motion and the committee voted to table that item.

Budget amendments and reconciliations: The committee approved numerous year-end reconciliations and budget amendments for 2024, including adjustments for the South and Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District; North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District; Portland-Pomfret-Dunkirk Sewer District; North Chautauqua County Water District; North County Industrial Sewer District No. 1; landfill reconciliations; and several Public Facilities (A fund and DM fund) transfers to cover overages and reallocate revenues. Committee members discussed specific items such as sewer-district depreciation entries, payroll-allocation corrections, pump-station roof replacements in the Portland-Pomfret-Dunkirk district and use of fund balance for capital repairs. The committee approved amendments and then approved the amended resolutions by voice vote.

Household hazardous waste and landfill items: The committee renewed authorization for staff to apply for New York State household hazardous waste program grants and approved an amended resolution for landfill year-end reconciliations.

Procedure and votes: Most items were approved by voice vote with committee members signaling “Aye”; where members moved to amend documents that had been provided at committee workstations, the amendments were approved and then the amended resolutions passed. Committee leadership asked staff to bring additional detail at later audit-and-control committee meetings for items where the committee requested more documentation, including certain expenditures related to the Ag Center that staff recommended be reviewed further.

The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.