Cheektowaga board approves new hires, controller, and several routine items; multiple infrastructure and hiring measures tabled or defeated
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Summary
The Town of Cheektowaga board approved a mix of personnel appointments including a controller, passed routine agreements and a senior-service contract, and tabled or defeated several sewer- and highway-related bond and hiring measures after extended debate.
The Town of Cheektowaga Town Board on April 22 approved a set of personnel appointments and routine resolutions while tabling or voting down several infrastructure and highway personnel measures.
The board voted to appoint Dennis Dombrowski as town controller, effective April 23, 2025, and approved other hires including a maintenance worker and a provisional pump operator. The board also approved an agreement to host a FeedMore Western New York farmers-market program at the senior center. Several bond-related resolutions and notices-to-bidders tied to sewer and Kemp Avenue drainage work were tabled for further review or defeated after discussion about timing and grant coordination.
Why this matters: the controller hire establishes a new finance officer to review town spending and reimbursements; debate over sewer bonding and highway engineering highlights competing priorities around DEC consent-order deadlines, grant reimbursements and budget constraints.
Key votes and outcomes - Resolution 2025-0254: appointment of Zachary Worrall as part-time court officer — PASSED (voice vote). - Resolution 2025-0255: appointment of Walter Zelinski as part-time court officer — PASSED (voice vote). - Resolution 2025-0256: exemption from town residency and appointment of Joseph LaRacio and Eric Morawski as detention officers at $22/hr — PASSED (voice vote). - Resolution 2025-0259: rescindment of prior spending-freeze resolution and direction to consider controller recommendations — PASSED (roll call: unanimous yes recorded where roll call taken). - Resolution 2025-0260 (amended): annual financial disclosure filing list (added director of youth and recreation, town prosecutor, planning board members, and general crew chief) — PASSED as amended (voice vote on amendment; then passed). - Resolution 2025-0261: opt-out of Real Property Tax Law §487 solar & energy-system exemptions — TABLED at sponsor request pending assessor data (motion to table approved). - Resolution 2025-0266 (sanitary-sewer public hearing/bond call): TABLED. - Resolution 2025-0267: bond authorization up to $3,000,000 for drainage improvements (Kemp area) — DEFEATED (roll call: several no votes; Supervisor Brian Nowak and Council member Brian Pularski recorded yes; others no). - Resolutions 2025-0268, 2025-0270, 2025-0271 (various notices to bidders for sewer/storm/sewer repair projects): TABLED or pulled for later consideration. - Resolution 2025-0277: agreement with FeedMore Western New York to host farmers-market program at the senior center — PASSED (roll call recorded yes votes). - Resolution 2025-0280 (memo re: highway engineer authority): TABLED for additional financial detail. - Resolutions 2025-0282, 2025-0283, 2025-0284 (highway hiring/appointments): several were considered but the roll calls recorded defeat or abstentions; specific motions failed to carry. - Resolution 2025-0297: appointment of William Rathburn, maintenance worker, Facilities — PASSED (voice vote). - Resolution 2025-0298: appointment of Dennis Dombrowski as town controller, $80,000 salary — PASSED (voice vote; follow-up budget transfers to be provided). - Resolution 2025-0299: appointment of Ryan Pocobello as provisional pump operator, main pump station — PASSED (voice vote).
Board members who requested more detail asked staff to provide the latest spending/reimbursement status for the DEC WQIP $5,000,000 pipelining grant tied to sewer sheds 9 and 10; staff committed to an update by email within a day or two. Several motions to table items were adopted to allow that follow-up.
Ending: The board finished regular business and entered executive session on personnel, litigation and attorney-client matters with no action announced afterward.
