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Tonawanda council confirms fire chief, extends assessor term and approves four event permits
Summary
The City of Tonawanda Common Council adopted routine minutes and bills, approved a $2,500 one-time stipend to the superintendent of public works, confirmed Joseph Briggs as fire chief at $110,000 annually, extended the assessor—s term to Oct. 31, 2025, and approved three special-event permits.
The City of Tonawanda Common Council on Sept. 16 adopted a slate of routine and personnel resolutions, confirming Joseph Briggs as the city—s fire chief, extending the city assessor—s appointment deadline and approving several special-event permits.
Council members voted to accept the minutes from the Sept. 2 meeting and allowed the audited bills. In a separate resolution, the council approved a one-time stipend of $2,500 to the superintendent of public works to cover unanticipated additional duties caused by an unfilled director of parks and recreation post.
The most notable personnel action was the council—s confirmation of Joseph Briggs as fire chief, effective Sept. 17, 2025, at an annual salary of $110,000. During discussion a council member said, "I've known Chief Briggs since I joined the council back in 2014 ... It's my honor to support this resolution." The resolution text in the meeting record cites the mayor—s recommendation following the retirement of former Fire Chief Patrick McNulty on Sept. 12, 2025.
The council also approved an extension of City Assessor Katie Schultz—s appointment from Sept. 30, 2025 to Oct. 31, 2025 to allow the mayor additional time to negotiate a new employment agreement; the resolution states the extension preserves the assessor—s existing terms and conditions.
On events, the council granted permission for three community gatherings: an Erie Canal bicentennial program at the Benjamin Long Homestead on Oct. 25, 2025; a Buffalo Suburban Seventh-day Adventist Church concert at the David Miller Band Shell on Sept. 27, 2025 (the resolution requires a certificate of insurance naming the city as additional insured to be filed by Sept. 19, 2025); and the longstanding Lick and Murchie family Christmas lighting at Fletcher and Wheeler scheduled for Nov. 29, 2025.
All resolutions on the agenda were carried by roll call with the members present recorded voting "Aye." The meeting record shows roll-call votes for each adopted resolution.
What—s next: the council noted the budget will be released Oct. 1 and scheduled follow-up meetings for items that require staff detail or public input.
