The Village of Depew Board of Trustees on Dec. 22 handled routine business and a series of motions that the board approved unanimously.

Energy contract: Trustees authorized Mayor Kevin Peterson to sign an agreement with NoCo Natural Gas & Electric to supply the village's electric and gas accounts, with board discussion referencing 12- and 18-month term options. The motion carried on a roll-call vote.

Planning and zoning: The board approved planning board minutes from Dec. 4, 2025, which documented a request by Mark Romanowski (Rupp Faz Fallsgraves) to operate a cannabis dispensary in a C-2 shopping district; trustees also approved zoning board minutes from Dec. 11, 2025, recording approvals including a front porch at 121 Tyler Street and building-mounted signage for Planet Fitness at 25175 Broadway, Unit 14.

Budget and finance: Trustees approved budget modifications for the 2025–2026 budget per the attached sheet and approved audited claims and accounts totaling $852,083.61 (General Fund $231,862.96; Sewer Fund $130; Capital Projects $620,090.65).

Public safety and mutual aid: The board voted to allow the local fire department to send an engine and personnel to the village of Lancaster on Dec. 31 from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. to provide standby assistance during fireworks activities.

Community items and awards: Chair announced that the village’s Community Development Block Grant application to redo St. James Playground Park was approved; the village noted a seven-year run of awarded CDBG projects. The board presented a community volunteer certificate for 2025 to “Mister Brian Craft” (the transcript also references "Ryan Craft" in the same exchange).

Public comment: Maude Farooq, president of the Muslim Community Center of WNY, told the board her group bought property at 94 Meridian Street and asked for permission to proceed with use of the site as a place for prayer; the board noted a draft agreement from the group's attorney had been received and that parking arrangements with a nearby school would be reviewed before the item appears on a future agenda. "We call it MCC of WNY, Muslim Community Center of West New York," Farooq said.

Department reports: Building department staff confirmed several new businesses are opening (including Planet Fitness and Buffalo Butcher's), the police chief reported four new officers entering field training and the fire chief said, "Since our last meeting, we've had 15 calls," offering holiday safety reminders. DPW asked residents to prepare trees for pick-up by removing bags and ornaments.

The meeting closed with a motion to adjourn at 7:27 p.m.