Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clay Town Board adopts 2026 meeting schedule, salaries and appointments in organizational meeting
Summary
At its Jan. 5 organizational meeting, the Town of Clay Board set 2026 meeting dates and holiday closures, approved annual salaries and dozens of appointments, retained engineering and legal counsel, and adopted a harassment prevention policy; all recorded motions passed unanimously.
Damian Ulatowski, Supervisor of the Town of Clay, opened the Town Board’s Jan. 5 organizational meeting, recorded attendance and led the Pledge of Allegiance. The board unanimously adopted Roberts Rules of Order as the official meeting procedure (subject to Town Law) with procedural exceptions for second readings and immediate voting established by the resolution.
The board set the first and third Mondays of each month at 7:30 P.M. as its regular 2026 meeting nights and approved rescheduling for the January, September and November meetings to accommodate holidays. The board also canceled meetings on Feb. 16, July 6 and Aug. 3 and published the Town Hall holiday closure schedule for 2026.
The board approved committee and liaison assignments for council members and adopted 2026 annual salaries for town officers and department heads, including Supervisor $85,284; Deputy Supervisor $24,492; Councilor $21,218; Commissioner of Planning & Development $137,500; Highway Superintendent $118,183; Water Superintendent $101,505; Town Clerk $80,000; Receiver of Taxes $80,000; Assessor $113,603. All salary resolutions passed by recorded vote, Ayes 7, Noes 0.
Board business included a package of appointments and contract retentions. Resolutions appointed Joseph Bick as Deputy Supervisor and named the Supervisor as Administrator of Special Districts; C & S Engineers, Inc. was retained to provide engineering services and to update the Town zoning map. The board retained Germain & Germain as town attorneys for 2026, approved separate retainer amounts for legal work for boards (ZBA $18,000; Planning Board $36,000), and designated multiple banks as official depositories. The Syracuse Post Standard was named the official town newspaper for legal notices (Eagle Star Review designated as an additional publication).
The Town Board adopted the Official Zoning Map as revised Dec. 12, 2025, and confirmed a slate of planning and zoning appointments: Michelle Borton as Planning Board Chair, Harold Henty as a Planning Board member (term to Dec. 31, 2032), Vivian Mason as ZBA Chair, and other secretarial and alternate appointments. Additional appointments included Jill Hageman-Clark to the Board of Ethics (term to Dec. 31, 2030), Jeffrey Snow as Town Historian, Michael McCarthy and Steven McBurnie as constable and substitute constable, respectively, and department heads and deputies such as Joseph Nicoletti Jr. as Highway Superintendent and Francis Mazzye as Water Superintendent for 2026. The board appointed Jill Hageman-Clark as a marriage officer pursuant to Section 11 of the New York State Domestic Relations Law; the board recorded the statutory citation at the time of the motion.
During the correspondence and public-comment portion of the meeting, resident Lennie Tucker praised neighbors’ support for a widow affected by Micron and distributed commemorative hats. Resident Wayne Barnes raised concerns about snow and sidewalk maintenance on Taft and Allen Roads and asked whether the town, village or school district might maintain those sidewalks or enforce business obligations; Councilor David Capria concurred with the concern and Mr. Barnes left contact information for follow-up. Matthew Carr asked whether the Town provides mental-health resources; Councilor Joseph Bick cited Onondaga County resources and local hospital providers as places to start.
A public hearing on the renewal application for Casual Estates LLC d/b/a Madison Village mobile home court was opened; no one spoke on behalf of the applicant. The board adopted a resolution adjourning the hearing to Jan. 21, 2026 at 7:35 P.M. and asked that the Town Clerk notify the applicant of the rescheduled hearing.
The board also approved administrative policies and agreements for 2026, including procedures for the Board of Ethics, an agreement authorizing expenditures of highway monies for the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2026, and adoption of the Town of Clay Harassment/Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy for 2026. The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 P.M. on a unanimous vote.
Votes at a glance: All recorded motions during the organizational meeting passed by recorded tallies of Ayes 7, Noes 0 unless otherwise noted (Councilor Gauthier abstained from the bank designation vote because of employment).
Next steps: The public hearing for Madison Village is scheduled to reconvene Jan. 21, 2026 at 7:35 P.M.; follow-ups were requested for sidewalk maintenance and outreach on mental-health resources.
