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Mendon board approves budgets, vouchers and appointments; resident raises sign‑regulation concerns
Summary
At its regular meeting the Mendon Town Board approved 2024 and 2025 budget adjustments, multiple voucher abstracts, several conference attendances and appointments including Michael Burke to the Environmental Conservation Board. A resident asked about political sign limits and the town attorney cautioned about First Amendment issues.
The Mendon Town Board on February 3, 2025 conducted routine town business that included approving budget adjustments for 2024 and 2025, multiple voucher abstracts, conference attendance and several appointments.
The board approved final 2024 budget adjustments (the finance staff is still closing the 2024 books) and approved 2025 budget adjustments listed on the agenda; the motions passed by voice vote. The board also approved vouchers for general, highway and library abstracts, with the clerk noting large line items that included the fire district and New York State retirement payments.
Appointments and staff items included the board's adoption of an engagement agreement with attorney Donald Young to provide legal services (including planning board work), the appointment of Michael Burke to the Environmental Conservation Board (term to Dec. 3, 2045), the reappointment of John McDonald to the Board of Assessment Review through Sept. 30, 2029, and acknowledgement of a temporary deputy supervisor appointment for James P NY for Feb. 15–19.
The board accepted a proposal from Braining Excavating for stormwater work in the amount of $1,195 to be paid from account BB5115400 and approved attendance by staff at several trainings and conferences with capped expense amounts (examples included caps of $800 and $700 for specific conferences listed in the agenda). Members also authorized issuing a Request for Bids for document‑scanning vendors to support a state grant application to digitize town records; board members emphasized that collecting quotes does not obligate the town to sign a contract.
During public comment, resident Moley Lane said he had provided the town attorney with documents citing court cases and urged the town to pursue legal clarity on political signage; Lane said some court decisions indicate municipal sign restrictions can be struck down. The Town Attorney replied that he had received the materials and cautioned that First Amendment protections limit how towns may regulate political signs: "for the First Amendment protections... time, manner and place restrictions... if it's not content based then it's rational basis," he said, adding that content‑based rules face strict scrutiny.
A resident also asked whether a library training about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be summarized for the public; the board said the training had been attended by library staff but that the town would not issue broader public guidance at this time.
The meeting concluded after a final public comment period and a voice vote to adjourn.
