batavia

Press Release:

The Town of Batavia Republican Committee will hold its Endorsement Meeting on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at The Batavia Town Hall.

Anyone interested in being considered for said Republican endorsement for Batavia Town Clerk should send a letter of interest & Resume to shawley@smhawley.com no later than Jan. 30 at 5. p.m.

Whether it’s $4,000 or $55,000 and larger, City Council members have financial decisions to make either with this year’s budget or those in the future on items big and small, ranging from fireworks at Dwyer Stadium to the city’s technology plan and beyond.

The group has been delving into the numbers line by line the last two weeks, getting department updates about equipment, vehicle, personnel, building, property, and infrastructure needs, future projects, and those in progress, asking questions, and getting the full picture of reality for the city of Batavia. 

“It probably sounds overwhelming, everything we’re telling you, but it’s our job to be completely honest with council on what we’re facing here as employees," Human Resource Director Rebecca McGee said during a conversation Thursday evening about information technology. "And one of the biggest things we face, one of the biggest hindrances we have, is information technology and doing our jobs, and trying to make things work the right way.” 

Apparently, things haven’t been working very well with the city’s contract for monthly maintenance with AIS. Assistant City Manager Erik Fix, who was admittedly sort of pegged as the surrogate IT guy in the absence of someone being on-site full-time, he said, reviewed the plan, which provides a person to visit on-site once a month and perform installations. 

As for handling those day-to-day technical issues, much of that has fallen to Fix and other city staff. Police Chief Shawn Heubusch and his department staff have had to consistently address issues themselves, he said.

“I just pulled up our spreadsheet, we have over 30 computers at our office alone,” Heubusch said. “That is immensely time-consuming when we have to deal with any of the problems. The investment that we have with AIS, although great, it is not enough. I have an officer, a detective actually, on staff who fixes our computers when they’re broken or installs a new program because something broke. That’s a waste of his time and his energy.”

He also mentioned the surveillance cameras, which are great when fully operational, but when they break down, it takes city public works staff to retrieve them from a pole and then someone to make a repair so that they can resume their function on city streets, he said. 

AIS serves a function; it’s just not enough, Fix said. 

“They manage and maintain all of our servers, they manage and maintain all of our equipment,” he said. “It’s that troubleshooting piece, that hands-on piece that Shawn’s talking about. It’s just a constant, constant battle to keep that up and running and avoiding probably doubling or tripling our fees and ask them to have somebody here. We’re managing bare bones.”

Another glitch in the city’s older-fashioned system is the need to do some timesheets manually, McGee said. 

“Do you know we all still do our timesheets by paper?” McGee said as the room went silent. “When we’re thinking about IT, it’s the time-savings of taking 36 timesheets and entering them. When we’re trying to weigh out the costs, it’s the time savings and the cost savings.” 

Fix suggested a 10 percent increase for both the AIS piece and software cost, for a total of $71,500. In this next year’s budget, AIS alone would be $55,000, which prompted Councilman David Twichell to suggest considering dropping the maintenance service and hiring an IT person. If full-time, however, there would be expenses of benefits and retirement costs to be considered.

The city has pulled back on community celebrations spending, reserving $4,000 from last year potentially for a request from Batavia Muckdogs owner Robbie Nichols for fireworks, which is where it went after GO Art! Announced that there wasn’t enough staff and volunteers to pull off the former Picnic in the Park event at Centennial Park on July 4. 

"Last year Council allocated funds to do a fireworks celebration at Dwyer with those funds. I did not add that in there. But I did get a request as we were walking into this meeting from Robbie Nichols. So if you'd like that, I have a written request for that," she said. "We did, however, get a letter from the Holland Land Office Museum asking for support. So I did add that into the budget, but it's certainly something Council can review."

There’s $2,500 slated for both GO Art! And Holland Land Office Museum.

Councilman Bob Bialkowski supported a contribution to the West Main Street museum, he said. 

"They are remodeling and painting, they’re closed for a month, they’re setting up new displays, they're going to be entering into an expansion project from the west side of the building, a major expansion … and doing some major work on the building too,” he said. “This small amount of support from the city really means a lot to him, and I think so many city people use it, you know, the schools, I think it’s a great educational tool.”

City staff participates in the Memorial Day parade, Christmas in the City and Veterans Day, with corresponding investments, for a total of $13,500 for community celebrations.

The city also has $12,500 for a hot water tank and $20,000 for seating repairs earmarked from reserves for Dwyer Stadium. There’s a need to improve a section of seats that have been beaten up by the weather, Tabelski said.  Those seats haven’t been able to be used, and that equaled a loss of ticket sales, she said. 

Other Dwyer expenses are $6,000 for salaries and another $3,000 for maintenance, for a total of $43,500.

The ice rink is to get $20,500, with $16,500 for a contractual expense and $4,000 for public works salary. 

In other recreational-related expenses, Human Resource Director Rebecca McGee let council members know about a new health perk for employees.

“We are excited to announce that we're able to increase our gym reimbursement program so that anybody can turn in a receipt up to $100 towards their membership for a gym,” she said. “We're pretty excited about that. Again, this continues to just keep going towards the health and well-being of all of our employees, and how seriously the city is taking that.”

Bialkowski asked how many employees take advantage of the reimbursement. 

 “We have $1,500 budgeted for it, so 15 employees,” Deputy Director of Finance Lisa Neary said.

There is also $2,500 for employee recognition, which includes fees for participation in the annual GLOW Cup 5K in Batavia.

“We’re moving towards the wellness and continuing to keep that in the forefront and focus for all of our employees. As we can see, they're pretty excited to have it, we'll take advantage of that one to help to make sure that we're all staying healthy. And then employee recognition, we had a great turnout over the last couple of years for their GLOW race, which is celebrated in Centennial Park that first week in August. So that's the increase towards that. We've had a lot of members take advantage of that over the last couple of years,” McGee said. “We’re pretty excited to be able to again continue to offer that as a wellness benefit for all of our employees, and making sure that we're all staying healthy, and being able to have some bonding time with our fellow employees and recognizing the importance of that, to have that line increase there as well.”

Other assorted budgeted expenses from general governmental services include:

• $45,000 for City Centre properties (fees and taxes) parcel #s 2, 11 and 16; 
• $25,000 for the city’s mall fees; 
• $11,000 for recycling and garbage pickup; 
• $10,000 for city facility maintenance; 
• $22,000 for court operations and maintenance; 
• $15,000 for mowing, boarding and picking up garbage for code inspection-related properties.
• The expense of $310,000 for the portion of roof over Main St. 56 Theater was negotiated, but from here on out, future sales of city properties will be considered “as is,” Tabelski said. 

The big-ticket items for major departments will be included in future articles. Council has more budget sessions scheduled for the week of Jan. 29.

Press Release:

Arc GLOW has chosen a new name for the 48th annual event held at Terry Hills Golf Course. 

GLOW Abili-TEES Golf & Bocce Tournament.

“The new name aligns with Arc GLOW’s mission of focusing on the abilities of individuals served by Arc GLOW while adding a twist to the word “Abili-TEES” as it relates to the game of golf,” said Ed Carney, chairman of the GLOW Abili-TEES Golf & Bocce Tournament committee.

It was chosen after a staff naming contest was held.

“The individuals who Arc GLOW serve have a lot of talent; we want to highlight that at this tournament while raising money so we can further help empower and support them,” said Lisa Bors, public relations director for Arc GLOW.

This year it will be held on Monday, July 15 at Terry Hills Golf Course, located at 5122 Clinton Street Road in Batavia.

Along with enhanced sponsorship opportunities, Arc GLOW has reduced the golf fee to $135 and bocce to $60 for the tournament. To reserve a spot, e-mail Sandy Konfederath at SKonfederath@ArcGLOW.org or (585) 343-1123 ext. 1715.

Keep your eyes peeled for further information on the Arc GLOW Facebook page and website, and save the date to be sure to help empower and support people of all ages with a broad spectrum of emotional, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.

During the first half of the 20th century, most Batavia families purchased their main courses from one source for all their meals big and small, Colgrove and Ryan’s Meat Market. 

The store became the preeminent meat seller in the area and even had a wider distribution area. Over its history, it had a few different locations in Batavia and even subsequent generations of stores after the owners went separate ways.

Colgrove and Ryan’s was the brainchild of the partnership of Myron Colgrove and Joseph Ryan. The two were seasoned grocers and meat sellers, coming from other businesses in the area. They began in 1920 and opened their first shop at 10 and 12 State St., which was named The Genesee Market. They stayed at that location until 1926, when they purchased Greentaner’s Sanitary Market at 54 Main St., changing the name to Colgrove and Ryan’s. 

This store backed up to the State Street market with a narrow alley in between. Due to the professionalism and expertice of the operation, the business became the go-to spot for grocery and meat shoppers. 

Adding to what the customers wanted, Colgrove and Ryan added a line of groceries in 1930, though their meat products were still their claim to fame. 

The store was also an early pioneer in telephone ordering, as people could order from their homes and pick them up at the market. In the fall of 1926, the store was featured in the magazine “Meat Merchandising” in an article, which commended them for the store lighting and the noted telephone service. 

Around 1945, Colgrove hinted at buying out his partner, but in turn, it was Ryan who bought out Colgrove. Under his singular ownership, Ryan turned the Main Street store into a wholesale meat center called The Western Provision Company. The operation grew quickly, and by 1949, he had several countermen and office clerks, as well as two order clerks, a receiving clerk, two sausage makers, and several delivery boys with a fleet of trucks.

Colgrove took his business back to 12 State St. and reopened The Genesee Market. The Genesee Market remained open until the building was bought during Urban Renewal, which was the same time that Myron Colgrove retired. He passed away in March 1966 at the age of 72. 

Joseph Ryan would fight in World War II and would suffer from the aftereffects of a sulfur gas attack for the rest of his life. At the time of his passing in 1960, he was not only the head of the Western Provision Company but also the treasurer of WBTA and the Batavia Baseball Club and a partner in the Ryan-DeWitt Oil Distribution Company. 

Western Provision Company was bought first by John Byrne of Niagara Falls and then by Harold Ironfeld before it was also closed due to Urban Renewal.

Ryan Duffy is the director of the Holland Land Office Museum.

A Batavia mother charged with harassment in the second degree for sending a series of angry emails, including one with profanity, to City School officials will not need to admit to any wrongdoing under terms of a plea agreement reached in City Court on Wednesday.

Kate Long, 39, accepted an offer from the District Attorney's Office to get the charge against her dismissed if she can avoid any additional criminal charges over the next six months.

That would wipe the slate clean, as if she was never charged in the first place. It would also mean no legal challenge to her arrest, which could have very well violated her First Amendment rights to free speech and petitioning the government for a redress of grievances.

It makes perfect sense that Long would accept the plea offer, said Constitutional scholar Jared Carter, but the plea could also potentially mean government agencies remain free to use the harassment 2nd statute to silence critics.

"My initial reaction, from a pure First Amendment perspective, is this was always a troubling case based on the facts as I understand them," Carter told The Batavian on Wednesday evening. "On one hand, there is some vindication of the First Amendment on the basis of the dismissal.  Of course, you don't have a ruling from a court saying this arrest was unconstitutional, so does the school district or law enforcement or whatever (agency) have any check on power? Can they again do what they want to do, and the short answer is, 'Yes.'  That's the unfortunate aspect of all of this."

Carter is counsel with the Cornell Law School First Amendment Clinic, based in Ithaca, and a professor of Law at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Carter specializes in First Amendment cases.

Long, a mother of three children, was issued a summons in November and charged with a single count of harassment in the second degree, a violation of Penal Law 240.26(3), which reads:

He or she engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts which alarm or seriously annoy such other person and which serve no legitimate purpose.

The charge was based on a criminal complaint filed with Batavia PD by John Marucci, president of the Board of Education for the Batavia City School District.

The complaint cited a Nov. 8 email that contained profanity and noted that Long had sent a series of emails over a short period of time complaining about how her son's Spanish class at Batavia Middle School was being handled.

In order to comment on the charge for an article The Batavian published on Dec. 18, Carter reviewed the emails and the charging documents and offered the opinion that Long's conduct would likely be viewed as protected speech by any court asked to rule on the constitutionality of her arrest. 

"They're (prosecutors) skating on very thin constitutional ice if any ice at all," Carter told The Batavian in December when discussing the arrest and prosecution of Long. "The First Amendment robustly protects Freedom of Speech, and the freedom to criticize government action. That would include criticizing the way that a school handles itself."

In 2014, the state's aggravated harassment statute, which contained similar language but specifically targeted speech, was ruled unconstitutional.  The state Legislature changed that law the following year but left open the ability of police to arrest individuals engaged in speech that is deemed offensive conduct under the harassment 2nd statute. 

Buffalo attorney Tom Trbovich, retained by Long to represent her in City Court, told The Batavian after her initial court appearance that he wasn't likely to mount a constitutional challenge to her arrest, suggesting an easier resolution could be negotiated with the District Attorney's Office.

"I think this was a good resolution," Trbovich said after court on Wednesday. "Right now, we were circling the wagons and making sure that nothing goes wrong. And hopefully, this will be taken care of in six months as if it never happened."

Asked if he thought his client committed a crime, Trbovich offered a slight smile and said, "I don't want to antagonize the office. I got a good disposition."

There are no conditions on Long over the next six months other than she avoid a criminal conviction, though Trbovich offered in court that Long would agree to have no further contact with school employees at Batavia Middle School.

Her son has transferred to Notre Dame, and her husband would have remained free to talk with school officials.

Judge Durin Rogers rejected the condition because there are typically no additional conditions on an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal.

Carter said Trbovich getting a potential dismissal of the charge for his client was understandable.

"Criminal defense attorneys try to get the best outcome for their clients by keeping them out of harm's way," Carter said. "It totally makes sense to tread carefully, to get the best outcome for his client as he can. I totally get that. I'm not second-guessing that at all."

But, he said, the First Amendment is still in play for Long if she wishes to pursue it as a civil matter, meaning, filing a lawsuit against the school district or the police department, if she feels her arrest did her harm or that it has a chilling effect on her future speech.  The fact she offered to have no future contact with the school, Carter indicated, suggests her arrest does indicate she is willing to self-censor out of fear of repercussion.

"You have to have some sort of injury to get in the courthouse door," Carter said. "Would a chilling effect be enough if she wanted to bring a First Amendment case? It could be injury enough to get in the courthouse door."

A Batavia couple wanting to provide a cheaper alternative for garbage services is also living the American dream of becoming entrepreneurs with a future path for their family, they say.

Joey Raziano and Bre Downs have set an ambitious course for themselves while they each are pursuing an educational goal — a nursing degree for her and a commercial driving license certification for him — they are establishing themselves as RRR Waste Removal Services with a seven-day-a-week business.

“It’s a side gig for now,” Downs said. “A goal is that it’s something to pass down to our kids when Joey and I are married … and to be able to help others and to actually give people the life that they want and not have to give money to garbage companies.”

Raziano added that “we actually care for our customers,” and one indication is that they let their customers choose which days they want garbage pickup rather than dictate when it’s going to happen. They also cited low monthly rates compared to their competitors.

They provide everything from a weekly garbage and recycling pickup to a monthly pickup service, a one-time garbage and junk removal, a moving and clean-out service, and bulk pick-ups of items such as couches, beds and stoves, with no extra mileage fees to the regular costs.

Their territory is expansive, covering Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties, the border of Erie County, and they’re considering a portion of Livingston County as well, Downs said. 

“A lot of customers are switching from other companies for weekly trash pickup,” she said. “We’re getting calls all the time.”

They can accommodate their current list of 100 customers with a pickup truck and two trailers and are making plans for when and if they will need to expand for a growing clientele. As that happens, they expect to hire more employees, Raziano said.

Downs has applied for an LLC, so the business is a limited liability company.

“And we now have an online contract system instead of paper contracts,” she said.

While the field of nursing may not seem to have much in common with waste removal, there’s s strong connection for Downs, she said. Her mom has been a certified nursing assistant for 28 years, and Downs has watched that type of care and compassion all of her life, she said. 

Raziano, 24, emphasized that “we actually care for our customers.”

"We treat customers like a family and not a number," he said.

“We care for other people first,” Downs said, explaining her hectic schedule. “I’m a go-getter. It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s worth it in the end, it’s helping small families in the end.”

They have previously been involved in the business with former partners and have been operating their own company for the last six months. They consider it to be an investment in their future as Downs, 22, prepares to graduate nursing school in September, and they look forward to their wedding in August 2025.

For more information, call the office number at 585-813-4026 or go HERE. 

Press Release: 

Richmond Memorial Library is pleased to partner with volunteers from the New York State Department of Tax and Finance to offer income-eligible citizens assistance with filing their taxes online this tax season.

Tax Department employees will walk you through your income tax returns, step-by-step, as you complete and e-file your tax return for free.

• If you earned $79,000 or less in 2023, you qualify.
• Safe and secure online tax software.
• Use on-site computers, or your own laptop, tablet, or mobile device.
• You only need basic computer skills and an active email account.

Sessions will be offered on Thursdays in February, March and April:

• Feb. 1
• Feb. 8
• Feb. 15
• Feb. 22
• Feb. 29
• March 7
• March 14
• March 21
• March 28
• April 4
• April 11 

Appointment slots are 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Those interested must schedule an appointment. For more information or to make an appointment, contact the library at 585-343-9550 x3, or visit the reference desk Richmond Memorial Library is located at 19 Ross Street in the City of Batavia. Find the library online at batavialibrary.org.

Press Release:

The Genesee County Health Department will be hosting its first rabies immunization clinic of the year at no charge to participants on Thursday, Feb. 8 from 4 - 6 p.m. at the Batavia Town Highway Garage (3833 West Main Street Road, Batavia). 

Vaccinations are free for dogs, cats, and ferrets, but voluntary donations are accepted. Animals must be at least 3 months old. Each animal must be leashed or crated and accompanied by an adult who can control the animal. Limit 4 pets per person maximum.

“We encourage all residents to take advantage of our first rabies immunization clinic of 2024 and ensure their pets are protected against rabies,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health).

“Rabies continues to be a serious public health concern in Genesee and Orleans Counties and is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. Please leave wildlife alone and do not feed, touch, or adopt wild animals, stray dogs, or cats.”

The next rabies immunization clinics are as follows: 

Genesee County Clinics at the Genesee County Fairgrounds (5056 East Main Street, Batavia)

• Thursday, May 16 from 4 - 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 8 from 4 - 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 10 from 4 - 6 p.m.

Orleans County Clinics at the Orleans County Fairgrounds (12690 State Route 31, Albion)

• Saturday, April 13 from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
• Wednesday, June 5 from 4 - 6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 10 from 9 - 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 - 11:30 a.m.

For more information on GO Health’s programs and services, visit GOHealthNY.org. You can also contact the health department at:

• Genesee County 585-344-2580 x5555 or Health@co.genesee.ny.us
• Orleans County 585-589-3278 or OCPublicHealth@orleanscountyny.gov

The Batavia City Schools' board approved five-year contracts Monday with Student Transportation of America for transportation from home to school, field and sports trips and during the summer worth more than $11 million that will be part of this year’s budget vote in May.

Business Administrator Andrew Lang explained, in a memo to the board, that the district engaged in a bid process this past November to procure student transportation services for the next five years. Prior to this, he said, the district had extended a previously awarded contract with STA for a period of five years. 

The bid process included a detailed specification outlining the district’s transportation program and current transportation needs. The bid included five separate contracts for home-to-school, special needs and homeless, field and sports trips, summer special needs and homeless, and summer home-to-school.

There was only one bid, which came from STA, and only for three contracts of home-to-school, field and sports trips, and summer home-to-school, Lang said. 

“As this is a multi-year contract, voter approval is required,” he said. “This is done by noting the estimated five-year contract cost in the 2024-25 public budget document.”

He recommended that the board award the bids to STA for the designated amounts as follows:

• Home-to-school transportation for a total five-year cost, including bus monitor/attendant, of $8,438,451.10. Rates range from up to three hours at $360 in this school year up to $437.58 in 2028-29, and $386.45 for four hours plus $74.28 per hour after that, up to $469.73 plus $90.29.
• Field and sports trip transportation for a total five-year cost, plus bus monitor, for $2,099,470.78. Driving rates are $98 for this school year, up to $119.12 in 2028-29 for in-district, plus an extra cost of $1.58 per mile this year, up to $1.92 in 2028-29 for out-of-district trips.
• Summer home-to-school and bus monitor/attendant total five-year cost of $607,982.44. Prices are the same as regular home-to-school until after four hours, when rates change to $405.02 for 4.5 hours for 2024-25 up to $492.30 in 2028-29 and $423.59 for five hours up to $514.88, with $74.28 per hour after that, up to $90.29 during the fifth year of the contract.
• Bus monitor/attendant rates are the same for all contracts, at $34.93 per hour in 2024-25 up to $42.46 in 2028-29.

The board approved a motion as part of the consent agenda during Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

The contract runs from the 2024-25 school year through 2028-29.

Press Release:

The Board of Assessment Review currently has one position to fill. The term is a five-year term and will expire on September 2028. The Batavia City Council is seeking a City resident who is interested in volunteering as a member of this committee and has knowledge of property values.

Residents interested in applying for this position can obtain a Committee/Board Volunteer Application from either the City Clerk’s Office or on the website at www.batavianewyork.com, Find It Fast. The deadline to submit applications to the City Clerk’s Office is April 22. 

For further information, please contact the City Bureau of Assessment at 345-6301. 

Batavia PD has issued another call for public assistance in locating Nathan L. Royse, who has been on the police department's wanted list since late August.

Crime Stoppers WNY is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest of Royse.

Royce is wanted on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.  Police warn he should be considered armed and dangerous.

He is also wanted on a parole warrant.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 716-867-6161 

If you’re a city employee in certain departments, it pays to be physically fit —- literally. 

Members of the International Association of Fire Fighters will have that option as part of a contract agreement approved by City Council Monday evening. 

Over the past several months, the city and union representatives have been negotiating terms for a new agreement. On December 29, 2023, a tentative agreement was reached with the IAFF union. It will be a five-year agreement, a salary increase of 3 percent for three years, 2.65 percent for years four and five, an increase in the health care premium to 32.5 percent,” City Manager Rachael Tabelski said during council’s conference session at City Hall. “IAFF members will now participate in the annual physical fitness incentive program. The holiday of Juneteenth is added as a paid holiday. Some of you may know that police and fire don't actually get holidays, however, they get holiday pay for those holidays because they work 24/7. We added two additional longevity payments for years five and years 15, a one-time payment of $500 to each member from the ARPA, a $500 signing bonus for each member, and other miscellaneous language changes.”

Those $500 payments will be coming from the American Rescue Plan Act that came out of the pandemic to help restore municipal losses and was passed down from federal funds. Longevity payments of $500 for five years and $900 for 15 years were added. 

Councilman Bob Bialkowski asked about the physical fitness payment.

If they pass and meet all of the required qualifications of the test, based on measurements such as running, push-ups, sit-ups, and meeting certain milestones per age and gender, firefighters are paid $855, Human Resources Director Rebecca McGee said. Members of the city police department have this same option as well, she said.

“I'm really actually excited about the physical fitness incentive because if you've ever been to a fire scene, they climb ladders, they pull very heavy hoses, they use axes, and the more physically fit you are, the less workers comp injuries we're going to have and the more we'll save in the long run,” Tabelski said.

Bialkowski wanted to clarify that the raises were concurrent, meaning that they would be on top of one another each year, and Tabelski confirmed that “they’re no different than any other contract,” as once employees receive a raise to their base pay, then that becomes their base pay for the next year, and so on. 

The cost of the contract is $490,272, she said.

Council also approved a contract with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union that, as with the IAFF, will expire on March 31, 2024. The city and AFSCME came to a tentative agreement on Dec. 7, and the union membership ratified the terms on Jan. 11, Tabelski said.

The four-year agreement includes a 3.5 percent salary increase for the first three years, followed by a 2 percent increase in year four. The healthcare premium will increase between 30 and 35 percent, and there will be a shift change of four 10-hour days during the summer, from June to August, similar to how Genesee County employees operate, she said.

Additional perks include an additional floating holiday, pay for additional licenses acquired, such as for a commercial driver’s license or handling pesticides, a tool allowance increase of up to $1,000, and a $500 bonus payment per employee.

“So not everyone will have these licenses, it's up to the department head. But when we do have these licenses, it actually saves the city money in the long run, especially the pesticide license, because you can not apply pesticide without a license in New York State,” she said.

There are other benefits to having employees licensed for pesticide use, Public Works Director Brett Frank said. That would give the city better and more effective control over invaders such as weeds.

“We know we'd be looking more weed control that we currently outsource for a considerable amount per year, and take control of that as opposed to having a company come in, and basically be on a gator and kind of spray everything,” Frank said. “We could have somebody that could take ownership of it, we think we could do a better job overall and save money in the long run … we also know we could get a much better product by our employees taking care of that and having that license.” 

The cost of this four-year contract is approximately $323,522, Tabelski said. 

She may be a bit biased, but City Manager Rachael Tabelski has confidence in the level of Batavia’s bang for its buck.

She compared the city’s proposed property tax rate of $8.96 to other cities — one of the lowest is Canandaigua at $7.67, North Tonawanda at $15.13, Geneva at $17.25, Dunkirk is $18.12, Jamestown is at $23.60 —  during the first collective budget session of the year Monday.

“So it's my opinion Batavia does extremely well, holding the tax rate to a low level while trying to find innovative ways to provide services that residents want,” she said. “And I feel like Council always gets hammered for ‘too much taxes, too much taxes.’ But we're only taking a quarter of those taxes. And where every single city resident utilizes our services, not every resident may utilize services of the school.”

She introduced a slide during her presentation that compared a breakdown of the city’s 25 percent representation of local taxes for benefits that “all city residents enjoy,” versus the city school district’s 52 percent of taxes that only some city residents enjoy the benefits of.

“The school taxes are a disgrace, it’s a joke,” Councilman Paul Viele said. 

City general fund budget expenses go toward tangible outcomes, those things that citizens look for, such as street and sidewalk improvements, police and fire protection, public works maintenance of roads (snowplowing in winter, picking up leaves in the fall), summer parks programs and paved parking lots. 

Expenses also include Workers Comp costs, which have an $86,000 increase this next year, insurance and retirement payments, reserve savings, purchase of two marked police vehicles at a total cost of $130,000 from reserves, software, personnel salaries and benefits — typically the largest portion of a budget — building repairs and maintenance, and future projects, such as repair of the Main St. 56 Theater roof at City Centre, which is earmarked for a $310,000 use of reserve funds. 

As Assistant City Manager Erik Fix sees it, residents —- or, more specifically, property owners — get all of those things for the price of “a cup of coffee a day.” The property tax rate is slated to increase by two pennies per $1,000 assessed value, or $2 a year for a home assessed at $100,000. (See previous budget story HERE.)

City Council has options, however, Tabelski said, pointing to another slide that shows the levy of $6,710,000 and total assessment of $748,497 currently for the $8.96, and scenarios for how the rate would change if the levy or future assessments were increased. 

The decision was made in July not to increase this year’s assessment, Tabelski said, but if it was raised in the future, say, up to $800,000 while the levy also was raised to $7,168,000, and the tax rate remained the same, the city could increase services by $450,000, she said. 

The other side of that would be true: if the levy remained the same and the assessment went up, the tax rate would decrease to $8.38, and services would also remain flat, she said.

All of the options were talking points to demonstrate how levy, assessment and tax rate are related, she said. None of them were actual proposals outside of what she has already proposed: a $6.7 million levy and an $8.96 tax rate that keeps services status quo.

 “As you know, we hear from residents about cutting. And when we go through some of the statistics about our city growing and the reduction in poverty we have in our city, we're actually doing quite well. And with that comes more services wanted by residents, needed by residents, and it strained all of our departments and our resources,” she said. “So this year, while I did only ask for departments to come in with 2 percent increases in their entire budget, I did have them put together a list of items that aren't being funded so that council has a full picture of things that we probably do need to address in the future. And my hope is through this process, and through the revenue workgroup, we'll find solutions to address these items.”

The city’s population, contrary to once predicted to shrink in size, increased from 2010 to 2020 from 15,464 to 15,600, she said. And there are people uncounted in that total, meaning an even higher population, she said. 

“Many, many people want to live in the city of Batavia. Houses that are on the market between $150,000 and $190,000 sell in less than 23 days. All houses in our market, which is still very hot right now, typically sell within 47 days,” Tabelski said. 

What are people looking for, and why in Batavia?

“I think it's always good to think about our mission, why we're here for the residents of our city, what we want the city to be. I want the city to be a safe place, a family-friendly place where I'm comfortable walking down the streets with my kids, any hour, night and day. I do not want to live in a city as large and maybe as unsafe as Rochester or Buffalo,” Tabelski said. “And I feel very fortunate to be here, to be selected as your manager, to be able to try to continue to implement safety measures for our city. I want our neighborhoods to thrive. I want good neighborhoods and community participation. We've had more volunteers for our boards in the last year or so than we've had in a very long time. And I think it's a good sign that there still are people interested in government.”

Current projects being designed are the ice rink chiller, the Bank Streetscape, Cohocton/Walnut Water main, Maple and Mill sanitary sewer, Pearl Street water main, wastewater treatment plant pond sludge removal, various street and sidewalk upgrades, paving of the Bureau of Maintenance parking lot, resurfacing courts at Kibbe Park for pickleball, replacing the playground at Austin Park and distributing a $350,000 housing grant for single family home rehabilitations, capital project and flood program planning and zoning ordinance updates.

The list of work always coincides with an ability to pay for it, she said. 

“We're finishing up projects at the fire station and BOM facility project. Any council member that would like to tour to see the improvements that were made, that started out as a $1.1 million project, and through COVID and inflationary prices, I believe it rose to $1.76 million. Overall, we had to use ARPA money for that project. And we still haven't finished major improvements at the BOM facility. They're still on this sheet of things that did not make the budget or the capital plan. There are still windows, office replacement, bathrooms, HVAC, air handlers, and doors,” she said. “So again, it's always a struggle to find the revenue to pay for these projects and to keep our facilities updated and running appropriately.” 

As for a source of potential revenue, Tabelski raised the issue of asking property owners who make payments in lieu of taxes to pay a fire and police fee. Towns do that, she said, but the city has not been able to since tax-exempt properties pay no property taxes, which include city services. 

It’s “definitely something we would like to look into,” she said. 

Press Release:

Join in to celebrate Matthew’s birthday and bring a “Plus One” with you to give blood and help patients in need celebrate more birthdays with their loved ones. The event includes a t-shirt sale and basket raffle with all proceeds for the Matthew Kota Scholarship Fund for students at Notre Dame High School and Byron-Bergen Jr./ Sr. High School. 

At a very young age, Matthew Kota, of Byron, knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up - a doctor. But sadly, his dreams were cut short. In memory of Matthew for his birthday, the Batavia community and surrounding areas are encouraged to give the gift of life and donate blood at the largest annual American Red Cross blood drive in Genesee County on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Northgate Church South Campus in Batavia. 

“Matthew never waited for anything to happen, he made things happen,” said Jason Kota, Matthew’s father. “He was truly one of a kind and I’ve yet to meet anyone else on this earth like him.” Matthew, the eldest of four children, was just 17 years old when he passed away in 2008 from complications of brain surgery.

Matthew enjoyed the outdoors and had a smile that would light up a room, but it was his humanitarian spirit that friends and family say was contagious. Matthew had a desire to help people, and that’s one of the reasons why he became a blood donor and volunteered with the Red Cross. He had hoped to join the Gallon Donor Club and even though he did not achieve that goal, his family and friends are now carrying out his wishes by holding blood drives in his memory. He was posthumously awarded the 10-gallon milestone from donors on his behalf in 2021. “Matthew was our son, a friend, leader and now our Angel,” Jason Kota said. 

Family and friends say hosting this blood drive is a unique way to memorialize what Matthew stood for - helping others. They are now giving back by turning their heartbreak into hope for other families in need. At this point, the Kota family has now collected 906 units - and counting - in their 15 years of hosting the blood drive. 

How to Sign Up

Schedule your appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org and entering the sponsor code bataviany or zipcode 14020.  Walk-ins are welcome around appointments. 

 Donate at the 16th Matthew Kota Memorial Blood Drive on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northgate Church South Campus – Community Room located at 350 Bank St. Batavia.

A tentative budget of $37 million calls for a 2-cent tax rate increase plus a 19-cent per 1,000 gallons water rate increase according to City Manager Rachael Tabelski’s proposed plan for 2024.

Tabelski laid out her estimated plan as part of a City Council agenda for this week, also keeping in mind that at least five budget workshops are scheduled to discuss city department wish lists and priorities before council votes on a final budget in February. 

The council conference session is set for 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, to be followed by a business meeting and the first budget workshop of the season. 

There is time allotted for public comments at the beginning of the conference meeting. 

The proposed property tax levy of $6,710,000 would be an increase of $110,000 and mean a property tax rate of $8.96 per $1,000 assessed value, Tabelski said in a memo to council. The $37 million total budget includes $1.37 million for street and sidewalk improvements and $1.13 million for vehicles, buildings and parking lots/sport court resurfacing, she said.

The sewer rate would remain the same, though the water rate is proposed to go up by 19 cents, to $6.46, per 1,000 gallons, she said. Tabelski estimates that to be a tab of $149 per quarter for a family of four per quarter, or about $600 a year. The two-cent property tax increase would add $2 a year to a home assessed at $100,000. 

This budget relies on $275,000 from the Water Fund and another $275,000 of unassigned fund balance, she said, and does not include any video lottery terminal aid or retirement reserves for the city’s annual retirement payment.

There are staffing and core services included in the budget, such as:

• A confidential secretary position or the police department; 
• Funding for another Neighborhood Enforcement Team officer that was added in July of 2023-24;
• Funding for a police officer position that was frozen during the pandemic;
• An additional firefighter position per a contract agreement executed in 2019; 
• Maintaining the full-time positions of parking and recycling officer; and
• Maintaining the full-time ordinance enforcement officer that was included in last year’s budget.