batavia

The Batavia City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the 2010/11 budget.

Department items are scheduled for the following times:

7 p.m. -- administrative services

7:30 p.m. -- finance, personnel, youth bureau, assessment

8 p.m. -- police and fire

8:45 p.m. -- public works, water and sewer.

No time for public comment is scheduled; however, there will be a public hearing on the budget prior to a vote.

Jason Howard Freeman, 28, of 5312 Genesee St., Bowmansville, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Freeman is accused of stealing a firearm from A & K Gun Sales in Corfu. Freeman was issued an appearance ticket. The case was investigated by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Eric D. Halsey, 18, of 3718 Main St. Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. On Dec. 31 at 10:45 p.m., Halsey allegedly grabbed a woman by the face and threatened to smash her car window and hurt her.

Ian C. Lawlis, 29, of Overlook Drive, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd. Lawlis allegedly backed into Ellicott Street unsafely and then sped away, traveling at 40 mph in a 30 mph zone. Lawlis was stopped by Sgt. Greg Walker. Upon investigation, it was discovered that Lawlis was allegedly operating on a suspended license. Lawlis was also cited for other alleged violations, such as unsafe backing, speeding, operating without insurance and failure to notify DMV of address change.

Ronald Louis MacGregor, 41, 6960 Cole Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, unlawful possession of marijuana and aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd. Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a car driving without headlines and heavy front-end damage. The car was reportedly found at MacGregor's address. Upon investigation, Deputy James Diehl charged him with the listed offenses. Following arraignment, bail was set at $100.

David W. McCoy, 49, of 101 Kurtz Ave., Lancaster, is charged with DWI, driving left of pavement markings and failure to obey traffic control device. McCoy was stopped on Route 77 in Corfu at 8:21 p.m. Friday by Le Roy Police Officer Edward Caton and charged with the listed offenses.

One person was injured in a rear-end car accident on Pratt Road in Batavia on Wednesday.

Treated at the scene was Mark D. Humel, 18, of East Pembroke, for an arm pain complaint.

Humel was cited for allegedly speeding.

The other driver, Lori A. Defazio, 53, of 2636 Pratt Road, Batavia, was uninjured.

Defazio was reportedly driving westbound on Pratt when she slowed to make a left turn. Humel allegedly did not notice her slowing or see her turn signal.

Humel's car struck Defazio's from behind and spun it around 180 degrees.

The accident occurred at 5 p.m. It was investigated by Sgt. Greg Walker.

The Lutheran mission team, which includes two Batavia residents, that was in Haiti when the 7.0 earthquake hit Monday has made it safely to the Port-au-Prince airport, according to Jason Christ.

Yesterday, WBTA's Geoff Redick spoke with Rev. Allen Werk (mp3), pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, who described the plan for the group's return.

Werk said once the group reached the Port-au-Prince airport, a military aircraft would take them to either Florida or the Dominican Republican, and from either of those airports, they could take a commercial flight home.

The big challenge was transportation from Les Cayes to Port au Prince. The group regularly depends on a bus driver based in Port au Prince, which is where the driver was when the quake struck.

"Somehow or another he found gas in Port au Prince for his bus and is right now on his way from Port au Prince to Les Cayes," Werk said yesterday.

On the trip from Batavia are Sharon Wolf and Zach Ashley.

One of the team members from Tonawanda, Sue Steege, occasionally updates her Twitter account with the group's status.

Apparently, at least two members of the group are still awaiting visas.

Apparently, the New York State Thruway Authority thinks it can get a little greener by constructing wind turbines at various locations along I-90.

While a memo from the authority to Genesee County officials stresses the preliminary nature of its planning, there is a dot on the map at the Batavia exit.

The state agency is seeking public feedback on the proposal, and county officials seem pretty cool to the idea.

County Planner Jim Duval shared with the Planning Board last night that County Manager Jay Gsell and Highway Superintendent Tim Hens are concerned that the Batavia location is a mere 4,500 feet from the county airport.

The ideal distance would be more than 10,000 feet.

Not to mention the exit is a relatively commercial, high-traffic area.

The Planning Board voted unanimously to send a resolution to the authority opposing placement of a wind turbine at the Batavia exit.

Mrs. Case's first-grade class at St. Joseph School go outside every Wednesday during recess-time for some fun in the snow.  Pictured are Mrs. Case with Aiden Berne as he readies himself for a speedy-ride.

Photo submitted by Nora O'Neill

Melissa Ellen Quigley, 30, of 6535 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, operating a snowmobile while intoxicated and operating a snowmobile without a helmet. Quigley was arrested at 1:45 this morning by Deputy Frank Bordonaro on the listed charges.

Craig M. Meyer, 24, of 6611 Albion Road, Oakfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Meyer was stopped by Deputy Tim Wescott for allegedly driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 63 in the Town of Batavia on Wednesday.

Cory R. Markidis, 20, of 2 Beechwood St., Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlicensed operation. Markidis was stopped by Deputy Matthew Butler on Route 33, Town of Stafford on Jan. 3.

A 17-year-old resident of Oakfield is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested at his home after allegedly being found in possession of a small quantity of marijuana.

A 17-year-old from Alexander is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was arrested by State Police on Jan. 6. No further details available.

Jeffery R. Muntz, 26, of Bergen, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and false personation. Muntz was arrested by State Police at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday on Irving Parkway in Oakfield. He was jailed on an unspecified bail amount.

The following accidents were included on the State Police blotter:

9:03 a.m., Jan. 6, Town of Bergen, one vehicle; Driver: Mary E. West, 37, of Pallmetto, Fla. No injuries.

2:08 p.m., Jan 6, Fargo Road and Harlow Road, Town of Darien, two vehicles; Driver 1: Derek R. Long, 18, of Akron; Driver 2: James J. Lis, 22, of Darien Center. One reported injury.

2:55 p.m., Jan. 12, Brown Road, Town of Batavia, two vehicles; Driver 1: Timothy M. Zielinski, 40, of Attica; Driver 2: James J. Diabo, 59, of Batavia. No injuries.

3:59 p.m., Jan 12, Byron Holley Townline Road, Byron, one vehicle; Driver 1: Racheal J. Millspaugh, 26, of Bergen. No injuries.

(NOTE: One of the consistent bits of feedback from our survey is that we don't always follow up on accidents and other incidents we initially report off the scanner. We don't always get the reports in order to follow up. The State Police blotter includes some information about any accidents Troopers investigate. Rather than try to tie one particular blotter entry to something we may or may not have reported before, we thought we would start including all of the accidents from the blotter in Police Beat.)

A group of Western New Yorkers, including at least two Batavians, on a mission to Haiti are safe according to a report on a blog following  a massive 7.0 earthquake that struck the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation.

WBTA reports that Sharon Wolf and Zack Ashley, both of Batavia, are on the mission and are safe. Both are with St. Paul Lutheran Church.

This post by Sue Steege lists all mission members and says Wolf and Ashley are on their first mission to Haiti, while some mission members have made the trip as many as five times.

The mission is being led by Pastor Chuck Whited of First Trinity Lutheran Church in Tonawanda. He wrote about his arrival in Haiti on Saturday in this blog post.

According to this post, the mission was scheduled to return home on Jan. 18. That return date is now uncertain, according to WBTA.

Tonight I attended the Tech Expo, at the Middle School... lt was so much fun.There was chili tasting.All the chili was so good.The top image is a catapult.The bottom one is of these leggo vehicles. They have infa red sensors so they can see the line and stay within the circle.There were also really cool little cars that run on co2.The fastest one in the contest went 37 miles per hour.There was one that went 44 mph.But that one didn't count.There were also mouse trap powered vehicles.One is in the top picture at the right.It went the whole length of the room and could have gone farther.I even got shoot the catapult a couple times.It was a blast.

Elimination of the ambulance service in 2009 means the city will be spending less money overall in 2010/11, according to City Manager Jason Molino's annual budget message.

The overall expense -- all budget lines -- for the city will be down $1.2 million, or 5.48 percent.

However, the General Fund expense will increase $183,116. The city must also continue to build its fund balance in order to be able to handle unanticipated events and put the city on a sound financial footing.

So a property tax increase of 3.07 percent is necessary, Molino wrote. It would raise the rate to $10.50 per $1,000. That works out to about $25 per year more for a home owner with an average valued house of $80,000.

Increased expenses for the city include:

• New York State Retirement Costs: Up $200,000 because the state's pension fund losses have exceeded more than $44 billion. All municipalities in the state are being forced to make up the difference.
• Police: The police department budget is up $74,000 following this summer's arbitration settlement.
• Fire: The fire budget is up $412,000 following the severance/settlement agreement related to elimination of the ambulance service. Overtime is down $35,000, but a big part of the increase is making up for increased state retirement costs.
• Contingency: Up $100,000 to plan for an unknown settlement with three of the city's unions currently in negotiations on new contracts.
• Health Insurance Reserve: The city is self-funded for now, but there is no reserve for an unexpected critical expense. Add, $60,000.

There are also some notable cost reductions for the city:

• DPW's budget is down $240,000, but there is still apparently money for required equipment replacements. The average age of DPW equipment is 24 years.
• The city is no longer paying back prior years' deficits at a rate of $250,000.
• The 2009/10 fiscal year was the first time in three years that the city wasn't engaged in temporary borrowing to pay bills. That means the city won't be making $33,000 in interest payments for a prior year's loans.

The proposed budget includes a 1.5-percent raise for 10 management employees.

Molino's budget notes that, "Over the course of the past three years the City has faced a lingering $2.2 million general fund deficit, significant cash flow deficiencies and deficits in all other operating funds."

This led the city to layoff 23 staff members and not fill 15 other staff positions. During those three years: there were no wage increases for union members or management; temporary borrowing was necessary to pay bills; and the ambulance service was eliminated, dispatch was consolidated and maintenance deferred.

"City staff has sharpened their pencils, adapted to crisis management and tapped into their creative and innovative minds to maintain service levels at reasonable costs," Molino writes. "As a result, the City of Batavia over the past three years has, by a slim margin, eliminated its prior fund balance deficits and begun to plan for what improvements and investments will be needed in order to maintain a sustainable community for our citizens."

If the City of Batavia is going to maintain its aging water infrastructure, there  will need to be a series of rate increases over at least the next five years, the City Council was told tonight.

The city needs to make about a $4 million investment in the coming years, said Stephen C. Waldvogel, a consultant from Consestoga-Rovers & Associates out of Buffalo.

"Running a water and sewer utility in today's economic climate is growing increasingly difficult," Waldvogel said. "There are numerous challenges associated with running a water and/or with a sewer utility, particularly in the northeast. One of the prevalent problems throughout the northeast, which the city is facing right now, is aging infrastructure. Your water plant was constructed about 100 years ago. Your wastewater plant was about 30 years ago, and most of the pipes in the ground are 50 to 100 years old."

Failures are inevitable and residents face potential service outages without improvements.

Waldvogel suggested the city institute a five-year plan of rate increases -- the average rate would go up less than $1 per month each year (2.5 percent per year), plus institute a $1-per-quarter fee to pay for infrastructure improvements ($3 per quarter by the fifth year).

"This fee would be dedicated solely to making those improvements so that you can demonstrate more clearly to your residents, or your constituents, that you're getting value for this investment," Waldvogel said. "We're not going to take this money and move it somewhere else. You're going to pay this fee and we're going to put it right back into your infrastructure. You can talk to them about the projects that this fee is paying for."

If the council were to move forward on Waldvogel's suggestions, there would be a public hearing as part of the upcoming budget process. 

The city cannot enact a five-year fee increase plan, but it can start with a scheduled two-year increase in 2010, which then could be renewed every two years as needed.

Waldvogel stressed that over the course of five years, the need for the fee could change.

City Council President Marianne Clattenburg said after the meeting that a plan such as Waldvogel presented is probably necessary.

"This is exactly what I was talking about when I said we are going to have to start setting priorities and moving forward with future plans," Clattenburg said. "The city is in need of reconstruction in certain parts of our water and sewer system, so I think this was a very comprehensive, well-thought-out, reasonable study as to how we're going to go where we need to go in the future."

Waldvogel listed six challenges facing the city and its water service:

• Aging infrastructure
• Potential declining service levels
• Escalating operations and maintenance costs
• Declining consumption
• Reduced funding options
• Previous large rate increases

Part of Waldvogel's gradual rate increase plan is to avoid the sticker shock on consumers of a spike in rates, such as the 2008 rate increase. Prior to 2007, the city hadn't increased rates in four years.

As for declining consumption -- that's largely a result of people buying more efficient washers, toilets and other water devices. The city saw an 8-percent decrease in water usage last year and an 13-percent decrease over the past four years. Waldvogel's study didn't go back further, but he said he's confident that's a long-term trend.

Declining consumption means less in water fees collected.

At the current rate of rising costs and decreased revenue, he expects operational deficits beginning this year to reach $600,000 a year by 2014, unless something is done.

As for sewer, Waldvogel said that system is in better shape financially and he sees no reason for sewer-rate increases over the next five years.

Some of the charts from tonight's presentation after the jump:

The Batavia City Council meets at 7 tonight.

There will be a regular business meeting followed by a budget workshop.

City Manager Jason Molino's proposed budget calls for a 3-percent tax increase.

Tonight's budget session will focus on sewer and water, and address some of the challenges associated with aging infrastructure.

On the business meeting agenda, there is a resolution to increase spending on legal fees by $35,000, to help pay for ongoing litigation.

A City of Batavia sidewalk plow has rolled over on Walnut Street near Law.

A car is reportedly on its side in the area of 5860 Clinton St. Road, Batavia.

There are reportedly injuries.

UPDATE 10:40 p.m.: Stafford Fire is responding.  One older woman is trapped in the car. It's unknown if she's injured.

UPDATE 11:05 p.m.: "Victim extricated." Previously, Mercy Flight was dispatched and then cancelled.

UPDATE 11:21 p.m.: The driver is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy EMS. 

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A car has hit a pole and wires are down in the area of 7797 Oak Orchard Road (Route 98).

Minor injuries are reported.

Mercy EMS and Town of Batavia Fire have been dispatched.