An approximately 25-gallon diesel fuel spill is reported at the TA Travel Center on Allegheny Road in Pembroke.
The initial spill reportedly happened at 9 p.m. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments were just dispatched. City Fire's FAST team is also dispatched.
Taylor McCabe, of McCabe Enterprises, an electrical contractor, was one of four contractors on a job site at Brickhouse Corners in Pembroke to introduce students to the building trades.
Owner and developer Randy Fancher said he and his brother thought their mixed-use development -- retail and apartments -- was a good job site to show young people what a construction site is like and hear about the kind of work available in different facets of construction.
Besides electrical, students -- and their parents and grandparents -- learned about drywall, HVAC, and plumbing.
"We're letting kids know there are opportunities in the building trades," Fancher said.
For more on the development, click here.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Brian Stevens of DWC Mechanical talks about pipes with a group of students.
Cindy Merritt tries her hand at putting a screw into drywall.
Eight different girls scored for Pembroke on Friday night to give the Dragons a 60-34 win over Holley in basketball.
Scoring:
Jennifer M. "Miss B" Morton, 38, of Driving Park Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance 4th, and promoting prison contraband 1st, and Angela R. Bateman, 50, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal nuisance 1st and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. As the result of a joint investigation by Batavia PD and the Local Drug Task Force, a search warrant was executed on Dec. 5 at a residence on Hutchins Street, Batavia. Morton, currently on probation related to prior drug charges, was allegedly found in possession of 150 bags of cocaine, and during processing, allegedly entered a secured portion of the Genesee County Jail in possession of cocaine. Bateman, on parole from prior drug charges, is accused of maintaining a premises where narcotics were being sold. Both Morton and Batement were arraigned and ordered held without bail.
Chad W. Main, 41, of Warsaw, is charged with felony driving while ability impaired by drugs, felony aggravated unlicensed operation, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, obstructing governmental administration, uninspected motor vehicle, unlicensed operator, open alcoholic container, failure to signal, and inadequate plate lamps, and James W. Sherbert, Jr., 49, of Perry, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Sgt. Mathew Clor initiated a traffic stop on Dec. 2 at 12:41 a.m. on Parmelee Road, Le Roy and upon stopping, Main allegedly fled on foot. He was apprehended a short time later by Clor and Deputy David Moore. Sherbert was allegedly found in possession of two controlled substances. Main was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. Sherber was issued an appearance ticket.
Herbert B. Gennis, 33, of Raymond Avenue, Batavia and Jason W. Whitehead, Jr., 33, of Bank Street, Batavia, are charged with multiple crimes. It's not entirely clear from the Sheriff's Office which charges apply to which defendant. The charges are criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, criminal possession of a controlled substance 5th, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, criminally using drug paraphernalia 2nd, aggravated unlicensed operation 2nd, operating with an interlock device, and other vehicle and traffic law violations. On Dec. 1 at 7 p,m., deputies Nicholas Chamoun and Kenneth Quackenbush stopped a vehicle on Park Road reportedly driven by Whitehead. Whitehead is accused of driving on a revoked license, without an interlock device, and was in possession of a weapon and narcotics. Gennis was allegedly in possession of narcotics with intent to sell. Whitehead and Gennis were arraigned in Batavia Town Court and released on their own recognizance.
Demetrius W. Richardson, 41, no permanent address, is charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of a forged instrument 1st. Richardson was arrested on three warrants containing four charges of each of the listed charges. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail.
James W. Cason, 67, of Batavia, is charged with sex abuse 3rd. Cason is accused of subjecting another person to unwanted sexual contact at a location on Bank Street on Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. He was arraigned in City Court. An order of protection was issued. He was released on his own recognizance.
Jeannine M. Mobley, 46, of Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Mobley is accused of stealing from a business on Jackson Street, Batavia, on Sept. 26 at 9 p.m. She was arraigned in City Court on Nov. 28 and released on her own recognizance.
Tonya M. Weber, 38, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Weber is accused of stealing from a business on East Main Street, Batavia, on Nov. 26 at 3:19 am. She was issued an appearance ticket and released.
Joshua P. Moore, 32, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd and criminal obstruction of breathing. Moore was arrested following the report of a disturbance at 1:35 a.m. on Nov. 24 at a location on Chase Parkway, Batavia. He was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance.
Julie R. Richardson, 31, no permanent address, is charged with grand larceny 4th. Richardson is accused of stealing a credit card from a parked car outside a business on East Main Street in Batavia on Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. Richardson was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail. Richardson is also charged with petit larceny. On Nov. 11 at 10:50 p.m., Richardson is accused of stealing items from vehicles at a business on East Main Street, Batavia.
Christopher P. Robinson, 24, of Amherst, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Robinson was stopped at 2:49 p.m. on Nov. 21 at Batavia City Centre by a Batavia patrol officer. He was ordered to appear in City Court on Nov. 30.
Shyanna M. Williams, 19, of Hamburg, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd and criminal contempt 1st. Williams is accused of violating a stay-away order of protection by contacting the protected party via text message multiple times over several days in November. Williams was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision.
Colleen A. Wisniewski, 28, of Middlebury, is charged with petit larceny. Wisniewski is accused of shoplifting from a store on West Main Street at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 26. She was released on an appearance ticket.
Charles R. Brown, 47, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Brown is accused of violating an order of protection on Nov. 14 at 5 a.m. by talking with the protected party. He was ordered to appear in City Court on Dec. 6.
Kaitlyn Nicole Brooks, 30, of Shelly Road, Livonia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, unlicensed driver, and inadequate headlights. Brooks was stopped at 6:58 p.m. on Nov. 27 on Ellicott Street Road, Bethany, by Deputy Zachary Hoy. She was allegedly found in possession of Fentanyl. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Joseph P. Gerwitz, 24, of Central Avenue, Lancaster, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, and moving from lane unsafely. At 4:55 a.m. on Dec. 3, Deputy Jacob Kipler and Deputy Alexander Hadsall were dispatched to Alleghany Road in Alabama to investigate a report of a vehicle parked roadside. When they arrived, they found a vehicle that had crashed into a road sign and the driver was unresponsive at the wheel. Gerwitz was arrested and transported to the Genesee County Jail for processing. He was released on appearance tickets.
David John Conrad, 34, of West Ivy Street, East Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Conrad is accused of violating an order of protection at 8:40 a.m. on Nov. 23 at a location on South Lake Road, Pembroke. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Michael J. Fazio, age not released, of Walworth, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property 4th and petit larceny. Fazio is accused of using a stolen credit card to make purchases at the Kwik Fill in Le Roy in August. Fazio was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court on Dec. 6 and ordered held without bail. He is currently incarcerated in the Wayne County Jail on unrelated charges.
Kevin Wayne Howard, 23, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs. Howard was located during a property check at the Kwik Fill gas station in Le Roy at 2:37 a.m. on Nov. 28 and taken into custody. He was issued an appearance ticket.
James Junior Santiago, Jr., 43, of Hundremark Road, Elba, is charged with bail jumping 2nd. James is accused of failure to appear in County Court on Jan. 16 after being released from custody on felony charges. James was arraigned and ordered held.
Joseph David Krug, 28, of Somerset Lane, Victor, is charged with bail jumping 2nd. Krug is accused of failing to appear in Batavia Town Court on May 24 after being released on felony charges. He was arraigned and ordered held.
Beth Ann Jeffres, 40, no permanent address, is charged with bail jumping 1st. Jeffres is accused of failure to appear in County Court on Oct. 21 after being released on a Class B felony charge. Jeffres was arraigned in County Court and ordered held.
Carl Thomas Amesbury, 30, of School Street, Batavia, is charged with bail jumping 1st and bail jumping 3rd. Amesbury is accused of failure to appear in County Court on Sept. 29 after being released on a Class B felony charge and in Stafford Court on Oct. 13 on another charge. Amesbury was arraigned in County Court and ordered held.
Donald Brown, 48, of Loomis Street Rochester, is charged with bail jumping 2nd. Brown is accused of failure to appear in County Court on March 9 after being released on a felony charge. Brown was arraigned in County Court and ordered held.
Erik Robert Motquin, 40, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with bail 3rd. Motquin is accused of failure to appear in Batavia Town Court on Sept. 13 after being released on a criminal charge. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.
Shana C. Dugar, 31, of Hawley Avenue, Syracuse, is charged with bail jumping 2nd. Dugar is accused of failure to appear in Batavia Town Court on Aug. 30 after being released on a criminal charge. Dugar was arraigned in Batavia Town Court and released on her own recognizance.
Jada Imari Smith, 21, of Mourning Dove Road, Niagara Falls, is charged with criminal trespass 2nd. On Dec. 3 at 8:58 p.m., Smith was located on Genesee Community College property after previously being told she wasn't allowed on the property. She was released on an appearance ticket.
Bryan Paul Bartha, 61, of Boyce Road, Corfu, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs, moving from lane unsafely, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Bartha is accused of driving a vehicle that struck a utility pole on Boyce Road, Pembroke, at 6:30 p.m., June 27. He was arrested following an investigation on Dec. 7 and issued an appearance ticket.
Keith P. McNaughton, 24, of West Seneca, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs. McNaughton was stopped by State Police at 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 6 and issued an appearance ticket.
Shawnna L. Lamont, 33, of Perry, is charged with petit larceny. Lamont is accused of shoplifting $19.45 in merchandise at the Dollar General store on Big Tree Road in the Town of Pavilion at 7:50 p.m. on Dec. 3 and was arrested by State Police. She was issued an appearance ticket.
The Pembroke Girls Basketball team got off to a fast start to the 2022-23 season with a 73-41 win over Hutch Tech.
Pembroke jumped out to an early lead, with Izzy Breeden hitting three first-quarter three-pointers.
The Dragons led by 10 at the half, 30-20.
Hutch Tech closed to within four in the third quarter, making it 28-32, but Pembroke broke open the game in the fourth quarter.
Elle Peterson and Onolee Easterbrook led the team with seven rebounds. Olivia Breeden had eight steals, and Seneca Calderon had three assists. Karli Houseknecht had four rebounds, four steals and two assists to go with her 11 points.
The Pembroke Dragons beat Groton on Friday afternoon 38-18 at Union Ellicott HS near Binghamton to become the 2022 state champions in eight-man football.
Behind the blocking of JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin, Jayden Mast, Madden Perry, Ben Steinberg, Chase Guzdek and Caleb Felski, Tyson Totten rushed 29 times for 276 yards and three touchdowns.
Cayden Pfazler added a rushing TD as well and a 24-yard pass to Chase Guzdek for another score.
Octavius Martin had 8 tackles, Caleb Felski had 10, Jeremy Gabbey Jr. had 12, and Chase Guzdek led the way with 14.
Coach Brandon Ricci said, "The team would like to thank Superintendent Matthew Calderon, the Board of Education, district administration, the Pembroke Teachers Federation, who led fundraising efforts, the local fire and police who provided home escorts and, of course, the fans and families who showed unconditional support all season. The Dragons are honored to represent Section V as the number one eight-man Team in New York State!"
Submitted photos.
As Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Giving Tuesday are all looming ahead for hungry shoppers, there’s also an initiative to honor local veterans worthy of your investment, Matthew Moscato says.
Wreaths Across America is a project to ensure that those veterans who have served and died are commemorated with a red-ribbon accented pine wreath during a yearly ceremony every December. This year that event is set for noon Dec. 17 at the Western New York National Cemetery, 1254 Indian Falls Road, Corfu.
And while Wreaths Across America is, as it implies, a national effort, Moscato’s Veterans Outreach Club at Pembroke Junior-Senior High School is selling the wreaths locally to also benefit the WNY National Cemetery Memorial Council, a non-profit entity that runs many of the events at the National Cemetery.
“We have 40 to 50 students, it’s the largest club at the school,” Moscato said to The Batavian. “We do a ton of stuff; our kids really wanted to promote this. The Memorial Council is in charge, and our kids play a role in helping with that. They’ve gone to the community collecting donations for the wreaths.”
They have so far collected enough for 450 wreaths, with a total need of about 1,300 this year, he said. Students volunteer to participate during the annual ceremony by helping visitors get around the large cemetery grounds, passing out wreaths and being on hand to assist with other duties. They also participate in a detail one week out of each year to take down, inspect and raise flags for the revered Avenue of Flags, he said.
“They’ve been very enthusiastic about it” he said. “They’re very integrally involved.”
For every $15 wreath sold, $5 goes to the Council to offset expenses related to the cemetery, such as maintaining U.S. flags for the Avenue of Flags and providing uniforms for the Honor Guard.
Moscato, a teacher at the school and this year’s Wreaths Across America coordinator, began the club a few years ago, and it has been growing in size and scope ever since. The group recently created a Wall of Honor for all Pembroke graduates who went into the military. An entire hallway has been dedicated for that project, and more than 230 plaques — made at the school — hang on the walls with those students’ names on them, he said.
“We held an opening ceremony that hundreds attended and many flew in from around the country to be there,” he said. “The Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club is a community service club that works to ‘honor our local veterans.’
“Our club is a pure community service club, we make no money from it,” he said. “We want to make sure there are 100 percent enough wreaths for the veterans. The kids are really excited. Being in the school district that the cemetery is in, it plays an important role … and the kids are definitely doing their part.”
Pembroke Veterans Outreach Club is selling wreaths for this event, with the goal of having a wreath placed on every headstone in the cemetery for the holiday season, Moscato said. He is also on the WNY National Cemetery Council. The Outreach Club plays a major role in hosting this public event, which includes a short ceremony with a couple of speakers, followed by community members laying wreaths on the headstones of graves.
“This is the same ceremony that takes place in Arlington,” he said. “I’m sure you have seen the iconic pictures of the wreaths on the graves there. This is the same ceremony right here in Western New York.”
Go HERE to sponsor one or more wreaths, or send cash or checks to: Veterans Outreach Club, Pembroke Jr-Sr High School, P.O. Box 308, Corfu, NY, 14036. If more wreaths are purchased than are needed this year, the money will go toward next year's gravestones and ceremony, Moscato said. Deadline for ordering is Nov. 29.
Submitted photos of Pembroke students helping out at the WNY National Cemetery during last year's ceremony.
Video: Last year's ceremony.
The Pembroke Dragons, already the school's first-time-ever boys sectional championship team, kept right on winning Thursday night with a 54-38 victory over the Morrisville Eaton Warriors (Section III) in the NYS Regional Semi-Final game.
Behind the blocking of JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin, Jayden Mast, Madden Perry, Ben Steinberg, Chase Guzdek and Caleb Felski, Tyson Totten rushed 40 times for a single game school record 400 yards and five touchdowns.
Caleb Felski added an 80-yard kick return for a touchdown, while Chase Guzdek caught a 14-yard touchdown reception.
The Dragons (11-1) were down 22-20 at the half but played good defense, forced several turnovers and "just pounded the rock, being a tough O-Line." said Head Coach Brandon Ricci.
Dominic Boldt, Sean Pustkulla, and Avery Ferreira had to step into big roles with injuries to Section V and GR All-stars Cayden Pfalzer and Jayden Bridge.
Jayden Mast had 12 tackles, Octavious Martin had 11 and a forced fumble, Jacob Dulski had 6 tackles and an interception, and Chase Guzdek led the way with 15 tackles.
The Dragons will represent Section V in the final eight-man football game in all of New York State (the New York High School Athletic Association apparently doesn't call it a State Championship but that is essentially what it is) on Friday, Nov. 25, at Union Endicott High School. Game time is noon.
Photos by Guy and Elizabeth Gabbey
To help the Pembroke Dragon's football team and community celebrate not just the team's sectional title, but their first boys sectional title in any sport in school, history, volunteer firefighters lined up their trucks and escorted the team buses to the school yesterday.
Participating were the volunteer departments of East Pembroke, Pembroke, Indian Falls, and Corfu.
Submitted photos.
Submitted by Coach Brandon Ricci
The Pembroke Dragons improved to 10-1 on the season by defeating the Canisteo-Greenwood Redskins 40-20 in the sectional finals.
It is the first boys sectional title for any sport in the school's history.
Behind the blocking of JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Ben Steinberg, Chase Guzdek and Caleb Felski, Tyson Totten rushed 40 times for 376 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Caleb Felski added 100 yards rushing and a score of his own to compliment Totten after starting quarterback and safety Cayden Pfalzer got knocked out of the game in the first quarter thrusting Totten into that role.
The Dragons played good defense, by staying on the field on offense by a time of possession that was over 2-1 in favor of the Dragons.
The Dragons will play in the regional crossover game at Pittsford Sutherland on Friday at 7 p.m. vs. Morrisville-Eaton, the champion out of section III.
Photos by Elizabeth Gabbey
Ricardo Castillo, Jr., 39, of Oakfield, is charged with rape 1st and rape 3rd. Castillo was arrested in connection with an alleged crime reported on Oct. 26 in the Town of Sheldon. He was arrested as the result of a joint investigation by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Castillo was arraigned in the Town of Warsaw Court and ordered held on $100,000 bail, $200,000 bond, or $400,000 partially secured bond. Previously: Oakfield man accused of multiple counts of rape and criminal sexual act
Jacqueese X. Wapnieski, 19, of Batavia, is charged with burglary 2nd, criminal mischief 4th, grand larceny 4th, and criminal possession of stolen property 4th. Wapnieski is accused of breaking into a house on Tracy Avenue, Batavia, at 3:04 p.m. Oct. 31. He allegedly caused damage to the house and stole various household items. He was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision.
Stephen E. Pike, 26, of Pavilion, is charged with strangulation 2nd and criminal mischief 4th. Pike was arrested on Nov. 2 in connection with an incident reported at 2 a.m. Aug. 6 at a location on Liberty Street. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail.
Eric Peter Doleman, 52, of West Main Street, Batavia, and Curtis Williams, 56, of Pearl Street, Batavia, are charged with promoting prison contraband 2nd and conspiracy 6th. Doleman and Wiliams are accused of conspiring to have Williams smuggle in a $20 bill into the Genesee County Jail and pass it to Doleman during a visitation. Both were issued appearance tickets.
Jason H. Freeman, 41, of Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. Freeman was arrested on a warrant on Nov. 2, arraigned in City Court, and ordered held on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond, or $20,000 partially secured bond.
Tamera A. Innocent, 25, of Dansville, is charged with harassment 2nd. Innocent is accused of striking a man in the face with a closed fist during an argument at 2 a.m. Oct. 30. Innocent was issued an appearance ticket.
Joanne Jones, 53, of Buffalo, is charged with harassment 2nd. Jones was allegedly involved in a disturbance at a residential facility on East Main Street at 9:51 p.m. Oct. 29. She was released on an appearance ticket.
Nolan Robert Powless, 25, of Pearl Street, Medina, is charged with petit larceny. Powless was arrested on a warrant issued in the Alabama Town Court. He was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on his own recognizance.
Tyler M. Thomas, 30, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Thomas was arrested by State Police at 7:51 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Town of Lockport. He was released on an appearance ticket. No further information released.
Michal A. Casterline, 66, of Anderson, Ind., is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Casterline was stopped by State Police at 7:21 p.m. Nov. 2 in the Town of Darien. He was released on an appearance ticket.
Press release:
Sixth Grade students at Pembroke Intermediate School participated in the Korman Challenge Reading Contest during the month of October.
Students were challenged to read a book written by author Gordon Korman during the month to be invited to the Korman Party, which was held on Nov. 4.
By the end of the month, 24 students completed the challenge!
Students were invited to a special party where they watched a special video message from Gordon Korman himself! Students then received a special certificate recognizing their achievement.
To wrap up the special day, students enjoyed pizza generously donated by Homeslice Pizzeria 33!
Submitted photos.
Photo by Joanne Meiser.
The Pembroke Dragons will play for a Section V title in eight-man football next week after beating Bolivar-Richburg on Friday, 49-18.
A win next week would give Pembroke its first football Section V title in school history.
On Friday, Tyson Totten rushed for 270 yards and five touchdowns to become the all-time single-season rushing leader at Pembroke with 2,134 yards on the season.
Two interceptions and nine tackles by Cayden Pfalzer along with nine tackles by Totten and Jeremey Gabbey lead the defense.
Next up: Canisteo-Greenwood, the only team that has beaten the 9-1 Dragons this year. Game time is noon on Saturday at Pittsford-Sutherland.
Submitted photos.
Photo submitted by Lisa Stefanski-Pfalzer
Write-up by Coach Brandon Ricci
The Pembroke Dragons improved to 8-1 by defeating the Wellsville Lions 49-22 in the sectional Quarterfinals.
Behind the blocking of JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Ben Steinberg, Chase Guzdek and Caleb Felski; Tyson Totten rushed to become the all-time total yardage leader in school history.
Two interceptions by Cayden Pfalzer and an interception returned for a touchdown by Jacob Dulski helped lead a strong defensive effort.
Octavius Martin and Jacob Von Kramer led the Dragons in tackles while Sean Pustkulla was 7 for 7 on extra points.
The Dragons host the sectional semifinal game this Friday at 7 p.m. against the Bolivar-Richburg Wolverines.
Submitted photos.
A vehicle fire is reported following a collision between a tractor-trailer and a passenger car.
Both occupants are out of the car.
A chief approaching reports heavy black smoke.
The Thruway is blocked.
Pembroke and Indian Falls initially dispatched with mutual aid from Corfu but the location now appears to be in East Pembroke's district, so an East Pembroke chief dispatched.
UPDATE 12:28 p.m.: The westbound Thruway is going to be "shut down for a while," a chief advises. There is also a large fuel spill. The Thruway is asked to assist with traffic control. The accident may involve two trucks. One truck is "burned off" and whatever fuel was there is gone "but I don't know how much has gone down into the ditch," says a chief.
UPDATE 3:30 p.m. Two semi-trucks were involved, no passenger vehicle. One driver transported to an area hospital for evaluation. The burned out truck was hauling bags of soup.
Photos by Jim Reinhardt, except bottom photo.
Photo submitted by Marge Behl.
Ernie Haywards’s words were humble and to the point Wednesday in regard to his town’s need for additional revenue.
With a depleting fund balance and shrinking sales tax, Hayward turned to the people he believed were responsible for some help.
“I am here tonight on behalf of the Genese County taxpayers who live in the town of Bergen to plead with the Legislature to consider additional aid to the town of Bergen,” the Bergen supervisor said during the county meeting in legislature chambers. “The loss of sales tax/voluntary contributions from the county has meant a cut in revenue of $211,147 per year since 2018.”
Given his total budget of $2.3 million, a loss of that amount year after year “is having a major impact,” Hayward said.
He highlighted the reduced and capped level of sales tax going back to the town, which, with a modest inflation rate of 3 percent, means the town “will have exhausted the fund balance,” he said, plus raise taxes from $2.35 per $1,000 assessed value to more than $10 per thousand.
“The Genesee County taxpayers who live in Bergen are suffering from the economy and have just been hit with an assessment increase,” he said. “We have cut services to try and balance the budget, we have closed our transfer station and cut funding to the library, to name a few items. There is nothing left to cut, and at this rate, we might have to consider workforce reductions, which would mean a suspension of provision of snowplowing for the county.”
He referred to Legislative Chairwoman Shelley Stein, and how she “often speaks of the strong partnership between the county and their local town and village partners.” However, a partnership implies a give and take and sharing of good and bad, he said.
The municipalities shared in the financial pain of a new county jail by accepting a significant reduction in sales tax so that the county could build a reserve for jail expenses.
They also agreed with the county’s adoption of water contracts, and believed it when Stein “made a promise to keep county funding to municipalities at 2018 levels, he said. Yet, since 2020, municipalities have received “roughly $3 million less,” than was promised, he said.
“Now I am asking the county to be a partner and demonstrate concern for the Genesee County taxpayers in Bergen and share in the good times by increasing funding,” he said.
“The sales tax agreement is really taking a bite out of all the budgets,” Schneider said.
His predecessor dealt with the water contracts, which meant Schneider “ate a pretty good crap sandwich” from that deal. He surmised that it may be too late for serious discussions at this point in time, but asked for the county to consider a future review of the water and sales tax agreements.
Stein thanked both of them for their input, and said “we hear you.”
After the meeting, she said that yes, it was too late in the season to do anything about the county’s budget now. Stein also said that each county municipality had ample opportunity to share concerns, including during the monthly Genesee Association of Municipalities meetings.
"We have liaisons that attend the Association of Municipalities meetings every month that they are called in, and our county manager Matt is there almost every single meeting, and that is a committee that is on that agenda. And there is always the opportunity for conversation at that point in that forum," Stein said. "Before the sales tax agreement was put into place, I hosted a meeting here a while ago, as they both noted, it was in July when we talked about the necessity ... to change the sales tax sharing agreement, because of the unknown cost of the jail.
"And as I said to the supervisors at that time, it will be at some point in the future when we can share more, but now is not the time. (Collecting water funds to improve the distribution system) helps every single person in our community, even people like me, who don't have water, who don't have access to public water yet, but that change out of that distribution system becomes our first paramount project and obligation to the county's taxpayers. We are doing the business of the county, and we absolutely respect the fact that the supervisors are doing hard work, and they're being responsible to their taxpayers as well."
Landers expects to release his budget message on Thursday. The proposed 2023 budget is $162,567,180, and the tax rate is to decrease by 75-cents due to higher property assessments. The Batavian will have a more detailed budget article in the near future.
Top photo: Bergen Town Supervisor Ernie Hayward speaks to Genesee County legislators during their meeting Wednesday at the Old Courthouse, and Pembroke Town Supervisor Thomas Schneider Jr. also shares his concerns regarding decreased sales tax revenues. Photos by Joanne Beck.
The Pembroke Dragons improved to 7-1 by defeating CG Finney/Christian Northstar 47-12 Saturday.
Tyson Totten rushed for over 200 yards for the fifth time this season. Felski added three touchdowns while Sean Pustkulla caught a 48-yard pass from Cayden Pfazler for TD right before halftime.
Nate Duttweiler had a sack and forced a fumble on defense while Cayden Pfalzer had an interception with Joe Gibson recovering a fumble.
Tyson Totten, Jacob Von Kramer, Jayden Mast, Octavius Martin, Jacob Dulski, Caleb Felski, Jayden Bridge, JJ Gabbey and Cayden Pfazler all had five or more tackles on the day.
Photos courtesy of Kim Dulski.
The Pembroke Dragons improved to 6-1 with a 28-12 win over Bolivar-Richburg in eight-man football on Friday.
Tyson Totten rushed for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw for one TD.
Cayden Pfalzer had one rushing and receiving touchdown.
Jayden Mast and Caleb Felski each led the way defensively with 13 tackles, with Jeremy Gabbey Jr., Tyson Totten, and Cayden Pfalzer each notching 11 tackles.
Kicker Sean Pustulka was 4 for 4 on extra points.
Photos courtesy of Kim Dulski
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