04.06.2026 Reorganization amended 5.4.2026 (full text)
Page 1
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
VILLAGE OF SPRINGVILLE
REORGANIZATIONAL BOARD MEETING
April 6, 2026, Minutes – 7:00 PM
The Regular Meeting of the Trustees of the Village of Springville was held at the Village Municipal Building, 65 Franklin Street,
Springville, New York at the above date and time.
Present:
Mayor Russel Belscher
Deputy Mayor Kelly Baker
Trustees Barbara Lipka
Vince Roberts
Jessica Schuster
Village Attorney Paul Weiss
Police Officer Nick Budney
In Charge
Code Enforce- John Baker
Ment Officer
Clerk/Treasurer Jennifer Haberl
Also Attending:
Todd Catalano – Natural Disaster Coordinator
Leslie Gibbin – Associate Village Justice
Matt Malican - ECSO
Max Borsuk – Springville Journal
Other members of the public – see attachment – 04062026 A.1
Absent:
Marc Gentner – SVFD Chief
Duane Boberg - Superintendent
Mayor Belscher called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
RESIGNATIONS
o Russel Belscher from Trustee and Deputy Mayor as of April 6, 2026, at noon.
o Kelly Baker, Board member from the HPC as of April 6, 2026.
o Barb Lipka, Board member from the Planning Board as of April 6, 2026.
SWEARING IN
o Mayor Russel Belscher was sworn in by Village of Springville Associate Justice Leslie Gibbin.
o Deputy Mayor and Trustee Kelly Baker was sworn in by Village of Springville Associate Justice Leslie Gibbin.
o Trustee Vince Roberts was sworn in by Village of Springville Associate Justice Leslie Gibbin.
o Trustee Barbara Lipka was sworn in by Village of Springville Associate Justice Leslie Gibbin.
MINUTES
o Minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 16, 2026, were approved as written by Trustee Schuster, seconded by
Trustee Baker and carried with unanimous approval
P a g e 1 | 14
Page 2
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
PUBLIC HEARING – None
PUBLIC COMMENT – None
ANNUAL REORGANIZATION MAYORS APPOINTMENTS 2026-2027
o Mayor Belscher makes the one-year appointment of Barb Lipka to the position of Trustee pursuant to Village Law
§3-312(3)(b).
o Mayor Belscher makes the one-year appointment of Kelly Baker to the position of Deputy Mayor pursuant to
Village Law §400(a)(h).
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster,
Lipka, Baker and Roberts voting yes, none opposed to confirming the appointment by Mayor Belscher of the
following duties for one year appointments effective for the term April 6, 2026, to April 5, 2027.
Natural Disaster Coordinator Todd Catalano
Village Attorney Paul Weiss
Associate Justice Leslie Gibbin
Village Prosecutor Paul Weiss
Village Historian Darlene Johnson
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Baker; carried, Mayor Belscher,
Trustees Schuster, Baker, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed confirming the appointment by Mayor
Belscher of the following Liaison Duties for one-year appointments effective for the term April 6, 2026, to April 5,
2027.
Employee Matters Russel Belscher
Fire Department Russel Belscher
NEST Jessica Schuster
Springville Youth Incorporated Vince Roberts
Safety Committee Vince Roberts
Southtowns Planning and Dev. Group Jessica Schuster
Southtowns Scenic Byway Barb Lipka
Health Insurance Committee Russel Belscher
Erie County Water Quality Committee Barb Lipka
Erie County Sheriff’s Department Russel Belscher
Zoning Board Kelly Baker
Planning Boards Barb Lipka
Historic Preservation Commission Jessica Schuster
Friends of Erie/Catt Rail Trail Kelly Baker
Hulbert Library Kelly Baker
o Motion of Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster, Lipka, Baker
and Roberts and voting yes, none opposed, naming the Springville Journal as the official newspaper of the Village
of Springville.
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by Mayor Belscher of Jennifer
Haberl as Village Clerk/Treasurer for the Village of Springville, for the term April 6, 2026, to April 5, 2030.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Baker; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster,
Baker, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by Mayor Belscher of Jennifer
Blumenstein as Deputy Clerk for the Village of Springville, for the term April 6, 2026, to April 5, 2027.
P a g e 2 | 14
Page 3
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by Mayor Belscher of Maura
Schepis as Deputy Treasurer for the Village of Springville for the term April 6, 2026, to April 5, 2027.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster,
Lipka, Baker and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, authorizing membership in and attendance at the following
meetings, and payment of actual and necessary expenses thereof for the following:
Annual Conference of Mayors (NYCOM)
Annual Municipal Electric Utilities Associates (MEUA) of New York State
Annual New York Municipal Power Agency (NYMPA)
Scheduled Meetings of:
American Public Power Association
American Public Works Association
American Water Works Association
Association of Erie County Governments
Association of Erie County Highway Superintendents
Erie County Village Officials Association
Erie County Village Superintendents
Erie County Water Quality Committee
Erie/Cattaraugus Rails to Trails
Friends of Erie/Cattaraugus Rail Trail
Governmental Finance Officers Association of New York State
IEEP (Independent Energy Efficiency Program)
LEWPA (Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance)
Municipal Administrative Officers Association of Erie County
Municipal Finance Officers Association
National Trust Main Street
NY Rural Water
NYS City/County Management Association
New York State Association of City and Village Clerks
Niagara Frontier Building Officials Association
Northeast-Southtowns Solid Waste Management Board (NEST)
Organization of Public Employer Negotiators (OPEN)
Southern Tier Trail
Preservation League of NYS
Southtowns Planning and Development Group
Southern Tier West Local Government Annual Conference
Southtowns Rural Preservation Co., Inc. (NYS Rural Preservation Program)
Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway Committee
Other reasonable meetings of the Water Works Association, MEUA, NYMPA or Mayor’s Conference.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Baker; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster,
Baker, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, adopting the VILLAGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
SCHEDULE for the remainder of the year through May 31, 2027, fiscal year, as follows:
June 1, 2026, June 15, 2026
July 13, 2026,
August 10, 2026
September 14, 2026,
October 5, 2026 October 19, 2026,
November 2, 2026 November 16, 2026,
P a g e 3 | 14
Page 4
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
December 7, 2026 December 21, 2026
January 4, 2027 January 19, 2027*
*(Tuesday due to MLK holiday)
February 1, 2027 February 16, 2027
*(Tuesday due to President’s Day holiday)
March 1, 2027 March 15, 2027
April 5, 2027 April 19, 2027
May 3, 2027 May 17, 2027
In addition to the above regularly scheduled meetings, Special Meetings will be scheduled as needed, along with
Joint Village Board/Town Council Meetings, Budget Work Meetings, Union Negotiations and Committee
Assignment Meetings.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Baker; carried, Mayor Belscher; Trustees Schuster,
Baker, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, scheduling Village Board Meetings for the June 1, 2026, to
May 31, 2027 fiscal year at 7:00 PM. at 65 Franklin Street, Springville, New York.
o Motion was made by Trustee Lipka, seconded by Trustee Schuster, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Lipka,
Schuster, Baker and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of Trustees of
Bob Muhlbauer as a Planning Board chairman for a five (5) year term (2031).
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Roberts, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees
Schuster, Roberts, Baker and Lipka voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of
Trustees of Guy Marlette as a Planning Board member for a two (2) year term (2028).
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Roberts, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees
Schuster, Roberts, Baker and Lipka voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of
Trustees of Kate Moody to the Zoning Board of Appeals as a member for a five (5) year term (2031).
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Baker, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees
Schuster, Baker, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of
Trustees of William Skura to the Historic Preservation Commission as Chairman for a one (1) year term (2027).
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of Trustees of
William Skura to the Historic Preservation Commission as member for a four (4) year term (2030)
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of Trustees of
John Baronvich to the Historic Preservation Commission as Vice Chairman for a one (1) year term (2027).
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster, and carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed, confirming the appointment by the Board of Trustees of
Michael Wolniewicz to the Historic Preservation Commission as member for a four (4) year term (2030).
((Originally stated as five (5) year term (2031) then amended by Trustee Schuster seconded by Trustee Roberts and
carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster, Roberts, Baker and Lipka voting yes, none opposed to correction of
term to four (4) year term (2030.))
o Resolution was adopted by motion of Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Roberts; carried, Mayor Belscher,
Trustees Schuster, Roberts, Baker and Lipka voting yes, none opposed, to use Town of Concord Tax Assessment
Roll so far as practicable for Village of Springville tax purposes.
P a g e 4 | 14
Page 5
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Roberts; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Roberts and Lipka voting yes, Trustee Schuster voting no to confirming the labor and litigation rates as follows:
partner rate of $310 per hour; associate rate of $275 per hour and paralegal rate of $145 per hour retaining the firm
Bartlo, Hettler, Weiss and Tripi Attorneys and Counselors at Law. After a lengthy discussion, the labor and
litigation rates are passed.
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Roberts; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Roberts, Lipka and Schuster voting yes, none opposed confirming the appointment of Mayor Belscher as
Affirmative Action Officer for the Village of Springville.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Roberts; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster,
Roberts, Baker and Lipka voting yes, none opposed confirming the appointment of Mayor Belscher as ADA
Compliance Officer for the Village of Springville.
o Motion was made by Trustee Roberts, seconded by Trustee Baker; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Roberts
Baker, Lipka and Schuster voting, yes, none opposed appointing Mayor Russel Belscher and Trustee Kelly Baker,
as the discrimination/harassment committee for the Village of Springville.
o Motion was made by Trustee Lipka, seconded by Trustee Schuster; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Lipka,
Schuster, Baker and Roberts voting yes, none opposed to reimbursing mileage at 72.5 cents per mile.
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed to the continued use of the Village of Springville Investment
Policy.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Roberts; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster
Roberts, Baker and Lipka voting yes, none opposed to continued use of the Village of Springville Procurement
Policy.
o Motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Schuster,
Lipka, Baker and Roberts voting yes, none opposed to the continued use of the Village of Springville Disaster
Response Plan.
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed to the continued use of the Rules of Order – Village of
Springville.
o Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster; carried, Mayor Belscher, Trustees Baker,
Schuster, Lipka and Roberts voting yes, none opposed to the appointment to the Village of Springville Tree
Committee – Mayor Russ Belscher, John Baker, Duane Boberg, and Brett Landsman.
o Motion to table the appointment of members to the Village of Springville Comprehensive Plan Implementation
Committee (CPIC) – John Baker, Duane Boberg, Allison Duwe, Jessica Schuster and Terry Skelton – was tabled
until all the Planning Board members are appointed. Mayor Belscher stated the Planning Board will be finalized
soon and at that time the CPIC members will be determined. This will be done by the next board meeting. Trustee
Schuster is concerned with tabling this committee for grant deadline reasons and that the Planning Board has no
specific control over the CPIC. Trustee Schuster stated that members can be added at any time. Motion to table was
made by Mayor Belscher.
NEW BUSINESS - None
DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Clerk/Treasurer
Resolutions:
o Approve 2025-2026 Budget Modifications – see attached 04062026 A.2. This was approved by Trustee
Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka and carried with unanimous approval.
P a g e 5 | 14
Page 6
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
o Sewer forgiveness request A/C #11-1070-01; $1,640 – Water line burst from cold weather. This was
approved by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka and carried with unanimous approval.
Discussion:
o Last day to pay any unpaid water/sewer and lawn mowing invoices is April 20th. Any accounts left
unpaid after that will be relevied onto the Village tax bill for June 1st.
o Financial Reports (Treasurer’s Report) – Balance Sheets, Revenue & Expense Summaries have been
submitted to the Village board for February 2026.
Superintendent Report
Resolutions:
o Resolution: Make Duane Boberg voting delegate for the Semi-Annual MEUA & NYMPA meeting on
May 21 and 22 2026. This was approved by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Roberts and carried
with unanimous approval.
Police Report
o Police Officer-in-charge Nick Budney requested: Resolution to accept the resignation of Timothy
Panus, effective March 28, 2026, from his position of part-time Patrolman. Tim served the village for the
last three years in this capacity and is retiring after 44 years in law enforcement. We thank Tim for his
efforts on behalf of village residents and wish him and his family the very best in retirement. Motion was
made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Lipka and carried with unanimous approval. Trustee
Schuster sends her sincere thanks for service of the Village of Springville.
-
o ECSO Matt Malican reported on the following:
o March Statistics
o ECSO Shane Miller will be back at the end of April and baby and family are doing well.
Fire Report – Mayor Belscher read the report in Marc Gentner absence. The Board was updated on the March statistics,
training and upcoming events. There will be an aerial operations class starting this Spring. Training is held every Monday
night. The fire dept. is continuing to try to get new members as they are extremely short of help during the day as most
members have other jobs.
Code Enforcement Officer – CEO John Baker had no report this evening.
o .
Control Center – Mayor Belscher read the Control Center report and updated the board on the following:
o Personnel, equipment and monthly call volume updates for March.
o Next Chief’s council meeting is April 21, 2026, at East Concord Fire Dept. at 7pm.
OLD BUSINESS – None
BILLS – Bills, as examined by members of the Board of Trustees, were approved for payment in accordance with Abstracts # 292-
308 of 2025/2026 total of $208,335.49 for the General, Water/Sewer, Electric, Trust and Agency Funds by motion of Trustee Baker,
seconded by Trustee Schuster and carried with unanimous approval.
CONSENT AGENDA – The motion was made by Trustee Schuster, seconded by Trustee Baker and carried with unanimous
approval.to accepting the permits and applications below.
P a g e 6 | 14
Page 7
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 7 | 14
Page 8
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 8 | 14
Page 9
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 9 | 14
Page 10
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 10 | 14
Page 11
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 11 | 14
Page 12
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 12 | 14
Page 13
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
P a g e 13 | 14
Page 14
April 6, 2026, Reorg – Amended May 4, 2026
VILLAGE ATTORNEY REPORT – Village Attorney Weiss is thankful and looking forward to serving the Village of
Springville Residents for his 13th year.
TRUSTEE NOTES & PROJECT REPORTS
Trustee Schuster
o Remind everyone of the Publicity Fund that was authorized in the 2026-2027 budget and if interested there are
applications on the website and in the Village office.
o DRI grant application process is ongoing.
o The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) received a grant which offers important training opportunities.
o Reminder for the HPC – the most recent audit requires applications and resumes for current and new members.
Trustee Lipka
o Thankful to the members of the Planning Board for getting A&W open.
o The Wendy’s site plan passed and thankful to everyone for all their hard work in getting this done.
o Thanking Mr. Roosa, the developer for Wendy’s for his patience while the Village boards worked to approve the
site.
o There will be food distribution at the Senior/Community Center off Waverly Street on Friday, April 17, 2026, at
noon. If you would like to volunteer, please arrive at 10:30. There are no income requirements, and you do not need
to be a senior citizen to receive food.
o Also, at the Senior/Community Center, the DMV is there every Wednesday from 10-3
o The Red Cross will be at the Senior/Community Center on April 14 from 12-6. This is a collaborative effort between
the town and Village that is working very well.
Trustee Roberts
o Looking forward to working with the Village Board and serving the residents of the Village of Springville.
Trustee Baker
o Thankful for the time she served on the HPC and is thankful to Jessica Schuster for all her guidance on this Board.
o Excited about the upcoming mural for the Village of Springville. Anyone can submit ideas you may have for the
mural by going to the website - VisitBuffalo.com and fill out the form – Neighborhood Mural: Springville NY and
submitting the form on the visitbuffalo.com website.
o There are young men in the community that are excited to hosting a community cleanup on April 26 – will begin at
the Moose Club at 11 and go until late afternoon. There is no need to pre-register. There will be an after-party
fundraiser and basket raffle.
Mayor Belscher
o No report this evening.
TREE COMMITTEE REPORT - None
PUBLIC COMMENT - None
EXECUTIVE SESSION - None
ADJOURN
Motion was made by Trustee Baker, seconded by Trustee Schuster, and carried with unanimous approval to adjourn the
Regular Session at 8:14pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Haberl
Clerk/Treasurer
P a g e 14 | 14