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Town of Aurora | Town Board Meeting |February 9, 2026 A meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Aurora took place on Monday, February 9, 2026, beginning at 6:30 PM. The Board met in-person at the Aurora Municipal Center, 575 Oakwood Avenue, East Aurora, New York. The meeting was streamed via YouTube. Present: Joseph McCann Councilmember Raymond M. Wrazen Councilmember Jessica Armbrust Councilmember Luke Wochensky Councilmember Charles D. Snyder Supervisor Others Present: Brigid Maloney Town Attorney Rich Miga Assistant Code Enforcement Officer Paul Ernst Zoning Board Chairman Rod Simeone Zoning Board Member Douglas Crow Planning Board Chairman Patrick Welch Chief of Police Supervisor Snyder opened the meeting at 6:30 PM with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The first item on the agenda was a Public Hearing for a site plan application for the solar panel installation at 50 Center Ridge Road, East Aurora. The Supervisor opened the hearing at 6:30 PM and asked if anyone wished to comment on the application. Shannon Murphy of Empire Solar Solutions recapped the proposal, which includes 74 HiN-t solar panels and two Tesla batteries, utilizing most of the home’s roof planes and benefiting from substantial existing screening on the property. Supervisor Snyder and Councilmembers McCann and Wrazen asked for more detail on the batteries. Ms. Murphy explained they will be located outdoors next to the meter, encased in durable white plastic, approximately 3 feet by 4 feet in size, with a combined storage capacity of 32.190 kilowatts. She added that the system design is driven by the homeowner’s demand, which is required for utility company approval. Based on historical power consumption, the panels will offset the home’s demand and exceed it by about 10% to account for factors such as snow and shade. Any excess will feed back to the grid as credits and be applied to the homeowner’s meter during winter months when usage increases. Councilmember Wochensky asked whether excess power can be sold. Ms. Murphy clarified it cannot; the grid can only be fed, and the utility company credits the homeowner’s demand on their monthly bill. She compared it to “rollover minutes” on a cell phone plan. Councilmember McCann asked whether the system uses the two-way lines to feed the grid, and Ms. Murphy responded that it is solely credit-based. Supervisor Snyder asked about distance requirements for the batteries and directed the question to Assistant Code Enforcement Officer Miga. Officer Miga stated the batteries may be installed on the exterior of the house as long as they are at least three feet from any opening, and Ms. Murphy agreed. Planning Board Chairman Douglas Crow added that the Planning Board reviewed the proposal and recommended approval. He noted he spoke that day with East Aurora Fire Department Chief Bruce Ross to address concerns about a larger system. Chief Ross indicated two key considerations: maintaining access to the shutoff and battery location (which this plan provides) and ensuring the roof can support the panel weight. Chairman Crow said the roof is well built and the home appears newer, so there was no concern. He also shared that Chief Ross generally prefers systems not installed on roofs because they are simpler to manage in the event of a fire. Supervisor Snyder asked whether the town requires an engineer to assess roof load capacity. Officer Miga responded that under the residential code, a structural letter is required confirming the roof has been analyzed for live and dead loads consistent with snow load requirements, and the Building Department has that letter on file. Councilmember Wochensky sought clarification on battery access. Chairman Crow reiterated that access is required and is met here. He also said the Planning Board supported the proposal because it is well engineered, addresses the issues raised, and the home is well screened from neighbors, reducing visual impact. Hearing no further comments, the Supervisor closed the hearing at 6:38 PM. In closing, Councilmember McCann and Supervisor Snyder clarified for interested parties that a vote will be taken at the next board meeting on February 23 and that they will be notified of the result. Councilmember McCann moved to approve the Consent Agenda Action #42 1/26/2026 TB min, consisting of the January 26, 2026 Town Board meeting, the February 9, 2026- 2/9/26 & 2/9/26-25 2025 Encumbered Abstract of Claims, vouchers 1897 to 1917, to be paid from enc abstracts the following funds: aprvd General Fund $ 9,980.94 Part Town Fund $ 438.20 Highway Part Town Fund $ 1,704.06 Special Districts $ 334.01 Water Districts $ 1,427.74 Grand Total Abstract $ 13,884.95 1