Tonight (2020-11-16) was a meeting of the Honeoye Falls Board of Trustees.
Unlike the past few meetings, this one was back to being a virtual, which is to say imaginary, meeting. While I can understand the concerns, and respect the desire to do what is best, I think this is a bad practice to return to. Not that it’s my call to make. On the plus side, it does lend itself to pictures.
Related, there were a number of technical difficulties during the meeting. Primarily at the start, but the audio quality was intermittent throughout. Was both sad and amusing watching them try to fine tune on the fly. Either they need more practice, or a different platform. Or, you know, decide the flu isn’t cause for panic and go back to meeting in person…
The Village is implementing mandatory testing for the staff. Whether this is a prudent precaution, or another step towards totalitarian dystopia depends on your point of view. It does set the stage for mandatory testing to visit the office, and through that to receive government services. But that’s what happens when you trust ‘the science‘, focus on ‘the’ which implies a single correct answer (and that we have it). Instead of trusting ‘science‘, which is to say a process focused on gaining knowledge, where anything can potentially be discarded in the face of new evidence.
The Village is switching email providers, which will apparently mean the temporary lose of email access. They are still working out when to do this switch, so as to minimize the negative impact (in other words, email is working now, so no worries). Having said that, as someone who has helped switch email providers a few times, this makes no sense to me. Lose of access through a particular channel, as the changes roll out, that makes sense. But I would expect there to be a less efficient ‘backdoor’ to allow access to any email sent to the old provider as things transition. Or being able to setup auto-forwarding on the old provider, or some sort of temporary fix. Having said that, it is entirely possible I am missing relevant details. Has happened before, likely to happen again. It is a shame I can’t stop by the office to chat and maybe find out what those details are. Instead, leaves me questioning the competency of people. Which isn’t pleasant.
Which is a good segue to the last agenda item, and why I can’t visit the office. From what sounds like a desire to avoid shutdown and a lose of services, the Village is… re-implementing their shutdown practices and staggering shaft, thus a reduction in services (unless half the people can do the same amount of work). I completely understand the desire to control what happens. If the outcome is preordained, better to take the option where you can control some of the details, then the one where you have no control. Having said that, government (at least ‘good’ government) exists to serve the public. If the ‘rules’ require you to shutdown and cease serving the public? They are in conflict with that purpose, are thus likely unlawful, and should be ignored.
Did remind me of something Gene (Superintendent) said previously. Namely that closings (the school in his case, the Village office here) wouldn’t happen due to sickness. They would happen due to following the rules around potential infections, and the ripple effects. ‘Just to be safe’, yet ignoring that life is (and always will be) unsafe by it’s very nature.
Back to the agenda order, a summary of the Wolfsberger park development was given. Or is it Wolfsburger? Spelling sources are inconsistent. While this is technically a topic for the Zoning Board, nothing wrong with keeping the Village Board informed. My summary of the summary: Project not yet approved, as paperwork and review is continuing. Should be a Zoning Board meeting Monday, December 7 at 7:00PM, if you have any interest in this.
There was a flu vaccine event recently, but the turn out was low. I believe I heard single digit turnout. NOT to be confused with a covid vaccine, which to the best of my knowledge, is not yet publicly available.
Emergency repairs to 47 North Main sound like they are going well. Structurally the building should be good, but there is still some work to ‘make safe‘. I do find it interesting that the project is referred by address, not business or owner. Not that it’s hard to look up.
A public hearing was set for the normal tax cap override option. Not an actual tax increase, merely allows the option when the time comes, during the budget process. Side effect of the tax cap levy limit law, effectively mandating these extra steps each year. In any case, public hearing set for next meeting, December 21.
The upcoming Village election was discussed. Major, 2 Trustees, and Justice will be up for election on March 16, 2021. If you plan to vote, that will be the day. If you want to run, information from the County election department will be available at some point. They currently look to be focused on the election earlier this month.
Annual Living Nativity for December 20th at Harry Allen Park was conditionally approved. As the condition seem to be ‘if the governor allows it’, I expect this to mean canceled. The governor’s frequent decrees seem far from rational. In this case, seems like a pretty cut and dry first amendment case. Peaceable assembly, for religious purposes, primarily involving speaking. I must have missed the part that says ‘all rights are suspended if the governor declares a crisis‘. Because that has to be in there, otherwise he (and many others) are blatantly breaking the law by depriving people of their God given rights.
A policy has been put in place for what to do in the event of a security breach. Entirely precautionary, as there is no current breach (at least that anyone knows of). This was inspired by a recent training event.
The Village is joining the ‘Tree City USA‘ program. Ironic as I’ve noticed a fair sized number of trees being cut down the last month or so. Almost certainly a case of observer bias, and thus not a real issue.
Uncertainty around the summer recreation program was discussed, and I expect this uncertainty to kill the program. In particular, the municipalities are unwilling to spend more money, and the school is unwilling to risk operating at a lose, so the price to the campers will fluctuate based on how many are enrolled? Exactly what the critical factor was wasn’t clear, due to the audio quality. I thought I heard the school wouldn’t run the program with less then 100 campers, but the municipalities wanted 200 for their finances? Again, unclear audio.
Which brought us back to the previously mentioned office operational changes, and the end of the meeting. Or at least the end of the ‘public meeting’ (such as it was). The Board went into executive session, by the sounds of it to do the annual employee review.
And those are my Observations From Audience Land for the November 16, 2020 meeting of the Honeoye Falls Board of Trustees.