The evening of 2026-04-20 was a meeting of the Honeoye Falls Board of Trustees.
Jackie Main was sworn in as the Deputy Mayor. With Dan Harris, the former Deputy Mayor, performing the swearing in. Which was a nice touch.
At the door was a ‘Public Hearing – Speaking Regulations – Public Comment‘ document. Which I found interesting, especially after reading through it. It was unclear to me if this was a change. Or an attempt to document existing practices. Either way, the wording seemed odd. With the way it refers to Public Hearings, Public Comments, and the Agenda itself. Or I could be failing at reading comprehension (wouldn’t be the first time). Regardless, my gut feeling is this was an attempt to minimize headaches for tonight’s Public Hearings. Of course, I could also be wrong. The Village may have joined those who take a more hostile approach when listening to the public. I doubt it, but time, as usual, will tell.
On that note, there were three Public Hearings tonight.
First was for an Unlicensed Vehicle at 55 Fairlea. I have only good things to say here. The Village followed up at concerns raised at the last unlicensed vehicle Hearing. The car owner showed up, saying 10 days wast too short to resolve the issue and get the car licensed. He asked for 180 days. The Board (and attorney) thought a 30 day extension, with option to further extend at the Code Enforcement officers discretion, was a better idea. So the law as written was enforced (more or less), even as there was also grace for practicalities along the way.
Second was to Amend Article Section 114-3(f) to change Construction Start Times. A variety of people were upset the code as written wasn’t being enforced. And the idea was expressed that the law was being changed to the benefit of businesses, at the detriment of residents. I will give the Board credit for listening, and even responding, to the public. But at the same time, they seemed to have already set their course. Regardless, at least in my mind, the important part is the code and enforcement are closer in alignment now then they were before the meeting. The code adjustment was adopted, which should mean actual starting time matches starting time as enforced. As a number of the public were not overly happy with this, we’ll see where things go long term.
And third was such a non-issue, I almost forgot to mention it. Spending money to pay for tree removal at the cemetery was approved.
The prediction was made that the New York State budget would not pass until late May. Not directly relevant here, but it will be interesting to see how accurate that ends up being. Personally, I’m of the opinion if you can’t set a budget, you don’t get paid. Nor does your staff (and so on down the chain). And there should b a constitutionally mandated denial of back pay. It’s a core function of the job, there should be consequences for failure. Of course, what politician would ever agree to that?
Waste Water Treatment Plant project was discussed, as usual. By the sounds of it, the entire project should be covered through grants. I won’t even try to list them all, as there are a number and I would surely miss and misspell them.
Old Critics property sale is in the hands of the purchaser’s legal team. Hands were shook, so they have a tentative agreement. But have to dot i’s and cross t’s before the deal is done.
Security came up. Primarily in regards to the Village office, but also the museum and scout house. I do find it unfortunate that this is an issue. While I don’t like it being done, I don’t really fault them for taking these steps. It takes bravery to put yourself personally at risk. Much easier to minimize discomfort and invest in peace of mind (also easy to criticize from my private desk, as opposed to a public office). Of course, this is just theater. Actually solving the issues is hard, and almost certainly beyond the Village’s ability. Cameras and locks? Trivial in comparison.
Towards the end of the meeting, there was a discussion about the zoning code as a whole. Reiterated a number of things that came up when the construction time was discussed. But what stood out to me the most, was it was acknowledged the entire code will need a review (and potential overhaul). That this would not be a quick or cheap process. But would be necessary with the amount of expected development in the not too distant future. Which could be another opportunity for those who were unhappy with tonight’s code change to be involved in the process.
And those are my Observations From Audience Land for the April 20, 2026 meeting of the Honeoye Falls Board of Trustees.