The evening of 2026-06-08 was a meeting of the Mendon Town Board.
As Rebecca (Board Member) was in Canada, she used Zoom to remote into the meeting. Concerns were raised by some as to if this was legal, but Joe (Supervisor) assured the group it was. In the interests of full disclosure, I was helping manage Zoom. As Zoom is a ‘setup and forget’ type of thing (at least when it works properly), shouldn’t have any impact here. But best to disclaim.
There was some talk about the Library and the proposed urgent care adjacent to it. But it was suggested to wait until after the Village Zoning Board met to really get into the details. Which made sense to me. No point rehashing concerns if the potential developer already has plans to address them.
The sidewalk project was approved. This only stood out to me because I had heard rumors this was in limbo. That it was approved shows progress is continuing along.
The health insurance broker change was passed. Just like last time, one abstention (conflict of interests) and one no vote. But since Rebecca was voting this time, the motion passed. Besides this one vote, I didn’t notice any others where her vote changed the outcome. Harder to evaluate her impact on discussions.
There were two Nonpoint Source Planning Grant Application proposals to approve. Aspects of the conversation confused me. I suspect that is because members of the board were also confused. Regardless, they made sure to have budget lines confirmed before spending the money (always prudent). Which meant the Culverts one was approved tonight. While the MS4 Mapping was tabled. Although the intent to approve was stated, and the money is there (just wasn’t completely sure on the budget line), so Tom (Town Engineer) said they would get ready on their end so they can still make the July deadline.
Mary (Friends of Library) gave a nice speech about the Library. While I think she changed the first part, the bulk of it felt very similar to what she presented to the Village a few weeks back.
Tanner (Town Board) shared that the Honeoye Falls Mendon Volunteer Ambulance is looking into a 16 week trial of stationing a second ambulance at the Mendon Fire hall. At least part time, in an attempt to cover higher call volumes. No approval was asked for tonight, as this was more around sharing information and gauging interest. If I heard the number right, this experiment could cost the Town up to $3k/week. So approval would be needed before implementing. But it might also end up making money. Not costing the Town anymore then is already paid in the annual contract. The difference comes down to how many calls they take and how the 3rd party billing details play out. Which led to the question of how much of the ambulance income comes from 3rd party billing. The answer was, with the caveat Tanner was pulling from memory, about 20%. Which isn’t a huge number, but in a scenario like this, where the bulk of costs are already sunk, it makes a difference.
Joe stepped out during the ambulance discussion. I don’t know details, but I hope whatever it was works out for Joe. But having Moe (Deputy Supervisor) there meant he could step in to cover the rest of the meeting. Yes, Moe didn’t know everything Joe did. Which meant he suggested some items be tabled. But there was still some discussion and it provided continuity for the rest of the meeting
For example, the Employee Handbook discussion was tabled. I think the primary reason was Joe couldn’t contribute. But multiple people said they had received their copy today, and needed more time to review the 99 page document. Which may be why it was a discussion item to start with.
And there was discussion around the use of videoconferencing by Board members. While there were definitely differing opinions, everyone seemed to agree that it had it’s uses, was legal under certain situations, shouldn’t be overused, and it really would be a good idea to adopt a formal policy.
As an aside, after the meeting I learned from Megan (Attorney), 103(f) only applies to State level groups. So not to Town or Village meetings. Having reached that conclusion last week, it was good to be corrected.
And those are my Observations From Audience Land for the June 08, 2026 meeting of the Mendon Town Board.
Link to agenda on Town website, while a video on YouTube may be available later.