Albion Trustees Push Water Plant Grant Bid as DPW Superintendent Sets Retirement Date
The Albion Village Board authorized a grant application for the water treatment plant's infrastructure project on the same night it accepted the retirement of the Superintendent of Public Works who has overseen that system, effective August 29, 2026, and directed the clerk to start recruiting his replacement. Trustees also introduced four local laws in one motion, including moratoriums on battery energy storage and renewable energy projects and a code change tied to the village's former historic preservation committee.
●• Board opened and closed a public hearing on the village's CDBG application within two minutes, then voted to let G&G Grant Writing apply for the CDBG for the water treatment plant (WTP) infrastructure project on the village's behalf
●• Trustees accepted Superintendent of Public Works James Pahura's retirement letter, effective August 29, 2026, and separately authorized the clerk to obtain the current Orleans County Civil Service list
●• Four local laws introduced on a single motion: a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities (Local Law 4-2026), a Village of Albion renewable energy project moratorium (Local Law 5-2026), a temporary moratorium on smoke shops, vape shops, and certain tobacco and paraphernalia retail uses (Local Law 6-2026), and a code amendment addressing the powers and duties of the "former historic preservation committee" (Local Law 7-2026)
●• Public hearing on Local Law 4-2026 (BESS moratorium) scheduled for July 22, 2026, at 7 p.m.; a hearing on Local Law 7-2026 (historic preservation code change) was set for 7:30 p.m., though the minutes do not clearly restate the date; hearing dates/times for Local Laws 5 and 6 are illegible in the record
●• Clerk authorized to advertise an RFP for leak-detection devices for the water system, pending the village attorney's approval
●• A previously tabled PFAS-related request remained unresolved: clerk directed to obtain the total amount of funds received, and Code Enforcement Officer Chris Kinter assigned to review the process
●• Board accepted Missy Rusin's resignation as receptionist in the Village Clerk's Office, effective June 29, 2026
●• Trustees approved year-end budget adjustments reallocating existing lines within the General ($142,605.46), Water ($158,016.84), and Sewer ($72,571.13) funds, including a $46,704.09 shift out of the General fund's contingency line, with no new spending
●• Board entered executive session at 8:44 p.m. for a personnel matter and exited at 9:45 p.m. with no action recorded
Village of Albion trustees opened a public hearing on the village's application for CDBG funding at 7 p.m. July 8 and closed it two minutes later without a single comment recorded. Minutes after gaveling it shut, the board voted to let G&G Grant Writing formally apply for that CDBG money on behalf of the water treatment plant's infrastructure project.
Before the meeting adjourned, trustees had also accepted the retirement of Superintendent of Public Works James Pahura, effective August 29, 2026, and voted separately to have the village clerk request the current civil service list from Orleans County — the first concrete step toward hiring his replacement. The two actions land the village in the position of pursuing outside money for its water infrastructure at the same moment it loses the department head who has run that system, a pairing the minutes record without comment but that sets up a leadership transition to watch over the coming weeks.
The same session produced a burst of new land-use regulation. On a single motion, trustees introduced four local laws: a temporary moratorium on battery energy storage system (BESS) facilities (Local Law 4-2026), a Village of Albion renewable energy project moratorium (Local Law 5-2026), a temporary moratorium on smoke shops, vape shops, and certain tobacco and paraphernalia retail uses (Local Law 6-2026), and a fourth law amending village code around the powers and duties of what the minutes describe as the "former historic preservation committee" (Local Law 7-2026). All four carried on a unanimous vote of trustees Allport, Bennett, Gabalski and Sheehan.
Trustees then set a public hearing on the BESS moratorium for July 22, 2026, at 7 p.m. and a hearing on the historic preservation code change for 7:30 p.m. — though the minutes, badly degraded in this section, do not clearly restate the date for the latter. Hearing dates for the renewable-energy and smoke-shop moratoriums are not legible in the record. Residents will get their next chance to weigh in on at least two of the four measures that evening.
Water infrastructure work continued on a second front: the board authorized the clerk to advertise a request for proposals for leak-detection devices for the water system, pending the village attorney's sign-off. Separately, a PFAS-related request that had been tabled at an earlier meeting was pushed forward again rather than resolved — the clerk was told to gather the total amount of funds received, and Code Enforcement Officer Chris Kinter was assigned to review the underlying process.
In other business, the board accepted the resignation of Missy Rusin from her position as receptionist in the Village Clerk's Office, effective June 29, 2026, and approved a package of year-end adjustments reallocating money among existing lines in the General, Water, and Sewer funds — including a $46,704.09 shift out of the General fund's contingency line — without approving any new spending. The three funds' adjustments totaled $142,605.46, $158,016.84, and $72,571.13, respectively, all offsetting increases with decreases elsewhere in the same funds.
Trustees closed the evening with an 8:44 p.m. executive session on a personnel matter; the clerk left the session at 9:23 p.m., and the board emerged at 9:45 p.m. having taken no action. The minutes do not specify what was discussed.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
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Related Board of Trustees Meetings
Albion Trustees Notice Hearing on Grant Bid for Water Treatment Plant
●• A legal notice dated June 10, 2026, and signed by Tracy A Van Skiver, the village clerk-treasurer, announced a public hearing on the village's intent to apply for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for the water treatment plant infrastructure project.
●• The hearing was set for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 7 p.m. at Village Hall, 35 East Bank St.
●• The notice does not state a dollar amount sought or describe the scope of the treatment plant work; no minutes of testimony or any board vote are included in the record for this meeting.
Sewer Reserves and a PFAS Payment Anchor Albion Trustees' Budget Adjustments
●• Board moved $23,754.70 from sewer reserves to pay MRB Group for a landspreading permit, and increased a revenue line by $20,558.81 labeled "6th PFAS Payment."
●• Two water-infrastructure lines tied to a project referenced as "Donegan" grew by $1,544.25 (WIIA I) and $479.25 (WIIA 2); a separate line for a UTV from Hebeler Sales and Service increased $17,907.00.
●• A $10,000.00 payment to Young Explosives Corp was drawn from July 3rd reserves, which were replenished by $102.58 collected from cash buckets placed around the Village.
●• Trustees decreased the mayor's pay line by $6,845.00 "to cover various cost" and shifted $8,500.00 within the personnel budget to fund a new employee position.
●• Smaller adjustments covered workbenches for DPW ($2,000.00) and APD ($2,000.00), a $450.00 CHPC website upgrade, a $2,000.00 press box at Bullard Park, $395.00 in Board apparel from Digital Ink Arts, and $1,615.00 for Edmunds Gov Tech W-2 services.
●• The board accepted the resignation of Police Officer Sean S. McElhinny, effective June 2, 2026, and placed five seasonal DPW applications — from Gary Rhim, Xander Payne, David Lowery, Kole Moore and Todd Skellon — on file for one year.
●• Discussion items included a mileage-reimbursement request from Jeannette Riley and the cemetery apartment; the agenda does not record an outcome for either.
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