LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Leicester Village Board comments on plowing controversy

As Mayor and Board of Trustees, the Village of Leicester is our responsibility in all aspects. We are committed to ensuring all services are provided to our residents in an efficient and effective manner.

Since Feb. 25 when the Town of Leicester stopped providing services to the village, our streets have been maintained by our village employee with a leased truck.

In February 2010 an agreement was reached between the Village and Town of Leicester. This agreement stated that the village would reimburse the town for their employees the actual rate and exact hours worked. The village has complied with this contract each month.

I do not know where the misinformation of $15 for the past 43 years comes from but it is incorrect. Without any communication or written notice the Town of Leicester started billing the village $30 per hour.

The second contract that the village has was for snow removal provided by the Town of Leicester. In January 2012 the Town chose to disregard this contract and started billing for services and salt monthly instead of adhering to the terms of the contract. The agreement stated that if town chose to nullify this contract, it had to be done by September in writing to the village, which was done in 2012. We have been only without a contract which the town knew about since the 2012-2013 snow season started.

On Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013, Village Board members received letters at their homes stating that a couple of town board members could be at the village board meeting to answer questions about the final contract they received with their letter. Knowing that the village would not have a full board and that the weather was going to get bad, the town gave the village board an ultimatium with no consideration for the safety of village residents, town residents or surrounding townships that use our streets.

In our years of public service we have never dealt with a situation in this manner. As mayor and board of trustees it is our responsibility to the village taxpayers to ask specifics and request written documentation for verification. We will remain approachable and open for negotiations in the future.

Sincerely,

Wendy Garagozzo, Mayor

Michelle Peete, Scott Davis, Tom Frantz, and Mike Constantino, Trustees