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Home My WebLink AboutOrganizational Minutes Jan 2026-TOWN OF GROTON TOWN BOARD 2026 ORGANIZATIONAL ITEMS/APPOINTMENTS Town Officers Present: Town Officers Absent: Also Present: Crystal Young, Supervisor Francis Casullo, Attorney David Durrett, Ithaca Times Richard Gamel, Councilperson Eric Deforrest, Groton Fire Chief Brian Klumpp, Councilperson Ethan Carr, Dryden High School Sheldon C. Clark, Councilperson Kemper Kline, Dryden HS. Dan Carey, Councilperson Robin Cargian, Town Clerk Ellard Keister, Highway Supt. Mack Rankin, Dept. Highway Julie Graham, Bookkeeper W. Rick Fritz, Code Official Noah Kilmer, Legal Counsel The Town Supervisor read the following proposed appointments, wages, and rates: Item 1 - Depository – First National Bank of Groton Item 2 - Official Newspaper– Cortland Standard Item 3 - Law Firm – Pomeroy, Armstrong & Casullo, LLP,16 Tompkins St., Cortland, N.Y. 13045 Item 4 - Zoning Officer – W. Rick Fritz Item 5 - Deputy Supervisor – Richard Gamel Item 6 - Deputy Highway Superintendent – Mackenzie Rankin Item 7 - Deputy Town Clerk – Denise Smith Item 8 - Bookkeeper – Julie Graham Item 9 - Court Clerk – Kathy Barron Item 10 - Part-Time McLean Crossing Guard – Margaret Albern; Kathy Carr, Substitute Item 11 - Town Historian – Rosemarie Tucker Item 12 ‐ Health Insurance ‐ Greater Tompkins Co. Municipal Health Insurance Consortium Item 13 - Town Board Regular Meetings ‐ Second Tuesday of each month, with two additional meetings on the 4th Tuesday in September & October. @ 7:30 PM (7:00 PM to audit Invoices) – Item 14 –Annual Salaries of Town Officers –Salaries shall be paid at the time respectfully specified. Crystal Young, Supervisor Richard Gamel, Councilperson Daniel Carey, Councilperson Brian Klumpp, Councilperson Sheldon Clark, Councilperson Robin Cargian, Town Clerk Ellard Keister, Highway Supt. Paul Lang, 1st Town Justice Randy Jackson, 2nd Town Justice W. Rick Fritz, Code Enforcement Officer Julie Graham, Bookkeeper Rosemarie Tucker, Town Historian $ 15,654.67 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 4,749.17 Annually Paid Monthly $ 4,749.17 Annually Paid Monthly $ 4,749.17 Annually Paid Monthly $ 4,749.17 Annually Paid Monthly $ 68,202.48 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 87,976.51 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 20,459.38 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 20,459.38 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 46,214.13 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 30,087.33 Annually Paid Biweekly $ 2,106.11 Annually Paid Quarterly Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 Planning Board Chair Planning Board Member Zoning Board Chair Zoning Board Member Court Officers- set by joint contract. $ 50.00 per meeting $ 40.00 per meeting $ 50.00 per meeting $ 40.00 per meeting Item 15- Set Hourly & Employee Reimbursement Rates ‐ Deputy Town Clerk $ 24.14 per hour Court Clerk $ 24.14 per hour Custodian $ 20.84 per hour Crossing Guard $ 20.16 per hour RESOLUTION #26‐001 ‐ TOWN OFFICIALS AND WAGES MOVED by Supervisor Young, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the appointments, wages, and rates for items 1-15: Ayes - Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Resolution Ratified Appointment of Representatives to Town and County Programs: Environmental Management Council – Barry Siebe Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council, Planning Committee - Sheldon Clark Groton Youth Commission – Crystal Young, Glenn Morey, Tim Conger Tompkins County Youth Services Board – Becky Koenig Tompkins County Recreation Partnership – Crystal Young Supervisor’s Member Appointments to Committees Finance – Crystal Young- Richard Gamel Machinery – Sheldon Clark- Dan Carey Building –Richard Gamel-Brian Klumpp Fire Department – Richard Gamel Personnel – Crystal Young-Richard Gamel Zoning, Building, and Fire Code – Brian Klumpp Fixed Assets – Crystal Young Richard Gamel- Light Districts – Dan Carey-Brian Klumpp Senior Citizens – Sheldon Clark Recreation Committee – Crystal Young Highway – Dan Carey Planning Board – Rotating Attendance- Appeals Board – Rotating Attendance- CDBG Section 3 Coordinator- Brian Klumpp Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) – Crystal Young Tompkins Co. Municipal Health Insurance Consortium ‐ Crystal Young Joint Committee on Plan Structure and Design- -Crystal Young Contact people for Drug and Alcohol Testing Program – Ellard Keister and Crystal Young Appoint Town Planning Board Members, Zoning Board of Appeals Members, Ethics Committee & Agricultural Advisory Committee: Planning Board Member 7‐Year Term Term Expires December 31st of Zoning Board of Appeals 5‐Year Term Term Expires December 31st of Sam Rose 2028 Edward Moody 2026 Lisa Maloney Hahn 2029 Monica Moll 2027 Edward Neuhauser 2030 Vacant Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 Ethics Board Term Expires December 31st of Crystal Young 2027 Melody Scheffler 2030 Vacant R. Charlton Wright 2029 AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TOWN-OWNED CEMETERIES COMMITTEE Daniel Carey, Chair, Vacant, Dale Rankin Rosemarie Tucker, Ellard Keister, Robin Cargian RESOLUTION #26‐002 ‐ APPOINTMENTS MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby makes the committee and board appointments as read: Ayes -Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Resolution Ratified Town of Groton Clerk Fees Updated 1/14/2026 Certified Copies $5.00 Comprehensive Plan $25.00 paper copy (available online) Dog Licenses Unaltered: $27.00 Altered: $15.00 Fax Copies Transmit: $1.00/page, Receive: $.25/page. Gaming Licenses Bingo (per event) $18.75 Games of Chance (per event) $25.00 Land Use & Development Code $25.00 paper copy (available online) Marriage License & Certificate $40.00 Marriage Officiant (One Day/Single Ceremony) $25.00 Photocopies Letter size: $.25 Ledger Size: .50 Legal Size: .25 Returned Check Fee $20.00 Transcript of Marriage $10.00 Town Directory $5.00 Town of Groton Zoning Fees All building projects started prior to a permit being issued will be charged twice the regular fee. Residential New Construction ‐ $.45 per Sq Ft Alterations/Renovations ‐ $40 plus 2.00 per $1000 of cost Commercial New Construction ‐ $.60 per Sq Ft Alterations/Renovations: $60 plus 3.00 per $1000 of cost Mark Baxendell 2031 Barry Siebe 2029 Leon Brockway, Jr 2032 Patricia Gaines 2030 Dan Cerretani 2027 Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 Buildings within the Flood Hazard Area New Construction ‐ $.60 per Sq Ft Alterations/Renovations ‐ $60 plus 3.00 per $1000 of cost PLUS Applicant is responsible for all Town Engineering consultation charges (see Additional Fees on last page) Agricultural Buildings $25 Building Permit Renewal ½ Original Fee & approval of CEO Non‐Structural Roof Replacement No Charge Accessory Structures: Pools, Decks, Sheds, Detached Garages, $40 plus 2.00 per $1000 of cost Demolition Permit $25 Disability Ramp No Charge Fixed Appliance $25 Fence 6ft or higher/ Replace pool fence $25 Garage attached to the residence. 1‐car = $30 2‐car = $60 3‐car = $90 + $30 for each car bay added Energy Production ‐ Small Scale $40 plus 2.00 per $1000 of cost Energy Production‐ Large Scale $25,000 per megawatt according to the nameplate output rating. Fee for renewal of permit: Same as original Junk Yard Permit Renewal $25 Life Safety Inspection / Operating Permit $25 Cellular Tower $200 plus $2.50 per $1,000 of Construction Cost Sign Permit $10 Outdoor Fireworks/Indoor Pyrotechnics Permit $25 Manufacturers’ Pyrotechnics Testing Permit $25 Annually Subdivision ‐ Exempt $50 Subdivision ‐ Minor $30 + $20 per lot Subdivision ‐ Major Level One $50 + $20 per lot Subdivision ‐ Major Level Two Preliminary Review ‐ $100 + $20 per lot Final Review ‐ $100 + $20 per lot Administrative Lot Line Adjustment $25 Cluster Development Preliminary Review ‐ $100 + $20 per lot Final Review ‐ $100 + $20 per lot Planned Unit Development Town Board Review ‐ $200 Site Plan Review by Planning Board ‐ $200 Site Plan Review (Land Use Permit) 2000 sq. ft. & under ‐ $100 2001 sq. ft. & over ‐ $200 Site Plan Review for Echo Housing No Charge Special Permit ‐ Cemetery $200 Special Permit ‐ Junk Yard $4,500 Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 Special Permit ‐ High-Density Housing $5,000 Special Permit ‐ Mining $5,000 Special Permit‐ Large Scale Green Energy $4,500 Special Permit ‐ Manufactured Home Park $5,000 Special Permit ‐ Sexually Oriented Businesses $7,500 Mass Gathering Permit $750 Application for Variance or Interpretation $175 Additional Fees: 1. Fees listed do not include postage, which may be an additional charge at current postal rates. 2. If a public hearing is required, the applicant shall pay the cost of advertising fees. 3. Costs incurred by the Town of Groton for engineering, planning, legal, and other necessary expenses for the purpose of reviewing any application with regard to an item covered by this fee schedule shall be paid by the applicant. 4. The applicant shall be responsible for costs incurred by the Town of Groton for the review and/or preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement if said statement is necessary. 5. When Fees Are To Be Paid: All fees, costs, and/or expenses required by this fee schedule shall be paid to the Town of Groton before any certificate/permit is issued. RESOLUTION #26‐003 ‐ SET FEES MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby sets the fee schedules as it was read and removed the fee for a Town and County Maps, as they are available online for free: Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐004 APPROVE AUDIT CONTRACT OF 2025 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the contract for audit of Fiscal Year 2025 financial statements with Insero & Co. CPAs, LLP Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐005 – APPROVE 2026 ANIMAL CONTROL CONTRACT WITH COUNTRY ACRES PET SERVICES MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the year 2026 contract with Country Acres Pet Services for animal control in the Town of Groton with a monthly fee of $2,100. Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 RESOLUTION #26‐006 – AUTHORIZATION COOPERATIVE PURCHASING OF HIGHWAY SERVICES WITH COUNTIES IN N.Y.S. MOVED by Supervisor Young, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town of Groton is hereby authorized to participate with Counties Located within New York State in the cooperative purchasing of various highway services. Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐007– AUTHORIZE HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT TO PURCHASE ON NEW YORK STATE CONTRACT BID MOVED by Councilperson Carey, seconded by Councilperson Gamel RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the Highway Superintendent to purchase oil and related Highway products from New York State Contract Bids as appropriate. Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐008 ‐ AUTHORIZE HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT TO GIVE RAISES MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the Highway Superintendent to give pay raises effective January 1, 2026 Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐009– APPROVE 2026 MUNICIPAL DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Clark RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves Energetix as the Third Party Administrator for the 2026 Municipal Agreement Renewal and for the Drug and Alcohol Testing. Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26-010 – APPROVE 2025 MUNICIPAL MILEAGE RATE MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Carey RESOLVED, the Town Board approves the mileage rate for Town Officials to be $.72 per mile. Ayes -Clark, Young, Klumpp, Gamel, Scheffler Ratified Unanimously TOMPKINS COUNTY YOUTH SERVICES PROGRAM AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COUNTY, TOWN OF GROTON, AND VILLAGE OF GROTON Tabled until the February 10th meeting RESOLUTION #26‐011– AUTHORIZE THE USE OF EMAIL FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF LOCAL LAW PROPOSALS AND FINAL DRAFTS TO TOWN BOARD MEMBERS MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Supervisor Young Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby authorizes the use of email for law propositions and final drafts to comply with Municipal Home Rule §20 (4) and authorizes the Town Clerk to post the email addresses to be used on the signboard as follows; Groton Town Supervisor – supervisor@grotontown.com Councilperson Sheldon Clark - evoclark@aol.com Councilperson Richard Gamel - rbgamel@verizon.net Councilperson Brian Klumpp –owascols@outlook.com Councilperson Dan Carey - dcacaeme@verizon.net Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐012 – APPROVE THE 2026 AGREEMENT WITH FOODNET AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERVISOR TO SIGN MOVED by Councilperson Gamel, seconded by Councilperson Klumpp RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the 2026 agreement with Foodnet to provide meal services to qualifying residents of the Town of Groton, authorizing the Supervisor to sign the contract. Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐013 – ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE TOWN CLERK & TAX COLLECTOR ACCOUNTING STATEMENTS ARE PROVIDED TO THE TOWN BOARD MOVED by Supervisor Young, seconded by Councilperson Carey RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby acknowledges that the 2025 Town Clerk and Tax Collector accounting records were provided to the board for review to comply with Town Law 123. Ayes -Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Ratified Unanimously REGULAR MEETING ITEMS MOVED by Councilperson Klumpp, seconded by Councilperson Gamel, to approve the minutes of the De- cember 9, 2025, meeting as presented. Ayes – Clark, Carey Klumpp, Gamel, Young Passed Unanimously .RESOLUTION #26‐014 ‐ APPROVE PAYMENT OF 2025 INVOICES MOVED by Councilperson Young, seconded by Councilperson Clark WHEREAS, vouchers for Abstract #15 for the Year 2025, numbered 520-565, were reviewed and audited by the Town Board, be it RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves said vouchers for the accounts and in the total amounts as follows: A GENERAL FUND 21,672.88 B GENERAL FUND PART TOWN 978.60 DA HIGHWAY FUND 42,787.98 Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 DB HIGHWAY FUND PART TOWN 14,536.25 SL2- PERUVILLE LIGHTING DISTRICT 117.89 SLl- MCLEAN LIGHTING DISTRICT 230.98 Total 80,324.58 Ayes – Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Passed Unanimously RESOLUTION #26‐015 ‐ APPROVE PAYMENT OF 2026 INVOICES MOVED by Councilperson Carey, seconded by Councilperson Gamel WHEREAS, vouchers for Abstract #1 for the Year 2026, numbered 1-13, were reviewed and audited by the Town Board, be it RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves said vouchers for the accounts and in the total amounts as follows: A GENERAL FUND 13,985.00 DA HIGHWAY FUND 40,534.13 Total 54,519.13 Ayes – Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Passed Unanimously Monthly Reports: Julie Graham, Bookkeeper – Working on the end-of-year reports, and there are budget adjustments. RESOLUTION #26‐016 ‐ 2025 BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS MOVED by Councilperson Klumpp, seconded by Councilperson Carey, RESOLVED, that the Town Board hereby approves the following 2025 Budget Adjustments: General Account: From: -Debit DA962 Budgetary Provisions $26,137.14 Credit DA511 Appropriated Reserves $26,137.14 Debit DA 452 Capital Equipment Reserve $ 26,137.14 Credit DA201 MMIA $ 26,137.14 From: A1990.4 Contingency $197.50 To: A3310.42 Traffic Control Clothing Allowance $197.50 Justices Clerk, Personnel- Per Services- .$412.00 From: A1990.4 Contingency $ 5,100.00 To: A1420.41 Atty – Misc Contractual $ 5,100.00 Harter Secrest – Not Covered by NYSERDA (however, a voucher request to submit to ORES was received tonight and will be credited into 2025 accounting once received) From: A1990.4 Contingency $186.00 To: A1430.1 Personnel- -Contractual- $186.00 For Deputy Clerk OT Ayes – Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Passed Unanimously Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 W. Rick Fritz, Code/Fire Enforcement Officer –The monthly report was submitted. Due to the weather, things are a bit slow. Ellard Keister, Highway Superintendent ‐I have plenty to go over tonight. First, I'd like to thank Rick, who has been closing out his shop in PA and is donating tools to the highway department almost weekly. A big thanks to him. The NYSERDA grant has been finalized. The battery-operated tools were picked up last week, and the weather stripping has also been ordered. Once that comes in, we'll get a lift on a better weather day to install these lights and the weather stripping all at once. Supervisor Young: To recap what Ellard is saying, in case anybody wasn't aware, the NYSERDA grant we received was about $5,000 after expenses that they took out. Superintendent Keister: That final number was roughly $6,600, which was not enough for us to do any- thing but the weather stripping and purchase electric tools. All in all, only $450 will be coming out of the town budget. That's all in-house labor. The lights are all sitting out back in the storage room from the grant that Crystal got earlier. Supervisor Young: A lot of savings out of the budget, which was really good. Thank you to Robin and El- lerd for all their work on that. Superintendent Keister: Obviously, we've been going through a lot of material this winter. This December has been the worst weather in a decade. These plow blade systems that we have converted to in the last few years have definitely helped cut down on the amount of material needed. More importantly, it's made the roads a lot safer throughout that process. We're scraping a lot tighter. We're putting material on the roads, and they're staying open longer. There was a point in December when we were using “old school” methods for budgetary reasons, trying to get to the first of the year. It all worked out, and I am pleased to report that those blades made the difference. We don't have to melt as much. We are trying a new rubber blade, which you saw come through on the steel sales invoice. We have compared the React Blades metal blades to the rubber ones, and we're happy with both of them. The React Blades are very aggressive when they catch, which can cause damage to the road or to the truck itself. The rubber ones seem to be doing just as good a job, and the flexibility is not as hazardous while still saving money. New highway truck radios. There is a radio repeater on the Sincerbeaux Road Tompkins County 911 tower that we paid for. Apparently, this draws a lot of electricity. This is the reason for the $100 a month Verizon bill. This two-way radio system hasn’t worked well for a long time. A year or two ago, our radio guy thought it was not working correctly, explaining that the signal was bouncing truck to truck. With this information brought to our attention, when the county got in touch with me to offer up out-of-service fire department radios within the 800 system, I began to negotiate. We came to a compromise once I told them that the repeater was not working. They have brought us the radios, which were installed in all the trucks last week. Everything's working great, plus we got a few portables. We will need to buy more or get more, but we're up and functioning now. Under the insurance, those radios and that system in combina- tion are about $10,000, which will need to come off. I want to look into whether it is worth selling the re- peater on Auctions International. All the other townships, aside from us and the village, have been switched over to them. We can work county-wide on different channels and link with Eric (Groton Fire Chief) at the fire department on different ops channels. Eric can talk directly to the salt truck driver if he needs to, and the salt truck driver could communicate with him. Eric and I could go to Tompkins County to put our channel on his radio and his channel on my radio. So that way, that wouldn't be on every truck out Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 there, and they can't mess with Eric's program, but we can intermix those systems. It’s going to work out a lot better for everyone during an active fire scene. Luckily, we don't have that too many times in a year. Supervisor Young: Those are $3,500 radios. Superintendent Keister: The handhelds are that much. The base units are more. The last quote, three or four years ago, was right around $39,000 to get set up for a system. Fire Chief Deforrest: The County got a huge grant this past year that allowed them to upgrade all of these to the 800s, which they've been trying to do for years. They just haven't had the money. The benefit to us is that I can now talk to Cayuga County and Cortland County on the same radio. Before this, I had two Cayuga County radios and two Cortland County radios at the station. Before responding, we would have to run to the station to get those radios to actively communicate. Now all of our trucks can communicate with them. Superintendent Keister: In the past, we could communicate with ourselves, the Village, Dryden, and Lansing. Lansing opted into the 800 systems, and then Dryden switched, so we lost communications with them. It’s more important in the summertime, when we're working together paving, to be able to communicate somehow instead of just calling with our cell phones all the time. We need 20 radios, and we got 10, which is a start, so we're functional. We will need more portables. These will make our flaggers able to talk to our operators and our truck drivers, making everyone safer instead of using the Walmart radios that we use now. I greatly appreciate the county doing that for us. Having the new skid steer and the ability to mill out rough spots in the summertime to properly patch them is saving us on purchasing cold patch. It is also a lot better for our community members to drive on roads that aren't completely blown apart. Councilperson Gamel asked if that was also due to the extensive cold, which Mr. Keister explained that the road temperatures are still hitting 39 to 40 degrees, creating surface movement. Some of it may be a result of the better plow blades removing salt, which also causes damage, as well as removing the hard pack, but he felt the proper patching was ultimately the reason. Tyler will be building a “push box” for the skid steer to create a mini paver from an in-house build and design for around $4,500, compared to a $20,000 purchase. Superintendent Keister reminded the board of the pickup trucks he brought up at budget time that needed to be replaced. He has decided to sell two spare trucks, # 15 and #19, and asked for a resolution to order a 2026 Chevy 2500 HD for $59,474.43, which was budgeted for. He also offered to give any board member a tour of the garage or roads anytime they request. RESOLUTION #26‐017 ‐ 2026 CHEVY 2500 HD PICKUP PURCHASE APPROVAL Questions were answered, and a MOTION to approve the purchase of the 2026 Chevy 2500 HD pickup truck was made by Councilperson Klumpp, seconded by Councilperson Gamel. Ayes – Clark, Carey, Klumpp, Gamel, Young Passed Unanimously Robin Cargian, RMC, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, provided a monthly report, the annual 2025 report, as well as the accounting books. The Board will plan a review of the accounting for the February meeting. The legislature passed a bill last year that requires tax collectors to submit a report of the collection progress. A copy of the bank amount as well as the warrant, was supplied. Many taxpayers are surprised to find the new front entrance and are pleased. A job well done goes out to the Highway Department and Bishop Brothers for completing it in the short timeframe they had. We have had five or more people using the online dog license portal already, and are very excited to see that come through. To piggyback from what Ellard already explained about the Verizon repeater, I was told by Verizon that if we wanted to keep that Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 repeater for the highway line, we would have to pay to upgrade the equipment on the tower , which would cost us $1800 by March. By removing the line, this is an additional saving that the county radios are provid- ing, as well as the monthly fee. Councilperson Carey asked why the cost of culverts shows on the Town Clerk report, which was so that the money to reimburse the town is accounted for by individuals author- ized to collect funds. Legal Council, Noah Kilmer, reported that he did not get an update from Fran before the meeting, but will be checking in with him regarding the landscaping and host community agreements. Tomorrow, he will be walking the stage to officially become an attorney, so it may be a few days before getting back to the board. The board congratulated Mr. Kilmer on this accomplishment. Recreation Coordinator, Supervisor Young: The committee did not meet, but she will be meeting with Nancy and Angela about budgets next week. There will be an informational meeting scheduled for next month’s meeting with the town board. Groton Fire Department Report, Eric Deforrest:‐ The department has a new fire truck already in service that was purchased at the beginning of the year. They are hoping the truck that was replaced will be sold to bring in around $200,000, offsetting the new truck price tag. He was re-elected as the 2026 Chief. Michael Lockwood will be Deputy Chief, Josh Barron is First Assistant Chief, Alex Nemeth is Second Assistant Chief, and Jillian Morales will be Third Assistant Chief. There is a chicken barbecue planned for Super Bowl weekend, February 7th. Annual Report Highlights- Total Calls 2025: 205 cad dispatches. 12 Structure Fires 14 MVA 75 Hazardous 0Situation calls 22 Mutual Aid 168 Fire Calls Total accumulated loss from the 12 fires was $64,000. This is an impressive number if you look at the historical records. I owe this to the work of the code office and the education we provide throughout the community each year. 1047 Total Ambulance Calls (74 Times were out of district) Received Mutual Aid +/-144 times Average out-the-door time – 3 Minutes 24 Seconds Average on-scene time – 8 Minutes 34 Seconds Our own EMTs are jumping in and taking calls in-house, reducing the amount of mutual aid. We have three more people signed up to take the EMT class starting next month , which is about 150 hours of education. Councilperson Carey asked if the department does specific farm-related training. Chief Deforrest stated they have practiced extrication on farm structures such as silos or waste pits. Councilperson Carey won- dered what could be done about assuring the correct entrance is noted to 911 during an emergency. It was recommended to label the entrances and buildings and let 911 know. They can also schedule a visit with the fire department, so the volunteers are familiar with the different structures. CS Energy update, Crystal Youngs: No new update on Yellow Barn. Privilege of the Floor: No one wished to speak. Announcements: Groton Town Board Organizational & Regular Meeting Minutes January 13, 2026 ➢ Planning Board Meeting, January 15 at 7:30 pm ➢ Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting, January 14 at 7:00 pm ➢ Retirement Party for Don on the 24th, 6 PM at Stonehedges There being no further business, Councilperson Gamel moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilperson Carey at 8:35 pm. Unanimous. Robin Cargian, RMC Town Clerk/Tax Collector