Town board approves two special-use permits, personnel moves and routine bills

At its May 18 meeting the Grand Island Town Board approved several routine but consequential items: two special-use permit matters, multiple personnel actions, certification of volunteer firefighter service awards and a contract authorization for payroll software.

Special-use permits: The board approved a special-use permit for a bed-and-breakfast at 4184 East River Road (applicants Wendy and John McCaffrey). The McCaffreys' representative (John McCaffrey) spoke briefly in support; a roll-call vote approved the permit. The board also considered a special-use home-occupation bakery application for 241 Colonial Drive (applicant listed in the record as Deos Denise Sterns) to operate a bakery cart for presales and pop-up sales; the board set the matter in its process and acted per the agenda.

Personnel and staffing: The highway department requested permission to hire candidates subject to onboarding and the board authorized the hires as presented. Recreation Supervisor Joseph Mentor requested and the board accepted the resignation of Dominique Brennan and approved a promotion to the vacant program-leader position (discussion clarified the promoted employee will retain some existing duties while assuming program-leader responsibilities).

Awards and contracts: The board certified the list of volunteer firefighters qualifying for the 2025 service award under GML 219-A. Accountant Karen Fron asked the board to authorize the supervisor to sign a quote to add a payroll software module from Tyler Technologies; the board approved that authorization.

Finance: The board voted to pay vouchers across funds totaling $177,984.53 (general, highway, sewer, water, trust and agency, capital, lighting district, and fire funds). The board amended one voucher — a $10,000 down payment related to a Golden Age Center vehicle purchase — to withhold that amount until staff verifies the purchase is on state contract.

What’s next: Several of these items are administrative and complete; personnel hires remain subject to completion of onboarding and any necessary paperwork.