Colleen Meeder

SHERMAN — The village is in a better cash position than it was at this time last year, trustees learned from Mayor Colleen Meeder at their recent regular meeting.

“We’re in a better cash position than we were in on June 30, 2019,” Meeder said. “I find these results, including our receipts, to be very positive. We were not hurt by COVID-19, as far as receipts.”

The village receives money from water and sewer payments, the sale of trash bags, rentals, the issuance of permits, property taxes, tree sales, fire contracts, and several other sources. Village clerk Jeanette Ramm reported total receipts of $269,273 for the past month.

Ramm noted that tree sales totaled $2,619.

“The tree committee is very happy about this,” she said.

Property owners can purchase a Red Sunset Maple tree for their property street line or purchase one of several other types of trees to be planted elsewhere on their property, at the cost of $97 per tree.

“There’s been a great interest in the trees, but it is too dry to plant them right now.” Meeder noted.

In other business, Meeder addressed the issue of the Christmas lights which are still up in the village.

“While the Christmas lights are a point of contention around the community, they aren’t a priority right now,” she said. “They will be dealt with as soon as possible.”

In his report to the board, Chief Wastewater Operator Jay Irwin announced that his department will have a pilot test of two dewatering sludge presses. He also reported that he has been working with the Streets Department and the project on First Street is nearly complete.

Prior to the regular meeting, the board held a public hearing regarding proposed local law 4-2020 regarding solar energy systems. According to Meeder, the purpose of the proposed law is for regulating construction, maintenance and placement of solar energy systems.

“People were trolling to see what laws we had, so we decided to put this in place,” Meeder said.

The law will help balance the potential impact on neighbors when solar collectors are installed near their property and preserve the right of property owners to construct solar collection systems without excess regulation, she said.

A meeting of the Municipal Zoning board followed the public hearing, with two resolutions being passed. Resolution 2020-07-08.2, Special Use Permit, is for the construction of an accessory structure or shed, up to 28 feet by 36 feet at 185 Park St.

Resolution 2020-07-08.3, Violation Dumpster Special Use Permit is to send notice to the residents of 108 Columbia St. regarding the revocation of the annual dumpster special use permit, if they are found to be in further violation. The violations involve farm animal manure (Section 627C) and improper trash storage (Section 623).

“We’re receiving a number of complaints about this particular dumpster,” Meeder noted.

Several resolutions were also passed when the regular board meeting resumed, including local law 4-2020 for Solar Energy Systems and Resolution 2020-07-08.7 for the scheduling of a special meeting that was scheduled for July 20 relating to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR).

Resolution 2020-07-08.6 was also approved by the board, officially appointing Peter Clark as legal counsel for the Streets Equipment Bond with compensation for his services not to exceed $2,500.