P-J Photo by M.J. Stafford Fredonia Trustee Christine Cruz-Keefe sits alone at a Tuesday trustees meeting. The trustee who sits directly to her left, Ben Brauchler, is out on medical leave. The seat on the right of the desk is now unfilled with Jon Espersen’s resignation — though his name plate was still there Tuesday.

Fredonia’s short-staffed Board of Trustees held a minimal meeting Tuesday afternoon.

Mayor Michael Ferguson stated at the start of the 20-minute meeting that the three attending trustees would be considering an abbreviated agenda. He said that for some items previously on the agenda, “I thought it unfair to the community to rely on three votes.”

Three trustees is the minimum number that can attend a meeting; otherwise, there is no quorum and it is cancelled.

Trustee Jon Espersen has resigned from the board, and Trustee Ben Brauchler is out on medical leave. Ferguson said Brauchler hopes to be back for next week’s trustee business.

The key points of the revised agenda proved to be a list of budget transfers; the removal of police officer Bradley Lawson from his probationary status; accepting the resignation of Espersen; appointment of Dylan Robinson as a police sergeant; and approval of $11,972 in roof repairs for the Department of Public Works barn.

Ferguson explained the budget transfers as “all things that are being transferred within a budget that has already passed.”

Trustee Paul Wandel commented, “I’m sorry to hear this. Sad day for Fredonia” when accepting Espersen’s resignation. Trustees Christine Cruz-Keefe and Leeann Lazarony approved it without comment.

Tuesday’s meeting was moved from Monday just hours before it was supposed to happen. The rescheduled meeting was supposed to happen in Ferguson’s conference room at Village Hall — but wound up taking place in the second floor trustees’ room, after all.

The original Monday agenda included a vote on rescinding the termination of DPW Director Dave Bird. That didn’t come up Tuesday.

Neither did an item to pay LaBella $15,000 for an engineering study on Central Avenue water lines, related to the project connecting Fredonia with the North County Water District.

One item left off Monday’s agenda for Tuesday did come up at the end of the meeting — because Andrew Ludwig brought it up.

Trustees had been slated Monday to consider a resolution suspending public comment at their meetings until further notice, because of an alleged “safety issue.” Village officials were set to end the meeting Tuesday without addressing the issue.

However, Ludwig rose from his front row audience seat, and with his phone set to “record,” asked Ferguson if he was going to allow public comments at the meeting. Ferguson basically told Ludwig he could hold his own comment session outside the meeting room, but that the meeting itself was ending.