Local Women Approach Village to Request Funding
Local Women Approach Village to Request Funding
Local Women Approached Board to Request Funding for Stray Cat Problem; Village Announces Proposed Short-Term Rental Permit Pricing
If you are interested in donating to Village Felines to help support spaying/neutering of the stray cats in the village, please make checks payble to: CLAWS. (That's: Cats Lives Are Worth Saving) Mail to: Melanie Pritchard, PO Box 1061, Ellicottville, NY 14731. Photos / Melanie Pritchard
The Ellicottville Village Board of Trustees gathered for their monthly meeting on February 18th with all members present. Mayor John Burrell called the meeting to order to lead the evening’s discussions.
The agenda began with Good News. It was announced that the Village of Ellicottville received their sales tax check totaling $153,968.25. The return was 14.7% higher than expected. There was another financial addition with National Grid providing a refund of $7,357.56 from the EVC (Electric Vehicle Charger) project.
The Village of Ellicottville is also still in consideration for the location of the Western New York Regional Legislative Workshop of Spring 2025. It is with high hopes that the Village lands the location as it would bring in an estimated 150+ visitors to the area.
Business of the Floor: Betsy Peyser and Melanie Pritchard were in attendance and first to present to the Village Board their work regarding the stray cat population. The women go by the group name, Village Felines, and explained how they have been caring for the spay and neutering of stray cats within the area, doing so primarily at their own expense. They wanted to share their story with the Village Board and also inquire about potential financial support from the Village. Betsy and Melanie have spent years working with a local veterinarian, estimating to have saved between 68-80 cats. With rising costs, they hope to find some channels for possible donations to provide the necessary procedures and care. The Village Board truly applauded the women’s work, however, Village Attorney Richard Stanton stated how they cannot contribute funding to their cause. Mayor Burrell offered to assist by sharing their story through various channels of the Village, such as their Facebook page and official website. The Village Board also offered alternative routes such as exploring available grants or starting a GoFundMe. Village Clerk Amy Hayward also offered to personally assist in providing details regarding a fundraising page.
Next to present to the Village Board were Anthony Pulli and Steve Christiano regarding zoning restrictions for short-term rental permitting. Together they own a house in the historic section of the village which does not allow for short-term rental permits. The Village Board explained that there is no plan to change the zoning regulations in place and that this has been the way they have operated for years.
The topic of short-term rentals has been highly discussed recently as the Village has been restructuring some of the financial aspects around properties. The Mayor’s Report shared an update from the short-term rental workshop composed of chairman Greg Cappelli, alongside Mayor John Burrell, Doug Bush, Randy Hart, Amy Hayward, and Kelly Fredrickson. During the most recent meeting between them, a tiered permitting structure was proposed which includes a new take on the annual costs per rental.
The permitting prices would break down as follows: a studio-2 bedroom would be listed as $400 annually, 3-4 bedrooms $750 annually, and 5 bedrooms and over $1,000 annually. Occupancy will be capped at 10 people maximum. Parking spaces will go by rental space as well. There will be 1 parking space for each bedroom, as explained by the workgroup, a two-bedroom rental would have two parking spaces, etc. The permit lengths will be from January 1st of the year to December 31st of that same year. The renewal of permits will be annually. As more information becomes available, the Village will share information on their Village of Ellicottville Facebook page as well as the official website.
Moving on, the Village Board heard any available updates within the Department Reports. The Planning Report included information about the Playground Group status. The decision was made that moving forward, the Village will make any necessary decisions as it does not fall under the duty of Zoning Board. The suggestion was made that the Playground Group Committee attend next month’s Board meeting to update their status. The Board would like to catch up on the Playground Group’s fundraising progress, along with planning and development. Once they catch up, the Village Board has expressed that they are in support of budgeting funds from the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 fiscal years. The report was accepted by the Board as they also accepted without issue the Engineering Report.
The Department of Public Works recently conducted a meeting with Mark Loveless, Mark Burr and Mayor Burrell. They spoke on the Village signs as Mr. Loveless prepares a proposal for signage and traffic improvements. A review of his work was cited as incredibly good with innovative ideas for the village.
Some New Business was addressed by Mayor Burrell, who announced a grant opportunity. The NY County Infrastructure Grant Program would have the potential to create 10 or more units of housing however, the Village of Ellicottville would need the County to prioritize their submission. The Board agreed to continue to explore the grant opportunity.
Wrapping up discussions, the Village Board meeting was called to adjourn, with the next meeting to be held March 18, 2025, at 6:00pm. For more information on the Village of Ellicottville, please visit their official website at www.ellicottvillegov.com.