Williamsville officials are releasing few details in advance of Thursday's special Village Board meeting, when trustees are set to hire a law firm to help the village contest a Covid-19 rules violation flagged by Erie County.
The village announced Tuesday that it will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday to "approve the hire of outside counsel to represent the village in a pending legal matter with the Erie County Department of Health."
The public won't have the chance to comment at the meeting, which is online-only, but some residents still may try to show up in person.
The Health Department fined the village $300 for repeatedly flouting the county and state mask-wearing requirement in public spaces, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Tuesday.
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A county employee witnessed numerous violations of the policy, by Mayor Deb Rogers and others in the audience, at the Jan. 10 Village Board meeting, when trustees by a 3-2 vote passed a resolution staunchly opposing mask and other Covid-19 mandates. Rogers was joined by two trustees she appointed to the board in the past year in approving the measure.
The fine was issued Jan. 12 and must be paid by Feb. 5, or the village could face a penalty of up to $1,000. Williamsville is the only local government to receive such a fine from Erie County during the pandemic.
Rogers declined to elaborate in a statement.
The village attorney, Charles Grieco, has a conflict of interest, so Williamsville must hire outside counsel to represent itself.
Keaton DePriest, the village's community development director, said he would not reveal the name of the law firm the village is poised to hire, nor the amount of money the village would pay its lawyers, in advance of Thursday's meeting.
"At this time, no attorney or firm has been determined," DePriest said in an email. "Since no decision has been made, there is no information on whether or not it will be an hourly rate or a flat fee."
He also said the village did not seek competitive bids from law firms for the work because that's not required under state law, which considers legal representation a professional service.
The debate over facts and freedom and rights and restrictions that has roiled the nation since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic has come to a one-square-mile community where complaining about traffic and parking used to rate as the biggest issue.
News of the county fine, and the village's apparent intention to fight it, is only the latest point of contention in the ongoing conflict over mask mandates in Williamsville.
Debate over this issue at the Dec. 13 Village Board meeting grew particularly heated, and it was one reason Trustee Matthew Etu announced his resignation earlier this month.
The public won't have the chance to comment at Thursday's meeting. The village initially was planning to hold it on an in-person basis only, but some residents raised concerns about not being able to watch by video and the village later said it would be streamed by Zoom only.
Etu, who clashed with Rogers over mask rules, has launched an online petition saying taxpayer dollars shouldn't be used to pay for the personal agenda of the mayor and her Village Board allies. He also said the village should wait to vote on this until its next regularly scheduled meeting, on Monday, when the public could weigh in on the proposed hiring of a law firm.
A group of residents who support masks and other Covid-19 safety measures still may show up Thursday to try to observe the meeting firsthand and make their position known, said Williamsville resident Anthony Bannon.
"There are a number of people I know who wanted to attend the meeting and speak," Bannon said.
