The Walworth Town Board used its Jan. 1 organizational meeting to make its annual designations and appointments, accept the elected town clerkâs written declination of office and fill the resulting vacancy, and approve a series of standard yearly resolutions covering meeting schedules, spending limits, contracts and policy reviews.
The board accepted a declination of office from Jenna Camacho for the town clerk position and declared the office vacant, then appointed Nadine Seppler as town clerk for 2026. Seppler was sworn in during the meeting.
Supervisor Laura Ellsbree and board members also made and approved annual organizational appointments and designations, including deputy supervisor and deputy clerk appointments, the official legal newspaper, and contracts for professional services.
Votes and actions
In addition to the town clerk actions, the board approved a resolution authorizing Highway Superintendent Kevin Switzer to fill a working foreman position from within the highway department. The board also authorized the hiring of Dane Bafile as a full-time clerk to the town assessor effective Jan. 5, 2026.
During consideration of the townâs broader âTown Board Appointmentsâ resolution, members discussed whether some appointments should be separated into individual resolutions and amended the appointments list to include the town attorney as an annual appointment. Councilman Kelly said he was voting ânoâ on the appointments resolution as a matter of principle, while other members voted in favor.
The board also discussed its 2026 meeting schedule and whether to continue holding only one regular meeting per month during the summer, noting the town has also held âtraveling meetingsâ in the summer.
Spending limits, banking and credit cards
The board amended its budgeted spending-limits resolution, increasing the highway superintendentâs spending limit and removing the sewer superintendent position from the document, members said during discussion.
The board approved annual banking-related resolutions naming official depositories and authorizing changes to account signatures and credit card authorized users as the town transitioned from the prior supervisor, according to the transcript and documents. One credit-card resolution was amended during the meeting to remove language board members said was contradictory.
Councilwoman Linson abstained on a resolution related to check-signing and signature authorization, explaining she was not voting to authorize herself.
Policies reviewed, items tabled
The board took up its annual reviews of several policies and local laws, including the townâs investment policy and procurement policy, with members discussing the need to review older policies during the year.
Two items were tabled for later consideration: the resolution establishing standard workday reporting for New York State retirement purposes, and an annual review of the townâs comprehensive plan, with members saying they wanted time to review materials and confirm accuracy.
Professional services and rules
The board approved resolutions related to professional services for 2026, including engineering and legal services, and adopted its meeting rules of order, with members also discussing whether to review those rules as part of a broader policy-review effort during the year.
The board also adopted a 2026 fee schedule, with Councilman Kelly voting no during the discussion of fees.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].