Prepared with guidance from NYCOM General Counsel Wade Beltramo and AI assistance from Claude.
VILLAGE OF RED HOOK RESOLUTION #___ – 2026 DATED: APRIL 13, 2026
RESOLUTION DIRECTING PAYMENT OF OUTSTANDING NYCOM CONFERENCE INVOICES
WHEREAS, on April 14, 2025, the Board adopted Resolution #8-2025 (Broad Form Consolidated Reorganization), authorizing the Board and certain staff to attend NYCOM conferences including the Winter Legislative Meeting; and
WHEREAS, on January 21, 2026, Trustee Uku registered to attend the NYCOM Winter Legislative Meeting (February 1–3, 2026) via the NYCOM website, on which the Village Clerk is listed as the billing contact, with payment designated as “invoice”; and
WHEREAS, Trustee Uku forwarded the registration confirmation and invoice to the Treasurer on the same date, copying the Clerk and Mayor Smythe; and
WHEREAS, the Treasurer acknowledged receipt by email: “Excellent — thanks!”; and
WHEREAS, on January 23, 2026, the Clerk registered Trustee Maccarini for the same conference in person at Village Hall and immediately transmitted the registration to the Treasurer; and
WHEREAS, on January 26, 2026, the Treasurer informed Trustee Uku by email that she had processed the invoice but that “Karen asked me to hold it back for now”; and
WHEREAS, on the same date, five days after the first registration and three days after the second, Mayor Smythe made a motion at a workshop meeting to divide the training budget equally among four Trustees, which passed by majority vote but did not take the form of a resolution and did not amend Resolution #8-2025; and
WHEREAS, Trustees Uku and Maccarini both attended the conference in reliance on the Village’s registration and the Board’s standing authorization; and
WHEREAS, on March 20, 2026, Trustee Uku requested from the Treasurer all vouchers related to the Village’s attendance at the February conference, and Mayor Smythe responded on March 23, 2026: “Your registration for the February NYCOM meeting was not authorized by the board” — a claim contradicted by Resolution #8-2025; and
WHEREAS, on March 25, 2026, the Clerk confirmed by email to the full Board and the Treasurer that neither invoice has been paid; and
WHEREAS, as of the date of this resolution, the invoices remain unpaid more than 70 days after the services were received, despite the Clerk having facilitated both registrations, the Treasurer having acknowledged the invoice, and Mayor Smythe having been copied on all correspondence; and
WHEREAS, NYCOM General Counsel Wade Beltramo advised Trustee Uku by email on March 16, 2026 that under Village Law §§4-402, 4-408, and 5-524, the Clerk’s obligation to transmit payment orders and the Treasurer’s obligation to pay Board-authorized claims are ministerial and non-discretionary, and that “a village mayor has no authority to direct or prevent the payment of claims authorized by the board of trustees”; and
WHEREAS, the Village has an obligation to pay its lawful debts promptly, and the continued failure to do so damages the Village’s professional reputation, particularly with NYCOM, the State’s principal legal and legislative resource for villages;
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Red Hook as follows:
1. The Village Treasurer is hereby directed to process payment of the outstanding NYCOM invoices for the February 2026 Winter Legislative Meeting registrations of Trustee Uku and Trustee Maccarini without further delay.
2. The Village Clerk is hereby directed to confirm payment to NYCOM in writing within 10 business days of the adoption of this Resolution, and to provide a copy of such confirmation to all Board members.
3. Severability. If any provision of this Resolution is held invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
4. This Resolution shall take effect immediately.
Motion by: ____________________
Seconded by: __________________
The foregoing resolution was duly put to a vote, which resulted as follows:
| Mayor Smythe | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeputyMayor Kjarval | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Trustee Uku | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Trustee Allen | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Trustee Rothstein | □Aye | □Nay | □Abstain | □Recuse | □Absent/Excused |
| Vote Total | |||||
| Result | Motion: |
I hereby attest that the above Resolution was approved by the Board of Trustees at its April 13, 2026 meeting, and that I have been authorized to sign this Resolution by decision of the Board of Trustees.
Jennifer Cavanaugh, Clerk Date
Date: _______________
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