Evening News Briefing
Written by Dan Fischer on March 12, 2019
Dr. Martin Moore Batavia City Manager
There will be no increase in City of Batavia property taxes.
The City Council voted 8 to 1 last night to adopt the first budget prepared by City Manager Marty Moore.
Moore hopes the zero increase budget sends a signal seen beyond the city limits:
Only perennial budget nay-sayer Rose Mary Christian voted against the financial plan. She also cast the only no vote on increases in water rates.
A Canadian man has been charged in connection with a fatal crash in LeRoy. 22 year old Andray P. Bair of Thorold, Ontario is facing a charge of Vehicular Manslaughter. Police say Bair was drunk at the time he struck a house at 79 Clay Street. A passenger in Bair’s vehicle, 22 year old Handel Jamal Love also of Canada was killed.
Bair is now in the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $25-thousand dollars bail.
Crews will be back at Hamlin Beach State Park today to continue searching for a missing woman.
Monroe County deputies say 47 year old Margaret DeGraff was last seen Wednesday at the Villa of Hope in Rochester where she works.
Officials say they discovered a note that indicated DeGraff was upset when she entered the park.
Governor Andrew Cuomo says while he still strongly supports the legalization of recreational marijuana, it’s unlikely to be part of the 2019-2020 budget.
The budget deadline is April 1st. Cuomo’s proposal has been met with opposition by law enforcement and teachers’ groups around the state. Some municipalities say they plan to pass their own legislation banning pleasure pot it in their cities, towns and villages, if it’s approved in Albany.
Unemployment rates show a sharp improvement in the region.
Genesee County’s jobless rate improved from 6.4 percent in January 2018 to and even 5 percent this January. Similar improvements were recorded in Orleans and Wyoming Counties.
