SHERIDAN — The Town of Sheridan Highway Department has been working overtime with only two members on staff under the direction of Highway Superintendent Jeff Feinen. With recent storms, that has been particularly difficult, especially with two trucks sliding off the road and another truck shutting down.

The Town Board recently approved Feinen’s recommendations to hire two new employees to bring the crew back to being fully-staffed. Cody Sullivan and Devon Robinson were approved for full-time positions with the Highway Department pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement.

Additionally, John Magierski was approved as the department’s deputy superintendent with an hourly rate of $26.15. Feinen also serves as the Highway Superintendent for the Town of Dunkirk in an inter-municipal agreement, approved by Sheridan at the recent meeting.

The new employees were not the only help the Highway Department received at the recent Town Board meeting. A bid for a new vehicle was approved by the Board. The Town will purchase a 2025 Ram 2500 pickup truck from Fredonia Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram with specifications in the total amount of $56,341.88. Additionally, the Yellow Sterling, Mack tandem axle, a stack of extra insulation from roofing improvements, and an old V-sander were declared as surplus to be sold at auction.

Also of note in the Town, 176 vehicle and traffic cases were received by the Town Court, as well as three penal law cases in the month of November. A total of $22,460 was collected by the Court and turned over for distribution. The Town Clerk’s office collected $92 in November, of which $80 was turned over to the general fund and $12 was sent out to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Code Enforcement Officer James Crowell collected $205 in fees, stemming from a month that featured four building permit applications, one investigation of a complaint, one notice of violation, one public safety inspection, 31 inspections on construction, 17 certificates of occupancy and 10 certificates of compliance.

The Town Board also reappointed Stephen Roach to the Zoning and Planning Board for a term set to expire in December 2029. A standard work day for elected officials for retirement purposes was also established for Jeff Feinen, Town Clerk Rebecca Schafer, Town Board member Richard Feinen, and Town Board member Colleen Yerico.

The Town Board also passed a resolution authorizing Supervisor Tom Wik to pay the outstanding balance of setup costs through Chadwick Bay Intermunicipal Water Works (CBI) that are owed to Chautauqua County.

The next meeting of the Sheridan Town Board will serve as the Town’s annual organizational meeting. It will be on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.