Fontana, 34, served as a Tupper Lake town counselor for nearly eight years. Her election to the village mayor role last month marks a significant change in leadership for the village, which had been led by Paul Maroun for the past 13 years. Fontana was not sworn in at Monday’s meeting, but took the oath of office prior, along with trustees David Maroun and Leon LeBlanc, who were elected last month after running for reelection unopposed.

Most appointments of office stayed the same under the new mayor, but several changed hands. Trustee appointments essentially make each trustee a liaison to their respective departments. The board appointed Trustee Eric Shaheen as deputy mayor, LeBlanc’s former title. David Maroun was appointed to the municipal park alone, no longer in tandem with Shaheen; Fontana will oversee the police department, as did former mayor Paul Maroun; LeBlanc will continue to oversee the Office and Department of Public Works; Trustee Jason McClain will continue to oversee the fire department and will now oversee water and sewer, rather than David Maroun; Shaheen will continue to oversee the electrical department.

Mary A. Casagrain will remain village clerk and treasurer. Kyle Fuller will remain deputy village clerk; Melissa Dominie will remain deputy village treasurer; Nathan Race will remain village attorney; Leanord Young will remain acting police justice; April McClain was appointed public health officer; Jon Kopp will remain village historian; Laurie J. Fuller will remain Registrar of Vital Statistics until Dec. 31, to be replaced by Mary Kay Strack effective Jan. 1, 2024; Casagrain will remain records access officer; Carl Steffen was appointed emergency management coordinator.

The ayes had the official undertakings, under which Community Bank and Greene County Bank remained the official depositories for all village funds. The Tupper Lake Free Press will remain the official village newspaper. So, too, will the Enterprise, should a “timely need for publishing exist.” Jessica Eggsware will take over for Paul O’Leary as the official for assessment and property tax roll items.

Mary Fontana presided over the Tupper Lake Village Board of Trustees annual organizational meeting, her first since being sworn in as mayor. (Enterprise photo — Oliver Reil)

Regular board meetings will now be held on the third Monday of each month instead of Wednesday. Dec. 1 or the first Monday in December will remain the organizational meeting date.

The board revisited a passed mileage reimbursement vote after David Maroun called out the 54 cents-per-mile rate as low. After some discussion, the board unanimously voted to raise the rate to the IRS standard of 65.5 cents-per-mile. Mayor Fontana also acknowledged a personal conflict of interest, as she works for OneGroup, the agency that handles the village’s insurance. She does not oversee that account, nor does she receive any commission.

The board also formally approved the $77,000 purchase of a new 2024 pickup plow truck, as well as a new skid steer to replace the village’s older Bobcat, which was sold for $16,000. Water and sewer will cover half the cost, and payments will be made in four installments.