Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis says no more village money will be spent studying its water system versus the North Chautauqua County Water District.

During a meeting in early November, Landis took a moment to discuss chatter during election season regarding the village’s water system. Specifically, Landis said people told her that they heard stories about numbers within the village’s study being “rigged.”

Earlier in the year, the village presented findings from the study, which showed water rates would nearly triple in order to decommission the dam, close the water treatment plant and join the water district. The $150,000 study commissioned by the village was conducted by O’Brien & Gere Engineers.

The study also found the reservoir dam and spillway face $5.3 million in improvements.

“I did a lot of work on that and presented to the board. The board took a vote and made a decision,” she said. “I don’t know who that person or group of people were that rigged any numbers. I know I did not. I got the numbers, Rick (St. George), village administrator, worked the numbers and we put them in a presentable table so we can present it.”

“For the company we hired, we paid them $150,000,” Landis continued. “That’s a big company out of Rochester. What reason would they possibly have to rig the numbers when they have multi-million dollars in contracts in the U.S.?”

Landis said she has copies of the study for anyone who wants to examine how the numbers work when it comes to the village’s water system versus the water district. She also said anybody who wants to perform their own study can do so. However, it won’t be on the village taxpayer’s dollar.

“They can spend as much money as they like, not village money. We shouldn’t have to even spend this money but we did,” she said. “If anybody wants to produce a new study please come forward. We’re going to give you every right to and visit the reservoir, to go and do all the study from the beginning and come and present it. If your numbers are better, let’s see.”