A tabled Board of Trustees statement supporting a North County Water District study on connections with the village is back on the agenda.

The statement was tabled at the behest of Trustee Michelle Twichell, who objected to its original wording. Trustees are set to vote on a reworked version today and debated it some more at a workshop last week.

Trustee Ben Brauchler said, “I don’t feel like it actually does anything. It’s just a statement of support.”

“That’s all it is. We’re not spending money on this at all,” replied Mayor Michael Ferguson.

Twichell said she didn’t want to enter into an agreement with an entity that owes millions to Chautauqua County.

“(The NCWD has) been borrowing money. I just don’t want to do business with these people and… I don’t see this as a good option,” she said.

“How do we know if it’s a good option until we see the numbers from the study?” Trustee Jon Espersen said. “The study will cost us nothing to do. It’ll give us more information, and information is what you’re always asking for… This will give us information for the most important vote we’re going to take this year. I don’t know why you want to hide information that will be contained in that study. There’s a possibility we could save tens of millions of dollars. There’s a possibility it could cost us $100 million. Nobody knows. So let’s just find out.”

Twichell replied that she “would not select to do business” with the water district.

“We’re not actually doing anything with them,” Brauchler reiterated. “All we’re doing is saying we support them looking into it. They’re going to do it whether or not we support them.”

Twichell seemed surprised at that. “It’s not our study,” Espersen said. Twichell snickered and Espersen asked her what was so funny. Ferguson immediately moved the meeting on to the next agenda item.

The NCWD study will be done by LaBella, the same engineers who did the village’s own water study in 2023. It is to be funded by a state grant and county American Rescue Plan Act monies.