Liverpool School Board Settles Two Tax Fights, Pays for an Appraisal on a Third
At its April 7, 2025 meeting, the Liverpool Board of Education unanimously approved tax certiorari settlements with Harbor Pearl DHM LLC and Ranalli Generations LLC and authorized spending on an independent appraisal in a separate case brought by Birch Properties and 4800 Bear Road, LLC, all against the Town of Clay.
Willow Bay shoreline, Onondaga Lake Park — photo:
Andre Carrotflower
(BY-SA 4.0)
▶Key Actions & Decisions
●• Approved the March 31, 2025 minutes and a slate of routine business — personnel actions, gifts and grants, surplus items — by consent, 9-0
●• Recognized Dana Ziegler as a SAANYS Outstanding Educator
●• Authorized a revision to Proposition #2 for the annual meeting notice and ballot — Motion Carried, 9-0
●• Approved a tax settlement with Harbor Pearl DHM LLC — Motion Carried, 9-0
●• Approved a tax settlement, by roll call vote, with Ranalli Generations LLC v. Town of Clay — Motion Carried, 9-0
●• Authorized, by roll call vote, an expenditure for an appraisal in the case of Birch Properties and 4800 Bear Road, LLC v. Town of Clay — Motion Carried, 9-0
●• Appointed seven Election Inspectors — Rosa Whaley, Barbara Osborne, Susan Graves-Horner, Maria Knapp, Amy Morton, Michelle Clark and Julie Carlesco — for the 2024-2025 school year, at their contractual rate — Motion Carried, 9-0
●• Heard public comments from four residents on gender dysphoria and transgender matters, wifi/cell phone use, support for a neighboring district, the budget-curriculum connection and the Liverpool Public Library
●• Entered executive session at 8:28 p.m. to discuss a student residency determination, tenure recommendations and collective bargaining under the Taylor Law; returned to public session at 10:30 p.m. — Motion Carried, 9-0
●• Adjourned at 10:31 p.m., roughly four and a half hours after convening at 6 p.m.
The Liverpool Board of Education used part of its April 7 meeting to close out a cluster of property tax disputes tied to the Town of Clay, settling two cases outright and agreeing to pay for an independent appraisal in a third — all without a single dissenting vote.
The board first approved a tax settlement with Harbor Pearl DHM LLC, on a motion by Kimberly Martin, seconded by Matthew Jones. It then took up a second case, Ranalli Generations LLC v. Town of Clay, approving that settlement by roll call vote on a motion from Jecenia Bresett, seconded by Daniel McKeever. The minutes do not record the dollar terms of either settlement.
A third matter, Birch Properties and 4800 Bear Road, LLC v. Town of Clay, was not resolved the same way. Instead of a settlement, the board authorized, by roll call vote, spending on an independent appraisal for that case — a step that typically precedes further negotiation or litigation rather than ending it. The motion came from Matthew Jones, seconded by Daniel McKeever.
Every vote that night, from the tax matters to routine consent items, carried the same way: all nine board members — Nicholas Blaney, Hayley Downs, Kimberly Martin, Jecenia Bresett, Daniel McKeever, Stacey Chilbert, John Solazzo, Kimberly Melnik and Matthew Jones — recorded as ayes, with no noted abstentions or absences.
The meeting opened at 6 p.m. with a recognition for Dana Ziegler, named a SAANYS Outstanding Educator, before the board moved through consent items covering personnel actions, gifts and grants, and surplus property. Members also authorized a revision to Proposition #2 for the annual meeting notice and ballot, and appointed seven residents — Rosa Whaley, Barbara Osborne, Susan Graves-Horner, Maria Knapp, Amy Morton, Michelle Clark and Julie Carlesco — as Election Inspectors for the 2024-2025 school year at their contractual rate.
The board also heard, but did not vote on, updates covering a technology lease with OCM BOCES and a first look at the draft 2025-2026 budget, both listed for discussion rather than action.
During public comment, four residents addressed the board. Maria Leo spoke about gender dysphoria and transgender matters along with wifi and cell phone use in schools. Nicole Heath voiced support for a neighboring district. Alex Gyder raised the connection between the budget and curriculum. Cindy Heaslip spoke about the Liverpool Public Library. The minutes do not record any board response to the comments.
The public portion of the meeting ended just before 8:30 p.m., when the board moved into executive session to discuss a student residency determination with legal counsel, tenure recommendations, and collective bargaining under the Taylor Law. That closed session ran roughly two hours; the board returned to public session at 10:30 p.m. and adjourned a minute later, closing out a meeting that had opened more than four and a half hours earlier.
The board's next regular meeting is scheduled for April 21 at 6 p.m. at the District Office, followed by a budget public hearing on May 8 at 5:30 p.m. and a board meeting immediately afterward.
This article was drafted by AI (claude-sonnet-agent) from the official meeting transcript and reviewed by a human editor.
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Related Board of Education (Liverpool) Meetings
Liverpool School Board Spends 87 Minutes Behind Closed Doors, Then Splits 8-1 to Deny a Student's Suspension Appeal
●• Approved minutes from the March 24 regular meeting and the March 25 capital project referendum. Motion carried 7-0.
●• Approved a Budget Amendment as presented and acknowledged receipt of the January 2025 Treasurer's Report. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Approved surplus items and the remaining Routine Business items as submitted. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Recognized Liverpool High School for a POOLS Award.
●• Approved revisions to Policy 7554 and the deletion of Policy 7556. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Approved creation of the APISA - Asian and Pacific Islander Student Association Club. Motion carried 7-0.
●• Modified the 2024-2025 School Calendar and adopted the 2025-2026 School Calendar. Motion carried 7-0 each.
●• Entered executive session at 6:51 p.m. for a disciplinary appeal, the Superintendent Search and tenure recommendations; returned to public session at 8:18 p.m., an 87-minute closed session.
●• Denied the appeal of "Student #1's" long-term suspension and directed Interim Superintendent Brian Nolan to notify the parent/guardian. Motion carried 8-1, with Stacey Chilbert casting the lone Nay.
●• Adjourned at 8:19 p.m. Motion carried unanimously.
Liverpool School Board Approves $98,959,922 Building Bond and Five-Year Union Deal, All by Unanimous Vote
●• Approved the routine business block — April 7 minutes, personnel actions, preschool and special education placements, gifts and grants, and surplus items — in a single vote. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Approved the proposed 2025-2026 Liverpool Central School District budget as presented. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Adopted the annual budget and Real Property Tax Report Card by roll-call vote. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Authorized a bond resolution for the renovation and improvement of certain school district buildings and facilities not to exceed $98,959,922, including the issuance of $13,525,000 in serial bonds. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Approved the 2025-2026 OCM BOCES Final Request for Services contract authorization. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Cast the board's ballot on the 2025-2026 BOCES budget and on the annual election of BOCES board members. Aye 8, Nay 0 (both).
●• Accepted the recommendation to award Mechanical Commissioning Services to M/E Engineering. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Entered executive session at 7:14 p.m. to discuss SEIU collective bargaining strategy and to meet with Superintendent Search Consultants on candidates to interview; briefly returned to open session at 7:37 p.m. before re-entering executive session one minute later, at 7:38 p.m.
●• Approved the 2025-2030 SEIU Collective Bargaining Agreement after returning to open session. Aye 8, Nay 0.
●• Set a May 8 budget public hearing and a June 2 regular meeting; adjourned at 9:28 p.m., roughly three and a half hours after the 6:03 p.m. start.
On a Night of Unanimous Votes, Liverpool's School Board Did Its Real Business Behind Closed Doors
●• Approved the March 10 regular meeting minutes, the March 17 budget workshop minutes and the March 17 public hearing minutes as submitted — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved personnel actions, preschool and school-age special education placements, surplus items, gifts and grants, and a budget amendment as part of a single block of routine business — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved second readings of revisions to Policy 7554 and the deletion of Policy 7556 — Motion Carried, 8-0 on each.
●• Approved revisions to Policy 5661 — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Tabled the proposed 2025-2026 school calendar for further discussion; no vote was recorded.
●• Approved the Annual Meeting Resolution by roll call vote — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Appointed Kara Young, Maria Knapp, Catherine Morabito and Melinda Mayer as Election Inspectors for the 2024-2025 school year at their contractual rate — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Approved, by roll call vote, a SEQRA Type II Determination for the 2025-2026 Capital Outlay Project as prepared by counsel — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Accepted the resignation of an employee identified in the minutes only as Employee 07031, effective April 4, 2025, and approved a separation agreement with that employee — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Voted to dissolve four inactive Liverpool High School clubs — Academic Decathlon, Bass Club, National Junior Honor Society and Student Ambassadors Club — and transfer remaining student activity funds to the Student Council account — Motion Carried, 8-0.
●• Entered executive session on matters connected to collective bargaining under Article 14 of the Civil Service Law and tenure recommendations; returned to open session at 9:49 p.m. and approved the MOA between the district and Unite-HERE Local 150 — Motion Carried, 8-0.
Liverpool School Board's Budget Workshop Ends With an Hour-Plus Behind Closed Doors on Litigation
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