SKANEATELES - The Skaneateles Village Board of Trustees agreed on Monday to endorse a revision to the Skaneateles Fire Department's by-laws that will reduce the number of line officers in the department.

Trustee Sue Jones said the department wants to make the changes because it has too many leaders and not enough followers.

The department's president, Kathy Murphy and Fire Chief Eric Sell, who asked the village to endorse the changes, previously said 55 percent of their active members were officers.

“Currently they have captains, lieutenants and second lieutenants, and this provision will eliminate the second lieutenants,” said Jones, who was the only member to abstain for personal reasons instead of voting to endorse the provision. “Out of the 21 line officers, this will eliminate seven of them, making them regular members.”

The revision will also require the captain's position to be filled by a member vote.

Because the department's members have to approve the changes, Jones said the village trustees can only endorse the provision.

While the department has asked for the village's support in making the changes, Jones said she did not know if they asked the town of Skaneateles.

“It is a village fire department, but the town contracts through us so that they will have fire coverage,” Jones said. “It would not be required that (the department) ask them, but it would not be unthinkable that they would ask. They didn't even have to ask us before looking at the revisions. But we are endorsing this because we are in support of our fire chief and our president.”

In other news:

#&149; The trustees agreed to appoint Skaneateles town resident Bob Lotkowictz as the new director of municipal operations. Lotkowictz, who will begin work on Jan. 5, will replace John Hurd, who was released from his contact on July 24.

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net