The Herkimer Village Board of Trustees on Monday approved the appointment of Peter Macri as permanent Department of Public Works  superintendent.
Macri has been acting in a provisional capacity for over a year, and the appointment comes without a probationary period because of the prior service to the village, according to Trustee Mark Netti.
The salary received during the previous period of $51,500 remains unchanged by the solidification of  Macri’s position.
In addition to managing DPW employees, his responsibilities include among others; street maintenance and paving, snow removal, and other general village projects.
The appointment can only be overturned by a board. 
Trustee Katherine Nichols abstained from the vote, with all others casting a yes ballot.
In other action:
The board set 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 12 before a regular meeting as the date for a public hearing addressing changes or modifications to the village’s Animal Control Law.
Trustee Christine Cirelli explained a few of the changes planned for discussion by the residents:
• Any cat picked up by the village animal control officer, any peace officer, or designated agency, will be spayed or neutered by the Herkimer County Humane Society, at the owner’s expense.
• Fees for releasing seized dogs to owners including, but not limited to, those deemed dangerous or in violation of the pooper scooper law, which entails cleaning any and all defecation, is $100 for the first offense, $150 for a second within two-years, and $250 for a third offense within a two-year period.
• The same fees involve releasing cats found to be unlicensed, with the cost of $2.50 for a spayed or neutered cat.
• Also spaying and neutering costs, $35 according the Humane Society Web site, may be added to fines for cats over four months old, unless the owner can provide a written certificate from a licensed veterinarian citing health reasons inhibiting the procedure.
The village is also in the process of increasing penalties involving cruelty to animals, both wild and tame.
This includes: overdriving, beating, killing, depriving of necessary sustenance, food or drink, or general neglect.
Existing penalties include being charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by fines of not more than $1,000, or by both. 
Cirelli said recent incidents, such as a residence where 10 abandoned cats were found dead or near death, have spurred the pursuit of stricter cruelty laws. The goal being more responsibility among pet owners.
The board trustees and Mayor Mark Ainsworth agreed it is necessary to write a letter to Wal-Mart and Kmart regarding abandoned grocery carts.
Citing their presence as eyesores and a pollutant, the board discussed the possibility of the local stores providing employees to retrieve stolen, or “borrowed” carts.
Cirelli proposed the addition of racks for carts to be left for pick up.
Issues with legality in forcing retrieval, led to a consensus of appealing to the retailers’ role as a member of the community. The idea being it is in the best interest of the entire village, both residents and businesses, to stop the stealing and littering of grocery carts.