Clay Supervisor Mark Rupprecht announced at Monday night’s board meeting that he will be resigning from his position effective Nov. 19.
I was recently made a senior broker at CB Richard Ellis [a real estate brokerage company], Rupprecht said. I also have a growing family. I want more time to dedicate to my family, and I don’t want to give up a job I love.
Rupprecht described the numerous duties of the position of town supervisor, pointing out that he was responsible for over 100 employees, keeping up with federal and state policy changes, responding to the public and conducting public meetings.
Deputy Supervisor James Rowley will take over supervision of the town until a new supervisor is appointed.
In good hands
I wanted to leave the town better than I found it, Rupprecht said. I can say that I do leave it in good hands. Jim Rowley is well-suited to leading this town forward. In fact, he ran against me in 1987. He’s gotten a lot smarter since then.
Rupprecht said that he will gladly continue to serve the town as a volunteer in any capacity he can.
The rest of the board expressed their regret at Rupprecht’s departure and pointed out the good he has done for the town since taking over the office after the death of Pat DiDomenico in February of 2003.
In my judgment, and surely the board will agree, you have definitely left this town in a better place than we started with, Rowley said. Your decision was not easy, but you stayed steadfast, and I admire you for that.
Councilor Clarence Ryecraft agreed. You stepped in some big shoes [after DiDomenico’s death], he said. You’ve filled them very, very, very well.
All of the board members promised that Rupprecht would be honored more formally at a later date.
State of town outlined
Before announcing his resignation, Rupprecht gave a brief presentation on the state of the town. Specifically, he discussed the acquisition of Three Rivers Point, the remediation of the Cipro sewage plant and the conversion of a parcel on Black Creek Road to a town park. He also referenced the new land use code and the disaster mitigation plan.
We’ve tried to increase public participation in government, Rupprecht said. We’ve brought more residents into the planning process than ever before.
At Three Rivers Point, Rupprecht said that the New York State Canal Corporation is designing a new sea wall and discussing putting in a boardwalk and walking trails. The town also recently hired a consultant to determine the tourism potential for the site.
As for the potential park, Rupprecht said that it has the potential to be truly unique to the town of Clay and Onondaga County. It will be a passive recreation park with trails for walking, as well as horseback riding and possibly cross country skiing in the winter months.
Rupprecht also said that the town is studying its flooding problems and seeking solutions. He expected that the study will continue well into next year.
Budgets approved
The town board approved all budgets for the 2007 fiscal year at Monday’s meeting, as well. The $5,233,724.97 Special Districts budget, which covers sewers, drainage, water, hydrants, trash and lighting involved a $3 increase per unit from last year. The fire budget, which accounts for approximately $100 of residents’ property taxes, was approved, as was the Uniform Water District budget, which only covers about one third of town residents (the rest receive their water from OCWA). Finally, the preliminary budget, which would require a total of $6,390,495 to be raised through taxes, a 5.5 percent increase, met with the approval of the town board.
