Residents of the Lamson Road area continue to raise questions about the proposed water district the town of Lysander is considering.
At its June 8 meeting, resident Cindy Todd, who is opposed to the creation of the Lamson Road Water District, told the town board she was concerned about the petition that residents are passing in favor of the district.
Todd said Janine Werchinski-Yates and Marty Ochsner, who are leading the effort of the petition, told her that the estimated cost listed in the town’s map, plan and report is “inflated.” She also said she received a “hostile” response from Ochsner when she asked if she could accompany the petitioners during their efforts.
Todd asked town attorney Tony Rivizzigno to clarify what the petitioners need to do for the town to consider a resolution to create the district. She said Werchinski-Yates told her that not only must the assessed value of the property of those who sign the petition be greater than 50 percent of the proposed district’s total assessed value, but more than 50 percent of residents must sign in favor of the district.
Supervisor John Salisbury said the town originally told the petitioners that both conditions must be met, but Rivizzigno explained that under Article 12 of New York State Town Law, the petition must have the support of more than 50 percent of the proposed district’s total assessed value.
Councilor Bob Geraci expressed concerns about what Todd related to the board.
“I am going under the understanding … that total honesty and transparency is happening, and if what Cindy just told us is happening, that people are not being told the truth potentially … that’s scary,” Geraci said. “If the signatures on that page are there because of misrepresentation — what do we do here? This is not right.”
Councilor Andy Reeves said the town board has to “stay out of this” until the petition is complete.
“As a board, we have to stay back, stay away from this, let our attorney handle any questions and such for us because you want us to remain objective, and every one of us wants to remain totally neutral and objective,” Reeves said. “We have to stay back out of the fray and let the people in this district — I hate to say ‘fight it out’ — but actually get this thing on through until it’s a public hearing or else it’s a dead issue.”
Scott Bogardus, a resident who recently moved from Radisson to Dinglehole Road, asked the board about whether the cost of the water district would be prorated based on property value since the success of the petition relies on the total assessed value of property.
Town engineer Al Yager explained that the Indian Springs Sewer District’s rates are “ad valorem” (based on the assessment value), but all other districts in the town are based on a unit charge. A four-person family in the proposed Lamson Road Water District can expect to pay $1,011 in the district’s first year and a two-person family can expect to pay $892.32 the first year.
“Does the board find it equitable that somebody who has a $70,000 property pays [the same amount] as somebody who has a half-million dollar property?” Bogardus said. “Everything seems to be based on assessment, which you really can’t argue with that. … Depending on the folks, I think that could be a really tough hardship.”
Board members at odds
Councilor Roman Diamond denounced Salisbury’s decision to disband the town’s public safety committee.
Diamond said the committee’s chair, Dan Boccardo, had drafted a proposal for a law that would ban solicitation in the town. Diamond submitted Boccardo’s proposal to the board and requested a public hearing for the following town board meeting.
Salisbury said while the committee met five times, the members had never come to an agreement on proposed legislation for solicitation.
“John, do you want to tell the community what happened at our last public safety meeting, and how you disbanded the committee and refused to let the committee vote?” Diamond said.
Diamond said he had heard from several residents in favor of the law, but Reeves and Deputy Supervisor Melinda Shimer said they were unaware of the issue. Salisbury said he had received one complaint about solicitors.
Salisbury objected to Diamond posting information about the proposal on his Facebook page, but Diamond pointed out that there was a post on the Lysander First Facebook page about the topic as well.
“We have an ethics [policy] in the town that says that things are supposed to be kept confidential until we’re ready to go to the board,” Salisbury said, adding that the public safety committee was far from ready to propose the solicitation law to the board and he didn’t want to look “foolish” by being unprepared.
“We look foolish because you decided to act like a dictator and not as a town supervisor,” Diamond said.
Reeves said Diamond claims to be in favor of “open and transparent” government, but asked Diamond to explain his absences from various work sessions, meetings and events.
“Transparency goes both ways,” Reeves said. “You’re good in front of the camera; why don’t you be honest and transparent in your own actions?”
“Some people have to work for a living,” Diamond said.
Salisbury said the board would not schedule a public hearing on the issue until the proposal was more fully developed and discussed among the board.
Resident calls for Shimer’s resignation
During the public comment period in the latter half of the meeting, resident Brian Holz addressed Shimer and asked her to resign because of her March 31 arrest for driving while intoxicated.
“Everybody has made mistakes, but leaving the scene of an accident — in the position you hold in the town, you need to step down,” Holz said.
“I don’t think this is a proper thing,” Salisbury said, telling Holz that he was not allowed to address a board member.
“Last I checked, you guys work for me. I pay my taxes,” Holz said.
Town attorney Tony Rivizzigno said Holz could continue to address the board.
“Are you going to step down?” Holz asked.
“No,” Shimer said.
Rivizzigno told Holz he could address the board, but not ask that question.
“This is not a question-and-answer period,” Rivizzigno said. “You can make a comment, stick to our rules. The board can listen to your comment; they do not have to answer you.”
Holz reworded his question as a statement.
“You need to step down. That is not a question, that’s a statement. Ethically, you need to,” Holz said.
CLUP approved
After a months-long public hearing and comments from the Onondaga County Planning Board, the board has finally approved the town’s revised Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
The CLUP’s first major revision in about 16 years covers the town’s goals for development of the town’s southeastern “peninsula,” which includes the Route 370 corridor. A 2014 survey of residents showed that people are concerned about preserving open farm land and improving traffic flow. The town is also seeking to reduce pollution of local waterways and improve sewage management infrastructure.
The CLUP can be viewed at bit.ly/LysCLUP.
In relation to the CLUP, the town board also approved a new zoning code for the town, which can be viewed at bit.ly/LysZC.
Also on the agenda
• Road repairs: Salisbury said joined Van Buren Supervisor Claude Sykes and Baldwinsville Mayor Dick Clarke in a meeting at the state Department of Transportation Region 3 office to discuss needed repairs to routes 31, 370 and 48.
Salisbury said the state had promised back in 2013 that routes 31 and 370 would be fixed by 2015; now, the state says these roads won’t be fully repaired until next year.
“And 48, unfortunately, is not on the radar to be fixed,” Salisbury said. New York state must wait for federal funding to repair Route 48.
• Senior transportation survey: Canton Woods Senior Center is partnering with the towns of Lysander and Van Buren, the village of Baldwinsville and the Messenger to conduct a survey of the transportation needs of senior citizens in the greater Baldwinsville area. The survey can be found at bit.ly/CWSCsurvey, as well as on page 14 of this week’s Messenger.
Salisbury said Canton Woods and the municipalities are looking into grants and user fees to fund transportation options for seniors.
• Work session: The Lysander Town Board will hold a work session at 5 p.m. Monday, June 22. LoriAnn Shura will give a presentation on the town code book. The regular town board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. June 22.
