Cicero — Cicero residents who want to speak about a proposal to consolidate the town’s numerous lighting districts will have to wait once again. The town board voted Jan. 27 to adjourn a public hearing on the proposed law to March 23.

The hearing was opened Jan. 13 and was adjourned to Jan. 27 because a National Grid representative and comptroller Shirlie Stuart were unable to attend and give presentations.

“More time is needed to make intelligible [sic] decisions,” Supervisor Mark Venesky said.

Venesky explained that the town is working with National Grid to simplify the lighting districts and make the rates “fair and equitable” for homeowners.

Venesky added that Stuart had discovered “mistakes” in the way the current lighting districts had been set up. He said the problems went back several administrations.

Resident Deborah Gardner questioned the length of the board’s decision-making process on the lighting district issue.

“Since you’re postponing this, are you sure that you will be making a decision on lighting districts in March?” Gardner asked. “Or will this be like the signs — two years and no decision?”

The town board began considering changes to the town code pertaining to signs in July 2014, but no action has been taken. Councilor Mike Becallo said he has submitted his revisions to the code to the board. Venesky said the board will address it on an upcoming agenda.

Town may amend weapons law

While the public hearing for the lighting districts is not until March 23, the town board voted to hold a public hearing Feb. 10 on possible amendments to a local law that prohibits the possession of weapons within public buildings.

Venesky said the law may be amended to allow bailiffs to carry firearms when court is in session. He said the town justices made this request for safety reasons.

continued — Resident Don Snyder warned of the consequences of strict regulations against firearms.

“I think we need to realize that in the last six years, 90 percent of mass shootings occurred in a gun-free zone,” Snyder said. “The only thing that is going to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. We need to think about how we inflict gun-free zones on our community.”

Snyder said gun owners with concealed carry permits are trained to know when they should or should not use their weapons, adding that a gun is safer with its owner than it is left in a car. He cited the 2000 incident in which then-federal prosecutor John Katko’s gun was stolen from his pickup truck and used in a robbery in which two people were killed. Katko was elected to represent the 24th District of Congress in 2014 and is running this fall to keep his seat.

A public hearing on the law, which can be found in Chapter 105 of the town code, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Police department receives $15K grant

In other public safety news, the Cicero Police Department has received a $15,000 grant to purchase a live scan fingerprint device.

Previously, the CPD sent defendants who must be fingerprinted — those who commit felonies, misdemeanors and certain violations — to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, but some defendants did not appear at their appointments to be fingerprinted. Chief Joe Snell said the problem is worsening with the growing population of Cicero and rising number of court cases regarding fingerprintable offenses.

“[The device] allows us to fingerprint all our defendants,” Snell said. “Now we have direct control over monitoring who’s not showing up.”

Snell said Assemblyman Al Stirpe’s office helped secure the grant.