By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

The town of Cicero has overhauled the part of its code dealing with animal control. The town board held a public hearing and passed the measure at its June 14 meeting.

Councilor Jonathan Karp said he worked with town attorney Robert Germain to revise Chapter 58 of the code because of resident complaints and a need to simplify and consolidate definitions included in each article of the chapter. Karp said Article I now consists only of definitions, and he added Article VI as guidelines on dealing with nuisance animals.

“In creating that, I tried to make it as least restrictive as necessary,” Karp said.

Article VI now forbids the feeding of wild animals, with the exception of bird feeders. The new article also lays out penalties for those who feed wild animals. First-time offenders would pay a fine of $50 to $150, and the fines escalate with each subsequent offense, maxing out at $1,000.

The revisions to Chapter 58 of the town code can be found at bit.ly/cicero614.

Also on the agenda

The June 14 meeting also included:

• Airport renovations: Christina Callahan, executive director of Syracuse Hancock International Airport, updated the board on renovations at the airport. Earlier this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo allotted $35.8 million for the project, which totals $45.1 million and is expected to create 869 construction jobs.

The renovation includes upgrades to the public portion of the terminal, removal of the dark canopy above the pick-up/drop-off area at the entrance, a facelift for the airport to allow more daylight in and energy-efficient improvements.

• Snowplow agreement: The town voted to renew its agreement with Onondaga County to plow some county roads through 2022. The county will pay the town a flat per mile rate of $7,287 in 2018 with a 2 percent increase each year after that.

“When are we going to get a raise?” Councilor Dick Cushman asked.

“All the [town] supervisors looked at it … and it was unanimous that what we were being paid was fair,” Supervisor Mark Venesky said.

• Highway garage: While the referendum to bond for a new highway garage passed June 7, there is still animosity over the vote.

During the public comment period of the meeting, former Town Supervisor Judy Boyke congratulated the town on the approval of the project and said the referendum ensured that the process was “being done above board.”

“Did you vote for it?” Venesky asked.

“Of course I voted,” Boyke replied.

“But did you vote for it?” Venesky asked.

“I think that’s a little out of order,” Boyke said. “Shall I ask who you voted for president, then, or is it obvious? Let’s not go there.”

Boyke said the issue “is not a personal vendetta” between her and the supervisor.

“It seems to be, but it’s not,” she said. “It is about the people of this town, and they’re not going to go away.”