Petition nets 650 signatures

By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Residents in the town of Lysander will vote on whether the town board should be able to bond for as much as $400,000 for a proposed spray park. A group of residents gathered about 650 signatures for a petition to bring the matter to a referendum — almost 300 more than the 377 signatures required to force a vote.

A date for the referendum has not yet been set, Town Supervisor Joe Saraceni said, as Town Clerk Dina Falcone still must verify the signatures. Resident Fred Burtch, who led the effort, turned in the petitions to the town clerk’s office Tuesday, Feb. 20.

“It’s not mine, it’s the people’s [petition],” Burtch said. “It’s not just the spray pad. It’s about this process.”

Burtch said he is not against the spray park project, but he objected to the town board’s Jan. 18 vote to allow the town to borrow $400,000. Burtch and fellow resident and petition carrier Kevin Rode criticized the board for placing the item on the agenda Jan. 17, one day before the meeting.

“I’m upset at our board for creating a situation like this without having the proper input from our people,” Burtch said.

Saraceni said it will take Falcone some time to verify the roughly 650 signatures, but he expects the town board to set a date for the referendum within a week or two.

“The [Onondaga County] Board of Elections has notified us that they’re not going to help us out really,” Saraceni added. “We’ll be following the process to the letter of the law. I’ve been in touch with the League of Women Voters about verifying the vote.”

Editor’s note: Democratic Commissioner of the Onondaga County Board of Elections Dustin Czarny clarified the BOE’s role in referendums such as this:

“We have no jurisdiction on permissive referendums,” Czarny said. “Unlike village elections and regular elections where towns can designate us to run them, on these we can’t. … We would and can help wherever we can on anything.”

Saraceni said Falcone estimated the cost of the referendum at $4,000 to $5,000. He said the town board will vote on a resolution to appropriate the money, as it is not a budgeted item for 2018.

The referendum, Burtch said, is about residents having a say in how the town spends taxpayer money.

“I don’t even care if they vote yes or no. I just want them to go vote,” Burtch said.