By Jason Emerson
The Fayetteville village board this week approved a new local law that will give partial tax exemptions to non-residential properties that are converted to mixed use. The law allows real property “constructed, altered, installed or improved” for the purpose of mixed-use activity to be exempt from taxation, levies and service charges under Real Property Law.
The law — which gives the village authority to utilize an existing state tax exemption law — gives approved projects a 12-year exemption on taxes for the increase in assessed value which is the result of the property improvement. The property improvements must cost more than $10,000 to qualify for the exemption. The amount of the exemption will be 100 percent for the first eight years, and then it will decrease by 20 percent every year thereafter until the expiration of the 12-year period.
Mayor Mark Olson said the tax exemption would apply only to the amount of assessed value of the improvements to the property and not to the baseline assessment. This means the village will not lose any money under the law and it will help spur economic growth, create jobs and, hopefully, bring in businesses that residents want, he said.
Olson said this will give an incentive to businesses to improve vacant and derelict buildings in the village. He said multiple locations in the village currently would qualify for this exemption, including the O’Brien & Gere site, the Syracuse Plastics factory, the old Fayetteville Inn and the property on the corner of Highbridge and Route 5 — all of which are currently vacant.
“It’s a win-win for the municipality and a win-win for the businesses,” Olson said during the board’s Oct. 22 meeting.
The board held a public hearing on the proposed law, during which one question was asked as to how businesses would apply for the exemption. Olson said people will apply to the town tax assessor.
After closing the public hearing, the board voted unanimously to approve the law.
The board also discussed the village sign law and home occupancy businesses, and the issue of cars being “wrapped” or decaled with a home business advertising sign that is in violation of village code. The code states that home occupations or professional services can have no “external evidence of such use except an announcement or professional sign not over two square feet in area.”
Olson said there have been two instances in the past month of the owner of a home occupancy business having non-conforming signage on a vehicle that is parked in the driveway and, with the issue of car decal advertising becoming more prevalent, the board may have to better clarify what is and what is not allowed for home occupancy business signage in the village.
Trustee Michael Small agreed and rhetorically asked why the village even has a sign law if it can be circumvented by business signs on vehicles parked in a driveway.
For now, board members agreed that the current law will be enforced by the village code enforcement officer — which means car decal advertisements are not allowed at a home business — and if an amendment to the code becomes necessary the board will address it.
Also at the meeting:
•The board unanimously approved the renewal of the USDA agreement a deer culling program in the village. This will be the fourth consecutive year the village has undertaken the culling program. Olson said the price this year increased by $10,000 to a total $26,000 cost, although the county will reimburse the village for a portion of the cost.
•The board made three new appointments to the village tree commission in the wake of the unexpected passing of Pat Tobin, commission chair, on Sept. 1. Commission members Martha Ketchum and Leslie Reitano were appointed co-chairs of the group and former member Tom Cheney was appointed to fill the remainder of Tobin’s term on the commission. All three appointments will be in effect until the village reorganizational meeting on April 1.
•Olson and Trustee Dennis Duggleby said they met with DEC officials at Duguid Park last week to review the logging in the area and get the department’s opinion on the work. The DEC official said the company did a “very good job” logging, that the tree removals were “good forestry management” and there was less road damage than usual for such work, Duggleby said. The DEC is also going to help the village create a Forestry Management Plan, Olson said.
Duggleby said the logger has 12 more trees to remove and, when he is finished, people can go back into the forest and re-establish the biking and hiking trails impacted by the logging project.
