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Lansing Town Meetings

Prompted by public concerns over the proposed Comprehensive Plan revision, new Town Councilman Joe Wetmore suggested bringing meetings to the various neighborhoods around Lansing to give people a more accessible opportunity to weigh in.  In response Supervisor Ed LaVigne re-established first Wednesday working meetings to augment the regular Town Board meetings on the third Wednesday of each month.  Each working and regular meeting has a segment near the beginning of the meeting for public comment on the Comprehensive Plan.

LaVigne says he hopes to be able to approve the Comprehensive Plan revision this summer, but the additional meetings have been scheduled throughout the year.   There has been little public input at the regular Town Board meetings. The first working meeting took place March 7th at the Village of Lansing Hall.  Village officials participated with Town officials to present a joint sewer proposal before Comprehensive Plan discussion was begun.

"One thing that is important is that there is a smooth transition that matches what we have in the Village, and not have a huge industrial complex right next store to the Village," said Village of Lansing Mayor Donald Hartill.

Other comments were made about a section removed from the draft plan on the use of the 'Bell Station' land north of the Cayuga Power Plant, and consistency in zoning across the town; long term financial planning; energy needs; and considering regional needs as well as just the needs of the Town. 

Meeting places were officially approved by the Board:
  • March 7 - Village of Lansing Office – 2405 N. Triphammer Rd.
  • April 4 – Lansing Town Hall Board Room – 29 Auburn Rd.
  • May 2- Fire Station 4 - North Lansing Fire Station – 1189 Auburn Rd.
  • June 6 - Village of Lansing Office – 2405 N. Triphammer Rd.
  • July 11 - Fire Station 4 - North Lansing Fire Station – 1189 Auburn Rd.
  • August 1 - Fire Station 4 - North Lansing Fire Station – 1189 Auburn Rd.
  • September 5 - Village of Lansing Office – 2405 N. Triphammer Rd.
  • October 3 - Fire Station 3 - Lansingville Fire Station – 1235 Ridge Rd.
  • November 7 - Lansing Town Hall Board Room – 29 Auburn Rd.
  • December 5 - Village of Lansing Office – 2405 N. Triphammer Rd.
Working meetings must be public meetings because a quorum of board members take part.  But they differ from regular board meetings in that the public does not typically participate, giving board members to hash out issues they may be called upon to vote on in regular meetings.

The Lansing board regularly held 'first Wednesday' working meetings during Supervisor Kathy Miller's term, but LaVigne chose what he said was a more efficient plan to streamline the regular 'third Wednesday' meetings when possible, and immediately follow them with working meetings.  That continued until Comprehensive Plan public input became an issue in the election last November.

The Board voted last week to approve locations for each month to meet the state requirement that meetings and meeting places be publicly announced in print media at least three days in advance.  New York Department of State pCommittee on Open Government Open Meetings law states, "The Law requires that notice of the time and place of all meetings be given prior to every meeting. If a meeting is scheduled at least a week in advance, notice must be given to the public and the news media not less than 72 hours prior to the meeting. When a meeting is scheduled less than a week in advance, notice must be given to the public and the news media 'to the extent practicable' at a reasonable time prior to the meeting. Notice to the public must be accomplished by posting in one or more designated public locations, and posting online. Notice must be given to the news media; there is no requirement that notice be published in the newspaper."


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