Archive: News

Seven Lansing officials were at the New York Hilton early this week for The New York Association of Towns Annual Meeting and Training School.  All five town board members attended along with Town Attorney Guy Krogh and Engineer David Herrick.  The conference included a large menu of classes and panels for town supervisors and boards, attorneys, judges, planning staff, town clerks, highway staff, and court clerks.  There were over a hundred exhibitors, and a lot of informal networking.  "It's an opportunity to sit down and talk about common issues," says Lansing Supervisor Steve Farkas.  "It's a great networking pool of ideas and resources as to how you deal with certain issues.  The informal get-togethers are probably a lot more meaningful than the formal sessions."


There were so many resources that the Lansing contingent split up to attend different sessions that they could share with each other afterwards.  Farkas attended sessions specific to town supervisors including one on municipal sharing.  "There is a lot of interest in the tax issues that are going on right now," he says.  "Towns have to be very specific in what they're planning for, because the dollar will only go so far.  And there is now the issue where people are looking over your shoulder.  Towns are at the bottom of the food chain.  We have the most contact with local folks, so we get the brunt of the anxieties and anger over the costs of the operation of government itself."

Bud Shattuck went to sessions about financial issues, workplace violence,  and the next new unfunded mandate that the Town has to deal with.  Connie Wilcox got an an update on the Comptroller's Office.  "I went to sessions on mandatory reporting for code enforcement -- an update on everything," she says.  "I attended all the sessions for town board members and supervisors."

Marty Christopher was interested in personnel sessions, while Matt Besemer, who is the Town Board liaison with the Planning Board, focussed on planning and zoning issues.  "I learned about changes in storm water regulation, how we can change zoning to better fit the Town and incorporate it into our comprehensive plan," he says.

The association was formed in 1933 to help towns with training programs, technical assistance, insurance, and publications.  The conference is held every year to provide a comprehensive resource to town governments.  Lansing sends officials to a professional conference each year.  Some choose this conference, while other town officials choose a conference that is more specific to their field.  But this one always attracts Lansing representatives due to the sheer scope of the resources.

On Tuesday Governor Eliot Spitzer and Senator Charles Schumer addressed attendees. Schumer talked about population growth in the towns, outside of urban areas.  Because of the growth in towns there is a greater need for infrastructure, such as the sewer project here. Spitzer talked ringing more resources to local people, especially upstate. He talked about breaking down big government to where it is meaningful for local folks.  "Governor Spitzer seems to be turning Albany upside down," Farkas notes.  "He said he sees the towns as the growth point of the State.  If he puts his money where his mouth is I think it's going to be very interesting to see what happens."

Classes ranged from  managing local homeland security to fiscal responsibilities of town officers to the importance of backing up computer data.  There were sessions on wind power, the 2010 census, police personnel management, land use, conducting interviews, wastewater treatment systems, accepting credit cards, forestry, preserving rural character in town planning, zoning... there was even a session on planning sports facilities.  In addition more than 100 exhibitors displayed their wares in the hotel's exposition center.

Exhibitors represented a big range of services and products towns use.  Booths included State agencies such as the Environmental Facilities Corporation, the DEC.  Engineers and Internet vendors were there, and people who specialize in cyber-security, and human resources.

Farkas says that the company that is preparing to conduct an area fly-over for GIS mapping had an interesting booth.  He had the last survey on his computer, and Farkas got him to zoom in on Lansing.  "He brought up this area and he was able to focus in on the softball field and measure the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate," he says.  

Everyone agreed that the most valuable part of the conference is the networking.  Sharing problems and solutions with other municipal officials sparks new ideas.  Besemer says the conference is valuable for officials to be updated on new regulations and to learn what is coming in the future.   "You get to meet a lot of people from a lot of other towns and you find out there are  a lot of different issues in different towns," Wilcox says.  "Sometimes we don't realize just how lucky we are here."

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