- By Dan Veaner
- Opinions
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Possibly the most controversial at the moment is the sewer project. Some say that if it passes the sewer will change the character of the town. Others say it will provide a way to preserve it. At the moment it looks like district residents will have their chance to vote on it around July. That gives the Sewer Committee six months to address residents' concerns, and to get the cost down. If they can do that I think it will pass. If not, the project will be down the sewer.
Coming sooner is the vote on the $20 million capital school project. After a false start with a $40 million project, district voters will weigh in next month on whether to fund a $20 million project. This one will, I think, depend on voter turnout. If more voters come to the polls it will probably pass. If not, I don't know what will happen.
I think the school board made a mistake when they split the project into two propositions. Proposition 2 asks voters whether they support the music program enough to build a new band room, and also whether a technology room should be built. The $2 million is a fraction of the whole project, and only adds 11 cents (per $1000 of assessed value) to school taxes while the project is being paid off. Not doing it will likely cripple the very popular music program. But splitting it off into a separate proposition is, in my opinion, like inviting the public to defeat the proposal. Does the school board support our music program? I think the two proposition approach makes it hard to say.
The Lansing Library will probably ask taxpayers for a charter this year. At around 16 or so cents (per $1000 of assessed value) this may be the best deal in town. Library volunteers have been paragons of fiscal responsibility, running the library in the black from day one. They raised over $350,000 to expand the building, which should be reopening in a month or two. Now they want taxpayers to chip in a little bit to hire a professional librarian who can bring the library to the next level as a resource for all Lansing residents. They have earned the trust of the community, and if they present it well I think it will pass.
Then there is the new fire station in Lansing Village. It will likely cost more than $2 million, and the likelihood is that construction won't be able to start for a couple of years -- they have to wait for a water tower to be removed from the site, and it is still in use for a little while longer. This is another case of fiscal responsibility -- the district has squirrelled away about half the money already, so when it comes to asking taxpayers to fund the firehouse, it won't be too onerous a rise. With more than half the alarms in Lansing coming from the Village it makes sense to have an adequate facility there to improve response times.
Some of these groups have gotten that they should coordinate. One of the reasons town officials gave for postponing a decision on the sewer was that they didn't want it to negatively influence the school project vote. By taking sewer off the table for another six months, they hoped to separate the issues so they could be considered on their own merits. But this many projects in a year is still a lot, and that means that everyone will have to work harder to convince the Lansing public to fund any of them.
On top of all this other forces promise to affect the landscape of Lansing life. Increased natural gas exploration will trickle from from North Lansing into the mid-section of the Town. If gas is discovered, taxes generated from it could impact Town revenues and taxes in a positive way. Pressure from the County to encourage affordable housing has caused the Planning Board to revisit zoning, especially in the 'town center' area. And in that vein, the enormous Kingdom Farm is for sale. This could mean a growth burst in South Lansing as developers take advantage of the property.
It will be an interesting year!
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