- By Hugh Bahar
- Opinions
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Regarding Ms. Wilcox’s comment about new hires, she is correct, the only person hired recently by the town was Ms. Kiley, and she provided me with a copy of the Town Board meeting minutes where hiring her was approved. What I requested in my FOIL letter was justification for this hire, not just the meeting minutes documenting the decision.
Ms. Wilcox recommends that I attend sewer committee meetings. On this point, I have to state that the Sewer Committee members have been unresponsive to emails that I have sent to them. They have stacked the Committee with members whom have stated publicly that they are going to push this project, despite a 62% disapproval rating by Lansing taxpayers that answered the sewer poll (November 29, 2006 Sewer Committee Meeting Minutes). Additionally, our Town Supervisor and Deputy Town Supervisor are both on the Sewer Committee, and they are the ones who will hold the most sway regarding the sewer project going ahead. The only way to stop it will be with a petition for a permissive referendum.
Attending Sewer Committee meetings is an effort in futility, as their intent to force this project is clear. I have donated lots of my time to this community by sitting on two Lansing School facility committees; an effort that I feel had tangible results and was open to community input.
Regarding affordable housing in Lansing, I share Ms. Wilcox’s concern. However, using a sewer district to do this is a misinformed approach. One needs to zone for this kind of development, fund it, and then build it. A sewer doesn't guarantee affordable housing in Lansing, and if she meant to imply that, I must disagree. What it does is kill the taxpayers that live here with even more outrageous taxes. I'd rather chip in $1000 towards building affordable homes with septic systems, rather than throw at least $30,000 of my taxes away over 30+ years on a sewer system that has zero payback to the Lansing community as a whole.
Regarding my statement about "closed doors", I mean the information that is exchanged after the "public" portions of Town Board and Sewer Committee meetings end. This consists of contracts with private engineering firms, emails regarding the sewer, funds expended on the sewer project to-date, etc. From the Town’s response to my FOIL request, none of this information is going to see the light of day.
I have posted the original emails with Ms. Wilcox on my site, www.NoLansingSewers.com Click on the “In the News” link.