Archive: Opinions

Some years local municipalities can coast, just taking care of normal business.  Those years it is relatively easy to be on a town council.  But other years present significant challenges.  This year the town is facing a number of major challenges, which means the new Lansing Town Council is going to have its work cut out for it.  It is not going to be easy for this year's council members.

Arguably those challenges can be narrowed down to two: building the town economy and protecting against possible consequences of hydrofracking.  Or you could call it protecting what we have while building the future we want and need.  But that would be over-simplifying.

The hydrofracking piece is the simplest, and it is not at all simple.  New York State owns the deck, and local municipalities only get a very few cards.  Lansing has been slow to do anything substantial to protect the local ecology and infrastructure.

The last administration took a 'wait and see' position, watching to see how more aggressive neighboring communities fare as zoning and other legislation that effectively bans fracking within their borders is challenged in court.  And letting them bear the costs of developing and defending those ordinances.

The current administration ran on a platform that included more aggressive action.  As time runs out before the State allows permitting to begin, Lansing will have much to do to put protections in place.

The economic piece is more complicated.  The dark side of the equation is that the taxable value of Lansing's biggest taxpayer has been declining.  AES Eastern Energy declared bankruptcy on December 31, and while that may seem disastrous for the Lansing plant, it is quite the opposite.  If all goes as hoped the plant will continue to run under new ownership, which will, presumably, grow its output and bring the value of the plant back over time.

But putting all it's economic eggs in the AES basket for so many years will prove disastrous for homeowners again this summer.  The expected drop in the AES school revenue contribution amounts to a 3% rise in the tax levy, and that's before major cuts and more taxes to make up for more than a $3 million budget gap.

The light side of the equation means aggressively finding more baskets to spread out the town's eggs.  More business means tax relief for homeowners.  The key is to attract new business.  That means streamlining red tape and preparing infrastructure to make it easier for business to locate here.

The first part of that is finally settling up with the State on the land across from the town hall that will form most of the new town center.  Next will be bringing a new sewer proposal to the public, especially the public that lives within the proposed sewer district that includes the Lansing schools, communities near Myers Park, Ladoga Park, near Portland Point, the town center, Terpening Corners (where Lansing Market, Crossroads Bar & Grill, Next Jenneration, and XtraMart are) and the juvenile detention centers.

I think the Town should build some roads in the town center.  The first part to go in will probably be a new business park.  But envisioning what the rest of the town center will look like and starting to lay in the infrastructure will help developers see how they can fit into the new area.  Some say that roads shouldn't go in before there is a concrete plan for the area, but I know that a picture is worth a thousand words.  If the town builds roads, developers will come.

The new council faces other challenges like more tax relief and mending relations with the Village of Lansing.  But the economy and as drilling stand out as issues that will take a lot of study, a lot of time, and mean getting a lot of residents involved.

There is a lot at stake.  The council will have to remain focussed on that and do what it can to make these things happen quickly, but also happen the right way.

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