Archive: Opinions

Thanks mostly to Dan's reporting, I have been following the sewer discussion from a distance.  I understand that some Lansing folks would like to see a town center and that this town center is tied to sewer.

I also understand how the tax situation would benefit from sewer, and how this might all indirectly benefit me a little bit.

But the truth is I'm not that interested in seeing a town center and I'm not that interested in connecting to sewer. I'm also not interested in seeing the accelerated development that sewer would bring.  So for me, there is more downside to sewer than upside, especially considering that I don't measure the benefits and drawbacks of sewer based solely on my tax bill.

My opinion notwithstanding, the 'town center and school' sewer plan seemed like a reasonable compromise to me. Keep it limited in scope and let the folks who want the sewer pay for the sewer.

But now I am disappointed to read that the town board is considering spreading the fee around to more of the town population, with a significantly enlarged district to encompass most of the southern half of the town.  Frankly, I kind of like Lansing pretty much the way it is and this seems like a thinly-veiled attempt to encourage development and subsidize the cost of the town center at someone else's expense. Lansing has voted down sewer proposals in the past, so I suspect I'm not the only one who feels this way.

In a recent editorial on state mandates, Dan said "It is really a matter of fairness.  If people want to do something they should pay for it.  If people want other people to do something, the people who are imposing whatever it is should pay for it."

I could not have said it better myself, and I will be voting 'NO' on the sewer if and when the time comes.

Mariano Garcia
Lansing, NY
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