Archive: Opinions

We've gone about a quarter century trying to put together a sewer project that makes sense for Lansing.  We finally have a project that actually could work.  Whether you want it or not, as a municipal project it could work.  So that's not the question.

The question is, do the majority of Lansing landowners want sewer?  The Town Board seems to be at a point where it could go either way.  It appears that board members are basing their opinions, in part, on their perception of what their constituents want.  They know what some of their constituents want.  Why not put it to a vote and really find out what the majority really wants? 

Saturday four of five board members met in a special meeting to decide whether to ask state legislators to allow an early sewer vote that would take place in August or September even though the process of envornmental and project review and approval won't be done until the Spring.  The meeting was called on such short notice because town officials only recently learned this is even an option, and the state legislature goes on break after Thursday.  If the town didn't ask right away it would be moot, since the legislature would not be back in Albany until January.  The board voted three to one to ask for that permission.

An early vote has a number of advantages, whether you are for or against sewer.

First it will allow entities within the proposed district to plan.  Some of them are getting desperate.  The school district faces replacement of three large septic systems.  They are putting off spending money on plans until the fate of sewer is clearer.  The juvenile detention centers are in the same boat -- they are ready to replace their package plant, and the state has allowed them to wait until late this year.  Two local restaurants are spending money now on temporary septic fixes, hoping for sewer in the next two or so years.

Second, figuring out whether or not the Town wants sewer now means spending less money on something townspeople don't want if sewer doesn't pass.  If the vote is no, no more tax dollars are spent.  These businesses don't have large reserve funds for capital projects like the town or even the schools have.  Both owners have said they want sewer, the sooner, the better.

An early vote won't cost the Town more, because a vote was going to be held in the Spring of next year anyway.  The cost would simply move forward into this year.  If the vote is 'yes' there could be a second vote in the spring if enough people petition for it, but at that point the Town will have committed to spending on the project anyway.  And a vote is always worth the cost of holding it.

It is becoming clearer that the Town Board is divided on sewer, and if it came to a board vote sewer could go either way.  An early vote will give the board guidance as to which way it should go.  Legislators are supposed to represent all their constituents' points of view as best they can, and make the best decisions possible for the town as a whole.  At this time different board members seem to be representing different points of view.  That's a good thing, but it is based on their perceptions that come from talking to the relatively few people they do talk to about sewer.

One board member worried Saturday that Lansing people would feel an early vote was \'shoving the sewer down their throats because the meeting in which the board decided to vote on requesting the state legislature to permit an early vote was called one day before it was held.

An early vote is not shoving anything down anybody's throat.  If the state legislature permits it, which is anything but certain, the vote would not be held until late August or September.  That's plenty of time for both sides to gear up their arguments and lobbying.  it is plenty of time to prepare to vote.  Plenty of time to get the facts about the project.  And even if the state legislature gives permission to hold an early vote the town board is not required to hold it.

Until a few weeks ago the board thought the vote would actually be in late August or September.  The reason it was pushed into next Spring was that the board hired an engineering firm a few weeks ago, and the first thing that firm did was provide a timeline showing how long it would take to get environmental reviews and approvals completed.  It turned out town officials had underestimated the amount of time needed.

An early  vote will provide a mandate for the board one way or another.  Even if it's not a huge mandate it will be a direction.  That seems to be the kind of guidance the board could really use right now, so let the people of Lansing vote.

It will save the Town Board and Sewer Committee a lot of work in the long run.  It will provide local schools and businesses some measure of certainty for their planning.  And most importantly the Town Board will know for certain what the majority of townspeople really want.

It's time to let Lansing voters make this decision.

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