Archive: Opinions

Dear Editor,

I have been following the SEWER DEBATE and would like to share my Town of Cortlandville, Cortland experience with installing sewers in parts of our town.

I have been a Councilman for 27 years and we decided to put in sewer and expand water in our town some 20+ years ago. It was a bold move, but has worked wonders for our Town and the county tax coffers. We now provide almost 70% of the Cortland County sales tax revenues and our town has become much better for the insightful decision of Supervisor, Mr. Mel Pierce, long now passed away, and the rest of our Board.

We decided without sewers we could not grow and protect our aquifer without the sewers and we could not stand still. The Board made the decision without a public referendum as the sewer would be billed to users, not the entire Town where we have 72 miles of paved roads. Our business development has blossomed as well as our number of private homes and we have kept the taxes low because of our large growth of building and development. We have prospered and are getting ready for our next phase of planned growth with a professional study currently being conducted as to where we will expand our public services within our town.

Our primary concern is currently expanding our water services and sewer where needed, but only those that directly benefit pays for the services. Very active real estate agencies work very hard to bring in new Companies as that is their business and are very good at it as I am certain Lansing realtors are the same. I am very proud to have been elected to make those decisions for the last 27 year's and the Town has blossomed and all the other towns benefit as well as the county government coffers in sharing the sales tax dollars we generate, much due to forward thinking of our previous supervisor with foresight and determination to improve our town as a place of growth and concern for the environment before it became the now popular green thinking.

Users should pay as their property escalates in value and they are of benefactors. We have always been thinking of the future and protecting our drinking water for future inhabitants.

It is the charge to the Town Board to be good Stewards of our town's resources. If you don't want growth, forget the sewers... but charge those who benefit... if you put sewers in, to me it is most unfair to charge those who will not benefit.

Your recent polling seems to me to point that out vividly and a Town-wide vote seems dead just from the question of 'should non benefactors pay'. I would think the ballot box numbers would be much more against this idea of everyone pays... benefit or not.

Good luck to Lansing citizens and I want you to know we in Cortland County enjoy shopping and dining all over Tompkins County.

Thank you 'Lansing Star,' myself as a long time reader.

Ron Rocco, Councilman
Town of Cortlandville, Cortland NY

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