Candidate for Yates Town Board says current officials out of touch with community

Posted 17 October 2021 at 12:21 pm

Editor:

I decided to run for the Yates Town Board not because I need the aggravation but because what I have seen happen over the last 6 years I find disturbing.

I threw my full support behind this board. I really thought that things would be different. I campaigned for them. Our committee even endorsed the supervisor at the end of his first term.

This board has raised taxes 6 years in a row with 2021 being the highest at 15.29%. There is also an absolutely unacceptable comptroller audit. Click here for the full report.

The public called for change of our bookkeeping and of the yearly auditor that missed the errors. Our A account was missing 86,000 dollars that to this day is still not fixed. It has caused much hardship for the town. There was a cheaper more competent alternative. Why was there not a change made? Our Supervisor said I quote. “I get to pick the book keeper.” Now the taxpayers are paying more and also paying $14,000 yearly on top of that for software for this “private firm.”

For the first time the town had to bond out in 5-year payments the purchase of a new tractor mower for the highway department at $105,000. A lot of money but town always had saved in reserves. Are we broke? Mismanaged? Supervisor said it’s the last administration’s fault. He has an obsession to put in motion everything in the comprehensive plan update. There were 5,553 surveys sent out with 740 returned in western Orleans. Between 3 towns that’s 13.4%. This should have been DOA. I was told that this was a real good amount of responses by the supervisor, according to the people who were getting many thousands for writing it.

A $2.5 million upgrade to our “remote” town park even though the people living around it were vocally opposed to it. That fell on deaf ears. It has really burdened one in-park property owner. Unclear how much the taxpayers will be paying for yearly maintenance. It’s $10,000 now. Will that double, triple? Also an obsession to obtain the NYSEG property and take $23,000 off the tax rolls for a nature reserve for the park. Other plans include a sidewalk to nowhere. A double-wide sidewalk at the edge of the village with a bike path down to Shadigee. What do you do when you arrive for the few that will use it? All private lanes. A loss of privacy for all, easements needed?

A proposed bike path/nature trail from 63 to Morrison Road down to the park. Did I mention the million-dollar renovation to the town hall? The upstairs with an elevator. Couldn’t we build a new town hall with a million dollars? The $20 million bio-digester that the town will own. They are talking to everyone but the local farmers. All of this obtained through grants. Millions and millions of dollars worth. All of the high maintenance from these projects that bring in bring in no money will be paid for by our small tax base indefinitely. The taxpayers will also have to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching money for these grants and grant fees. Will a certain area foundation be willing to do more “secret votes” to obtain the matching money again?

The Town broke the agreed contract with our volunteer fire company. Town is responsible for 81 percent, village 19 percent of fire budget. Town refused to pay $15,400 that would go toward a new pumper.

They did pay 2 payments this year but less the $15,400 in the contract. Would have cost the village and town $25,000 each to litigate. Not worth it so our fire department and the public gets the shaft. They passed Oct. 14 an overly generous 4-year union contract that totally disregards the small tax base in this town and economic climate. Then they voted to move forward a budget that raises taxes.

My conclusion is this board is out of touch with the people that they are supposed to serve. It has become controlling and completely self-serving. This is why I am running for a councilman’s seat to make sure money is used properly, to do the town business and put priorities first.

We take in a certain amount of money every year. That’s what you have to live within just like the people that you tax. If there’s any money left you give it back to the people in a tax cut.

I will be your voice. I will be ethical, frugal, and take the oath of office and your constitutional rights seriously. Stop the Tax and Spend.

I ask for your vote on November 2nd on the Conservative or The Lyndonville Taxpayers First line.

Thank you.

Paul Lauricella

Yates