Yates Town Board working on many projects to better the community
Editor:
From the groundbreaking for our town park upgrade to the upcoming celebration of our town’s 200th anniversary – The Yates Town Board is grateful for the opportunity to serve our community.
On Monday, we broke ground on the $2.531 Million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Town Park Project. We expect the work to be completed by the summer of 2022.
The project will include a large pavilion with public restrooms, a playground, a kayak launch, a sightseeing pier, and a handicap accessible walking path. The funding for the park upgrade came from a NY State grant, a Lyndonville Area Foundation grant, and some in-kind service work provided by our town highway department.
We are completing our third year of what should be the final year of our efforts to remediate the general town-wide negative reserve fund. Some of the negative reserve was inherited, and some of it was a result of fighting Apex Clean Energy and increases in the fire and ambulance budgets. While we did raise taxes above the tax cap in 2021, we remained below the 2% tax cap in the previous 4 years and are proposing a budget for 2022 that is below the tax cap.
Through fiscal belt-tightening as well as challenging but fair and earnest negotiations with Town Department Heads, the Lyndonville Fire Company, and the Yates Highway union members, we are very pleased with the recognition of our strong financial forecast as identified by the September 2021 S&P Global Rating of “Stable, A-”.
Our strategic planning efforts are a high priority of our Town Board. We completed the Yates-Ridgeway-Shelby-Medina-Lyndonville Comprehensive Plan; are nearing completion on Yates-Carlton-Kendall-Lyndonville Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP); and are looking forward to partnering on a deeper level with the highway and fire departments to ensure appropriate equipment, training and support for the future is planned and budgeted for by developing long term, fiscally responsible goals and action steps to enhance the safety of our community and the employees and volunteers.
Promising economic development initiatives include the opening of Niagara Specialty Foods, a new Mennonite Market Store breaking ground on Route 18, and a recently completed scoping study with the Town of Somerset to explore manure bio-digester renewable energy options for local dairy farmers.
We will continue to fight the state’s efforts to try to eliminate our town’s NYS constitutional right to home rule when it comes to approving, taxing, and siting industrial renewable energy projects. We most recently enjoined a lawsuit (with no cost to town taxpayers) against the Office of Renewable Energy Siting regarding dictatorial laws and regulations.
Finally, we are very excited that the 200th Anniversary planning committee is in the final stages of producing a plan for the 2022 anniversary year to include: a July “Family Fair” during the July 4th weekend with historical artifacts displayed in the town hall; an August “Harvest Fair” with live music, period children’s games, and locally harvested foods; and a September “Grand Finale Lake Fair” featuring the ribbon cutting of the town park with a formal ceremony followed by live music, birthday cake, and more!
We hope to continue to faithfully serve the Town of Yates.
Please vote for Jim Simon (Supervisor), Harold Suhr (Councilman) and Terry Chaffee, Jr. (Councilman) on November 2nd.
Very Respectfully,
Supervisor Jim Simon
Councilmembers Harold Suhr, Terry Chaffee, Jr., John Riggi and Susan Hrovat
