pCAPE VINCENT — Led by a new supervisor, the Cape Vincent Town Council made plans Thursday to continue exploring how to correct policies that have caused some residents to be charged too much for water-related infrastructure costs./ppDuring the board meeting, Supervisor Debra J. Suller proposed launching a “citizens committee” to independently investigate how to correct longstanding town policies for how residential and commercial water users are charged. The Republican supervisor — who has replaced former Supervisor Urban C. Hirschey — said she believes a mix of residents and business owners from various water districts should be on the committee, which would develop a proposal for tackling the issue. Board members were receptive to her plan to launch such a committee, and the idea will be further discussed at an upcoming work session that has yet to be scheduled. /pp“We know it’s a hot issue,” said Mrs. Suller, a retired certified professional accountant. “We know that we’re all up in arms about it, and it seems like the best way to calm those waters a little bit is to get the people from the community involved in recommending a policy.” /ppThe move comes after an investigation last year led by former Councilman John L. Byrne III revealed the town’s largest water users — including dairy farms — are being charged for infrastructure expenses as if they were single-family homes. In Water District 1, the Cape Vincent Correctional Facility, the Thousand Islands Central School District and Cedar Point and Burnham state parks are all charged as one equivalent dwelling unit, or EDU. Yet other businesses, such as mobile home parks, are being charged as multiple EDUs./ppAgreeing the issue needs to be addressed, a href="http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/cape-vincent-councilmen-agree-to-investigate-water-usage-costs-policies-may-change--20150814"board members decided last August/a to have the New York Rural Water Association investigate how to ensure users are fairly charged for infrastructure costs based on how much water they use. The nonprofit association provides assistance to municipalities at no cost. Nearly half a year has passed, however, without much progress on the issue. /ppCouncilman Edward P. Bender said the water association has already investigated the matter, and its findings will be discussed at the upcoming work session. The citizens committee could be launched after the board reviews the association’s findings. /ppCouncilman Paul F. Aubertine told Mrs. Suller that he supports the plan to launch a committee with people “who represent all different areas of the community with some institutional knowledge on this subject ... some folks from the farms, from the trailer parks, business owners. I know we tried setting that up in the past and it didn’t happen, and I would really much like to follow through with it this time.”/ppIt wouldn’t be the first time that the board has tried out the concept. A citizens committee formed in 2014 came up with recommendations for how users in Water Districts 2 and 3 should be charged to correct an inequitable situation. But that six-member committee complained that a href="http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20140506/NEWS03/705069826"its recommendations were ignored/a by the board. In May 2014, the board approved a revised formula to ensure district users were charged based on the amount of water they consume. The town had previously divided operation and maintenance charges equally between Districts 2 and 3, causing some users to be charged more than they should. /ppIn other business Thursday, the board decided it will consider having town Attorney Mark G. Gebo attend meetings only as needed, as a way to reduce legal expenses. Council members also decided to launch a new three-member ethics committee, which will be responsible for investigating ethical issues involving town employees and board members. The town will advertise for the positions and the board will conduct interviews before making appointments. /p
↧