OBSERVER – Photo by Braden Carmen. Brocton Township Trustee Ed Bellando (left) and Mayor Craig Miller (right) argue about the way the water agreement process between Brocton and Portland was handled.
BROCTON — The Village of Brocton has agreed to an agreement with the City of Portland for a shared water system that will benefit both communities, but the road to getting there has been anything but easy.
At a recent Brocton Town Council meeting, the proposal was discussed for just seconds less than an hour. The City of Portland had previously approved the agreement, but Brocton objected to the language of some provisions and the process that led to the agreement being presented.
“We went into a meeting last month after knowing the information in this report less than two days earlier,” Said community leader Ed Bellando. “I was at the meeting in Portland and they've been telling their people for months what's going on here. Why are we being left completely in the dark about it?”
Bellando called it “ridiculous” that meetings were held between representatives of each board regarding the agreement before it was presented to the full council. Sunshine laws prohibit large gatherings of board members outside of regularly scheduled meetings.
Brocton Mayor Craig Miller responded that the talks were preliminary in nature and that he wanted to wait until more details were concrete before sharing the agreement with the council. Bellando asked Portland City Councilman Rich Lewis, who was present at the recent Brocton meeting, why he shared information with his council in advance. Lewis responded: “I just keep my board informed about everything.”
The Portland City Council approved the agreement at its regular meeting on August 14, but the Village of Brocton, which met a week later, did not receive the agreement until two days before its meeting, according to Bellando. He explained: “There’s no reason why we didn’t have this here back then.”
Bellando also criticized the chain of command, as attorney Peter Clark answered board members' questions to the township but not to the full board on Sept. 4. The township had scheduled a special meeting for Sept. 4, but it was canceled in part due to unexpected health issues Miller was facing at the time. Bellando admitted he understood why Miller did not share the answers with the board, but criticized Clark for not doing so.
Bellando accused Miller and Clark of hiding something from the rest of the board and the villagers. Miller responded: “Nothing is being hidden. … We had no concrete information.”
After the increasing tension between Bellando and Miller, the next point of contention arose: the Board of Supervisors and its appointment process. Bellando felt that the wording of the agreement was not clear enough when it came to both the City Council and the Town Council having the final say on Board of Supervisors matters. The Board of Supervisors is made up of two members from each municipality who represent the interests of their respective municipality. Bellando also criticized the agreement's allocation of salaries to certain employees.
WHY IS IT WORTH IT?
Brocton Village Trustee Kari Doino explained that the Chadwick Bay Intermunicipal Water Works (CBI) has often been unhelpful when it comes to questions. The municipality believes that by taking over the matter, residents will have a better relationship with their water billing agency.
Tammy Thompson, a Portland City Council member and Brocton business owner, spoke about the frustration both communities have with CBI. Both communities have already voted to end an agreement with CBI by the end of the year.
“We have no confidence in what they (the CBI) give us as residents to eat,” said Thompson.
One of the highlights of the new agreement is to hold a public meeting on water system issues prior to each regular Brocton Township Council meeting and to allow for public discussion.
“I believe we need an open meeting because right now the residents of Portland and Brocton have no one to ask questions about their water,” said Lewis.
Thompson acknowledged that water rates may initially increase after the system is improved due to more accurate meter readings, but she believes residents will be more receptive to the changes as accessibility is improved for residents raising concerns.
Lewis also provided projections for both municipalities under the proposed agreement that, based on last year's numbers and a 25% water loss calculation, showed a profit of $78,000 per year. Even with a 40% water loss calculation, the profit would still be about $35,000 per year. Water funds generated in future years will sustain the program in the future, rather than the general funds of the respective municipalities.
Also of note, the village recently received a letter from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation commending the village's water treatment plant for finding no violations. Lewis oversees the plant for the Village of Brocton.
SHARED BELIEF IN LEADERSHIP
Former Brocton trustee Dave Hazelton, a North County Water District board member, expressed support for the agreement and praised both Miller and Lewis for their efforts to move the agreement forward.
“These two people spent countless hours trying to solve a problem for these two communities because they didn’t like the results we were getting with the way the process was going,” said Hazelton. “We all owe them thanks for the hard work and responsibility they have taken to develop a better plan.”
County Representative John Penhollow echoed Hazelton’s statement. “I personally support 100 percent what the supervisor and the mayor want to achieve for the taxpayers,” said Penhollow.
Penhollow admitted he was initially hesitant to support the municipalities in their decision to leave the agreement with CBI, but when he saw how carefully Miller and Lewis had reviewed the matter, he was convinced, citing control over meter readings, repairs and billing, as well as other benefits of the joint agreement.
“I think it was a bold move. I didn't agree with it at first, but after all the research, the details and the program they're going to present to us, I just can't imagine that we can't work with Portland and create something better.” said Penhollow.
Village Administrator Drew Ransom spoke on behalf of the Brocton Village Council. Ransom stated: “I want to make something clear to everyone. I don't think there's a single person here who actually opposes the agreement. It's more about the language and the wording and some of the things that are being addressed. If you don't address their questions or have a good conversation about it, it's hard to say, 'Yay, let's do it.'”
Cleaning up the language
Thompson spoke on behalf of the Portland Town Board, which voted to adopt the agreement with the understanding that changes to the wording may be necessary.
“We recognize that we weren't sure what to expect on some of these points. We can always write an addendum, we can always make changes. I think we're doing this for the benefit of everyone.” said Thompson.
Doino pushed for approval of the agreement at the recent meeting, feeling the pressure of the year drawing to a close. Doino said: “I think we need to get on with it tonight. I trust the process. There's going to be some work to do along the way. I trust that Rich (Lewis) and Craig (Miller) and the people who have discussed this … will find the words to our liking. If we delay any longer, it will cause even bigger problems.”
Bellando, however, refused to agree to the agreement in its current form. He described it as “sign a blank check. Bellando said he “would be pleased to sign this agreement” and the wording of this agreement was amended on several points, in particular with regard to the final approval by the Board of Directors of all decisions of the Supervisory Committee and of employee remuneration.
When all was said and done, after 59 minutes of discussion, the council unanimously approved the agreement with the City of Portland, on the condition that the language be reworded to clarify the points of contention. The official motion was made by Vice Mayor Bryan Woleben, with Bellando seconding it.
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