The two overriding issues in the race for town supervisor in this community on the west side of Owasco Lake are tax assessments and the impact of growth on neighborhoods and the watershed.
Incumbent Republican James Young is squaring off against town board member Gary Searing to serve the next two-year term as Fleming supervisor. Searing is endorsed by the Democratic, Conservative and Independence parties.
Searing calls for “responsible development” and believes more information is needed to access the impact of housing developments on Owasco Lake. He believes a close partnership with an organization at Cayuga Community College could prove very beneficial in helping the town make its decisions over the next several years.
The Institute for Geospatial Technology (IAGT) at CCC gave a condensed presentation of their capabilities at a town board meeting recently. IAGT uses global positioning systems (GPS), and other data collection systems, to provide government officials and the general public with a series of highly detailed maps and three-dimensional graphics that clearly shows how a housing development might cause certain problem - such as drainage into the creeks that feed into Owasco Lake.
It is one of the first systems of its kind in the United States, and Searing is confident Fleming will be helped from such cutting-edge technology.
“We're looking to people that are more experienced to help guide us. They're real good, and it's very impressive the work they're doing,” Searing said.
Young was first appointed town supervisor in July 1999, and said he's been able to help many of his fellow farmers keep more than 3,000 acres from development through the state's Farmland Protection program. It allows the owners to keep farming their properties, but forbids them from selling the land to housing developers. Young said more such arrangements are currently in the works.
Despite the perceptions of many who live outside Fleming, Young said new housing has not increased dramatically there. He points out that there's been 10 to 12 new homes built in Fleming over each of the last 10 years, and that a pair of developments that were approved for about 15 new homes apiece two years ago - on Sand Beach and West Lake roads - still have about half of their lots up for sale.
“Our infrastructure is sized for quite a lot more development. Whether it's soon, or whether it's later, it's oversized - we're at about half our sewer capacity, and we're just a little over half of our water capacity,” Young said. “So, there's a tremendous amount of room for growth in this town, if it's reasonable, rational and responsible.”
Young is critical of those who are inexperienced in development projects but still take rigid positions against them. Several months ago, the town board passed, 4-1, a six-month moratorium on multi-unit development in the lakeshore district of Fleming. Young cast the only dissenting vote.
“My biggest critics say we're not following the steps, we're moving forward too fast. And that's simply not the case. We've moved forward very slowly,” said Young, noting the experience of the Fleming Planning Board's members. “Many of those who have been in opposition have never attended a planning board meeting, they don't understand the state's environmental review process. They'd like to make up their own rules on how projects are developed, and that's simply not going to fly.”
Still, Young is clearly a property rights advocate. “Since I was chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, I felt that a man's home is his castle and he should be able to with it what he wants unless he imposes on his neighbor,” he said.
Fleming has not had a town-wide tax re-evaluation in several years. Searing believes it has to be done with each specific neighborhood in mind, and the process will be fairer by doing it in-house.
“Some properties are out of line - some are too low, some are too high. But we'd like to work with our own group of three assessors, instead of one person that we hire,” said Searing, concerned with what he's seen with other communities that hire outside assessing companies. “They just leave it in your lap. And then you have to deal with the situation after the fact.”
Frustrated by inaction in Albany, and school and county tax levies that rise very year, Searing said the “state has a broken system. I don't understand why these town and cities have to bite the bullet for the state.” They should correct this themselves rather than relying on gimmicks such as the STAR rebate program, he said.
“You can never catch up. Every year you're taxes are going up,” Searing said. “People are overtaxed now. And I don't want people to pay any more.”
Re-evaluations cause a tremendous amount of concern among property owners, both candidates readily concede, and Searing believes assessments would be more equitable - and more accepted by those involved - if they were done amongst neighbors.
“I'd take it slow. I would break our town into eight or nine neighborhoods of like geography and building structure, and slowly work onto a median level so properties in each of those neighborhoods is on an equal footing. You might have to raise some, you might have to lower some, but you blend them in. That way, nobody gets whacked outrageously,” he said.
Young believes the assessment issue is once again a “a perception versus fact issue.”
“The fact is that it's the assessor's responsibility to provide the town with a fair and equitable assessment. That's not been done for a good number of years,” Young said. “And that's what the real issue is, or should be - it's whether a home in one neighborhood that's valued for $100,000 sells for the same amount that a home in another neighborhood that's valued at the same amount.”
But Young said property owners are currently being treated very differently.
“There's a huge disparity in neighborhoods in our community. Those who claim a re-val would force them out of their homes don't understand that a good number of people are paying more than their fair share right now and they are, in turn, are being forced out of their home,” he said.
Another issue is whether the town's trio of tax assessors are fully prepared to do a total re-evaluation.
“The issue has been, and continues to be right now, is that in our group of three elected assessors there's such a turnover that we very seldom have three assessors who have completed their state certification,” said Young.
“I think my biggest advantage is my experience, and the fact that I'm fair and I treat all people the same,” he continued. “I don't look at any one part of the town as 'my neighborhood.' The entire town is my neighborhood.”
Name:Gary B. Searing
Age: 52
Hometown: Auburn
Occupation: Owner of Searing Lawn Maintenance
Political Experience: Past Fleming town assessor, town council (six years)
Name: James E. Young
Age: 51
Hometown: Fleming
Occupation: Owner/Operator of Fleming Homestead Farms, a dairy farm.
Political Experience: Fleming Supervisor from July 1999 to present; member of Fleming ZBA, 1985-1999; State Certified Assessor for Town of Scipio 1981 to 1985
Family: Wife - Larraine; Children - Erin, Adam, Emily & Abigail
Searing calls for “responsible development” and believes more information is needed to access the impact of housing developments on Owasco Lake. He believes a close partnership with an organization at Cayuga Community College could prove very beneficial in helping the town make its decisions over the next several years.
The Institute for Geospatial Technology (IAGT) at CCC gave a condensed presentation of their capabilities at a town board meeting recently. IAGT uses global positioning systems (GPS), and other data collection systems, to provide government officials and the general public with a series of highly detailed maps and three-dimensional graphics that clearly shows how a housing development might cause certain problem - such as drainage into the creeks that feed into Owasco Lake.
It is one of the first systems of its kind in the United States, and Searing is confident Fleming will be helped from such cutting-edge technology.
“We're looking to people that are more experienced to help guide us. They're real good, and it's very impressive the work they're doing,” Searing said.
Young was first appointed town supervisor in July 1999, and said he's been able to help many of his fellow farmers keep more than 3,000 acres from development through the state's Farmland Protection program. It allows the owners to keep farming their properties, but forbids them from selling the land to housing developers. Young said more such arrangements are currently in the works.
Despite the perceptions of many who live outside Fleming, Young said new housing has not increased dramatically there. He points out that there's been 10 to 12 new homes built in Fleming over each of the last 10 years, and that a pair of developments that were approved for about 15 new homes apiece two years ago - on Sand Beach and West Lake roads - still have about half of their lots up for sale.
“Our infrastructure is sized for quite a lot more development. Whether it's soon, or whether it's later, it's oversized - we're at about half our sewer capacity, and we're just a little over half of our water capacity,” Young said. “So, there's a tremendous amount of room for growth in this town, if it's reasonable, rational and responsible.”
Young is critical of those who are inexperienced in development projects but still take rigid positions against them. Several months ago, the town board passed, 4-1, a six-month moratorium on multi-unit development in the lakeshore district of Fleming. Young cast the only dissenting vote.
“My biggest critics say we're not following the steps, we're moving forward too fast. And that's simply not the case. We've moved forward very slowly,” said Young, noting the experience of the Fleming Planning Board's members. “Many of those who have been in opposition have never attended a planning board meeting, they don't understand the state's environmental review process. They'd like to make up their own rules on how projects are developed, and that's simply not going to fly.”
Still, Young is clearly a property rights advocate. “Since I was chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals, I felt that a man's home is his castle and he should be able to with it what he wants unless he imposes on his neighbor,” he said.
Fleming has not had a town-wide tax re-evaluation in several years. Searing believes it has to be done with each specific neighborhood in mind, and the process will be fairer by doing it in-house.
“Some properties are out of line - some are too low, some are too high. But we'd like to work with our own group of three assessors, instead of one person that we hire,” said Searing, concerned with what he's seen with other communities that hire outside assessing companies. “They just leave it in your lap. And then you have to deal with the situation after the fact.”
Frustrated by inaction in Albany, and school and county tax levies that rise very year, Searing said the “state has a broken system. I don't understand why these town and cities have to bite the bullet for the state.” They should correct this themselves rather than relying on gimmicks such as the STAR rebate program, he said.
“You can never catch up. Every year you're taxes are going up,” Searing said. “People are overtaxed now. And I don't want people to pay any more.”
Re-evaluations cause a tremendous amount of concern among property owners, both candidates readily concede, and Searing believes assessments would be more equitable - and more accepted by those involved - if they were done amongst neighbors.
“I'd take it slow. I would break our town into eight or nine neighborhoods of like geography and building structure, and slowly work onto a median level so properties in each of those neighborhoods is on an equal footing. You might have to raise some, you might have to lower some, but you blend them in. That way, nobody gets whacked outrageously,” he said.
Young believes the assessment issue is once again a “a perception versus fact issue.”
“The fact is that it's the assessor's responsibility to provide the town with a fair and equitable assessment. That's not been done for a good number of years,” Young said. “And that's what the real issue is, or should be - it's whether a home in one neighborhood that's valued for $100,000 sells for the same amount that a home in another neighborhood that's valued at the same amount.”
But Young said property owners are currently being treated very differently.
“There's a huge disparity in neighborhoods in our community. Those who claim a re-val would force them out of their homes don't understand that a good number of people are paying more than their fair share right now and they are, in turn, are being forced out of their home,” he said.
Another issue is whether the town's trio of tax assessors are fully prepared to do a total re-evaluation.
“The issue has been, and continues to be right now, is that in our group of three elected assessors there's such a turnover that we very seldom have three assessors who have completed their state certification,” said Young.
“I think my biggest advantage is my experience, and the fact that I'm fair and I treat all people the same,” he continued. “I don't look at any one part of the town as 'my neighborhood.' The entire town is my neighborhood.”
Name:Gary B. Searing
Age: 52
Hometown: Auburn
Occupation: Owner of Searing Lawn Maintenance
Political Experience: Past Fleming town assessor, town council (six years)
Name: James E. Young
Age: 51
Hometown: Fleming
Occupation: Owner/Operator of Fleming Homestead Farms, a dairy farm.
Political Experience: Fleming Supervisor from July 1999 to present; member of Fleming ZBA, 1985-1999; State Certified Assessor for Town of Scipio 1981 to 1985
Family: Wife - Larraine; Children - Erin, Adam, Emily & Abigail
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