Supervisor's Columns

An Update on Webster's Comprehensive Plan

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone and Josh Artuso, Director of Community Development

One of the most exciting things going on in town right now is the update of Websters comprehensive plan. I get asked about it all the time, but thought in order to give the most accurate information possible I would turn it over to Josh Artuso, our Director of Community Development:

As the Comprehensive Plan update process moves forward, the Town of Webster continues to provide clear, consistent, and meaningful opportunities for public engagement. In light of inaccurate and misleading information that has been circulating, it is important to restate the facts of this process and clarify how decisions are being developed. The Comprehensive Plan update is being conducted openly, deliberately, and in full compliance with New York State law, with no predetermined outcomes.

This initiative is not controlled by any single individual, committee, or outside interest. It is a structured, collaborative effort involving the Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC), Town staff, Colliers Engineering & Design, and—most importantly—the residents of Webster. Each partner has a defined role, and no recommendations advance without multiple layers of public review and discussion.

The Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC)

The thirteen-member CPC was established early last year and formally confirmed in accordance with New York State Town Law §272-a. The CPC was properly created and formed to be representative of the entire Webster community. The Town of Webster is fortunate to have a committee made up entirely of Town residents, including leaders from the Webster Central School District and the Webster Chamber of Commerce, as well as local business owners, industry representatives, landowners, and nonprofit organization leaders. Collectively, the CPC represents a broad range of geographic areas, professional backgrounds, and perspectives within the community.

The CPC serves strictly in an advisory capacity. Committee members do not vote on zoning changes, approve development projects, or make binding decisions. Their responsibility is to review factual information and community feedback gathered through surveys, stakeholder interviews, and public meetings, and to help organize that input into draft goals, policies, and action items for further public consideration.

CPC meetings are held periodically throughout the project and are fully open to the public. Each meeting includes an opportunity for public comment, and recordings are posted to the project webpage at webster2040.com/community-events. These practices are in place specifically to ensure transparency and public accountability.

Town Staff and Colliers Engineering & Design

Webster Community Development staff, in coordination with the Town’s planning consultant, Colliers Engineering & Design, manages the Comprehensive Plan update. We are proud to partner with Colliers to ensure that this process is guided by qualified and accountable planning professionals. Town staff and the consultant are professional planners with extensive experience in long-range planning and established state planning standards.

Town staff oversees the consultant and CPC, maintains project timelines, provides regular updates to the Town Board and the public, and actively promotes public participation. This structure ensures that the process remains professional, transparent, and compliant with state requirements at every stage.

Our Community

Community participation is not a formality—it is the foundation of the Comprehensive Plan. The Town has made sustained and good-faith efforts to engage residents through public meetings, community events, surveys, and stakeholder interviews. To date, 847 residents have completed the community preference survey, and 689 comments have been submitted through the interactive map survey.

New York State has recognized the Town of Webster’s Comprehensive Plan update as one of the most transparent and community-involved processes they have observed in many years. Even so, the Town acknowledges that no planning effort is complete without continued participation and remains committed to expanding outreach and encouraging additional involvement.

Future opportunities to participate include upcoming CPC meetings, a Public Open House to review and provide feedback on the draft plan, and a formal public hearing prior to any consideration of adoption by the Town Board. No Comprehensive Plan will be adopted without multiple opportunities for public review and comment.

The Town of Webster appreciates the time and thoughtful input residents and CPC members have provided thus far and encourages community members to rely on official project materials and public meetings for accurate information. For verified updates, meeting recordings, and opportunities to participate, residents are encouraged to visit the official project webpage at webster2040.com.

February 4, 2026

Optimizing Winter Safety with “Sensible Salting” in the Town of Webster

With the first major snowstorm of the year having come and gone, I thought it would be appropriate to spotlight Webster’s incredible Highway Department this week. While most were peacefully at home, these hardworking individuals plowed ahead (pun intended) to make roads safe for all motorists in our Town.

Through conversations with Highway Superintendent Pat Stephens and a snowplow ride-along, I learned that not only do we have such a dedicated workforce, but we are more efficient with fuel and salt than the average municipality. I reached out to the Highway Department team to do a deeper dive into how it all works:

You have probably seen the blue signs that say, "Sensible Salting Requires Sensible Driving" when entering The Town of Webster, but what does that mean? The long-standing Sensible Salting program utilizes advanced technology and precision techniques to ensure winter roads remain safe while minimizing financial costs and environmental impacts.

The goal of the Webster Highway Department’s winter operation is simple: to get the right amount of salt in the right spot at the right time. By balancing modern equipment with tactical plowing, we can significantly reduce the amount of salt entering our ecosystem without compromising the safety of our drivers.

There are four key pillars to this strategy:

Precision application: All Highway trucks are equipped with computers and ground speed sensors. These systems automatically calibrate salt distribution in real-time, ensuring that application rates are precisely tied to the vehicle's speed to prevent over-salting.

Enhanced performance at lower temperatures: The Highway Department treats all salt with an organic liquid solution that allows it to remain effective at temperatures where standard rock salt typically fails.

Reduced "bounce and scatter": Liquid-treated salt is designed to adhere to the pavement. This treatment reduces “bounce and scatter,” keeping 30% to 40% more salt in the center of the roadway where it is most effective, rather than rolling into the shoulder.

Mechanical-first approach: Webster crews prioritize mechanical removal through aggressive plowing. By utilizing high-durability carbide-insert plow blades, teams can remove up to 90% of snow and ice mechanically, leaving only 10% to be treated with salt.

These methods are applied to many plow route configurations throughout the winter months. Roadways with higher traffic volumes (mains) are cleared first, and hills, curves, and intersections on these roads are prioritized. A main clearing route will typically include turning into all the intersections along the roadway. In this type of operation, the trucks will turn around at the first possible location and return to the main roadway. This focuses treatment where there is the most traffic from each neighborhood.

During snow events, roads will be covered with snow at times, and snow will accumulate in residential areas. It is critical that motorists operate their vehicles with caution and adjust driving methods to meet the conditions of the roadway in these instances.

This approach has been implemented by the Webster Highway Department for decades and has ensured the most efficient use of salt. As we experience times when salt shortages and record-high costs are a reality in our region, it will become even more beneficial to our residents.

As crews work to clear the more than 400 lane miles of roadway in Webster, the Highway Department reminds drivers to maintain a significant distance behind plow trucks, especially at intersections. Snowplows frequently turn at intersections, which involves pushing snow around the corner and then backing across the entire intersection to clear both sides; following too closely creates a high risk for collisions. For safety, motorists should avoid pulling up behind plow trucks at intersections.

January 28, 2026

Webster Town Board Decision Making Process

A few weeks ago, I was asked by a resident about how the Town Board makes its decisions. This is a great question that I’d like to shine a little bit of light on using our recent resolution to award the Salt Barn project to the lowest bidder.

Coming into office, I knew the Salt Barn was one of the Town’s bigger spends that would come before the Board, and I wanted to make sure I covered all angles and provided everyone with as much information as needed.

First, I met with Highway Superintendent Pat Stephens to get his professional perspective on the project as it affects his crew and their operations the most. Within this conversation, Pat led me on a tour of the facility to show me the current state of the Salt Barn that was constructed in 1984, and allowed me to ask any related questions after seeing the barn with my own eyes. I also learned that the Town had applied for a Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program grant from the NYSDEC through the Consolidated Funding Application. The grant application was for up to $600,000 in funding towards the new salt barn and truck wash, as the proposed facility would allow for less salt to wash into the waterways.

After that, all Town Board members were given an engineering report on the facility that suggested it would be cost-prohibitive to keep making repairs. Late this month, the Town was notified that it was successful in being awarded the grant in full to put towards the project. On January 22, Pat Stephens did a Town Board Workshop presentation on the Salt Barn building project before the Town Board meeting, where we would take a vote.

Once the presentation was complete, we followed up with our questions to find out if all bases were covered, and what the long- and short-term ramifications would be depending on the vote. At the Town Board Meeting, motions were made to consider the resolutions to accept the low bids for the Salt Barn, and after voting, all resolutions were approved. I made sure each board member was able to give his/her opinion on the matter, so we heard all voices and came to a unanimous decision that it was in the best interest of the Town to move forward with this project.

As a note, Town Board Workshops take place immediately before Town Board meetings and give Town staff or project consultants working on a project the opportunity to present the proposal. Workshops also give Town Board members a chance to ask questions publicly and engage in productive dialogue before the resolution is considered on a Town Board Meeting agenda. Presentations are also sent to Town Board members ahead of time so they can prepare questions.

The Town Board understands the importance of the resolutions that come before us, which we have the responsibility of voting on. These items, especially larger projects like the Salt Barn, will impact the Webster community for years to come; therefore, it’s important that conversations are held, questions are asked, and impacts are discerned. As Supervisor, I will never take this duty lightly and will consider the financial, environmental, and community effects that each resolution I vote on has.

January 14, 2026

January 2026 County and Town Property Tax Bills

I have decided to do something a little different with these Supervisor Corner articles. Rather than read my ramblings each and every week, I plan on switching off with Town Department Heads so that you can have a direct and open understanding of our local government in action. With tax season upon us, I thought it would be appropriate to have Danene Marr, Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes be the first to chime in:

On Friday, January 2, 2026, the Office of the Tax Receiver at Webster Town Hall started accepting January 2026 County and Town real estate tax payments and issuing paid receipts.

As Town and County Tax Bills arrive each year, many Webster residents ask a similar question: where does the money go? Town and County taxes play a critical role in maintaining essential services and infrastructure throughout our Town and Monroe County.

Town of Webster Taxes: Supporting local services

Town taxes fund the day-to-day operations and long-term investments that directly affect life in Webster. These revenues support a wide range of municipal services, including:

Public Safety, such as the Webster Police Department and EMS
Highway and Road Maintenance, including snow removal, paving, drainage, and signage
Parks and Recreation, which maintains Town parks, trails, recreation programs, and community facilities
Code Enforcement and Planning, ensuring safe development and compliance with zoning regulations
General Government Operations, including administrative services, information technology, and facilities maintenance

Town officials develop the annual budget through a public process that includes departmental reviews, long-term capital planning, and public hearings. The goal is to balance service levels with fiscal responsibility while minimizing the tax burden on residents.

Monroe County Taxes: Regional services

County taxes fund services that operate at a broader, countywide level and benefit Webster residents alongside other Monroe County communities. These funds help support:
Public Health Services, including disease prevention, health inspections, and emergency preparedness
Human Services, such as child and family services, Office for the Aging, foster care, and the Youth Bureau
Public Safety and Justice, including Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, emergency services (911), County courts, the District Attorney’s office, and the Public Defender’s office
Transportation and Infrastructure, including county roads, bridges, and traffic systems
Environmental Services, such as solid waste and recycling, water quality protection, and sustainability initiatives

Because many county services are shared across municipalities, this approach allows for cost efficiencies and consistent service delivery throughout Monroe County.

Transparency and public participation

Both the Town of Webster and Monroe County are required to adopt budgets through an open, public process. Residents are encouraged to attend budget workshops and public hearings, review proposed budgets online, and provide input to elected officials. This participation helps ensure that tax dollars are allocated in ways that reflect community priorities.

The Town budget process typically begins in late July or early August with Budget Workshop presentations from each Town department. The Town budget is subject to a Public Hearing ahead of the Town Board vote on adoption of the coming year’s budget. This is advertised ahead of time on the Town’s website and in the Webster Herald. More information on the adopted 2026 Town budget may be found on our website.

More information on the adopted may be found here.

Bottom line for 2026

Town and County taxes represent an investment in infrastructure, public safety, and quality-of-life services. While tax bills can be a source of concern, local leaders emphasize that careful budgeting and long-term planning are essential to maintaining the services residents rely on today, while preparing Webster for future growth. The Town of Webster is proud to have maintained a relatively stable tax rate over the past seven budget years, and the average Webster property owner will see a modest increase in the Town portion due to the slight increase in the tax rate and levy.

More information about budgets, tax rates, and public meetings can be found on the Town of Webster official website.

January 5, 2026

Decision making as Webster Town Supervisor

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone

Last week, I officially took my oath of office as Webster Town Supervisor. I am grateful for the trust this community has put in me to serve in this capacity, and I plan to use this space to share information with readers. I had originally intended to make my first submission to the Webster Herald a simple article introducing myself as your new Town Supervisor. However, there are some very important big-money items that need to be addressed by the Town Board immediately, and instead, I will use this space to discuss how I plan to approach them.

It is no secret that I am up for re-election immediately this year with the change in New York State Election Law. I could take the easy way out and just vote “no” or kick the can down the road to claim that I kept spending down to aid in my campaign efforts, but that’s not who I am. I prefer to tackle problems head-on while making informed decisions that are in the best interest of all, not just myself or my core beliefs.

What I will be considering while making decisions are the long-term, overall costs. Questions like: Will spending a large sum of money now prevent the need to spend twice as much in a couple of years? What is our risk if we don’t move forward now? Is the current situation providing adequate benefits for the taxes we pay? These questions, as well as the research I will do and information I will discern, will guide informed decision-making that is based on making Webster a stronger community today and in the future.

I am bringing this to your attention early, as there is a lot of misinformation out there, and I want to be truly open, honest, and transparent. I am humbled by your trust, and I intend to keep it by providing clear and truthful information for the duration of my service as Webster Town Supervisor.

As Town Supervisor, I am making myself available to as many residents as possible. Alongside emailing supervisor@websterny.gov or calling my office at 585-872-7068, I will be having regular Community Office Hours open to the public. I invite you to come to my first one this Saturday, January 10, at the Webster Recreation Center from 11:30am–12:30pm. Please come and chat with me about anything you would like.

December 24, 2025

Reflections on my six years as Webster Town Supervisor

Man, it went by fast! It seems like only yesterday that I was a deer in the headlights, being sworn in as Webster Town Supervisor on January 1, 2020. On Wednesday, December 31, 2025, I will officially walk out of my office at Webster Town Hall as the Supervisor for the last time and hand the reins to Alex Scialdone. From what I have seen from Alex during the past several weeks of transition, I'm confident in the manner in which he will caretake the Supervisor position for the 45,000 residents in Town.

The reality is, as the elected Supervisor, we are only the "caretaker" of the position. If we do that job to the best of our abilities and with a compass of what is right for the community as a whole today and for the future, we will leave the position for the next Supervisor to caretake in a better place than it was when we came in. The past several weeks, I have been reflecting on the past six years and the accomplishments of the Town of Webster TEAM that I am proud of. Believe me, it takes a TEAM to accomplish anything worthwhile. I have also thought about the things I'm disappointed in that I was not able to get done for the betterment of the community today and the future. Here is a list of the main items within this reflection:

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Construction of a new Highway Facility
Major upgrades to Sandbar Park
State-of-the-art Wastewater Treatment Plant rebuild
Bringing fairlife to Town
Demolition of 600 Ridge Road (old furniture strippers)
Initiating the Townwide Revaluation after over twenty years
Starting the Comprehensive Plan update
Obtaining approximately 100 acres of greenspace
Getting body worn cameras for the Webster Police Department
Implementing a robust hiring process for Town Department heads to ensure we get the best talent in those positions
Code updates commensurate with what Webster is in the 21st century
Securing an EMS provider that both balances and maximizes quality of care with taxpayer subsidy
Assisting in the process of getting Tessy to buy 1.5 million square feet of buildings on 110 acres on the Xerox campus in 2022
Positive movement on the relationship between the Library and Town leadership
Running the Town Government with a compass of right, and not a political compass

REGRETS:

Inability to regionalize/consolidate the sanitary sewer treatment plant between Village and Town
Inability to get the Comprehensive Plan to be consolidated between the Village and Town of Webster
Inability to resolve the 40+ acres of Well fields off of Dewitt in West Webster
Inability to get further ahead on the roads and power that is foundational to redevelopment on the Xerox campus
Inability to get a metric-based intermunicipal agreement between Towns of Penfield and Webster to annually fund Penfield Volunteer Ambulance
Inability to get New York State to rethink moving local Town elections to even years: I think it is a terrible change that will have unintended consequences for local governments.
Inability to get a long-term resolution on housing stray dogs in Webster for Animal Control
Inability to implement DPW Commissioner organization structure commensurate with Webster Town Code
Inability to build a new lodge at Charles Sexton Park
Inability to have Webster designated as a Registered Climate Smart Community in New York State

In summary, when I was elected six years ago, I made it very clear that this was a four-to-six-year position for me. I considered not running in 2023 and only doing four years. However, I went for years five and six due to ALL that we had going on in the town, and how much I enjoyed working with the Town TEAM. The latter is what made it tough to decide NOT to run for years seven and eight. However, ALL functional organizations need to instill new leadership so as not to stagnate. The time is right for me to exit stage left and let Alex Scialdone caretake the Supervisor position in 2026. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

December 17, 2025

Town Government engagement with its Constituents

I had a meeting last week with Bridget Harvey, Webster Director of Communications The purpose of the meeting was to review the results of the December 1 Town e-newsletter. The monthly e-newsletter gives subscribers a factual update about news, programs, and events taking place in the Town of Webster within the coming month. I was thrilled to see that approximately 2,000 people are now subscribed to the Town’s monthly e-newsletter, and that in December, over 75% opened it and 8% had clicked on one or more of the links through the body of the email.

My excitement was based in the fact that we have doubled the recipients over the last year, while still maintaining an open rate and click rate well-above the government industry average. It was also based on one of the fundamental goals we had when we created the Town government's Communications Department in 2023. That goal was to have at least one adult in all 12,000+ residences in Webster proactively pay attention to the Town government. We thought that making strides on that goal, and doing so in a factual manner, would foster trust in the Webster Town government.

What I had found in the first two years as Town Supervisor was that people were busy living their lives and often only paid attention to Town Government when it pertained to a situation that directly affected them. Too often in those cases, the resident found out about something going on in the Town of Webster, like a proposed development, cell tower, capital project, etc., reactively. Since they most likely did NOT find out about the proposed town government or Developer proposal through Town communications, seeds of mistrust were often sown. Those seeds may have easily been cultivated by misinformation and disinformation spread by social media, word of mouth, and other sources, both intentionally and unintentionally. Frankly, in our current political climate nationally, it does not take too much to have a resident who reactively found out about a Town or developer proposal think the worst.

As I hand the baton off in January 2026 to the next Town Supervisor, Alex Scialdone, I think the most important proactive communication method to defend against misinformation about what is going on in the Town of Webster is to maximize awareness of what issues are coming before the Webster Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board. The issues that culminate in board approval tend to have the greatest impact on the Webster community, and therefore are subject to greater controversy, especially if residents feel they haven’t had substantial notice. Currently, the Town uses the Webster Herald, the monthly e-newsletter, alerts through our website, websterny.gov, and our YouTube page to direct the community to information on upcoming Town business. The monthly e-newsletter can be subscribed to by visiting websterny.gov/835/E-Newsletter, and our website alerts may be subscribed to by visiting websterny.gov/list.aspx.

An engaged community is a better community, and it is the responsibility of the Town to continue exploring ways to reach all residents and community members. It's my understanding that in 2026, these efforts will expand to better identify the methods residents prefer to be communicated with. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

December 10, 2025

Town of Webster Board transition

On Tuesday, November 4, Nick Hunter and Garrett Wagner were elected to the Town Board. They will be sworn in to their three-year terms of January 1, 2026–December 31, 2028, circa January 1, 2026. Usually, Town Board positions have four-year terms, but with New York State converting to even-year elections, the November 2025 winners will run again in November 2028 for what would then be back on the four-year term schedule (January 1, 2029–December 31, 2032).

The election results for the Webster Town Supervisor race were too close to call in the immediate days and weeks after the election. An update count, circa Friday, November 21, reflected that Alex Scialdone was elected as the next Webster Town Supervisor for a one-year term, January 1–December 31, 2026. Supervisor is usually a two-year term, but with New York State converting to even-year elections, the November 2025 winner will need to run again in November 2026 for what would then be back on the two-year term schedule (January 1, 2027–December 31, 2028). Thanksgiving week, November 24–28, was when the Board of Elections confirmed with the Town that Alex Scialdone had won. As such, the week of December 1–5 started the transition process. We formed a four-person team of Department heads to lead the seamless transition for the newly elected Town officials (Alex, Garrett, and Nick).

Ideally, the transition would have started the week after the November 4 election. However, I am pleased with the first week’s results/feedback I have gotten on the December 1–5 interaction with the three newly elected officials, the four-person Transition Team, and the other Department Heads and staff at the town. This week, December 8–12, Alex will be attending several standing periodic update meetings that the Supervisor has with various department heads as the transition process continues. By the week of December 29–January 2, we hope to have Alex fully moved into the Supervisor's office so he can hit the ground running on January 1.

Tentatively, the three new Board members will be sworn in on Friday, January 2. Right after the swearing-in ceremony, the newly formed five-person Town Board will hold the Organizational Meeting, and the 50–70 resolutions that meeting entails to essentially set up the Webster government for 2026 will be considered. The January 2026 Town Board workshops and Regular Town Board meetings will be on Thursday, January 8 and 22. In February 2026, the Town Board workshops and regular meetings will go back to the first and third Thursdays of the month for the rest of the year.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov. I have three Supervisor’s Corner articles left: December 17, December 24, and December 31. After that, Alex will be writing the Supervisor corner articles as of January 7. As of January 1, when you call the number above or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov, Alex will be answering.

December 3, 2025

Village-Town land swap on Xerox campus delayed until June 2026

Over the past five+ years, I have written eleven (11) Supervisor’s Corner Articles dedicated to—or referring to—redevelopment of the 800+ acres on the Xerox campus. This includes the Tessy purchase of 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of buildings on the campus in June 2022. Most recently, my article, dated October 29, 2025, was dedicated to municipal line moves between the Village and Town of Webster on the Xerox campus.

In the October 29 article, I described how the Village of Webster would hold a special referendum vote among the 3,300 registered voters who live in the village on Tuesday, December 16. This special vote was due to Village Law 18-1804 regarding the diminution of approximately 25 acres of Village land on the Xerox campus east of Phillips Road, wherein that land would then be in the Town of Webster. This would coincide with the Town of Webster doing a diminution of 25 acres on the Xerox campus west of Phillips, wherein that land would then be in the Village of Webster.

The Town does not have a similar law to the Village, therefore, NO referendum of Town residents is necessary to approve the diminution of 25 acres of current Town-owned land on the West campus to the Village. Simply said, absent some legal language like "diminution," the end game of this is that the Village and Town of Webster essentially do a land swap on the Xerox campus so that Xerox has 20, 40, 80+ acres pieces of land that are more easily subdivided for sale/redevelopment, and where each parcel is only in ONE (1) municipality so that the buyer/developer only has to go through ONE (1) set of codes, zoning, and governance boards. It's a WIN for Xerox, the Village, the Town and the Webster community as a whole.

The week before Thanksgiving, the Town was informed by the Village of Webster leadership and Monroe County Board of Elections(BOE) that NO referendum vote will occur on December 16 in the Village of Webster. The reason cited is that the interplay between Village Laws 18-1804, 9-912 and Election Law 1-104(32) is not as transparent as it could be, and when the Village and BOE checked with the general counsel of the New York Conference of Mayors, absent a separate petition by 400 Village electors, the special election on Xerox’s petition to diminish the Village boundaries must be held when Village officers are elected. For the Village of Webster, this is the second Tuesday in June 2026.

As a result, the land swap previously described will be delayed until June 2026, assuming the Village of Webster voters vote YES on the diminution of the 25 village acres on the east side of Phillips Road. However, I foresee four (4) challenges that may affect this June 2026 referendum vote amongst the 3,300 eligible voters:

Historically LOW voter turnout for Village elections in June: These elections are for the Mayor of Webster and the four Board of Trustees members. They often have under 100 votes or about 3% turnout. Why low turnout? It may be a confluence of the following:

Non-November general elections often have low turnout, such as the School budget vote in May each year.

Often, the Village Mayor or board of trustee candidates run unopposed, which can make a voter feel there is no real need to go to vote.

Minimal awareness of Village-level government.

2. Lack of awareness of the referendum vote to the 3,300 registered Village voters: If voter turnout in June Village elections is historically 100 or less, then in the absence of the Village government informing voters of the referendum vote may impact the results. The following challenges may contribute to this.

3. Misinformation: Since the referendum may not articulate this is part of a bigger plan to land swap, the Village voter may misinterpret this as the Village losing 25 acres to the Town with NO reciprocity of the Village getting 25 acres in return on the West side of Phillips.

Disinformation: Where many Village residents are not aware of the separate Village government, some Village residents have historically shown they will go to any length to further the Village, even if it may be to the detriment of the Webster community today and for the future. Door hangers have popped up on various village items in the past that tell the village resident a story that is not always true or lacks important context. I hope such disinformation does not get promulgated around the June 2026 referendum vote.

In summary, integral action that would position Webster up for long-term economic success has now been postponed until at least mid-June 2026. The 2026 configuration of the Webster Town Board will have three new members. As they discern any resolutions on the diminution of Town land on the east side of Phillips to the Village, I hope that they are mindful of the "big picture" of this land swap plan that has been worked on by Xerox, the Village, and the Town leadership for over two years.

In my opinion, it is easy. Either the land swap occurs where the Town and Village "net sum zero" on the land they gave away and obtained. or NO diminution happens. Doing one without the other is NOT in the best interests of the entire community now and into the future, nor does it align with the spirit of the configuration Xerox, the village, and the Town leadership have been working for over two years. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

November 19, 2025

A Time for Thanks

I love this time of year. Giving thanks is something we ALL should do 365 days a year, but late November is a time when all of us reflect on the things we are thankful for. For me, this reflection is especially poignant this year as I approach the end of my six years as Webster Town Supervisor. With that in mind, below are one hundred (100) people and organizations I am thankful to for having made my time as Webster Town Supervisor an awesome experience. I have put them in alphabetical order:

Adam Bello	For his leadership during Covid by holding daily phone calls with several elected officials. He was only two+ months into the job when Covid hit.
Adam Traub	For his rare combination of academia and business savvy in being the Webster Library Director.
Alex Scialdone	For putting himself out there and running for Town Supervisor in 2025.
Barbara Ottenschot	She retired six months into my term but was extremely kind and helpful to me when I was a deer in headlights at the beginning.
Barbara Hollands	For her passion in the Webster Animal Control department.
Barry Barone	For taking one for the team and being Zoning Board chair for two years.
Barry Deane	His sage wisdom and friendship have been invaluable to me in the two years we worked together, and the four years since.
Ben Wisniewski	For writing a great grant package assisting the Town obtain 28 acres on Herman Road for permanent greenspace.
Bill Abbott	For his work on the new Highway garage planning/design in his last two years on Town Board.
Bill Boulter	He and his company have helped immensely with fairlife.
Bill Horeth	For ALL he does for the Village and Town of Webster. He is tireless and has the community's best interests at heart.
Brayton Connard	I learned more from him in the five years we worked together than he learned from me. Best HR person I've ever worked with.
Brian Hegedorn	For always gave me his candid views on Webster, past, present and future. I enjoyed our lunch dates.
Brian Manktelow	A fantastic NYS Assemblyman. He's in government for the right reasons. We need more like him.
Brian Neenan	School Superintendent that I've grown to be quite fond of both professionally and personally. As trustworthy as they come.
Brian O'Sullivan	Phenomenal campaign manager in 2019. Great friend. One of the smartest people I know.
Bridget Harvey	For taking a risk and joining the Town as Director of Communications two years ago to lead a department that never existed prior.
Cathie Thomas	A classy lady who I came to admire for her leadership style when she was Supervisor in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Charlie Genese	Former Town Attorney, my part-time Latin teacher, and the best neckties at Board meetings you'll ever see. Just a good man.
Cherie Wood	For ALL she does for Wreaths across America and the cemeteries in Webster.
Chris Bilow	Parks and Rec Commissioner that I really admire and seek his counsel often.
Chris Gamble	He has helped my family so much with my wife's business accounting and treasurer of my campaign account. Just a good guy.
Chris Garbin	For making my photos and videos for the 2021 and 2023 campaigns. He did the best he could with the subject matter he had to work with.
Christoper Reeve	Hometown Webster guy and his NYSDOT team got 250 from Lake to the Village repaved.
Clay Harris	For his dedication to stop the violence.

Danielle Palermo- Jiminez	For putting herself out there and running for Town Council in 2019, and Supervisor in 2021 and 2023.
Dave Corretore	One of the top integrity people I have ever met. Great Judge. Great sense of humor.
Dave Lippa	For leading the effort to maintain the 12/24/12 memorial on Lake Road.
Dave Seeley	Irondequoit Supervisor when I started. Helped me out immensely.
Dennis Kohlmeier	Hired as Police chief in 2021 to structure WPD for the current rules of engagement. Tough task that he has not disappointed in.
Diana Davis and the Greenspace committee	for assisting the Town and the Friends of Webster Trails on the September 2021 April 2022 effort to obtain greenspace.
Dolly Kujawa	I’m so happy to have gotten to know her over the past six+ years. A book should be written about her life.
Dolly Maguire	A wonderful person whose work ethic as Town Clerk/tax collector was unparalleled. A joy to be around.
Donna Komor	Webster is fortunate to have the best Town Assessor in New York State.
Dream Team EMS committee	Their counsel to the Town Board in 2024–2025 was invaluable in making good decision on Ambulance coverage for the town
Eileen and Chuck Bauerschmidt	45+ year friends who ran the lawn signs for my 2019 campaign. Simply awesome people!
Father Tim Horan	His homilies at Holy Trinity felt like he was speaking to me directly. He is universally missed.
Frank Starapoli	For running the nine-person Exploring Racism group I was a member of in 2021.
Friends of Webster Trails	For their thoughtful, rational, measured approach to preserving greenspace in Town. A great partner to the Town.
Governor Hochul, Empire State Development, and NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation	For facilitating the $20 million grant to assist in building Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Greg Chambery	I have sought his counsel often in the last six years. I admire his way of doing things the "right way.”
Greg Cody	For keeping the memory of December 7 and Pearl Harbor Day honored.
Harry Levenstein/Bruce Pilato	Their vision and assistance in building the quarterly Town Magazine, Webster Today.
Jack Kerson	He showed amazing grace while living next to the eyesore at 600 Ridge Road for many years.
Jack Marren	Longtime Victor Town Supervisor's leadership of the Health Insurance Consortium Webster is part of
Janine Sanger	Her passion for Webster Health Network (WHEN) is so appreciated. A true Webster treasure.
Jean O'Connell and her staff	They have helped immensely in securing grants for the Town of Webster in the past two+ years.
Jerry Goldman	His counsel to the town on the SEQR process on fairlife in mid-2023 was invaluable.
Jerry Ippolito	For his professionalism as the Village and Town discerned sanitary sewer consolidation in 2020-2021.
Jim Barbato	Pridemark homes President showed amazing grace in resolving an issue with the Town in 2021.

Jim Mahan	A great mentor, professional coach and a wonderful friend.
Joe Herbst	His persistence on getting a new Highway facility built along with getting equitable drainage charges to property owners.
Josh Artuso	Quiet giant. Still waters run deep and he is as solid an individual as you will ever meet.
Judy and Bill Dillon	The BEST in-laws anyone could ever ask for. They live their faith, and I am forever grateful to the influence they provide.
Kim Doyle	My true partner in the Supervisor's office. She made work fun every day and brought an invaluable perspective on the challenges faced.
Kim Monroe	For the great work she did at MVP for the Health insurance of Webster Town employees.
Lefrois	They built a spectacular Highway facility for the town that will service us for the next 50+ years.
Len Dummer	Knucklehead brewery owner always served me a cold brew and candid insights on Webster.
Mark Murphy	Fellow St. Bonaventure alum. His team at Greenlight brought their high-speed internet services to Webster.
Mary Herrington	The Town took a risk hiring a young Engineer. She was more than up to the challenge. I am so proud of her and what she will achieve in the future.
Matt Chatfield	A Hometown guy that did amazing things as executive director of WEDA, and now for New York State.
Matt Hurlbutt	For his Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) team working to bring Coke-fairlife to Webster.
My wife Molly	I have never met another human being like her. A force of nature that has positively affected so many lives (including mine!!!).
My brothers Jeff and Tim	Our 5pm virtual happy hours on Saturdays during Covid kept me sane. My best friends.
My mother	Our walks during Covid kept me sane. She's not a big fan of Letters to editor in the Webster Herald critiquing her son. I tell her it’s no big deal.
My seven children	My moral compass of how to conduct myself is so motivated by not wanting to hurt their reputation.
My father	He passed away six months before I became Supervisor, but his influence is always there.
Mike Spang	My seventh-grade basketball coach brought the Oktoberfest to Webster at the Fireman field.
Milton Johnson	My 6 foot 3 "little brother". He inspires me every day.
Mitch Alepoudakis	He passed away this year, and I miss him dearly. He was the most complex "simple" man I ever met. His advice to me was invaluable.
Nan McCoy and her parents Judy and Gary Wood	For working with the Town to get the land for the 28-acre Herman Road Preserve
Pam Helming	A fantastic NYS Senator. She was one of the first people to welcome me when I first became Supervisor. Class person!
Patti Cataldi	A great example to ALL of how a public/elected official should conduct themselves and advocate for their constituents.
Pat Stephens	The right Highway Superintendent hire in 2021 for the transition the department and facility were going through.
Paul Adams	Best Finance Director in Monroe County. Ridiculously clever dry sense of humor.

Penfield Volunteer Ambulance	For the great EMS coverage they provided Webster in 2024 and 2025.
Rabbi Yitzi Hein	He has given me such a unique perspective of the Jewish experience, religion, culture, and sovereignty.
Raja Sekharan	Long time Webster deputy town attorney who passed away in 2021. A wonderful man who is missed.
Rick Kenealy	As Chief Plant operator of the Sanitary Sewer plant he is arguably the most import hire the Town of Webster has ever made.
RIT and Steve Schultz	For hosting the March 2025 IT symposium for ALL Monroe County towns’ IT directors.
Roland Black	Tessy owner for coming to Webster in 2022 and purchasing 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of empty space from Xerox.
Ron Kampff	Volunteerism should have him as their patron saint. He has brought Miracle Field to life through his sheer will and determination.
Rory Fitzpatrick	Every time I thought my job was hard, I thought of what Rory was going through as Irondequoit Supervisor. Honored to have him as a friend.
Russ Ziskind	A true gift to Webster in the counsel he gave on how to structure EMS into the future.
Sara Castanova	She and her young family gave me perspective early in my tenure as Supervisor of why I was doing this.
Sarah and Charles Johnson	For their open-mindedness in getting to know me born out of a bad situation that I created.
Sasha DiMaria	Sasha reached out to me in January 2019 to see if I'd like to run for Supervisor. I said, "Hell no,” but she is a persuasive and talented leader.
Scott Marshall	A true friend that I admire so much for his business-savvy and his commitment to family.
Sean Hanna	For putting himself out there and running for Supervisor in 2025.
Sherman Robert Wilson	My surrogate grandfather passed away year before I was Supervisor. His influence on me is profound.
Stef Lambe from Color Me Mine	For letting me dress up as Santa Claus the past two years to deliver gifts to kids’ homes.
Tarak Bolt	A true friend. He is just a "solid" guy who prioritizes family. He is such a positive influence on my family and me.
Tim Walsh, NYSDEC	For giving the Town and me time in early 2020 to clear up seventeen outstanding violations from 2019 and prior.
Tim Young and the Webster Herald	For their patience with me when I asked for extensions on time to get my article in.
Tony Casciani	His demeanor in chairing the Planning Board is something I learned from. A wonderful man who I loved working with.
Tony LaFountain	Penfield Supervisor when I started. Helped me out immensely.
Town Historian and Museum	For all that Sharon Pratt, Lynn Barton and their team does.
U of R Simon school 6 MBA candidates	They did an EMS study for the town in 2023. Great people who I enjoyed working with.
WASPS	The selflessness of their volunteers driving people to and from appointments is a true treasure for the Town.
The Webster Community	For your cooperation, partnership, and engagement over the past six years.

I am sure I have missed some people and for that, I apologize. Happy Thanksgiving Webster! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

November 12, 2025

Update on 65-acre Old Lumber yard on Holt Road

11-months ago, my December 11, 2024 Supervisor's Corner article pertained to the Thursday, December 5 2024, public hearing for a proposed Progressive Development Overlay District (PDD) to be considered by the Webster Town Board on the approximately 65 acres at 799 Holt Road. (i.e. the old lumber yard).

The Town Board refrained from voting on the issue at the December 5, 2024 Town Board meeting citing that we must gather all the comments and questions from the sixteen speakers at the public hearing and the e-mails, call-ins, etc. that have come in on the issue before we can make an "informed decision" on voting on this. Later on in December 2024 or early January 2025 the Developer withdrew their application.

Fast forward 11 months......On Thursday November 6th, 2025, the Town Board voted to set up a public hearing for Thursday December 4, 2025 on this developer's application for a proposed Progressive Development Overlay District (PDD) to be considered by the Webster Town Board on the approximately 65 acres at 799 Holt Road. (i.e. the old lumber yard).

Over the next 4-weeks as we dovetail to the December 4th public hearing, I'm hopeful ALL parties will consider the following FACTS (and one opinion):

FACT: Per the Town Code, the purpose of the PDD Progressive Development Overlay District is to provide a means of developing those areas within the Town zoned HC High-Intensity Commercial District, OP Core Area North - Office Park, I-N Industrial District, and MC Medium Commercial in an economical manner while encouraging utilization of innovative planning and design concepts. The PDD does not increase the density for the underlying zoning district but allows flexibility in the placement of buildings, parking facilities, etc., to preserve green space, open space and promote beneficial development. For use of a PDD, the Town Board must determine if the following three(3) criteria are present:

The plan is conceptually sound in that it meets a community need; and

2.The plan encourages sound development in the interest of the safety and the general welfare of the public; and

3. The plan shows a development pattern in harmony with this chapter and the Town Comprehensive Plan.

FACT: The current zoning of the 65.7 acres is OP Core Area North- Office Park.

FACT: There are State and Federal protected wetlands on the 65-acre site. However, to date, NO third-party independent report has been supplied to the Town to show the metes and bounds of those wetlands on this site. Such a report would be mandated by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation regulations and used within the Planning Board’s due diligence process. That due diligence will NOT occur if the Town Board does not vote to issue a PDD and then refer the project to the Planning Board. As such, the sketch shown by the developer of several buildings they propose to build on the site has NO confirmation that they are or are not on the wetland areas and also meet the buffer requirements of wetlands. (i.e. 100 feet of NO development around the wetland)

MY OPINION: I think an important factor is that the developer likely had a wetland delineation done which showed the vast areas on the parcel were in fact wetlands. They have not shared the study with the town as of yet, but some of the graphics and renderings they have provided appears to show wetlands throughout the rear portion of the site, in addition to the floodplain. It is likely that they realized the extent of significant environmental features on site which would limit and, in some cases, prohibit development of those sensitive areas.

FACT: -In 2024, The owner/developer decided to withdraw their application for a proposed 361 units development in 4-story buildings on 25+ acres and have now come back in November 2025 with a MUCH smaller 104 units proposal on approx. 10 acres of 65.7-acre site. They've also lowered the building heights from 4 story to 3 story.

FACT: The 2008 Comprehensive Plan/current OP zoning designation of this area was originally intended to facilitate the development of large office park campuses. However, very few office park uses have come to fruition due to evolving market trends and conditions. On the other hand, there have been several PDDs established and special permits issued to allow for senior housing. These include developments such as the Marquis at the Woods and CDS Monarch off Hard Road as well as Monarch Senior Living and the Legends at North Ponds on Holt Road.

FACT: The Environmental Protection Overlay District (EPOD) is on the site. There are two types of EPODs: Woodlots and Steep Slopes. A portion of this site is within a Woodlot EPOD. By definition, an EPOD designation does NOT mean you can't develop on that land, rather it requires additional review by the Planning Board and enhanced mitigation measures to ensure the protection of sensitive environmental areas. The developer's proposal in November 2025 does not encroach at all into this woodlot EPOD, and limits development to the area that was previously developed with buildings.

FACT: The "process" is robust and can include up to (4) public hearings to get to the point that the Developer is approved to build the proposed 55+/Senior housing on the site.

In summary, after the Public hearing on December 4th, the Town Board could vote in December 2025 or more likely in January 2026, etc. on PDD issuance and forwarding to Planning board. The Town Board could also vote NOT to issue a PDD on this site and NOT refer it to the Planning Board and end this process before it begins. I have been vocal in the past on my organizational structure philosophy and how a "process" must play out to give the best outcome for all. I am not in favor of killing this before it starts at the Town Board level, as to me it is an overreach of the Town Board and disrespects the subject matter expertise and due diligence the Planning Board, and/or Zoning Board will do. Also, to me the best course of action to have some or all of these 65+ acres put into a state of "permanent greenspace" would be to go through the process and the commensurate wetland studies that would need to be done. Those results may portend an owner being more willing to sell off 30, 40, 50+ acres of this land for permanent greenspace due to the wetlands discovered and the 100-foot buffers that would need to be around those wetlands before any development. In my opinion, voting it down at the Town board level in December 2025 or January 2026 for PDD and forwarding to Planning board feels to me like Greenspace advocates "winning the battle"... but not really addressing "winning the war on this."

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

November 5, 2025

Seasonal Opening of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge

While December 21 is the official start of Winter, many Webster residents see November 1 each year as the start of Winter with the opening of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge (IBOB). The IBOB is open five months of the year: November 1–March 31, and connects Culver Road in Irondequoit to Lake Road in Webster, west of Bay Road.

That isthmus has Lake Ontario to the North, Irondequoit Bay to the South, and runs from Bay Road west to IBOB. That strip of land is currently home to sixty to seventy residential homes, two businesses: Castaways and Mayer Marina, and Sandbar Park. On November 1, the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), "closes the bay," and the IBOB is made operational for the season of November 1-March 31. Conversely, from April 1 to October 31, Irondequoit Bay is opened for boat traffic in and out of Lake Ontario, and the IBOB is taken out.

When I was a kid, there was a "permanent" bridge that connected Lake Road in Webster to Culver Road in Irondequoit over the mouth of Irondequoit Bay. In the summer, the only boats that could pass under it were small enough that you had to duck your head when you went underneath. About forty years ago, circa 1985, that permanent bridge was taken out in parallel with the Irondequoit Bay being designated as a Safe Harbor by the federal government for boats to come off Lake Ontario in the event of inclement weather.

The current schedule for the IBOB has been in place for several years. Depending on who you talk to, people 1. are happy with the current five-month IBOB and seven-month open bay model, 2. would like to see NO IBOB and the bay be open all twelve months of the year, 3. would like to see a permanent IBOB, or 4. would like one to two more months of the IBOB being operational (i.e., close the IBOB May 1 and/or open it October 1).

In the 2015–2017 timeframe, Fisher Associates was retained by a consortium of government agencies to conduct a study of permanent options for an IBOB. The cost of the three bridge scenarios and one tunnel scenario ranged from $40 million to $95 million at that time. Some of those options included eminent domain to take current private property to execute the permanent IBOB. Besides the cost, WHO would pay the cost, and eminent domain being impediments to any action being taken from that study, the fact that several government agencies would need to collaborate on moving forward with such a project was and will continue to impede any changes from the current five-month IBOB, seven-month open bay.

In my six years as Supervisor, I have received inquiries from Webster residents who have vehemently opposed a permanent IBOB. I have also had inquiries from residents about the possibility of a permanent IBOB, or one to two more months of the IBOB being open each year. Within those inquiries, I have always tried to be honest and consistent in my reply: the Federal government, U.S. Coast Guard, New York State Department of Transportation, MCDOT, Town of Irondequoit, and Town of Webster would need to agree on any future change and that the U.S. Government and U.S. Coast Guard would need to be the lead agencies driving any change. From the inquiries I have made over the years, I do not see an appetite to change the status quo from any of those government agencies. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

October 29, 2025

Exciting times on Xerox Industrial campus redevelopment

Over the past five+ years, I have written ten (10) Supervisor’s Corner Articles dedicated to—or referring to—redevelopment of the 800+ acres on the Xerox campus. This includes the Tessy purchase of 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of buildings on the campus in June 2022. Most recently, my article, dated September 10, 2025, was dedicated to Xerox campus redevelopment.

On Tuesday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Village Board room, a seminal event took place in the redevelopment of the Xerox campus. A joint public hearing was held before the Village Board of Trustees and Webster Town Board members for the public to comment on the proposed land swap on the Xerox campus. Xerox has applied to the Village and Town to move municipal lines on the campus so that the West campus will ALL be in the Village, and a parcel on the East side of Phillips will ALL be in the Town. The net effect on both the Village and the Town is essentially that neither municipality loses land as the Town will gain approximately twenty-five acres east of Phillips and the Village will gain approximately twenty-five acres west of Phillips.

Assuming this proposal goes through, Xerox has forty-to-eighty-acre parcels that are ALL in one municipality to market for sale to developers. Potential buyers of these parcels will not be faced with a parcel that has a municipal line going through it, where they would need to navigate two municipalities with potentially different zoning, codes, Planning Board, Zoning Board, and other governing boards.

There was no real feedback from residents at the October 21 Public Hearing. I hope this is due to the universally accepted logic of this proposal and the future benefit it can create for Xerox, Village residents, and Town residents. Due to a specific Village law, 18-1804, next up in this process is a referendum vote of the approximately 3,300 registered voters who live in the Village of Webster, scheduled for Tuesday, December 16. This vote would be for Village voters to consider the reduction of Village land by the twenty-five acres that will be given to the Town East of Phillips Road.

Critical to the Village voter decision on this are the two following things: Understanding this is part of a big-picture plan that also has the Village obtaining twenty-five acres west of Phillips Road, and that maximum voter turnout at the December 16 vote is desirable. On this latter point, Village and Town Communications will be working together for the next four to six weeks to promote the referendum vote for voters in the Village of Webster.

In summary, over five years ago, I had concerns that there was not a viable path forward to the 800+ acre Xerox campus returning to being a vibrant industrial campus with 10,000+ employees working there daily. At that time, the six million square feet of office and industrial space had about four million square feet vacant. Now, in November 2025, all the pieces are in place to have this campus be vibrant in the next ten to fifteen years, with 400 to 500 acres being redeveloped residentially, commercially, and/or industrially, which is exciting for Webster and its residents. A chance to do the rare combination of increasing property values and the quality of life while keeping municipal property taxes flat or even decreasing them, depending on the type of redevelopment that occurs on the campus. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

October 22, 2025

Early voting in the Town of Webster

Election Day is fast approaching, and in the coming weeks, we can expect to see an uptick in campaign mailings, ads, and endorsements of candidates all around us. I have always been vocal about the importance of participating in elections; an engaged community is a better community. With the many voting options available—in-person, absentee, and early voting—I hope that our community will continue to maximize voter participation. With early voting beginning this Saturday, October 25, I am focusing on that option for this week’s article.

In New York State, voters had their first opportunity to vote early in the November 2019 General Election. Over the years, I’ve learned that each year, the Monroe County Election Commissioners evaluate voting patterns and adjust locations and hours based on data to accommodate the habits and needs of all local voters.

Early voting follows the same procedures as voting on Election Day regarding checking in, receiving a ballot, and casting the ballot using the electronic voting machine. That being said, early voting affords voters more flexibility in choosing the day, time, and location that works best for them. In 2025, there are thirteen (13) early voting locations for Monroe County voters to select from if they choose to vote early.

The Town of Webster is proud to partner with Monroe County as one of these thirteen (13) early voting locations throughout the area, at the Van Ingen Webster Justice Court Building, located at 1002 Ridge Road on the Town Hall campus. Early voting runs nine (9) consecutive days from Saturday, October 25, through Sunday, November 2. The hours of operation are from 9am – 5pm on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from 12 – 8pm on Tuesday and Thursday. More information about early voting locations, hours, and procedures may be found on the Board of Elections website.

Engagement in government at all levels is an important aspect of being informed and active members of our community; participation in elections is a big part of this engagement. I am grateful to those who will participate in the upcoming General Election, whether through early voting, an absentee ballot, or in person on Tuesday, November 4, at their designated polling place. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-1068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

October 15, 2025

Leaf Collection Season starts in the Town of Webster

Midway through October, leaves have already begun piling up in yards around Webster. Because of the early leaf fall, Highway crews have begun collecting leaves as of Tuesday, October 14. Back in 2020, I had the opportunity to work alongside Highway Department crews for four hours; I can tell you firsthand the hours of hard work Highway staff members put into collecting leaves each fall.

Each year, leaf collection season prompts several good questions from the community. Here are some of the questions that we hear most frequently:

Q: Do all towns in Monroe County pick up leaves from the curb of their residents’ homes?

A: No. Some towns require residents to bag leaves and have their private refuse collection company pick them up.

Q: Where should I place my leaves for pick up?

A: Please place leaves at the edge of your lawn, not in the roadway or gutters. Gutters need to be kept clear of leaves in order to maintain proper drainage of water from the roadways. The intensity of rain events has continued to increase in recent years, making the clogging of drains with leaves in the fall an even larger concern.

Q: Why can’t leaves be placed on the shoulder of the road?

A: Leaves placed anywhere on the road surface create a hazardous situation; placing leaves in the road is illegal. Wet leaves on the road surface are very dangerous for motorists, along with cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, when leaves are placed on the roadway, our Highway crews cannot safely collect them. We want to ensure our crews can operate safely on the side of the road, away from the traffic lanes.

Q: Can I put branches or yard debris with the leaves for pick-up?

A: Our leaf collection vehicles are only equipped to collect leaves. Please do not mix any twigs, branches, or other debris with the leaves.

Q: When will Highway Department crews be on my street for pick up?

A: For several reasons, we cannot give daily street updates. This process is very weather-dependent. Factors like rain and snow can greatly slow down the collection process, as can the rate at which the leaves fall. We will announce the start of a run, and a town-wide run can take a week or longer, depending on the elements. Residents may look at our zone map to get an idea of where their street falls on our pass schedule.

Q: What happens if I miss the first town-wide collection pass?

A: Multiple collection passes will be made town-wide throughout the fall. Highway crews start a pass on the west side of town (Bay Road area) and work their way east to the County Line Road area, from Zone 1 through Zone 5. When a pass is completed, crews loop back to Zone 1 to begin the next pass. We will announce the date for the final town-wide pass. After the final pass is completed, any remaining leaves will need to be bagged for your trash hauler. The Zone map can be found on our website.

Q: Can the Highway Department make a special trip to collect my leaves before the next run?

A: No, due to schedules and equipment, we cannot make exceptions to the run process. We understand and are mindful of residents’ concerns regarding leaf piles that remain on their lawns for over a week. Every effort will be made to collect your leaves promptly and as late into the season as possible.

Q: Where is the best place to get information on Leaf pickup in the Town of Webster?

A: Leaf season notifications will be posted to the Highway Department webpage, under the Highway Updates tab. The best way to stay updated on the leaf collection season is to sign up for our Highway notifications through the Notify Me application. Periodic updates will also be posted to the Town of Webster’s social media platforms.

The Town of Webster is proud to provide this beloved and relied-upon service to residents. We are grateful to the employees of the Webster Highway Department who ensure that collection is completed safely and efficiently. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

October 8, 2025

Facts versus Rhetoric on the Town of Webster Budget

On Thursday, October 16, at 7:30pm in the Town Board room, there will be a public hearing on the proposed 2026 Town of Webster annual budget. This is the sixth and last Town budget process I have overseen as Supervisor (2021–2026). The process is one that takes over six months, starting in May with a goal to conclude by November. It is a process that is 95% the same as budget processes I have been involved in the past thirty-five years at my business and on various Boards I have been on. The 5% major difference is the public commentary involved in a government budget that affects our community. That public commentary is split into two categories: positive and negative.

Positive: By "positive," I do not mean that all commentary is all sugar and sweet toward the Town Board and the proposed budget. Constructive feedback through effective channels, including but not limited to emails, phone calls, and participation in the Public Hearing are the positive and helpful in approving a budget that supports the Town of Webster and its residents. These interactions help the Town Board discern if the feedback is isolated to a single person or a few people, or if it is representative of the majority of the Webster community.

Negative: The negative aspects of public commentary I have found over my six years include but are not limited to:

Social media posts with half-truths or outright inaccuracies that the poster is either ignorant of what they are saying, or worse yet, knows exactly what they are saying and is trying to spread disinformation for less than noble reasons.
Sensationalized with no contextual basis statements, like "the taxes in Webster are out of control." While taxpayers are certainly entitled to share their thoughts about the budget, doing so without context can hinder the Town Board as it makes decisions on the proposed budget.
Politicization of the budget based on party affiliation and/or immediacy of an upcoming election. Politicizing budgets tends to stop progress and lower efficiency because of pressure from political candidates or groups.

Simply said, the Town Board hears a lot of noise about the Town budget and property taxes, and it is incumbent on them to differentiate positive and negative commentary to make decisions best for the Town today and in the years to come. During the July–August 2025 Town Board budget workshops, attendees received a one-page grid reflecting key budget aspects of the last seven years (2020–2026). Below shows one of the aspects reflected on that grid:

	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025	2026
Total tax bill (inc. Sewer EDU)	$1,114	$1,135	$1,158	$1,175	$1,198	$1,212	$1,241

I like to refer to this line item as the "bottom line,” as, ultimately, taxpayers want to know what year-over-year tax changes will mean for their wallets. In this example, the dollar amount for total Town taxes has increased by $127 over the past seven years, from $1,114 to $1,241. That is an average of $18 a year.

This example is based on the average assessed value of $178,000 on a Webster home (outside the Village). At 48% equalization rate, the average $178,000 assessed home has an estimated market value of approx. $370,000. Village property owners have an additional Village tax bill, with a different EDU charge due to being on Village sewer.

On Thursday, October 16, at 7:00pm in the Town Board room, Paul Adams, Director of Finance, is presenting on the proposed 2026 budget. I invite all residents to attend this presentation, as well as the 7:30pm Public Hearing on the proposed 2026 budget.

The budget process is arguably the most critical of Town government operations, and therefore, it is important that factual information is accessible to the community. We encourage residents to view the proposed budget on our website, attend the upcoming Town Board Workshop and the subsequent Public Hearing, and/or contact us with any questions. Please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

October 1, 2025

Citizen Board Opportunities in Webster

The Town of Webster is fortunate to have residents with a great sense of pride in our hometown and a desire to become involved in making Webster a better place to live and grow. We see this in attendance at community events and programs, volunteerism through organizations in our area, and citizenship through engagement in local government.

Webster benefits from the sense of involvement and community that our residents embody, especially as we look for residents to serve on the Town’s citizen boards. The Town of Webster has several citizen boards that support Town operations, including the Board of Assessment Review, Conservation Board, Library Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals. These boards help guide decision-making and processes within our community.

At this time, the Town of Webster is seeking applicants for the Conservation Board, Library Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals. Beginning this week, the Town of Webster will open our online application portal for those interested in applying to serve on one of Webster’s Citizen Boards. The portal will be open for thirty-one (31) days, from Wednesday, October 1, through Friday, October 31. The form can be accessed here.

Upon the closing of the online application portal, applications and resumes will be reviewed by Board Chairs, Town Board members, and Town staff who work closely with these boards. After this review, candidates will be contacted regarding any follow-up. More information about these boards and their responsibilities and commitments is available on our website.

Webster residents are our most valuable and irreplaceable resources, and I appreciate the insights and skills that citizens bring to the table. We are grateful to those who currently serve on our boards, and we look forward to working with new members in the future.

I am grateful to be part of a community as active and engaged as we have here in the Town of Webster. As always, please feel free to contact me by phone at 585-872-7068 or by e-mail at supervisor@websterny.gov.

September 24, 2025

Status of Comprehensive Plan Update: Webster 2040

The Town of Webster is continuing to make progress on updating its Comprehensive Plan. The purpose of this community-driven plan is to create a strategic vision for sustainable community growth. The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee held its third meeting on Wednesday, September 17. The primary focus of the September 17 meeting was review of the Comprehensive Plan survey results and how the public feedback received can inform the development of the policies for the new plan.

In April, the Town launched a community preference survey (CPS) and interactive map survey, seeking input from community members to assist in composing the updated Comprehensive Plan. Between the April 22 launch of the survey and the survey’s closing, the Town received 847 community preference survey results and 689 comments through the interactive map survey. The participation rate in the Town of Webster’s survey is the highest seen in New York State in recent years—thank you to all who participated!

The CPS asked respondents to evaluate images of different buildings, sites, and streetscapes and rate them based on how closely they fit with the character of Webster. The purpose of this type of survey is to familiarize respondents with various development styles and gauge the types of development that community members find appropriate for the future of the Town of Webster. The mapping activity invited participants to place pins on an interactive map to identify assets, issues, and opportunities, and their specific geographic location within the Town of Webster.

While the survey platform is now closed, the Town encourages the community to remain involved in this project. Information about the project and upcoming events, as well as meeting presentations and videos from past meetings, is available on the project page, Webster2040.com. In addition, the project page has a contact form to share ideas or feedback on the project.

Looking forward to the next steps in this project, Collier’s and Town Planning staff will meet with five stakeholder groups in the coming weeks. These stakeholder groups include large landowners/developers, entertainment, Town officials, community groups, local businesses, and local industry operators. An update on the Comprehensive Plan process will be given to Webster Chamber of Commerce members next month, and the fourth meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee is planned for mid-November. Information on the next steering committee meeting will be published in the Webster Herald, as well as on the Comprehensive Plan project page.

Over and over, I have said that an engaged community is a better community. There is no better example of that than the Comprehensive Plan update, which relies on public input to create a successful plan. We are eager to hear more input from the Webster community as this plan is updated. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

September 17, 2025

Next steps in the 2027 Townwide Revaluation project

On Thursday, September 25, the Town of Webster will host an Exemption and Property Inventory Workshop from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Webster Justice Court Building, located in the Town Board Room, 1002 Ridge Road. This is another opportunity for Webster taxpayers to prepare for the upcoming 2027 Revaluation. This open-house-style event will focus on helping taxpayers review the exemptions they are eligible for, reviewing their property data, and discussing the upcoming reassessment with representatives from Webster’s Assessment Office and KLW Municipal.

One of the best ways to minimize your annual property taxes is to ensure you have maximized the exemptions you qualify on school, county, town, and fire district taxes. For those who cannot attend the open-house-style event, the Assessment Office "Exemptions" webpage has a wealth of information and links to applications for exemptions. Apply for exemptions by March 1, 2026, to affect next year's tax bills.

The twelve months of the 2025 timeframe ahead of starting this reassessment process on January 1, 2026, have two (2) main components with communication: 1. Spreading awareness of the revaluation project, and 2. Educating and answering questions and/or concerns related to the revaluation.

Project Awareness: After contracting with KLW Municipal in late 2024, the Town of Webster began executing a plan for creating awareness about this project. Along with the Assessment Office, I held monthly office hours at Webster Public Library starting in February to help answer early questions from the community. The project was formally kicked off on July 22 with a community meeting, which was attended by over seventy people and several local media outlets.

As Town Supervisor, I have walked door to door to approximately 400 homes in the past three months to answer any questions on the revaluation project. When I first started these walks in early June 2025, most people I came in contact with at home did not know the Town was beginning a Townwide Revaluation for the first time in twenty years. My most recent walks in early September reflect that word is getting out there, and most people know the reassessment is happening.

Revaluation Education: Revaluations are often met with skepticism, confusion, and fear, often due to misinformation. As I have observed other towns in Monroe County complete revaluations, and with our Town beginning the process, I have learned the most common fear is that assessed values will double and, therefore, property taxes will double. It is understandable that someone could come to that conclusion, but the reality is that an assessed value increase does not equate to a commensurate percentage annual tax increase.

It is important to understand that two important things property owners must focus on are the tax levy (the total amount of money to be raised by property taxes) and the bottom-line tax bill. While assessed value and tax rate are important parts of the equation that calculates tax bills, they are not the sole determinants of whether a property tax bill increases, decreases, or stays the same after a revaluation.

Using my home's tax bill as an example, below is my September 2025 School tax bill (before any STAR exemption), and theoretically what it will look like if the tax levy stays the same year to year when the September 2027 school tax bill comes out after the revaluation is complete.

	September 2025	Est. September 2027 (After Revaluation)
Assessed Value ($)	208, 400	434,200
Equalization Rate	48%	100%
Full Market Value ($)	434,200	434,200
Tax Levy ($)	127.5 million	127.5 million
Tax Rate per $1,000 Assessed Value ($)	28.70	13.77
Webster School Taxes	5981	5,981

It is important to keep in mind that there are many factors that go into a revaluation and subsequent tax bills, including the accuracy of the assessed value, improvements made to a property, special districts, exemptions, etc. Attending community meetings and events, like the September 25 Exemption and Property Inventory Workshop, or asking a question through our online Revaluation Question Portal, are good ways to prepare for the Townwide Revaluation. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

September 10, 2025

The future is now for Xerox campus redevelopment

Over the past five+ years, I have written nine (9) Supervisor’s Corner Articles dedicated to—or referring to—redevelopment of the 800+ acres on the Xerox campus. This includes the Tessy purchase of 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of buildings on the campus in June 2022. Most recently, my August 6, 2025, article was dedicated to Xerox campus redevelopment.

The simple fact is that Xerox’s coming to Webster over sixty years ago was a boon to both the population growth in Webster and to the tax basis of the town to keep taxes low. Xerox's pullback on that campus over the last thirty years has been negative for both Xerox and the Town.

Over the past five years, the Village of Webster, Town of Webster, Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA), and New York State have been working with Xerox leadership to develop a plan for the campus that is mutually beneficial to Xerox and the Village/Town of Webster. One thing that became clear during those discussions is that Xerox is only looking to keep 300-400 acres of the campus into the future, mainly the toner plant. They were looking to sell off the remaining 400–500 acres like they did in 2022 with Tessy's 110-acre/1.5 million square feet of buildings sale. These two (2) events of the past two weeks go a long way to restoring that campus to the glory it once had and the 15,000+ people working on it each day.

Event 1: Empire State Development (ESD), a state-affiliated organization, awarded WEDA a $9.8 million FastNY grant to rebuild the roads on the Xerox campus and get them out of private ownership of Xerox and into Village or Town of Webster ownership. The campus was never built to be "modular" with 20, 40, 80+ acre parcels surrounded by municipal roads. As such, the 800-acre campus has many roads within it that are privately owned by Xerox, including Mitcheldean. For Xerox to be able to subdivide into saleable 20, 40, 80+ acre parcels, the roads that encompass those parcels need to be in the public domain. Approximately $9.3 million of the FastNY grant funding is planned to go to that road conversion effort, with another $500,000 going to energy/power studies on the campus to ensure there is enough power being supplied to support redevelopment.

Event 2: Xerox has applied to the Village of Webster and Town of Webster Governments to move municipal lines on the campus. These moves will make sure that Village/Town line borders do not go through the middle of a subdividable 20, 40, 80+ acre parcel Xerox seeks to sell off. This municipal line movement will result in the Village picking up approximately twenty-five acres on the West campus (land south of Chiyoda Drive and the Webster Recreation Center) and the Town picking up approximately twenty-five acres east of Phillips Road.

The tentative plan is to have a joint Village Board of Trustees and Town Board member public hearing on Tuesday, October 21, at the Village Board Room. Resolutions that will be considered at various Village and Town board meetings over the next month will set this public hearing.

Due to a specific Village law, 18-1804, a referendum vote of the approximately 3,300 registered voters who live in the Village of Webster has been tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, December 16. This vote would be for the Village voter to "OK" the reduction of Village land by the twenty-five acres that will be given to the Town East of Phillips Road. Critical to the Village voter decision on this are the two following things: Understanding this is part of a big picture plan that also has the Village obtaining twenty-five acres west of Phillips Road, and that MAXIMUM voter turnout at the December 16 vote is desirable. On this latter point, Village and Town Communications departments will be working together for the next three months to promote to the 3,300 village voters the December 16 referendum vote.

In summary, over five years ago, I had concerns that there was not a "path forward" to the 800+ acre Xerox campus returning to being a vibrant industrial campus with 10,000+ people working there daily. At that time, the six million square feet of office and industrial space had about four million square feet vacant. Now, in September 2025, all the pieces are in place to have this campus be vibrant in the next ten to fifteen years, with 400-500 acres being redeveloped residentially, commercially, and/or industrially, which is exciting for Webster and its residents. A chance to do the rare combination of increasing property values/quality of life while keeping Town/Village taxes to property owners flat or even decreasing them, depending on the type of redevelopment that occurs on the campus. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

September 3, 2025

School Tax Time in Webster

School tax season is upon us! By the time you read this article, you have likely received your Webster Central School tax bill in your mailbox. These are the three (3) most common questions/comments we get pertaining to this tax bill:

1. Why am I paying these taxes to the Town and not the school district?

The Receiver of Taxes for the Webster Central School District in the Town of Webster is Danene Marr. She is an employee of the Town of Webster, not Webster Central School District. The Town and its Receiver of Taxes act as agents for the Webster Central School District. From what I have gleaned, this system was set up over sixty years ago, when the Town government had more capacity and infrastructure than the school district and was in a better position to collect school taxes.

2. How can I pay my school tax bill?

Taxes will be received at Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY, beginning September 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Mailed full or first installment payments should be made payable and addressed to Danene Marr, Receiver of Taxes, at the above address. From September 1 through October 21, no interest is due if the total is paid in full. From October 22 through October 31, a 2% interest penalty must be added to the entire amount of the bill. Taxes paid for in installments are due September 15, October 15, and November 15, 2025. The FIRST payment is made to Danene Marr, Receiver of Taxes, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY 14580. Payments TWO and THREE are made to the Monroe County Treasurer, PO Box 14420, Rochester, NY 14614. If you choose to pay in installments, there is a service charge on all three payments. Except for residents of Walworth and Ontario, taxes may be paid in installments.

Taxpayers who pay by check (via US Mail or by drop box) may consider their canceled check as proof of payment. However, receipts will be issued for full payment if specifically requested and/or both pages are sent with payment. The drop box is located in the front vestibule of the Town Hall and is open 24/7. No tax payments will be received by the Webster Receiver of Taxes after October 31, 2025, at which time the school tax rolls will be returned to the Monroe County and Wayne County tax offices.

3. How much are my school taxes increasing this year?

The answer to this question is different for every Webster taxpayer for a myriad of reasons, including but not limited to assessed value, STAR, and exemption status. However, as a point of reference, below are the last three years’ school tax bills I received on my $208,400 assessed home in Webster:

	2022	2023	2024	2025
School Tax Bill	$5,656.19	$5769.16	$5,957.55	$5.981.54
Increase from previous bill		2.00%	3.27%	0.40%

It is important to remember that tax bills are impacted by a number of factors, including exemptions and credits. To ensure you receive all exemptions you and your property are eligible for, join us for our Exemption and Property Inventory Workshop on September 25. The open house-style event will be held from 5:00pm to 7:00pm in the Webster Town Board Room. Assessment Office staff will be available to assist in checking and applying for eligible exemptions. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

August 27, 2025

How Leading with Yes has benefited Webster

In January 2020, I was sworn into my first term as Webster Town Supervisor. It’s hard to believe, but in four short months, I will conclude my six years in that position. There is no doubt a LOT has occurred in these six years as it pertains to the thirty-five square miles of Webster and its 45,000 citizens. The decisions made over the past several years by the Town of Webster government hold significance for our community now and for decades to come.

Decisions that matter are never easy, nor do they ever have 100% consensus. In a leadership position, you learn that quickly, and how you react to that runs the gamut. Some people in leadership positions try to avoid tough decisions, and not deciding is a decision—and not one that will be for the best for the organization, its employees, and its customers today and into the future. Some people in leadership positions will make decisions they feel bring them the least grief from the audience they are in front of; that person should reconsider being in a leadership position. The leadership decision-making style I have seen the greatest benefit from is leading with yes.

To understand how that style works well for the organization, its employees, and its customers, you must first look at the more common style: leading with no. Leading with no is often perceived by leaders as "safe.” If you do nothing, there is no risk of employees and/or customers criticizing the decision. This style will ultimately bankrupt a for-profit organization or lead to the leader's expulsion from their position before it does. However, in the political arena, leading with no can often become the crutch of the incumbent who fears doing something may cause the type of criticism that gets them voted out. Simply said, if a leader has ten ideas for action put in front of them, they say NO right off the bat to ALL of them. Saying no to everything actually is quite easy and less time-consuming. It also does not endear the organization's department heads/employees/customers who pitched the idea to the leader, who constantly says NO.

Leading with yes is harder and more time-consuming. However, it is foundational to get things done for the benefit of the organization today and the future. Three (3) examples of this in Webster over the past six years are the new Highway Department facility, the demolition of 600 Ridge Road (Old Webster Furniture Strippers), and fairlife coming to town, and the new state-of-the-art sanitary sewer plant. All three of those were HARD and TIME CONSUMING, and it would have been entirely easier to say "no.” That being said, making the difficult but important decision to say yes to these decisions is important for the future of our community and the long-term vitality of our Town.

Foundational to leading with yes as Town Supervisor is that we have excellent department heads. They have the freedom to pitch ideas to Town leadership and know that my first response will be, "Yes, let’s look into that to see if it works.” The key to that point is that the department head knows they are responsible for doing the research and discovery work to see what may be possible and what is best for Webster. My "yes" simply means that I'm open-minded to see the pros, cons, financial aspects, etc. of their idea.

My guess is that two to three of every ten ideas that have been put forth over the past six years actually got through to execution. The other seven to eight manifested through the discovery process that they would not work. Often, the department head who came up with the idea came up with that conclusion on their own as they gather discovery data. The cynic could say that there is A LOT of wasted time on those seven to eight ideas that go nowhere; however, I see it as a success with two to three great ideas coming to fruition. Also, the endearing and professional development of the department heads is nonexistent when you lead with no, but leading with yes is a great way to engage them and professionally develop them.

The progress of our Town is dependent on an environment encouraging bold innovation. Over the past six years, I’d like to think this has culminated in increased economic growth, sound and cost-efficient infrastructure investments, high-quality-of-life services, and ultimately, a better Webster. As I enter into the final months of my time as Town Supervisor, I encourage future leadership to continue and improve upon the culture of leading with yes to the benefit of our community. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov

August 20, 2025

WEDA awarded $9.8 million FAST NY grant

On Tuesday, August 19, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the Webster Economic Alliance (WEDA) is receiving $9.8 million grant through Empire State Development’s (ESD) FAST NY Shovel-Ready Grant program. The Webster Town Board, together with the Webster Village Board, authorized the application for this grant in late March, and the grant application was submitted in early April 2025.

This program provides grants for pre-development activities and infrastructure investments to develop sites to attract key strategic industries. The submitted application was through FAST NY’s Track C, specific to infrastructure improvements. Through this track, grants are awarded to improve the shovel-readiness of existing, mature sites by funding infrastructure improvements such as water, sewer, transportation, electricity, gas, and other capital-eligible site improvement costs.

The grant funding will be used to make significant improvements in the area of the Xerox campus, including improvements to the roads that make up the skeleton of the campus (Orchard Street, Panama Road, and Mitcheldean Drive), extension of Chiyoda Drive and Boulter Industrial Parkway, and electrical engineering master planning for electric power upgrades to the Xerox campus. The Town's ongoing upgrades to the sanitary sewer conveyance pipe near Basket Road and Salt Road were included as a local match to the grant request. This process will pave the way for Xerox to divest property in subdividable parcels that can be developed into sites for large businesses to locate their facilities. This project maximizes the almost 300 acres of property in that area for development and paves the way to reactivate this area to support new industry and new jobs in the Town of Webster.

From here, the Town of Webster will continue working with WEDA and the Village of Webster within WEDA’s agreement with ESD. WEDA will serve as the administrator of the grant, working collaboratively with the Town and Village to implement their respective aspects of the project.

This grant is a milestone in what will continue to be economic opportunity and growth for the Town of Webster. I truly look forward to seeing the area in the northeast portion of Town develop. We are fortunate to have a great partner in WEDA as the Town of Webster continues to foster economic vitality and make our community a place where life is worth living. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

August 13, 2025

Demolition starts on 600 Ridge Road (Old Furniture Strippers)

This is my eleventh (11) article in the past five years dedicated to 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet. The previous ten articles were on 9/16/20, 10/6/21, 6/15/22, 8/24/22, 4/5/23, 11/8/23, 2/28/24, 10/2/24, 5/7/25, and 6/11/25. I invite you to visit the Town website to read those articles and gain a comprehensive understanding of the events leading up to August 2025.

The tentative timeframe for demolition, removing the debris from the site, filling in the basement, and regrading the lot is approximately one to two weeks. Once that is done, additional Phase 2 environmental testing will be scheduled. The initial Phase 2 testing was conducted in November 2022 and January 2023 but could not be completed due to a myriad of reasons, most notably that the Town did not own the property at that time.

What is the future of the empty lot at 600 Ridge that covers 0.15 acres? That is hard to say at this point. It could remain a vacant lot owned by the Town of Webster. It could also be purchased by private investors/developers within some overall plan to redevelop the northwest corner of the Ridge and Gravel intersection. Whatever the ultimate use of that empty lot is, there is no doubt that addressing the blighting influence this property has had on the area is foundational to reinvigorating the West Webster Hamlet and the 100+ yards in each direction from the Ridge-Gravel intersection. The structure at 600 Ridge Road must be demolished, and any environmental issues in the soil or water need to be quantified by additional Phase 2 environmental testing. Depending upon those results, Phase 3 remediation activities may be required.

The Town has been working with the abutting property owners at 598 Ridge and 1021 Gravel over the past year to make sure they are kept up to date on the demolition of 600 Ridge so they can plan accordingly for the future of their properties after the 600 Ridge Road structure is demolished. In addition, the Town intends to re-apply for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant this fall to pursue funding for sidewalk installation and streetscape improvements in the core area along Ridge Road.

I will be interested to see what 2026 and beyond hold for the West Webster Hamlet. The pieces are being put in place to redevelop it into a vibrant neighborhood once again. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

August 6, 2025

Xerox applies to move Village-Town Municipal lines on their campus

On Friday, August 1, both the Village of Webster and the Town of Webster formally received applications from Xerox to relocate the municipal lines on parts of the 800+ acre Xerox campus in Webster. This is something that Xerox, the Village, and the Town have been working on for a few years as a means to achieve the overall goal of Xerox being able to sell 300–500 acres of that campus. For Xerox to be able to sell off that acreage, it needs to have three essential components: 1. subdividable 40–100-acre parcels surrounded by Village or Town roads, 2. upgrades of power to the campus, and 3. having the subdividable 40–100-acre parcels in either the Village or the Town, without the municipal line going through that parcel.

When Joe Wilson brought Xerox to Webster over sixty years ago, the 1,000-acre campus was never designed to be modular. As such, the road system inside the campus was privately owned and maintained by Xerox, and the power to the campus came in the form of Xerox-owned substations with RGE. Xerox has changed substantially over the past thirty years, especially in the utilization of that 1,000+ acre campus in Webster. The selling of parcels has gone on for the past several years, with the Town having obtained the land/buildings where the Webster Recreation Center is located, and most recently, the June 2022 sale of 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet to Tessy Plastics by Xerox. That Tessy sale showed the need to have the power on the campus increased, and out of Xerox ownership, and the private roads to be fixed up and dedicated to the Village or Town.

One of the main drivers of this municipal line movement application is the West Campus. The West campus of Xerox is approximately 87 acres, and is bordered by Chiyoda Drive to the north, Orchard Street to the south, Panama Road to the west, and Phillips Road to the east. Currently, the Village-Town municipal line goes through the middle of the West campus, with approximately 28 acres in the town and 59 acres in the Village. The proposed municipal line move, if approved, will result in all of the West campus being in the Village. Furthermore, currently, parts of Orchard Street and Panama Road are private Xerox roads. To be in a position to sell the West campus for future development, those private portions of Panama Road and Orchard Street need to be dedicated to the Village.

In April 2025, the Village and Town, through the Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA), applied for a FastNY grant for $9.8 million with Empire State Development (ESD). The purpose of those funds, if awarded, is to:

Reconstruct Orchard Street, Panama Road, and Mitcheldean Drive, which are currently privately owned by Xerox, following dedication of these roads to the Village of Webster.
Construct a multimodal trail along Phillips Road from NY-104 to Chiyoda Drive.
Extend Chiyoda Drive to NY-250 and extend Boulter Industrial Parkway to Salt Road to improve access and circulation through the area.
Electrical Engineering Master Planning for the entire campus to determine anticipated power needs and identify cost, timeline, and mechanism for upgrades to make this power available.

Where the Village will acquire an additional 25+ acres on the West campus, the Town will acquire acreage east of Phillips Road to assist in creating a subdividable parcel there all in the Town, which currently has the municipal line running through it.

Over the next one to two months, there will be some milestone events within this application for municipal line move including but not limited to a public joint workshop of the Village Board of Trustees and the Town Board members, public hearing(s) at the Village and Town levels, and Village and Town resolutions to consider approving the line movements. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

July 30, 2025

Proposed Cell Tower between Holt and Route 250 north of Wall Road

At the August 7 Webster Town Board meeting, a resolution will be considered to refer a proposed cell tower site on Creekside Drive to the Planning Board for further review. To appreciate our current progress in improving cell coverage in Webster as of August 2025, it is helpful to revisit the proposed cell tower process in mid-2021 for the 125-foot tower that was ultimately built on the corner of Lake Road and Pellett Road.

That was my first introduction to the controversy that surrounded a cell tower proposal. That controversy centered on five to six homeowners who lived within 1,000 feet of the proposed site on the corner of Lake and Pellett. They were not happy about the idea of a 125-foot cell tower being installed 1,000 feet from their homes, which had no real tree line buffer to block their view of it. They spoke at Town Board and Planning Board public hearings on various reasons why the tower should NOT go on that proposed site. I listened intently to these five to six opposers of the tower and decided to walk door to door to the forty to fifty houses that would be within approximately 2,000 feet, or half a mile of the tower on Lake and Pellett. My interaction at those doors manifested that most of these people were for the tower, and said they had major cell coverage issues.

When the Lake/Pellett cell tower was ultimately approved in October 2021, I reached out to Verizon and their legal counsel to propose that Verizon and the Town collaborate on identifying future cell tower sites that would combine the best coverage and least controversy among residents. In January 2022, we had our first meeting with this effort, and I was informed there were still seven (7) areas in Webster that had cell coverage/capacity issues. One of those areas was the Five Mile Line/Ridge Road area. Through collaboration, the roof of Cherry Ridge was identified, and ultimately, a tower was approved there with NO controversy.

The cell coverage/capacity issue between Holt and Route 250 north of Wall Road created a different challenge. Simply said, the area is predominantly subdivisions with half-acre lots and homes on those lots. As such, there are a lot of residents living in the cell coverage/capacity shortage, and limited options to put a cell tower, as you would not propose one in the backyard of a half-acre lot subdivision home. The Creekside site was identified about eighteen to twenty-four months ago as a viable option due to a. It was a Town-owned 7.4-acre parcel that has a town sewer pump station on it, and b. The heavily wooded aspect of the site gave the ability to buffer the tower to have minimal resident effect (i.e. the closest home to the proposed site is approximately 350 feet, and there were minimal number of houses within 350–500 foot of the site, and with the eighty foot+ trees on the site, the tower would be sight buffered).

Over the past two+ months, there have been four Town Board meetings regarding this proposed Creekside cell tower site: May 22 to set a public hearing, June 5 to hold the Public Hearing, July 3 to consider if the Town Board or Planning Board would be the next step, and July 17 to refer the site to Planning Board (which was tabled until August 7). Since June 5, the number of people who have come to Town Board meetings to voice their concerns on the proposed tower has gone from two homes on June 5 to eight homes on July 17. The number of residents coming to the July 17 meeting may have spiked due to the Town mailing a letter to 320 homeowners who live within 2,000 feet (approximately a half mile) of the proposed site on July 11. That letter spelled out the process over the next few months of the Town Board and Planning Board meetings on this proposed cell tower, starting with the Town Board’s anticipated referral to the Planning Board on July 17.

Similar to the Lake/Pellett proposed tower four years ago, I have decided to walk door-to-door to gauge public opinion about the proposed tower and see how many households have cell coverage/capacity issues at their homes. As of writing this article, I have visited one hundred twenty-three (123) homes. My goal is to reach them all 320 by the next board meeting on August 7. My strategy was to start with the streets/homes closest to the proposed site. From my records, these 320 homes that got letters on July 11 are comprised of the following:

350-500 feet: 9
501-1,000 feet: 51
1001-1,500 feet: 98
1501-2,000 feet: 172

The results of my conversations are very similar to what I experienced in 2021 in the Lake/Pellett area: the majority of people against the tower are the 350–500 feet away from the proposed site. Once you get to the 501-1000 feet from the site, many residents both want the tower and they conveyed they have cell coverage/capacity issues at home. On August 7, the Town Board will be considering resolutions to give a negative declaration on SEQR and approve the lease on the site. If that is done, the proposed site will move on to the Planning Board in September 2025. If the Town Board decides against referring this proposed site to the Planning Board for any reason, Verizon will most likely withdraw their application on this site and start looking for a privately owned site in the area to put the tower on. If the latter occurs, I fear that in three to six months, this project on a privately owned site will be back in front of the Town Board, and the number of opposers who live within 500-1000 feet of that site will be tenfold to this 7.4-acre Town-owned site, and the natural tree buffers will not be present. Furthermore, the rent the private owner will get from Verizon is theirs to keep. The proposed $20K annual rent the Town will be getting from Verizon on the 7.4-acre site may be used to create further sight buffers should they be needed in the future so the residents can have limited or NO sight issues of the tower.

I'd like to think the two years the town has worked with Verizon on this proposed Creekside site is the "best" option in this area for a cell tower. While I appreciate that "best' is a subjective word, to me, it means in this situation the lesser of all evils to the 320+ homeowners who live within 2,000 feet (approximately half a mile) of the site.

In summary, cell towers are a necessity in our society that depends on cell service for many facets of our lives. Understandably, people don't want towers in their neighborhood for a myriad of reasons, regardless of whether those reasons are based in fact or not. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has stepped in on situations where Town governance has dragged its feet on a proposed cell tower site or not approved the site. The bottom line is, there will be a cell tower in the Holt to Route 250 area, north of Wall Road, in the near future. It depends on whether it is Town-approved, or FCC-driven. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

July 23, 2025

Work starts on Hojack Trail

The Hojack Trail is one of Webster’s most beloved areas, with nearly five miles of trail running from the northwest portion of Webster to the southeast portion of Webster. Throughout the year, our community may enjoy this trail for activities such as hiking, walking, and biking. To best maintain this trail, construction will be taking place in certain areas of the trail this summer. The Town of Webster is fortunate to have many community organizations that benefit the community through their work. Friends of Webster Trails is one of those organizations and the partnership they have formed with our Parks Department results in great trail systems for the community to access and utilize for their wellness needs.

On Monday, July 21 work started on a major project on the Hojack Trail. The work being completed includes re-surfacing of the trail from Holt Road to Drumm Road with a firm compacted small stone trail surface. Other improvements will include, signage, benches and kiosks to one of the most heavily utilized trail systems in Webster. The Friends of Webster Trails (FWT) are the lead on this project and the Town Parks department leadership is working in concert with FWT leadership to ensure that the work being done is within the scope of work set forward by the project parameters.

Much of the work that is being done is on RGE property. RGE has been a part of the discussion with FWT about this project. As with any project that is improving the long-term viability of our infrastructure, the people who enjoy walking and biking on the Hojack Trail will have some temporary inconvenience in these areas. While this work is being completed, trail sections will be closed to the public and signage will be in place for closures. For everyone’s safety, do not enter the trail sections while work is being completed.

I am excited to see the completion of this project as it will improve walker and biker experience on the Hojack Trail. More information coming soon so please stay connected to the FWT and Town social media pages as updates are shared. Please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov

July 16, 2025

Webster Town Governance support of Bay road lane restructure

In the Spring of 2025 it came to light that the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) was proposing what is called a "Road diet" for a 2-mile swath of Bay road running from the 104 exit/onramps, north to Lake Road. Currently there are 4 lanes, 2 in each direct, in that swath with 3 foot shoulders. The proposal is to reduce the lanes from 4 down to 3 wherein there would be 1 lane in each direction along with a turning lanes, and increase the shoulders to 7 feet on each side. The actual width of the street from curb to curb will not change

MCDOT did a public open house at the Webster Library on May 14th on this proposal and the public opinion on it ran the gamut with many entrenched in their opinion of for or against. Unfortunately as many entrenched opinions are, they are based in emotion, not facts, or in past fact patterns that may no longer have relevance. Subsequent the May 14th public meeting, I let the leadership of MCDOT and the County Executives office know that I as Town Supervisor in 2025 had "No entrenched opinion" on this proposal and would approach it from a pragmatic, fact finding perspective. After 2 weeks of research, we set up a meeting of some key Town officials, Key MCDOT officials and the county executive office on June 2nd to discuss the proposed current diet configuration, and the timeline of events that would need to occur for the Town of Webster Governance to give their formal support, or lack thereof of the Final diet configuration and its execution in the Spring of 2026. Since MCDOT and the county executive office saw that this issue had taken to social media, I wanted to assure them that my conveyance to them of Town Governance support or lack thereof would have the courtesy of coming from me directly before they saw me take it to social media, press conferences... or articles like this one!

Since my meeting on June 4th with MCDOT and county executive office, I have spoken with over thirty-five(35) people within the "Town of Webster Governance" to get their opinions, insights, etc. on the proposed Bay road diet. These people included Town Board members, Planning Board members, Zoning Board members, Town department heads, and the Mark Johns and Frank Ciardi- County Legislators representing Webster. I also worked with MCDOT on getting additional "facts/data". I also found MCDOT leadership to be very accommodating to proposing ideas for compromise and also accepting ideas the Town had for compromise from the original diet proposal.

On Monday July 14th I let MCDOT and the county executive office know that Webster Town Governance in 2025 supports the FINAL road diet configuration. The 2-month path from their public meeting on May 14th to July 14th showed me that MCDOT was willing to listen to the Webster residents who had concerns about such a diet, especially in the 1-mile swath from 104 exit/onramps north to Klem road. As such, the FINAL road diet the town governance supports is as follows:

-MCDOT agreed to move the start of the diet north and will maintain the existing 4-lane configuration to just north of the Bay Meadow Drive/Wellington Road intersection. The transition between 4-lanes to 3-lanes will be made over approximately 300’. The 3-lane section will be fully developed just south of Wood Harbor Trail (and south of the Hillside Children’s Center). The whole swath from Klem running north to Lake road will have the diet done. Overall, I think this change was a combination of MCDOT listening to the Webster residents but also taking a deeper dive traffic study/daily counts on 104 to Klem, and Klem to Lake. Bottom line, the daily vehicles on 104 to Klem are almost double what is daily on Klem to Lake. That additional traffic 104 to Klem would seem to need the current 4 lane structure more than Klem to Lake

-The 7-foot shoulders on each side of the road will not be dedicated bike lanes. This will make it such that people can both bike and walk in those lanes. We also wanted to be mindful of the residents that live on Bay Road who have delivery trucks, garbage trucks, etc. service their homes. Dedicated bike lanes change the right for some of those vehicles to stop in the shoulder.

-Speed mitigation: MCDOT will install temporary, solar-powered, speed feed-back signs for 2 to 3 weeks upon completion of the project in Fall of 2026. One sign for Northbound and one sign for Southbound. If warranted, MCDOT will add Bay Road to their list of rotating locations for temporary speed feedback signs. The speed data can be sent to Webster PD for targeted speed enforcement during period with the most violations. I agreed with MCDOT not being in favor of having permanently installed speed feedback signs on County roads as their effectiveness fades after the initial install

-Town Plan to install 400-500 foot sidewalk from Bay/Lake intersection, running west along the bayside of Lake road to meet up with the walking path into Sandbar Park. One of the major fact pattern differences in 2025 from the 2 previous times MCDOT proposed a road diet on Bay road, circa 2002 and 2015 is that the town now has a "jewel" of a Town Park at the end of Bay road on Lake road, Sandbar Park. As we continue to develop that park with a phase 2 education center, phase 3 walking path, and food and drink options beyond the food trucks in summer 2025, we have tried to find ways to get people into the park by means other than cars. (I.e. Boat, Walk, Jog, bike) Klem road has 10+ foot shoulders that make walking/biking common. When Bay has 7 foot shoulders from Klem to Lake, it may result in more people funneling into Sandbar park via by foot or bike. Later in July 2025, the town is applying for a New York State grant to do the design/engineering of the 400-500 foot sidewalk. The town also plans in August 2025 to apply for the Monroe county grant that has the county pay 50% of the construction cost of such a sidewalk on a county road, which Lake Road is.

In summary, I am very pleased at the manner in which this process was conducted that led to the Town Governance support of the FINAL Bay road diet structure. Respect was given to the people against the diet, whether based on 2002 and/or 2015 feelings from past proposed diets on Bay, or new feelings in 2025. I'm proud of the due diligence done by the Town and MCDOT to address 2025 fact patterns on the area, while being sensitive to residents who were categorically against it. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov

July 9, 2025

Decision time for housing stray dogs in Webster

At the July 3 Town Board Workshop, the available future options for housing stray dogs were presented. That slide deck is available to be seen on the Town's website at websterny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/12438/Town-of-Webster-Kennel-presentation. Following the presentation, a robust discussion ensued among Webster Town Board members, the Webster Police Department/Animal Control officials, and the Town Engineer. The audio and video of the Workshop may be accessed on the Town website, as well.

The Town Board is faced with three (3) options for housing stray dogs in July 2025 and beyond: 1. Current status of housing the dogs in a room(s) at the Police Department, 2. Spending $300,000 – $1 million of Webster taxpayer money—net of a $400,000 New York State Ags and Market grant—on building a kennel/holding area, and 3. negotiating with another municipality on an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) to effectively outsource the housing of dogs at a variable cost per dog/number of days held and avoid the capital commitment of building a kennel/holding area in Webster.

When you assess the pros and cons of these three options, it is clear that the current housing in the Police Department room(s) is unsustainable. This solution was implemented nearly two years ago as a stopgap when Pittsford Animal Hospital gave Monroe County municipalities 90-day notice that they were exiting the dog-holding business. That caused an abrupt struggle for ALL towns in Monroe County to find housing options for animals picked up by Animal Control. Most of 2023 was spent with Town leadership working with Monroe County leadership to assess if this could be remedied on a global level, rather than each town on its own.

By the end of 2023, it was apparent that no global resolution was imminent, so towns like Webster started solving the problem individually. In February 2024, the Town of Webster applied for a $500,000 NYS Ags and Market grant to build a kennel/holding area for dogs on the Webster Town Hall campus. The good news is that in April 2024 the Town was awarded $400,000 in grant funding. The bad news is that, to the Town’s surprise, NYS Ags and Market regulations mandated that the 1,000-square-foot kennel building would cost close to $1 million. As such, even with the $400,000 grant, it would still be a $600,000 commitment of Webster taxpayer money to build a new kennel.

Since April 2024, several key Town officials have worked to see if a kennel design could be done that meets Ags and Market mandates while costing the Webster taxpayers less than $600,000. In parallel, we had to be realistic about the number of dogs the Town has housed historically and the cost-benefit analysis of a capital output to build a kennel with four dog rooms and one isolation area for a fifth dog made sense. Over the past three and a half years (2022 – June 2025), the Town of Webster has housed sixty-one dogs in total (i.e. approximately 1.5 dogs a month over the last forty-two months). The relatively low number of dogs and aggregate days we held the dogs the past three+ years made us look at options to outsource the holding of these dogs to another town that has already built an Ags and Market-compliant kennel/holding area.

There are pros and cons to the Town Building a kennel/holding area versus outsourcing these dogs via an IMA with another town. On Thursday, July 17, there will be a resolution on the Town Board agenda for a vote on whether the Town Board is going with the capital option of building a kennel or whether to move forward in pursuing an IMA at this time. Regardless of which option the Board chooses, the dogs will most likely still be housed at the Webster Police Department through the end of 2025, possibly longer.

Choosing the capital option on July 17 means several key Town officials need to work with NYS Ags and Market on the design of the kennel and final contract terms. Also, the municipal bid process has to be done. Both the Ags and Market processes, as well as the bid process, could throw a curveball at us in the upcoming months. NYS Ags and Markets has "tightened" guidelines/compliance on towns in the past two years, which has had negative effects, as towns throughout the state are struggling as private dog-holding is declining. The bid process is always interesting, as the engineer’s estimate is $1 million, however, bids could potentially come in much higher.

Alternatively, the next two to three months could result in an IMA for the Town Board to approve and we have our new place to house dogs before year end. This option also has factors that may hinder the process, as the Town team may reach an impasse in negotiations, resulting in reporting back to the Town Board that they do not foresee a beneficial term IMA being available.

Over the next several months, we expect to see progress in determining the next steps for kenneling in the Town of Webster. We look forward to keeping the community updated as decisions are made. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

Five years ago, I wrote an article in the Webster Herald's July 1, 2020 edition about my father. I was six months into being the Webster Town Supervisor and it marked the 1-year anniversary of my father's passing. Time flies and I now only have six months left as Supervisor. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about my father, Bob Flaherty, and the legacy he left. It might help to explain the manner in which I've approached the past five and a half years being Town Supervisor as it pertains to addressing both people, and the issues I come in contact with.

My dad was not a political person, although he was extremely involved in Irondequoit where he lived for over fifty-five years. He had an ability to look beyond Republican or Democrat and accept people for what was in their heart and their intentions. He backed Republican Supervisors in Irondequoit in the 1990s like my father-in-law Bill Dillon. However, one of his insurance accounts was the Town of Irondequoit and he always told me how impressed he was with the young Democrat Supervisors in the 2000s: Adam Bello and Dave Seeley.

He was my main influence in the simple mantra of "work hard and tell the truth and things should work out." If you think about it, laziness will be vetted out over time, as will lying or being two-faced. But working hard and telling the truth will ultimately be respected by all rational people who don't have an agenda. He saw it as foundational to trust. As to "trust", my dad approached people with a "blank canvass" and no preconceived bias, regardless of man, woman, old, young, black, white, CEO, Janitor, etc. He believed and embodied that you "get what you give" and he gave everyone respect immediately. I truly believe he detested the thought of anyone being disenfranchised and took extra efforts to make sure it did not happen on his watch. People saw it, experienced it, and loved him for it.

He worked hard; he played hard. His family and friends were so important to him. We marveled at the "balls he kept in the air" even into his late 70s before he got sick. He was still working full time in the Insurance business, owned and managed real estate, and was omnipresent working and helping his adult children at their house projects. He was a reliable and a positive influence on any situation he was put into.

Maybe the most amazing thing was that he always was joking around to the point where you thought he still acted like a mischievous teenage boy even in his 70s. I saw first-hand when people mistook his congeniality for weakness, and that did NOT work out well for them. He felt that life was full of serious issues and stresses that had to be dealt with every day, but he was going to go about tackling them all with a smile on his face, a joke, and a beer. He talked a lot which is something I definitely inherited from him!

He took a lot of ribbing as the "verbose Irishman." He did not mind the reputation as long as it was not a reputation of "he talked a lot but got nothing done". The man got a LOT done. He had 2 cents to his name when my mother and he got married in 1959. When he passed, he had amassed a small fortune and it was all the result of hard work, ethics, and being smart. His humble beginnings showed when he would go an extra five miles to buy gas for 3 cents less a gallon. His austerity was toward himself, however, there was no more generous and giving man of his time, talent, and treasure than him.

I could write 10,000 more words, but I think you get the gist. So thank you dad for the influence you had on me becoming who I am today. I'd like to think the Webster community has benefited from my father influence the past five and a half years. When you see me doing my job as Supervisor, you now have a better perspective of where i come from as it pertains to dealing with people and issues. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@websterny.gov

June 25, 2025

Five-year contract for Ambulance service in Webster

This is my eighteenth article in the past three years on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) issue in Webster, and my first update in six months since December 4, 2024. Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) has been covering EMS services throughout Webster for the past eighteen months.

Over the past six months, key PVA officials and their legal team have been working with key Town of Webster officials and our legal teams on negotiations of a five-year contract for EMS services in Webster. Those efforts will tentatively culminate in the next two weeks with the approval of the Webster Town Board and PVA board for the final five-year contract terms. The July 3rd 7:30PM Town Board meeting has a resolution on the agenda to authorize the Supervisor to sign this contract. The PVA board is planning to authorize approval and execution of this contract at their July 7th meeting.

Once the five-year contract is executed between the two parties, John Cahill, Webster Town Board member and liaison to EMS, and I will seek to meet with the Town of Penfield's Town Board member-liaison to EMS and Supervisor. The purpose of the meeting(s) would be to discuss how the two municipalities can approach their annual budget seasons with consistent metrics on how much each Town will be subsidizing PVA annually. Such annual funding would be from Penfield's EMS tax district and Webster's Discretionary A fund due to Webster not having a special EMS tax district at this time.

The main goal of those meetings will be to assure Penfield residents/taxpayers that they are not subsidizing Webster EMS calls, and Webster residents/taxpayers that they are not subsidizing Penfield EMS calls. It is unknown at this time whether those meetings will culminate with a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) between the Towns of Penfield and Webster on this annual funding of EMS in the future into 2026 and beyond.

Also, within this five-year contract between Webster and PVA are components of branding that will result in PVA displaying on their ambulances a derivation of "Penfield-Webster Ambulance." The initial financial results of PVA covering both the towns of Penfield and Webster in 2024 reflect that an economy of scale has been achieved. In 2024. PVA had over 10,000 calls (up from 6,000+ in 2023) and covered a 70-square-mile service area. In 2023 and prior, PVA’s main service area was Penfield only.

In summary, I truly believe the future of EMS in Webster is bright within this five-year contract with PVA. I also feel the residents and taxpayers of both Penfield and Webster will benefit from PVA's coverage area being both these towns. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

June 18, 2025

Road work season in the Town of Webster

The Town of Webster is officially into road work season! Our Orchard Road wood chip and mulch location was cleared and cleaned earlier this month. This year, the Highway Department also made over 265 home deliveries of leaf mulch and wood chips, and countless residents picked up materials from Orchard Road. The dedicated Town employees at the Highway Department now turn their attention to summer projects in town.

Forty-eight (48) Town roads have been identified to have chip seal (oil and stone) maintenance done on them in the summer of 2025. Those roads have approximately 15.5 centerline miles and 15 cul-de-sacs/circles. Letters and emails explaining the chip seal process have gone out to residents of these streets. Road work will take place in July and August; however, work has already begun to prepare these roads with gutter replacement, pavement patching, catch basin repairs, and crack sealing.

One of the most common questions from residents is, "Why do we do oil and stone/chip seal instead of asphalt paving?" In 2022, the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) repaved a section of Holt Road north of Klem with a process called Micro Pave. The purpose and longevity of the Micro Pave product are similar to oil and stone/chip seal but have the following main differences as of 2022:

Cost: The cost of Micro Paving is roughly 30% more than oil and stone/Chip Seal. For 2022, the Town oil and stone/chip seal expense was $402,296. If we had completed the same 19.59 centerline miles of road with Micro Pave, the cost would have been $579,219—an increase of $176, 923.

Traffic Impacts: The oil and stone/chip seal application allows traffic to travel on the surface minutes after the application creating limited disruption to traffic patterns in the neighborhoods where it is applied. Micro Pave requires a longer set time before traffic can travel, as seen on Holt Road in 2022. Entire sections were shut down or reduced to one-way travel for two to three days to complete the work.

Time: The chip seal process currently takes three to four weeks to complete. I estimate that it would take six to eight weeks to complete the same amount with Micro Pave and each day there would be residents who would need to seek alternate routes to avoid delays. On subdivision roads, this could be problematic. This would also cause the labor costs to increase between 30%-50% depending on the additional time micro-paving would take.

Logistics: The Micro Pave process works best on roads without gutters. The Micro Pave application is slightly thicker than the chip seal application and therefore matching the edge of the concrete gutters would require milling eventually unlike chip seal. On roads with limited gutters, like Holt Road, the application can flow over the top of everything, and on streets with curbs, like the Village, the Micro Pave can tie into the curb reveal for a long time with no issue. A high percentage of the Town's residential streets have gutters.

In summary, Micro Pave is more affordable than traditional paving but with the other factors listed above it is not a viable alternative to oil and stone/chip seal as of the last comparative analysis in 2022. Chipseal in 2025 is the 3rd year since the 2022 comparison analysis was done. The Town of Webster will be looking do a 2025 or 2026 cost comparison of chipseal versus Micro paving and traditional asphalt repaving. The town will also continue to evaluate products as they hit the industry. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

June 11, 2025

600 Ridge Road (Old Furniture Strippers) to be demolished in July 2025

This is my tenth (10) article dedicated to 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet. The previous eight articles were on 9/16/20, 10/6/21, 6/15/22, 8/24/22, 4/5/23, 11/8/23, 2/28/24, 10/2/24. and 5/7/25 I invite you to go to the Town website to read those articles to get a full history of the events leading up to June 2025. At the June 5 Town Board Workshop, Community Development Director Josh Artuso gave a presentation on the events of the past few months related to 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet as a whole. The slide deck he presented can be accessed on the Town’s website under Agenda Center.

The main takeaways from Josh's presentation are: 1. The Town received eight bids from contractors to demolish the building, and the low bid was approximately $65,000. These bids reflected the premium cost that ALL debris taken off-site to a landfill from this demolition would be considered "contaminated" with either asbestos or lead, etc. 2. The Restore NY grant the Town applied for in December 2024 to assist in either the rehabilitation or demolition of 600 Ridge Road and redevelopment of 602 Ridge (Old Jade Palace) was NOT awarded. This was the third time the Town had pursued this particular grant opportunity and been turned down.

At the ensuing regular Town Board meeting on June 5, the Town Board unanimously passed a resolution to accept the low bid on demolishing 600 Ridge Road and authorize the Town Supervisor to sign the associated contract. The tentative timeline for demolition is mid-July 2025, with work anticipated to take approximately two weeks to complete. Once demolition is completed and the backfilling of the basement and regrading of the lot is complete, additional Phase 2 environmental testing will be scheduled. The initial Phase 2 testing was done in November 2022 and January 2023 but could not be completed for a myriad of reasons, most notably that the Town did not own the property at that time.

Once the facts are obtained by the completed Phase 2 testing, a cost estimate can be developed for remediation activities, if required. The town has been awarded a Targeted Brownfield Assistance (TBA) grant through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cover the costs of this additional Phase 2 testing.

So, what is the future of the empty lot at 600 Ridge that covers 0.15 acres? That is hard to say at this point. It could remain a vacant lot owned by the Town of Webster. It could also be purchased by private investors/developers within some overall plan to redevelop the northwest corner of the Ridge and Gravel intersection. Whatever the ultimate use of that empty lot is, there is no doubt that addressing the blighting influence this property has had on the area is foundational to reinvigorating the West Webster Hamlet and the 100+ yards in each direction from the Ridge-Gravel intersection. The structure at 600 Ridge Road must be demolished, and any environmental issues in the soil or water need to be quantified by additional Phase 2 environmental testing. Depending upon those results, phase 3 remediation activities may be required.

I for one will be interested to see what 2026 and beyond hold for the West Webster Hamlet. The pieces are being placed to redevelop it into a vibrant neighborhood once again. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

June 4, 2025

Next steps in the Comprehensive Plan update

This is my fourth article in the past seven months dedicated to the Town of Webster's Comprehensive Plan update. The previous three were November 6, 2024, February 12, 2025, and April 16, 2025. We are approximately five months into the eighteen+ month process of updating the 2008 Comprehensive Plan.

The Comprehensive Plan update will shape the future of Webster for years to come; therefore community engagement is an imperative part of the process. Less than two months ago, the Town officially kicked off the project and held its first community meeting in late April. The Town is looking to meet our community where they are by participating in various pop-up events, including Summer Celebration which will be held at Webster Recreation Center this Saturday, June 7 from 4 to 10pm. In addition, the project team will be conducting in-depth interviews with a variety of stakeholder groups throughout the project.

Another upcoming event is the second meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee from 2 to 4pm on Thursday June 12th at the Webster Town Board Room. The meeting will include a presentation on the Town of Webster Community Profile by Colliers Engineering and Design. Our community has been invited to attend this meeting and there will be an opportunity at the end for community members to provide comments and feedback on the Community Profile presentation.

The project webpage, webster2040.com, is available 24/7 for the community to learn more about the project, review draft work products/documents, and stay informed of future public input opportunities. The webpage also hosts a Community Preference survey and Interactive Map survey, which will be live on the website through June 15. As of June 3, we have received 139 responses through the Community Preference survey and 136 points of feedback through the Interactive Map.

The more feedback Colliers, Town Planning personnel, and the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee receive from our community, the better the updated Comprehensive Plan will be in mid-to late 2026. Tentatively, Colliers and Town Planning personnel will be presenting to the thirteen-person Steering committee every three to four months until the project completion. It is hoped that when they meet next in September or October 2025, the community input will have increased from where it is currently.

I cannot stress this enough, the opportunities for the community as a whole to participate and be heard within this eighteen+ month process are far and above what was available the last three times the Comprehensive Plan was updated in 1990, 2000, and 2008. Websites, social media, etc. have exploded in the past 15+ years so this updated Comprehensive plan has the BEST chance to have MAXIMUM community involvement. If you have not already visited the website, webster2040.com, please do so and fill out the survey and/or give your opinion. Also, when you are out and about this summer, if you see a Comprehensive Plan booth, please stop by to learn more or give your feedback. How the Town of Webster looks in 2026, 2030, and 2040 will ultimately be driven by community input given TODAY. As always, please feel free to call me at 588-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

May 28, 2025

Summer Celebration at Webster Recreation Center on Saturday, June 7

Hello, Summer! The Town of Webster will be celebrating the start of the summer season with the annual Summer Celebration on Saturday, June 7 from 4:00-10:00pm at the Webster Recreation Center. We hope you’ll be able to join us for this beloved Webster tradition with new features for 2025! This year’s event features more food options, more bounce houses, and new musical features that we can look forward to.

Summer Celebration is a night full of live music, food trucks, family activities, and fireworks! It is a great way for our community to gather and celebrate together in an exciting and safe family atmosphere before summer as summer gets into full swing! The event kicks off at 4:00pm, with family fun and many options to satisfy everyone’s dinner needs; the best part is all trucks will take cash and credit!

We are thrilled to welcome ZBTB (Zac Brown Tribute Band) to our stage as a new musical act for 2025. This high-energy group brings a variety of music—grounded with the roots of the original Zac Brown Band. The band will be opened by DR. JEM— an amazing band under the supervision of ROC Star Academy. Music is set to begin at 5:45 PM.

This year’s event will feature three bounce houses, which will be open from 4:00–8:30pm. Fireworks will end the evening with the display scheduled to begin at 9:45 PM. If you plan to view the fireworks at the Recreation Center, I suggest arriving no later than 9:30pm to allow time to access the event location from the parking lot staff guiding you safely.

Parking for this event is available at the Xerox parking lots directly south of Webster Recreation Center. Parking for people with disabilities will be in the Recreation Center lot; please inform the parking lot staff if you require accessible parking. This event attracts several thousand people each year and we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable time, please respect business and homeowners around the Recreation Center and only park in designated parking lots.

As always, hats off to Webster Parks and Recreation for their dedication in making this event smooth and safe for everyone! Staff will be available to help anyone throughout the event. We look forward to welcoming our community for Summer Celebration and we hope to see you at the Recreation Center on June 7! As always, feel free to call me anytime at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

May 21, 2025

Memorial Day Parade in Webster

One of my family's fondest traditions since moving to Webster in 1996 has been attending the Memorial Day Parade. The long range weather forecast at the time I wrote this article predicted "sunny and 65" in Webster NY on Monday May 26th. The parade will start at 9:30AM as the people and vehicles in the parade will start streaming out of Spry middle school on South ave and head north. They will then turn left and head west on Main street. They will proceed down to the cemetery on the south side of the road near Holt. When all parade participants have filed into the cemetery there will be a memorial ceremony. When the Memorial ceremony finishes at the Cemetery there will be refreshments at the American Legion on the corner of five mile line and Ridge.

I want to thank ALL the people and agencies that make this parade, memorial cemetery ceremony and refreshments possible. Memorial Day is such an important day to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and the ultimate sacrifice so many have made to assure we have those freedoms. The history of the day started after the Civil war in the late 1860s. It was known as Decoration Day then. It's interesting that the day started in the wake of the Civil War to honor and remember ALL the soldiers who gave up their lives fighting fellow Americans in that war. Over the years since, the foreign threats to our freedoms have occurred in places including but not limited to Europe in World War 1, Europe, Africa and the south pacific in World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and many more. In 1971 Memorial Day as the last Monday in May was first observed as a Federal Holiday. At 3PM local time on that day, a National Moment of Remembrance takes place.

It's easy to have recency bias and think that "today's world is crazier than it has ever been". The reality is that the citizens of the United States have dealt with "crazy" things for the whole 250 years this country has been in existence. The sacrifices that Americans have had to make over those 250 years in different eras can be debated. For example, who sacrificed more? The colonists during the Revolutionary war or the citizens during the Civil War? One thing that cannot be debated is the ultimate sacrifice so many have made of their lives. Whether in the Revolutionary War in 1777 or Afghanistan in 2020, the ultimate sacrifice is constant and timeless. That is why it is so important for ALL Americans to honor these defenders of our freedoms on Memorial Day. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@websterny.gov

May 14, 2025

Local elections converting to Even years

Local government has a profound impact on the lives of residents, business owners, and visitors to municipalities. Though it is often overlooked, local government operations support communities as they carry out day-to-day activities. As Town Supervisor, I have learned the importance of the role of local government. I have also learned that some candidates and residents have an innocent misconception of what is in the jurisdiction of municipal government, instead focusing on hyper-partisan issues of the state and federal governments.

In the past 18 months I have written two articles regarding New York State legislation that would force local—county and town—elections to be held with state and federal elections in even-numbered years. This legislation was promoted as a way to raise voter turnout, as turnout for local elections historically trends low, and to save costs and create efficiencies for the Board of Elections.

In my previous articles, I have discussed how the rationale for the change does not hold when you take a closer look at it. Changing local elections, including elections for Town Board and Town Supervisor, to even years, voters will likely pay far less attention to local issues and initiatives. While increasing voter turnout for local elections is an admirable endeavor, there are better ways to accomplish this without diminishing the focus on local matters by changing Village, Town, City, and County elections to even years. While Boards of Elections may see some efficiencies, many exceptions that would still necessitate holding elections in odd years.

In October 2024, an Onondaga County judge ruled that this legislation was unconstitutional, and in November 2024, appeals were filed by what appears to be the Onondaga Democrat Committee and the New York State Attorney General. Just last week, the Fourth Department of the Appellate Division issued an order that overturned the lower court’s decision that the law concerning even-year elections is unconstitutional.

As a town supervisor, I am disappointed by this decision. In my three terms as Webster Town Supervisor, I have seen firsthand the impact that local government initiatives have on our community. This legislation overshadows the importance of local government and diminishes its role by subjecting it to heavy partisanship seen in federal and local politics.

We will see the impact of this change in Webster almost immediately. This year, the Town Supervisor seat is on the ballot, as well as two Town Board seats. The Town Supervisor elected in November 2025 will have a one-year term; January 1-December 31, 2026. As such, that Supervisor will have to decide within weeks of being sworn into office if they want to run again in November 2026 for a two-year term of January 1, 2027- December 31, 2028. This does not allow for ample time to learn and get to know the job for which they have been elected, which could cause issues down the line.

While I am concerned about the implementation of this legislation causing a loss of visibility for local government, I will continue to speak about the importance of municipal government. In my experience, it has a more personal impact on residents’ lives as compared to other levels of government. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

May 7, 2025

Update on 600 Ridge (Old Furniture Strippers)

This is my ninth (9) article in the past four+ years dedicated to 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet. The previous eight articles were on 9/16/20, 10/6/21, 6/15/22, 8/24/22, and 4/5/23, 11/8/23, 2/28/24 and 10/2/24. I invite you to go to the Town website to read those articles if you would like to get a robust history of 600 Ridge Road. For this article, I will give a condensed version of its history.

The Webster Furniture Strippers operated out of the building from circa 1985 until circa 2005. The building has been vacant for almost twenty years, during which time it was always under private ownership. It went through over fifteen Monroe County real estate tax foreclosure auctions with no buyers. The County was concerned about "unknown" environmental issues so they would not take ownership and gave it back to the private owner each time.

A myriad of activities have occurred in the past four+ years on this property including, but not limited to, environmental investigation and testing, Town taking ownership in early 2024, demolition of the garage and addition, and more. These events were reached through the collaboration of the Town of Webster, Monroe County, New York State DEC, State Supreme Court, and Day Engineering.

On Thursday, May 1, Josh Artuso, Director of Community Development, presented an update on 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet as a whole. The slide deck from that presentation is available on the Town's website. Highlights of the presentation and the subsequent Town Board meeting include 1. Marketing efforts that were undertaken in the October 2024 to April 2025 timeframe to identify an investor in 600 Ridge for rehabilitation, 2. Updates on the Restore NY grant to demolish and/or rehabilitate 600 Ridge and redevelop 602 Ridge Road (former Jade Palace restaurant), 3. An update on the EPA grant for additional phase 2 environmental testing at 600 Ridge Road, and 4. A Town Board resolution was passed to solicit bids to demolish the remaining structure at 600 Ridge.

If all goes as planned, the remnants of the Furniture Stripper's building will be demolished by the end of Summer 2025. The remaining Phase 2 environmental study should be completed in that timeframe so that quantification of Phase 3 remediation may be done, if necessary.

In summary, the West Webster Hamlet Revitalization project includes the whole area that has an epicenter at the corner of Gravel and Ridge Roads. It is important to understand that any revitalization of this Hamlet starts with the corner of Gravel Road and Ridge Road, and 600 Ridge Road (former Furniture Strippers) and 602 Ridge Road (former Jade Palace) are on that corner. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

April 30, 2025

New Webster Highway Facility Ribbon Cutting

On Thursday, April 24, the Town of Webster cut the ribbon on the new Highway Department Facility on Picture Parkway. The initial planning for the new Webster Highway Facility began in the Fall of 2021 and is a portion of a larger capital project for the Highway campus, which included the acquisition of eight acres in 2021 to bring the campus up to approximately twenty-eight acres, as well as the future planned new truck wash station and salt barn. Ground was officially broken for the new 80,000-square-foot facility in September 2023, with the first steel being erected in February 2024. The construction of the new facility was completed in early 2025 and was months ahead of schedule and under budget.

This new facility includes proper and safe storage and maintenance of the Highway Department's fleet, in addition to updated administrative areas and staff facilities to support staff delivering essential services to the Webster community. The Webster Highway Department is responsible for the maintenance of over 128 miles of Town roads, nearly 400 lane miles of roadway within the Town, and all drainage. The Department also offers several quality-of-life services to residents, including fall leaf collection, material pickup and delivery, and snow removal.

Highway Superintendent Pat Stephens stated at the ceremony that, “this facility was built with the future in mind. As the Town of Webster changes and progresses, this state-of-the-art building will ensure our community can expect a high level of service from the Webster Highway Department. We look forward to continuing to serve the Town of Webster.” Pat also stated how the old facility—built over fifty years ago—had reached the end of its useful life. It was built for a Town that had one-third the population and lane miles that the Highway Department now services in 2025. It is truly an amazing feat how the skilled tradesmen in that department band-aided the old facility over the years, and the new facility, which will serve the Webster community for the next several decades, was long overdue.

At the ribbon cutting, it was unveiled that the new facility will be named the Barry A. Deane Highway Facility in honor of the past Highway Superintendent and Town Councilman. Barry served the Webster Highway Department in several positions for nearly forty years, beginning in 1971. He served the department as Superintendent from July 1992 through his retirement in 2008. In 2010, Barry started his tenure as a Town Councilman, serving Webster for twelve years in this capacity.

Throughout his service, Barry was a strong advocate for an upgraded Highway Department facility to assist in delivering necessary services to the Webster community. From a personal perspective, Barry has been a godsend for me during my five+ years as Town Supervisor. I have sought his sage wisdom on too many issues to count over that timeframe. He is the consummate professional and I truly feel blessed to have his influence in my life. The Webster community has benefited from Barry Deane's influence for the past fifty+ years and knowing Barry's energy and passion will continue to for many years to come!

Be on the lookout as tours of the new facility will be offered to the community in the coming months. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

April 23, 2025

2026 Town Budget process kicks off

In the five years I have been Town Supervisor, I have often stated that the most important job the Webster Town Board has is the stewardship of taxpayer money. Specifically, balancing Town property taxes levied with the quality-of-life services provided by the Town of Webster. It is important that ALL of those elected officials; town, county, state, and federal should understand the job they are applying for when they campaign. Webster Town Board members do not rule on National political issues such as abortion, the border/immigration, etc. and members of U.S. Congress do not rule on zoning regulations in the Town of Webster.

With that preface, I have the following three (3) thoughts entering the sixth and last town budget process as Town Supervisor:

1. Factors that affect the Town budget: I have often tried to compare the Town Government's budget to the typical family budget. Both have revenue coming in and expenses going out annually. A family’s revenue comes from jobs, social security, retirement, etc. Town government revenue comes from taxes levied on taxpayers, sales tax, grants, fees for services, etc. A family’s expenses are housing, cars, insurance, food, etc. Town government expenses are personnel (salaries and benefits), maintenance of Town facilities, upkeep of infrastructure and Town-owned property, etc.

Both the family and Town have to manage whether the revenue they bring in annually is enough to cover their expenses. If not, they have four choices to make ends meet: 1. cut expenses, 2. increase revenue, 3. Take Money out of Savings, or 4. Go into Debt. This latter point has been something the Town Board has dealt with over the past six to eight years. Decaying infrastructure such as the Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Highway garage hit the point where Band Aiding them was no longer an option. There were insufficient reserves/savings built up over the years to pay for new facilities, so the Town had to go into debt to rebuild them. The Town Board made a statement in 2024 when it was developing the 2025 budget when it put $540,000 into the sewer reserve that we did not want future Town Boards to face what we had faced when facilities reach the end of their lives and need to be rebuilt in thirty years. Time will tell if future Town Boards keep up this annual reserve funding.

Both the family and the Town can manage their annual budgets to a point where they bring in more revenue than they pay out for expenses. In that situation, they put money into savings from that excess. The Town has historically budgeted conservatively, and the result has been that only one (1) year (2016) in the past fifteen has had the adopted annual budget exceeding the 2% New York State tax cap. Within that conservative budgeting approach, the Town has built up its savings (i.e. fund balances) and may use them annually to help make ends meet and keep the tax levy down. The town adopted a fund balance policy in 2022 to guide future Town Boards on how much of these fund balances can be used annually to make ends meet on the budget. This policy was built from best practices of the New York State Comptroller’s Office and the New York State Association of Towns guidance.

2. The 2026 Town Budget process: On April 23, the Town Finance Director will send all Town Department Heads a line-item request of what they foresee for their calendar year 2026 budget. The format of the request is where the Department Head has their line items for their approved 2025 budget with that intel and the first four to five months of 2025 having already occurred, it gives the Department head some perspective as to what they may need for 2026. For five to six weeks in May/early June, the Department Head can work with the Finance Director, their Town Board liaison, and the Town Supervisor in the process of developing their 2026 Town Budget request

Ultimately this initial request for Department Head is due in early June 2025. From there, the mid-June through July timeframe is utilized to have meetings to assess which, if any, of their line-item request for 2026 need to be edited. In early August, the Town Board Budget Workshops are held where the community gets their first look at the proposed 2026 budgets of each Town Department. In September, the Tentative Budget is adopted by the Town Board which makes it the Preliminary Budget. In early October, the Preliminary Budget is published in the Webster Today and mailed to ALL homes and businesses in Webster. Within that Webster Today edition is an advertisement of when the 2026 Budget Public Hearing will be held. Ideally, by the end of October/early November, the final 2026 Town Budget will be adopted by the Town Board. That budget determines what will be reflected on the Town's real estate owner's January 2026 Town and County Tax bill.

3. The 2027 Town Budget: One of the biggest culture shocks I had coming from a 30+ year private business background to the Town government in 2020 was the lack of long-term financial planning that seems to permeate the development of the annual Town Budget. Too many times in municipal budgeting, politics and election cycles impact and control the budget process. The compass of decision making in private business is the RIGHT thing for the organization and its customers today and for the future; reelection does NOT play a role. The Town's Finance Director and I were aligned in the desire to build a five-year outlook of town expenses. We wanted to see how union contracts for three to four years would look financially to the Town budget three to four years out.

60% of the Town's annual budget is current and retired personnel so this lookout of annual cost of living adjustments two, three, four+ years out is critical to having foresight of whether there will be a financial burden beyond the 2% tax cap in two, three, four+ years. In May 2026, the next Town Supervisor and a Town Board with at least one new councilperson will be tasked with starting the process of developing the 2027 Town Budget. Simply said, I do not want to have the six Town budgets I've overseen (2021-2026) to be a problem for the Town Board in developing a 2027 budget as it pertains to the 2% NYS tax cap. As such, I have asked the Town Department Heads to approach the 2026 budget process with an eye on what will Town departments look like in 2027. The new Town Board as of January 1, 2026, deserves to be left with a fiscally responsible setup from the previous Town Board decisions on the 2026 budget, as well as in the previous six years.

The Town Budget process is robust and deliberate, as to ensure that quality-of-life services are delivered to residents without overburdening Webster taxpayers. We look forward to engaging our community throughout this process, especially at the Public Hearing later this year. As always, please feel free to call me at 588-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

April 16, 2025

Development of the Comprehensive Plan in the Town of Webster

On Tuesday, April 8, I joined Josh Artuso, Director of Community Development, at Liberty Lodge at Finn Park to formally announce the public kickoff of Webster’s Comprehensive Plan update. At this press event, we announced that the first public workshop will be on Tuesday, April 22 at 6 pm at Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive. I truly hope we have tremendous attendance at this first public engagement meeting!

I am excited about the process that will ensue over the next twelve to eighteen months in developing this new Comprehensive Plan for the Town of Webster. Webster’s last three comprehensive plans were updated and/or adopted in 1990, 2000, and 2008. Ideally, a town creates a new plan or updates its plan every ten years, so we are long overdue.

I first heard of the Comprehensive Plan in 2019 while campaigning for Webster Town Supervisor. Over the past six years, I have concluded that the Comprehensive Plan is both 1. extremely important to a community's compass of what it wants to be in the next 10-15 years, and 2. extremely misunderstood by citizens as to what it means to day-to-day governance decisions. To this latter point, I have heard people say at Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board meetings a derivation of, "You can't do that because the 2008 Comprehensive Plan specifically says you can't."

In 2021, when we first started looking at developing a new Comprehensive Plan or updating the 2008 plan, we took an approach of learning from the past to avoid past mistakes in Comprehensive Plan development. Within this approach, we also wanted to research resources available that were not in 1990, 2000, and 2008 that could put us in a position to get maximum community input. That process led us to the following:

GRANT: The robust development process of a Comprehensive Plan, and any code and/or zoning changes that spawn off of it cost money. The Town bore the cost of this in 1990, 2000, and 2008 with no grant funding. In May 2021, the Town of Webster applied for the Smart Growth grant through New York State. We were denied in December 2021, but based on a debrief with NYS, we reapplied in May 2022 and were awarded $100,000 in December 2022. This $100,000 will not pay for ALL aspects of the plan development but will help immensely.

SURVEY: In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Town developed a five-question survey that sought feedback from the Webster community on what was important to them today and in the future for the Town of Webster. We received a significant number of responses to that survey. Best of all, the ages of the survey respondents represented the overall breakdown of the Town of Webster. This was very important to ensure one age group was not overrepresented in their feelings for what is needed in Webster. Simply said, a 65-year-old empty nester will have different priorities than a 35-year-old with three school-aged children. We wanted to make sure we had equal representation from ALL.

CONSULTING FIRM: The Town put out a request for proposal to consulting firms who assist municipalities in creating or updating comprehensive plans. We received eight submissions and, after a robust vetting process, engaged with Colliers. To the best of my knowledge, the 1990 and 2000 comprehensive plans did not have the assistance of a consulting firm. The 2008 plan development engaged a firm about a year after starting the process. We wanted to make sure we brought such a firm in at the beginning to navigate the process for the desired goal of an achievable plan.

ENSURE THE PLAN CAN BE ACHIEVED: In 2021, the Town analyzed approximately 130 initiatives that the 2008 Comprehensive Plan stated were to be achieved in four timeframes: 1 Immediately, 2. Within two years, 3. Within two to five years, and 4. Within ten years. We noticed that several of these initiatives never got off the ground. We found those unachieved initiatives had a common denominator; there was NO formal path to their success set up in 2008 via code, zoning, and/or funding.

On this fourth point, when I met with the thirteen-person Comprehensive Plan steering committee last month, I encouraged them to make sure that the initiatives of the 2026 Plan CAN be achieved via a path of code, zoning, and/or funding. The advantage of maximum public engagement in this process has the possible downside of people wanting things incorporated into the plan that don't have the consensus or practicality to be successfully implemented.

The plan’s update is aptly named Webster’s Bicentennial Plan: Rooted in History, Growing with Purpose, as the goals and objectives of this plan will align with the Town’s bicentennial anniversary in 2040. The Town of Webster is looking forward to partnering with our community throughout the development of this plan. You can learn more about this project at our webpage. As always, please feel free to call me at 588-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

April 9, 2025

Highway Department Spring projects: mulch, mailboxes, and lawn repair

While we had snow earlier this week, we are slowly moving towards spring here in Webster. Spring brings with it not only the start of major drainage and roadway repair projects but also three (3) functions at the Webster Highway Department that are of great interest to our community: leaf mulch compost, mailboxes, and lawn repair. A brief description of each function:

LEAF MULCH COMPOST AND WOOD CHIPS: The rigorous autumn leaf pick up at the curbside of residents’ homes is turned into leaf mulch compost. Free leaf mulch compost and wood chips are now available in the parking lot on Orchard Road, north of Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park.

Leaf mulch compost and woodchips may also be ordered for delivery to residents’ homes by filling out the order form on the town website or contacting the Webster Highway Department at 872-1443. There is no fee for the quantity of material chosen, but there is a delivery fee of $50.00 per load. These materials are available while supplies last and all orders are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. This season, our crews have delivered materials to 156 residents so far as of Monday April 7th!

MAILBOXES: Many USPS mailboxes in Webster are on the roadside, within the town right of way, along a resident's yard. This is very convenient for the mail carriers as most drive up to these mailboxes to deliver mail. However, having the mailboxes directly at the road edge puts them directly in the path of snow and ice as it is removed from the roadway. Each year, some of these roadside mailboxes are damaged or destroyed.

As a courtesy, the Highway Department repairs or replaces these mailboxes that are damaged by Town snow removal with a standard mailbox meeting the USPS guidelines, at no charge. To do so, they need to be made aware of the damage by residents. A resident may also opt to repair or replace it themselves and the town will give the homeowner $25 to subsidize that effort.

LAWN REPAIR: In the fall, the Highway Department places stakes along the grass at the side of the road in preparation for snow plowing season. These stakes give plow drivers a bearing on where the road ends and a resident's lawn begins. Until you sit up in the cab of one of these plow trucks, it is hard to fathom how difficult it is to be precise in plowing to the barrier of road versus grass without narrowing the roadway. As such, when the snow melts in the spring, several resident lawns reflect plow blade damage. The dedicated Highway Department staff go out and essentially regrade and seed these damage points so that by mid-May to June, the grass has grown back.

The Highway Department continues to be hard at work, serving the Webster community as we welcome a new season. The Town of Webster will keep residents apprised of any updates to these services as spring continues. In addition to springtime projects, the Highway Department has now moved into their new facility and we will officially cut the ribbon on this project later this month. As always, please feel free to call me at 872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

April 2, 2025

Seasonal Closure of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge

While March 21 is the official start of Spring, many Webster residents see April 1 each year as the start of Spring and Summer activities with the closure of the Irondequoit Bay Outlet Bridge (IBOB). The IBOB is open five months of the year: November 1–March 31. It connects Culver Road in Irondequoit to Lake Road in Webster, west of Bay Road.

That isthmus has Lake Ontario to the North, Irondequoit Bay to the South, and runs from Bay Road west to IBOB. That strip of land is currently home to sixty to seventy residential homes, two businesses: Castaways and Mayer Marina, and Sandbar Park. On April 1, the United States Coast Guard, in collaboration with the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), "opens the bay" and the IBOB is rendered non-operational for the season. From April 1 to October 31, Irondequoit Bay is opened up for boat traffic in and out of Lake Ontario.

When I was a kid, there was a "permanent" bridge that connected Lake Road in Webster to Culver Road in Irondequoit over the mouth of Irondequoit Bay. In the summer, the only boats that could pass under it were small enough that you had to duck your head when you went underneath. About forty years ago, circa 1985, that permanent bridge was taken out in parallel with the Irondequoit Bay being designated as a Safe Harbor by the federal government for boats to come off Lake Ontario in the event of inclement weather.

The current schedule for the IBOB has been in place for several years. Depending on who you talk to, people either, 1. Are happy with the current five-month IBOB and seven-month open bay model, 2. Would like to see NO IBOB and the bay be open all twelve months of the year, 3. Would like to see a permanent IBOB, or 4. Would like one to two more months of the IBOB being operational (i.e. close the IBOB May 1 and/or open it October 1).

In the 2015–2017 timeframe, Fisher Associates was retained by a consortium of government agencies to conduct a study of permanent options for an IBOB. The cost of the three bridge scenarios and one tunnel scenario ranged from $40 million to $95 million at that time. Some of those options included eminent domain to take current private property to execute the permanent IBOB. Besides the cost, WHO would pay the cost, and eminent domain being impediments to any action being taken from that study, the fact that several government agencies would need to collaborate on moving forward with such a project was and will continue to impede any changes from the current five months IBOB, seven months open Bay.

In my five years as Supervisor, I have received inquiries from Webster residents who have vehemently been opposed to a permanent IBOB. I have also had inquiries from residents about the possibility of a permanent IBOB, or one to two more months of the IBOB being open each year. Within those inquiries I have always tried to be honest and consistent in my reply: the Federal government, U.S. Coast Guard, New York State Department of Transportation, MCDOT, Town of Irondequoit, and Town of Webster would need to agree on any future change and that the U.S. Government and U.S. Coast Guard would need to be the lead agencies driving any change. From the inquiries I have made over the years, I do not see an appetite to change the status quo from any of those government agencies. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

March 26, 2025

Town Government: Balancing Technology and personal service to Citizens

We all can agree that technological advances—when utilized appropriately—make our lives easier. In the last 150 years alone, even the most traditional person has conceded to owning a car as a means of traveling rather than a horse. The old adage is that the only constant in life is change. Such "change" can be a wonderful thing if people feel it gives them options and/or makes their lives easier.

The Town of Webster government has been in a five+ year mode of discerning where technology can assist in the delivery of services it provides to its citizens, and what it can also do for Town employees to do their jobs more efficiently. It is clear that some processes need to be converted from paper to computer. For example, when I became Town Supervisor in January 2020, there were several programs, initiatives, and operations for which I wanted to review reports. Unfortunately, even in 2020, the Town had some operations that still functioned with paper alone. With the volume of many of the Town’s processes, it becomes arduous and unorganized to rely on paper alone when digital methods offer ease and better organization.

Recently, we have been discerning the services the Town provides to the community. We are trying to determine which of them can be done online from a computer or cell phone in the future instead of having to come into Town facilities (Town Hall, the Recreation Center, etc.) during its Monday–Friday from 8:30AM–4:30PM office hours. As we look at future digital services that may be offered, it is important to note that we are not seeking to take away in-person services, but testing the feasibility of adding the option of 24/7/365 access to online services. Many residents will always want to go into Town Hall to conduct their business, while others in the future will eagerly welcome more convenient remote services to complete Town-related transactions.

The Town has 180+ full-time employees and a total of 400+ employees when factoring in part-time and seasonal. Some of these positions will have their jobs made much more efficient with technology. Before the onset of Covid in 2020, most if not all Town of Webster employees ONLY worked from the office. Once staff left, they did not need remote access to the computer software applications. The changing landscape of the job market is making the Town look deeper into laptops and/or tablets so their employees can be productive outside the walls of their offices. A good example of this is when a building inspector goes out in the field to do an inspection of a construction site. In the past, they had to write everything down, come into the office, and either have it in a paper file or input it into a software application. With a laptop or tablet, the inspection input is done on-site and uploaded in real-time to the computer software application.

Some of these things may seem rudimentary compared to jobs in the private sector. The reality is that government often lags ten to twenty years behind on technology being used in the private sector. We've prioritized in the past five+ years getting the Town of Webster government caught up on this lag of technology and will continue to do so into the future. As always, feel free to call me at 58-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov

March 19, 2025

How will my property tax bill be affected by a revaluation?

Last week, local media outlets and social media platforms were abuzz with stories of some Brighton homeowners’ assessed values doubling due to the town’s recently completed revaluation. We've seen this strong emotional response in the past five years with Irondequoit two years ago and Penfield three years ago. Frequently, the immediate reaction to a revaluation is, “If my property’s assessed value doubles, my tax bill will double.” Nothing will cause a frenzy more than thinking your $8,000 annual property tax bill will double to $16,000!

Revaluations are so often met with skepticism, misunderstanding, and anxiety; however, this is usually unnecessary. The fear and/or anger comes from a false premise that an increase in a property's assessed value and/or the tax rate will necessarily cause the bottom-line tax bill to increase.

As the Town of Webster enters into its first full property revaluation in over twenty years, it is important to understand that two important things property owners must focus on are tax levy (the total amount of money to be raised by property taxes) and bottom-line tax bill. While assessed value and tax rate are important parts of the equation that calculates tax bills, they are not the sole determinants of whether a property tax bill increases, decreases, or stays the same after a revaluation.

Using my home's tax bill as an example, below is my January 2025 Town tax bill, and theoretically what it will look like if the tax levy stays the same year to year when the January 2028 tax bill comes out after the revaluation is complete.

	January 2025	Est. January 2028 (after revaluation)
Assessed Value ($)	208,400.00	400,800
Equalization Rate	52%	100%
Full Market Value ($)	400,800.00	400,800
Tax levy ($)	22 million	22 million
Tax rate per $1,000 Assessed Value ($)	5.39	2.70
Town of Webster tax ($)	1,123.00	1,123.00

The biggest threat to a property owner's bottom line tax bill increasing yearly is that the municipality increases its tax levy. Guide rails put into place by the New York State government beginning with the 2012 calendar year make it difficult for Town Boards to increase the tax levy year-over-year by more than 2%. It can be done, but it needs a supermajority—a 4-1 or 5-0 vote for the Town of Webster—on the budget by the Town Board. Since 2012, the Town of Webster has only exceeded the New York State tax cap formula once for the 2016 budget.

As we continue through the next nine+ months leading up to the formal revaluation process starting on January 1, 2026, the Town of Webster seeks to engage with as many Webster residents and property owners as possible to debunk myths, educate as to how a revaluation works, and inform about what factors are most important to focus on. Our goal is to be a reliable source of information and resources for property owners throughout the entire revaluation process rather than an adversary. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov

March 12, 2025

Update on Redevelopment of Webster Xerox Campus

Over the past five+ years I have written seven (7) Supervisor’s Corner Articles that were dedicated to—or referred to—redevelopment of the 800+ acres on the Xerox campus. This includes the Tessy purchase of 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of buildings on the campus in June 2022. Most recently my December 31, 2024, article was dedicated to Xerox campus redevelopment.

There is a confluence of events occurring in parallel the past two months that portend "action" being taken in the next one to two years on the Xerox campus within this redevelopment effort. To fully understand the momentum that appears to be occurring in March 2025 within this effort, you have to see first the significance of Tessy's purchase of land and buildings from Xerox in June 2022 and Coca-Cola/fairlife announcement they were building their new dairy processing facility on 100+ acres directly across the street to the east of the Xerox campus. Those created the "spark" that started to turn around the thirty-year slide the Xerox campus had been going through from 1990-2020. That thirty-year period saw 15,000 people working on the campus go down to 2,000 and almost 6 million square feet of occupied industrial, office, and warehouse space become almost two-thirds empty.

When I first became Supervisor, I attended a meeting in January 2020 with key Village of Webster and Xerox officials to get introduced to the efforts to redevelop the campus in 2020 and beyond. The key aspect of this was tied to how the campus was constructed over fifty years earlier. Simply said, it was built as a single 1,000+ acre campus for Xerox alone, with a road system and RGE-powered substation for sole use by Xerox. That model served Xerox well during their heyday but now has challenges if Xerox wants to subdivide 50, 100, etc. acre parcels to sell to other industries. The main challenges are what I refer to as the "skeleton" of the campus which are the privately owned Xerox roads, and the "organs" of the campus which are energy/power.

SKELETON: ROADS: At the Thursday, March 6 Webster Town Board meeting, a presentation was done on a potential Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) grant application through Empire State Development (ESD)’s FAST NY program. The proposed application is for $9 million to improve and reconstruct existing Xerox private roads so the Village of Webster can take ownership of them and build an east-west extension of Boulter Parkway to Salt Road, and Chiyoda Drive to 250 that the Town would take ownership of.

Over the next month, the Village Board and Town Board will be discerning whether to have WEDA apply for this grant in early April. If WEDA ends up applying for this grant and it is awarded, it is very possible that by the end of 2026, the "skeleton" of the Xerox campus will be in a position to subdivide into smaller parcels with public roads surrounding them.

ORGANS: ENERGY/POWER: In mid-January 2025, I attended a meeting of key RGE, Village, Town, and Xerox officials. The purpose of the meeting was to determine the timeline and cost to bring an additional 40–50 megawatts of power to the RGE-owned substation on the Xerox campus. This additional power is critical to any plan for Xerox to subdivide and sell parcels to other commercial or industrial buyers.

In mid-February 2025 RGE informed the Village, Town, and Xerox it would not be doing a study of "time and cost" of 40–50 megawatts to the Xerox campus. RGE stated they could study an additional 10 megawatts of capacity and that a study they had done recently for a different campus required an investment from the potential customer of $10–15 million. That process involves a potential customer contracting with the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) to complete a study. Such studies typically cost $150,000–250,000. At this point, it is unknown if the potential customer would be Xerox and/or a potential buyer of a parcel on the Xerox campus.

In summary, Xerox has conveyed they seek to keep 300–500 acres of the campus for operations such as their toner plant facility. However, they are actively working with government agencies and private companies on selling off an aggregate of 300+ acres via 50, 100, etc. acre parcels. Besides the two (2) major challenges of roads and power, there are other challenges to subdividing the current 800 acres of the Xerox campus such as private storm and/or sanitary sewer pipes that may need to go into the Village or Town ownership, and potential movement of municipal lines between Village and Town as currently those municipal lines go through the middle of some of the buildings on the campus. Ultimately, Xerox would need to apply to the Village and Town for municipal line movement and show the reason for the proposed line movement. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov

March 5, 2025

Early Spring Driving in Webster

It's been a busy winter for the Webster Highway Department. The statewide salt shortage combined with periods of 2-4 inches an hour of snow coming down made keeping the Webster roads safe for vehicles challenging. As always, the Highway team rose to the occasion for the Webster citizens! The thawing of the past ten+ days hopefully portends that March will "go out like a lamb" and the worst of winter is behind us. With that thawing comes the dreaded pothole season. The aforementioned unusual conditions this winter have exacerbated this. Sometimes when I am driving on the main arteries in Webster, I feel like I am playing "frogger" with my car trying to avoid the potholes.

When a Town road has a pothole and the Highway Department is made aware of it, they usually remedy it within 24–48 hours. The reality is that most of the main arteries in Webster are Monroe County or New York State roads. The Webster Highway Department has an excellent relationship with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT).

I understand that potholes may disrupt travelers within the Town of Webster. Residents and community members may report potholes to the entity that maintains the roads where they are found. For example, the Route 104 expressway, its offramps and onramps, along with service roads are maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). Other NYSDOT-maintained roads in Webster include but are not limited to Webster Road (Route 250), and Empire Boulevard/Ridge Road (Route 404). Residents may contact NYSDOT by calling 1-800-POTHOLE to report these.

MCDOT-maintained roads in Webster include but are not limited to Basket Road, Bay Road, Five Mile Line, Gravel Road, Holt Road, and Jackson Road. Residents can contact MCDOT by calling 585-753-7750 to report these. Potholes on county roads may also be reported by online form on Monroe County’s website: monroecounty.gov/dot-pothole.

We appreciate the diligence of our community in reporting potholes as it ensures efficient road maintenance. A map of roadways within the Town of Webster with the maintaining entity indicated is located on the Town’s website: websterny.gov/157/Roadways. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov

February 26, 2025

Community Office Hours on March 5

A more informed and engaged community is a better community. This statement has been one of the pillars of the philosophy that has guided me as Webster Town Supervisor over the past five+ years. It has led me to seek methods, both new and tried and true, to effectively reach Webster residents and business owners with Town information that is relevant and important. Earlier this month, we debuted Community Office Hours to offer time and space for residents to ask Town-related questions to me or other Town staff members.

The motivation for office hours beginning in February 2025 was simple: The education process on the January 1, 2026- July 1, 2027, 18-month Townwide Revaluation project. This education project is not formally slated to kick off for 4 more months in July 2025. Any related changes to a Webster property's real estate tax bill will not be first reflected until September 2027 school tax bills arrive. That is over 2.5 years away. However, it is a priority to ensure that our community is given the chance to ask questions, become educated, and feel comfortable throughout this entire process.

We are aware that revaluations often prompt misinformation and we appreciate that this may cause confusion or even anxiety. At the initial community office hours in early February, a property owner came in stating, "My real estate taxes will double due to this revaluation and I'll be forced to sell my house." After talking with members of the Town Assessment staff and myself, that property owner left feeling MUCH better about the fact that this revaluation most likely would have little to no effect on the actual County, Town, and/or School bill of their property. I was thrilled at how that interaction went.

The Town of Webster’s role is not only to carry out the revaluation but also to dispel common myths and provide resources that answer questions that will arise over the next two+ years. I said to the Assessment staff after that meeting that, "I wish we could have one on one meetings with ALL Webster Property owners within this effort and use their specific property as the example to dispel the myths and assuage concerns."

In addition to Community Office Hours, we will be hosting several community outreach events and other educational opportunities throughout Webster to bolster awareness around the 2027 Revaluation. We encourage you to participate in some or all of these events and take advantage of the resources that will become available through our website and social media in the coming months. We also invite you to contact us through email, by phone, or by dropping into Office Hours or similar events.

Because Office Hours have no formal agenda, this is your time to ask Town leadership and staff any questions regarding the upcoming Revaluation, or any other Town-related topic that you are curious about. Our next Community Office Hours session is scheduled for next Wednesday, March 5 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm in Study Room 2 at Webster Public Library. There will be signage displayed, and Library staff at the Information Desk will be able to direct you to this space, if needed.

A more informed and engaged community is a better community, and I hope to see you on Wednesday, March 5, or at another Office Hours event in the future. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-1068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

February 19, 2025

Law Enforcement in 2025

Nineteen months ago, I wrote an article about the Webster Police Department (WPD) by the numbers in the July 12, 2023, edition of the Webster Herald. Within it was the fact that the WPD has 30–35 police officers on staff from the Chief of Police to patrol officers and that at any time, there are three to four patrol cars and five to seven officers on the road or on duty.

As with any Town department, the WPD works with the Town's Human Resources Department to manage the staff that is leaving the department via retirement or transferring, etc., and filling vacancies with new officers. Historically, vacancies have been filled by putting cadets in the academy or from transfers into the department. Retirement from law enforcement creates a unique challenge in this process since many officers will retire once they hit their twenty years of service. In "normal" times, we lose great experienced talent at relatively young ages compared to other professions.

Unfortunately, the past five years have not been "normal" in law enforcement. For a myriad of reasons, officers are retiring or leaving the profession in record numbers. Paralleling that, exponentially fewer people are taking and passing the Civil Service exam to become a Police Officer.

On this latter point, on average, in the 2010 – 2015 timeframe, approximately 3,000 people passed the Police Officer Civil Service exam in Monroe County each year. After vetting of physical fitness, psychological tests, and background checks, this 3,000 would pare down to approximately 375 to enter the Academy. From those 375, the various Monroe County law enforcement agencies (Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Rochester Police Department, WPD, etc.) would replenish their ranks.

In 2025, fewer than 300 candidates passed the Civil Service exam in Monroe County to be a Police Officer. Based on the vetting stages, it is assumed there will be approximately 30-35 candidates to enter the academy, which ALL Monroe County law enforcement agencies will be looking to hire. The supply and demand dilemma is similar to having one hundred boats on a lake fishing for the five fish in the lake.

The good news is that WPD leadership and Human Resources are addressing this "supply and demand" issue for new officers via the academy or transfers-in with creativity to put Webster in the best position to maintain the excellent 30-35 officer force for years to come. The Webster Police Department offers public safety and community outreach services that enhance the quality of life our Webster community enjoys. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@websterny.gov

February 12, 2025

Comprehensive Plan Kickoff

Three months ago, my November 6, 2024, Supervisor's Corner article addressed the formal start of the update of the 2008 Webster Comprehensive Plan process through Town Board resolutions that would be done on November 7. Over the past three months key Town officials in Community Development and Planning have worked with Colliers, the firm engaged by the town to assist in this update. One of the initial tasks was to identify a steering committee of ten to fifteen people that would guide the overall process for the next two years. Two (2) key aspects of this committee:

1. The process of choosing the ten-to-fifteen-person steering committee was geared towards making sure it reflected a broad range of expertise, experience, and the community itself. Such experience included considerations of a person's current professional position and the representative nature of each of them as we seek to craft a plan for the next ten to fifteen years. To build the best plan, we need perspectives from this steering committee across a wide range.

2. This committee will meet approximately every three months throughout the process. Its primary role will be to guide the planning process, review all consultant deliverables, and provide essential feedback on all draft material and documents. Additionally, the committee will help identify key issues and opportunities that will inform the project.

Colliers conducted a kickoff meeting of the Steering committee on January 28. I was asked to attend the beginning of that meeting to say a few words to the committee members. My message was two-fold: 1. Thank them for investing their time in this endeavor that is important to the future of Webster, and 2. Ask them to be mindful of balancing the traditions and customs of the farm town that was established in 1840, while acknowledging the realities of the socio-economic makeup, 45,000 population, and land usage of the town as it is in 2025.

In the coming months, there will be opportunities for both topic-based and general resident participation through a combination of public meetings, pop-up appearances at community events, and an online survey with interactive mapping exercises on the project webpage. The project webpage is expected to go live in late February or early March. We are also actively compiling a list of names/contact information for a series of stakeholder interviews that will be conducted in the coming months with a variety of different groups that will likely be more topic-based.

I am very excited for the process that will play out over the next eighteen months as the community of Webster works together to produce the Comprehensive Plan for 2026 and beyond. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

February 5, 2025

Update on New York State efforts to move local elections to even years

Fourteen months ago in December 2023, I wrote a Supervisor's Corner article about an initiative that had been enacted by the New York State government that had for the most part flown under the radar of the public. This initiative passed by the Democrat majority State Assembly, Senate, and Governor's office was to change local elections from odd years to even years. The selling points to this initiative were two-fold: 1. increase local election turnouts, and 2. save costs and create efficiencies for the Board of Elections. On the surface, those selling points appear to make sense, but when you look closer, they fall apart.

Voter turnout, especially for local elections, trends low and we can all agree that greater voter participation in November elections is a good thing. In the three elections I won as Webster Town Supervisor (2019, 2021, and 2023), approximately 30 – 42% of registered voters in Webster came out to vote. In the 2022 Gubernatorial Election, about 65% of registered Websterians turned out to vote. Finally, in the 2020 and 2024 Presidential Elections, there was approximately 85% turnout in the Town of Webster. Simply said, even-year elections for governors, presidents, and Congressmembers bring out more voters.

If local elections, including elections for Town Board and Town Supervisor, are changed to those even years, voters will likely pay less attention, if any, to local issues and initiatives, and the consequence of an inferior candidate riding the wave of his or her party's gubernatorial or presidential candidate exists. While increasing voter turnout for local elections is an admirable endeavor, there are better ways to accomplish this without diminishing the focus on local issues by changing Village, Town, City, and County elections to even years.

As to saving costs and creating efficiencies for the Board of Elections by going to even-year elections for local races, it falls flat as some races will be exempt from this change. As such, certain local candidates will find themselves running for a position in an odd year without a slate of other races going on. That will likely cause less voter turnout for odd-year races while the Board of Elections will still need to set up polling sites for both early voting and Election Day.

Four months ago in October 2024, an Onondaga County Judge ruled that this New York State initiative was unconstitutional and/or against home rule that protects local governments like the Town of Webster from being subject to some New York State laws. In November 2024, appeals were filed by what appears to be the Onondaga Democrat Committee and the New York State Attorney General. As of February 2025, the appellate process has not formally started which has town board candidates in the November 2025 election not knowing if they are running for a three- or four-year term, and worse, town supervisor candidates not knowing if they are running for one- or two-year terms.

If the appeal wins, the law of the land will be even-year elections going forward, and the Supervisor will need to run again in November 2026, and the Town Board will need to run again in 2028. This would create a situation where the Town Supervisor is essentially campaigning for approximately eighteen months straight (March 2025 through October 2026) and has to win elections in two consecutive years. Personally, having been the Supervisor for the past five+ years, it would be difficult to accomplish anything substantial for the Webster community while campaigning for eighteen months.

I like to think that local elections are less about a candidate’s political affiliation and more about residents paying attention to local issues when they vote. Local elections have not been largely swayed by party enrollment. This will go away if we move these elections to even years. New York State is a blue, or Democrat, state, and this is reflected in results from Gubernatorial and Presidential Elections.

Each month I participate in Town Supervisor meetings among over 900 other town leaders from across New York State. In these meetings, it has been refreshing that several downstate Democrat supervisors have said that while it would make their elections significantly easier based on voter registration in their towns, they absolutely oppose the initiative based on potential repercussions in the future.

I continue to be amazed at how this remains under the radar for most New York State voters, and I hope that this article sheds light on an important issue that may have a major impact on local elections and government. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

January 29, 2025

2025: My last year as Webster Town Supervisor

In early December 2024, I formally announced I would not be running for a fourth term as Webster Town Supervisor in November 2025. As such, my three terms consisting of six years in total as Supervisor will come to an end on December 31, 2025. As we enter February 2025, and my last eleven months as Supervisor, I want to let the Webster community know my thoughts on the past five+ years, why I am not seeking a re-election, and what I would like to see for future of Webster's leadership:

Why am I not running again?: This is a question I have gotten dozens of times in the past two months. It is actually a simple answer and one that I have been saying since I first ran back in 2019. I saw this as a four-to-six-year position for me when I first approached it in 2019. To me, any position of leadership can go on too long and have the consequence of it becoming more about what is good for the leader than what is good for the organization being led and the customer base it supports. Elected government positions have this risk exponentially.

As Town Supervisor, my compass of decision-making was forged through leading a private business for over twenty years. That emboldened me to make "tough decisions" that were for the long-term good, even if at short-term pain. It has been important to me to do right by the Webster community despite any potential political repercussions.

In the end, I want to get back to business while I am still young. However, I will not deny the decision to not run was made more difficult due to genuinely enjoying the position, the people I work with, and serving the Webster community to the best of my ability.

The past five+ years: When I first became Supervisor in January 2020, I told the Town Board and Town Department Heads that no major changes would take place early on, as I planned to spend the first three to six months in a discovery mode to understand the Town of Webster as an organization. This included deciphering what the Town did well, what we needed to improve, what was the vision and culture of past and current leadership, and so much more.

The main thing I discerned from that process was that the Webster Town government was approximately twenty years behind the times. I saw it as an identity crisis as we operated like the 15,000–20,000-person farm town we were in the 1970s and 1980s despite becoming a 45,000-resident socio-economic community that was not a farm town. The Town needed to get out of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first but in a manner that was respectful to the history and customs of the Town.

My main focus has been on 1. Organizational Structure, and 2. Customer Service, of which both are needed and deserved by the 400 employees of the Town and its 45,000 citizens. It was very gratifying to see people genuinely buy into this new culture and way of thinking. The tangible accomplishments that came from the teamwork of these people in the past 5 years are vast and will benefit Webster for years to come.

2026 and beyond Webster leadership: I appreciate that my wishes for 2026 and beyond in Webster are just that: wishes. The reality is that once I am out of this office, I will have little to no influence in making those wishes a reality more so than any other voter. With that being said, here are my three main wishes for future Webster leaders:

1. Know the job and pursue it for the right reasons. I have seen Supervisor and Town Board candidates in the past six years who I felt did not know the job they were campaigning for. If a candidate’s platform is based on county, state, and/or federal policy, they will likely not enjoy the Town position, nor will they be effective at it. Also, the position must be held by someone with a sincere desire to positively impact the community rather than for power or political gain.

2. Take Webster to the next level. I sincerely hope that the future leadership, especially the Supervisor, seeks to take the Town to the next level. This means owning their time caretaking the position. I have never been interested in comparing my tenure against past Supervisors. They "own" their time, caretaking the position and faced different challenges than I have; future Supervisors will do the same. I am proud of the progress we have made in the past five+ years but there is much more to be accomplished for the good of the Webster residents and their quality of life.

3. Functional organizations have current leadership reaching out to past leadership. Whoever wins the November 2025 election as the next Town Supervisor will have unlimited access to me in the two months leading up to their term starting on January 1, 2026. Any help I can give will be given to prepare the Supervisor-elect and our entire Webster community for success. After January 1, 2026, if she or he as the New Supervisor wants to call, e-mail, meet, etc. with me to discuss things, get insights, etc., I will help where I can. Caretake the position and help future Supervisors caretake it too. It is not a competition of who was better, but a TEAM effort to do better for the Town.

It has been an honor to serve Webster as Town Supervisor, and I look forward to the next eleven months of partnership with our great community. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at tflaherty@websterny.gov

January 8, 2025

January 2025 County and Town Property Tax Bills

On Friday, January 3, 2025, the Office of the Tax Receiver at Webster Town Hall started accepting January 2025 County and Town real estate tax payments and issuing paid receipts. These tax bills are mailed First Class through USPS to Webster real estate owners on or before January 31, 2025, and have likely been received. Tax bills can be paid in a variety of ways which are spelled out on the back page of the bill.

Often, I hear from citizens about questions they have about their real estate tax bills. As such, below is a summary of the last four (4) Town and County tax bills I received for my home, along with a brief explanation of each line item:

Assessed Value: The Town Assessment Office gives an assessed value to each of the 16,700+ parcels of real estate in Webster. The goal is to create an equitable distribution of various real estate tax bills and special districts where applicable. The Town of Webster has approximately $3.2 billion in aggregate taxable assessed value that the approximately $18 million in Town tax levy in 2025 is spread over. That creates a Town of Webster tax rate of approximately $5.40 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Equalization Rate: This rate, set by the State of New York, relates the present aggregate assessed value of the Town to the present aggregate full market value of the Town. Its purpose is to provide a means for the school districts and the county to view portions of their districts, presumably at differing levels of assessment/equalization rate, as if they were all at 100% to calculate their tax rates for each portion.

Full Market Rate: Using the above equalization rate, this is a rough estimate of what amount the property would sell for today in an open market to a third-party buyer.

Monroe County Tax: The Monroe County Legislature and County Executive create and approve an annual budget/tax levy whose cost is spread across all Monroe County real estate owners. The actual bill has three (3) line items that make up this amount including a credit (negative) that is a portion of Monroe County sales tax that is received. Some of the services provided by the county include but are not limited to county road maintenance, Department of Human Services, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Seneca Park Zoo, and the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Rate per $1,000 assessed value: Calculated by an equation that divides total county budget/tax levy by the aggregate taxable assessed value of all Monroe County real estate.

Town of Webster Tax: Town Board creates an annual budget/Tax levy whose cost is spread across all Town of Webster real estate owners. Some of the services provided by the town include but are not limited to: Police, Highway, Parks and Rec, Library, and Building permits.

Rate per $1,000 assessed value: Calculated by an equation that divides the Town of Webster budget/tax levy by the aggregate taxable assessed value of all Town of Webster real estate.

Fire District Tax: There are two (2) fire districts in Webster; Northeast Joint Fire District (NEJFD) and West Webster Fire District (WWFD). I live in the NEJFD. If you live/own real estate west of Hard Road, you most likely are in the WWFD. Each of the fire districts create an annual budget/tax levy whose cost is spread across all Town of Webster real estate owners in that district.

Rate per $1,000 assessed value: Calculated by an equation that divides fire district/tax levy by the aggregate assessed value of all Town of Webster real estate in that district.

Sewer Operation & Maintenance (O&M) and Capital: There are two (2) line items on the bill that make up this flat dollar amount: 1. O&M, which includes the estimated annual cost of operating the Town's Sanitary Sewer plant and the collection system of pump stations and conveyance pipes to get the sewage to the plant. 2. Capital charge, which represents debt principal and interest on the infrastructure of both the plant and collection system.

Single-family homes are charged a flat dollar amount based on an estimate of 60,000 gallons annually put into the sanitary sewer system by that home. Some homes may actually put 50,000 gallons a year into the system, and some may put 70,000, but no estimate to actual is done and every home is just charged the flat dollar rate based on 60,000 gallons annually. Commercial/business properties are billed directly for the actual number of gallons they put into the system. The commercial rate per 1,000 gallons is essentially equal to the $253 residential flat dollar rate divided by 60= $4.22.

Webster Water Drain: This flat dollar amount is calculated by taking the estimated drainage projects the Highway Department will be doing annually and spreading them over the approximately 15,000 homes in Webster and another approximately 400 commercial properties in Webster.

Other: My home's tax bill does not reflect any of these. Some property owners will have Special District line items like lighting. Some property owners have exemptions for age, veteran status, etc.

As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 31, 2024

The Future of Webster Xerox campus

As I enter my sixth year as Webster Town Supervisor in 2025, it is interesting to reflect on the activity that has occurred on the Xerox campus in Webster. It is also a time to imagine what the future could bring for that campus and the benefits it could bring to the Webster citizens.

PAST (1990-2019): When I took office in January 2020, the then-770-acre Xerox campus located primarily between Phillips and Salt Roads had 5.7 million square feet of industrial and commercial/office building space. Of that, approximately 3 million square feet were vacant. To give some perspective, that is over fifty football fields of unoccupied space.

To exacerbate the situation, Xerox was slowly abandoning these vacant buildings over the past 20+ years, disabling mechanicals/utilities and permanently closing them. In doing so, they could petition the Webster Town Assessor that these were not buildings but outbuildings, like a garage. The effect was that the assessed value of the structure would be reduced, and Xerox would pay less real estate taxes.

The last townwide real estate assessment revaluation was done in 2004. A settlement agreement between Xerox and the town on their assessment was cited as one of the reasons a revaluation had not been done since 2004. All in all, the 1990-2019 timeframe for the campus had been one of "reductionism" as Xerox moved away from Rochester by moving its corporate headquarters to Connecticut, and the Webster campus that once had 15,000+ employees was down to less than 2,000.

PRESENT (2020-2024): One of the first meetings I attended in 2020 with Xerox leadership was regarding the ongoing discussions between Xerox, the Village, and the Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) to dedicate certain private campus roads, such as Mitcheldean, Orchard, and San Jose, to the Village as "public roads.” The concept was relatively simple: split the 770-acre campus into quadrants via public roads so that Xerox could sell off 50–200-acre parcels with access to "public roads" on all 4 sides. The major sticking point to the roadway transfers was the cost associated with improving the long-neglected pavements, with an estimated cost of over $9 million for full rehabilitation.

In 2019, WEDA was able to kick-start the initiative by securing $1.84 million in seed money from New York State. However, the excitement of this venture was soon covered by the reality that Xerox is a privately owned entity that had no interest in committing any of its monies towards this effort. The Village and Town government leadership along with WEDA were left to find the remaining funding sources.

“Xerox is a private entity” is at the core of the answer to a question I have gotten 100+ times as Town Supervisor regarding most any development proposal: "Why don't they build that on the Xerox campus?" Simply said, if Xerox, as a private company, does not want to sell to a developer, they do not have to, nor can the government force them.

However, some momentum started in mid-2021 as Xerox leadership had identified a buyer for a portion of its campus — and they reached out to the Village and Town government leadership for assistance. Xerox had a prospective buyer for a large contingent of empty warehouses and manufacturing buildings, and as part of the subdivision process, they were asking the Town/Village to accept the dedication of Xerox's private sanitary sewer mains serving the facility. In a continued spirit of cooperation, the Village and Town agreed, and in June 2022 Tessy Plastics out of Skaneateles, New York closed on 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of buildings north of Mitcheldean Drive. The event will most likely be looked back upon as the milestone that turned the 30-year "reductionism" on the campus into the "rejuvenation" phase.

By late 2022, Xerox leadership was engaging with Village/Town/WEDA leadership on plans to 1. Get private roads into the public domain 2. Get municipal lines moved to foster defined parcels for sale/redevelopment, and 3. Get power/electric onto the campus that is not Xerox-owned. The latter issue was a major hurdle to the sale to Tessy regarding the time and cost associated with installing new infrastructure to segregate Tessy’s buildings from Xerox's.

A separate, yet important milestone also occurring at the end of 2022 was the expiration of the Tax Settlement Agreement between the Town and Xerox on the campus' assessed value. This cleared the path for the town to consider its first townwide revaluation since 2004. Finally, in May 2023 Coca-Cola/fairlife announced they were building their new dairy processing plant 110 acres east of the Xerox campus. The "momentum" of Coca-Cola/fairlife has spurred even more interest in Xerox’s leadership in revitalizing the campus.

FUTURE (2025-): As we enter 2025, the future looks bright for the rejuvenation of the Industrial-zoned Xerox campus. The profitable toner plants on the campus are central to an approximately 300-acre core area of active Xerox facilities. Xerox leadership has conveyed they do not envision these toner facilities moving in the foreseeable future and in fact, want to revitalize the campus to attract new talent.

Additionally, New York State has included the campus within its federally funded “NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub" which is intended to support the $20 billion semiconductor plant to be built by Micron less than 75 miles away in Clay, New York. The opportunities that could arise from offshoot businesses of Micron are numerous for the remaining +/-360 acres on the Xerox campus. fairlife being right across the street will help, too.

The challenges to this rejuvenation and selling of parcels will take time to resolve. They will also take partnerships between private companies like Xerox, and governments like the Village, Town, Monroe County, New York State, and the federal government. The main challenges to be addressed are 1. Getting private roads on the campus into the public domain, 2. moving municipal lines to foster more delineated parcels, and 3. Power/energy/electric to the campus. These will not be resolved in the next twelve months. However, the actions or lack thereof of the stakeholders such as Xerox and the governments in 2025 will go a long way to determine just how quickly new business will be on the campus. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

December 24, 2024

Firm Selected for 2027 Townwide Revaluation

At the December 19 Town Board Workshop, Donna Komor, Town Assessor, presented the Revaluation Firm Selection Committee’s recommendation for a Western New York firm to provide municipal appraisal services for a 2027 townwide revaluation. Following the Workshop, the Town Board approved a resolution to enter into contract negotiations with KLW Municipal, Inc. out of Buffalo, New York, as recommended by the Selection Committee.

This presentation and the subsequent Town Board resolution spurred from another Workshop presentation on November 7 by Paul Adams and Donna Komor regarding the approximately $800,000 in remaining ARPA funds. As a reminder, to be in compliance for this funding, ARPA funds must be obligated by the December 31, 2024 deadline.

Following the favorable discussion of a 2027 revaluation by the Town Board at the November 7 Workshop, the Selection Committee was charged with three priorities: soliciting quotes for professional services based on a standardized outline, interviewing firms and comparing their quotes, and providing a recommendation on December 19, 2024, in order to get a contract in place by the end of year deadline.

Through this process, the Selection Committee invited three firms to provide quotes, with two replies. Both firms boast that all of their completed projects have been accepted by the Office of Real Property Tax Services of NYS at 100% equalization. They both have decades of experience in completing projects of this scale and employ State-certified appraisers. In addition, both firms indicated they were able to begin upon the execution of a contract to the maximum time invested in a thorough project. The two firms differed in cost, with KLW quoting $411,500 ($24.51/parcel) and GAR Associated quoting $1,100,000 ($65.51/parcel). After interviewing the firms and discerning their presentations, the Selection Committee determined that KLW would deliver the services that the Town is seeking for this project at a significantly lower cost.

As we glance ahead, one of the key components of a successful revaluation is clarity and communication, which will be achieved throughout the entirety of the thirty-month process. Through 2025, the Town of Webster looks forward to launching a public education effort to inform our community about the revaluation process that will result in the 2027 roll. This effort serves several purposes, including familiarizing property owners with the Assessment Office and its operations, educating Webster residents about the revaluation process, and clarifying common misconceptions.

The Town’s engagement with KLW is set to begin in January 2026 and will run through July 2027 at the time of the 2027 Final Assessment Roll. The Engagement consists of three main phases that are overlapping, yet distinct: Data Analysis, Valuation Production, and Public Interaction.

This is a robust thirty-month project that includes public education and boots-on-the-ground work. The results of this undertaking are still several years out and will be seen in the September 2027 School tax bill, the January 2028 Town and County tax bill, and if applicable, the June 2028 Village tax bill. In the years and months leading to these results, however, the Town of Webster will be active in providing information, resources, and support to the Webster community. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

December 18, 2024

Neighborhood/Subdivision Greenspace in the Town of Webster

The Town of Webster outside the village encompasses approximately 33 square miles and 21,000 acres. We are fortunate to have over 3,200 acres of "Permanent Greenspace" currently in the form of county and town parks, purchased development rights, tax incentive open space, conservation easements, and Neighborhood/Subdivision Greenspace. This latter classification of Neighborhood/Subdivision Greenspace (NSG) has approximately 380 acres within 40 individual NSG's throughout town. Many of them are referred to as "Park Districts".

NSGs in Webster proliferated in the past 40+ years as subdivision residential development occurred in town. Commonly these NSGs were the result of developer plans to build a certain number of houses in a subdivision and within that plan they showed open space, tree areas, etc. that often were on the outer metes and bounds of the whole development or at the entrance to the subdivision off a main road.

The main benefit to these NSGs is that homeowners and residents in a subdivision have "dedicated" green space within their neighborhood that has exclusive enjoyment and usage of them. These NSGs are not town parks anyone can access and use, rather they are for the residents of the neighborhood, only. That is why the reference to them as "Park Districts" confuses the issue. Since these NSGs are for the exclusive use and enjoyment of a particular subdivision, any maintenance cost the town incurs on that NSG land is paid for by the homeowners in their Town and County tax bill as a separate line item: Park District charge.

For the most part, the cost to the homeowner in 90%+ of these individual NSGs has been minimal, if not nonexistent over the years; this changed in 2021 and 2022 with the ash tree situation. When the ash bores decimated trees in 2021-2022, the Town had to identify any such trees on Town-owned land that posed a threat to fall on non-Town-owned land or personal property. As such, if the tree was in the NSG, the cost of canopying it or cutting it down was aggregated and charged to the subdivision homeowners commensurate with the assessed value of their home. Many Webster residents found out they had an NSG in their neighborhood when they got that charge. At this time, the Town government discovered there were no proactive policies and procedures in place in these NSGs as it pertained to maintenance, communication with residents, etc.

Some NSGs have a long history of proactive budgeting and resident involvement in setting up current and future maintenance in the NSG to increase resident enjoyment. Some of these wooded areas have had paths carved out, etc. that the Town pays for at their behest, and are collected back from the residents on their tax bill. Some of the earlier NSGs from the 1970s have playgrounds and tennis courts exclusive to the neighborhood residents. In later years 1990-2020, it seems like most, if not all these NSGs were wild, wooded areas that needed no annual maintenance until the ash tree situation.

Over the past several months, I have been working with several key Webster government department heads as we attempt to come up with a drafted policy and procedure on these 40 NSGs and the 380 acres they encompass. As policy develops, one of our first courses of action will be to communicate to these homeowners that they are in an NSG, and from there, it could be very individualized for each NSG. I look forward to keeping our community updated! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

December 11, 2024

Update on 70-acre Old Lumber yard on Holt Road

On Thursday, December 5, there was a public hearing for a proposed Progressive Development Overlay District (PDD) to be considered by the Webster Town Board on the approximately 70 acres at 799 Holt Road. (i.e. the old lumber yard). Overall, it was a wonderful display of citizen interaction with its elected officials. Sixteen (16) speakers took the podium to give their opinion on the subject, of which two (2) of the speakers were legal counsel for the developer and a citizen group opposed to this.

Those two attorney comments showed how subjective the issue is with the developers arguing that the site meets the three (3) criteria needed for the Town Board to establish a PDD on the site, while the attorney for the citizen group made the exact opposite arguments as to why the three (3) criteria are not present.

The Town Board refrained from voting on the issue at the December 5 Town Board meeting citing that we must gather all the comments and questions from the sixteen speakers at the public hearing and the e-mails, call-ins, etc. that have come in on the issue before we can make an "informed decision" on voting on this. To do so, it is important to separate facts from emotion/opinion/subjectivity. With that said, let's look at some facts surrounding this issue:

FACT: Per the Town Code, the purpose of the PDD Progressive Development Overlay District is to provide a means of developing those areas within the Town zoned HC High-Intensity Commercial District, OP Core Area North - Office Park, I-N Industrial District, and MC Medium Commercial in an economical manner while encouraging utilization of innovative planning and design concepts. The PDD does not increase the density for the underlying zoning district but allows flexibility in the placement of buildings, parking facilities, etc., to preserve green space, open space and promote beneficial development. For use of a PDD, the Town Board must determine if the following three(3) criteria are present:

1. The plan is conceptually sound in that it meets a community need; and

2. The plan encourages sound development in the interest of the safety and the general welfare of the public; and

3. The plan shows a development pattern in harmony with this chapter and the Town Comprehensive Plan.

FACT: The current zoning of the 70 acres is OP Core Area North- Office Park.

FACT: There are State and Federal protected wetlands on the 70-acre site. However, to date, NO third-party independent report has been supplied to show the metes and bounds of those wetlands on this site. Such a report would be mandated within the Planning Board’s due diligence process. That due diligence will NOT occur if the Town Board does not vote to issue a PDD and then refer the project to the Planning Board. As such, the sketch shown by the developer of several buildings they propose to build on the site has NO confirmation that they are or are not on the wetland areas and also meet the buffer requirements of wetlands. (i.e. 100 feet of NO development around the wetland)

FACT: The Developer is proposing several buildings on the site that comprise 361 55+/Senior housing. Whether the Webster market needs more Senior housing and/or if those buildings/361 units are on Wetlands are opinion and/or unknown at this time.

FACT: The 2008 Comprehensive Plan/current OP zoning designation of this area was originally intended to facilitate the development of large office park campuses. However, very few office park uses have come to fruition due to evolving market trends and conditions. On the other hand, there have been several PDDs established and special permits issued to allow for senior housing. These include developments such as the Marquis at the Woods and CDS Monarch off Hard Road as well as Monarch Senior Living and the Legends at North Ponds on Holt Road.

FACT: The Environmental Protection Overlay District (EPOD) is on the site. There are two types of EPODs: Woodlots and Steep Slopes. A portion of this site is within a Woodlot EPOD. By definition, an EPOD designation does NOT mean you can't develop on that land, rather it requires additional review by the Planning Board and enhanced mitigation measures to ensure the protection of sensitive environmental areas.

FACT: The "process" is robust and includes up to (4) public hearings to get to the point that the Developer is approved to build the proposed 55+/Senior housing on the site. At the Public Hearing, a 1-page handout was given to attendees to show the various Town Board, Planning Board and/or Zoning Board of appeals actions that would need to occur.

In summary, the Town Board could vote in December 2024 or January 2025, etc. to NOT issue a PDD on this site and not refer it to the Planning Board and end this process before it begins. I have been vocal in the past on my organizational structure philosophy and how a "process" must play out to give the best outcome for all. I am not in favor of killing this before it starts at the Town Board level, as to me it is an overreach of the Town Board and disrespects the subject matter expertise and due diligence the Planning Board, and/or Zoning Board will do.

As said at the beginning of this article, the two attorneys made impassioned arguments for why the three (3) criteria needed for a PDD issuance were either present or not. I am not interested in being a "juror" of their arguments as they both make great points. What I am interested in seeing is just how much wetland is on that site and what, if ANY development can occur due to those wetlands. To get that information, the process needs to play out.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@websterny.gov.

December 4, 2024

Ambulance Update in Webster

This is my seventeenth article in the past two and a half years on the Ambulance- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) issue in Webster, and my first update in five months since July 3, 2024. Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) has been covering EMS services throughout Webster as of March 29, 2024. PVA has come into two (2) Town Board workshops; Thursday, June 27, and Thursday, October 3 to give three-month and six-month updates. PVA is tentatively scheduled to come into the January 2 or 16, 2025 Workshop to deliver a nine-month update.

Penfield Volunteer Ambulance update

At Thursday, October 3's workshop, PVA’s EMS Manager Dan Riordan presented coverage and community engagement data for March 29 – September 30, 2024.

Dan highlighted that in the past six months, there were a total of 2,530 EMS calls within the Town of Webster. The Town Board is grateful for the work PVA is doing to diligently and expeditiously respond to the EMS needs of Webster residents within this short-term contract that expires on 12/31/24. In the next week, the Town will enter into extension discussions with PVA leadership on this short-term agreement as of January 1, 2025, and/or on negotiations of a long-term contract should they be the recommended EMS agency by the EMS committee, and the Town Board does a resolution to enter into contract negotiations with PVA on a 3–5-year long term agreement.

Long-term EMS update

The Town of Webster’s special committee on EMS was formed in February 2024 and is co-chaired by Town Councilman and EMS liaison John Cahill and Russ Ziskind. Russ has been a Webster resident for 15 years. He is a successful business owner and has been involved in EMS leadership for the past 30+ years. The mission of this committee is to counsel the Webster Town Board on various long-term EMS options available, especially when considering the town’s municipal authorities within New York State. The first charge of the committee was to develop a Request for Inquiries (RFI) to gauge the interest of EMS agencies in covering Webster.

This RFI was sent to 21 EMS agencies in Monroe and Wayne Counties and the agencies were given a response deadline of June 24, 2024. Only two (2) formal ‘yes’ responses were received from PVA and Monroe Ambulance. The committee spent July - September working on a robust Request for Proposal (RFP). The Town of Webster then sent out that RFP to Monroe Ambulance and PVA in October. On November 18 the town received formal submissions from the RFP from both Monroe and PVA.

At the November 21 Town Board Workshop, Russ Ziskind presented to the Town Board that the committee would be going over the two (2) formal responses. The Committee used fourteen (14) metrics/factors to grade the RFP responses. They have informed the Town board they will present at the December 5th Town Board workshop with their grading and a recommendation of which EMS agency the Town should pursue for a 3 - 5-year long term EMS contract. Based on that presentation, the Town board may seek to pass a resolution that night to enter into contract negotiations with the recommended EMS agency on the long-term EMS structure for Webster as of January 1, 2025.

Securing and delivering sustainable and effective EMS services for our community continues to be a priority for Webster Town Board. I look forward to keeping you updated as we move forward. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@websterny.gov.

Greenspace in Webster

It is safe to say that most of us like and desire "greenspace" (i.e., land undeveloped by homes, businesses, etc.). Greenspace in Webster comes in many forms, including, but not limited to, public parks, lands protected from development by conservation easements, and special district land set aside for the enjoyment of a specific neighborhood/homeowner. Overall, Webster is very fortunate to have the greenspace we have compared to other like-kind towns in Monroe County when looking at population (~45,000 people), square miles/acreage (35 square miles making up 22,000 acres), and socioeconomic makeup of its citizens.

It's no secret that the greenspace the Town had in 1960 has been reduced significantly in the last 60+ years. Simply said, in that timeframe, farmers sold their fields to developers, who then built houses. As such, the population outside the village in the Town of Webster grew from 11,000 in 1960 to 40,000 in 2020. The good news is that the Town has approximately 4,000 acres of "Permanent Greenspace" (i.e., approximately 15-20% of the town's overall acreage) and another approximately 3,000 acres that are yet to be developed in 2024. Some of those are the seventy (70) acres on the west side of Holt Road just north of 104 that used to be the lumberyard.

When I became Supervisor in 2020, I was introduced to the three (3) main entities that oversee, advocate, protect, or maintain Greenspace in Webster: 1. Government, including the Town Code, Planning Board, and Parks Department, along with New York State DEC, 2. Friends of Webster Trails, and 3. Citizen advocacy groups. In early 2021, one such citizen advocacy group approached me seeking a referendum to be on the November 2021 ballot to have the town purchase another 500, 1,000, etc. acres to be "permanently greenspace" and never be developed.

The tentative plan was to follow the same blueprint done fifteen years earlier when a referendum passed to have the town buy outright or buy development rights on approximately 1,000 acres. The referendum circa 2005 cost Webster taxpayers approximately $7 million. Interestingly enough, a similar referendum two years earlier for 3,000 acres at approximately $21 million of taxpayer money failed. The consultant the Town worked with 15+ years earlier presented at a Town Board Workshop in February 2021 and laid out a plan to contact landowners in Webster who may be interested in selling or donating their land to the town. The consultant estimated the cost of that project to be approximately $250,000. The Town Board decided not to pursue that project, citing that the $250,000 taxpayer money was to identify landowners and did not portend that an actual referendum would pass.

In July 2021, the Town suggested a group effort of three parties to determine if there were interested landowners and to do it in a manner that would not cost the taxpayers $250,000. Those three parties were 1. A greenspace advocacy group, 2. Friends of Webster Trails, and 3. the Town government.

The Greenspace Committee was asked to identify the undeveloped parcels to have the team reach out to see if the owner was interested in selling/donating to the Town. They came up with eighty (80) parcels for an aggregate of 2,400 acres. In September 2021, a letter was sent to the owners of these 80 parcels on town letterhead and signed by me as Town Supervisor. The letter sought to gauge their interest in selling or donating land to the town in a November 2022 referendum.

Over the next 8+ months, between September 2021 and April 2022, follow-up was done on those letters that included meeting with 20-25 of those parcel owners. By April 2022, we determined that there was no appetite for these 80 parcel owners to sell or donate their land to the Town, so we did not move forward with a November 2022 referendum. The intel we gleaned from that effort was fantastic, and I feel this will have future benefits to the Town in identifying which, if any, of these parcels would be candidates to be bought by the town.

Some of those owners sought to keep their 10, 20+ acres in the family due to sentimental reasons. Some owners would consider selling to the Town but wanted 2, 3+ times the value of the land. Some of the land is zoned or situated in Town, where it is hard to believe that any development will ever occur on it. Some of the land was zoned industrial like the one hundred acres where Coca-Cola/fairlife® is building their new dairy production facility on Tebor Road. Friends of Webster Trails identified some of the land as "strategic" for the Town to try to obtain in the future due to its access to current Town or county parks, or the connectivity potential of current trails in the Town.

As we approach 2025, the Town will continue to utilize the list put together by the Citizens Greenspace Committee in mid-2021, along with input from Town staff and FWT to determine a path towards acquiring parcels that will preserve "greenspace" in Webster. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail tflaherty@websterny.gov.

November 20, 2024

Sandbar Park Restaurant Update

The Webster Town Board recently received an update on the restaurant at Sandbar Park during the November 7 Town Board Workshop. The presentation followed the public bid process that the Town recently undertook to determine the costs associated with building a restaurant as designed.

The bid opening—which took place on October 23, 2024—indicated that there was significant interest in the project with a total of 20 bids received for the four bid categories. The cumulative total for the four bid categories resulted in a total cost of $2.6 million; this total is for the construction of a 2,400-square-foot building, with all HVAC, plumbing, and electrical components. The bid cost did not include operator outfitting costs (tables, chairs, kitchen equipment, etc.), nor soft costs of Engineering, design, and construction management. The overall Construction cost per the low bids was disappointing; however, it was in line with construction management’s estimates. The Town was hopeful, based on the project’s interest, that there would be a low-bidder willing to complete the work at lower-than-expected costs.

The result of the bid process and cost of construction resulted in a payback that is simply not financially viable for the Fantauzzo Family Brands (or any potential operator). The Town Board was presented with four options to consider which would make the payback financially possible for the operator. Town Board members indicated their intention of not using Town funds for either option 1. offset the cost of the building or option 2. extend the payback period beyond 15 years. Option 3 of subdividing off park land to sell to a private investor was shown to be a "non-starter" based on park land alienation hurdles in New York State and/or the grants that were received by the Town to build a break wall and raise the land by 6-8 foot to avoid future flooding. These decisions resulted in the project, as designed, coming to a difficult decision to halt as to pursing the building of a "brick and mortar-permanent building affixed to a foundation" and determine what the next steps may be moving forward.

The reality is the costs associated with a project this size (2400-square-foot municipal building) will ultimately be financially difficult for the operator to pay back while maintaining a profitable business. The Town has exhausted its efforts to make a “brick and mortar” restaurant at Sandbar Park possible however the cost for such a facility and payback by the operator without the Town’s financial support has shown it is simply not viable.

We were fortunate to work with a wonderful and creative team from Fantauzzo Family Brands and their vision and desire to make this project possible was contagious. As we move into 2025, we will look at what other “food and/or drink” options may be available to pursue that would meet the needs of the community. If there is an opportunity to work with Fantauzzo during these discussions we will keep that option open. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 13, 2024

Webster Citizen Board Opportunities

When I became Town Supervisor nearly five years ago, I was reminded of the great sense of community we enjoy here in Webster. Residents of our Town have a great sense of pride in our home and become involved in making Webster where life is worth living. We see this in attendance at community events and programs, volunteerism through the many organizations in our area, and citizenship through engagement in local government.

Webster benefits from the sense of involvement and community that our residents embody, especially as we look for residents to serve on the Town’s citizen boards. The Town of Webster has several citizen boards that support Town operations, including Board of Assessment Review, Conservation Board, Library Board, Planning Board, Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Athletic Review (PROSAR) Board. These boards help guide decision making and processes with our community.

At this time, the Town of Webster is seeking applicants for Board of Assessment Review, Conservation Board, Library Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals. Beginning this week, the Town of Webster will open our online application portal for those interested in applying to serve on one of Webster’s Citizen Boards. The portal will be open for 30 days, from Wednesday, November 13 through Friday, December 13.

Upon the closing of the online application portal, applications and resumes will be reviewed by Board Chairs, Town Board members, and Town staff who work closely with these boards. After this review, candidates will be contacted regarding any follow-up. More information about these boards and their responsibilities and commitments is available on our website.

Webster residents are our most valuable and irreplaceable resources, and I have a deep appreciation for the knowledge this community can – and does – bring to the table. We are grateful to those who currently serve on our boards, and we look forward to working with new members in the future.

I am grateful to be part of a community as active and engaged as we have here in the Town of Webster. As always, please feel free to contact me by phone at 585-872-7068 or by e-mail at supervisor@websterny.gov.

November 6, 2024

Updating the Town of Webster’s Comprehensive Plan

The Thursday, November 7 Town Board Workshop at 6:30PM and subsequent Town Board meeting at 7:30PM have milestone aspects about the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, which was last updated in 2008. There will be a presentation that highlights the process that has been carried out over the last several months by a vetting committee on the five (5) consulting firms that replied to the Request for Proposal (RFP) the town sent out on this. The vetting committee consisted of five (5) key Town employees with planning backgrounds, along with Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) leadership, who reviewed and gave educated perspectives on the RFP respondents’ submissions.

The presentation on November 7 will result in the vetting committee’s recommendation to the Town Board on which consultant to engage to navigate the town through the next 18-24 months on updating the Comprehensive Plan. If approved, the Town of Webster will be venturing into the process to update the Comprehensive Plan in January 2025.

A comprehensive plan expresses a community’s long-term vision, goals, and objectives. This update to the Comprehensive Plan will analyze population demographics, housing types and density, economic demographics, transportation, and other criteria to develop recommendations and policies. Updating the Town’s Comprehensive Plan assists with thoughtful planning for the future and ensures a balanced community development strategy based on current conditions.

The Comprehensive Plan update is a community-driven initiative with plenty of opportunities for public engagement through surveys, topic-based committees, public meetings, and more. Community involvement in this process ensures that a wide cross-section of our community is represented. Opportunities for involvement will be promoted through the Town’s website and social media platforms.

The process to get to this point has taken longer than we anticipated. In late 2022, the Town administered a six-question survey to the Webster community to learn what was important to them in a Comprehensive Plan update. We figured we'd be picking the consultant firm in early 2023 and that they would benefit from the intel from those 2,000 respondents. However, we found that the $100,000 New York State Smart Growth grant the town had been awarded in December 2022 to help pay for this Comprehensive plan update had some aspects to it that would delay the launch.

I'm excited about the prospects in 2025 for this Comprehensive Plan update and the long-term benefits it will have for our entire community. Over the next few months, the town citizens will be made aware of their opportunities to participate in this process. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 23, 2024

Early voting in the Town of Webster

Election Day is fast approaching and in the coming weeks, we can expect to see campaign mailings, political television ads, and endorsements of candidates all around us. I have always been vocal about the importance of participating in elections; an engaged community is a better community. With the many voting options available – in-person, absentee, and early voting – I hope that our community will continue to maximize voter participation. With early voting beginning this Saturday October 26, I am focusing on that option for this week’s article.

In New York State, voters had their first opportunity to vote early in the November 2019 General Election. I’ve learned from the Monroe County Board of Elections that each year the Election Commissioners evaluate voting patterns and adjust locations and hours based on data to accommodate the habits and needs of local voters.

Early voting follows the same procedures as voting on Election Day regarding checking in, receiving a ballot, and casting the ballot using the electronic voting machine. That being said, early voting affords voters more flexibility in choosing the day, time, and location that works best for them. In 2024, there will be 17 early voting locations for Monroe County voters to select from if they choose to vote early.

The Town of Webster is proud to partner with Monroe County as one of these 17 early voting locations throughout the area, at the Van Ingen Webster Justice Court Building, located at 1002 Ridge Road on the Town Hall campus. Early voting runs 9 consecutive days from Saturday October 26 through Sunday November 3. The hours of operation are from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from 12 – 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. More information about early voting locations, hours, and procedures may be found on the Board of Elections website.

Engagement in government at all levels is an important aspect of being informed and active members of our community and participating in elections is a big part of this engagement. I am grateful to those who will participate in the upcoming General Election, whether through early voting, an absentee ballot, or in person on Tuesday, November 5. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-1068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

October 16, 2024

One year away from fairlife and Town Sewer plant completion

When Coca-Cola/fairlife announced in May 2023 that they had chosen Webster as the site for their $650 million, 750,000 square-foot dairy processing facility on 100+ acres, they stated that their goal was to have the plant construction completed and operational by the fourth quarter 2025. Since this announcement, a lot has happened, and we are now less than one year away from fairlife’s October 2025 goal.

It has been known that fairlife's ability to produce their product is tied to the Town of Webster’s sewer plant's capacity for their sanitary sewer discharge, which may be as much as 2 million gallons a day. As a point of reference, the current sewer plant takes on average 3.1 million gallons a day without fairlife. Here is a summary of the following three (3) aspects of this over the past 18 months now that we are within one year of both plants target completion dates: the Town Sewer plant, fairlife plant, and fairlife and Town contracts/collaboration:

Town Sewer Plant: The May 2023 announcement of fairlife changed the trajectory of the $44 million plant upgrade that had been approved in September 2022. The main aspects of this trajectory change were an increase in the size of the plant from 5 million gallons per day capacity with the New York State DEC to 7.1 million gallons a day, and the specificity of treatment technology at the plant to accommodate dairy.

After 30+ specific town board resolutions over the past few years directly pertaining to this sewer plant upgrade/upsize, the last one is queued up for the Thursday, October 17 Town Board meeting. That resolution is to authorize the Town Supervisor to sign the third and final amendment to the Article 9 Energy Performance contract between the Town of Webster and Navitas. That action should clear the way for the plant's continued construction and scheduled completion by October 2025.

While the $44 million estimated project cost increased to $85+ million with Coca-Cola/fairlife, the Town was able to obtain a $20 million grant from New York state in April 2024 (of which $16 million has already been received by the town from the state on reimbursement) and Coca-Cola/fairlife paid approximately $22 million in a one-time tie in fee.

fairlife plant: fairlife navigated the SEQR, Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals, and COMIDA process from May to December 2023. As such, they were able to close on the purchase of the land and break ground on the new plant before January 2024. The Town and fairlife are in "daily" contact on the ongoing construction on site at Tebor Road.

fairlife and Town contracts/collaboration: Several collaborations and contracts needed to be executed between the Town and fairlife. They included the following:

1. Separate agreement over and above COMIDA: The Town was slotted for approximately $2.3 million in PILOT payments over the 20-year agreement. The Town and fairlife negotiated an additional agreement for the Town to get an additional $700,000 over that time for an aggregate of approximately $3 million. To give perspective, the vacant land fairlife is building on had approximately $6,000 of Town taxes annually.

2. $1.5 million fees to the Town on sitework/engineer estimate/traditional letter of credit: To give some perspective on this, the average fee the town collects on a private development/housing development is $8,000. On an average private development, the $8,000 fee is used to subsidize town staff W-2 pay for going out to do inspections. The $1.5 million gave the town the ability to engage some third-party specialty firms to make sure the town and its taxpayers were protected throughout the process. An example of this is the engagement of a specialist SEQR attorney.

3. A 12,000 linear foot upsize of conveyance piping from the fairlife site, through the Xerox campus to the Phillips Road trunk line: This upsize to accommodate the 2 million gallons a day from fairlife cost the town approximately $6.5 million. fairlife and the town negotiated an agreement to have fairlife pay 96% of that cost. The other 4% represented the additional cost the town decided to incur to make sure the pipe upsize had "future growth" potential if any housing or commercial development wants to lateral into that pipe.

4. A $22 million one-time tie-in fee contract: fairlife and the Town negotiated this to be a 10-year payout.

In summary, a sanitary sewer system for a municipality is one of the easiest things for a taxpayer to determine if it is being "fiscally" managed well. Unlike the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value that ALL other services the town provides to its residents, the sewer charge is a "flat" fee comprised of Operations and Maintenance (O+M) and Capital. The 2024 rate for the Town of Webster outside the village homeowner was $296. In the 2025 budget it is $253 or $43 less.

The 2025 budget also has over $500,000 going into sewer reserves so that future Town Boards are not put into the same position as the 2017-2024 timeframe where there were little to no reserves, and the plant needed to rebuild with millions going into debt instead of being paid from reserves. Because of the revenues created and costs saved by rebuilding the plant in an energy performance model, the annual flat rate for Town homeowners outside the Village should remain stable for years to come. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-1068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 9, 2024

Leaf Pickup Season starts in the Town of Webster

As the leaves begin to change, we are inevitably anticipating the coming weeks when they will begin to fall to the ground. In Webster, we are fortunate to have the members of the Highway Department who lead leaf collection service each year in our community. Having worked on a crew for 4-hours back in 2020 on this, I can tell you first firsthand it is hard work that these crews do in picking up these leaves from the curb.

In 2024, the leaf pickup season will officially begin on Monday, October 14. Here are some of the most common questions we get from residents regarding leaf pick up:

Q: Do all towns in Monroe County pick up leaves from the curb of their residents’ homes?

A: No. Some towns require residents to bag leaves and have their private refuse collection company pick them up.

Q: Where should I place my leaves for pick up?

A: Please place leaves at the edge of your lawn, not in the roadway or gutters. Gutters need to be kept clear of leaves in order to maintain proper drainage of water from the roadways. The intensity of rain events has continued to increase in recent year making the clogging of drains with leaves in the fall an even larger concern.

Q: Why can’t leaves be placed on the shoulder of the road?

A: Leaves placed anywhere on the road surface creates a hazardous situation and is illegal. Wet leaves on the road surface are very dangerous for motorists, along with cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, when leaves are placed on the roadway, our Highway crews cannot safely collect them. We want to ensure our crews can operate safely on the side of the road, away from the traffic lanes.

Q: Can I put branches or yard debris with the leaves for pick-up?

A: Our leaf collection vehicles are only equipped to collect leaves. Please do not mix any twigs, branches, or other debris in with the leaves.

Q: When will Highway Department crews will be on my street for pick up?

A: For several reasons, we cannot give daily street updates. This process is very weather-dependent. Factors like rain and snow can greatly slow down the collection process, as will the rate at which the leaves fall. We will announce the start of a run, and a town-wide run can take a week or longer, depending on the elements. Residents may look at our zone map to get an idea of where their street falls on our pass schedule.

Q: What happens if I miss the first town-wide collection pass?

A: Multiple collection passes will be made town-wide throughout the fall. Highway crews start a pass on the west side of town (Bay Road area) and work their way east to the County Line Road area. When a pass is completed, crews loop back to Zone 1 to begin the next pass. We will announce the date for the final town-wide pass. After the final pass is completed, any remaining leaves will need to be bagged for your trash hauler.

Q: Can the Highway Department make a special trip to collect my leaves before the next run?

A: No, due to schedules and equipment, we cannot make exceptions to the run process. We understand and are mindful of residents’ concerns regarding leaf piles that remain on their lawn for over a week. Every effort will be made to collect your leaves promptly and as late into the season as possible.

Q: Where is the best place to get information on Leaf pickup in the Town of Webster?

A: Leaf season notifications will be posted to the Highway Department Website, under the ‘Services’ tab. The best way to stay updated on the leaf collection season is to sign up for our Highway notifications through the Notify Me application. Periodic updates will also be posted to the Town of Webster’s social media platforms.

The Town of Webster is proud to provide this beloved and relied-upon service to residents. We are grateful to the employees of the Webster Highway Department who ensure that collection is completed safely and efficiently. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

October 2, 2024

600 Ridge Road/West Webster Hamlet update

If you have driven through the West Webster Hamlet recently, you have likely noticed the changes and improvements being made to 600 Ridge Road. The Town of Webster officially acquired this property in March and has been working to make improvements to get the property in a place where it can be sold to a private developer.

The Webster Highway Department was instrumental in completing several aspects of the physical work done at 600 Ridge Road this summer. This work included demolition of the garage structure, tree removal, and demolition of the additions on the back portion of the main structure. The demolition of the garage was completed in late May/early June and is a critical step in completing the necessary environmental investigation of the property. The two additions on the back of the structure were demolished by the Highway Department in September as they were not structurally sound and a potential hazard.

To fund the necessary improvements in the West Webster Hamlet, the Town of Webster is working diligently to find grant opportunities that these projects are eligible for:

Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant: The Town applied for a (TAP) grant early this year. While the grant application was unsuccessful, the Town was informed that our application to this grant was highly competitive and was encouraged to reapply in a future grant cycle. The Town of Webster intends to apply in Fall 2025.

Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Targeted Brownfield Assessment (TBA) program: In June, the Town applied to the EPA's (TBA) program. The TBA is a service provided through an EPA contract in which the EPA directs a contractor to conduct environmental assessment activities to address the requestor's specific needs. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. As such, the Town anticipates receiving a response to our request by the end of 2024. If awarded funds from this program, the Town intends to perform the remaining environmental investigation needed to confirm the levels of contaminants, delineate the exact locations of concern (if any), and comply with the state standards for remediation and/or controls to protect human health and the environment.

Restore New York grant: New York State recently announced the launch of another round of Restore New York grants. Restore New York funding supports projects involving the demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation, and/or reconstruction of vacant, abandoned, condemned, and surplus properties. The Town of Webster is in the process of identifying and evaluating potential projects for eligibility, should the Town decide to pursue this opportunity. The deadline to apply is in mid-December 2024. Tentatively, the town plans to apply for 600 Ridge Road, but to also see if other property owners in the Hamlet that are near the corner of Ridge and Gravel would like to have their properties considered within this grant application.

So, what is next in the process to prepare 600 Ridge Road for sale to a private developer? In the coming weeks and months, the Town of Webster will work to weather-tight the property to further protect it from the elements. In addition, progress will be made on environmental investigation, as well as abatement efforts and contents removal inside the main building. The town also plans to work in conjunction with the Webster Economic Devlopment Alliance (WEDA) and its Executive Director, Matt Chatfield on identifying potential qualified private investors who may want to purchase and redevelop 600 Ridge.

Members of the community can find updates on the Town of Webster’s website and may also sign up for periodic update emails which highlight upcoming aspects of this project. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 25, 2024

Political Campaign signs in 2024 in the Town of Webster

As the calendar turns to October, it means the campaign season will be heating up soon for the November 2024 general election. The Town of Webster has a somewhat unique temporary sign ordinance that covers all sorts of lawn signs and includes political campaign signs. The uniqueness is that it does not appear other towns and municipalities in Monroe County have such temporary sign ordinances that also cover political campaign signs.

I'm not sure the exact reasoning why the Town leaders decided years ago to put this ordinance into the town code, but I have heard it was due to an abundance of these signs remaining on lawns days, weeks or months after the election and Town employees having to go around and take them out. Such deployment of town employees for such a task costs the taxpayers. The theory is that if an entity/agency like a Political committee had to pay for a temporary sign permit, and a deposit upfront, that they would remove the signs after the election in exchange for getting their deposit back.

I first became introduced to this ordinance when I campaigned in 2019 for Town Supervisor. In my almost 5 years as Supervisor, I have noted the two(2) main challenges this ordinance has caused for Town Government Code compliance department and the Supervisor's office:

1.Non property owner versus Property owner: The ordinance is pretty straight forward on issues such as the fee/deposit for these temporary signs, where they can be placed, the size limit of these signs, and how many days they can be up. Foundational to the ordinance is that a "Non-property owner" is applying for the permit such as the Webster Democrat or Republican committees, and that the cost of the permit and producing the signs is paid by said entity. The private property owner who has the sign on their lawn has agreed to allow that committee to have the sign be placed on their private property. Many of the complaint calls I get on signs are based on signs being too big (4 foot by 8 foot) or up year-round. The complainant cites the sign ordinance on those issues and wants the Town to enforce. When the town investigates it ends up being the private property owner who paid for the production of the sign and solely decided how long they want to keep it up. Simply said, the sign ordinance does not cover such situations, and it is the property owners right to have such sign(s) on their property. Exacerbating the situation can be when the message on the sign/flag is deemed "inappropriate and/or offensive" by the complainant. In the absence of the message being "overtly threatening", the private property owner has the right to have that message on their property.

2. Unintended consequence of Town Government refereeing: As previously stated, the genesis of the unique sign ordinance in the Town of Webster was to save taxpayer money on town officials having to go around town days, weeks etc. after elections to take down and dispose of signs. Unfortunately, the experience I have seen in my 5 years as Town Supervisor is that many of the complaints and demands of the town officials to take down signs and/or enforce the sign ordinance occur in the 45 days leading up to the election. Signs are NOT permitted in right of ways, town easements and NON private property. Calls, e-mails, in person at Town hall complaints will come in stating the location of such a sign and demanding the code enforcement unit remove the sign from such areas. In the absence of video tape to prove who put the sign in an area that is not allowed, the town has to make these removed signs available for the committee/candidate to pick back up at Town hall upon request. Bottom line... we "brace ourselves" in town government for the 45 days leading up to election day for the deployment of town staff time on handling complaints, removing signs and coordinating getting the signs back to the entity/candidate who obtained the permit.

In summary, 2024 is not a local election year for Town board, Town judges, or county legislature. As such, it remains to be seen if the Webster, Monroe County and/or New York State Democrat and/or Republican Committees will apply for sign permits. With it being a Presidential election, I can foresee many private property owners obtaining their own candidate signs/flags/etc at their cost and placing on their property. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 18, 2024

Webster’s 2025 Preliminary Budget

On September 5, Webster Town Board voted unanimously to adopt the 2025 tentative budget, making it the preliminary budget. This is my fifth budget season as Webster Town Supervisor. While town officials work diligently to responsibly budget each year, I am especially proud to have been a part of the construction of the 2025 budget. The preliminary 2025 budget represents the Town’s continued commitment to making the Town of Webster a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

Over the past six months, I have worked alongside Paul Adams, Director of Finance, Webster Town Board, and other Town staff to develop a budget that protects taxpayers despite persistent inflation and increased debt related to various major capital projects.

Protecting Taxpayers and Planning for the Future

The Town of Webster works diligently to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly to fund necessary expenditures and plan for the future. The 2025 budget protects taxpayers by remaining under the New York State tax cap by $5,128.

There is a slight raise in the Town tax rate, with a net increase of $0.34 from $5.06 to $5.40. Overall, the tax rate has remained relatively stable over the past six budget years. Taxpayers will also see that there is a decrease of $43.90 in sewer rent charges, from $296.83 to $252.93. This means that the aggregate tax bill for an average house in Webster (assessed value of $177,000 outside) of the Village of Webster will increase by 1.4%.

Historically, sewer system infrastructure needs have been underfunded. In fact, from 1998 to 2018, the sewer rate stayed within the range of $162.50 to $167.80. While on the surface a lower sewer rate may have seemed advantageous, it left the sewer reserves low and unable to accommodate necessary improvements to the Town’s sewer infrastructure. In turn, this has necessitated the Town of Webster making much-needed upgrades to sewer infrastructure.

The 2025 budget also includes a significant increase in debt service costs. In August 2024, the Town renewed the 2023 bond anticipation note (BAN) and borrowed $67,050,000 to fund the Highway Building project ($22,100,000), Sandbar Park project ($3,670,000), the Wastewater Treatment Plant Phase II project ($35,000,000) and the Tebor to Phillips Road Conveyance Pipe project ($6,280,000). The BAN is a one-year loan that is based on projected cash flow requirements for each project. The Town’s BAN sale process proved to be very competitive which resulted in a $681,964 premium paid to the Town and a net interest rate of 2.936%. This was better than expected. When the BAN matures the premium will be recognized as revenue in 2025 which will partially offset the gross interest charge. The Town’s debt service payments for 2024 will total $5,953,138 versus $4,450,356 for 2024. This represents a $1,502,782 (33.8%) increase.

Prioritizing our Community

The 2025 Preliminary Budget bolsters our community by investing in the Town’s infrastructure, supporting economic growth, and providing quality-of-life services residents and taxpayers enjoy and expect.

Timely investments in infrastructure equate to long-term cost savings. The 2025 budget contains significant investments in our Town in maintenance and improvements to our Wastewater Treatment Plant, provisions for equipment to maintain town roads, construction of the new highway building, and technology infrastructure to improve accessibility and reach.

Economic growth and investing in our community continue to be a top priority for the Town of Webster. This can be seen in many aspects of our town government which is supported by the 2025 budget. The upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant to transform it into a Water Resource Recovery Facility will generate significant revenue in the future and have a substantial impact on taxpayers’ wallets. These upgrades also foster an environment that will continue to attract businesses to our community.

The 2025 budget also supports community planning initiatives including the update of the Town of Webster’s Comprehensive Plan. These planning initiatives are critical to establishing the vision for the future of Webster.

The Town of Webster is dedicated to delivering high-quality services to our community. Throughout town, residents and visitors enjoy these offerings through our town parks, recreation programming, library programs, and services like the fall leaf pick up or material delivery/pick up through the Highway Department. The 2025 budget continues to fund and expand these beloved and relied-upon amenities.

From delivering services to fostering economic growth to investing in infrastructure, the Town of Webster’s 2025 budget supports residents and has the best interests of taxpayers in mind. There will be a Public Hearing on the preliminary budget held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 17. Webster Town Board will consider adopting the 2025 final budget in late October or early November. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 11, 2024

The Incredible Town Sewer and Coca-Cola/fairlife story

At the September 5 Town Board meeting, two (2) resolutions were passed unanimously to authorize that the Supervisor sign contracts with Coca-Cola/fairlife on the 1. 12,000 linear foot of conveyance pipe upsize project to accommodate the estimated two million gallons a day of flow; and 2. the one-time tie-in fee for Coca-Cola/fairlife into the Town's sewer system. The aggregate of these contracts is close to $30 million to be paid over 10 years to the town by Coca-Cola/fairlife. In the next 4-6 weeks it is estimated that the Town will execute the third and final amendment to the Article 9 Energy Performance contract with Navitas on the upgrade/upsize of the Sewer plant. That contract and its two amendments currently stands at approximately $62 million.

The "story" that has occurred in the past 3+ years that has led to the Town Sewer plant renovation and Coca-Cola/fairlife coming to Webster is amazing. In June 2021, after 2-3 years of discussions between the Village of Webster and the Town on regionalizing/consolidating their sewer plants, the Village Board voted 3-2 to go their separate way and NOT consolidate with the Town. In September 2021, the Town Board bonded Phase 2 of their Sewer plant for $31 million. The plan at that time was to essentially mimic what had been done in the Phase 1, $12 million part of this project between 2017-2021 that was asset renewal. Translation: replacing old, rotted infrastructure with new, but creating no new revenue sources, nor any real cost savings.

In mid-2021, the new Chief Operator at the Town Sewer plant, Rick Kenealy described to the Town Board how at his previous position in Rome New York they had done an Article 9 Energy Performance contract when they rebuilt their plant. The Town Board spent the better part of late 2021 and early 2022 getting educated on what an Energy Performance contract was under Article 9 in New York State. There were several Town Board workshops on this in that timeframe and in September 2022 the Town Board amended the $31 million bond resolution approved in September 2021 to $44 million to reflect an Energy Performance contract Phase 2 project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant that created new revenue sources and direct cost savings. The aggregate of those new revenues and cost savings annually made the $44 million project less expensive to Webster taxpayers than the $31 million asset renewal project.

By mid-2022, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) had contacted the Town about a large industry that was looking at 40+ sites in 12 Northeast States to build their new plant. “Project Izzo” as it was called due to confidentiality would eventually be shown to be Coca-Cola/fairlife when they announced in May 2023 that they had chosen Webster as the site. One of the aspects that the Coca-Cola/fairlife leadership loved about the Webster site was its proximity to a sewer plant, and the Town's Energy Performance project being done to rebuild it. I truly believe if the Town had pursued the $31 million asset renewal only project, Coca-Cola/fairlife may have chosen a different site.

Coca-Cola/fairlife's formal announcement in May 2023 that they had chosen to build their facility in Webster led to the Town Board amending the $44 million bond resolution to $81+ million in July 2023 and applying to Empire State Development (ESD) for a $20 million grant. Simply said, the Coca-Cola/fairlife factor meant the plant's size needed to be increased from 5 million gallons a day capacity with the NYSDEC to approximately $8 million. As such, the estimated cost of this project went up.

The board resolutions approved September 5 and the impending third and final Navitas Energy Performance contract amendment in October 2024 comprise close to EIGHTY (80) town board resolutions voted on since July 2021 pertaining to the Wastewater Treatment Plant project, Coca-Cola/fairlife, and/or Navitas. Also, during that time, approximately thirty (30) Town board workshop presentations were done on the subject. So many things happened in the past 3+ years to get us to this point. So many things could have gone wrong over that time. There had to be over 100 people and agencies involved in this process.

It truly amazes me how this story evolved and how serendipitously things fell into place. The Wastewater Treatment Plant rebuild and transition into a Water Resource Recovery Facility and Coca-Cola/fairlife coming to Webster will benefit the town residents and taxpayers for years to come. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 4, 2024

School Tax time in Webster

By the time you are reading this article, you most likely have received your Webster Central School District Tax bill in the USPS mail. These are the three(3) most common questions/comments we get pertaining to this tax bill:

1. Why am I paying these taxes to the Town and not the school district? The Receiver of Taxes for the Webster Central School District in the Town of Webster is Danene Marr. Danene is the Webster Town Clerk and Tax Receiver. She is an employee of the Town government and not of the School district. The town government and Danene are acting as agent for the Webster Central School District. From what I have gleaned, this system was set up 60+ years ago when the Town government had more capacity and infrastructure than the School district and thus was in a better position to do this tax collection.

2.What are the options I have to pay this tax bill? taxes will be received at Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY, beginning September 3rd from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. None received Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays. Mailed full or first installment payments should be made payable and addressed to Danene Marr, Receiver of Taxes at the above address. From September 1, through October 2, no interest is due if the total is paid in full. From October 3, through October 31, a 2% interest penalty must be added to the entire amount of the bill. Taxes paid under the INSTALLMENT option are due September 15, October 15 and November 15, 2024. The FIRST payment is made to Danene Marr-, Receiver of Taxes, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY 14580. Payment TWO and THREE are made to the Monroe County Treasurer, PO Box 14420, Rochester, NY 14614. If you elect to use the installment option, there is a service charge on ALL three payments. With the exception of residents of Walworth and Ontario, taxes may be paid in installments. Taxpayers who pay by check (via the US Mail or by Drop Box) may consider their canceled check as proof of payment. However, receipts will be issued for full payment if specifically requested and/or both pages are sent with payment. The DROP BOX is located in the front vestibule of the Town Hall (open 24/7).No tax payments will be received by the Webster Receiver of Taxes after October 31, 2024 at which time the School Tax Rolls will be returned to the Monroe County and Wayne County Tax Offices.

3.How much are my school taxes increasing this year? That answer is different for every Webster real estate owner for a myriad of reasons including but not limited to assessed value, STAR, and exemption status. However, as a point of reference, below are the last 3-years School tax bills I received on my $208,400 assessed home in Webster:

2022 2023 2024

Base School Tax $5,656.19 $5,769.16 $5,957.55

STAR exemption ($586.25) ($532.07) ($497.41)

Amount due $5,069.94 $5,237.09 $5,460.14

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From above, my School taxes amount due net of STAR exemption increased 3.3% from 2022 to 2023 and 4.3% from 2023 to 2024.As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 28, 2024

The Final 2-months of the 2025 Town Budget Process

On Friday August 30th, Town Finance Director Paul Adams will submit to Town Clerk- Danene Marr the 2025 Tentative Town of Webster Budget. This tentative budget is the product of 4+ months of work during the months of May through August 2024 between Town Department heads, the Town Board, and others. A resolution is scheduled for the Town Board meeting on Thursday September 5, 2024 to approve this 2025 Tentative budget.

If passed on September 5th, the budget will become the preliminary budget which will appear in the Webster Today October 2024 edition. That issue will be USPS mailed out to all households and businesses in Webster. It will contain a summary of the 2025 preliminary budget, with instructions on how to access the "line by line" 2025 Town budget should a citizen want to take a deeper dive on the numbers. The Webster Today edition should be in citizens mailboxes during the October 7-11th timeframe. From there, a Public hearing will be held on Thursday October 17th at 7:30pm on the preliminary 2025 budget. Citizens can also watch the public hearing live via the Town Website, and/or Facebook live. Citizens will have the opportunity to come in person to the Public hearing to make comments and/or ask questions on the various line items within the 2025 tentative budget. The citizens may also submit their comments and questions in writing ahead of the Public hearing to have them read into the record that night. The Town Board will then be looking to adopt a final 2025 budget sometime between October 24th and November 21st.

Two (2) highlights to the 2025 Tentative budget:

1.TAX CAP: The tentative 2025 budget was able to stay under the 2% tax cap that New York State imposed several years ago. The way the tax cap works is supposed to be simple. If a municipality's revenue collections via real estate taxes (I.e. Tax levy) goes up more than 2% year over year, the Town Board needs to have a super majority adoption vote of 4-1 or 5-0. However, the 2% cap has become complicated over the years for a myriad of reasons including but not limited to; the calculation that the State has a Municipality do is not exactly 2% from year to year, and some Municipal governments have chosen to stay under the tax cap year after year even if it is not the best long term fiscal decision. They fear going over it will be looked at negatively by constituents and possibly effect their ability to be re-elected.

In the August 21st Webster Herald edition, the Supervisor's corner article highlighted many of the reasons the 2025 Town Budget was able to stay under the tax cap. One that I did not mention was that if the Town Board had gone with the original $31 million "asset renewal only" Phase 2 of the sewer plant that was bonded in 2022 and both a) technological advances commensurate with an Energy Performance contract were NOT pursued, and b) Coke-fairlife had not come to town.... with all other factors being equal, the Total sewer rate would have been $345 in 2025 and taxes year over year would have increased over 10%. Bottom line.... the $87.3 million Phase 2 of the sewer plant with technological advances and the Coke-fairlife factor costs the Town Tax payers LESS in 2025 and into the future than the $31 million original plan from 2022.

2.YEAR OVER YEAR COMPARISON FOR HOME OUTSIDE VILLAGE:

2024 2025 Change

Tax rate per $1,000 Assessed Value: $5.06 $5.40 $0.34 higher

Sewer O&M Rate $199 $210 $11 higher

Sewer Capital Rate 98 43 55 lower

Total Sewer Rate $297 $253 $44 lower

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A home outside the Village in the Town of Webster has an average assessment of $177,000. A home at that assessed value, that is connected to the sewer system, will pay the following amounts in their Town Real estate bill for 2025:

2024 2025 Change

Town Taxes $895 $955 $60 higher

Sewer Rate $297 $253 $44 lower

Total $1,192 $1,208 $16 higher

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One thing to consider on the 2-year comparison above using the $177,000 assessed home outside of the village. With the Town's current equalization rate, a $177,000 assessed home most likely has a current market value of approx. $340,000. Homes inside the Village have a separate Town tax rate per $1,000 assessed, along with a Village tax rate per $1,000 assessed, and a Village specific O+M and Capital rate for sewer. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 21, 2024

Town Sewer Plant Project, fairlife, and the 2025 Town Budget

At the regular Town Board Meeting on August 15 following a workshop update on the Water Resource Recovery project, a resolution was passed to set a Public Hearing for September 5 at 7:30PM about amending the total project cost on the Sewer plant listed in the July 27, 2023 Bond Resolution from $81.5 million to $87.3 million, an increase of $5.8 million over the past 12+ months.

There is a myriad of reasons this occurred. Still, the most prominent one is the July 2023 estimate was done only two and a half months after Coke-fairlife formally announced they were coming to Webster and an estimate needed to be made by the end of July 2023, and be bonded by Town Board resolution to put the town in a position to apply for a New York State $20 million grant from Empire Finance Corp (EFC) by the August 1, 2023 deadline.

While there is an anticipated increase of $5.8 million, the good news is multi-faceted:

1. Overall effect of the Water Resource Recovery Project on taxpayers: At the September 5 Town Board Meeting there will be a resolution to adopt the tentative 2025 Town Budget that has the following three (3) components: 1. it is under the 2% New York State tax cap, 2. it has a $253 EDU charge for sewer users which is $43 less than 2024 charge, and 3. $540,000 will be put into reserve for future sewer plant repairs and asset renewal.

2. Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) charge: An EDU is 60,000 gallons a year and each single-family residential property is charged an annual flat-rate EDU charge. While there has been the fear that the EDU charge would increase with project costs, the reality is the combination of grants, a new large industrial user into the system (Coke-fairlife), new revenues, and cost savings from this $87.3 million project results in the EDU charge annually decreasing from $296 in 2024 to $253 in 2025. The EDU rate is anticipated to remain stable over the next several years.

3. Reserves: Since 1990, interesting trends can be seen in the sewer rate, which have led to the sewer fund building minimal reserves over 30 years. In 1990, the sewer rate totaled $213.62, and the Town of Webster did not exceed this rate until 33 years later, in 2023 when the rate was $231.97. In 1998, the sewer rate was $167.80, and was $167.50 in 2018, meaning the rate dropped $0.30 over twenty years. While on the surface a lower sewer rate may have seemed advantageous, it left the sewer reserves low and unable to accommodate necessary improvements to the Town’s sewer infrastructure.

The 2024 Town Board is adamant about not repeating the mistake of 1990-2020 and failing to build reserves. Therefore, the 2025 budget has $540,000 to fund the sewer capital reserve account. The Town will be able to fund capital projects with reserve funds minimizing the amount needed to borrow.

4. Additional other revenue: Part of the technological advances of the $87.3 million new plant is the ability to take in septage from outside companies. It is estimated that in 2025 that will create $110,000 of new revenue and $650,000 in 2026 and beyond.

The plant will also be able to take in High Strength Organic Waste (HSOW). The revenue from HSOW is estimated at $80,000 for 2025, $1.1 million for 2026, and $1.6 million per year thereafter. So, why is HSOW revenue expected to jump so drastically between now and 2026? HSOW revenue will be made up mainly of fairlife's process by-product and the rest will be Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOG) from restaurants and other miscellaneous food production waste throughout the area. The $80,000 in 2025 is mostly FOG from restaurants. The Town is projecting to have flow from fairlife and possibly process by-product in 2025, but budgeted conservatively, therefore any flow/revenue we receive from fairlife is a bonus to the sewer fund.

5. Cost savings: Sanitary sewer treatment is essentially about separating the solids and other stuff and leaving water that can be discharged into Lake Ontario. The solids left from this process (i.e. sludge) must be disposed of and hauled to landfills that take such waste. By the late 2010s, landfills were hitting capacity and closing, and not many new ones were opening, resulting in greater sludge hauling distance with fewer landfills. The cost per ton to haul sludge increased for the town from approximately $250,000 to $500,000 annually.

Part of the new technology at the plant is to dry out the "sludge" to the point where it is a pellet like fertilizer to be either sold, given away, or greatly reduced tonnage to be disposed of. While we do not yet have an exact number for cost savings due to this, what we do know is we have protected the town from this supply-demand risk on sludge hauling costs by essentially eliminating traditional sludge production.

6. Coke-fairlife’s one-time tie-in fee: When a new house or business/industry ties into the Town's sanitary sewer system it pays a one-time $1,000/EDU fee to do so. Over the past eight (8) years (2017-2024), the average annual one-time tie-in fee revenue has been under $100,000. Coke-fairlife is paying the Town a $21 million+ one-time tie-in fee and the Town has negotiated a contract with Coke-fairlife to have that paid over 10 years, 2025-2034 at $2.1 million per year. The final verbiage of this contract/agreement will be voted on at the September 5 Town Board Meeting through a resolution to authorize the Town Supervisor to sign that contract.

7. $20 million New York State EFC Grant: After the Town Board bonded the $81.5 million in late July 2023, the Town of Webster applied to New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) for a $20 million grant and in April 2024, Governor Hochul announced the Town had been successful in our application. In the four (4) months since the announcement in April, the Town has received $10.6 million from EFC on work completed to date for this project based on paid invoices the town has remitted to EFC for reimbursement. This results in the town having to go $20 million less in debt on the project which directly affects each user’s EDU rate annually in a positive way.

While the project would have paid for itself without the grant being awarded, this would have made it very difficult to stay under the New York State tax cap for 2025. The $20 million grant saves the Town of Webster $1.2 million of principal and interest payments for each of the next 30 years, resulting in an impact valuing at least $36 million to the Town.

8. Numerator/denominator factor: There is a simple way to articulate this factor. Assume six (6) people go out to dinner and split a $96 bill. The numerator is $96 and is divided by the denominator of six (6) so each person pays $16. If we add two (2) people to the dinner party to get to a total of eight (8) and reduce the $96 cost of the dinner down to $80, each person now pays $10 rather than $16.

For the sewer system, to determine how much each user pays are to take the total expenditures net of other revenue plus reserve contributions as the numerator and divide it by the total number of users as the denominator. The largest change to the numerator in future years is 1. Coke-fairlife's flow revenue, and 2. other revenue and cost savings created. The denominator will go from 17,000 EDUs in 2024 to 25,000 - 29,000 EDUs in 2026. This means there will be lower costs spread out across more users equaling a lower payment per user.

As always feel free to contact me at 585-872-7068 or supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 14, 2024

Dog Licensing and Webster Vaccination Clinic

The Town of Webster is committed to keeping residents and their pets safe and complying with New York State law. To do so, the town is partnering with the Monroe County Department of Public Health this month to host a free rabies vaccination clinic for dogs, cats, and ferrets. Webster Town Clerk, Webster Animal Control, and the Webster Highway Department will host the clinic on Wednesday, August 21 from 5 PM to 7 PM at the Webster Highway Department, located at 1005 Picture Parkway. No pre-registration is required.

Proof of current rabies vaccination is needed in order to license your dog, which is required in the Town of Webster and throughout New York State. All dogs four months or older must have proof of a rabies vaccination showing the date of vaccination and whether it is a 1-year or 3-year vaccine or a certificate from a licensed veterinarian stating why the life of the dog would be endangered by the vaccination.

If you are a dog owner in the Town of Webster, you are likely familiar with licensing your pet each year through the Town Clerk’s Office. Webster residents can apply for a dog license in person at Town Hall and licenses can be renewed in person or online.

After the application and appropriate certificates are filed and the license fee has been paid, the license will be valid for one year from the date of issue. Each dog is issued a permanent official identification (ID) number and ID tag, which is to be worn at all times.

The annual fee for licensing an unaltered dog is $20 and $10 for a spayed or neutered dog, payable with cash or check. Registrations must be renewed annually to remain compliant.

We hope that if you have a dog who is due for a rabies vaccination you will consider attending the clinic at 1005 Picture Parkway on the evening of August 21.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 31, 2024

Update on Roadwork in Webster

In the May 29 Supervisor's Corner article, I described how summer roadwork season was starting in Webster. As we enter August, we are more than halfway through the scheduled roadwork that the Webster Highway Department is planning for Summer 2024. One of the most common questions from residents is, "Why do we do oil and stone/chip seal instead of asphalt paving?" The gist of the question comes from the loose stones created by oil and stone/chip seal.

In 2022, the Monroe County Department of Transportation repaved a section of Holt Road north of Klem with a process called Micro Pave. The purpose and longevity of the Micro Pave product are similar to oil and stone/chip seal but have the following main differences as of 2022:

Material Cost: The cost of Micro Paving is roughly 30% more than oil and stone/Chip Seal. For 2022, the Town oil and stone/chip seal expense was $402,296. If we had completed the same 19.59 centerline miles of road with Micro Pave, the cost would have been $579,219—an increase of $176, 923.

Traffic Impacts: The oil and stone/chip seal application allows for traffic to travel on the surface minutes after the application creating limited disruption to traffic patterns in the neighborhoods where it is applied. Micro Pave requires a longer set time before traffic can travel, as seen on Holt Rd in 2022. Entire sections were shut down or reduced to one-way travel for 2-3 days to complete the work.

Time: The chip seal process currently takes 3-4 weeks to complete. I estimate that it would take 6-8 weeks to complete the same amount with Micro Pave and each day there would be residents who would need to seek alternate routes to avoid delays. On subdivision roads, this could be problematic. This would also cause the labor costs to increase between 30%-50% depending on additional time micro-paving would take.

Logistics: The Micro Pave process works best on roads without gutters. The Micro Pave application is slightly thicker than the chip seal application and therefore matching the edge of the concrete gutters would require milling eventually unlike chip seal. On roads like Holt with limited gutters, the application can flow over the top of everything, and on streets with curbs, like the Village, the Micro Pave can tie into the curb reveal for a long time with no issue. A high percentage of the Town's residential streets have gutters.

In summary, Micro Pave is more affordable than traditional paving but with the other factors listed above it is not a viable alternative to oil and stone/chip seal at this time. As always, we will continue to evaluate products as they hit the industry.

In other transportation news, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will start the repaving of State Route 250 from Lake Road running South to the Village of Webster in August. This project was originally planned for July but had some delays that will push it later in the summer.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 24, 2024

New Town of Webster Monthly E-Newsletter

On August 1, 2024, the Town of Webster will launch its first digital monthly e-newsletter. This e-newsletter will initially be e-mailed to the approximately 800 subscribers to the Town's previous weekly newsletter that ceased in November 2023. Over the next year, we anticipate e-newsletter subscribers will increase to 2,000+.

Our goal is to integrate an interactive aid to promote effective communication of Town events, news, and good news into how the Town communicates with its citizens. The development of the monthly e-newsletter has been a collaboration of the Town's department heads and Town Board with the Town's Communications Department. The plan is to have this newsletter go out every first day of the month from August 2024 into perpetuity.

The format and content of the monthly e-newsletter are derived from combining the strengths of the former weekly newsletter, incorporating formatting and stylistic traits from other local governments and organizations, and collaborating internally with Town staff to analyze the information most sought after by our community. The template structure of this Monthly newsletter seeks to give some consistency to the reader on Town of Webster government-centric topics, past, present, and future.

The monthly newsletter is a piece of the overall communication strategy of the Town of Webster government to its 45,000 citizens. That strategy runs the gamut from "daily" news that can be found digitally on the town website and social media platforms to the quarterly Webster Today Magazine that is USPS mailed to ALL Webster households and businesses.

We look forward to establishing a monthly e-newsletter into how the Town interfaces with our community, and in doing so, we certainly welcome feedback on our new structure and content model. While all ideas and suggestions may not be incorporated into the e-newsletter specifically, we seek to meet the communications needs of all members of our Webster community through our strategy.

If you'd like to receive the monthly e-newsletter directly, please feel free to e-mail Bridget Harvey, Director of Communications at bharvey@ci.webster.ny.us or follow this link to sign up. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 17, 2024

Town of Webster 2025 Budget Process

On Thursday, August 1, and Thursday, August 8 at 4:30PM, the Town of Webster department heads will present their proposed 2025 budgets to the Town Board and the entire community. Seven department heads will present on August 1 and another seven on August 8.

The 2025 budget presentations are essentially the halfway point of the 2025 Budget process. It started in early May 2024 when ALL department heads were asked by the Town’s Director of Finance Paul Adams to produce their department’s first 2025 budget ask for their department by early June. During that 30+ day timeframe, I met with each department head one-on-one to discuss what they envisioned for their department in 2025 and the next 4-5 years.

In the mid-June to mid-July 2024 timeframe, individual meetings were held with department heads, their town board liaison, the Town Supervisor, and the Director of Finance to determine what, if any, changes should be made to the department's initial 2025 budget asks. If a second meeting is warranted, it will occur in late July leading up to the two budget workshops on August 1 and 8.

After the budget workshop presentations, the Town Supervisor will file the tentative budget with the Town Clerk by August 30. The tentative budget is scheduled to be adopted by the Town Board on September 5. The approved resolution to adopt the tentative budget makes it the preliminary budget, which is subject to a public hearing tentatively scheduled for October 17, 2024.

The figures from the preliminary budget will be shown in the October 2024 Webster Today magazine. It will be USPS mailed to all Webster residences and businesses and will also include information on the public hearing and Town Board meetings scheduled to adopt the final 2025 budget. That resolution to adopt the 2025 final budget may take place after the public hearing on October 17 or in early November.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 10, 2024

Town Board Workshop changes as of August 15, 2024

As of Thursday, August 15, 2024, Town Board Workshops will be at 6:30 PM on the first and third Thursdays of each month. Town board meetings will remain at their regularly scheduled time of 7:30 PM on the first and third Thursdays of the month. This new schematic will result in workshops occurring immediately preceding the regularly scheduled Town Board meetings. It will also result in the Town Board meeting twice a month instead of the previous four times a month

The Town Board approved a resolution at the Wednesday, July 3 Town Board meeting to make this change effective August 15. This came after a 2–3-month discernment process where the topic was presented and discussed at two Town Board workshops. The main factors that went into making this change included but were not limited to:

Benchmarking: When we looked at other like-kind towns to Webster, we found that their town boards predominantly met two times per month. There is flexibility to schedule a third meeting in a month should situations arise that merit it.

Legitimate Town Board workshop criticisms from the Public: Webster citizens have conveyed frustration to the Town Board the past few years with start times of 5:30 PM for workshops, as it is difficult for them to attend or watch live due to when they get out of work.

Also, workshops do not have a chance for the public in attendance to take the podium for up to five (5) minutes to talk like regular town board meetings. Due to how active things are in Webster currently, we have scheduled resolutions to be voted on at workshops that traditionally are more suited for regular town board meetings. Having the workshop start at 6:30 PM will allow more residents to attend in-person or watch live. Having the regular town board meeting at 7:30 PM right after the workshop will give attendees the chance to take the podium for up to five (5) minutes to comment on what was presented/discussed at the workshop

The evolution of the Town Board workshop in Webster: Town Board workshops provide a legal forum for the five town board members to get together at a public meeting to discuss topics that may move to the resolution stage in weeks/months to follow. In 2019 and prior, the public could attend workshops, however, they were not live-streamed or taped for future viewing. Since 2020, COVID necessitated the town to air these workshops live and tape them for the public to watch later. When COVID restrictions were dropped, the Town Board agreed it was good practice to continue airing these workshops live and taping them.

Of the 24 possible dates in a year that a workshop could be scheduled, approximately 15 a year were done in 2019 and prior. Simply said, if there was not a topic(s) that the Town Board felt pertinent to have presented to them or discuss, a workshop was not scheduled. Comparatively, with all the activity going on in Webster the past few years, workshops have occurred on average in 21 of the possible 24 dates annually.

Finally, workshops in the 2019 and prior timeframe had minimal if no PowerPoint presentations by outside firms and/or Department Heads. They were mostly the Town Supervisor leading a discussion on various topics. In recent years, outside firms and Department Heads have been instructed to create aesthetically pleasing PowerPoint presentations for these workshops on the topic(s) they are presenting on. These PowerPoints can then be uploaded to the town's website and social media platforms for the public to access through the Agenda Center. One of the instructions given to the presenter(s) is to make the slides speak for themselves because many people who access the PowerPoint slides may do so AFTER the actual workshop. As such, those people will most likely not have the presenter audio to give them explanations of each slide, unless they are watching the meeting video in tandem.

In summary, there will be an adjustment period as we implement this new schematic beginning August 15. For example, if the workshop ends at 7:15 PM, by law the regular town board meeting cannot start until the 7:30 PM posted time. Also, we will need to determine what resolutions if any would be appropriate to vote on at the 7:30 PM regular meeting that had presentation(s) at the 6:30 PM workshop that night. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 3, 2024

EMS Update in Webster

This is my sixteenth article in the past two years on the EMS issue in Webster, and my first update since Penfield Volunteer Ambulance has been covering EMS services throughout Webster. At the Thursday, June 27 Town Board Workshop, the Town Board saw two (2) presentations on EMS: one by PVA on the past three months covering the Town of Webster and one by Russ Ziskind on long-term options for EMS in Webster. These presentations are on the town’s website and official YouTube page.

Penfield Volunteer Ambulance update

At Thursday’s workshop, PVA’s EMS Manager Dan Riordan presented coverage and community engagement data for March 29 – June 24, 2024.

Dan highlighted that in the past three months, there were a total of 1,119 EMS calls within the Town of Webster. Of these calls, 1,083 (96.78%) were responded to by PVA, and 36 (3.22%) were responded to by mutual aid. He broke this down by East Webster (651 total calls, 23 responded to by mutual aid) and West Webster (468 total calls, 13 responded to by mutual aid). The Town Board is grateful for the work PVA is doing to diligently and expeditiously respond to the EMS needs of Webster residents.

What resounded with the Town Board as much, if not more, than PVA’s excellent call response ratio is the engagement PVA has invested in the Webster community. PVA has put over 125 labor hours into Webster events, including staffing and support for Webster’s Solar Eclipse event, Webster’s Summer Celebration, coverage for WCSD events, and much more. In addition, PVA estimates they will have approximately 100 labor hours at the upcoming Webster Fireman’s Parade. Back in March, there were concerns that the Town of Webster was losing its hometown ambulance – Dan’s presentation proved that PVA is invested in becoming a part of our community.

Long-term EMS update

The Town of Webster’s special committee on EMS was formed in February 2024 and is co-chaired by Town Councilman and EMS liaison John Cahill and Russ Ziskind. This past Thursday, Russ updated the Town Board on the purpose of the committee, actions that have been taken between February and June, and the next steps.

The mission of this committee is to counsel the Webster Town Board on various long-term EMS options available, especially when considering the town’s municipal authorities within New York State. The first charge of the committee was to develop a Request for Inquiries (RFI) to gauge the interest of EMS agencies in covering Webster.

This RFI was sent to 21 EMS agencies in Monroe County and the agencies were given a response deadline of June 24, 2024. Two (2) formal ‘yes’ responses were received from Penfield Volunteer Ambulance and Monroe Ambulance and five (5) formal ‘no’ responses, as well as no formal response being received from the remaining 14 agencies. Next, the Town of Webster will determine what form of a Request for Proposals (RFP), if any, should be drafted for Penfield and Monroe to bid on.

In the coming weeks and months, the Town of Webster will continue to work diligently to determine the most effective EMS model for the Town of Webster. We are grateful to the emergency medical professionals who are assisting in the process and providing support and counsel as we review and analyze our options. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 26, 2024

Progress on a restaurant/bar building at Sandbar Park

At the Thursday, June 13 Webster Town Board Workshop, an update was given on the status of the Restaurant/Bar building at Sandbar Park. Chris Bilow, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, and Kayla Kent-Moreira, President of Operations for Fantauzzo Family Brands presented. If all goes as planned, a restaurant/bar at Sandbar Park will be operational in 2025.

It is important to look back at the process that has gotten us to this point. In late 2021/early 2022, a seven-person volunteer citizen committee worked with the town to draft an Expression of Interest (EOI) that was put out to local restauranteurs/bar owners. The timeframe to submit on this EOI was three months and ended in early April 2022.

The realities of a "public-private" partnership were clear during that process. These realities include but are not limited to 1. the lease between the private entity (tenant) and the public entity (landlord) is called a licensing agreement, and 2. the public entity has to take out a special hybrid bond/debt within constructing the building that will house a private business. That special hybrid bond can be no longer than 15 years and has taxable interest aspects that make the interest rate higher than the traditional municipal bond.

In April 2022, one (1) party formally submitted: the ownership group of the previous restaurant/bar on the site, the Bayside. The town worked with that ownership group for over six months, investing in having an engineering/architecture firm design a 2,400-square-foot building based on the vision of what the ownership group of the Bayside wanted.

Once the estimated price of building the 2,400-square-foot building was calculated and the upfront leasehold improvements the restauranteur would need to put in upfront along with the monthly rent that would need to be paid to cover the town taxpayer’s bond/debt costs, the owners decided to bow out. The main reason for bowing out was the financial aspect. Simply put, having the town build a municipal building on park land for a restauranteur/bar owner to operate out of will cost more than if a private owner built one on land the private party owns.

In December 2022, Chris Bilow presented at a Town Board Workshop on the status of the restaurant/bar at Sandbar Park and announced how the town would reach out to the interested parties from the EOI process in early 2022 who had not formally submitted bids. Two (2) reputable restauranteurs expressed interest and town officials began to discuss with them their vision in January-March 2023. By April 2023, one (1) decided to drop out and since that time the Town has been working with Fantauzzo Family Brands on designing a building that balanced the vision of the restauranteur while ensuring the citizen committee vision was met. Ultimately, any town cost via bond/debt must be covered monthly/annually by rent paid by the private restaurateur operating out of the building.

The town has been able to take lessons learned from the April-November 2022 process with the old Bayside owners and prior costs paid by the town in that time for building design and make this July 2023-June 2024 process between the Town and Fantauzzo Family Brands more efficient. Some of the things that revealed themselves during that July 2023-June 2024 timeframe was that Fantauzzo Family Brands leadership was open to creativity on making the town taxpayers whole including but not limited to 1. a lease with not only flat/fixed monthly rent but possibly tied to percentage of revenue generated by the business, and 2. working in collaboration with the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department on events at Sandbar Park.

The June 13 Town Board workshop presentation highlighted some challenges the town has had to address, including New York State DEC permitting on a 2,400-square-foot building base. It also showed the promise this new restaurant/bar building could have in 2025 and beyond including, but not limited to 1. an atmosphere commensurate with a waterfront venue (I.e. it is not a Salvatore's Pizza restaurant) and 2. the open-air second floor with breathtaking views of both the bay and lake.

Discussion on the tentative financial terms of a contract/lease for the building has already begun between the town and Fantauzzo Family Brands. The low bid process that must be followed for all municipal projects of this size will ultimately be the critical factor in this process as the result of the bid process will determine the final version of the contract/lease for the next 15+ years. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 19, 2024

Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market returns for another season

The Town of Webster is fortunate to have partnerships with many great organizations within our community. These collaborative efforts enhance the quality of life for Webster residents, as well as visitors to our town. In the summertime, Webster looks forward to the much-anticipated return of the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market – luckily in 2024, we don’t have to wait any longer!

Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market opened for the season on Saturdays on June 8 and will run through October 26. The Saturday market – located in the Towne Center at Webster between Old Navy and the gazebo – is open from 8:30am – 1:00pm. We look forward to seeing local vendors, both new and old, at the market this season. We are also eagerly awaiting the return of Evening in the Park, located at the south end of Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park, which is slated to return on July 17 and run through August 28 and runs from 4pm – 8pm on Wednesday evenings. These evenings include food, music, and of course, market vendors.

The market is a great way to embrace our area’s agricultural roots and support local farmers (as well as other vendors). All items sold at Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market are locally grown, raised, or produced, meaning that sellers do not resell someone else’s crops. In Webster and Western New York, we experience a later start to the growing season and as such, crops may not be available until later in the summer. While this is sometimes disappointing, it’s important to remember the importance of supporting local.

I’ve been informed by Nell Ruedin and Jason Bliek (who work diligently to ensure the market is a success each year) that there are several exciting highlights to look forward to again this season. In July, the market will be hosting a Christmas in July event with a special guest in the gazebo from 10am – 12pm. In addition, the first two weeks of October will have a guess the weight of the pumpkin contest. With special events, music, raffles, and a market with local vendors, Webster is guaranteed a great summer at the Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market.

We are grateful to have organizations like Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market in our community and I look forward to seeing you there on Saturdays, or at Charles E. Sexton Park on Wednesdays! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 12, 2024

Reaching the Webster community where they are

Back in January, I wrote about the importance of investing in communications with residents and the Webster community. This is something I have taken seriously over the past 4+, frequently saying that an informed and engaged community is a better community.

Complications (and opportunities) for communication lie in the fact that our Webster community is diverse in age, background, education, and so many other characteristics. This year alone, I have interfaced with a 12-year-old Cub Scout and celebrated a 100th birthday, worked with tech-savvy consultants and heard feedback from residents who choose to not have a cellphone, attended a high school economics class and visited several senior living facilities. While these are all unique populations, they share at least one thing in common: they are a part of the Webster community.

The landscape of communications continues to change and the mechanisms for reaching our audiences are dynamic. As we shift to a more digitally driven world, it is important to consider that not all people will opt to use digital channels. This is for several reasons, including, but not limited to accessibility, time, available support, or even apprehension about learning and adapting to something new. That’s okay. What would not be acceptable is if the Town of Webster opted to pick and choose ways of distributing important information without regard for the audiences that need to be reached.

As we continue to adopt and refine our communications strategy to be more effective, efficient, and far-reaching, the Town will be aware that a “one size fits all” method doesn’t work when delivering news and information. Instead, the Town of Webster will continue to find ways to meet our community where they are.

I usually do not have a call-to-action in my weekly columns however this week, I’d ask you to contact my office by phone, email, letter, or another method and let me know your preferred way of receiving information from the Town of Webster. While we may not be able to integrate every preferred method immediately, it is important to learn this information as we work to meet community members where they are.

Expanding awareness about town projects, initiatives, and news ensures our community is more engaged and informed. I am grateful to be part of a community that actively participates in local government and appreciate the feedback – both positive and critical – I have received as Town Supervisor. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 5, 2024

The Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA)

On Friday, May 31, Webster Economic Development Alliance's (WEDA) Executive Director Matt Chatfield presented to approximately 60 people at the monthly Webster Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting. The biggest thing that stood out from Matt's presentation is that WEDA and his efforts have resulted in over $15 million in grants awarded to the Webster Community in the 2014-2024 timeframe.

That $15 million was accomplished over those 10+ years with just $800,000 in aggregate funding to WEDA resulting in an 18 to 1 "return on investment" (ROI). ROI is often a private business term used when analyzing things like whether to advertise in a particular newspaper or magazine. If the cost of the ad is $1,000 and you get $18,000 of new business directly from that ad, your ROI for that company is 18 to 1.

When it comes to WEDA, the ROI has to be analyzed by the stakeholders taking the risk of investing $800,000 over the past ten years in WEDA, and for whom an 18 to 1 ROI was achieved on grants received. Those stakeholders are the Webster community as a whole, with WEDA's five (5) board members representing the community: the Town Supervisor, the Village Mayor, the Superintendent of Schools, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, and the President of the Business Improvement District (BID). Each of those entities annually funds WEDA from their budgets. The aggregate funding annually is approximately $80,000, with the Town and School District at $25,000, the Village at $20,000, and the Chamber and BID at $5,000 each. The WEDA board meets once a month. Attendees at that board meeting also include Matt Chatfield and often the two business owner advisors to WEDA: Bill Horeth from Kittelberger Florist and Greg Chambery from Maplewood Nursing Home.

I have had the pleasure and challenge of being the WEDA Board President for the past two years. The pleasure is the people I interact with within this organization and the irrefutable positive results the organization's efforts have achieved in the 18 to 1 ROI on grant awards. The challenge has been creating a unified vision for the future of the organization when faced with the reality that it is and has been a "one person" entity with Matt Chatfield. Simply said, if Matt is not there in the future, there is no foundational structure of succession to ensure the great works of the organization continue.

Over the next 1+ years, as we dovetail to the end of 2025, the WEDA board will be looking to structure the organization for long-term success. That may include but not be limited to increased annual funding from the board member entities, seeking other sources of funding from the private sector, adding staff and/or engaging outside firms, expanding the services WEDA does in the future, etc. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 29, 2024

It's Roadwork time of year in Webster

On Friday May 24th, the supply of the town's leaf mulch officially ran out. Between April 1st and May 24th, hundreds, if not over a thousand people went to Orchard street to load their trucks with this mulch. The Highway department also made over 300 home deliveries of leaf mulch this year which sets a new record. The dedicated Town employees at the Highway department now turn their attention to summer projects in town. Fifty (50) town roads have been identified to have chipseal (Oil and stone) maintenance done on them in the summer of 2024. Those roads have approx. 17 centerline miles and 14 cul de sacs/circles. Letters will be going out to the residents on these 50 roads the week of May 28-31st that explains the process. Tentatively that work starts the week of July 8th and will be completed by August 2nd. However, work has already begun in preparation of these roads with gutter replacement, pavement patching, catch basin repairs and crack sealing and will continue through the end of June.

Roadwork has also started on the Town Capital projects with gutter demo and prep on Shanlee Dr and Larkston Dr and drainage pipe replacements on Hrezent View Ln. This work will continue into August. The Highway department does not just do road work in the summer. Drainage crews are currently working on a conveyance clean out between Copper kettle and Tinker Taven, adjacent to Hard Rd. Also, a crew started the demolition of the garage at 600 Ridge Rd. on Tuesday May 28th.

Finally, In July, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will be starting the repaving of State road 250 from Lake road running South to the Village of Webster. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 22, 2024

Honoring our nation’s heroes Memorial Day and every day

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Memorial Day weekend has long indicated the unofficial start to summer, but — as we all know — there is a much more meaningful significance amid the fireworks, barbeques, and holiday travel that are in store in the coming week. As we enjoy the comforts and privileges we have in the United States, it is important to remember and pay homage to service members who have given their lives.

The history of Memorial Day started after the Civil War in the late 1860s, as Americans honored the staggering numbers of deceased soldiers on both sides of the conflict. At that time, the holiday was known as “Decoration Day.” As the holiday evolved to observe all fallen troops serving our nation, the tradition of honoring these heroes was called “Memorial Day.”

While many cities (nearly 25) claim to be where the holiday originated, both President Lyndon B. Johnson and Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed proclamations in 1966 that officially recognized the tradition of Memorial Day beginning in Waterloo, New York — just 35 miles southeast of Webster, as the crow flies. In May of 1866, Waterloo shuttered businesses to honor the war dead by draping buildings in black and decorating the graves of soldiers with wreaths, flowers, and flags.

At the end of the day, it likely does not matter the exact day or city where Memorial Day originated. What matters is that we do not lose sight of the sacrifice made by the brave men and women who gave their lives to ensure freedom for US citizens.

Over the weekend, celebration is certain to surround us. I ask that within these moments of festivity that you take time to remember the solemnity of Memorial Day and the heroes who gave everything for our freedom. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 15, 2024

Upcoming work on 600 Ridge Road (Old Furniture Strippers)

This is my eighth (8) article in the past 3+ years dedicated to 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet. The previous seven articles were on 9/16/20, 10/6/21, 6/15/22, 8/24/22, 4/5/23, 11/8/23, and 2/28/24. I invite you to go to the town website to read those articles if you would like to get a robust history of 600 Ridge Road. For this article, I will give an account of past and upcoming work/activity on the property.

On March 1, 2024, the County of Monroe deeded 600 Ridge Road over to the Town of Webster. Over the past 2+ months since then, key Town officials have been assessing the structures and the contents within them. The structures are 3-fold; Main original building, additions to the main building, and detached garage. We've had the Webster Museum and Town Historian go through the structures escorted by a Town Building department official. The goal was to see if any of the contents had historical significance that may be able to be staged at the museum in the future. The results of that tour was that only 1 item was noted and taken. (a dipstick) We then contacted 6 estate sale/auction houses to see if they would like to see if they would be interested in the contents of the structure. 4 of them individually went through the structures escorted by a Town Building department official and all reported that they felt there was nothing of value within the contents.

The week of May 28-31st we plan to start demolition of the detached garage and removal of the contents of that garage and the debris from the demolition. Once that garage is gone, in June we will be looking at three (3) main areas of activity:

1. Environmental testing: we will look to figure out the next step in the phase 2 environmental testing that had been done by Day engineering in November 2022 and January 2023. That previous testing sought to triangulate drilling on site to the ground water sources to determine what if any contaminants are in the water, and if they are coming in from another site or originating on the site. Unfortunately, one of the 3 drilling sites was in the garage, and they could not dig deep enough to get to the water sources at that time. With the site clear of the garage a large enough apparatus can be brought in to do this deeper drilling.

2.Removal of contents from the main building, additions to main building and basement: Now that we know the contents of the structures have been looked at by multiple sources and that there is no real value to the contents, we can move forward on removing and disposing of them.

3. Securing the property from entry and/or further weathering: The main building, additions and basement need to be secured to assure that no further entry can be made by people, animals and/or the elements.

It is hoped that as we get into July -August that we will be able to show the property on an appointment only basis to potential private investors who may be interested in buying the building and developing on the site. Such an investor will have a myriad of considerations including but not limited to; a) demolish and build new, or renovate, b) what phase 3 remediation is needed, if any of soil or water contaminants on site, and c) what cost would such remediation carry, and who will be paying for it. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 1, 2024

Assessment Cycle from May to July

May 1 is a significant date for the Webster Assessment Department, as it is the date the Tentative Assessment Roll is due to the Monroe County Office of Real Property. In New York State, assessing is almost exclusively the responsibility of towns and cities.

The Town Assessor determines the assessed value of property comparative to other Real estate in town. The assessment office does not determine the Market value of what a property would sell for. The equalization rate reconciles assessed value to market value. Many aspects can influence the assessed value of a property – location, size, condition, type of improvements, etc. The Assessor’s goal is to give an assessed value to all properties in town so that each individual property has an equitable stake.

Each year, the Town of Webster's Assessment Office prepares an Assessment Roll to be used for the levy of taxes based on the budgets set by the school districts (Webster Central and Wayne Central), the County of Monroe, the Town of Webster, and the Village of Webster. In order to produce this Assessment Roll, the Assessment Office follows the New York State Assessment Calendar as set forth throughout the New York State Real Property Tax Law. This article focuses on the Annual Assessment Cycle from May to July.

Tentative Assessment Roll Filed

As I mentioned previously, the Tentative Assessment Roll is filed on May 1. This Roll lists assessments for all properties in Webster, as well as any approved exemptions. Though it is still possible, with some limitations to make corrections after tax bills are issued, it is best to review the Tentative Assessment Roll for any necessary corrections. If property owners do not receive a letter from the town indicating a change, their assessment has not been changed on that Roll.

The Grievance Process

Property owners who disagree with the assessed value of their property may submit a formal grievance to be reviewed by the Board of Assessment Review (BAR). The grievance application and instructions can be found on the Town’s website. Applications should be completed, signed, and returned with supporting documentation to the Assessment Office at Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road.

The last day to apply for grievances in 2024 is May 28. Depending on the number of applicants for grievances, the appointments can go on for multiple days. The five-person BAR reviews all the formal grievance applications and make determinations on them.

If the property owner disagrees with the BAR decision, they have an appeal remedy of small claims assessment review. Small claims forms are submitted to the County Clerk. The Town of Webster does not receive any part of the filing fee charged by the court system.

There is no cost to grieve an assessment and property owners filing a grievance need not hire an attorney for the process.

Final Assessment Roll Filed

The Final Assessment Roll is filed on July 1. The Final Assessment Roll incorporates the changes made by the BAR during the grievance process. Judicial review of a final assessment is available only to those properties that were reviewed by the BAR. That final roll will be the basis for equitable charging of 2025 Town of Webster taxes when the property owner gets their Town and County 2025 real estate tax bill in January 2025.

It is important to note that the Town of Webster and BAR do not have jurisdiction over tax bill complaints when the Town tax bill comes out in January 2025. Property owners cannot grieve taxes or tax bills. In the digital version of this article, I will link the referenced forms and pages of the Assessment Office website for quick reference. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 24, 2024

Fairlife groundbreaking and Town Sewer Plant project

Last Thursday, April 18, I joined representatives from New York State, Monroe County, Greater Rochester Enterprise, Webster Economic Development Alliance, as well as the Coca-Cola Company, and fairlife as ground was officially broken at the site of fairlife’s processing plant on Tebor Road. The excitement at the groundbreaking celebration was palpable and I was reminded of the great significance this project will have on the Town of Webster.

This project embodies the Town of Webster’s past, present, and future by coupling an appreciation for the town’s agricultural roots with a prioritization of progress, growth, and development.

Investment in our community

The Town of Webster is making Monroe County history with this project; fairlife is the largest industrial development project in the County’s history. The initial investment into the Webster community is an unprecedented $650 million and the construction of this plant is representative of Webster’s commitment to economic innovation. I look forward to seeing the continued progress from construction through to when the plant becomes operational.

Jobs to support Webster families

With the impending arrival of the Northeast’s largest dairy processing plant, it is no surprise that hundreds of jobs will be, and have been, created. Before the plant is operational, over 500 construction jobs will be created. The processing plant is anticipated to directly create 250 jobs, though this number will likely continue to grow. These jobs will undoubtedly have a profound impact on local residents and families.

Upgrades to infrastructure

This aspect of the project is the one I will focus on the most in-depth in this article. The upgrade/upsize project at the Town Wastewater/Sanitary Sewer Treatment Plant has been highly publicized in Webster the past 2-3 years for two (2) main reasons: 1. At a price tag of $81 million, it is by far the largest municipal project in the history of the town, and 2. The project has been and will always be tied to the Coca-Cola/fairlife project.

One of the major reasons the Town of Webster was selected as the site of fairlife’s new facility is that in 2022, the Town decided to add approximately $15 million in “new technology” to the planned $29 million asset renewal aspect of Phase II of the Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade. Over a series of Town Board meetings and Workshops in mid 2022 it was shown how the $44 million project with "new technology" would actually cost the Town taxpayers LESS than the $29 million asset renewal project. Simply said, the new annual revenue and the cost savings from this new Technology portion of the project would pay for the principal and interest of any bond/debt, and also have excess to help cover the bond/debt of the $29 million asset renewal. As such, in September 2022 the Town Board did a bond resolution at $44 million for the project. At that time, we figured the cost of the project along with annual operating costs of the Sewer plant would be spread over the 17,000 "users" the plant had.

In early 2022, Coca-Cola/fairlife started with approximately 40 sites in 12 states in the Northeast where they were discerning to build this new plant. When they initially looked at Webster in August 2022, they liked the sewer project we were endeavoring into, and the culture of new technology and environmentally friendly aspects of the project aligned with theirs. By the time Webster was chosen as the site in May 2023, the town knew we would have to expand the scope of the $44 million project to allow for the level of sewer flow Coca-Cola/fairlife would put into the system.

In August 2023, the Town Board amended the September 2022 $44 million bond resolution to $81+ million. Since then, Town leadership has been working with New York State, as well as Coca-Cola/fairlife, on options to cover that additional $37 million. At the April 18 groundbreaking, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $20 million in grant support through the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation for wastewater treatment plant upgrades, which will be enormously helpful in covering a large portion of this. In December 2023, Coca-Cola/fairlife and the Town agreed in principle to have Coca-Cola/fairlife pay for $17 million of the $81+ million project; a fully executed contract/agreement is anticipated by July 2024. The result of these is that the Town Tax payers are back to paying for $44 million bond/debt of this project like we did the bond resolution for in September 2022. The BIG difference is that the cost of this bond/debt and annual sewer operating costs will now be spread over approx. 29,000 "users" instead of the 17,000 we had in 2022. This additional 12,000 "users" is due to the Coke-fairlife sewer discharge that will be in place when the plant is completed in Autumn 2024 and 3 lines are up and operational on Tebor road in Spring 2025.

We are targeting a June 2024 Town Board workshop to present facts and figures on this $81+ million project. Within that, we will overview how this project evolved in scope and cost over the past two years.

Last week’s groundbreaking ceremony was a reminder of the magnitude of the fairlife project and the undeniable effect it will have on the Town of Webster for years to come. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 17, 2024

Baseball in Webster in 2024

Longer, sunnier days remind us that summer is not far away. As we anticipate the summer months here in Webster, we look forward to seasonal staples like picnics in parks, outdoor summer concerts, bike rides along the trails, and of course, baseball. In the town of Webster, we are lucky to have the Rochester Ridgemen play at the baseball field off Basket Road.

The Ridgemen are part of the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL), a league that is sponsored by Major League Baseball (MLB). The NYCBL is one of 13 leagues sponsored by the MLB nationally. The league is designed to help players develop their skills for the colleges they play for and to assist them increase their exposure to major league scouts. Players like J.D. Martinez (Mets), retired players Tim Hudson and Hunter Pence, and many others have come through the league.

The Rochester Ridgemen baseball team enters the 2024 season as the NYCBL defending champions, winning the organization's first-ever title in 2023 since it has been in Webster dating back to 2012.

The team will play a 36-game season (15 home games at Basket Road Field; 18 Road Games, and 3 Neutral Site Games). The 2024 campaign starts on June 7 with the team’s official home opener starting on June 10 at 6 p.m.

The 2024 Ridgemen will be managed by new Head Coach Thomas Eaton of Port Orange, Florida. Eaton is a former MLB scout for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals and currently serves as the Head Coach for West Bay Collegiate Academy.

This year’s squad will be a roster of 35-40 college players that will be represented by local players, players as far west as Montana and Texas, as far north as Canada, and as far south as Florida. Local starting pitcher Ed Hall (Davidson College) is the only player from the 2023 squad coming back and he will be joined by Webster native Jack Cannon (Le Moyne College).

The Ridgemen offer a welcoming experience for fans of all ages to see future prospective draftees and are the only collegiate summer league team in Monroe County. All games are free general admission seating for fans.

Webster is fortunate to have an organization like the Rochester Ridgemen in our community and I hope you have the opportunity to attend one of their games this summer! As always, please feel free to call me at 872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 10, 2024

Highway Department Spring projects: mulch, mailboxes, and lawn repair

This past week the Town of Webster Highway Department took the plow blades off the trucks and officially put winter behind us. This "rite of spring" also brought with it the end of the split shifts the department does in winter. Those split shifts maximize the department’s snow and ice removal capabilities by half the staff available from 3am to 11am, and the other half from 12:30pm to 8:30pm on weekdays. In the winter, ALL highway staff are essentially "on call" should a major snow event occur that necessitates plowing and/or salting of the roads.

Spring brings with it not only the start of major drainage and roadway repair projects but also three (3) functions at the Webster Highway Department that are of great interest to our community: leaf mulch compost, mailboxes, and lawn repair. A brief description of each function:

LEAF MULCH COMPOST: The rigorous autumn leaf pick up at the curbside of residents’ homes is turned into leaf mulch compost. Free leaf mulch compost and wood chips are now available in the parking lot on Orchard Road, north of Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park. Leaf mulch compost and woodchips can also be ordered for delivery to residents’ homes by filling out the order form on the town website or contacting the Webster Highway Department at 872-1443. There is no fee for the quantity of material chosen, but there is a delivery fee of $50.00 per load. These materials are available while supplies last and all orders are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. This season, our crews have delivered materials to 156 residents so far!

MAILBOXES: Many USPS mailboxes in Webster are roadside, within the town right of way, along a resident's yard. This is very convenient for the mail carriers as most drive up to these mailboxes to deliver mail. However, having the mailboxes directly at the road edge puts them directly in the path of snow and ice as it is removed from the roadway. Each year, a large number of these roadside mailboxes are damaged or destroyed. In the vast majority of these cases, it is NOT the plow blade that clips or hits the mailbox, but the tidal wave of snow that comes off the blade is at such force that it causes havoc on the mailbox. The Highway Department repairs or replaces these mailboxes with a standard mailbox meeting the USPS guidelines, at no charge. To do so, they need to be made aware of the damage by residents. A resident can also opt to repair or replace it themselves and the town will give the homeowner $25 to subsidize that effort.

LAWN REPAIR: In preparation for snow plowing season, the Highway Department places stakes along the grass at the side of the road in autumn. These stakes give plow drivers a bearing on where the road ends and a resident's lawn begins. Until you sit up in the cab of one of these plow trucks, it is hard to fathom how difficult it is to be precise in plowing to the barrier of road versus grass without narrowing the roadway. As such, when the snow melts in the spring, several resident lawns reflect plow blade damage. The dedicated Highway Department staff go out and essentially regrade and seed these damage points so that by mid-May to June, the grass has grown back.

The Highway Department continues to be hard at work, serving the Webster community as we welcome a new season. The Town of Webster will keep residents apprised of any updates to these services as spring continues. As always, please feel free to call me at 872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 3, 2024

Town of Webster Eclipse Event on April 8, 2024

As you likely know, Monroe County is estimating that up to 500,000 people will come to our region to witness the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024. The eclipse will begin at 2:07pm, with totality starting at 3:20pm and lasting until about 3:24pm. Viewing the eclipse in Webster will be easy if you have a clear view of the southern sky. If you’re planning on viewing the eclipse, make sure you pick up genuine eclipse glasses, available at the Webster Public Library.

The Webster Public Library is partnered with Webster Parks and Recreation to host an eclipse party at 1350 Chiyoda Drive. There will be a stellar story time, face painting, a bounce house, eclipse yoga, snacks, out-of-this-world ice cream, and custom Webster Public Library eclipse shirts, buttons, and stickers provided by the Friends of the Webster Public Library. Parks and Recreation is also hosting a senior lunch for residents 55 and older and an Eclipse Day Camp for children in kindergarten to fifth grade. Of course, if the weather is expected to be bad, we will have to move the outdoor activities to the library. Announcements will be made on the library’s website and social media pages, as well as the town’s website and platforms.

If you don’t have a good view of the southern sky or just want to join us for a great day, please join us at Webster Parks and Recreation or any other park you may like. And, take the advice from Monroe County: pick a park – then park it! There’s no shortage of events or public spots to enjoy the eclipse, so please remember to respect other’s property.

You may have noticed that the signs on 104 have changed, warning drivers to expect heavy traffic on April 8, but many visitors will be arriving the Friday or Saturday before; in fact, it is unlikely that any hotels will have available rooms in our area. Almost all schools in the area are closed, so that buses won’t have to fight traffic and our students can enjoy the day. Just last week, I announced the closure of Webster Town Hall at 1pm on April 8, at the recommendation of Webster Police Chief Dennis Kohlmeier, to reduce traffic as totality approaches.

Since this is a major event, it is recommended that you prepare by getting medications and groceries early, fill up your gas tank, and prepare for slow or no cell service that afternoon. Planning has been going on for months for this event to ensure adequate emergency services are available with the influx of visitors.

I encourage everyone to safely enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime event, whether it is with Webster Public Library at the Recreation Center, or elsewhere. After all, the next time Webster will be in the path of totality again is 120 years from now on October 26, 2144! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 27, 2024

EMS Update in Webster

This is my fifteenth article in the past two years on the EMS issue in Webster. Most recently, the January 3, January 17, and February 21 editions of the Webster Herald had updates on ambulance service in Webster related to Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) leadership’s decision to give the Town of Webster 90-day notice on December 29, 2023, as to their intention to cease being the outsourced EMS agency for the town as of March 28, 2024. With the end of the 90-day notice upon us, as of Friday, March 29 ambulance service in Webster will be as follows through at least December 31, 2024:

West Webster Fire District (WWFD): Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) has full authority/Certificate of Need (CON) in this area of the town of Webster. When NEQALS leadership announced in early January 2024 that they would be cutting back on ambulances in the Town of Webster as of Saturday, January 13, Webster Town Board passed a resolution allowing PVA to operate as primary in the 911 queue in the West Webster Fire District as of Saturday, January 13. In the past 30+ days since that action, 911 ambulance calls in this district have been primarily covered by PVA with minimal mutual aid from other EMS agencies.

Northeast Joint Fire District (NEJFD): At a Special Town Board meeting on Thursday, March 28, at 6:30 PM, a resolution is on the agenda to have the Town of Webster and its Municipal authorities/Certificate of Need as Webster Emergency Medical Services (WEMS) to enter into a contract to outsource EMS with Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA). Within the terms of that 9-month contract is the Town of Webster paying PVA $128,956 which is essentially retroactive to what PVA has done in Webster since January 1, 2024 in both WWFD and NEJFD. Should that resolution pass, the contractual relationship between WEMS and PVA for the NEJFD will be very similar to the contract WEMS had with NEQALS (i.e. a private EMS agency outsourced to carry out EMS services by the Town within their Municipal authority). Should the resolution NOT pass, the NEJFD would be covered by Mutual aid as of Friday March 29th.

There has been a lot of misinformation on this Webster EMS issue that has been circulating over the past several months. Three (3) main ones that are important to separate myth from fact are as follows:

Myth: Webster is losing its "hometown ambulance"

Fact: PVA will have ambulance(s) based/staged at two (2) locations in Webster: 1. In West Webster at the West Webster Fire District (WWFD) base on Gravel Road, and 2. At the Northeast Joint Fire District (NEJFD) base on Phillips Road. In 2023 and prior, the WEMS-NEQALS contract only had one (1) base with a NEQALS-owned building on Jackson Road.

A service like EMS is one where "seconds matter" and having two (2) bases/staging areas puts Webster citizens in a better position to get an ambulance to them fast. Also, many of the EMTs and Paramedics who worked for NEQALS have been hired by PVA.

Myth: The Webster Town Board has had no plan for EMS in Webster beyond NEQALS for the past 2+ years

Fact: In November 2021, the Webster Town Board awarded NEQALS all 35 square miles of Webster, including both fire districts within the WEMS-NEQALS contract. When that was done, it was specifically stated that amendments to the WEMS-NEQALS five-year contract (January 1, 2021-December 31, 2025) would need to be executed. Town Attorney Charlie Genese, EMS Town Board liaison John Cahill, and Deputy Town Supervisor Patti Cataldi started those amended contract discussions with NEQALS leadership in early 2022. Those discussions ceased when NEQALS was awarded $205,000 in town American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money in July 2022 and then in August 2022 NEQALS leadership asked for $800,000 in an EMS tax district.

It is an oversimplification, but for the 17 months of August 2022 to December 2023, the amended contract discussions centered around two (2) narratives: 1. NEQALS leadership's "formal written" proposals got them additional funding with no changes to the contract, and 2. The Town of Webster said they would not provide additional funding without some changes to the contract, NEQALS leadership, and NEQALS’s operational model.

As the Town Board saw the possible breakdown of these discussions with NEQALS leadership in April 2023, the May 25, 2023 Town Board Workshop presentation of "possible short-term options for EMS in Webster" showed an option which was to have the town execute the 90-day out clause in the contract and go to PVA. From June-December 2023 the town board worked on "parallel plans" for EMS in Webster; one with NEQALS and an amended contract, and one without NEQALS. When NEQALS executed their 90-day notice, the Town of Webster focused on refining the details of the latter of these plans to ensure that on March 29, 2024, the Town of Webster would be in as good, if not better, relating to ambulance services.

3.Myth: Committee formed to counsel Town Board on LONG-TERM EMS options (January 1, 2025 and beyond) was not transparent/open to Webster citizens

Fact: This committee was initially formed in October 2023 with John Cahill Webster Town board member and EMS liaison and Russ Ziskind as the co-chairs. Russ is a 10+ year Webster citizen who has owned and operated several successful Technology businesses. He is also the Chairman of the board and CEO of Northern Onondaga Volunteer Ambulance (NOVA) out of Clay NY. Russ has 30+ years in the EMS business in management, and boots on the ground EMT/Paramedic. The original "charge" was to have John and Russ form a committee to assist NEQALS in developing an operations/business plan for January 2024 and beyond and to present that plan in January 2024 to the Webster Town board with the requested 2024 annual funding from the town tax payers. John and Russ convened twelve (12) people on this committee that consisted of John and Russ, three (3) NEQALS board members and/or key day to operations staff and seven (7) EMS professionals from around New York State who had management, operations and/or billing/financial expertise. With NEQALS decision to give 90-day notice on December 29, 2023, the Town Board asked John and Russ in January 2024 if they could have the remaining nine (9) people on the committee who were NON-NEQALS Board members/day to day ops and to have a 'new charge" to counsel the Town Board on LONG TERM EMS options in Webster beyond January 1, 2025. Those 9 people on the committee have been researching in February-March 2024 "EMS specifics" including but not limited to, the Town's Municipal authorities and the next 2-year renewal period of August 2024-August 2026, and production of a Request for Inquiry (RFI) to see what private EMS agencies may be interested in a more robust formal Request for Proposals (RFP) on covering the 35 square miles of Webster in January 2025 and beyond. There was a conscious decision made to keep this committee at the original NON NEQALS 9 people based on their robust EMS experience, and their lack of conflict of interest in counseling the Town Board on EMS in Webster in 2025 and beyond.

In summary, from a purely financial perspective, Webster taxpayers will be paying $128,956 in 2024. That money has some "tangibility" to it, such as PVA investment costs to support Webster in 2024 and PVA not charging for lift assist calls from Webster citizens. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 20, 2024

Tuesday, April 2 Presidential Primary in New York State

In presidential election years, like 2024, we hear terms like “Iowa Caucus,” “New Hampshire Primary,” and “Super Tuesday.” All of these terms pertain to presidential primary elections that take place leading up to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions later this year.

Ultimately at those conventions, each party will choose their candidate to be on the November 2024 General Election ballot for President of the United States (POTUS). The results of the November General election will determine the POTUS for the next four years, from January 20, 2025 – January 19, 2029.

In the State of New York, the Presidential Primary is Tuesday, April 2, 2024. On that same day, primaries will be held in Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, and Wisconsin. Some aspects of this New York State Presidential primary include the following:

What is at stake? For the Democrats, 306 delegates are at stake to take to the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago. For the Republicans, 91 delegates are at stake to take to the July Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Who can vote? Registered Democrat and Republican voters residing in New York State are eligible to vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries, respectively. Third-party or unaffiliated registered voters are not able to vote in the 2024 presidential primary election.

When can you vote? The primary is on Tuesday, April 2. However, there is early voting from Saturday, March 23 – Saturday, March 30.

Where can you vote? If you vote on Tuesday, April 2, you may only vote at your Board of Elections-assigned polling place. Assigned polling places may change from year to year, so if you are uncertain about your polling location, it is best to check online or call the Monroe County Board of Elections before heading out to the polls.

If you decide to take advantage of early voting, there are eight (8) locations in Monroe County that you can opt from. The location in Webster for early voting is at the Van Ingen Courthouse on the Webster Town Hall campus. The schedule for the early voting at Van Ingen Courthouse is as follows:

Saturday, March 23: 9 am – 6 pm

Sunday, March 24: 9 am – 6 pm

Monday, March 25: 9 am – 6 pm

Tuesday, March 26: 11 am – 8 pm

Wednesday, March 27: 9 am – 6 pm

Thursday, March 28: 11 am – 8 pm

Friday, March 29: 9 am – 6 pm

Saturday, March 30: 9 am – 6 pm

As I like to say, an informed and engaged community is a better community. Participation in government at all levels is an important aspect of being informed and engaged members of our community. I am grateful to those who will participate in the upcoming presidential primary, as well as the June Primary Election and November General Election.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 13, 2024

Webster Police Department’s reaccreditation

The program has four principal goals, including: increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of law enforcement agencies utilizing existing personnel, equipment, and facilities to the extent possible; promoting increased cooperation and coordination among law enforcement agencies and other agencies of the criminal justice system; to ensure appropriate training of law enforcement personnel; and to promote public confidence in law enforcement.

Process: Police departments and sheriff’s offices may participate in the program. Agencies must meet a particular set of standards in three categories to be accredited/reaccredited: administration, training, and operations. Staff from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Office of Public Safety administer the program and accreditation process, assisted by program assessors who evaluate agencies’ compliance with program standards.

Benefits: I have learned that the benefits of this program go far beyond an agency having the recognition of being an accredited department. Accreditation/reaccreditation gives the assurance of regular review of an agency’s written directives, as well as the knowledge that an agency’s policies comply with professional standards. As a result of these factors, there tends to be greater administrative and operational effectiveness leading to greater public confidence in the agency.

Before becoming Town Supervisor, I had great respect for the Webster Police Department and the work they did in keeping Webster safe. As Supervisor, my respect and admiration grow as I witness the diligence and dedication the department displays each day as they serve the Town of Webster. The work they have done to earn the department’s reaccreditation is a testament to their exceptional commitment to our community.

March 6, 2024

Building a legacy of public service

This past weekend, I was invited to be a part of Boy Scout Troop 110’s merit badge day and engaged in a robust conversation about public service with Scouts pursuing their Citizenship in Community Merit Badge. In the days since meeting with Troop 110, I have thought about the significance of service and the profound impact a public servant can have.

Last month, the Webster community was saddened by the passing of Bill Rampe, Jr. Although I did not have the opportunity to know Bill well, as I reflect on public service, I would be remiss not to consider the legacy of public service Bill has left behind. He was a lifelong Webster resident who made a significant impact on the town through both his successful business, Rampe Construction Company, as well as his dedication to the town through service. Bill served the Town of Webster for 38 years and shared his talents in many ways.

Bill served our community on the Webster Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board, serving as Chairman of each of these boards for many years. Bill was also elected to Webster Town Board. In his time on the Town Board, he served as Deputy Town Supervisor and was the Town Board liaison to the Code Revision Committee, which met frequently during his time of service. As an advocate for Webster’s beautiful green spaces, Bill served on the Open Space Committee during the 2000s, which focused on preservation. His love for the Town of Webster was palpable and widely known.

I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by individuals serving the Webster community each and every day. As I walk through Town Hall and see representatives from the Webster Assessing, Building, and Town Clerk’s offices interface with residents to complete necessary transactions: public service. As I arrive home safely from work on a snowy evening because of the tireless work of the Webster Highway Department: public service. As I observe my colleagues thoughtfully discern difficult decisions with the best interests of the Webster community in mind: public service.

The work of a public servant is rarely easy but is always necessary. When I was meeting with Troop 110, one Scout asked me what I enjoyed best about being Webster Town Supervisor. My answer is simple: helping people. I have a feeling this is what motivated Bill Rampe through his decades of remarkable service to the Webster community. Likewise, I know helping people is what inspires the 400 full- and part-time Webster employees to serve our town. I doubt Bill Rampe intended to create the undeniable legacy he has left behind, nor do most public servants recognize the significant impact their commitment has, but our community is undoubtedly stronger because of those who choose to serve.

Looking around the Town of Webster, public servants impact our lives each day, from local government officials in the village and town to the educators at Webster Central School District to the emergency professionals who keep our community safe through EMS, fire, and police services. Their dedication continues to inspire me in my job as Webster Town Supervisor and I hope that this spirit of giving back inspires future generations, including the young men I met with this past weekend. As always, feel free to contact me at 585-872-7068 or supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 28, 2024

Update on 600 Ridge Road (Old Furniture Strippers)

The Webster Furniture Strippers operated out of the building from circa 1985 until circa 2005. The building has been vacant for almost 20 years, during which it was always under private ownership. It went through over 15 Monroe County real estate tax foreclosure auctions with no buyers. The County was concerned about "unknown" environmental issues so they would not take ownership and gave it back each time to the private owner.

A myriad of activities has occurred in the past 3+ years on this property including, but not limited to, the collaboration of the Town of Webster, Monroe County, New York State DEC, State Supreme Court process, and Day Engineering Phase 2 environmental testing. Those 3+ years of activity will culminate with a major milestone for the Town of Webster taking ownership from Monroe County of this property for the purchase price of $1.00. This was made possible by there being no buyer at the most recent September 2023 Monroe County Real Estate tax foreclosure auction. Unlike the previous 15+ of these auctions where the County gave it back to the private owner due to "unknown" environmental issues, this time they did not and are selling it to the Town. The environmental testing done by Day Engineering in November 2022 and January 2023 and what that testing manifested on the site was one of the main catalysts to this.

On or around March 1, 2024, the County of Monroe will deed 600 Ridge Road over to the Town of Webster. So… what is the Town of Webster's plan for 600 Ridge Road upon ownership? The main goal is to sell the property to the private sector as soon as possible. To do that, more information needs to be collected on what contaminants are on the site and what remediation is necessary. The Town has entered into an agreement with the New York State DEC and other agencies to minimize the risk they have on this site and any remediation. The Town as a municipality has better access to grants for remediation than a private owner would. Simply said, the quicker the cleanup is done, the quicker the private sector will be interested in buying it and developing.

With the West Webster Hamlet being a Town revitalization project, it is important to understand that any revitalization of this Hamlet starts with the corner of Gravel and Ridge, and 600 Ridge is on that corner. Over the next 1-3 months, the Town will be putting out information about 600 Ridge Road including, but not limited to, securing the property from entry and/or further weathering, what will become of the contents of the building, and future environmental testing. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

February 21, 2024

EMS Update in Webster

This is my fourteenth article in the past two years on the EMS issue in Webster. Most recently, the January 3 and 17 editions of the Webster Herald had updates on Ambulance service in Webster related to Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) leadership’s decision to give the Town of Webster 90-day notice on December 29, 2023, as to their intention to cease being the outsourced EMS agency for the Town as of March 28, 2024. This 90-day notice execution was written into the five-year contract between NEQALS and the Town of Webster, with either party having the option to execute it without breaching the contract. That five-year contract covered January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2025. Since my last update on this topic, the following has occurred:

Short-term: West Webster Fire District: Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) has full authority/Certificate of Need (CON) in this area of the town of Webster. When NEQALS leadership announced in early January 2024 they would be cutting back on ambulances in the Town of Webster as of Saturday, January 13, Webster Town Board passed a resolution allowing PVA to operate as primary in the 911 queue in the West Webster Fire District as of Saturday, January 13. In the past 30+ days since that move, 911 ambulance calls in this district have been primarily covered by PVA with minimal mutual aid from other EMS agencies.

Short-term: Northeast Joint Fire District: In the 34 days since NEQALS decided to cut ambulances scheduled in Webster, (January 13-February 15th), there have been 224 ambulance calls in East Webster: NEQALS as the outsourced EMS agency of the Town covered 93 of these calls (42%) and the other 131 were mutual aided by other EMS agencies, predominantly PVA. In addition to PVA, Irondequoit and Ontario EMS have also responded to calls.

Long-term: ALL of Webster: On February 1, with the assistance of PVA, the Town of Webster applied to have its municipal EMS authority expanded to include Advanced Life Support (ALS). It is estimated that by March 1, we will have approval for this expanded authority. Previously, when the Town applied to New York State in the 2015 timeframe for its Municipal Certificate of Need (CON), it only had Basic Life Support (BLS) and BLS Transport. The ALS portion was handled by NEQALS and their NYS CON of ALS. With NEQALS issuing their 90-day notice, it makes sense for the Town to expand its authority to include BLS/ALS/transport.

On February 8, the Town Board asked Russ Ziskind, a Webster resident and CEO of Northern Onondaga Volunteer Ambulance, and Webster Town Councilman John Cahill - liaison to EMS In Webster, to form a committee of EMS professionals to discern long-term options for EMS in Webster for January 1, 2025, and beyond. This committee could then consult the Town Board as decisions are made on this long-term option. Russ and John accepted that request and are in the process of forming this committee. It is anticipated that they will start their work in March 2024.

In summary, by March 28, 2024, NEQALS will no longer be the outsourced EMS agency for the Town of Webster's Municipal CON. The Town Board is confident that a short-term plan has been structured with PVA and will ensure excellent ambulance coverage for the Town of Webster for the remainder of 2024. In the coming months, Russ Ziskind and John Cahill's committee will be discerning long-term options for EMS in Webster beyond January 1, 2025. Some of these options were articulated at the May 25, 2023, Town Board workshop presentation.

Moving forward, updates on EMS will be posted frequently to the Town website to keep residents apprised of any changes as we continue to seek sensible and sustainable solutions to EMS in the Town of Webster. It is also reasonable to assume that the EMS topic will be broached at future Town Board meetings and workshops during 2024. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 14, 2024

Webster's new Highway facility taking form

Last week, I attended a project update meeting at Campus Construction Management’s temporary field office at the Webster Highway Department on Picture Parkway. The purpose of the meeting was to gather key people involved in the construction of the Town of Webster's new 80,000-square-foot Highway facility and to proactively address various items involved in the project.

The new facility is located just south of the current facility and the Cliff E. Jones Building. The first thing that caught my eye as I drove my car south off Picture Parkway and down the temporary driveway to the west of the current Highway Department garage was that steel girders have started to be erected on the foundation/building pad. Once our discussion began, I was impressed by how the parties at the table meticulously went through past, present, and future considerations of the project. The bottom line is their efforts are designed to have a project built correctly, at or under budget, and on time. The update meetings occur once a month until the project is complete. These parties also have periodic meetings with the contractors to ensure solid communication and that expectations are set and known by all. We look forward to keeping the community apprised of the updates throughout construction. Over the next few weeks, the Town's Communication Department will be working with the Highway Department and Campus to put a time-lapse of the building project on the Town website.

The facility is on target to be completed in the spring of 2025. The new facility allows for the appropriate amount of space for safe storage and maintenance of the Highway Department's fleet, as well as updated administrative areas and staff facilities. Once the new facility is built, occupied, and functioning, 2025 and beyond will bring positive changes to some current Town operations. For example, spring 2024 may be the last year that mulch is staged at the Orchard Street entrance to Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park. In the future, we hope to have that mulch in a customer-friendly drive-in and out part of the Highway facility grounds on Picture Parkway. The current highway garage will most likely be razed and that space used for yard space storage.

It is an exciting time at the Webster Highway Department. This department has long been a "jewel" of the Town of Webster and is well respected in Monroe County and around New York State for its ingenuity and execution on road maintenance, plowing, etc. The new facility will be one that we hope will continue to draw the "best of the best" to the Town. The next generation of commercial driver licensed women and men will see the Town of Webster Highway department as an employer of choice. That will ensure that the 45,000 citizens in Webster continue to get the best services. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

February 7, 2024

Amending the Town Code to reflect large industrial users to the Sanitary Sewer Plant

Over sixty (60) years ago, the Town Sewer Plant opened on Phillips Road. Around that time, the Webster Town Code was written and adopted to reflect how annual charges for flow to both residential and commercial users would be handled. The code also referenced how a "one-time" tie-in fee would be charged to the user when they initially tied into the collection system (sewer mains and pump stations) so their flow could get to the Phillips Road plant for treatment.

For the most part, these codes have stood the test of time. As such, in 2024 the Phillips Road plant has approximately seventeen Thousand (17,000) users. Approximately fifteen thousand (15,000) of those users are residential and the rest are commercial. A user is defined as an Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) and for residential that EDU is 60,000 gallons annually. In 2024 the residential flow fee on the Town and County real estate tax bill is just under $300 when combining Operations and Maintenance and Capital. A commercial user is charged approximately $5 per 1,000 of actual flow which is tantamount to the $300 a residence is charged for 60,000 gallons annually. The bottom line is the annual flow fee mechanism outlined in the code years ago still works today.

In 2024, the "one-time" tie-in fee is $1,000 for one (1) EDU. For example, when a new 50-house subdivision is built, each of those houses is one (1) EDU being tied into the collection system to have their sewage treated at the Phillip Road plant. The Town gets a $1,000 one-time fee from each of those houses for an aggregate of $50,000. Those new 50 houses and their flow will not cause any need for specific upgrades/upsizing to the existing infrastructure of the collection system or treatment at the plant.

With Coke-fairlife building their plant on Tebor Road, their estimated flow into the Town Sewer plant is 12,000 EDUs. As such when they tie into the system, the plant will go from 17,000 EDUs they currently treat to approximately 26,000. I think it is safe to say that Coke-fairlife is a large user. The one-time tie-in fee for 12,000 EDUs would be $12 million. The 12,000 additional EDUs create the need for major updates/upsizing of the existing infrastructure of the collection system and treatment at the plant. The Coke-fairlife updates will cost the town more than $12 million.

Simply said, the town code authors 60+ years ago never envisioned such a large user tying in, so the code as currently written does not provide for such a large user. There is currently no provision for such upgrades/upsizing to be covered by the user within their one-time entrance fee to tie-in.

At the Town Board Workshop on Thursday, February 8 at 5:30pm, there will be two (2) presentations: 1. For the Collection/Sewer main upgrades/upsizing that is specific to Coke-fairlife, and 2. The process of amending the code to make provision for large industrial users. If by the time you are reading this article that Town Board Workshop has already occurred, you may access the audio/video from it, and the presentation slides at the Town website. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 31, 2024

Friday, January 26, 2024: Perfect Storm of drainage and sanitary sewer challenges in Webster

Three (3) weeks ago in the January 10 Webster Herald edition, my article focused on drainage in Webster and how the town was seeking to add commercial properties to the Town's drainage district beginning in January 2025. At the Thursday, January 25 Town Board Workshop, Pat Stephens, Highway Superintendent and MS4 Official, presented a PowerPoint on drainage and the next steps in the process of adding commercial properties. So much of what we have presented on drainage in the past few years is based on the fact that Webster is a relatively "wet" town and that increased government regulations in the past 20+ years have caused challenges to the Highway Department keeping up with annual maintenance and proactive projects to assist in drainage.

When the sun came up on Friday, January 26, the residents of Webster saw firsthand how drainage issues resulted in standing water in areas that usually have none, and drainage ditches, and streams were at extremely high levels. Friday, January 26 was a busy day for the Town of Webster's Highway and Sewer Departments as it pertained to addressing this influx of water caused by the combination of heavy rain in a short period and melting snow. Before I get into the details of how that influx of water affects Highway and Sewer, please know that even the best systems will be stressed when that much water occurs that fast.

Highway Department: The Highway Department handles the drainage of stormwater in Town including, but not limited to, maintaining the 1,100 miles of storm sewer pipes, 3,600 catch basins, 126 retention/detention ponds, and 78 miles of creeks/streams. The main goal is to get this water to Lake Ontario, Irondequoit Bay, and the several streams and tributaries in town. A main challenge to that is impervious areas (i.e. buildings, driveways, etc.), which have rain come down on them, but that rain cannot absorb into the ground at that point and "runs off" of it. 100 years ago, the Town of Webster's 35 square miles had almost NO impervious areas, so when the rain fell on a farmer's field, it absorbed into the soil. The Town's 35 square miles likely see a similar amount of rain/snow annually today as it did 100 years ago, but all this impervious area needs the "runoff" water to get to its final destination of lake/bay/stream by storm sewer pipes, retention ponds, or drainage easement swales. When stressed with too much water too fast, it can cause standing water, sump pump overflows, overflowing streams, etc.

Sewer Department: The Sewer Department handles the treatment of raw sanitary sewage at the treatment plant on Phillips Road, the 22 pump stations, and 300 miles of sanitary sewer main pipes in town. Those pump stations and sewer mains make up the "collection system" The town of Webster is the only town in Monroe County that still has a sewage treatment plant. All other towns went offline with their plants 30+ years ago and Monroe County Pure Waters is where their sanitary sewage is treated. The Town of Webster's Treatment plant is solely sanitary sewage, and stormwater is handled by the Highway Department as previously described in this article.

Theoretically, if the collection system in Webster is "pristine" then the only flow that hits the Phillips Road treatment plant is sanitary sewage and no stormwater. The reality is that no collection system can be devised to avoid inflow and infiltration (I&I), water entering the system either above or below ground by leaks within the system. Inflow is direct tie-ins from storm pipes, submerged manhole covers, and from household and business sump pumps. Infiltration is from groundwater leaking in from broken and cracked pipes, and also from root intrusion.

On average, the Phillips Road treatment plant takes in 3.1 million gallons a day of sewage to treat. On Friday, January 26, early morning reads showed that sewage was coming into the plant at three times the normal flow. The heavy rain in a short time and melting snow created I&I that "stressed" the collection system and the treatment plant (rain and snow exacerbated the I&I already existing in the sanitary system).

As a resident of Webster, I can appreciate residents’ concerns about spending taxpayer dollars on drainage districts and sanitary sewer upgrades at the plant and/or collection systems. Events as we saw on January 26 are a reminder of the importance of investing in improvements and maintenance to drainage and sanitary sewer infrastructure as a way to prevent and mitigate the natural challenges Webster faces. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 24, 2024

The Importance of Investing in Town Communications to its Residents

Over the past 4+ years, I have stated in these articles several times, “an informed and engaged community is a better community.” I have also said that if town government communications could be "seen and absorbed" by at least one adult in all 15,000 residences in Webster, we would have an “informed and engaged” community.

There are 45,000 residents in the Town of Webster living in those approximately 15,000 residences, an average of three individuals per home. My guess is that a very small percentage of residents would self-identify as being engaged in town government. Why is that? There is a myriad of reasons, but overall, it comes down to two (2) things; 1. the residents’ desire to be communicated with by the town, and 2. the town's actions to try to communicate with the citizens.

As to the residents’ ability and desire to be communicated to by the town, I had to look at my own family's handling of that in the time before I became Supervisor. Simply put, my wife, seven kids, and I lived in Webster from 1997-2019 and frankly, we did not have a true understanding of what town government entailed in those 23 years. Why? Well, like many families in Webster, we were living our lives, raising kids, and just trying to keep track of communications coming in from our work, kids’ schedules, etc. When I became Town Supervisor in 2020, I saw the challenge of actually getting the 45,000 citizens “engaged” in town government communication, knowing many residents were like me and had a lot of other things on their plate and not receiving communications through an accessible medium to make us read and absorb it.

As to the Town of Webster's actions, it is important to look at what I found in 2020 when I became Supervisor. One of my favorite sayings is, “Watch what they do, not what they say.” Someone can say they are a great communicator, but are they implementing a strategy of action items to truly accomplish significant communication?

When I became Town Supervisor 4+ years ago, I was surprised to hear some key town leaders say they thought the town did a great job in communicating to Webster residents, often referencing doing the minimum complying with the law by publishing Town Board meeting agendas in the Webster Herald. Another thing I noticed in the town’s communications efforts is that the town struggled to discern the most effective and accessible modes of reaching Webster’s different populations, and instead opted for mediums that were most comfortable for the town. It seemed the town’s position on this was “We are doing all we can to communicate with the community, they just are not interested.”

So, how does the Town of Webster reconcile the two (2) parties at play here to create an actionable communications strategy that will engage the citizens? A major step forward was taken in October 2023 when Bridget Harvey was hired as the town's first Director of Communications in the newly created Communications Department. Over the last three months, Bridget has been in discovery mode with the 15 town department heads and staff to determine where the town is strong on communications and where we can look for opportunities to expand our reach.

I appreciate the magnitude of achieving a goal of one adult in each residence in Webster “seeing and absorbing” the town communications and I understand the onus is on the Town of Webster to meet the community where they are by making information easily accessible to residents. There must be a strategic, multi-faceted plan created and implemented to move us toward this goal and I am excited for 2024 and beyond to see the possibilities become a reality. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 17, 2024

Ambulance service update in Webster

This is my thirteenth article in the past two years on the EMS issue in Webster. The last one was in the January 3, 2024 Webster Herald edition and focused on how Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) had formally notified the Town of Webster on December 29, 2023 of their 90-day notice to cease being the Town's outsourced Basic Life Support (BLS) and Transport EMS agency by March 28, 2024. At the time this article was sent to be published, the following timeline of events has occurred:

January 2, 2024: Town submits formal acknowledgement letter to NEQALS on the 90-day notice, including estoppel on NEQALS obtaining any more fuel on credit from the Webster Highway garage until they made the Town whole on their approximately $42,000+ outstanding bill.

January 3, 2024: NEQALS hand delivered a $40,000+ check to the Town for past due fuel bill. As such, there was no break in NEQALS transport ambulances or fly cars being able to fuel up at the Town Highway Garage.

January 4, 2024: Town Board meeting presentation by Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) on how Mutual Aid works and how many 911 calls for ambulance had come into Webster since NEQALS December 29th, 2023, 90-day notice, and how many of those calls were covered by WEMS-NEQALS and how many needed mutual aid.

January 5, 2024: PVA starts the process to assist the Town of Webster in "expanding" their municipal CON from BLS/BLS transport, to include ALS too in advance of when the 90-day notice period ends in late March 2024.

January 8, 2024: John Cahill- Webster Town Board and liaison to EMS and Tom Flaherty Town Supervisor are guests at the PVA monthly board meeting.

January 9, 2024: Town finds out about a NEQALS internal staff e-mail that NEQALS board is planning to reduce the staffing of BLS/Transport Ambulances to cover Webster as of Saturday January 13. As of Thursday, January 11, NEQALS board has not communicated this directly to the Town of Webster.

January 10, 2024: Town officials meet for the second time with New York State and Monroe County EMS governance officials.

January 11, 2024: Town Board resolution to name PVA primary agency in West Webster effective Saturday January 13 is approved. It was reported that the December 30- January 11 Webster Ambulance calls to 911 were: Total Calls 146 (Approx. 11.2 calls per day), and NEQALS/WEMS coverage 124 of those calls (85%) Historically 43% of ambulance calls in Webster are in West Webster and 57% are in East Webster.

January 13, 2024:

West Webster Fire District: PVA will be primary with WEMS/NEQALS second and mutual aid thereafter. PVA will have fully staffed (EMT and Paramedic) transport ambulance(s) at the Gravel Road firehouse.

Northeast Joint Fire District: WEMS/NEQALS will be primary with mutual aid thereafter. WEMS/NEQALS will have their base of operations on Jackson Road. It is assumed they will utilize fully staffed (EMT and Paramedic) transport ambulance(s) or BLS transport ambulance with supplement of a fly car with a paramedic for ALS calls.

January 16, 2024: EMS call data in East Webster since NEQALS reduced staff/rigs:

Saturday 1/13 .... 8 calls: WEMS/NEQALS covered 3 (37.5%) and 5 were mutual aided

Sunday 1/14 .... 5 calls : WEMS/NEQALS covered 2 (40%) and 3 were mutual aided

Monday 1/15.... 6 calls: WEMS/NEQALS covered 3 (50%) and 3 were mutual aided

Tuesday 1/16.... 5 calls WEMS/NEQALS covered 0 (0%) and 5 were mutual aided

In summary, the compass of decision making by the Webster Town Board will continue to focus on what is in the best interests of the approximately 330 residents on average each month who require Ambulance services in the Town of Webster. The Town has authority to take emergency measures outside the resolution process of a Town Board meeting should public safety be risked. 911 EMS calls will be monitored daily in both West Webster and East Webster to determine current response times and how many are covered by primary and how many are mutual aided.

The Town Board will continue to work with New York State and Monroe County EMS governance along with PVA leadership and other EMS leaders to discern the best short term and long-term option(s) for EMS in Webster. Such option(s) need to balance Patient care, EMT/Paramedic working conditions, and fiscal responsibility.

Moving forward, updates on EMS will be posted frequently to the Town website to keep residents apprised of any changes as we continue to seek sensible and sustainable solutions to EMS in the Town of Webster. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Commercial property addition to drainage district in 2025

Compared to other towns in upstate New York, Webster has a high level of drainage issues due to factors such as Lake Ontario, Irondequoit Bay, and the several creeks and tributaries in town. This results in the Webster Highway Department having significant annual drainage maintenance around town, and special drainage projects as they arise to assure compliance with the NYSDEC and the MS4 mandates that have arisen in the last several years.

One of the first things I was apprised of by Joe Herbst, Webster Highway Superintendent when I became Supervisor four years ago was how underfunded drainage was in Webster, which resulted in a backlog of annual drainage maintenance and special projects. Joe was so passionate about getting caught up on these drainage projects that he asked if he could present to the Town Board one last time before his retirement at a workshop on this drainage issue and his feelings that the district needed to be expanded to include ALL residential and commercial properties in town.

Some background/history on this issue: 50+ years ago in the 1960s the Town Board created a special drainage district that would include all newly built homes in town. The existing homes at the time of the district formation would be grandfathered out of this district and any annual charges. With the Town's population growth in the 1970s-2000s through new home construction, by 2022 there were approximately 11,000 homes in the district paying the annual fee on their January County and Town real estate tax bill, and 4,000 grandfathered-out homes not paying the fee due to being built before district formation.

The town went through the legal process and commensurate notifications, public hearings, and Town Board vote in the fourth quarter of 2022 to expand the district to include the approximately 4,000 homes that had been previously grandfathered out. As of January 2023, ALL residential properties in Webster are in the district and paying the annual fee. The annual fee in 2022 was $42 per home and created approximately $450,000 of revenue for the Highway Department to perform drainage projects. With the expansion to all residential properties in 2023, the annual fee dropped to $40 and created approximately $600,000 of revenue.

On January 8, approximately 400 letters were sent out from the Town of Webster to commercial property real estate owners in Webster. The letters informed about the Town's intention to expand the drainage district for the January 2025 tax bills to include all commercial property. However, unlike residential which has a flat $40 annual fee regardless of home size, lot size, etc., commercial properties will be charged based on the square footage of impervious area on their property. For example, an asphalt parking lot is impervious, whereas a grass lawn is not.

The Town intends to go through the legal process and commensurate notifications, public hearings, and Town Board vote on this commercial property expansion to the drainage district in the first and second quarter of 2024 so that it can be factored into the 2025 budget process and be reflected on the January 2025 County and Town tax bills. As always, if any questions please feel free to call me 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 3, 2024

NEQALS tenders 90-day Notice to Town of Webster on EMS

This is my twelfth article in the past two years on the EMS issue in Webster. Two (2) weeks ago in the December 20, 2023 Webster Herald Supervisor's Corner article I described where we were at in this process. A lot has occurred in the past two weeks and will continue to occur as we move through the first 90 days of 2024.

The Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) Board of Directors held a press conference on Friday, December 29 at 3pm at their base on Jackson Road. At that time, they announced that they had sent a two-page letter to the Webster Town Board giving their 90-day notice that they would no longer be the Town of Webster's outsourced EMS agency after March 28, 2024. This 90-day notice was incorporated in the current 5-year contract (January 1, 2021- December 31, 2025) the Town and NEQALS are in. Simply said, either party, Town or NEQALS can exercise this 90-day notice at any time during the contract term with no penalty.

This current five-year contract between NEQALS and the Town of Webster has been the focal point for the past 18+ months for additional funding NEQALS has requested from the Town. Where the contract has NO provision for funding from the Town budget and/or Webster taxpayers via an EMS Tax district, NEQALS leadership presented in July 2022 to the Town Board and the community as a whole that they were requesting an initial $800,000 annual EMS district as early as January 2023.

The Town Board has been willing to consider amending the current five-year contract to include Town funding to NEQALS for EMS under certain conditions of changes to the current NEQALS leadership structure, organizational structure, and core operations model. Regardless of what has occurred and/or been said heretofore, the reality is that NEQALS has decided to formally exit the current 5-year contract with the Town of Webster as of the end of March 2024.

The Town has been preparing a contingency plan for 8+ months, should an agreement not be forged with NEQALS. Conversations between the Town of Webster and local and state EMS officials give me confidence that the combination of NEQALS staff and mutual aid from EMS agencies will get us through the January – March 2024 timeframe with quality patient care and call response EMS services in the Town of Webster.

As the Town continues to seek long-term and sustainable solutions for EMS in the Town of Webster, we will keep the community apprised of the steps we are taking. Thursday, January 4, 2024, at the 7:30pm Town Board meeting, there will be an update/discussion on how the next 90 days will be approached for the approximately 330 monthly Ambulance calls to the 911 system in Webster.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 3, 2024

January 2024 County and Town Real Estate tax bills

On Friday, December 29, 2023, the tax collection office at Webster Town Hall started accepting January 2024 County and Town Real estate tax payments and issuing paid receipts. These tax bills are USPS first class mailed to Webster real estate owners and will most likely be in mailboxes sometime between Wednesday, December 27 and Friday, January 5. These tax bills can be paid in a variety of ways which are spelled out in detail on the back page of the bill.

Often, I hear from citizens about questions they have on their real estate tax bills. As such, below is a summary of the last three (3) Town and County tax bills I received for my home, along with a brief explanation of each line item:

2022 2023 2024

Assessed Value $208,400 $208,400 $208,400

Equalization Rate 72% 64% 58%

Full Market Value $289,400 $325,600 $359,300

Monroe County Tax $2,340 $2,330 $2,246

Rate per $1,000 assessed value $11.23 $11.18 $10.78

Town of Webster Tax $1,132 $1,104 $1,053

Rate per $1,000 assessed value $5.43 $5.30 $5.05

Fire District Tax $240 $242 $243

Rate per $1,000 assessed value $1.15 $1.16 $1.17

Sewer O&M + Capital $191 $232 $297

Webster Water Drain $42 $41 $41

Total Tax Bill $3,946 $3,950 $3,890

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Assessed Value: The Town Assessment department gives an assessed value to each of the 16,700+ parcels of real estate in the Town. They do so with the goal to create an equitable distribution of various Real estate tax bills and special districts where applicable. The Town of Webster has approximately $3.2 billion in aggregate taxable assessed value that the approx. $16 million in Town Tax levy in 2024 is spread over. That creates a Town of Webster Tax rate of approximately $5.00 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Equalization Rate: This rate, set by the State of New York, relates the present aggregate assessed value of the Town to the present aggregate full market value of the Town. Its purpose is to provide a means for the school districts and the county to view portions of their districts, presumably at differing levels of assessments/Equalization rates, as if they were all at 100% in order to calculate their tax rates for each portion.

Full Market Rate: Using the above equalization rate, this is a rough estimate of what the property would sell for today in an open market to a 3rd party buyer.

Monroe County Tax: Monroe County Legislature and County Executive create an annual budget/tax levy whose cost is spread across all Monroe County Real estate owners. The actual bill has three (3) line items that make up this amount including a credit (negative) that is a portion of Monroe County sales tax that is received. Some of the services provided by the county include but are not limited to: County Road maintenance, Department of Health, Sheriff, Zoo, and Department of Motor Vehicles

Rate per $1,000 assessed Value: Calculated by a numerator/denominator equation that has Total County Budget/tax levy as numerator divided by aggregate taxable assessed value of all Monroe County real estate.

Town of Webster Tax: Town Board creates an annual budget/Tax levy whose cost is spread across all Town of Webster Real estate owners. Some of the services provided by the town include but are not limited to: Police, Highway, Parks and Rec, Library, and Building permits.

Rate per $1,000 assessed Value: Calculated by a numerator/denominator equation that has Town of Webster Budget/tax levy as numerator divided by aggregate taxable assessed value of all Town of Webster real estate.

Fire District Tax: There are two (2) fire districts in Webster; Northeast Joint Fire District (NEJFD) and West Webster Fire District (WWFD). I live in the NEJFD. If you live/own real estate west of Hard Road, you most likely are in the WWFD. Each of the fire districts creates an annual budget/tax levy whose cost is spread across all Town of Webster Real estate owners in that district.

Rate per $1,000 assessed Value: Calculated by a numerator/denominator equation that has Fire District/tax levy as numerator divided by aggregate assessed value of all Town of Webster real estate in that district.

Sewer O/M and Capital: There are two(2) line items on the bill that make up this flat $$$ amount; 1. O&M which includes the estimated annual cost of operating the Town's Sanitary Sewer plant, and the collection system of pump stations and conveyance pipes to get the sewage to the plant. 2. The capital charge represents debt principal and interest on the infrastructure of both the plant and collection system. Single family homes are charged a flat $$ amount based on an estimate of 60,000 gallons annually put into the Sanitary sewer system by that home. Some homes may actually put 50,000 gallons a year into the system, and some may put 70,000, but no estimate to actual is done and every home is just charged the flat rate based on 60,000 gallons annually. Commercial/businesses are billed directly for the actual number of gallons they put into the system. The Commercial rate per 1,000 gallons is essentially equal to the $297 residential flat $$$ rate divided by 60= $4.95.

Webster Water Drain: This flat dollar amount is calculated by taking the estimated drainage projects the Highway Department will be doing annually and spreading that over the approx. 15,000 homes in Webster.

Other: My home's tax bill does not reflect any of these. Some property owners will have Special District line items like lighting. Some property owners have exemptions for age, disability, etc.

As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 20, 2023

Decision time-EMS in Webster in 2024 and beyond

This is the eleventh (11th) article in the past two years I have dedicated to EMS in Webster. The previous ten (10) were on September 29, 2021; November 11, 2021; November 24, 2021; August 10, 2022; October 5, 2022; May 16, 2023; May 31, 2023; June 14, 2023; September 6, 2023; and October 25, 2023. The past two months have both a) given me optimism that the Town of Webster can build their hometown ambulance service around the private company, Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS), and b) been a microcosm of the past two years, in that NEQALS’s current leadership continues to request extensive funding without making changes to their current structure, while the Town Board has stood firm that a “blank check” with no plan or intention to make changes to the current business model at NEQALS is a non-starter.

My optimism is centered on the 12-person "dream team" that Russ Ziskind and Town Councilman John Cahill have assembled to construct an EMS Operations/Business Plan for NEQALS in 2024 and beyond, and the proposed town taxpayer funding of that plan. The evolution of this committee has been extraordinary.

In early October, Councilman Cahill asked the Town Board, within his role as EMS liaison, to have until November 1 to have NEQALS submit a written plan to the Town Board for consideration of funding. One of the first things they did was request the Town Board extend the deadline to December 1 to submit this plan. Once given this extension, they recruited EMS professionals from Monroe and Onondaga County and person(s) with State and Federal influence within EMS. The first meeting of this "dream team" was conducted on November 9. Based on the work each committee member would do to produce the most thoughtful plan, Russ and Councilman Cahill requested to extend the December 1 deadline to an undetermined date in the future, most likely early to mid-January 2024. Once again, the Town Board granted this extension, referencing they'd rather the plan be RIGHT than FAST.

On November 20, NEQALS legal counsel sent the Town Attorney an e-mail stating unless the Town committed $221,000+ to NEQALS by Friday, December 8, NEQALS would file their 30-day notice with New York State and go out of business. Unfortunately, this privileged communication leaked and ended up on the Internet/Facebook for Webster citizens to see. The Town Board had the Town Finance Director work with NEQALS accountants at the end of November to assess their financial situation to be able to report to the Town Board his suggestion for what would temporarily sustain NEQALS.

At the December 14 Town Board Workshop, a resolution authorizing emergency funding of $60,000 to NEQALS was discerned by the Town Board. The motion for this resolution did not get a second and failed. The Town Board was reluctant to award NEQALS any money prior to seeing this 12-person committee's Operations/Business plan. The Town Board offered that the emergency funding could be put back on the December 21 Town Board meeting agenda if the NEQALS board passed a resolution that stated they would do certain actions now, and also agree to certain core aspects of the 12-person committee's Operations/Business plan when it is available in January 2024. That offer was centered on concerns that the current NEQALS leadership will not approve some or all aspects of the plan this committee produces.

On the evening of Monday, December 18, the NEQALS board met to discuss the town's offer to put the $60,000 emergency funding resolution on the Thursday, December 21 Town Board meeting agenda, as long as certain conditions are met now, and that a NEQALS board resolution is done in advance of that board meeting on some core aspects of the Operations/Business plan and proposed Town Funding the 12-person committee is working on. I had requested of NEQALS leadership to submit by 4pm on Tuesday December 19 any "in writing" changes/decisions that came out of their Monday December 18th meeting that may prompt the emergency $60K funding resolution to get on the December 21 Town Board agenda.

As of 4:45PM on Tuesday, December 19 when I sent this article to the Webster Herald, I have not heard back from the NEQALS leadership on this. Also, the Town of Webster had not received a superseding communication from NEQALS legal counsel on their previously sent ultimatum of, “221,000 by December 8 or go out of business.” Further, the Town of Webster has not received any indication that NEQALS has filed a 30-day notice to New York State to go out of business.

In summary, the Town Board has been discerning a contingency plan for over 6-months in the event that NEQALS and the Town could not resolve their main divide of "NEQALS wants money with NO changes/plan, and Town does not want to give NEQALS money until it sees an in-writing Ops/Business plan and some changes". In the absence of any meaningful communication and/or response from the current NEQALS leadership, the Town will be looking to work out the details of that contingency plan the week of December 26-29 should NEQALS decide to file the 30-day notice to New York state and go out of business.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 13, 2023

How New York State legislation may impact local elections

As Webster and New York State residents, we have historically experienced voting in federal and state elections in even-numbered years and county and town elections in odd-numbered years. By the end of December 2023, Governor Hochul may sign Assembly bill A.04282B and Senate bill S.3505B into law, forcing local (including county and town) elections to be held with state and federal elections in even-numbered years.

On the surface, it may seem these bills may have some positives come out of this change, including efficiencies of the Board of Elections, and assuring maximum turnout for elections of the registered voters. While the perceived benefits of the passage of this legislation may seem appealing, such a change may prove to hurt local voters more than it helps. Below are three of the reasons why:

1. Local issues will take a back seat to State and Federal issues: If Monroe County Executive, Monroe County Legislature, Webster Town Supervisor, and Town Board are elected in the same years as the Governor, State Assembly and Senate, President of the United States and Congress members, the chances that 33,000 Webster registered voters will really look at the local candidates is minimal. The state and federal campaigns and issues will dominate the landscape of the voters' minds. While federal and state issues are important, local issues substantially impact residents every day and require careful consideration.

2. "Ride the wave" risks unqualified people getting elected locally: Does the best person for the position always get elected? Absolutely not, that is the reality of our Democratic, free election system. The truth is that many voters select a candidate along party lines regardless of their resume and the position being elected. Voter turnout is often a key factor in having a less qualified person win local office. The higher the turnout, especially if riding the wave of a popular state or federal candidate, "party line voters" will exacerbate this potential of unqualified people being elected locally.

3. Unintended consequence that could hurt "All Politics being local": There are approximately 33,000 registered voters in Webster with approximately one-third of them registered Democrat, one-third registered Republican, and one-third registered with no party affiliation. The Last five years historical elections results in Webster have been as follows: In the 2020 presidential election, 28,000+ or 90%+ of them voted. In the 2022 gubernatorial election, 21,000+ or 65%+ of them voted. In the last three local elections of 2019, 2021, and 2023, approximately 10,000-14,000 voted or 30%-42%. No one would be happier than me if the odd year local elections in Webster had 20,000+ and 65%+ turnout of registered voters. It would show that the candidates and issues locally generated the interest to come out and vote for what is important locally. 20,000+ people voting on a local race in an even year that is federal, or state races may have results that the citizens in Webster did not intend for their own backyard.

In summary, in the coming weeks, I will be working with the Monroe County Supervisor's Association and the 19 Town Supervisors that make up that organization to write a letter to Governor Hochul imploring her not to sign these bills into law. I'm hopeful that Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and other County leaders in New York State will do the same. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 6, 2023

NYSDOT announces repaving of Route 250 in Webster in 2024

As the winter season approaches, we are reminded of the importance of well-maintained roads and the impact quality infrastructure has on safe travel. On November 27, 2023, Governor Hochul announced a $100 million investment for roadway repaving and resiliency enhancements by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT). From this investment, the Finger Lakes Region will receive $11.5 million. One of the specific projects noted in the Finger Lakes Region is $898,380 to resurface Route 250 from the Village of Webster to Lake Road in the Town of Webster. These road projects are slated to begin in the spring of 2024.

In my Supervisor's Corner article in the April 26, 2023, Webster Herald edition, I described how the Town of Webster has three (3) types of roads: New York State, Monroe County, and Town of Webster. The Town of Webster Highway Department maintains the town roads which are mostly in subdivisions off main arteries. The main arteries like Highway 104, Bay Road, Empire Boulevard, Five Mile Line Road, etc. are either Monroe County or New York State roads. As such, the maintenance of those roads is under the purview of the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) or NYSDOT.

One of the most important things I have learned in my four years as Webster Town Supervisor is the collaboration that must exist between the town and other governmental agencies to ensure Webster remains “where life is worth living.” It has been rewarding to work alongside Town Department Heads and other government agencies, such as NYSDOT and MCDOT, to form positive professional relationships that result in beneficial progress for the Town of Webster. Webster Highway Superintendent Pat Stephens and I have been working with Western New York NYSDOT leadership and we are grateful for their partnership.

In the summer of 2023, the NYSDOT did maintenance on Highway 104 on and offramps and access roads in Webster. Route 250, which is also called South and North Avenue at points in Webster, will now be slotted for resurfacing between the Village and running north to Lake Road in 2024. NYSDOT has always been forthcoming in setting expectations with Pat and me as to what they can and can't get done on State Roads in Webster. Most of the ‘can'ts’ are due to State funding constraints. The strong relationship the Town of Webster continues to build with NYSDOT makes me confident there is advocacy for the maintenance of Webster State roads, and the 104 on and offramps and access roads in 2023 and Route 250 in 2024 show me that these efforts paid off.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7078 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 29, 2023

Join us in making an impact on the Webster community

The Town of Webster needs you… and so do your neighbors! As a Town Supervisor who only recently transitioned to working in local government, I am continually amazed by how each function of the Town of Webster affects the lives of each and every one of our residents. Our Citizen Boards are certainly no exception. As I look forward to a new year full of progress and promise in Webster, I call on our community to consider their skills and background as we seek to fill several vacancies on our Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Assessment Review, Conservation Board, Library Board, and Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Athletic Review (PROSAR) Board.

The work these boards perform is impactful and far-reaching, ranging from the review of plans for the development of town parks by the PROSAR Board to providing a letter of favorable recommendation for a hot dog food cart by the Zoning Board of Appeals; from oversight of the library’s property by the Library Board to site plan approvals for major projects promoting economic growth by the Planning Board; and from fair, judicious decision making in assessment challenges by the Board of Assessment Review to the advisement of the Town on the protection of natural resources by the Conservation Board.

Webster residents are our most valuable and irreplaceable resources and I have a deep appreciation for the knowledge this community can – and does – bring to the table. We are grateful to those who currently serve on our boards, and we look forward to working with new members in the future.

To ensure the application process is as accessible as possible, we will keep the application portal open for an additional two weeks, extending the deadline to Friday, December 22, 2023. More information and the application portal can be accessed by visiting the Town of Webster’s Citizen Boards webpage.

While the functions of town government may seem subtle, the effect they have on our lives, and the lives of our friends, family, and neighbors, is profound. I hope you’ll consider joining us in shaping the future of our great town.

Please feel free to contact me by phone at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 22, 2023

My Continued Promise to the Webster Community

It may seem overly sentimental writing about gratitude the week of Thanksgiving, but at the risk of being too on-the-nose, I would be remiss to not share my sincere thanks to the Webster community for the opportunity I have been afforded as Town Supervisor. On Election Day, I was extremely humbled to have been elected to my third term of office. Over the past four years, I have been grateful to work alongside supportive colleagues, community partners, and residents who, at the end of the day, all want the same thing: sustained success and vitality in the Town of Webster.

Webster is comprised of 45,000 residents with unique wants and needs from local government. Looking forward to 2024, I feel fortunate that the Town of Webster has many opportunities to build upon to benefit the everyday lives of our family, friends, and neighbors. While the priorities of town government frequently shift and develop, the success of these goals relies on community support. With this in mind, I share, in no particular order, the objectives I eagerly anticipate focusing on in 2024.

1. Updating the Town of Webster’s Comprehensive Plan for the first time since 2008.

2. Ensuring successful and consistent collaboration with EMS.

3. Continuing redevelopment of the Xerox campus.

4. Redeveloping the West Webster Hamlet.

5. Completing major projects, including the new Highway Department garage and Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades, cost-effectively and expeditiously.

6. Continuing progress in the establishment of Sandbar Park.

7. Supporting 400 full- and part-time Town of Webster employees as we continue to prioritize customer service and accessibility for residents.

I appreciate my roots in a family with a long history of bemoaning what we have NOT accomplished, rather than praising our own victories. Catholic guilt, perhaps? Whatever the cause is, resting on my laurels has never been an option. As Town Supervisor, I commit myself to fostering the environment and services necessary to ensure the Town of Webster is a phenomenal place to live, work, and raise a family.

When I took my first oath of office in January 2020, I made a promise to this community to take action to guarantee a bright future for Webster residents. On January 4, 2024, I will renew this promise, and for that, I am beyond grateful. Now, let’s get to work!

Please feel free to contact me by phone at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 15, 2023

Changes for Public Access Channel 1302 on Spectrum in Webster

As of midnight on Thursday November 16, 2023 Spectrum Cable subscribers in Webster will temporarily not see any programming on Public Access channel 1303. If a subscriber goes to Channel 1303 they will see a screenshot that essentially states; call 585-872-7068 or e-mail kdoyle@ci.webster.ny.us if any questions. The impetus for this is that Karen Buck, the Town Cable director has accepted a new exciting job offer outside the town of Webster Government. Over the past few weeks as we have planned for Karen's departure, we have found that the specialized credentials needed to do the daily programming on Channel 1303 are ones that no one currently in the Town's employment has other than Karen. We are working with Spectrum and other agencies to try and either a) hire someone with the credentials, or b) get one of the town's current employees credentialed.

I'm hoping this situation that on the surface appears to be a lemon, can actually turn out to be lemonade. The reality is that Public Access Cable channel 1303 in Webster has been a challenge for the Town Government for the past 4+ years. The core of the challenge is that we have NO idea how many people are actually watching the various shows on the 168 hours a week of programming. Spectrum can tell you exactly how many people watch a show on CNN or FOX, etc. since those channels have paid advertisers. Spectrum can also get pretty granular on demographic info on the people watching those shows at the various timeslots they are on. They need that info to sell advertising on those channels/shows and to price the ads accordingly. However, since there are NO ads on Public Access 1303, Spectrum has no way to tell us how many people are watching a show on that channel at 7:30PM on Thursday or 2AM on Saturday, etc.

Several municipalities have decided to shut down their Public Access cable channel over the years. Webster has been reluctant to follow suit on this, but the question has come up many times in the past 4+ years of "what if we are deploying time and resources on the taxpayer dollar to do daily programming on channel 1303 and no one may be watching?" Frankly, I am most interested in the answer to this question on approx. 5-10 of 168 hours a week of programming that is dedicated to Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings. COVID made us have to look at other means of live broadcasting these meetings such as facebook live, Youtube, and live stream from the Town's website. The nice thing about those platforms is that we know exactly how many people are watching, and they also are interactive where watchers can type in questions and comments. Channel 1303 gives neither of these.

In summary, excellent communications between the 45,000 citizens in Webster and the Town's government is critical. It is hoped that over the next several weeks we will get feedback from the Town citizens on how important Cable Public Access channel 1303 is within the overall communications of the town and the citizens. Please consider calling 585-872-7068 and/or e-mailing kdoyle@ci.webster.ny.us with any questions or comments you have on Cable channel 1303.

November 8, 2023

Town to take ownership of 600 Ridge Road (Old Furniture Strippers)

This is my 6th (sixth) article in the past 3+ years dedicated to 600 Ridge Road and the West Webster Hamlet. The previous five articles were on 9/16/20, 10/6/21, 6/15/22, 8/24/22, and 4/5/23. I invite you to go to the town website to read those articles if you'd like to get a robust history of 600 Ridge road. For this article I will give the condensed version of its history. The Webster Furniture Strippers operated out of the building from circa 1985 until circa 2005. It has been vacant for almost 20-years for which it was always under private ownership. It went through 15+ Monroe County Real estate tax foreclosure auctions with no buyers. The County was concerned about "unknown" environmental issues so they would not take ownership and gave it back each time to the private owner. A myriad of activity has occurred in the past 3+ years on this property including but not limited to collaboration of the Town of Webster, Monroe County, New York State DEC, State Supreme court process, and Day engineering phase 2 environmental testing. That 3+ years activity will culminate with a major milestone of the town of Webster taking ownership from Monroe County of this property on or about November 15, 2023 for the purchase price of $1.00 (one dollar). This was made possible by there being no buyer at the most recent September 2023 Monroe County Real Estate tax foreclosure auction. Unlike the previous 15+ of these auctions where the county gave it back to the private owner due to "unknown" environmental issues, this time they did not and are selling it to the Town. The Environmental testing done by Day Engineering in November 2022 and January 2023, and what that testing manifested on the site was one of the main catalysts to this.

So what is the Town of Webster's plan for 600 Ridge road now that they will own it? The main goal is to sell the property to the Private sector ASAP. To do that, more information needs to be collected on what contaminants are on the site, and what remediation is necessary. The Town has entered into an agreement with the New York State DEC and other agencies to minimize the risk they have on this site and any remediation. The town as a municipality most likely has better access to grants for remediation than a private owner would. Simply said... the quicker the cleanup is done, the quicker the private sector will be interested in buying it and developing. With the West Webster Hamlet being a Town revitalization project, it is important to understand that any revitalization of that Hamlet starts with the corner of Gravel and Ridge, and 600 Ridge is on that corner. Over the next 1-3 months, the town will be putting out information about 600 Ridge including but not limited to; securing the property from entry and/or further weathering, what will become of the contents of the building, and future environmental testing. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

2 Ribbon Cutting events; Sandbar Park and new Dog Park

Last week saw two (2) ribbon-cutting events in Webster; Tuesday, October 24th at Sandbar Park-phase 1, and Wednesday, October 25th at the new Dog park at Webster Park. A few key aspects to each:

SANDBAR PARK: These 12-acres on Lake Road west of the Bay Road is surrounded by Irondequoit Bay to the south and Lake Ontario to the north. The land for the Park was obtained by the Town of Webster 20+ years ago through a series of purchases and donations. The town went through the process with New York State circa 2004 to designate the land as a Town Park. For 10+ years thereafter the town really did not make any moves to enhance the land to make it more of a park setting. Around 2016, the town got together a citizen advisory committee to discuss ideas for how the 12-acre park could be developed. That planning was stunted by the flooding events in the Spring/Summers of 2017 and 2019. The latter caused New York State to make available REDI funds/Grants for municipalities who had shoreline affected by the rising lake levels. The town of Webster applied for and received almost $3 million in REDI grants, and also applied for and received another approx. $2 million in DASNY grants. These $5 million in grants assisted the town board on their decision in November 2021 to do a bond resolution on Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the proposed projects. Phase 1 was the general area of the park, with focus on moving and lifting Lake Road to the north, installing a break wall at the Bay, and putting in park landscape, playground features, outdoor bathrooms, and a shade structure. Phase 2 is a proposed education center at the east end of the park along the bay, and Phase 3 is a walking path at the west end of the park along the lake. The $9.5 million bonded in November 2021 already had known that $5 million in grants were awarded so more than half the project estimated costs would be covered by these grants. In March 2022 a groundbreaking event was held at Sandbar Park for Phase 1 of the project. Throughout Spring, Summer and early falls of both 2022 and 2023, the area was a Construction zone. The Ribbon Cutting on Tuesday, October 24th signifies the completion of Phase 1. Next up for Sandbar Park is the planning/design of Phase 2 education center. Also, the permitting will be applied for with the NYSDEC for an approx. 2,400 foundation base for the proposed Restaurant/Bar. This Restaurant/Bar was not part of the November 2021 $9.5 million bonding since it will be a "Public Private" partnership that would necessitate a different type of bond than the traditional municipal bond.

DOG PARK: This approx. 2-acre dog park is in Webster Park, a Monroe County Park. It is located approx. 100 yards in from the campground entrance off Lake Road. This dog park was a true collaboration of New York State, Monroe County and Town of Webster governments. It started about 3 years ago when Webster Parks and Rec Commissioner Chris Bilow and I reached out to the Monroe County Parks Director to meet. The purpose of this meeting was to get pointers from the Monroe County Director on their dog parks as Webster was considering putting one in a Town Park. That initial meeting spawned a discussion about whether the best venue for a Dog Park in Webster Park may be, a county park. If you are a dog owner, I invite you to check out this new Dog park! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

EMS in Webster in 2024 and beyond

This is the tenth (10th) article in the past 2-years I have dedicated to EMS in Webster. The previous nine(9) were on: 9/29/21, 11/17/21, 11/24/21, 8/10/22, 10/5/22, 5/16/23, 5/31/23, 6/14/23, and 9/6/23. These articles have come against the backdrop of the following timeline of events:

April-October 2021: West Webster Fire Department(WWFD) discerns exiting the ambulance business. They ultimately award their Certificate of Need (CON) to Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) effective January 1, 2022. This act would mean that the west side of Webster from Hard Road would be covered by PVA and the east side of Webster would be covered by Webster Emergency Medical Services (WEMS), The Town's municipal-owned CON that is outsourced through Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS)

November 2021: Town Board decides to trump WWFD awarding of west Webster to PVA and via the authority and power of the municipal Town- owned CON awards WEMS/NEQALS all 35 square miles of Webster as of January 1, 2022. One of the main determinants of this decision was that it was calculated that WEMS/NEQALS would NET an additional $250,000 a year if they had the whole town, versus how the town was structured for ambulance in 2021 and prior. The town wanted to support WEMS/NEQALS "financially" by giving them the opportunity to net this additional $250,000 annually since it is widely known that EMS has financial challenges currently. As a sidebar to this, the 2022 actual results had WEMS/NEQALS net more than $250,000 over what they had done in 2021 and prior to April 2022: NEQALS asks the town for $400,000+ of its ARPA money.

July 7, 2022: NEQALS is awarded $205,000 of the Town's ARPA money at a Town Board meeting

July 28, 2022: NEQALS Board Chair and CEO Ahmed Mustafa presents at a Town Board workshop asking for an EMS tax district as early as January 1, 2023 and the initial funding from taxpayers be $800,000 annually.

August 4, 2022 Town Board states at the Town Board meeting that they will be entering into a due diligence/discernment process with NEQALS to determine what, if any additional Town funds will go to NEQALS

September 2022- October 2023: I think for ALL this has been a frustrating 14 months. For NEQALS leadership and their EMTs and Paramedics it seems their frustration is foundational in why the Town is not giving them more money now.? I think they equate NO money in the past 14 months to the Town Board not being supportive. For the Town Board, the frustration has been the manner in which due diligence requested items have come in, and the lack of detail of what the money will be used for should the town award it to NEQALS. For the citizens and people in the first responders' field in Monroe County, it feels like the Town board is delaying a decision which is making this even worse.

A seminal moment in the past 14 months was the presentation at the May 25, 2023 Town Board workshop of "short term" and "long term" options the Town Board is mulling over for EMS in Webster. Leading up to that presentation, a meeting was held at NEQALS on May 4, 2023 to have Town leadership show to the NEQALS board the draft of the May 25th presentation and to seek input from NEQALS on what short-term option(s) they would like shown at that presentation. On May 10, 2023 the NEQALS board passed a resolution that they submitted to the town that offered up the following for short term; Whereas the leadership of NEQALS is solid. Whereas the Organizational structure to NEQALS is solid. Therefore, Fund us $40,000-45,000 a month retroactive to January 1, 2023 and running through December 2023 or the end of the current 5-year contract (12/31/25) with no detail on what the monies will be used for.

Since that May 10, 2023 NEQALS board resolution, the only other "formal" in writing proposals from NEQALS to the Town were two(2) amendments to the current 5-year contract that expires on 12/31/25 that were submitted to the Town attorney from the NEQALS attorney. One was tendered on September 20, 2023 and said, $40,000 a month retroactive to January 1, 2023, being open to metrics that can be worked out later, and extending the current contract 5 more years to 12/31/30. The second was tendered on September 27, 2023 and said, $20,000 a month retroactive to January 1, 2023, being open to metrics that can be worked out later, and extending the current contract 5 more years to 12/31/30.

In early October, the Town board agreed that the "in writing" proposals we have gotten from NEQALS in the past 5+ months are "non-starters". We asked for and got a commitment from NEQALS leadership to produce a robust business plan for 2024 and beyond and submit to the Town Board by November 1, 2023. Last week, the NEQALS leadership asked if the November 1, 2023 deadline to submit the business plan could be extended to December 1, 2023 and the Town Board agreed to that. The Town Board's goal is to discern this business plan and make the short-term decision for EMS In Webster at the Town Board meeting on December 21st, 2023. Such a business plan should include but not be limited to; Leadership/Board, Organizational structure with checks and balances and separate of duties, a detailed plan of what the monies will be used for, and a plan to transition to a model that the other 16 EMS agencies in Monroe county utilize (I.e. a 2 person transport ambulance with an EMT and paramedic on board) Currently NEQALS utilizes a fly car model with its paramedics.

In summary.... "support" is an interesting word. It is too simplified to say that the Town board NOT giving NEQALS money for the last 14 months shows a lack of support. The reality is that the Town board has a fiduciary responsibility to the 45,000 citizens in town. Writing a blank check from the town taxpayers to a private company like NEQALS is a dereliction of duty in my opinion. I can't stress this enough..... the Town Board is NOT averse to financial support for EMS going forward. We just want to see a "plan" of what the money is going to be used for. We feel we are giving NEQALS every opportunity to be the town's EMS agency in 2024 and beyond.... but we are not going to just cut a check with no plan. We thought netting NEQALS $250,000 more annually in 2022 and beyond was going to take care of their money issues. We thought that awarding them $205,000 in July 2022 was going to take care of their money issues. We can't just continue to cut checks with NO plan. As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 18, 2023

Leaf Pickup Season starts in the Town of Webster

We are very blessed in the Town of Webster to have the abundance of trees that we have. Our residential neighborhoods have dedicated greenspace and/or properties that have mature trees that have leaves blossom in the Spring and go ablaze with colors in the Autumn. By late October, those leaves start to fall to the ground, and that is when the Webster Highway department staff goes into action. The leaf pickup season officially starts on Monday, October 23rd. Having worked on a crew for 4-hours back in 2020 on this, I can tell you first firsthand "it is hard work" that the guys do in picking up these leaves from the curb of your home. Here are some of the most common questions we get from residents and their answers on leaf pick-up:

Q: Do all towns in Monroe County pick up leaves from the curb of their resident's homes? A: No. Some towns require their residents to "bag leaves" and have their private refuse collection company pick them up. Such pick-up is usually at an additional cost to the resident.

Q What is the cost of Leaf pick up? Town of Webster residents have this leaf pick-up cost included in their Real estate taxes. The budgeted cost in 2022 was $392,000. That equates to approx. $13.9 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. As such a $200,000 assessed home in the Town of Webster paid approx. $27.80 that year for leaf pick up.

Q: Where is the best place to get information on Leaf pick in the Town of Webster? All leaf season notifications will be posted to the Highway Dept. website: websterny.gov/167/Leaf-Pick-Up The best way to stay updated on the leaf collection season is to sign up for our Highway notifications. Use the link below to reach our NotifyMe signup page. Under the News Flash category, you can sign up for Highway alerts via email or text: websterny.gov/list.aspx

Q: Where should I place my leaves for pick-up? A: Please place leaves at the edge of your lawn, not in the roadway or gutters. Gutters need to be kept clear of leaves in order to maintain proper drainage of water from the roadways.

Q: Why can’t leaves be placed on the shoulder of the road? A: Leaves placed anywhere on the road surface is illegal and creates a hazardous situation. Wet leaves on the road surface are very dangerous for motorists, along with cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, when leaves are placed on the roadway, our Highway crews cannot safely collect them. We want to ensure our crews can operate safely on the side of the road, away from the traffic lanes.

Q: Can you tell me when the crews will be on my street for pick-up? A: For several reasons, we cannot give daily street updates. This process is very weather-dependent. Things like rain and snow can greatly slow down the collection process, as will the rate at which the leaves fall. We will announce the start of a run, and a town-wide run can take a week or more, depending on the elements. Residents can look at our zone map to get an idea of where their street falls on our pass schedule.

Q: What happens if I miss the first town-wide collection pass? A: Multiple collection passes will be done, town-wide, throughout the Fall. Our crews start a pass on the west side of town (Bay Road area) and work their way east, to the County Line Road area. Once a pass is complete, they loop back to Zone 1 and start again. We will announce the date for the Final town-wide pass. After that time, any remaining leaves will need to be bagged for your trash hauler.

Q: Can I put branches or yard debris with the leaves for pick-up? A: No, our leaf collection vehicles are only equipped to collect leaves. Please do not mix any twigs, branches, or other debris in with the leaves.

Q: Can the Highway Dept. make a special trip to collect my leaves, so I don’t have to wait for the next collection run? A: No, due to schedules and equipment, we cannot make exceptions to the run process. We understand and are mindful of resident’s concerns regarding leaf piles that remain on their lawn for over a week. Every effort will be made to collect your leaves as promptly as possible.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 11, 2023

Coke-fairlife's COMIDA Real Estate Tax Exemption and PILOT proposal

On Monday, October 16th at 5:00 PM in the Webster Town Board room, COMIDA will be holding the public hearing for Coke-fairlife's proposed Real Estate Tax exemption and PILOT schedule. At the Tuesday, October 17th monthly COMIDA board meeting, the proposals and results of the public hearing will be weighed by the COMIDA board for purposes of rendering an approval, denial, or tabling a decision until a future meeting. I will be signing a letter of Support this week for Coke-fairlife's proposal on behalf of the Town of Webster that will be in the file for both the public hearing and COMIDA board meeting. In the past 5+ months since Coke-fairlife's press release on their intentions to build their production facility in Webster, I have gotten an education in COMIDA, both fact and fiction, especially as it pertains to the Town of Webster.

Some highlights of that education are as follows. COMIDA is the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency. PILOT means Payments in lieu of taxes. Industrial Development agencies were created in New York state in the late 1960s to address the competitive challenge the state was facing in drawing new business compared to other States with lower Real estate taxes. Instead of paying annual Real estate taxes to the county, school district and town, the business would make PILOT payments annually commensurate with the percentage exemption in that year that the business applied for and received from COMIDA. An example would be if the assessed value of the business' production facility at the town's current equalization rate was $50 million and the tax rate per $1,000 assessed for the town was $5. Without a COMIDA deal, annual taxes to town would be $250,000. In a COMIDA deal, if that year's exemption schedule was at 90%, the PILOT payment would be calculated on $5 million X $5 per $1,000 assessed value and be $25,000. If the next year's exemption schedule was at 80%, the PILOT payment would be calculated on $10 million X $5 per $1,000 assessed value and be $50,000.

When the COMIDA agreement runs out after the agreed on # of years of exemption schedule, the PILOT payments end and the property goes back on the Real estate tax rolls of the town and pays full real estate taxes commensurate with the town tax rate per $1,000 that year, and the assessed value of the property. The municipality can attempt to not participate in COMIDA tax exemptions/PILOT payments and get FULL tax payments from the business by asking the business to sign and enter into a Host Community Agreement (HCA). The HCA is completely voluntary by the business to enter. At the July 12, 2023 Town Board workshop a presentation was done to show the past 20 years' experience in the Town of Webster on HCA's on the 17 COMIDA deals that occurred in that time period. 3 of those 17 entered into HCA's. The PowerPoint from that 7/12/23 workshop can be found at the Town Website, or a paper copy can be furnished by request to my office.

Since June 2023 Town officials including the Deputy Town Supervisor, finance director, Town attorney, assessor and I have been in discussions with Coke-fairlife and COMIDA on this. Coke-fairlife could not formally apply until SEQRA process was completed which occurred at the Town Board meeting on September 7, 2023. On September 21, 2023 Coke-fairlife made their formal application for a 20-year Exemption and fixed PILOT payment schedule. I want to thank the Coke-fairlife Team and COMIDA for their willingness to listen and address the Town insights on this the past several months. That has resulted in my being able to give a letter of support on behalf of the town on this proposal. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 4, 2023

Town of Webster obtains 27+ acres of Forever Greenspace

On September 14, 2023, the Town of Webster closed on the purchase of 27.8 pristine wooded land at 760 Herman Road. The land had an independent appraisal company valuation of $285,000 that the sales contract price was based on. The Town received a grant to purchase the parcel from the owner, Gary Wood. The grant covered 90% of the cost of the property, whereas, Webster resident, Mary Dombovy donated money to the Town of Webster for the remaining cost. Mary did this to commemorate her late husband Michael A. Johnson and will now be known as the "Herman Road Forever Wild Forest". We are so grateful to Mary and will remember her husband fondly.

This new property adjoinscommunity-minded the Whiting Road Nature Preserve to the West making it a great location for hikers and walkers. Currently, there is a trail system in place and hikers are welcome to utilize it during the spectacular fall hiking season. The current “trail head” for the property located on Herman Road will have a small parking area created in 2024. Right now, access to the Herman Road Forever Wild Forest from Whiting Road Nature Preserve is now possible via the Red Trai. A map of the property can be located on the Town website under the Parks and Recreation, Parks and Trails page, https://www.websterny.gov/232/Parks-Trails. Webster Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Bilow shared his insight on this new property "This location is a great addition to the Town inventory of public land; we are excited to continue to acquire property that is going to benefit the community in a positive way and provide a location for residents to enjoy the natural Webster beauty ".

The Town is grateful to Webster resident Benjamin Wisniewski for his efforts in submitting the grant application on behalf of the Town of Webster. His community minded efforts have allowed the Town to increase the available natural property all residents will have access to today and forever! Thank you, Ben.

In summary, this effort was the product of several people and parties coming together to accomplish greenspace securitization in Town at no direct cost to the Town Real estate taxpayers. It is hoped that with the town's recent retaining of J Oconnell Associates on Grant identification and writing, that more such quality-of-life features are brought to town at no direct costs to the Town Real estate taxpayers. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 21, 2023

October 2023 targeted for Dog Park opening in Webster

Over the past 3 years, Chris Bilow- Webster Parks and Rec Commissioner and I have been working with the Monroe County Parks leadership team on an effort to bring a Dog Park to Webster. One of the biggest milestones to this park becoming a reality was the over 1,000 survey respondents to the July 2021 Webster Today publication on their thoughts of a dog park in Webster. 90%+ of those respondents were favorable of such a park. This is my 3rd Supervisor's corner article in 2023 dedicated to the Dog Park being built in Webster Park. My 1st was on January 18th when Monroe County put out their press release on their intent to build this dog park. My 2nd was on May 3rd with an update of the construction schedule. On September 13th, Monroe County put out another press release pertaining to this dog park. Below are excerpts from that release:

MONROE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ADAM BELLO ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING FOR NEW DOG PARK IN THE TOWN OF WEBSTER

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced that construction has begun on a new dog park at Webster Park. The project, located along Lake Road in the Town of Webster, is being funded by a $250,000 grant. “The addition of a dog park at Webster Park is the latest in our $16.6 million Go Outside Monroe Initiative – which is modernizing our entire parks system with fresh amenities that reflect the needs of our entire community,” said County Executive Bello. “Thank you to the Town of Webster for your partnership on this project.” The 1.5-acre dog park will include agility equipment and drinking stations. There will be separate areas for large dogs and small dogs. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of October 2023. Dog parks provide a legal recreational outlet for owners who want to exercise and socialize their dogs in a safe, leash-free environment, and prevent unwanted encounters between unleashed dogs and other park users. When completed, the new Webster facility will be the third dog park within the Monroe County Parks system, joining active locations at both Ellison Park and Greece Canal Park. For more information on how to register for Monroe County’s dog parks, please visit: MonroeCounty.gov/parks-DogParks (end of press release)

In summary, one thing I can say with certainty is that a LOT of Webster residents own at least one dog! Having such a dog park in Webster will be a fantastic asset and improvement to the quality of life of many dogs and their owners. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 13, 2023

The Evolvement of Code Enforcement in Webster

For the vast majority of 12,000+ Town of Webster residential and commercial property owners, their pride in ownership is better than governance of a Town Code in how they maintain their property. However, Town codes exist to make sure that when a property owner intentionally or unintentionally is out of compliance, that measures can be taken by the town to force remediation. If you're a frequent reader of my column, you know I like my numbers and data. As I've stated, historical data and facts are foundational to good decision making for the future. Below is an accounting of Code compliance cases opened by the Town of Webster in the computer system in the past 3+ years:

Cases Opened

January 2020-August 2022 (32-months) 330

September 2022-August 2023 (12-months) 337

Some things to consider when analyzing the above data:

ITEM 1: I want to clarify from the above data that the 337 in the last 12 months versus 330 in the previous 32 months does NOT mean we are encountering more of these cases in the past 12-months. When I became Supervisor in 2020 we found that past Code Enforcement unit was opening and managing these case in "paper files". We made a concerted effort to move that record keeping from paper files to the computer system software the town has to properly monitor the opening, progress, and close out of these cases. The code compliance department did not really start that effort until late 2020. Also the town was without Code compliance staff for 6 months in 2022 and other departments were chipping in to handle these cases. In September 2022 Jim Montgomery was hired by the Town as the Code Compliance Coordinator.

ITEM 2: Jim Montgomery has committed the department to keeping track of Code compliance cases in the computer system. He inherited some of the 330 cases opened or entered into the system in the January 2020- August 2022 timeframe. Of the 337 cases opened in the past year, 64 were determined to be unfounded complaints. Of the remaining 273, 133 of those having been closed with compliance from the owner of the property after being notified. The remaining 140 are still active.

ITEM 3: The majority of complaints come in from property owners within the proximity of the property being complained about. Each complaint submitted that moves to an "Active Complaint" status average two(2) follow up inspections with around 10 days between each one. Each case is unique with its own set of factors the Code Compliance department and the Property owner need to overcome to achieve compliance. These factors include but are not limited to; finances and physical capability. The average initial time provided to the property owner as part of the "due process" is 10 days but we often will work with a Property owner that takes the time to reach out to us which results in added time, as long as the violation is not a life safety issue. The overall goal for the average first time "offender" is simply compliance. If it is a habitual offender, those who ignore notices, and/or who refuse to comply that will to the court system.

ITEM 4: In October 2022- March 2023, Jim Montgomery worked with the Town attorney and Judges to determine what if any challenges the town faced in the current codes as it pertained to ultimate "teeth" at the court level if the offender did not comply. What was found was that the code lacked a few aspects including but not limited to; Property maintenance, addressing the New York State code, and true Court judgements that had "teeth". Over that 6+ month period, Jim along with Josh Artuso- Director of Community Development presented at 2-3 town board workshops and regular meetings. In April 2023 the Town went through the proper public hearing and resolution/local law process and amended its code as it pertains to these compliance issues on property. In the October-December 2023 time-frame, the first cases are anticipated to hit the courts from these new codes that have "teeth". The Town is trying to make sure these property owners are given every opportunity to remedy prior to having to go the court route.

In summary, the Town government is trying to balance the rights of a property owner with town code, and the commonly accepted property maintenance that when adhered to can add to the quality of life of the residents in a neighborhood. It's a delicate balance when you consider the subjectivity of what one person views as beautiful, and one sees as ugly. Properly configured codes help to take out the majority of that subjectivity. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

EMS/Ambulance in Webster as we approach October 1st

In the June 14th, 2023 Webster Herald edition, my Supervisor's corner article stated that the Town Board would be making their decision on a short-term EMS/Ambulance option in Webster within 30-45 days of receipt of Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) 2022 audited financial statements. On August 15th, 2023 NEQALS legal counsel delivered to the Town attorney those 2022 audited financial statements. As such, the Town Board is targeting October 1st, 2023 as to when they will be making a short-term decision on EMS/Ambulance in Webster. A few things to consider as we move through September 2023 on this:

1. How this started: 13+ months ago on July 28, 2022 NEQALS leadership presented at a Town Board workshop that they were requesting the Town set up an Ambulance Tax district as soon as January 1, 2023 and have its initial funding approx.. $800,000 from Town citizens who own Real Estate. In August 2022 the Town Board stated they would need to do some due diligence to discern if NEQALS request would be pursued in some derivation or another.

2. The past 13+ months: The due diligence items requested by the Town from NEQALS in September 2022 were a combination of financial and performance metrics. For a myriad of reasons, that information/documents trickled into the Town from NEQALS. Highly publicized has been the Non-Disclosure Agreement(NDA) that NEQALS asked the Town to enter into in November 2022 over concerns of supplying confidential information from NEQALS that allegedly if leaked into the public could potentially hurt NEQALS competitive advantage in the EMS/ambulance business in metropolitan Rochester. In late May 2023 the Town Board presented at a Town Board Workshop the potential short-term, and long-term options for EMS/Ambulance in Webster. On June 8, 2023 a 2-hour Public meeting was held at Webster Thomas auditorium with 40+ questions from citizens to a panel of five(5) that included Ahmed Mustafa- Chairman of the Board and CEO of NEQALS, John Cahill- Town Board member and liaison to EMS in Webster, Paul Adams- Town Finance Director and point person the due diligence process, Russ Ziskind- Chairman of the Board and CEO of Northern Onondaga Volunteer Ambulance (NOVA) that services Clay NY, and Tim Czypranski from the Monroe County Department of Health

3. September 2023 It is important to note that there is a short-term decision to be made, and also a long-term decision too. At the Town Board workshop in late May 2023, several short-term and long-term options were shown. The short-term decision will be made by October 1st, or if a town board resolution has to be done within that decision, most likely at the Thursday, October 5th Town board meeting. It is possible that the Thursday, September 28th Town Board workshop may have a presentation/discussion on various short-term options in play still.

One(1) due diligence item that the Town is still trying to discern within the short-term decision is the Payer Mix of NEQALS in Webster for the 18-month period of January 1, 2022- June 30, 2023. That 18-month period was chosen due to a) being the most recent, and b) being since NEQALS was awarded the whole town for EMS coverage when West Webster Fire decided to exit the ambulance business as of January 1, 2022. As Russ Ziskind highlighted at the June 8th public meeting, NOVA has 6,000 ambulance calls annually and 17% of the billings create over 50% of the actual collected revenues. These 17% are from Private/commercial health insurance. He said that if that 17% deviated by +/-2%, it could cause a +/-$250,000 difference in his company's annual $4 million+ billing collections. This is because certain ambulance calls like Medicare and Medicaid have slotted lower payments than private/commercial Health insurance. Simply said, for example, purposes an Ambulance call may be slotted to bill for $1,500 but if Medicare only pays $300, the remaining $1,200 is most likely uncollectible. Conversely, the $1,500 billing to a private/commercial health insurer and/or patient will have a much higher percentage chance to collect closer to the $1,500.

The town has requested Payer mix data from NEQALS in mid-July 2023 and is hopeful that in September the town will be able to discern what that Payer mix on NEQALS 4,000 Ambulance calls annually in Webster is versus what NOVA's is. That payer mix comparison along with analysis of NEQALS 2022 audited financials versus their previous year's audited financials will assist the town board in what type of short-term decision to make. One final thing on the short-term decision process. NEQALS board did a resolution in May 2023 that offered up two(2) short-term options. Each had monies in the $350,000-500,000 annually going to NEQALS from the Town budget, but with no changes to the current 5-year contract in place between the Town and NEQALS that runs from January 2021- December 2025. That 5-year contract calls for no monies from the Town Budget/taxpayers to be paid/subsidized to NEQALS. As such, any Town board decision in the short term to pay/subsidize NEQALS monies in the next 1-2 years will need to have commensurate changes to the existing 5-year contract. Such changes could include but not be limited to; restructure of Leadership at NEQALS, restructure of core model from the existing fly car to the fully staffed ambulance that the other 16 EMS agencies in Monroe County utilize as their core model, and additional metrics to measure quarterly to assure the risk the Town has as CON owner is being managed correctly.

4. October 2023 and beyond: As we move into October 2023 and past the short-term decision, we will start to deploy time and resources toward the long-term options for EMS/ambulance in Webster. The University of Rochester Simon School MBA program will be doing a free study of EMS/ambulance in Webster between October 1 and November 30, 2023 and plan to present those findings to the Town Board and citizens in early to mid-Decemberof 2023. The purpose of this study is to give pros and cons of various long-term options available to the Town based on the Town owning the Certificate of Need (CON) Webster is the only Town in Monroe County that owns a CON. The CON was acquired in the 2015-2019 timeframe. The last 13+ months of due diligence have manifested the various authorities/powers the Town has within owning this CON.... but also the liabilities it has. Those liabilities can't be avoided 100% by outsourcing the Ambulance service this CON gives to the Town to operate to a 3rd party, a private company like NEQALS. Some of the Long-term options shown at the May 2023 Town Board workshop included but were not limited to; 1. Renew contract with NEQALS when the current 5-year contract expires in December 2025, 2. Have the town create an ambulance department where the town owns the ambulances, and the EMTS and paramedics are employed by the Town with commensurate benefits, and in the New York State retirement system, 3. Put the Town's EMS/Ambulance service out to bid, and/or create an Ambulance District as early as January 2025 and see if such a district makes sense to put up to a town-wide referendum.

In summary, the Town Board is united in their goal to give the Town of Webster Citizens the "best" possible Ambulance service in the future. Best is both a subjective and multi-pronged word when it comes to Ambulance service. The balance of Ambulance leadership, patient care, response times, modern ambulances, excellent EMTS and Paramedics, and the financial aspect to taxpayers and patients all that has to be taken into account to achieve this "Best". One thing we know is that the Paramedics and EMTs at NEQALS are fantastic!! Their passion and sacrifice for their profession is amazing. We just now need to make sure the model they are in going into the future respects that passion and sacrifice. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

The Final 2-months of the 2024 Town Budget Process

Last Thursday, August 24th, Town Finance Director Paul Adams submitted to Town Clerk- Dorothy Maguire the 2024 Tentative Town of Webster Budget. This tentative budget is the product of 4+ months of work during the months of May through August 2023 between Town Department heads, the Town Board, and others. A resolution is scheduled for the Town Board meeting on Thursday, September 7, 2023, to approve this 2024 Tentative budget.

Once passed the budget will become the preliminary budget which will appear in the Webster Today October 2023 edition. The issue will be USPS mailed out to all households in Webster. It will contain a 10+ page, line item by-line item report of the preliminary budget. The Webster Today edition should be in citizens' mailboxes during the October 5-9th timeframe. From there, a Public hearing will be held on Thursday, October 19th at 7:30 pm on the preliminary 2024 budget. Citizens can also watch the public hearing live via the Town Website, and/or Facebook Live, and/or channel 1303 on Spectrum Cable. Citizens will have the opportunity to come in person to the Public hearing to make comments and/or ask questions on the various line items within the 2024 tentative budget. The citizens may also submit their comments and questions in writing ahead of the Public hearing to have them read into the record that night. The Town Board will then be looking to adopt a final 2024 budget sometime between October 19th and November 2nd.

Two (2) highlights to the 2024 Tentative budget:

1. TAX CAP: The tentative 2024 budget was able to stay under the 2% tax cap that New York State imposed several years ago. The way the tax cap works is supposed to be simple. If a municipality's revenue collections via real estate taxes go up more than 2% year over year, the Town Board needs to have a super majority adoption vote of 4-1 or 5-0. However, the 2% cap has become complicated over the years for a myriad of reasons including but not limited to; the calculation that the State has a Municipality do is not exactly 2% from year to year, and some Municipal governments have chosen to stay under the tax cap year after year even if it is not the best long term fiscal decision. They fear going over it will be looked at negatively by constituents and possibly affect their ability to be re-elected.

2. YEAR-OVER-YEAR COMPARISON FOR HOMES OUTSIDE VILLAGE:

2023 2024 change

Tax rate per $1,000 assessed Value: $5.30 $5.06 24 cents lower

Sewer O&M rate $173.53 $200.97 $27.44 higher

Sewer Capital rate $58.44 $98.17 $39.73 higher

Total Sewer rate $231.97 $299.14 $67.17 higher

========= ======== ============

A home outside the Village in the Town of Webster has an average assessment of $177,000. A home at that assessed value, that is connected to the sewer system, will pay the following amounts:

2023 2024 change

Town taxes $938.10 $895.62 $42.48 lower

sewer rate $231.97 $299.14 $67.17 higher

Total $1,170.07 $1,194.76 $24.69 higher

======== ======= ==========

One thing to consider on the 2-year comparison above using the $177,000 assessed home outside of the village. With the Town's current equalization rate, a $177,000 assessed home most likely has a current market value of approx. $300,000. Homes inside the Village have a separate Town tax rate per $1,000 assessed, along with a Village tax rate per $1,000 assessed, and a Village specific O+M and Capital rate for sewer. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 23, 2023

School Tax Time in Webster

If you own real estate in the Town of Webster, you will be receiving your Webster Central School District Tax bill in the USPS mail in the next few days as they are slotted to be mailed out by end of August. These are the three(3) most common questions we get pertaining to this tax bill:

1. Why am I paying these taxes to the Town and not the school district? The Receiver of Taxes for the Webster Central School District in the Town of Webster is Dorothy Maguire. Dorothy, is the Webster Town Clerk and Tax Receiver. She is an employee of the Town government and not of the School District. Town law makes Webster a 1st Class Town due to having a population over 10,000. 1st Class towns in New York State mandate that the Town Tax receiver collect School taxes.

2. What are the options I have to pay this tax bill? taxes will be received at Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY, beginning September 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. None received Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays. Mailed full or first installment payments should be made payable and addressed to Dorothy M. Maguire, Receiver of Taxes at the above address. From September 1, through October 2, no interest is due if the total is paid in full and/or the USPS postmark is Monday, October 2, 2023 or prior. From October 3, through October 31, a 2% interest penalty must be added to the entire amount of the bill. Taxes paid under the INSTALLMENT option are due September 15, October 16 and November 15, 2023. The FIRST payment is made to Dorothy M. Maguire, Receiver of Taxes, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY 14580. Payment TWO and THREE are made to the Monroe County Treasurer, PO Box 14420, Rochester, NY 14614. If you elect to use the installment option, there is a service charge on ALL three payments. With the exception of residents of Walworth and Ontario, taxes may be paid in installments. Taxpayers who pay by check (via the US Mail or by Drop Box) may consider their canceled check as proof of payment. However, receipts will be issued for full payment if specifically requested and/or both pages are sent with payment. The DROP BOX is located in the front vestibule of the Town Hall (open 24/7). No tax payments will be received by the Webster Receiver of Taxes after November 1, 2023 at which time the School Tax Rolls will be returned to the Monroe County and Wayne County Tax Offices.

3. What if my real estate taxes are escrowed and paid within my monthly mortgage payment? Your mortgage company will get the bill directly and make payment on it in a manner that should result in no interest penalty to you. Your mortgage company should be doing a periodic escrow analysis to make sure the monthly monies they are collecting from you to pay for real estate taxes, and/or other charges if applicable like homeowner insurance are keeping pace with what the actual annual taxes and other charges being escrowed for are.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 16, 2023

Various Governments and Agencies in Webster

Over the past 3.5+ years I have been Town Supervisor, I have noticed that many citizens in Webster are not aware of some of the agencies in town, and the distinction of actual Governments in Webster. As such, I thought I'd give a brief overview of some of them:

VILLAGE: The Village is a separate entity from the Town of Webster. What can confuse things is that the approx. 5,000 Village residents are in the Town too and thus vote for Town Board and judges. The Village has a 5-person Board of Trustees that are voted in June of odd number years. there is a Mayor and 4 board members. their terms are 4-years. They are voted in a staggered manner with 3 in June 2021, and 2 in 2023. The Village has its own Sanitary Sewer plant, Department of Public Works, Clerk, Zoning Board of Appeals/Planning Board, etc. and all periodic public meetings that these mandate. Village Property owners pay a Village real estate tax in a separate bill in June, and a Town real estate tax along with their Sanitary Sewer fee, and county in January.

TOWN: The 45,000 citizens in the town include the 5,000 in the Village. The 5-person Town Board is voted in November of odd number years. There is a Town Supervisor and 4 board members. The Supervisor term is 2-years and the Board members terms are 4-years. They are voted in a staggered manner with 2 in November 2021, and 2 in 2023, and the Supervisor each of those years due to the 2-year term. The Town has its own Sanitary Sewer plant, Department of Public Works, Clerk, Zoning Board of Appeals/Planning Board, etc. and all periodic public meetings that these mandate. Town Property owners pay a Town real estate tax, along with their Sanitary Sewer fee and county in January.

SCHOOL: The Webster Central School district covers all of the Town of Webster and a portion of Penfield. Property owners in Webster pay School taxes in a separate bill in September each year.

BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) The BID was formed approx. 20-years ago by an act/resolution of the Village government. The district covers an area of the Village, and the property owners pay a special tax that has State of New York maximums based on a percentage of Assessed value. BIDs can be created in Villages and Cities, but not in Towns in New York State. The business owners within the district have periodic meetings to discuss BID budget from taxes, and what events to do. The upcoming Jazz Festival this weekend is an example of a BID venture.

WEBSTER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE (WEDA) WEDA is a Local Development Corporation (LDC) It was formed approximately 15 years ago and has 5 board members; Chamber of Commerce president, BID president, School Superintendent, Village Mayor, and Town Supervisor. It currently has one employee, an Executive Director who carries out the Alliance's mission of economic development in Webster. Much of this is identification and application of various grants.

MONROE COUNTY AND NEW YORK STATE: Besides the county real estate Webster citizens pay on their January bill, and New York State income tax they pay on payroll withholdings and/or their filed tax returns, these 2 government agencies have a direct effect on Webster based on the Roads that they own. The Town and Village Highway department/Department of Public Works directly manage and maintain Town and Village roads. However, county roads like Salt Road, and State roads like Highway 104 are under management of those government agencies, specifically the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Village and Town leaders advocate through those agencies for our citizens when county and state road issues arise.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 9, 2023

Transparent and easy to understand updates on Capital Projects

The 3+ years I have been Town Supervisor have been extremely active on Capital Projects in Town. The three (3) major ones are Sandbar Park, a New Highway facility, and phase 2 of the Sewer plant rebuild. Having come from an Accounting and Financial related business ownership background, I figured it would be relatively easy for me to understand the intricacies of these capital projects, especially as it comes to the money aspect. The reality I have found is that the Municipal Capital project process is "confusing". That confusion can lead to misinformation being promulgated on social media platforms, etc. and the 45,000 Webster citizens being even more confused as to who to listen to or believe on these projects. Simply said... it does not need to be this way, and we have a plan to make this better in the future.

I am in preliminary discussions with several key Town of Webster department heads about developing an easy-to-understand matrix to essentially "keep score" on each of the town's major capital projects. The tentative goal is to have this matrix on the Town's website and social media platforms in October 2023. It is also planned that the Town Board will get a periodic, quarterly or semiannual update on these projects at a Town Board workshop that is open to the public to attend or watch live/taped on several outlets. I foresee four (4) keys to such a matrix.

1. Sequence: The municipal capital project is not intuitive in the sequence of events that occur on it. The Bonding resolution that the Town Board needs to do on such projects is a great example of that. For instance, the new Highway facility had a bond resolution for $28+ million in February 2023. However, the actual contracts accepted on the project in August 2023 aggregated to $23 million... or $5 million less than the bond resolution.

2. Legal: An example of this is the $9.5 million Town Board resolution done on Sandbar Park in November 2021. At that time, we knew we had been awarded $5 million in grants on the project. However, the law says the bond resolution needs to be at the total estimated cost of the project, regardless of whether you have grant awards.

3. Consistency: It is key that the matrix has the same modules of reporting for each project. That assures that the citizens who track them on our website, social media platforms, or via the Town Board periodic updates have only one format to learn and absorb.

4. Updating: Certain town officials will need to be vigilant in updating the matrix as close to "real-time" as possible. When a milestone is hit, it needs to be input.

In summary, this matrix project is important in 2023 and beyond for a myriad of reasons. However, to me the most important reason is to look at three (3) major capital projects that were done in the 15-year period of 2005-2019 compared to the three (3) we have going on now in 2023. The Rec center on Chiyoda, the town hall/courthouse renovation, and phase 1 of the Sewer plant rebuild aggregated to under $30 million. The three (3) we have going on in 2023 have aggregate bonding of almost $120 million. It is imperative we keep up on these projects, be transparent within that effort, and maximize grant opportunities within each of them within the Town Board's fiduciary responsibility to the citizens of Webster. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 2, 2023

Town Board approves $81.5 million Phase 2 Sewer Plant Project

Last Thursday,Road July 27th following the 6:30PM public hearing, the Town Board voted 5-0 to approve the bonding increase to $81.5 million on phase 2 of the Sewer Plant Project on Phillips road. I've written several articles in the Webster Herald over the past 2+ years on this project as it evolved from being an approx. $30 million "asset renewal" similar to phase 1. To truly understand how we got to this point, we must look at what occurred to cause phase 1. The phase 1 portion of this project occurred back in the 2017 timeframe and was mainly mandated by the failures that were occurring on the Plant's Secondary Clarifiers. Simply said.... replacement parts were not made anymore on these 50-year-old items. As such, the Town did the $12 million phase 1 project to primarily build new secondary Clarifiers. Phase 1 was strictly "asset renewal" and brought no new revenue or expense savings potential. It was strictly replacing "old with new" and brought with it the bonding/debt associated with the cost "net" of the $3 million WIAA grant that the town was awarded.

The Town Sewer plant phase 2 project's evolution has occurred the past 2-years since the Village Board of Trustees voted 3-2 in July 2021 to Not combine/Go Regional with the Town on ONE sewer plant for the future in the 35 square miles that make up the town and village of Webster. In the past 2-years there have been approx. one hundred (100) possible Town regular board meetings (1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:30PM) and Town Workshops (2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 5:30PM) and over sixty(60) of those meetings had resolutions and/or presentations on the evolution of this phase 2 Town Sewer plant project. The $30 million "asset renewal" initially looked at for phase 2 in mid 2021, evolved into an Article 9-Energy Performance project and the retaining by the Town of Navitas to be the Energy performance firm. New technology was introduced to phase 2 in the early 2022 timeframe that gave new revenue and cost savings that would not only cover the bond principal and interest payments on the new technology components, but also kicked off some additional cashflow to help with the base "asset renewal" part of the project. During late 2022 and early 2023 the challenges of getting from 30% engineering to 90% as to estimated costs along with the realities of inflation and supply chain had to be navigated. Then, in May 2023 Coca Cola-fairlife announced they planned to build a plant in Webster and that the estimated daily discharge into the town Sanitary system would be 1.5 to 2 million gallons. To give some perspective, the current daily average into the system for the whole town is 3.1 million gallons. The Coca Cola-fairlife opportunity made us have to consider adapting the phase 2 project once again. This time with an increase in plant capacity from its current 5 million gallons a day to 7 million gallons. Coca Cola- fairlife has agreed to cover the upsizing portion of the project and their engineers and Attorneys continue to work with the town's engineers and attorneys to come up with the actual cost of that upsizing, and the legal document that will encompass Coke's paying for it.

In summary, a lot has gone into the past 2+ years to get us to this point on Phase 2, and the best way to quantify that is to go back to see and hear the tapes of these board meetings kept on the town Website and/or to read the meeting minutes. I'd like to think that watching/reading those tapes and meeting minutes in the sequence they occurred would show the degree of thorough discernment has gone into this by the Town. With the $81.5 million increased bonding resolutions done, the town will now apply for several grants including the WIAA grant that had a $3 million award in the phase 1 part of this project. Back in 2017, WIAA allowed up to a 25% award with a cap of $5 million. Since Phase 1 was a $12 million project, the award received was $3 million. In 2023 WIAA still has the 25% aspect, but does not have the $5 million cap, so the award has the potential to be much larger than $5 million based on phase 2's $81.5 million estimated cost. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

New Town Highway garage update- $5.5 million BETTER than initial $28 million bonded in February 2023

On the August 3, 2023 Town Board agenda there are five(5) proposed resolutions to accept the low bids on the various contracts associated with the New Highway Garage. This culminates the 5 months phase of this project since the February 23, 2023 Town Board meeting, when the Town Board voted 5-0 to "bond" the new Highway garage to $28+ million. The next step in the project will be the "groundbreaking" scheduled tentatively for the 4th quarter of 2023 with a targeted completion date in mid-2025.

That 5-month phase between the $28 million bonding and acceptance of low bids had the following milestones associated with it:

Bonding of the $28 Million: One of the big misconceptions in the bonding resolution of municipal capital projects is that the town will definitely go into debt for the $28 million. The reality is that the bonding resolution on February 23, 2023 of $28 million was based on the engineering estimates of the costs. Those estimates included five(5 ) construction contracts at $23 million in aggregate and $5 million in soft costs such as Engineering design and Construction management.

Advertising Requests for Bids: At the June 1, 2023 Town Board meeting, a resolution was passed by the town board to advertise bids on the five(5) construction contracts associated with the new Highway Garage. This advertisement would be in the June 14th Webster Herald edition along with various trade periodicals to assure maximum exposure to potential bidders. The bids would have an approximate 5-week period to be submitted and would be "sealed". The Town Clerk opened those sealed bids on July 19th at an open to the public meeting in the Town Board room.

Awarding of the Low bids: The August 3rd Town Board meeting has these five(5) contracts low bids queued up to be accepted by the Town Board. The aggregate of these is $17.8 million. As previously stated, the estimate on these five(5) contracts that went into the February 23, 2023 $28 million bond resolution was $23 million. As such, the actual came in more that 5 million LESS/better!! Previously at the July 6th Town Board meeting, the engineering and construction management actual contracts during both the design and construction phases were shown to be $300,000 LESS/better than what had been estimated in the February 23rd bonding. As such as we move forward to breaking ground on the new Highway garage, we are already $5.5 million LESS/better on actual contract versus estimates from the $28 million bonding. The layman term translation on that is the actual cost of the project will be more in the $22.5 million range, pending contingencies and/or change orders.

The recent Phase 1 of the sewer plant in 2018-2021 and the Sandbar park project have shown that the Town "team" of department heads, engineers and construction management firms have been able to manage the contingencies and change orders in a way that has NOT caused any "negative financial surprises" on these projects. They have come in under budget and on time. We plan on using that same professionalism on the Highway garage to have it come in under budget and on time. A $5.5 million BETTER/less actual contracts versus the estimate we bonded for is a great start to that!! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 19, 2023

Town Sewer Plant and Coca Cola-fairlife update

I'll apologize right up front for the length of this article. The fact is, the Town Board will be making a decision in the next month that will have a permanent effect on the future of Webster for the next 20+ years. As such, I'd rather err on the side of "over-communicating" in this article than under. In my July 5th Supervisor's Corner column, I described an overview of the process that would occur leading up to the Thursday, July 27th 6:30 PM Public Hearing on the Town's Sewer Plant proposed bonding increase from its current $44 million to $90 million. On July 12th, the town board workshop had presentations on both the sewer costs and Real estate taxes "with and without" technological aspects to the Sewer plant and Coca Cola-fairlife. Those Powerpoint presentations can be accessed at the Town Website as can the video/audiotape of that Workshop. A summary of those presentations is as follows as it pertained to the discernment of the future decisions to make on Sewer Plant infrastructure and the Coca Cola-fairlife Project:

REAL ESTATE TAXES:

The parcels that make up the approx. 100 acres on Tebor Road Coca-Cola-fairlife plans to build their $650 million production plant on had Town Taxes of approx. seven Thousand dollars ($7,000) in 2023. Bottom line.... it is currently raw land so its aggregate 100% assessed value (adjusted from the town's current equalization rate) is approx. $2.2 million. It's expected that Coca-Cola-fairlife will be applying to the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA) for Real Estate tax relief in the first several years after the plant construction is completed. COMIDA deals are often misunderstood as the Town of Webster getting NO tax revenue. The reality is that the typical COMIDA deal is 10 years long and runs on a 10% assessment exemption straight-line over those years (I.e. 90% exemption in year 1, 80% exemption in year 2, etc.) During the COMIDA agreement, the town does not get traditional real estate taxes, but gets "Payments in lieu of Taxes" (PILOT) So if a property is fully 100% assessed for $650 million, and the year 1 exemption is 90%, then the PILOT payment the town would get would be based on a $65 million assessment and at the town current tax rate would be approx. $200,000. In year 2 if the exemption is 80%, then the town would get $400,000 in this example. $200,000 and $400,000 annually is much better than the $7,000 the town got in taxes on the 100+ acres of raw land. 2 caveats are as follows;

1. It's difficult to determine at this point what the full 100% assessed value of Coca Cola-fairlife would be. The reported estimate to build the facility is $650 million, but the detail of how much of that is real estate improvements to the land, and how much is equipment in the facility is unknown at this time.

2. As of the writing of this article, Coca Cola-fairlife has not formally applied to COMIDA and proposed an exemption schedule/PILOT schedule. Therefore, it is hard to tell details of the # of years, etc. However, the foundational basis for a company like Coca Cola-fairlife being approved by COMIDA for real estate tax exemption for a number of years is tied to job creation and overall economic development potential to the whole region from a project. One last thing on the Real estate tax aspect of the Coca Cola-fairlife project is the concept of the Host Community Agreement (HCA) Simply said, if the town requests the company getting the COMIDA benefit to sign an HCA with the town, and if the company agrees to do so, then the town would get ALL 100% of the taxes and not be held to the COMIDA agreement. Since 2005, there have been sixteen(16) COMIDA deals in Webster and three (3) have had HCAs. My guess is the main reasons for the lack of HCAS on COMIDA deals are 2-fold; 1. HCA is "purely voluntary" by the company and town can't force them into it, and 2. the larger the company, the more apt they are to say no to being asked to enter into an HCA with the town.

SEWER PLANT: The actual bonding increase that will be discerned at the July 27th Public hearing and any subsequent resolution voted on by the Town Board is $81.5 million. It is comprised of approx. $38 million asset renewal, $29 million technology that creates revenue and cost savings, and $14 million to increase the capacity of the Plant from 5 million gallons a day to 7 million gallons a day due to Coca-Cola-fairlife. The town essentially has two (2) options at this point; Do the whole $81.5 million or just do the $38 million asset renewal. Before I get into the details of those 2 options, consider the following definitions and history of Sewer treatment in Webster the past 30+ years:

-Equivalent Discharge Unit (EDU)- 1 EDU = 60,000 gallons a year discharged into the Sewer plant for treatment. ALL residential are counted as 1 EDU, regardless of it their home's flow into the system is 20,000, 60,000 or 100,000 gallons etc. Commercial enterprises are billed at actual flow. Therefore, if a commercial enterprise puts 240,000 gallons a year into the system they count as 4 EDU's.

-EDU charge annually: It is made up of 2 components; 1. Operation and Maintenance(O and M) and 2. Capital. The aggregate of those was $232 in 2023 and thus reflected as such on the Homeowner's January 2023 Town and County Real estate tax bills. At $232, it equates to $3.87 per 1,000 gallons to a commercial customer and is billed at actual flow. Theoretically the setting of the annual EDU rate/commercial bill rate is based on estimated costs to run the sewer plant and collection system for that year (O and M) and actual costs of capital and/or reserving for future infrastructure improvements/replacement as sewer plants tend to "rot".

-Town Sewer plant EDU's: Currently, the Town sewer plant spreads its annual operating costs, including the bonding for the millions of dollars of future improvements over approx. 17,000 EDU's. Of the town's 17,000 EDU's, 15,000 are residential and 2,000 are commercial. With Coca Cola coming to town, the EDU's will increase to the town to about 26,000. From an Economies of scale perspective, growing the denominator of EDUS from 17,000 to 26,000 helps in keeping EDU annual cost low as the numerator of Costs spread over the EDUS do not go up at a greater rate than the increase to the denominator.

Historical EDU charge in Webster: Below are some of the annual EDU rates on Homeowner tax bills.

-Year- Flat sewer rate/rental

1990 $214

1995 $185

2000 $167

2005 $162

2010 $162

2015 $167

2020 $187

2021 $191

2023 $232

The good news is that the Webster Taxpayer saw their annual EDU charge go DOWN over a 30-year period of 1990-2020. The bad news is that the annual costs to operate the sewer annually did NOT go down. Furthermore, the lack of investing in the capital portion of the EDU fee annually left NO real reserves to rebuild a "rotting" plant. Hindsight is 20/20, but keeping the annual sewer rate LOW for 30 years on a sewer plant that is now 50+ years old and has reached its useful life expectancy means we do not have enough reserves built up to self-fund the plant's asset renewal upgrades. This was proven in 2017-2021 when phase 1 of the plant upgrade cost $12 million, and the town had to bond/go into debt for $9 million of that, while paying the other $3 million via grants.

So with that background and definitions done, let's look at the two(2) options facing the town board on Bonding:

Option 1: Keep the bonding at its current $44 million and ONLY do the $38 million asset renewal. Bottom line.... the $38 million asset renewal HAS to be done. Can't be avoided. The plant is failing and years of "milking it dry" and not investing in it/building cash reserves is now coming around to bite us. To be honest with you, my guess is that 30 years ago the Town should have taken the sewer plant "off line" and gone to Pure Water/Monroe county like ALL other Monroe County municipalities did except Honeoye Falls, Village of Webster and Town of Webster. Why leadership decided in Town NOT to shut down the Sewer plant in the late 1980's/early 1990's? My guess would be they saw the sewer as both a) a cash cow, and b) a political tool to toggle the EDU rate and Tax rate per $1000 assessed for the citizens. How else can you explain that in the early 1990s the EDU rate annually for a single family home was $214.... but by 2010 it was down to $162? If the town opts to just do asset renewal, then 2 things will occur; 1. The EDU rate will be $500 or higher in the future, and 2. Coca-Cola-fairlife will not be building their plant in town as the technological advances at $29 million and upsizing from 5 million gallons a day to 7 million gallons a day at $14 million would not be done and thus the town sewer plant could not handle the flow that would be coming from a Coca Cola-fairlife plant.

Option 2: Bond for the $81.5 million total proposed project: The 3 components are 1. $38 million asset renewal, 2. $29 million new Technology that creates revenue and cost savings, and 3. $14 million to increase the capacity from its current 5 million gallons a day to 7 million gallons a day to be able to handle the Coca Cola-fairlife volume of flow. The revenue/cost savings of the $29 million in new technology "pays for itself" as to principal and interest on bonds and actually kicks off some additional cash flow to offset some of the $38 million asset renewal portion. The $14 million upsize is being taken care of by Coca Cola-fairlife via the industrial usage fee agreement contract with the Town that takes into account both a) the fixed cost of the upsizing and b) the variable aspect of the annual flow that will come in. The end result is that the EDU charge annually for the Webster residents will be $300. These calculations are not something new that we have just sprung on the Webster community. Since June 2021, there have been approximately 100 Town Board meetings and Town Board workshops. 60% of those meetings have had resolutions and/or presentations pertaining to the sewer plant proposed upgrades. The robust nature in which this has been approached in the past 2 years on the $29 million of new technology that creates revenue and cost savings has been unprecedented. Only in the past 2-months since Coca Cola-fairlife announced they planned on building their plant in Webster has the concept of upsizing the plant from 5 million gallons a day capacity to 7 million gallons a day. The fact that Coca Cola-fairlife is covering that cost via the Industrial Usage fee agreement makes it a relatively easy decision on that portion.

In summary.... the Town Board will be tasked with making a decision in the next few weeks on the bonding of the Sewer plant. At the risk of oversimplifying it, the choices are

1. We can keep it at the current $44 million and ONLY do the Asset renewal and assure Webster Residents that their EDU charge annually for the next 20+ years will be $500+ "pending" what grants we can get, if any. In this scenario Coca Cola-fairlife will not build their plant and the potential for future industrial development in Webster will most likely be gone, including redeveloping the Xerox campus. Fact is, at that point the Business community would see Webster as the place where large projects go to die, as ostensibly noncontroversial industries like Tomatoes, Lettuce, and Dairy could not get their projects done here in the last 5+ years.

2. We can increase the bonding to $81.5 million and give the residents a $300 annual EDU charge for the next 20+ years "pending" what grants we can get, if any. This $300 annual EDU would be once the Sewer plant and Coca Cola plant are built and fully functioning in 2026. The potential for grants goes up exponentially in this scenario based on both the technological advances and the Coca Cola-fairlife factor, and what that new production plant means for ALL of the metropolitan Rochester area and Upstate NY. The chances that over the next 5-10 years that 250-400 acres currently on the Xerox campus be redeveloped by other industry than Xerox is a very viable. Momentum builds momentum, and there is NO down side to other industry coming to the industrial zoned Xerox campus in the future to put more into our town tax base and more EDUs into our sewer plant. All factors being equal, those do nothing but give relief to the town homeowners on their real estate taxes.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 12, 2023

Webster Police Department by the numbers

If you are a frequent reader of the Supervisor's Corner articles, you know I like "numbers and data". I do so because in my 30+ year professional and business experience, numbers and historical data have proven to be a great foundation to sound decision-making. We live in interesting times. People with NO real knowledge of a subject can go on the internet and "say anything" regardless of whether what they say is supported by facts. That can create a situation where what they say can go viral and move the needle on public perception. The worst-case scenario is that the public perception based on falsities can sometimes influence people in leadership positions to make decisions/policies going forward on these. That is the quintessential "Emotion-based decision making" and more often than not, such decisions are bad ones.

I appreciate that was a long preface to get to the subject of this article, The Webster Police Department by the numbers. It dawned on me this past week that the Webster community may have a misconception about the WPD numbers that patrol the 35 square miles of Webster and the over 200 miles of roads in town. Currently, there are 33 sworn members of the police department, 4 full-time civilian personnel and 4 part-time civilian staff. They are broken down into 5 main areas: command (chief, captain, two lieutenants); investigative (three investigators & 1 task force officer); administrative (3 records clerks, 1 property clerk & 1 part-time fleet); animal control (3 part-time civilians); and road patrol (6 sergeants, 14 patrol officers, 2 School Resource Officers and 2 recruits). The road patrol operates 24/7/365 in three (3) shifts; 2PM-10PM, 10PM-6AM, and 6AM-2PM. The officers assigned to the road patrol are assigned to the three shifts and then staggered on work wheels to cover 7 days a week. This configuration results in a minimum staffing of 1 sergeant and three patrol officers working at any given time with fluctuation up to 2 supervisors and 4 patrol officers depending on other taskings and time off. We also currently have two vacancies for police officers.

Over the past 3+ years I have been Supervisor, I have gotten dozens of inquiries on why the WPD is not doing speed control and writing tickets on sub-division streets. I've always tried to answer these questions honestly by essentially stating the resources we have, and the increased property crimes/larcenies due to State law changes in 2020 on bail reform, age of majority, etc. have the department handling more of those types of incidents. What I never have said was the "exact numbers" the department has. This article was prompted by the events of Tuesday, June 27th. On that day, Webster officers were already working with two separate larceny arrests from local businesses, when a stolen car was recovered and three (3) cars were stolen in Webster within a 1-hour timeframe of 2PM-3PM. It took all the WPD resources on that shift to handle that and the Sheriff's office needed to be brought in to assist. In the aftermath, one of the WPD Sergeants visited a citizen's home who had almost been hit by one of the stolen cars speeding away. Within that interaction, the citizen essentially asked “How many officers does WPD have" 100?" When the Sergeant stated 30-35 officers the citizen was surprised at how LOW that number was. That made me think that maybe a majority of Webster Citizens have the same misconception on the number of officers WPD has.

In summary, knowledge is power. It also helps rational people understand "why things are the way they are". 30-35 officers resulting in 3-4 police cars on the road at a time, makes it easier to understand why we can’t always stage on subdivision roads and write speeding tickets in a town of 200+ miles of road. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 5, 2023

The Municipal Bond process- Town Sewer plant

At the Thursday, July 6th Town Board meeting, a resolution will be voted on that sets a Public Hearing for July 27th for amending the current Sewer plant bonding. By law, that Public Hearing will be advertised in the Webster Herald's Wednesday, July 12th edition as it must be "No less than 10 days and no more than 20 days" from advertising to the actual Public Hearing.

I won't sugarcoat this.... when I first saw the proposed increase to $90 million on bonding for the Sewer plan, I had sticker shock. The Town Board Workshop of Wednesday, July 12th is scheduled to have a presentation that attempts to explain the reason for the increase to the Bonding from its current $44 million which was done in September 2022. As the Town Board and the citizens of Webster approach this the next 1-2 months, it is imperative that facts are presented so that rational, good decision making can occur. The July 12th workshop will be part of that process. From my perspective, there are three(3) overriding factors in play that make increasing the bonding from its current $44 million to $90 million "make sense":

FACTOR 1: What the Bond resolution actually means? The main misconception of a bond resolution is that the town will definitely go into debt by that amount, and that it will occur within a short period of time. The reality is that municipal law requires that the governance does a bond resolution up to estimated cost of the project, even if it is known that monies for the project will come from other sources like fund balance, reserves and/or grants. We saw this firsthand on Sandbar park as we bonded that for $9.5 million, even though we had already been awarded $5 million in REDI and DASNY grants. I was surprised we had to do a bond resolution to the whole estimated cost of $9.5 million since we knew we had $5 million covered by grants. We may see something similar in a few weeks when sealed bids are opened on July 19th on the $28 million bonded new Highway garage. The bond resolution is something needed to "move the process along" on bids, grant applications, etc. However, there are many factors on a project that can occur after the bond resolution that results in the town going into much less debt/bonding than the estimate cost of the whole project, and in some cases NOT even proceed with the project. As details arise on a bonded project such as actual costs, grants awards, etc. the actual bonding/going into debt occurs. Initially during construction, Bank Anticipation Notes (BANS) are utilized. These are 1-year notes and paid back interest only. Ultimately a conversion is made to a Municipal 30-year bond once all details are known. That actual 30-year bond borrowing will be less than the Bond resolution the Town Board did back before shovels went into the ground.

FACTOR 2: The Coca Cola-fairlife project and projected sewer rates over the next 20 years: The Town Sewer plant has a 5 million gallon a day capacity with the NYSDEC. Such capacity limits mean that you should not exceed approx. 80% of that limit. On average, currently 3.1 million gallons a day flow through it. The original plans were to keep it a 5 million gallon a day capacity. Coca Cola-fairlife's plant will create approx. 1.5 million gallons a day of flow to the sewer plant. As such we are working on up-sizing the plant capacity to 6.5 million gallons a day. Also, there are some sewer mains that need to be up-sized to handle the flow from fairlife. Coca Cola-fairlife are taking responsibility for the costs of these upgrades that are specifically due to them coming to town. However, the attorneys are working on the language of that and the engineers are trying to get actual costs calculated on these. With the New York State grant application portal having a deadline for submission on July 28, 2023, it makes the most sense to increase the bonding to the $90 million as many these grants are based on a percentage of the project's total estimated cost. Also, the Revenue generation and cost savings from the Ttchnological advances at the Sewer plant along with flow revenue from fairlife in the future should create a situation where town resident's sewer rates stay around $300 a year for the next 20-years. Currently in 2023 that sewer rate is $232. The $300 annual rate assumes "worst case" scenario with full bonding and no grant awards. The July 12th Town Board workshop presentation will delve into this deeper.

FACTOR 3: Timing of Bonding increase, and citizen involvement: If I had my druthers, I would rather hold off on a bond resolution until ALL unknowns come in. Unfortunately, the Municipal process does not allow for that and bonding resolutions are needed to go out for bid, break ground, and apply for grants. The Town Board will consider voting on this increased bonding resolution either on Thursday July 27th right after the public hearing, or the first board meeting of August if it is determined that the Grant applications submitted on July 28th can have the bonding resolution be supplied 1-2 weeks after deadline. If the Town Board approves of the bonding increase, then it is subject to a 30-day permissive referendum. That means that within 30 days of the bond resolution, the citizens of Webster who are registered voters can obtain a certain number of signatures to force the bonding to be a FULL Town vote. The number of signatures needed would need to be confirmed by the board of elections, but I think it is 5% of the Webster voter turnout at the last gubernatorial election in 2022, so approx. 1,100 signatures. Citizens can also be involved by attending or watching the July 12th Town Board workshop to get a better understanding of the details behind the proposed bonding increase, taking the podium at the July 20th Town Board meeting "open to the public" to give their thoughts, and/or coming to the public hearing on July 27th to speak.

In summary, the events of the next 1-2 months on the Coca Cola-fairlife project and the Town Sewer plant will have long standing effects on the town for the next 20+ years. The past 20+ years have been a slow drain on the tax base in the Industrial zoned area of Webster. We are witnessing the turn of that "slow drain" with Tessy Plastics purchase of 110 acres and 1.5 million square feet of buildings from Xerox in June 2022, and Coca Cola-fairlife announcing in May 2023 their intention to build a $650 million production facility, Momentum builds momentum and the next 3-5 years looks very promising for Webster's Industrial district. Tax base, and creation of good paying jobs that will benefit the Town and its residents for the next 20+ years. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 29, 2023

A focus on the Town Parks and local Volunteer organizations

The Webster Parks and Recreation footprint consist of many recreational and sport facilities, trails, lodges, pavilions, green spaces and is home to a wonderful Arboretum, located at Irving R. Kent Park. We see every day how important these facilities are and how often they are used to bring people together for sport, relaxation and exercise. The Town Parks department consists of 6 full-time employees with a wide range of professional talents and experience which allows the team to address any planned and unplanned maintenance challenge year-round. The department has 2 very important part-time, year-round individuals who share night weekday and weekend park and lodge cleaning. The Parks team also supports the Webster Recreation Department with numerous special events and projects allowing the team to stretch their creative muscles, such as helping with the annual Family Mud Run and the Fall Pumpkin Walk. With 12 town parks and preserves, along with over 1100 acres of parkland and greenspace the Parks Department relies on a number of Town volunteer organizations to assist with managing the many park features.

Webster is fortunate to have volunteer organizations who assist with the maintenance and upkeep of several Town-owned properties. These organizations contribute numerous man-hours each year in our town parks and public spaces, all volunteering to make our town a better place. We are thankful to the MANY organizations who volunteer their talents to assist the Town and Parks Department, without their efforts many of our parks would not be as beautiful as they are. The Webster Arboretum Association and the Friends of Webster Trails are two organizations that I would like to highlight. Both organizations are 501c-3 not-for-profit organizations that have members willing to assist the Town Parks Department with the numerous tasks required to keep our parks and properties safe and beautiful.

Webster Arboretum Association: Did you know that the Webster Arboretum is a planned community park? The goal of this park is to bring together the unique talents of our community members to develop and maintain this special setting in which to explore and learn about nature. The Webster Arboretum Advisory Committee will offer the total community the opportunity to experience educational, conservational and recreational opportunities by having programs for all ages here. The Town of Webster Parks and Recreation Department, in cooperation with local newspapers will inform residents about activities and educational programs at the Arboretum. For more information on the Webster Arboretum Association: https://www.websterarboretum.org/contact/

Friends of Webster Trails: Did you know that there are over 20 miles of public trails in Webster? The Friends of Webster Trails (FWT) advocates for the preservation of the natural character of Webster’s Open Space. FWT promotes this through sensible management, education, and low-impact access. FWT advises the Parks and Recreation Department and assists by planning, maintaining, and promoting recreational trails in the Town of Webster. FWT has regular scheduled workdays to keep trails safe and accessible to the many trail users. Workdays are a great way to give back to the community in a specific way especially if you are an avid trail runner, walker or biker. A recent example of the great volunteer work FWT does was the grand opening of the new Michael A. Johnson Nature Preserve and the looped trail which is located off the Hojack Trail between Drumm and VanAlsytne roads. For more information on Friends of Webster Trails: http://webstertrails.org/contact-us/

In summary, Volunteering leads you to find the joy of serving others and helping to improve your community so I encourage you to reach out to one of the organizations above or find another organization that could use your assistance and benefit from your time as a volunteer. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 21, 2023

2024 Town Budget season kicks off

I've often said you could make an argument that Budget season in the Town of Webster is year-round. Wednesday June 21, 2023 marks the "unofficial" start to the Town of Webster Government 2024 Budget process. Over the next 2+ weeks, Paul Adams, the Town Finance Director, Town Board liaisons to the various departments, department heads, and I will be meeting in individual department specific meetings. Depending on the size of the department, these initial 2024 budget meetings can go from 15-minutes to 2+ hours. For example, the Highway department is one of the larger departments in town, both in annual budget dollars and personnel it employs. Conversely, the Personnel/Human Resources department has a relatively small annual dollar budget, and minimal full time equivalent personnel in its employment. The initial meetings give the department head a chance to present their proposed 2024 budget. Foundational to the process is that the department head is in possession of their 2023 budget, along with year to date actuals. I've found these initial meetings in the budget process can be quite robust as to questions asked and conversations had. Over the next 4+ months, there will be many more meetings within the 2024 budget process including public interaction, culminating with a Town Board vote on a 2024 budget in October/November 2023. A few things to consider as we approach the 2024 Town Budget process:

Personnel Costs: Historically, these costs make up approx. 70% of the total town budget when factoring in current employees pay and benefits and retiree benefits. Recently, the CSEA White collar and Blue Collar unions collectively bargained with the Town on agreed on 4-years contracts for 2023-2026. Each of those union contracts expired at the end of 2022. Those 2 unions make up about 80-90 of the town's approx. 150 Full time employees. The Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA's) and Step increases within these contracts will be plugged into the 2024 Budget. The Police Union contract expires at the end of 2023 and negotiations on that contract going into 2024 will be starting in July 2023. The Police Union makes up another 25-35 of the full-time employees in town.

The 2% Tax cap: On one hand, it is simple. If the town tax levy to Property owners within their Real Estate Taxes goes up by more than 2% year over year, the Town Board needs a Super Majority of 4-1 or 5-0 vote to pass that budget. From a simplicity standpoint, and this is an example only and not specific numbers...if the Tax levy was $15 million in 2023 on a total of $3 billion in assessed real estate in town, the tax rate would be $5 per one thousand dollars of assessed value of your property. Therefore, if your property is assessed for $200,000, your Town taxes would be $1,000 in your January 2023 Town and County tax bill. What complicates the 2% tax cap is a few things. One major thing is that Personnel costs make up 70% of the town's budget and those costs by union contract on COLAS/Steps on Payroll, and/or the marketplace on Health insurance are going up more than 2% a year. Another complication is that New York State has a formula for calculating what is 2%, and it does NOT equal 2% of the prior year tax levy. Finally, the concept of New York State setting a 2% tax cap may have had good intentions. Unfortunately, it has often become a political football that has had the unintended consequences of elected officials prioritizing re-election over sound fiscal handling of a municipality budget. In some cases, this has resulted in flat, no increase budgets for multiple years only to have to increase taxes by 10%, 15% or more in one year to make up for the prior year fiscal mismanagement due to fear of "breaking the tax cap".

In summary, over the next few months I will be writing more articles pertaining to the Budget process. The fact is, one of, if not the most important responsibilities of the Town Board is the fiduciary responsibility of the Town Tax payers. We need to balance the services the Town supplies to its citizens including but not limited to Road maintenance, Police, Parks and Recreation, etc. with the cost of these services. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 14, 2023

Next Steps: Future of EMS/Ambulance in Webster

On Thursday June 8th, approx. 80 people attended the public interaction meeting at Webster Thomas pertaining to EMS/ambulance in Webster. 20 of the attendees took to the microphone to ask questions and/or make comments about EMS/Ambulance in Webster. Another 25 questions were asked by meeting moderator Barry Howard that had come into the town via e-mail or the town website in the prior 2-weeks. A panel of 5 people was assembled to answer the questions. These 5 included Tim Czapranski-EMS Administrator for Monroe County, Ahmed Mustafa- Chairman of the board and CEO of NEQALS, the EMS agency that currently services Webster, Russ Ziskind, 10-year Webster resident and Chairman of the board and CEO of NOVA, the EMS agency that currently services Clay NY, Paul Adams- Finance Director in Webster, and point person for town on the last 9+ months due diligence process with EMS, and John Cahill- Town Councilman and Town Board liaison to EMS. As of 8AM on Tuesday morning June 13th, over 700 people had watched the 2-hour video of this meeting on the town website. The meeting gave clarity on some issues, but also shined a light on how complicated the EMS industry is in 2023. It also showed the challenges the community is facing in separating emotion from facts. As the Town Board moves forward within their due diligence process on a short-term decision on EMS In Webster, to me there were 3 items that came out of the June 8th meeting that warrant consideration:

ITEM 1: The June 30th self-imposed deadline by Town Board to make decision on a short term option. It is important to know why that June 30th date was set. The Town's due diligence process started in August 2022 and was initially set to be completed by November 2022. For a myriad of reasons, the process has been extended. As we got into mid 2023 and NEQALS continued to convey to the Town Board they needed money immediately, we decided to set a June 30th deadline to make a decision on a short-term option. Since the Town Board will not have access to the NEQALS audited financial statements for December 31, 2022 until early July 2023, that deadline needs to be extended. Simply said, the Town Board cannot make a fact-based decision on potential additional funding to NEQALS without seeing these 2022 audited financial statements. Barring something unforeseen, I would assume the deadline for the town board making a short-term option decision will be 30-45 days after receipt of the NEQALS 2022 audited financials.

ITEM 2: Continued Due Diligence by the town, beyond reviewing the 2022 NEQALS audited financials: Russ Ziskind opined in great detail at the June 8th meeting about "Payer Mix" and how it is unique from one town to another. Russ' EMS company NOVA does not get any town funding from Clay NY. His payer mix is 75% Medicare/Medicaid and 17% private insurance. Russ said that if that Private pay percentage dropped to 15% on the 6,800 total annual ambulance calls NOVA handles, that the difference would go from a +$250,000 to a MINUS ($250,000) on the bottom-line financial result of NOVA. Minimally we need to take a deeper dive look at what NEQALS payer mix has been historically from the 4,000+ annual calls in Webster. Other considerations to be looked at include but are not limited to; Has NEQALS analyzed being a participating private insurance EMS agency rather than trying to collect direct from patient and what the financial difference would be? Also, how did the two leased staffing contract NEQALS was in during 2022 affect their overall financial situation? How does losing one of those leased staffing contracts in February 2023 affect NEQALS overall financial situation going forward?

ITEM 3: Are there other short term options beyond the ones presented at the May 25th, 2023 Town Board Workshop? On May 10th, the NEQALS board passed a resolution that gave the Town Board of Webster NEQALS leadership proposed 2 short term options. Both foundationally said "$40,000-45,000 a month from the town for 9-12 months.... but NO changes to the current 5-year contract between the Town and NEQALS that expires on December 31, 2025... and NO changes to organizational structure, etc.". The problem with NEQALS proposed short term options are that the current 5-year contract makes NO provision by the town to give taxpayer money to NEQALS. As such, by definition, if the Town Board decides to give 9-12 months of monies to NEQALS in July-August 2023 as a short term option, the current 5-year contract minimally needs to be amended. Ahmed Mustafa's answers and comments at the June 8th public meeting about NEQALS willingness to change, add metrics, etc. seem to run counter to the May 10th, 2023 resolution he and the NEQALS board did.

In summary, we are making progress on the EMS/Ambulance topic in Webster and the information the Town Board and community as a whole are learning will assist not only in making a good decision on a short-term option, but on the long term, 20+ years handling of EMS in the 35 square mile, 45,000 citizen, socio economic/payer mix of Webster. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 9, 2023

Summer Celebration at Rec Center on Saturday, June 10th

The Town of Webster will be celebrating the start of the summer season with the annual Summer Celebration this Saturday, June 10th from 4:00-10:00 PM at Webster Parks and Recreation (1350 Chiyoda Drive).

This annual event is a fun night full of live music with Stateline and Brass Taxi, food trucks, family activities and of course FIREWORKS! Summer Celebration is great way for the community to gather and celebrate together in a fun and safe family atmosphere before summer is in full effect! At 4:00 PM the event kicks off - with several groups here including Rochester Museum and Science Center, Greenlight Networks, Wegmans and Green Spark plus bounce houses and food trucks lined up ready to serve! There will be many options to satisfy dinner needs from wraps to meatballs and of course carnival type food, including fried dough! The best part is all trucks will take cash and credit!

Live Music will be kicked off at 5:30 PM with State Line Country followed by Brass Taxi around 8:00 PM! Bounce Houses will close down around 8:30 for the safety of our kiddos...and then fireworks will end the evening with the display scheduled to begin at 10:00 PM. If you wish to view the fireworks at the Recreation Center, I suggest arriving no later than 9:30 to allow time to access the event location from the parking lot with lots of staff guiding you in safely!

Parking for this event will take place at the Xerox parking lots directly to the South of the Recreation Center. Handicap parking will be in the Recreation Center lot so please inform the parking lot staff if you require handicap parking. This event draws several thousand people each year and we want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable time, please respect business and homeowners around the recreation center and only park in designated parking lots.

Hats off to Webster Parks and Recreation for their dedication in making this event smooth and safe for everyone! Be on the lookout for their Welcome Tent and new safety tent - positioned in the middle of the event area with a large 10 foot red flag atop a tent! They will be available to help anyone throughout the event! Please be courteous and cautious but most of all HAVE FUN! Hello, Summer! As always, feel free to call me anytime at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 30, 2023

The future of EMS/Ambulance in Webster- June 8th public meeting

On Thursday June 8th at 7PM at the Webster Thomas Auditorium, there will be a public meeting regarding the future of EMS/Ambulance in the Town of Webster. At this meeting the public will have the opportunity to ask questions on EMS/Ambulance in Webster; past, present, and future.

The reason why we are having this meeting is that NEQALS, the EMS agency that provides EMS/ambulance service in the town of Webster came to the town board on July 28, 2022 asking the town for $800,000 annually in the form of a Tax district as early as January 2023. That request came 3-weeks after the Town awarded a $205,000 ARPA grant to NEQALS on July 7, 2022. Those events in July 2022 resulted in the Town Board entering into a 9+ months due diligence process between August 2022 and April 2023 for the purpose of getting a better understanding of the NEQALS "business model" so the town board could make a fact-based decision whether more funding from Town Taxpayers should go to NEQALS. On May 25, 2023 a 28-slide Powerpoint was presented at a Town Board Workshop that highlighted both the findings of the due diligence, and the short/long terms options that could be implemented on EMS/Ambulance in Webster.

Some of the results of the due diligence process include but are not limited to:

1. The powers and liabilities of the Town of Webster owned Municipal certificate of need.

2. The "fly car" model NEQALS operates their EMS agency on as their core model. That model is not utilized as a core model in any other private owned EMS agencies in Monroe county.

3. 1/3rd or 33% (20,000) of the approx. 60,000 hours in 2022 of NEQALS "boots on the ground" EMT's and Paramedics were contractually obligated to two(2) areas outside of Webster NY., of which both are outside Monroe county. It is unknown what NEQALS has requested, if anything of these two(2) communities as to additional funding/tax district money

4. Webster NY ambulance calls are approx. 4,500 annually. Other like-kind towns in Monroe county with similar populations have approx. 6,000+ annually

As we approach the Thursday, June 8th 7PM public meeting at Webster Thomas Auditorium, it is important to clarify, acknowledge, and validate the two(2) main issues that surround EMS/ambulance in Webster NY, and any community for that matter. Those issues are EMOTION and FACTS. On the EMOTION side, it needs to be isolated to EMT's, Paramedics, and Patients. I think we ALL can agree that the boots on the ground Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) are heroes and deserve to be treated as such in their pay, quality of ambulances they are on, and accommodations when they are staging and not on a call. I have NO doubt that NEQALS has fantastic EMT's and Paramedics as my family and I have experienced it. On the FACTS side, it needs to be isolated to NEQALS as an "entity/organization". A corporation/LLC with a federal tax ID # and set up as a 510C3 non for profit does not merit emotion. There is no place for emotion/nostalgia when assessing the past, present, and future of a "thing" like NEQALS, the organization. An organization, how it operates day to day, how the condition/age of its ambulances are kept, separation of duties, checks and balances, etc. should only be assessed from a factual standpoint. None of this latter point has anything to do with the dedicated EMT's and Paramedics of that Organization. However, it has everything to do with making sure in the future those EMTS, Paramedics, and patients they selflessly care to are afforded the best organization servicing the town of Webster NY on EMS/ambulance.

So, what should be hoped to accomplish at the June 8th 7PM Public meeting? The Town Board is targeting June 30th as the date a short-term option will be implemented on EMS/ambulance in Webster. To me, the June 8th meeting is an opportunity for the citizens of Webster, the Town Board, NEQALS the organization, and the EMT's and Paramedics who call Webster their work home to find out more facts so that the best decision can be made short term and long term on EMS/ambulance in the 35 square mile, 45,000 citizen, socio-economic community that is Webster NY. As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

View presentations and submit questions:

https://www.websterny.gov/732/Webster-Ambulance

May 25, 2023

Coca Cola/fairlife Community Engagement Meeting- Tuesday, May 30th at 7:30 PM at Webster Thomas Auditorium

On Tuesday May 9th The New York State Governor's office released a statement on Coca Cola/fairlife's intention to build a 745,000-square-foot production facility on 100 acres on Tebor Road in Webster NY. The facillity will be producing dairy based products. Coca Cola/fairlife has reported they will be investing $650 million in building this facility and seek to break ground in Autumn 2023 with substantial construction competed in Autumn 2025. The plant will create 250 new jobs. On Thursday, May 18th at the Webster Town Board meeting, the project was passed on to the Planning Board, and the Sketch review will be done at the June 6th Planning Board meeting.

The Coca Cola/fairlife team we have been working with for the past 9+ months has been fantastic. The Town, County, State, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE) and Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA) people along with Coca Cola/fairlife took Webster from 1 of 100 possible sites in a dozen states in the Northeast, to the chosen site for this project. That does not happen without a LOT of teamwork! Commensurate with how Coca Cola/fairlife has been to this point, they want to engage with the Webster community on this project as soon as possible. We have chose Tuesday, May 30th at 7:30 PM at Webster Thomas Auditorium for a Community engagement event. The public will have a chance to see a presentation from the Coca Cola/fairlife team and also be able to engage in questions, and comments at that time. The event is scheduled to be 90-minutes (7:30 PM-9:00 PM) It will not be shown live on Cable Channel 1303 or on the Town Website, but the tape of it will be available on Cable Channel 1303 and the Town Website soon after.

Coca Cola/fairlife has been consistent in their message and actions over the past 9-months that they seek to be GREAT neighbors in Webster. I hope that the Webster community comes out in full force on Tuesday, May 30th and 500+ people attend. The interaction will be invaluable as we move forward with this project. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 17, 2023

Short-Term and Long-Term Options for Ambulance Coverage in Webster

On Thursday May 25th at 5:30 PM in the Town Board room at the Van Ingen courthouse a PowerPoint presentation will be given to the Town Board, and the community at whole. The presentation is the culmination of 9+ months of due diligence the Town has been engaged in pertaining to Emergency Medical Services (EMS)/Ambulance service in Webster. What spawned on the due diligence was a sequence of events in the 17 month time-frame of March 1, 2021 through July 31, 2022. The milestones of that time-frame were as follows:

- March-October 2021: West Webster Fire District (WWFD) discerned and ultimately decided to exit the Ambulance business as of January 2022. They award their Certificate of Need (CON) to Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA) for the section of the Town of Webster, west of Hard Road as of January 1, 2022. This would make PVA #1 in the 911 queue for ambulance calls on the west side of Town.

- November 2021: Town Board exercised their municipal owned CON and awarded Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) ALL 35 square miles of the Town of Webster as of January 1, 2022, to be #1 in the 911 queue for ambulance calls. This superseded the WWFD CON awarding to PVA in West Webster.

- July 2022: On July 7th NEQALS was awarded $205,000 from the Town of Webster's ARPA funds. On July 28th NEQALS presented to the Town Board a request to set up an Ambulance Tax District by January 1, 2023 and to have its initial funding from Webster Real Estate Taxpayers be $800,000. This latter event spawned the 9-months of due diligence by the Town Board to determine what are the short-term and long-term options for ambulance coverage in the Town of Webster that balances the best service to our residents, while making sure it is fiscally responsible.

It is hoped that the May 25th presentation is well attended by the community. The Town Board room can accommodate approx. 80 people. However, if you would rather watch the presentation LIVE from the comfort of your home, you can do so on the following platforms: Spectrum Channel 1303; Town Website: www.websterny.gov/civicmedia; Town Facebook page: Facebook Social Network www.facebook.com/TownOfWebsterNY. The video of this presentation, along with the 20-slide PowerPoint will be available at: www.websterny.gov/agendacenter, under the May 25, 2023 Agenda. It is the Town Board's goal to make a decision on a short-term option to be enacted/adopted by no later than June 30, 2023.

In summary, there is no doubt that EMS, compared to Fire Departments and Police Departments, is the one arm of First Responders that has been neglected over the past 30-40 years. A lot of that has to do with the evolution of ambulance service in that time from volunteer Firefighters/Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) performing the function and having it paid for by your Fire Department real estate taxes.... to Private Ambulance companies with paid EMT'S and Paramedics doing it as Fire Departments have exited the ambulance business. No doubt the EMS industry is universally challenged. However, it is incumbent that we do not mistake the universal challenge for a "one size fits all" remedy. Fact is, the proper schematic for EMS in the 35 square mile, 45,000 citizen, socioeconomic community of Webster NY will be different from a 100 square mile, 20,000 citizen area of New York State. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 10, 2023

The Coca-Cola Company selects the Town of Webster as it preferred location for a $650 million fairlife, LLC production facility

On Tuesday May 9th, The Coca-Cola Company announced its selection of the Town of Webster as the preferred location for a new production facility to support the expansion of its wholly owned subsidiary fairlife, LLC. Upon its completion, the Town of Webster will be home to the largest dairy processing plant in the Northeast U.S., employ 250 direct workers, and support dairy farmers throughout New York State. The planned facility will span 745,000 square feet on 100 industrial-zoned acres at Tebor Road off Basket Road.

This week’s announcement from The Coca-Cola Company put the Town of Webster on the map for new industrial development. The parties and people who have worked on this project over the past year are too many to name. However, it is safe to say their collective hard work and ingenuity led to The Coca-Cola Company and fairlife choosing the Town of Webster for what started from a highly competitive site search across multiple states.

Stakeholders in this project include The Coca-Cola Company, fairlife, New York State, Monroe County, and The Town of Webster. While the annual budget of the Town of Webster is the smallest of these stakeholders, Town personnel contributed a lot of very good work to help put us in a position to be selected for this exciting opportunity. That good work demanded teamwork. As such, I look forward to continued work with all parties to strike a proportionate balance across all stakeholders to meet the needs of this project.

Smart investments in Town infrastructure have aided what The Coca-Cola Company described as “the ideal location for fairlife’s expansion.” Phase 2 upgrades underway at the Town’s Sanitary Sewer Treatment Plant on Phillips Road proved invaluable to address wastewater requirements for dairy product manufacturing. When the plant is built and operational, fairlife expects to process up to 5 million pounds per day of locally sourced milk.

The fortunate timing of existing high-tech upgrades allowed fairlife to meet with expert outside engineers, energy performance contractors, and Town sewer leadership to discuss options on how the planned facility’s discharge could be treated. I saw first-hand how our team impressed fairlife engineers. Their knowledge, responsiveness, and creativity had a huge impact on The Coca-Cola Company choosing the Town as its preferred site for fairlife.

This same collaborative spirit will be required as real work starts to break ground and kickoff construction later this year with production expected to begin by late 2025. This will include ongoing engagement between the project and the Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and several key Town officials. The Town of Webster will play an important role as The Coca-Cola Company prepares to make a total project investment of $650 million in our community. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 3, 2023

Update on Dog Park in Webster Park

I have to lead off this article by stating how happy I have been as the collaboration the past 2+ years between the Monroe County Parks department and the Town of Webster. It started in early 2021 with Chris Bilow- Town of Webster Parks and Rec Commissioner and I asking the Monroe County Parks leadership for some guidance as we looked at putting a dog park in one of the Town Parks. That initial meeting was when the concept of having the Dog Park in Webster Park was first broached. The County asked Chris and I if we could get some data from Webster residents as to their desire for a dog park in town. In the July 2021 Webster Today magazine we ran a dog park survey and over 1,000 people responded! From there things progressed swiftly and the site selection was settled on in 2022 for 3-4 acres adjacent to the campgrounds in Webster Park.

The spring and summer of 2023 will bring this project to completion. The bid process initiated by the county will culminate on May 4th with the various contractor bids being opened. On May 8th, the Webster Highway department will be installing the parking lot for the dog park. From how the county sees it, there are very few project related items that have long lead times, thus we are well positioned to have this completed this summer.

The park will have two(2) areas; 1 for smaller dogs and one for larger. Access to the park/annual fee will give you access to ALL Monroe county dog parks. The annual fee in 2023 to Monroe County is $24 and they accept credit cards for this payment. The County issues swipe cards to dog owners once they complete the registration process (part of registration includes showing proof of vaccination and a dog license from their municipality), dog owners also receive a paper registration to keep in their vehicle and the dogs are issued a metal tag to wear on their collar. If you would like to see the drawings of how this dog park will be laid out and the amenities it will have, please visit the County website and/or go to https://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-DogParks As always please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

View the Park Concept Plan

April 26, 2023

Webster Road Maintenance in 2023- Town, County, and State Roads

One of the rites of Spring in the northeast is the beginning of "road maintenance season". Technological advances over the last 50 years have made newly installed roads last longer. However, asphalt is not impregnable. How quickly a newly paved/asphalted road will experience cracks and potholes is due to the combination of a) the amount of traffic on that road, and b) the water that gets into cracks that freezes into ice and expands. Webster has Town, County, and State roads within its 35 square miles. Of these 3 types, County and State roads "lane miles" have remained relatively steady in the past 40 years. These are the main artery roads in town like Holt (county) and 250 (state). Conversely, Town roads have grown as to "lane miles to maintain" by the Town Highway Department over the past 40 years with the proliferation of housing developments off these main arteries. Below is a breakdown of the roadwork/road maintenance that is tentatively scheduled for 2023:

STATE ROADS: The New York Department of Transportation (NYDOT) performs the maintenance work on these roads. With the assistance of New York State Assemblyman Brian Manktelow, Webster's NYDOT rep informed us this past week that work is scheduled later in the summer or in the Autumn 2023 for the 104 off and on ramps, and for rte 250 running north from Lake Road to Klem. Both locations are scheduled for a resurfacing treatment, which is a mill and fill for both. These will not be spot treatments for just potholes.

COUNTY ROADS: As of the writing of this article, I am not sure what the Monroe County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is planning for 2023. In 2022 they did a process called "micro sealing" on Holt Road running north from Lake Road to Klem. As more information becomes available on 2023 plans I will keep you all apprised.

TOWN ROADS: These subdivision roads are initially built by the housing tract developer to certain standards. Assuming they meet the standards, the town takes "dedication" of these roads and thus they become Town roads. Then, the Town Highway department is tasked with maintaining them including but not limited to snowplowing, and periodic maintenance on the asphalt and gutters. Because subdivision roads are less traveled than main arteries, the type of maintenance done periodically is called chip seal (Or oil and stone) It is done every 7-8 years on a road.

Simply said... chip sealing is a cost-effective way to keep less trafficked roads in good condition so as to have them last 50+ years without having to do a high cost full repave. In 2023 the Highway Department is targeting approx. 60 subdivision-town roads to do chip seal on in the July-August timeframe. The 60 being targeted in 2023 last had chipseal done in the 2015-2016 timeframe. Since my wife and I moved to Webster in 1997, our road which was built in 1970 has been chip sealed 4 times. Technological advances in the past 25+ years have resulted in much less loose stones in 2023 than what there were in 2000. Citizens who had their roads chip sealed in 2021 or 2022 have told me that the process was MUCH better than what they remembered from the 2-3 times prior on their street in the past 20+ years. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

New 15-person Van for Webster Senior citizen programs

The Webster Parks and Recreation Department is excited to announce that they recently obtained a 15 passenger van. This van will be utilized for Senior programs associated with the 55+ age group. The van was purchased via funds received through Monroe County of Aging as a way to assist with transporting seniors to the recreation facility for 55+ programming. The department identified senior transportation to the recreation center as a priority since Medical Motors was no longer able to provide transportation to the recreation center to local seniors. Webster residents who are 55+ can request a ride from their door to tot eh Rec center on Chiyoda, and back home again on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thursday’s ride home includes a 1 hour stop for groceries.

Some of the details on how the transportation to and from the Recreation center works:

You may request transportation by calling 872-7103 ext 7385 no later than 8:00am the day of ride.
You will need to provide your name, address, phone number, and requested date(s) for the van.
Cancellations must be called in before 8:00am at 872-7103 ext 7385.
Pickup will be between 9:00-10:00am
Return ride will depart the Recreation Center at the conclusion of Lunch Club 60 between 12:30-1:00pm
The program is available to any resident of the town and village of Webster, 55 years of age or older.
$4.00 round trip per person/per day. Payable at the front office upon arrival.
Please call The Webster Recreation Center 55+ Transportation line at 872-7103 ext 7385.
With the addition of a van the department is excited to offer the following destination programming this Spring and Summer. ALL trips are open to 55+. Be on the lookout for even more exciting destinations later this summer and Fall!
Lunch/Bunch to Genesee Brewery, the new Mama Lor's, and Simply Crepes.
Two trips to Red Wings games
A tour of the Susan B Anthony House and Museum
Bowling outing

If you have any questions regarding Senior, 55+ programming please feel free to contact the Recreation Department at 585-872-7103.

As always if you want to contact me, please feel free to call 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 12, 2023

Highway Department Spring Projects; Mulch, Mailboxes, and Lawn repair

This past week the Town of Webster Highway department took the plow blades off the trucks and officially put winter behind us. This "rite of Spring" also brought with it the end of the split shifts the department does in Winter. Those split shifts are intended to have half the staff available from 3AM-11AM, and the other half from 12:30PM-8:30PM on weekdays. In the winter, ALL highway staff are essentially "on call" should a snow event occur that necessitates plowing and/or salting of the roads. Spring brings with it three(3) functions at the Highway department that are of great interest to our citizens; 1. Mulch, 2. Mailboxes, and 3. Lawn repair. A brief description of each function.

MULCH: Autumn leaf pick up at curbside of resident's homes is turned in Leaf mulch. Free Leaf Mulch Compost and Wood Chips will be available in the parking lot on Orchard Rd. behind Charles A. Sexton Park beginning on Friday, April 7th. Leaf Mulch Compost and Wood Chips can also be ordered for delivery to resident’s homes by filling out the order form on the Town website or contacting the Webster Highway Department at 872-1443. There is no fee for the quantity chosen to be delivered, but the fee for delivery is $50.00.These materials are available until we run out of supply. All orders are taken on a first come first serve basis.

MAILBOXES: I grew up in Irondequoit and our family mailbox was affixed to the house. As such, the mail carrier walked from house to house to deliver the mail. Many USPS mailboxes in Webster are roadside, within the Town right of way, along the resident's yard. This is very convenient for the Mail carriers as most drive up to these mailboxes to deliver mail. However, it causes challenges for snow plowing for our Highway department. Each year, a large number of these "roadside" mailboxes are damaged or destroyed. In the vast majority of these cases, it is NOT the plow blade that "clips" or hits the mailbox, but the "tidal wave of snow" that comes off the blade is at such force that it causes havoc on the mailbox. The Highway department repairs or replaces these mailboxes with a standard mailbox meeting the USPS guidelines at no charge. They just need to be made aware of them by the resident. The resident can also opt to repair or replace it themselves and the town will give the homeowner $25 to subsidize that effort.

LAWN REPAIR: In preparation for Snow plowing season, in Autumn the Highway department places stakes along the grass at the side of the road. These stakes give the Plow drivers a bearing on where the road ends and the resident's lawn begins. Until you actually sit up in the cab of one of these plow trucks, it is hard to fathom just how difficult it is to be precise in plowing to the barrier of road versus grass without narrowing the roadway. As such, when the snow melts in the spring, several resident lawns reflect plow blade damage. The dedicated Highway department staff go out and essentially regrade, and seed these damage points so that by Mid May to June, the grass has grown back.

As always, please feel free to call me at 872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 5, 2023

600 Ridge Road (Furniture Strippers) Environmental Testing presentation

On Thursday, April 13th at 7PM, the Town Board of Webster will be conducting a Workshop at the Spry Cafetorium. The workshop will have a Powerpoint presentation made to the Town Board members and the Webster citizens who attend in person. The focus of the presentation will be on the West Webster Hamlet; past, present and future. That Hamlet is centered at the corner of Ridge and Gravel and as such, 600 Ridge (The old Furniture strippers) is the lynch-pin to the past 20 years, and to the future of the hamlet. We envision that the Powerpoint presentation will be 20-30 minutes long followed by a Question-Answer session between the Town board members and the presenters. The presentation will touch on the following, including but not limited to; History of the Hamlet, results of the Phase 2 environmental testing done at 600 ridge in November 2022 and January 2023, current parallel efforts going on to revitalize the Hamlet, and "next steps" leading up to September 2023 (I.e. the next real estate Tax foreclosure auction that 600 Ridge will be on)

Based on the workshop topic, we are hoping that 100-200 citizens attend. As such, we changed the venue and start time to accommodate. Due to the change of venue from the Town Board meeting room to Spry, the workshop will not be live streamed or televised. However, later that night the tape will be available to watch on the town Website and you tube channel. it will also be played on Spectrum cable channel 1303 on Friday April 14th at 7PM and Sunday April 16th at 8:30PM.

Two (2) things I think are important to understand as we approach this April 13th meeting, and both pertain to public interaction in this process going forward 1. APRIL 13TH PRESENTATION: This presentation will present all we know to date from the Testing in November 2022 and January 2023. The final report issued by the Engineering firm who conducted the testing is over 400 pages long and very technical. Our goal is to present an accurate, layman term explanation of that report's findings. Subsequent April 13th, the full 400 page report will be available to view on the town's website and/or social media platforms. The good news, we know a LOT more today about the environmental issues at 600 Ridge Road than we knew 1 year ago. The bad news is that this process has been like pealing an onion... and there are many complications to resolve this property. 600 Ridge has laid vacant and decaying for 15+ years due to "unknown Environmental issues". That unknown is the main reason why the property has not sold at the last 15+Monroe County Real estate tax foreclosure auctions, and why the county has NOT taken title to the property .

The actions that have been taken in the past 3 years are starting to remove the "unknowns" from the equation, and the testing in November 2022 and January 2023 go a long way toward that. However, we have a lot of work to do in the next 5+ months to be in a position to have a firm action plan. This is why this presentation is being done in a Town Board Workshop forum that does not have a public interaction mechanism to it other than the open meeting law aspect that the Public can attend. As such, this meeting will not have the opportunity to have the citizens that attend take a podium or microphone from the audience to ask questions or give comment.

2.PUBLIC INPUT AT FOLLOW UP MEETING IN MAY-JULY 2023: The tentative plan is to have a follow up meeting within 1-3 months where the public will be able to take a podium/microphone from the audience on questions and/or comments. Ideally, we will be able to assemble a panel of experts that would be best suited to answer questions from the Public. Also, as we prepare for that follow up meeting we will be giving the public a forum to write in their comments and questions in advance of the meeting on this subject.

In summary, I ask for everyone's patience as we navigate this process. As previously stated, we know a LOT more today than we knew 1 year ago, but there is so much more we need to research to make informed, intelligent decisions for 600 Ridge and the Hamlet as a whole. Our goal is that by September 2023 and the next Monroe County real estate tax foreclosure, enough answers will be in place to have a new owner of 600 Ridge going into 2024 for renovation or demolition and redevelopment, and any phase 3 remediation of environmental issues that may be needed on the site. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Hegedorn's Market announces intention to close

This past weekend, March 25-26 the news came out that the Hegedorn family intends to close Hegedorn's Market at the corner of Hard and Ridge. In the 2-3 days after the announcement, dozens of Webster citizens along with all Rochester News outlets reached out to me as Town Supervisor. The reasons for their reach out to me ran the gamut including but not limited to; for general comment, for info on what I know, and when did I know it, for ideas for how town government can get involved to keep it open and proposed "other" businesses the town should pursue to go into the space.

At the time that I am writing and submitting this article to the Webster Herald, I have not met and/or spoken with any members of the Hegedorn family about this closing. As such, it is difficult for me to make any comment about this closing, what went into the decision, and what the future plans are for the site. The reality is that Hegedorn's Market is a private business, and the property/land it is on is also privately owned. As such, the Hegedorn family can do with the business and the land what they want to as long as it fits into the Town's zoning laws and codes. I appreciate the "coldness" of that prior statement. The fact is that Hegedorn's market has been an iconic business in Webster for many years. Whether you shop there or not, it is sad that such a long-standing business has decided to shut its doors. The emotions that will hit people upon learning of its plans to close will be many. Some will be nostalgic as many of my friends in their late 50's and early 60's worked there in High School. Some will be fearful of the unknown as "what will go into that space next"?

I cannot speak for the Hegedorn family, but having owned a business myself, and all of my family being business owners, there is sadness that comes over the business owner as they discern and ultimately make the decision to close. It is exponential when you are talking about a business like Hegedorn's market that spanned multiple generations in the family. The only constant in business (and life) is change. We all want to hold on to things, but sometimes change is necessary. I look forward to meeting with the Hegedorn family if, and when they are ready to do so, and find out what their future plans may be for the location that Hegedorn's Market is currently at. I know we are all anxious to know, and we may have ideas for what should happen on that site. However, we need to be respectful to the fact that it is the Hegedorn family's decision on this, and as to when they want to let the world know.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 22, 2023

April and May Town Sewer Plant tours being planned

In January and February 2023, Pat Stephens- Town Highway Superintendent conducted on-site/ in-person 30-minute tours of the current Town Highway garage. There was also a 7-minute virtual tour online at the Town website and social media platforms. Over 3,000 Webster citizens did one of these tours of the current Highway garage. The feedback we got from the citizens taking those tours was invaluable as we venture forward with building a new Highway facility. As the weather gets better as we enter April, we have decided to start the planning for Citizen on-site/in-person and virtual online tours of the Town Sewer plant on Phillips road. We are hoping the feedback we get from citizens will be helpful as we move forward on the Asset renewal and new technological advances, we will be building on that site starting this summer or autumn.

It's important for Town residents to see and understand the current condition of the Town Sewer plant that was built 50+ years ago. In 2017 the Town decided to enter into phase 1 of this Sewer plant asset renewal. The main part of that $12 million project was new secondary clarifiers. The main impetus of the town entering into that phase 1 $12 million project was that the old secondary clarifiers were breaking down constantly the past several years and some of the parts needed to fix them were not manufactured anymore. Simply said, "band aiding" the 50+ year old plant was starting to become too costly and, in some cases, not an option due to obsolete parts. The next phase of the Sewer plant in 2023 has asset renewal components to it, but also has new technological advances. Asset renewal is essentially replacing "Old for new". There is NO real cost savings, or revenue production from these new items. However, the technological advances component does produce cost savings, and Revenue production. The annual estimate of those cost savings and revenue production equate to approx. $20 million of annual bond principle and interest payments.

As I have often said, an informed community is a better community. Please be on the lookout for the information on the dates and times for these on-site, in person, and online virtual tours in April and May 2023 of the Town Sewer plant. I'm an eternal optimist, but it would be great if 4,000+ citizens take advantage of these tours! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

March 15, 2023

Next Steps in Town of Webster Government Grant Process

At the Thursday March 9th Town Board Workshop, Town Engineer- Mary Herington, and Community Development Director Josh Artuso presented to the Town Board on the next steps within the Town Government's proactive plan to obtain New York State and Federal grants in 2023-2024 and beyond. The audio and video of their presentation along with the subsequent Town Board question/discussion and the actual PowerPoint can be accessed at the town website: www.ci.webster.ny.us

If you would rather get a "paper printout" of the 5-page PowerPoint, feel free to call Kim Doyle in the Supervisor's office at 585-872-7068. The onus of the strategy we are developing on identifying, applying, and obtaining grants has been born out of the two(2) following factors that have manifested themselves in the past few years;

1. Heretofore the Town Government has NOT had a proactive strategy to identify, apply and manage grants, and

2. decaying infrastructure has resulted in Sewer plant and Highway facilities needing updating at the same time and having bond resolutions in aggregate for over $70 million.

There are three(3) main factors to the Town Government's strategy going forward as it pertains to grants;

FACTOR 1: Identifying Grant Opportunities that match the town's needs now, and in the foreseeable future. Simply said, we need a person(s) and/or firm(s) looking for these opportunities at the Federal, New York State and other levels 24/7/365. They need to work with Town leadership including the Town Board and department heads to get an understanding of what we "need and want" from these grants. As described in the March 9th Town Board workshop, a Request for qualifications (RFQ) is being developed by a team from the town headed up by Mary Herington. We hope to advertise this RFQ through multiple avenues to see if firm(s) are out their locally, state wide, and nationally that may have expertise in certain genres of grants. By May 4th's Town Board meeting we are hoping that awarded contract(s) will be given to the firm(s) that put the town in the best position to find these grant opportunities.

FACTOR 2: Applying for Grants in a manner that best positions the town to get awarded: It's not enough to just find grant opportunities. There is an "art" to applying for grants to best position getting awarded. Over the past 3 years I have seen firsthand two(2) different factors play out that affected the town getting awarded. Scenario 1-learning from getting turned down for a grant and reapplying the next year. The $100,000 Comprehensive Plan update grant is example of such a situation as we got turned down in 2021 only to come back in 2022 with a revised application and get awarded. Scenario 2- Bare minimum application versus a robust, supporting documentation application. You can "check boxes" on an application and submit it... but you probably won't get awarded. Two(2) recent grant applications the town applied for were April 2022- DEC Forestry to purchase land to be kept forever green, and January 2023 Restore NY for renovation on buildings on the corner of Gravel and Ridge in the West Webster Hamlet. Both were very robust in the manner we approached the application, supporting documents, etc. DEC Forestry was awarded, and we will know in April 2023 if Restore NY is awarded.

FACTOR 3: Managing the Grant awards: The good news.... If we are successful on factors 1 and 2, we will be awarded grants. However, the work has just begun at that point for the Town Government. Interaction with the grant agency can go on for years. The devil is in the details when it comes to managing these grants to assure the town gets the money and in the timeliest manner. The team we have at the Town in Finance, Community Development, and other departments give me confidence that we will manage these grants to the best of our ability for the Citizens of Webster.

Bottom line.... every dollar of grant money we are awarded is both a) one dollar less of bonding/going into debt on projects like the sewer and highway, and b) monies brought to the town for augmenting town government services to its citizens that does not have to come out of Town Real estate taxes and/or fund balances of the town. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Park Districts in the Town of Webster

The Town of Webster outside the village encompasses approximately 33-square miles. There are 640 acres in a square mile so the town has approximately 21,000 acres. We are blessed to have currently over 3,200 of those acres in "forever green" status in the form of County and Town parks, Purchased Development rights, Tax incentive Open space, Conservation easements, and Park districts. This latter classification of Park District has approx. 400 acres within 130 individual districts throughout town. These Park districts proliferated in the past 40+ years as subdivision residential development occurred in town. The most common route that was taken for a piece of land to become a "park district" is that the Developer presented a plan to build a certain number of houses in a sub division, and within that plan they showed "open space/tree areas/etc." that often were on the outer metes and bounds of the whole development and/or at the entrance to the subdivision off a main artery road.

The main benefit to these park districts is that homeowners and residents in a subdivision have "dedicated" green space within their neighborhood that has exclusive enjoyment and usage to them. These are NOT Town Parks where anyone can access and use them. They are ONLY for the residents of the Neighborhood. For the most part, the cost to the homeowner on 90%+ of these individual park districts has been minimal, if not non existent over the years. That changed in 2021 and 2022 with the Ash Tree situation. For them most part, Park districts are land owned by the town as green space. However, since it is for the exclusive use and enjoyment of a particular sub division, any maintenance cost the town incurs on that Park district land is paid for by the Resident homeowners in their Town and County January Real estate tax bill as a separate line item "Park district" charge. When the Ash bores decimated trees in 2021-2022, the town had to identify any such trees on Town owned land that posed a threat to fall on "non town owned land/personal property". As such, if the tree was in a park district, the cost of canopying it or cutting it down was aggregated and charged to the sub division homeowners commensurate with their assessed value of their home. Many Webster residents found out they had a park district in their neighborhood when they got that charge. The town government also got a "wake up" call from this as we found that we really did not have any proactive policies and procedures on these park districts as it pertained to maintenance, communication to residents, etc.

Over the past several months, I have been working with several key Webster government department heads as we attempt to come up with a drafted Policy and procedure on these 130 park districts and the 400 acres they encompass. It is estimated that as many as 2,000 properties in total are in these 130 park districts. One of our first course of actions will be to communicate to those homeowners that they are in a Park district. From there, it could get very individualized for each park district. Some of the Park districts have a long history of proactive budgeting and resident involvement in setting up current and future maintenance on the park district to increase the enjoyment the resident will have in the future. Some of these wooded areas have had paths carved out, etc. that the town pays for at their behest, and are collected back from the residents on their tax bill. Some of the earlier park districts from the 1970's have playgrounds and tennis courts exclusive to the neighborhood residents. In later years 1990-2020 it seems like most, if not all these park districts were just wild, wooded areas that needed NO annual maintenance until the Ash Tree situation. Maybe some of those newer ones will have the residents coalesce to work with the town on plans they want for that park district land. Stay tuned! Maybe this "lemon situation" of the Ash trees can turn into "lemonade" with the future partnership of the residents and the town on the ongoing maintenance of these Park districts. As always, fee free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 1, 2023

The importance of 2023-2024 on the future of Webster

On Thursday February 24th, the Town Board voted 5-0 to approve the potential $28+ million bonding of a new Highway facility. This is not the end of the last 6-12 month process on this, but actually just the beginning. In this article I want to highlight two aspects of the next 2-years that will have a major effect on the future of the Webster community.

Aspect 1: Next steps in the Highway facility

The bonding resolution needed to be done so that the Engineer and Construction Management firms working on the project with the Town can draft the "Requests for Bids" (RFB's). These RFB's will be properly advertised so that a wide net is cast of potential bidders. The Highway facility project will have five different construction contracts that RFB's need to be drafted for. For example, often electric and mechanical work is a separate bid/contract from the shell of the building. Having five different contracts also should maximize the potential for the town to get the lowest aggregate contract price on the construction aspect of this project. The $28 million project cost has estimated in it approx. $23 million for the aggregate of these five construction contracts.

The timeline we are working with should result in the Town Clerk opening these sealed bids in June or July 2023. That sealed bid opening is both a) open to the public to attend, and b) will give us a glimpse of whether the $23 million estimated on the aggregate of these five contracts is high, spot on, or low. If our estimate was high, then the lower actual bids will result in savings to the town from the initial $28 million estimate. If the estimates were low, then the higher actual bids will need to be discerned by the town board as to options including but not limited to a) NOT accept the bids and scrap the project for now, b) go into a re-bid process, or c) accept bids and augment the $28 million bonding higher. As the process moves from Bond resolution, to accepted bids, to groundbreaking... the opportunities for grant awards go up exponentially.

Aspect 2: Maximizing grant awards

In the opening sentence of this article, I italicized potential $28 million bonding because that action does not mean the town will actually go into $28 million debt from this project. The two main variables that will affect how much is ultimately bonded are 1. actual costs of the project, and 2) Grant awards.

The actual costs will start to show in a few months with the bid opening on the five contracts. However, the actual costs are also affected by proper management of the project. I'd like to think the Town's "team" on this project has taken a conservative approach to the $28 million cost estimate. The estimated $12 million phase 1 sewer project from 2018-2022 came in "under budget and on time". The manner in which the Town and its Engineer/construction manager team managed that project will be utilized on the Highway facility.

As for Grant Awards..... it's pretty simple. Every one dollar of awarded grant from Federal agencies, New York State agencies, or others will result in one less dollar the town will need to go into debt/bond on this project. A team of Department Heads, other key people, and I have met four times since August 2022 in the effort to come up with a robust, proactive strategy to identify and apply for grants. Within that strategy, it is imperative to put the town in the BEST position to actually get awarded. The grant variable for the town in the next 2-years will have long term aspects on the future for Webster. The Sandbar Park project has had a bond resolution of $9.5 million to date. Of that, the town has been awarded $5 million in grants. Therefore, if the project comes in at an actual cost of $9.5 million, the worst case is the town will go into debt/bond $4.5 million. Now the Phase 2 of the Sewer has had a bond resolution of $44 million and the Highway $28 million. Maximizing grants on those 2 projects is imperative and will be a priority in 2023-2024 as both those projects become more "shovel ready".

With the unprecedented amount of Federal and NYS money that has been made available the past few years, it is incumbent on Town of Webster leadership to pursue as MUCH of those funds as possible for these projects. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail Supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 22, 2023

Proposed New Town Highway Facility - FAQ's

1. Why not wait to see what grants are obtained before a Town Board $28 million bond vote? Unfortunately, municipal infrastructure projects have a sequence of events that has a "cart before the horse" aspect to them. The chances of being awarded a State of New York and/or Federal grant go up exponentially when you apply for them as a "shovel ready" project and NOT as a "We'll build it if we get this grant". Shovel ready among other things means the Town Board has approved the bond resolution, and that the Town is committed to moving ahead with the project and it is NOT contingent on the receipt of grants. For this project, the worst case scenario is the $28 million bond with a 30-year payback. This project will progress with a Request for Bids publicly advertised, multiple contracts as required by Wick’s Law, and a public Bid Opening coordinated by the Town Clerk to reveal the apparent LOW bidder for each contract prior to contract award by the Town Board.

2. How did the Town get a $3 million awarded WIAA Grant on the $12 million Phase 1 of the Sewer plant back in 2017? The first time the town applied for this grant, it got turned down. One of the main reasons for the turn down was "where the project was at". It was NOT "shovel ready". The 2nd time the application was made, the project was further along with $12 million bond resolution approved, contractor bidding process completed per Wicks Law, etc. (i.e. it was more "shovel ready"). It is important to note that the bond vote on the $12 million Phase 1 of the sewer project in 2017 also did not have a public hearing prior to the Town Board vote.

3. Why no Public Hearing prior to this $28 million bond vote by Town Board? Similar to the $12 million Sewer bond vote in 2017, From a legal perspective, a highway facility bonding vote by the Town Board does not require a public hearing. A "pseudo" public hearing will be achieved via the 2/16 and 2/23 Town Board meetings held at 7:30pm and the 5-minutes open to the public section of each of those meetings. The Town Board will get a good overview of the public feelings on this between the comments made by citizens on the podium at those meetings, along with the calls, e-mails, facility tour feedback, etc. that the Town has gotten in the past 45+ days since the in-person and virtual tours of the current facility have taken place. Ultimately, if the Town Board votes YES on the $28 million bond, it is subject to a 30-day Permissive Referendum. A public hearing is not necessary because it is not a special improvement district, but rather a Town-wide project.

4. How does a Permissive Referendum work? A Permissive Referendum is the means by which a bond resolution (among others) may be challenged. The procedure to be followed is set forth in the New York State Town Law, Article 7, Sections 90-94, and relates the format, purpose, and procedure needed to require the matter to be brought to a general vote. (As this would be a Town-wide matter, the vote would be Town-wide, and not limited to a certain group of affected citizens or a limited geographical area or areas.) The petition must be completed within 30 days after adoption of the resolution.

5. How realistic is it that the Town will ultimately get awarded grants to offset the $28 million? There is NO guarantee the Town will be awarded any grants. That is why it was important to present the "worst case" of $28 million bonding for a 30-year payback. That worst case adds 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to Webster real estate taxpayers, or approx. $100 annually on an average assessed home ($200k) in the Town at the current equalization rate in 2022. As the project gets more "shovel ready," the Town will maximize every possible grant opportunity by to applying to any applicable program.

6. How else can the Town best position itself to get grant awards to defray some of the $28 million cost? New York State and the Federal government have created trillions of dollars of infrastructure and Green initiative monies in the past few years. Regardless of how you personally "feel" about those governments creating those monies, it is incumbent on the Town of Webster Government to PURSUE THOSE FUNDS TO THE MAX. Every dollar of a grant award for the Highway project is one less dollar that has to be bonded and go on the citizens Webster Town real estate bill. In mid-2022 the Town Board voted 3-2 to NOT become a "New York State Climate Smart Community". We will be looking to bring that initiative back to the Town Board in the April-June 2023 time-frame, as becoming a Climate Smart Community, may open channels to grants on both the Highway and Sewer projects.

7. What Green Infrastructure has the project reviewed? The Town will be completing a study for this facility to fully assess the opportunity to utilize green infrastructure on this project. The Town’s consultants have performed studies on similar local projects to review the feasibility of renewable energy installations such as solar panels, geothermal energy, and wind turbines. In general, the conclusion of the studies done in our area has been that there is no return on investment for these types of features on a facility of this size and therefore perusing these items will result in higher spending on the project. The Town will be reviewing the applicability of these practices as they directly relate to the project and present the findings at a future meeting.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 15, 2023

New Webster Highway Facility - Next Steps

On Thursday February 9th, Pat Stephens- Webster Highway Superintendent led a presentation to the Town Board on the estimated costs of a New Highway facility, and a proposed timeline of events to have the facility up and running in 2025. Pat was joined in this presentation by the "Team" that has been working on this the past year. Mary Herington- Town Engineer, Paul Chatfield- MRB engineering, and Jared Miller- Campus Construction Management assisted in the 20-minute PowerPoint presentation to the Town Board, and the 40-minute Q and A and discussion that followed.

The bottom line is that this new facility's estimated cost is Twenty-Eight Million dollars ($28 million). In many ways, hearing that dollar figure is hard to fathom unless you put it into context. Paul Adams- Webster Finance Director explained at the meeting that the average assessed home in Webster would have its town taxes go up 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or approx. $100 a year if all $28 million was borrowed (Bonded) and paid back over 30-years. It was discussed how the proliferation of Federal and State of New York grant money may provide opportunities to cover some of this cost so that the Town taxpayers will not be burdened with the whole amount. Simply said, every dollar of grant money is one less dollar that has to be borrowed (bonded).

Tentatively, the Town Board is looking to vote on a bond resolution on this project at the Thursday, February 23rd Town Board meeting. As I've said previously, "an informed and engaged community is a better community". We have and will continue to seek input from the 45,000+ citizens of Webster on this project. For the past month+ in-person tours have been done of the current Highway facility, and another 2,000+ citizens have taken the virtual tour. We will continue these tours for the next 1-2 months to give as much opportunity as possible for the citizens to see the current facility and ask questions about the proposed new one. You can access these tours on the Town website: ci.webster.ny.us/665/HWY-Facility or call: (585) 872-1443. I welcome citizens to call or e-mail me with their thoughts and/or questions at 585-872-7068 and supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us. Also, at the February 16th and February 23rd Town Board meetings, citizens have the opportunity to take the podium for up to 5-minutes to give their thoughts on this project.

You can access the February 9th PowerPoint presentation on the Town website: ci.webster.ny.us/665/HWY-Facility. You can also reach out to Kim Doyle in the Supervisor's office at 585-872-7068 or kdoyle@ci.webster.ny.us if you'd like to pick up a paper copy at town hall and/or a pdf e-mailed to you of this PowerPoint. You can also see the full 1-hour presentation and Q and A at: ci.webster.ny.us/civicmedia on the town website and social media platforms. As always, please feel free to contact me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

February 8, 2023

How to better engage the 70+ age group in Webster

Last Tuesday, Deputy Town Supervisor Patti Cataldi and I attended a "Talk on Tuesday with Seniors" event at the Webster Recreation Center on Chiyoda Drive. This was the 3rd such "Talk with Seniors" event I have attended in my first 3+ years as Town Supervisor. Each has manifested a common denominator on the following; 1. The Seniors that attend are wonderful and have great questions and insights, and 2. it tends to be the same 10-20 Seniors that attend.

Within this most recent "Talk with Seniors" a lot of time was spent on the attendees wishes for how the Rec center on Chiyoda could be better laid out to accommodate Senior specific events and activities. A myriad of ideas were presented from the 20 attendees including, but not limited to, more handicap accessibility and/or hand rails, and building an addition on to the existing 45,000 square foot rec center to be "Senior event/activity specific". The latter point had me thinking about the movie Field of Dreams and the line "if you build it, he (they) will come". The reality is that Senior specific events and activities that are offered at the rec center have minimal attendance in relation to the number of Seniors who live in Webster. About 100 Seniors consistently attend and participate in Senior specific events and activities. Based on the total Webster citizens who utilize the Municipal rec center, 100 Seniors is not enough to warrant building an addition. Why are only 100 Seniors consistently going to the rec center for Senior Specific events? To truly obtain that answer, we must first figure out how many seniors there are in Webster.

Being a self-proclaimed "data nerd", I went back to my Board of Elections database from December 2022 on Registered Voters in Webster. There were 33,510 registered voters at that time in the Village and Town of Webster. 7,404 of these registered voters were age 70 and above. There were another 6,224 aged between 60-69. I know that the starting age for a Senior Citizen runs the gamut as AARP says 50, some programs say 55, and Social Security says 62. However, I thought the 70+ age group in Webster was a good benchmark to look at how we can get more of them to Senior specific events and activities. So depending on how you describe "senior citizen", we have 7,404 people over the age of 70 in the community, and 13,628 over the age of 60. From that we are getting about 100 consistently attending Senior specific events and activities.

Over the next several months, we will be seeking to interact more with the Senior Population in Webster to try and figure out why they are not attending these Senior specific events and activities at the rec center. Is it as simple as they just are not aware of the events and activities? Or is it something more such as the type of events/activities being supplied don't meet their interests? As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

February 1, 2023

How to address Vehicular Speeding on roads in Webster

At the Thursday January 26th Town Board Workshop, Pat Stephens- Highway Superintendent, and Dennis Kohlmeier- Police Chief gave a presentation on "Vehicular speed on roads in Webster". At the core of the presentation was a discussion the "Action- Reactions" of lowering the speed limit on Town Roads in Subdivisions from 30MPH to 25MPH. Like all of the Town Board meetings and workshops, you can go to the town website at ci.webster.ny.us to see and listen to the Presentation and subsequent Q and A with the board.

Simply said... the issue of speeding and how to address it is NOT so simple! To keep this article from being a novel, I'll describe three(3) of the main items related to "vehicular speed" on Webster roads.

ITEM 1: The type of road: Within the 35 square miles of the Town of Webster, there are State, County, and Town roads. The legal speed limit on each of these types both a) run the gamut, and b) are set by the governing authority who owns the road. That is why route 104 is 55 MPH as it is a New York State road, and neighborhood- subdivision roads have 25-30MPH as they are Town roads. For the most part, the main artery roads are State and County such as Bay Road, and Empire Boulevard, and neighborhoods/subdivisions off these main arteries are Town roads. The difference in type of road, State, County, or Town is a main driver of "who maintains the road" (i.e. potholes) and who is predominantly responsible for setting the MPH limit and enforcing it.

ITEM 2: Education and Driver intent: Essentially there are 3 types of vehicular drivers; 1. ones who stay within the posted speed limit on that road, 2. Ones who unintentionally are driving over the speed limit, and 3. ones who purposely drive over the speed limit. If all drivers were the 1st type, we would have NO problem with vehicular speed in Webster. For the 2nd type, education and "visual reminders" will help. Such visual reminders include but are not limited to; posted MPH signs, digital signs that tell you how fast you ae going as you pass by, and signs like "slow down, kids live here". The 3rd type who willfully/purposely drives over the legal and posted speed limit is not likely to augment their behavior unless it results in negative results such as speeding tickets or accidents. The last aspect of this item is the ambiguity of what is considered speeding? If you ask 100 people what is an acceptable speed to drive on a road with posted 35 MPH, you will most likely get a range of answers from 30MPH to 49MPH (or maybe even higher!) Reality is that Police are not writing speeding tickets for people driving 36 MPH in a posted 35MPH zone.

ITEM 3: Enforcement: In 3+ years as Town Supervisor, Kim Doyle in my office and I have fielded over 100 calls and e-mails from citizens complaining of speeding on various roads in town. The majority of them suggest staging a Webster Police car on that road and ticketing the speeders. From a logistical perspective, this is not feasible as on average there are 2-3 patrol cars on duty in town and there are 200+ miles of roads in town. Furthermore, with recent New York State law changes on bail, the deployment of the Webster Police in the past few years has been diverted to many larceny offenses than speed enforcement. Many of these 200+ road miles are in neighborhood/sub divisions that we get complaints on. If we get complaints on a particular road/sub division, the Police often set up 1-2 week "speed and volume study". The purpose of the study is to see if there is a statistically significant speed problem that we may need to deploy resources to in the future to remedy. These studies usually result in showing over a 1-2 week period that if 1,000 cars passed by the speed tester, that 5% of less of those cars are going more than 20% higher than the posted speed limit (I.e. over 36MPH in a posted 30MPH zone) Such results are not likely to have us deploy Police to enforce and issue speeding tickets on that road/subdivision.

In summary, we are going to continue researching this "speed issue" to see what is the best course of action in the future to minimize it. The reality is that if you feel/have a perception there are "speeders" on your street, no amount of data from a speed study is going to convince you there is NOT a problem. The Webster Police and I respect that and that is why we will continue to do research. We are looking at the last 3-years (2020-2022) speeding ticket data from the Webster Police. We are also looking at where car accidents are occurring to see if changes need to be made in those areas. There is no simple, one size fits all answer to this, but we will continue to pursue "make sense" remedies. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 25, 2023

The Challenges of Utility Improvements in Webster

At the Thursday, January 19th Town Board meeting there was a robust 10-minute discussion on the challenges that are manifesting themselves with recent utility improvements in town. Art Petrone- Deputy DPW Commissioner and Sewer Department manager started the discussion by describing to the board members the increased number of "stake outs" the Sewer Department staff has had in the past year. These stake outs are necessitated when 811 is called by a resident or a company that is planning to dig on a certain land parcel(s). For a resident, an example would be if they are going to dig for an in-ground pool and want to make sure no power lines, gas lines, water lines, or sanitary or storm sewer pipes are underground. For a company, an example would be for when Greenlight or Frontier plan to dig in neighborhoods to install their high speed internet connectivity conduit.

Art described how the influx of 811 calls to "stake out" neighborhoods are taxing the Town's Sewer Department staff. Simply said, it has become a time consuming job to go out to whole neighborhoods to scope out where the sanitary sewer pipes are buried and put the little flags in the yard to signify. These stake outs by the Sewer Department staff are "added work" to the normal day to day jobs they do for the town with checking the 20+ pump stations in town and hundreds of miles of sewer mains. Since these stake outs are not something the town gets revenue from, Art is challenged with managing staffing and overtime costs as the 2023 Town budget does not have additional staff in it for such added tasks.

Another challenge identified was that the Highway Department is tasked with processing the permits that companies like Greenlight, Frontier, Spectrum, and RG&E submit when they are looking to install new or improved infrastructure in town. Similar to the Sewer Department staffing and overtime challenge, Pat Stephens- Highway Superintendent has experienced an influx of these permits in the past year. To give some perspective, in 2022 Greenlight and Frontier received 84 individual Town Right-of-Way permits consisting of over 470,000 Linear feet (Almost 90 miles) of underground conduit install. The Highway Department time to process that much linear feet is substantial. Once those permits are issued, within 3-6 months, the Sewer Department will get the 811 call to "stake out" those right of ways to put the little flags in where sanitary sewer lines are.

The final challenge discussed was that as companies like Greenlight, Frontier, Spectrum, and RG&E make infrastructure improvements, they do NOT do so in concert with each other. That means that it is entirely possible your front yard may be dug up in June 2022 for one of these companies to install, and then 6 months later in January 2023 another one of these companies comes in and digs up your yard again! In summary, the good news is that in the next 2-3 years, Webster residents will have new and improved Internet connectivity options, along with updated Power infrastructure that should minimize outages. The bad news is that construction will be going on in neighborhoods that will be disruptive to our citizens, and the Sewer and Highway departments will be challenged to do the "unfunded" additional duties of permit processing and stake outs. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

January 18, 2023

Webster to get outdoor Dog Park in 2023

On December 29, 2022 Monroe County put out a press release announcing its intention to put an outdoor Dog Park in Webster Park. Excerpts of that press release are shown in italics:

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced a new dog park will be constructed at Webster Park along Lake Road in the Town of Webster. The project is being funded by a $250,000 grant. “The addition of a dog park at Webster Park is the latest in our $16.6 million Go Outside Monroe Initiative – which is modernizing our entire parks system with fresh amenities that reflect the needs of our entire community,” said County Executive Bello. “Thank you to the Town of Webster for your partnership on this project.” The 1.5-acre dog park will be a grass lot that includes features such as agility equipment and drinking stations. The park will be divided into two areas to separate larger dogs and smaller dogs. Construction is expected to be complete next summer. Funding will also cover costs to repair and replace existing playground equipment near the future dog park. “Having a dog park is one of the most requested park amenities from our residents,” said Christopher Bilow, Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Webster. “Being able to work with the County, who has a proven ability to safely manage dog parks, is a great opportunity to collaborate and bring this idea to fruition for our Webster residents.”

I want to thank all involved the past 2+ years in making this dog park a reality. The Monroe County parks leadership team worked diligently with Chris Bilow and me over a series of 8-10 meetings over the past 2+ years to overcome any hurdles that were present on making this park a reality. The Webster Highway department will be chipping in on this project with assisting on the installation of the Parking lot(s). Thanks needs to go to many people including but not limited to; Pat Meredith- Monroe County parks Commissioner. Doug French and Bob Kiley- Monroe County Parks deputy commissioners, Matt Terp, Jennifer Wright, Mark Johns, and George Hebert- Monroe County Legislators representing Webster in 2020-2022, and Jennifer Lundsford- Webster's State Assembly Person in 2021-2022. I also want to thank the 1,000+ citizens who responded to the Dog Park survey that was in the July 2021 Webster Today Magazine. Those survey results showed overwhelming support for bringing a dog park to the Town of Webster and really helped move the process along. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 11, 2023

Webster Highway Garage Hosting facility tours in January-March 2023

Starting on Monday January 9th, Pat Stephens, Webster's Highway Superintendent and his staff will be conducting 30- minute tours of the Highway facility on Picture Parkway off Hard Road. These tours will be conducted Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6PM, and will also have some weekend time-slots added. Each tour will be maxed at 10-citizens so that Pat and his staff can properly walk the attendees through the facility and answer any and all questions they may have.

Citizens can sign up for these tours by visiting the Town Website at ci.webster.ny.us and clicking "Highway Facility Project" on the right side of the Home page. Also, you can call 585-872-1443 to sign up for one of these in person tours. There is also a "7-minute virtual tour" available on the Website that shows pictures of the current facility and give various stats and data on it. The virtual tour is nice and definitely gives the viewer good intel. However, having taken the "in person" tour myself last week with Pat Stephens, there is nothing like walking that facility and seeing with your own eyes the current condition of it.

The facility was built 55+ years ago when the population of the town, excluding village was approx. half of what it is now. There were 12 employees at the highway department when it was built. There are now 40. Over the past 55 years, the employees at the Highway department have done an unbelievable job of building additions to accommodate the additional trucks needed to maintain the lane miles of road created by Housing development in town. Many of these additions they "built with their own hands" when it was winter and the roads did not need plowing or salting on that day.

In February or March 2023, MRB, the engineering firm retained by the town to do drawings/estimates on a new 70,000+ square foot highway facility will be presenting to the Town Board what their estimates of costs on such a facility are. Such presentation will occur at a Town Board Workshop. Subsequent to that presentation, the Town Board will be tasked with whether to bond such a project at a future board meeting and venture the town into both a) the bid process and b) the robust research for grants to minimize the bonding such a project would bring.

In summary, it would be a dream come true for me if 2,000+ citizens took these "in person" tours over the next 2-3 months and another 5,000 watched the 7+ minute virtual tour to get "educated" on this project. As I have said before, "an informed community is a better community" and as the Town board moves forward in 2023 on such a major decision, it would be great if the 40,000+ citizens in Town (Excludes village) had first hand knowledge of the current Highway facility condition. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 4, 2023

Webster Highway Department assists with Buffalo State of Emergency

Last Monday, December 26th, Webster Highway Superintendent Pat Stephens was asked to call into an emergency phone conference of several Monroe County Highway departments and departments of Public Works. The content of the call was to ask for assistance with the "digging out" the Buffalo NY area from the heavy snowfall. That snowfall and cold temperatures in the previous 4-5 day, along with power outages they had experienced from high winds had created the "State of Emergency" as Police, Fire, and the National Guard were having challenges checking on residents in their homes.

On short notice, the Town of Webster Highway Department deployed 2 loaders and 4 dump trucks to go to Buffalo to help. The commitment to send these assets began with phone calls from the Highway Foremen and Pat to staff asking for volunteers. The question each staff member was asked, "Do you want to go to Buffalo for up to week and help remove snow? You could be sleeping on a cot or in a fire station or driving back and forth. Shifts are likely 12 hrs on and 12 hrs off." Within 30-minutes 12 of our finest were signed up and ready to go. Pat and the foremen only made it to number 26 on the staff list of 40 before all the spots were filled.

This made Webster the highest # of trucks and staff from the 19 Monroe County Towns to volunteer to effort. What they volunteered for was "no small task". Starting at 6PM on Tuesday December 27th and ending at 6AM on Saturday December 31st, crews worked around the clock on 12-hours shifts. Our Webster contingent divided into 2 crews, AM and PM. The PM crew would carpool from Webster leaving at 4PM each day to work their 6PM- 6AM 12-hour, and then return home by 8AM. 8-hours later they would leave Webster at 4PM to do it all again (essentially 16-hour days). The AM shift did the opposite leaving at 4AM and returning at 8PM each day. The commitment of staff to this effort around the clock also required re-configuring on call staffing lists and work plans for the crews remaining in Webster in order to ensure adequate winter operation coverage at home. These last-minute scheduling changes for the staff remaining in Webster also required putting aside personal plans but this didn't hinder the departments support for the cause.

When all was said and done, our Webster men put in 1,000 hours over this 3 and ½ day period, driving an aggregate 6,000 miles, and averaged 50-100 loads of snow per each 12-hour shift worked. The reality is that this effort of manpower and machinery may not have been volunteered by Webster in that the Men were paid, and Town will be reimbursed for the man hours and machinery deployed. However, it can not be minimized what our Highway Department did in "taking action" in the week between Christmas and New Years. We all watched news clips of what our neighbors in Buffalo 80 miles to our west were going through. It was horrifying to think of one of our family members stranded in a car or home with no heat. The Webster Highway Department had that rare opportunity in life to "make a difference in taking action" and they grasped it. It would have been easy to justify NOT helping by saying that "I needed more lead time to commit, or I have family plans between Christmas and New Years", but the Webster Highway Department TOOK ACTION. Our community should be VERY proud of the Highway Department. Talk is cheap, but the action they took shows the character of the men in that department. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 28, 2022

A 2023 New Year's reflection for Webster Town Government

This time of year always brings with it a time for personal reflection on what we have done in the past, and resolutions for what we will try to do in the future. Often the latter is an attempt to do better based on perceived shortcomings of the former. For the almost 400 full and part time employees of the Webster Town Government, we are constantly striving to "do better" for the 45,000+ Webster citizens we service. When I became Town Supervisor in January 2020, I was immediately impressed by the overall quality of the staff the Town Government had. It was apparent that the majority of them had a compass of "what can they do for the organization" rather than the "what can the organization do for ME".

One of the first things I said back in January 2020 during my individual meetings with the department heads/leaders was that we were going to focus on two(2) things; 1. Organizational Structure, and 2. Customer Service. It was natural for all of them to want me to elaborate in those initial meetings on both of these objectives. However, I said that the elaboration will come with time as we cross bridges of experience that reflect "how we want our organizational structure and our customer service to be". I think the major aspect of Organizational structure that has been executed over the last 3-years is a "collaborative approach" among the Department Heads/leaders of the town. Often an unintended consequence of having a 400-employee organization with 10+ departments is that the Department Heads "silo" themselves off. We have made wonderful strides on both a) hiring Department Heads/leaders who don't silo themselves, and b) working collaboratively for the overall benefit of the town.

As to Customer Service, we first needed to identify that the 45,000+ Webster Citizens were our customers. Sounds simple enough... but when I first saw some of the practices some of the departments were doing within their interaction with the "customers", it became apparent we needed some changes. Overall we have tried to put into policy and practices basic customer service tenets such as a) time frames to get back to inquiring citizen's phone calls, e-mails, etc. and b) streamlining processes so as to make the "customer experience" better.

I'm proud of the advances we have made in the past 3-years on these things. However, we have a lot more work to do in 2023 and beyond. One thing I learned a long time ago is that "if you are not trying to get better, you more than likely are getting worse". The 400 Town of Webster full and part time employees, and the Department Head/leaders will continue into 2023 with a compass of "getting better". The 45,000+ citizens of Webster deserve that. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at ssupervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 21, 2022

Webster Court sessions temporarily moving to Rec Center on Chiyoda Dr.

In January of 2021 and 2022, the Van Ingen Town Courthouse had roof leak incidences. To avoid recurrences of these leaks, the building has been going through exterior and interior repairs the past few months. The exterior roof line/drip edge repair has been completed. The interior work is more expansive as it includes wall and ceiling demolition, mold remediation, foam insulation, and new walls and ceilings being installed in the affected areas.

With no Town Board, Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals meetings the last 2-weeks of December, the most disruptive phases of this process have been scheduled with contractors. As such, from Friday December 23rd through Friday December 30th, the Court staff including Judges and clerks will be temporarily moved to the Rec Center on Chiyoda Drive. It is targeted to have the court staff back operating at the Courthouse on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. To facilitate this move to and from the Rec Center, the Court will be closed Thursday, December 22nd 12pm-4:30pm and Tuesday, January 3rd from 8am-12pm.

All Court-related functions will be at the Rec Center on Chiyoda Dr. including all Court clerk related activities such as; citizen in-person paying of any court related fees, and the only court session scheduled for Wednesday December 28th. There will be a separate access/egress set up for the court related activities to the right of/east of the main entrance of the Rec Center on Chiyoda. Signs will be outside the Rec Center guiding people to the court/clerk entrance.

If you plan to utilize Webster Town Court related services between Friday, December 23rd and Friday, December 30th and have any questions, please feel free to call the Court Clerks at 585-872-7020 (Judge Corretore), or 585-872-7022 (Judge DiSalvo) e-mail at courtclerks@ci.webster.ny.us

If all goes as planned, the Courthouse will be back open for the business of the Courts, and all Town Board meetings on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. These needed improvements provide the building with much greater weather resiliency and reduce the risk of "weather related" ice damming and/or insulation issues that caused previous leaking and water damage. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

December 14, 2022

Update and next steps on Restaurant/Bar at Sandbar Park

At the Thursday, December 8th Town Board Workshop, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Chris Bilow presented a PowerPoint update on the status of the discussions related to the operation of a restaurant/bar at Sandbar Park. The culmination of that presentation was that the restauranteurs/bar owners who submitted the formal EOI on April 8, 2022, have decided to bow out as of October 2022. As a result of this decision, the Town will now begin to reach out to other potential operators who expressed some level of interest during the EOI period.

It was universally known that the one(1) formal EOI submission received, was from the previous restaurant/bar operator, The Bayside Pub. Chris Bilow and I had several meetings with these owners over the 6+ months of April-October 2022 within the process of trying to come to a "mutually" beneficial agreement for the private restaurateurs/bar owner and the municipality of Webster and its residents. The town board conveyed at a workshop in June 2022 that if the Town's monthly bond payments to construct a shell in the vision of the restauranteur was $7,500, then the minimum rent that the town needed from the private restauranteur would be $7,500. The Town Board was in agreement that there should not be any subsidy of tax dollars to build or pay for a restaurant bar facility. The EOI submitted indicated a rent/license monthly payment of $3,500 which left a delta of $4,000/month. From August to September 2022, the town invested in getting a more detailed engineering estimate of what a building shell for the "vision" of the restauranteur as submitted in the EOI would cost. It ended up being a good use of funds as the more detailed estimate dropped the bond payment down to approximately $6,000/month. In the end, the delta of the monthly payment, along with other issues that the restaurateur perceived resulted in the Bayside Pub owners bowing out in late October 2022.

As such, the Town will be reaching back out to the restauranteurs/bar owners who had shown interest during the Expression of Interest (EOI) open period. It is important to note that the volunteer citizen committee that was formed in October-November 2021 that guided the parameters of the EOI framework will still have their efforts and vision reflected in what the Town does in January 2023 within discussions with other potential operators. The information we have obtained in the last 6-months will make conversations with potential restaurateurs/bar owners more streamlined and efficient. The information obtained includes but is not limited to; the timetable of the restaurant opening based on various State agency permitting, Town bonding costs in relation to rent, and restauranteur leasehold improvement commitment along with earnest money deposit terms to assure that the town is not building their "vision" should the restaurateur back out when it comes time for their capital infusion to "finish" the constructed shell. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 7, 2022

Christine Seppeler to be appointed Webster Town Justice

In the September 28th Webster Herald edition, my article focused on the tentative process that would be executed within the search to find the right person to complete retiring Town Justice, Dave Corretore's term in 2023. I'm pleased to announce that it is the Town Board's intention to appoint Christine Seppeler to the position at the Wednesday, December 14th 7:30 PM Town Board meeting. This decision did not come lightly. Four extremely talented and qualified individuals applied for the position. The input of many, including but not limited to the vetting committee that was convened, the town board, members of the town attorney staff, and others in the Judicial community had input in the process.

I've gotten to know Christine over the past few years. Let's get all of you more familiarized with her. She grew up in neighboring Wayne County, in the Village of Newark. She graduated from St. John Fisher University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and went on to earn her Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton School of Law. After being admitted to the New York Bar, she worked for a small law firm specializing in civil litigation. Thereafter, Christine served as an assistant public defender in Monroe County where she represented thousands of criminally accused clients, litigating matters in both the trial and appellate courts. After several years of working as an advocate, Christine was appointed by a Monroe County Court Judge to act as the Principal Law Clerk in a combined civil and criminal part. She currently works for the New York State Unified Court System as the Principal Law Clerk to a State Supreme Court Justice. Christine’s legal experience is a mix of criminal and civil law, trial, and appellate practice, and is based upon her capacities as an advocate for clients and legal advisor to the courts. She recently completed her last semester as an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Brockport where she instructed upper-level law courses, and she remains an active member of the Monroe County Bar Association. In her free time, Christine can be found with her family, her friends, or walking her dog in one of the many beautiful Webster parks.

Christine will be making her first appearance in public as the "soon to be Town Justice" at the Thursday, December 8th 5:30 PM Town Board workshop. The December 14th Town Board resolution will not make her the Judge immediately as Judge Corretore's planned last day is Thursday, January 5, 2023. At the Town Board meeting on Thursday, January 5, 2023, will most likely be the "formal" appointment and/or swearing-in. Announcing this now will give Christine, Judge Tom Disalvo, Judge Dave Corretore and the Court clerks a chance to get to know each other better over the next 4+ weeks so that Christine can hit the ground running as Webster Town Justice on Friday, January 6, 2023.

Please join me in both congratulating and welcoming Christine Seppeler to the Webster Town family as our new Town Justice. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail Supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 30, 2022

Webster Citizen Board Opportunities in 2023

The town of Webster has several citizen boards including but not limited to Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and Conservation Board. Each of these boards varies as to factors such as paid or unpaid, number of years to the board member's term, number of board members on that specific board, and term limits to the board members. Several citizen board member's terms expire On December 31, 2022. As such, the Town is seeking citizens to apply to be considered for appointment by the Town Board onto one of these boards.

To get more information on these citizen boards, digital readers of this article can follow this link: ci.webster.ny.us/121/Citizen-Boards

For Newspaper readers of this article, you can reach this info via the "Citizen Board Application" tab at the top of the right side of our main website homepage; ci.webster.ny.us. The portal that the town is receiving these applications at will be open until the end of business on Friday, December 9th. The plan is to appoint the new members to these boards at the January 5th, 2023 Organizational meeting.

This year creates a unique opportunity for citizens to discern whether to "get involved" in various aspects of the Town of Webster. With the 2008 Comprehensive Plan being targeted for an update in the 2-year period of 2023-2024, many of the citizens that "throw their hat in the ring" for these citizen board positions may also be great candidates to be on the Comprehensive Plan update committee and/or sub-committees. As such, it is actually a "good problem" if the town gets 10 applicants through the citizen board portal for what may be only 1-2 open positions in 2023. I have said this on many occasions, the MORE citizens that get involved in the Town of Webster, the better the community is. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Leaf Pickup Season Winding Down

The week of November 28- December 2nd, the Town of Webster Highway department crews will be starting their final runs for leaf pickup. The tentative plan is to start in zone 1 on the far west side of town, and work their way east through zones 2-5. A few items to consider as we look back at Autumn 2022 and the annual leaf pick up effort;

ITEM 1: The 1st 2-weeks of leaf pick up (October 25-November 8) The dry summer and Autumn of 2022 resulted in an unusual amount of leaves falling to the ground in a very short period of time. For the 2-week period of October 20-November 3rd, it seemed like 80-90% the leaves in the trees fell to the ground in many of the neighborhoods in town. The Highway department crews scheduled October 25th as the start to their leaf pickup efforts based on historical leaf fallings being consistent throughout the 4-week periods of late October to late November. This heavy drop of leaves in the 1st 2 weeks of that historical time period caused delays in the Highway crews being able to get out of the heavy leaf zone 1 on the west side of town, and into zones 2-5. The perception to many in zones 2-5 were that the Highway crews were not out working on leaf pickup as their leaves piled up on the side of the road. The reality was that for the 1st 2 weeks of leaf pickup LAST year in 2021, the Highway crews had gone through zones 1-5 TWICE and had picked up in aggregate 79 Truckloads of leaves. In the first 2 weeks of leaf pickup THIS year, 2022, the Highway crews had not finished ONE pass through zones 1-5, and had picked up in aggregate 186 Truckloads of leaves!!! Bottom line.... the guys at Highway were "working their tails off" and the volume of leaves they picked up in the October 25-November 8th, 2022 time-frame was historically HIGH!!

ITEM 2: Weeks 3-4 of leaf pickup (November 9-23) The Highway crews have been able to "catch up" and have completed at least 2 runs through ALL 5 zones of town. On average, the volume of leaves on the side of the road in this 2nd pass was significantly less than what they experienced in the first pass.

ITEM 3: November 28-December 2nd week- start of final pass through town: Anyone who has lived in the town of Webster for a period of several years, and lives in a heavy wooded area that produces a lot of leaves on the ground, knows that this final pass to pick up their leaves in their neighborhood has the 2 following aspects to it; Aspect 1: As the calendar turns to December, it often is a race against time to try and get ALL leaves picked up before it snows. Fingers crossed, but the long term weather forecast into the weekend of December 3rd does not show any snow. Getting all, or as many leaves as possible picked up before it snows leads me to aspect 2: Spring clean up is so much easier if you can get the majority or all of the leaves picked up from your yard. Bottom line... once the Highway crews complete their leaf pickup schedule and segue into Winter Plowing, there will be no more leaf pick runs. Often we get calls in Mid December from citizens asking if the Highway dept can come out to their house to pick up their leaves. Unfortunately, the answer is no and at that point, the resident will need to bag their leaves and work with their private refuse carrier on disposing of them

In summary, for digital readers of this column, the following link will take you to FAQs, updates, and the zone map of leaf pick up; http://ci.webster.ny.us/167/Leaf-Pick-Up For newspaper readers, please just visit the Town website at ci.webster.ny.us and click "services" in the upper right hand corner of the home page. Then you will see leaf pick up under Highway. Its hard to tell the exact date the Highway crews will be done picking up leaves and start converting to "winter" plowing. However, if you have leaves in your yard, please plan accordingly and try to get them to the curb edge by the week of November 28-December 2nd. Hopefully we'll look back at the leaf picking up efforts of Autumn 2022 and will think of it as the old adage of the month of March. "It's comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb". No doubt the 1st 2 week of leaf pick up in 2022 was like a lion!! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 16, 2022

The 2023-2024 effort on the Town of Webster's Comprehensive Plan

In the September 21, 2022 Webster Herald edition, my Supervisor's Corner article addressed the 2008 Town of Webster Comprehensive Plan, and how we were about to venture into a 2-year process of "updating it". In November-December 2022 we will be requesting from various consulting firms their proposals to assist the Town within this process in 2023-2024. Once a firm is chosen by the Town Board, the "fun" will really begin! To me, the "fun" aspect of this process will be the community involvement that is so critical to producing an end product that takes into account ALL factions of the 46,000 citizens of Webster. Simply said.... the MORE citizens involved the better. Furthermore, a good cross section of the demographics of our citizenry would be ideal. For example, if we had only 55- year old plus citizens/empty-nesters involved in the process, I don't think that would give us a good indication of what the 30-something citizens with school age children are seeking out of their home town. (and vice versa)

The more I look at this project, the more I think the term "updating the 2008 Comprehensive Plan" is not as appropriate as looking at this as a completely NEW Comprehensive Plan for 2024 and the foreseeable next 10-20 years. The latter part of that last sentence is what becomes very challenging. Sometimes it feels like you would need a crystal ball to structure zoning, codes, etc in 2024 to have the foresight to 2035 or 2045. In the past when the Comprehensive Plan was constructed or updated in the 1970's, 1990, 2000, and 2008 the governance and the citizens had the following same parameters to consider as we will have in 2023-2024; a 35 square mile/20,000+ acres geographical area. The big difference in 2023-2024 is that the amount of those 20,000+ acres that are still undeveloped is MUCH less than what had to be dealt with in the 1970's and subsequent update plans. Furthermore, the socio-economical make up of the town is very different today than it was in the 1970's. That is what happens when farmer's fields are converted to 100- house sub divisions with $300,000+ homes. That also made the population go up double in the past 50-years.

The "challenge and charge" of the consulting firm, town officials and citizen volunteers will be to balance the "understanding of the town's history as to how we got to where we are at currently".... and determine what is the best course for the community now and the next 10-20 years. By definition, that is a subjective thing, and will have conflict among various town factions. The best way to have all those factions heard, is to have maximum citizen involvement. As previously reported, in July 2022 we decided to start the engagement of the community with a 6-question survey that was in the Webster Today magazine that goes out to all Webster homes and businesses. To date we have gotten approx. 1,000 survey responses. I'm hopeful that by December 31, 2022 we will get that number to over 1,500. The MORE respondents, the better guidance the consulting firm will have on what people in Webster want for their community today and the next 10-20 years. If you want to see the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, it is on the Town Website at: CI.WEBSTER.NY.US/207/COMPREHENSIVE-PLAN. If you would like to do the 6-question survey it is at: SURVEYMONKEY.COM/R/575C3XX. Please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

November 9, 2022

The Importance of Veterans Day

By the time you are reading this article, the dust has not even settled on the 2022 General election season. As such, there is no better time to reflect on the importance of Veterans day in the United States. Originally called Armistice Day, the November 11th date pays respect to the formal ending of World War 1 which was agreed by the warring factions to be at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. As a civilian who never was in the military, it is hard quantify the gratitude we as Americans should have for the Woman and Men who have "served" in Armed Forces of the United States over the 250+ years of this country's history.

You've heard it said in many ways, but it is true that our active military and veterans "selflessly serve and sacrifice" so that we as Americans get to enjoy the life, liberties and pursuit of Happiness this country was born from. Too often today we are inundated with news, social media posts, etc. that seek to highlight our "differences" as Americans. This often is packaged as the over simplistic "Democrat versus Republican" view of the world and my side is 100% right and yours is 100% wrong (and vice versa)

The military is many ways is analogous to what Coach Herb Brooks did with the 1980 Gold Medal winning U.S. Hockey team. He galvanized into ONE team/family 20 young men who came from vastly different backgrounds and who initially had some level of disdain for each other based on perceived "differences". Brooks took them from individually associating with their past college team, to associating with playing FOR the United States of America, and the results were "historic". The military galvanizes individuals from vastly different backgrounds, races, religions, genders, etc. and forms them into a cohesive team/family. They watch each other's backs and tend to the "honor and duty" of defending this great country against domestic and foreign threats.

As American citizens on this Veterans Day, we should reflect more on what binds us as Americans, than what we perceive as our "differences". We all learn, grow and are enriched when we step outside our circle of comfort. That person who you think is so different from you just may be more like you than you thought. As always, feel free to contact me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

November 2, 2022

Sandbar Park Project and Outlet Bridge Update

It has been an unprecedented Spring, Summer, and Autumn on Lake Road west of Bay Road in Webster. That Isthmus has Lake Ontario to the North, Irondequoit Bay to the South and runs from Bay Road west to the Irondequoit Bay Outlet bridge (Hereafter: IBOB). That strip of land is currently home to 60-70 residential homes, 2 businesses; Castaways, and Mayer Marina, and Sandbar Park. On April 1st the United States Coast Guard in collaboration with the Monroe County Department of Transportation "opened the bay" and the IBOB was rendered non-operational for the season. It was scheduled that on Tuesday, November 1st the IBOB would be "swung back into place" by the Coast Guard and for the next 5-months traffic on Lake Road can go between Webster and Irondequoit.

So much occurred at Sandbar Park in the April-October 2022 timeframe. The best way to describe what has occurred is to actually visit the area and see it with your own eyes. However, I will try to put into words in this article what has transpired. In April the construction started on Sandbar Park. Two of the main components of that project are 1. to bring in "fill" to raise the southside/bay side of the park by 3-8 feet to guard against future Lake/Bay water levels and 2. to move a section of Lake Road west of Oklahoma beach to the North so that more land is available on the south/bay side to have a walking path and other park features.

The former (i.e., fill to raise 3-8 feet) was spawned on by the flooding of 2017 and 2019. It is also necessary to accomplish in advance of the Spring of 2023 parts of this project which include but are not limited to; 1. foundation on building that will house the new Restaurant/Bar where the Bayside Pub used to be, and 2. to install a break wall on the south/Bay side to withstand water levels up to 253 feet in the future. As a point of reference in 2019 flooding the water level reached just under 251 feet. The latter (i.e., move Lake Road) had the most direct effect on the area's residents, business owners, and their patrons in the past several months. Traffic was relegated to "single lane" and temporary traffic lights were put into governor that east and west bound traffic. Bottom line..... to the layman's eye, it appeared that nothing was really being accomplished in the April- August timeframe except "moving a lot of dirt". However, in September and October it "all came together" and Lake Road is now back to 2-way traffic, and sidewalks and parking lots are in various stages of construction. As previously stated, seeing it with your own eyes is the best explanation of what has been done. Now that the IBOB is back in, the Construction season is essentially completed until the Spring of 2023 at Sandbar Park.

Per the most recent monthly update meeting on this project I attended the week of October 24-28th, the collaboration of the Town officials, the Contractor, Engineering firm, Landscape Architect firm, and Construction Management firm..... the project is ahead of schedule on work that needs to be done and is running at or below budget. Tentatively there will be a presentation at the Thursday, November 10th Town Board Workshop on an update/status of the Sandbar Park Project. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

October 26, 2022

Leaf Pickup Season starts in the Town of Webster

We are very blessed in the Town of Webster to have the abundance of trees that we have. Our residential neighborhoods have dedicated greenspace and/or properties that have mature trees that have leaves blossom in the Spring, and go ablaze with colors in the Autumn. By late October, those leaves start to fall to the ground, and that is when the Webster Highway department staff goes into action. The leaf pickup season officially starts on Tuesday October 25th. Having worked on a crew for 4-hours back in 2020 on this, I can tell you firsthand "it is hard work" that the guys do in picking up these leaves from the curb of your home. Here some of the most common questions we get from residents and their answers on leaf pick up:

Q: Do all towns in Monroe County pick up leaves from the curb of their resident's homes? A: No. Some towns require their residents to "bag leaves" and have their private refuse collection company pick them up. Such pick up is usually at an additional cost to the resident.

Q: What is the cost of Leaf pick up? Town of Webster residents have this leaf pick up cost included in their Real estate taxes. The budgeted cost in 2022 is $392,000. That equates to approx. $13.9 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. As such a $200,000 assessed home in the Town of Webster pays approx. $27.80 this year for leaf pick up.

Q: Where is the best place to get information on Leaf pick in the Town of Webster? Visit the Town Website at ci.webster.ny.us and on the home page you'll see on the top right corner the tab for "Leaf pickup season".

Q: Where should I place my leaves for pick-up? A: Please place leaves at the edge of your lawn, not in the roadway or gutters. Gutters need to be kept clear of leaves in order to maintain proper drainage of water from the roadways.

Q: Why can’t leaves be placed on the shoulder of the road? A: Leaves placed anywhere on the road surface is illegal and creates a hazardous situation. Wet leaves on the road surface are very dangerous for motorists, along with cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, when leaves are placed on the roadway, our Highway crews cannot safely collect them. We want to ensure our crews can operate safely on the side of the road, away from the traffic lanes.

Q: Can you tell me when the crews will be on my street for pick-up? A: For several reasons, we cannot give daily street updates. This process is very weather-dependent. Things like rain and snow can greatly slow down the collection process, as will the rate at which the leaves fall. We will announce the start of a run, and a town-wide run can take a week or more, depending on the elements. Residents can look at our zone map to get an idea of where their street falls on our pass schedule.

Q: What happens if I miss the first town-wide collection pass? A: Multiple collection passes will be done, town-wide, throughout the Fall. Our crews start a pass on the west side of town (Bay Road area) and work their way east, to the County Line Road area. Once a pass is complete, they loop back to Zone 1 and start again. We will announce the date for the Final town-wide pass. After that time, any remaining leaves will need to be bagged for your trash hauler.

Q: Can I put branches or yard debris with the leaves for pick-up? A: No, our leaf collection vehicles are only equipped to collect leaves. Please do not mix any twigs, branches, or other debris in with the leaves.

Q: Can the Highway Dept. make a special trip to collect my leaves, so I don’t have to wait for the next collection run? A: No, due to schedules and equipment, we cannot make exceptions to the run process. We understand and are mindful of resident’s concerns regarding leaf piles that remain on their lawn for over a week. Every effort will be made to collect your leaves as promptly as possible.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 19, 2022

Planning for a New Webster Highway Facility (Part 2 of 2)

In part 1 of this article in the Wednesday October 12^th Webster Herald, the first 2 FACTORS described were 1. Size/Shape of the new Highway facility and 2. Engineer Cost estimates to Contractor Bids. In Part 2, 3 other factors will be described.

FACTOR 3: 10%, 30%, 60%, etc. design by Engineer/MRB: MRB has been retained by the Town as the Design Engineering firm on this proposed new Highway facility. MRB will now work with Town Highway, Engineering and Finance leadership in designing the blueprints for the proposed facility. As this process proceeds on, it will hit various milestones of 10%, 30%, 60%, 90% and ultimately 100% design. At each stage/% milestone, it gives the aforementioned Town department leadership the opportunity to "measure twice and cut once" within its interaction with MRB as the design engineering firm. If this process is done correctly and collaboratively by MRB and Town leaders, it will result in the best chance to have accurate cost estimates for when the bid process starts with contractors, and to minimize or eliminate "change orders" once the construction starts.

FACTOR 4: Municipal Bid/Bonding process: As design engineering gets to the 60%/90%/100% milestones, MRB and Town leadership will develop Invitations to Bid (ITB's) for the various contractor specialties that will be needed on the project. These ITB's will be very specific as to the design of the facility. Contractors will be given a timeframe to ask questions on the ITB, and ultimately will have a deadline to submit a "sealed bid". Once sealed bid time deadline passes, a public opening of these bids will occur by the Town Clerk. The town, per municipal law, is essentially bound to take the lowest bid on that specific contractor specialty within the overall project. This process assures that NO contractor gets the work simply by "having a relationship" with someone(s) in Town Government.

In part 1 of this article, it was described how the Town of Clarence near Buffalo just utilized MRB as their design engineer and had aggregate contractor bids come in at $13.6 million on their 66,000 square foot facility. Below is the summary of those opened "seal bids" per contractor specialty on that Clarence Highway facility.

The proposed new Webster Highway facility will be larger than Clarence (Approx. 75,000-82,000 square feet) but many of the features of Clarence are ones that Webster will most likely utilize.

FACTOR 5:"Shovel ready" and applying/getting awarded grants: The simple reality is that "for every $1 of grant money the Town of Webster is awarded on this new Highway facility it will be $1 LESS the Webster Town taxpayers will have to bear via payments from fund balance and/or bonding. In a perfect world, the Town would get $20 million in Federal/State/etc. Grant funds for a project that has an aggregate $20 million cost. In that scenario, the Town taxpayers would NOT pay ONE DIME on the project. So how does the Town position themselves for the most grant awards on this project? There is a myriad of ways to do so including but not limited to green energy and/or energy savings garnered by the new facility. However, the best way to position the Town to apply and get awarded grant monies from multiple sources is to get the project "shovel ready". To be shovel ready, engineer design needs to be done, contractor bids accepted, and Town bonding authorization done by the Town Board. The town leadership is involved in a project currently to identify and pursue MAXIMUM grants for all Town needs/projects including but not limited to Highway, Sewer, and Sandbar Park. To proactively identify and apply for such grants is "more art than science" and we are collaborating with as many people on this project as possible.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 12, 2022

Planning for a New Webster Highway Facility (Part 1 of 2)

At the Thursday October 6th Town Board meeting, a resolution was passed to enter into a Design engineering contract between MRB and the Town of Webster for a proposed new Highway Garage. If the scope of that contract is "fully" executed over the next few years, it will almost $1 million. Preliminary estimates of what the total cost of this new facility will be, including this engineering run the gamut. It could be as low as $19 million... it could be as high as $35 million. As a point of reference, the town of Clarence near Buffalo just utilized MRB to design their new 66,000 square foot Highway facility and the bids came in from contractors aggregating to $13.6 million.

So why is it so hard to pin down what the total cost of a new highway garage will be in the 2023-2026 timeframe? As a Webster citizen/real estate taxpayer, it is completely reasonable to want to know what the total cost of a project like a new Highway garage will be, prior to entering into an almost $1 million engineering contract. Within that desire to "know the cost" would be how much would be paid by town taxpayers via fund balance utilization and/or annual debt payments via bonding..... and how much will be paid for via state and/or federal grants. Unfortunately, the municipal project process has many factors involved that make this "upfront, unequivocal in its interpretation, accurate cost and time frames" difficult, if not impossible to convey.

The main factors to this include but are not limited to the following:

FACTOR 1: Size/Shape of the new facility: Initially we hired MRB in early 2022 to do a concept plan for this new facility. We asked them to look at the 28-acre campus the current Highway garage is on, and "fit in" a new facility that would have a useful life of 50 years. Within that useful life, it was estimated that the town's population would grow to 70,000. MRB came up with several locations a 100,000 square foot facility could go on the campus so that while it was being constructed, the current facility could still be utilized, and NO relocation expense would be needed. In the Summer of 2022, we had our college interns in the Engineering Department do a project to calculate what the maximum population of Webster would be if full development occurred on current undeveloped land at its current zoning. The result was more in the 55,000 range for future maximum population. Reduced maximum population from future development means reduced future lane miles of road that the Highway Department will need to service. That prompted us to have MRB reduce the size of the new facility accordingly down to 75,000-82,000 square feet. Within that reduced size, you experience a greater savings on project cost than "straight-line". In layman terms, if you reduce the size from 100,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet, you will most likely save MORE than 30% on total project cost. The main reason for that is you go from an L- shaped facility to a rectangular one. Eliminating that 90-degree turn in the L-shape is a big cost saver.

FACTOR 2: Engineer Cost Estimates to Contractor Bids: 2022 has had inflation rates like we have not seen since the late 1970's. What will this mean to the overall cost of a new highway facility if we break ground in 2023, 2024, 2025, etc.? As an example, in the past 3-years, I have seen engineers design projects going on in Webster and estimate it will cost $100,000. In some cases, when the contractor bids came in, they were at $70,000 (i.e. 30% LESS). In other cases, the contractor bids came in at $130,000 (i.e. 30% MORE) The obvious question is... how can these engineer estimates be wrong by 30%+ in either direction? The answer is multi-tentacled and is LESS about the skill of the engineer and MORE about the fluid nature of the world (i.e. today a raw material like Steel costs $1... tomorrow it costs $1.20) Also, it is hard to estimate "supply" that various contractors will have to the "demand" of the project at a certain time. Simply said, if the contractor is NOT scheduled for any jobs in the timeframe the project is looking to break ground, that contractor may bid LOW to get the work. In next week's part 2 of 2 of this article, I will describe some other factors that go into this. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

October 5, 2022

Due Diligence on NEQALS funding by Town of Webster in 2023

In the August 10, 2022 Webster Herald edition, my Supervisor's Corner article addressed Ambulance-Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in the Town of Webster. Specifically, it described the events at the July 7th, July 28th, and August 4th Town Board meetings/workshops related to EMS in Webster. On Tuesday September 27th, the Town of Webster government supplied Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) with a list of due diligence documents/data requests. The purpose of those requests was to obtain tangible facts related to the financial history and Ambulance calls of NEQALS in the 2019-2022 timeframe. Armed with those facts, the Town Board will be in better position to discern what, if any additional financial support NEQALS will get from the Town in 2023. NEQALS leadership has been asked to supply this information by October 19th. It is tentatively scheduled that there will be a Town Board Workshop presentation on November 10th on this.

It is critical that the Town Board get tangible facts on this. Simply said, Ambulance service is an "emotional issue". I completely understand why it is emotional for both the dedicated Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT's) and the patients they attend to. Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances today are essentially "Mobile Hospitals with well-trained EMT's". This is a far cry from their roots 60+ years ago when they were "rides to the hospital from Volunteers". In my opinion, Ambulance /EMS is a First response component that Government MUST support. But how, and from which arm of government? To answer that question, you need to look at the current rules of engagement in the EMS industry with government and/or private Health insurers as it pertains to billing for their vital service.

For both private health insurance carriers, and federal Medicaid/Medicare, if the 911 Call for an ambulance does NOT result in a transport to the Hospital/urgent care/etc.... the EMS company has NO way to bill for that call. We're hoping that the due diligence documents/data the town has requested of NEQALS will quantify how many calls annually they get that are "Non transport" and therefore NON billable. The Federal government is coming up short in this support based on the manner in which they fund Medicare and Medicaid as it pertains to what they will pay for an ambulance call. New York State Government is coming up short in this support in the manner in which they currently don't support "Direct pay" from the Private insurance companies to the EMS provider. In many instances, the patient gets the insurance check and then does NOT pay the EMS company. To the best of my knowledge, County Government is essentially "not involved" in any direct financial support of EMS. That leaves Town government. Webster funded NEQALS with $50,000 from the 2022 Town Budget out of the general fund. In July 2022 the town awarded NEQALS a $205,000 grant from its ARPA funds. Therefore, in aggregate in 2022, NEQALS has received $255,000 in Town Government funding. The preliminary 2023 Town Budget has $50,000 ear marked from the General fund for NEQALS. Based on this due diligence process in the October-December 2022 timeframe, the Town Board will be an informed position to discuss if more town of Webster Funding should be awarded NEQALS in 2023. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 28, 2022

Town Justice Appointment in January 2023

Earlier this year, Town Justice David Corretore sent a letter to the editor of the Webster Herald wherein he announced his intention to retire at or around the end of 2022. Dave was re-elected to his Town Justice position in November 2019 and the 4-year term is from January 2020 through December 2023. With Dave's retirement, the Webster Town Board will be tasked with appointing someone to complete his term. It is a task the Town Board members and I will not take lightly. The tentative plan over the October- December 2022 timeframe within this process is as follows:

1st... Candidates who want to be considered for this appointment will have the opportunity to submit that intention from October 1-31st. A portal will be opened up on the Town's Website for this where the applicant can submit his or her formal application. We will also be publicizing this in various law journals, The Daily Record, etc. to cast the widest net possible for possible candidates to be made aware of the position, what the minimum credentials are, and how to apply if you are a Town/Village of Webster resident. 2nd.... A vetting committee is being formed of 3-5 people from professional designations including but not limited to; the District Attorney office, Public Defender office, Bar association, and law enforcement, etc. That committee will go through ALL received applications in the November 1-15th timeframe. They will then make recommendations to the Town Board as to either a) who to interview and/or b) who to appoint. 3rd... In the November 16-30th timeframe, the Town Board will review the recommendations of the Vetting committee and proceed within the process. It is hoped that at the December 1st or 15th regular town board meetings that this appointment will be announced/made. In my opinion, the earlier the better since there will be "devil in the details" transition issues between Dave Corretore, the court clerks and the newly appointed Town Justice.

As I tie up this article, I would be remiss if I did not say a few words about Judge Dave. Bottom line... the man is a "class act". As I've gotten to know him personally and professionally the past 3-years he has demonstrated a unique combination of professionalism, dedication to the bench, humanity, and humor. Dave was "raised right" and his moral compass shines through in all he does, whether or not people are watching. I wish Dave all the best in his retirement. The citizens of Webster are eternally grateful for the 35 years of service Dave gave as Town Justice. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

September 21, 2022

Updating the Town of Webster's 2008 Comprehensive Plan

I first got introduced to the Town of Webster's 2008 Comprehensive Plan in early 2019 while discerning whether to run for Webster Town Supervisor. My education on the plan started with reading the 140+ page document and 10-15 addendum maps that go with it. I appreciated the organization and structure that the plan had. It broke out approx. 120 initiatives the Town was going to attempt to do, and gave timeframes of execution on each of them. Those timeframes were broke down into the following major categories; immediate, within 2 years, 3-5 years, and within 10 years.

Over the past 3+ years, I have heard a lot of opinions on the 2008 Plan. Some think it is more "static" and should be definitive document that rules on ALL decisions made by the Town Board, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals. Some think it is more "dynamic" and a guidepost to key town items such as zoning a codes. One thing everyone seems to agree on is that as we approach 2023, it is time to start the process of updating the 15-year old 2008 plan. That process actually started back in early 2021. At that time, I asked ten "key" people who had been in department and/or political leadership positions in the Town of Webster for the past 20 years to look at the approx. 120 initiatives in the 2008 plan and state either "Yes or No" as to whether the initiative got accomplished as of 2021. Not surprisingly, several of the initiatives written into the 2008 plan did NOT get accomplished. That exercise helped us research "why" they did not get done, and give us lessons to make sure we don't repeat that in the updated plan in 2023 and beyond.

For a town the size of Webster, the formal process to update its Comprehensive Plan a) costs approx. $100,000-150,000, b) takes 2 years, and c) necessitates a consultant to guide the process. To address the cost issue, in mid 2021 the Town applied for a grant through New York State for the purpose of updating the 2008 plan. Unfortunately, in early 2022 we found out we did not get awarded that grant. Throughout the past 8 months of 2022 the Town Board has been presented options on how the funding of this plan update cost could be done. A combination of grants, 2023 and 2024 Town budgets, and ARPA funds was decided on as the best approach. As such, in mid 2022 the Town once again applied for a grant with New York State for the specific purpose of updating the plan. We hope that the lessons learned from getting turned down in 2021 helped us augment our grant proposal in 2022 and we'll get some award on this.

The 2-year process is tentatively scheduled for January 2023-December 2024, with the latter date when the update plan is completed and adopted. In the next 1-2 months, the Town Board will be authorizing the request for proposal from consulting firms on this. Once a firm is chosen, we hope to have them stating the "formal" process in January 2023. One of the main components of the "formal" process is Community engagement. Citizens will have all sorts of opportunities to chime in on this and/or be on sub committee. In July 2022 we decided to start the engagement of the community with a 6-question survey that was in the Webster Today magazine that goes out to all Webster homes and businesses. To date we have gotten approx. 600 survey responses. I'm hopeful that over the next few months we will get that number to over 1,000. The MORE respondents, the better guidance the consultant will have on what people in Webster want for their community today and the next 10-20 years. If you want to see the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, it is on the Town Website at: CI.WEBSTER.NY.US/207/COMPREHENSIVE-PLAN. If you would like to do the 6-question survey it is at: SURVEYMONKEY.COM/R/575C3XX. Please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

September 14, 2022

Income Limit increase on real estate exemptions for Seniors and Disabled

Recently, New York State (hereafter NYS) increased the income limits on two Real Estate Exemptions; 1. Limited Income Senior Exemption and 2. Disabled Persons with Limited Income. Within the change, NYS gave local governments the authority to either a) leave their limits where they are currently at, b) go to the new NYS maximum, or c) somewhere in between the current NYS minimum (in effect, a reduction) and the new max. As such local government/taxing agencies like the Village of Webster, Town of Webster, school districts, and Monroe County will "individually" make that decision. 

Donna Komor, Webster's Assessor presented to the Town Board at the September 8, 2022 Town Board Workshop on this. She is also scheduled to present to the Village Board of Trustees on September 22nd. Donna's presentation to the Town Board can be accessed on the Town website at:

 ci.webster.ny.us/DocumentCenter/View/7643/ExemptionOptions

Bottom line.... anything assessment and real estate tax related can be "complicated and/or easy to misunderstand". As such I'll attempt to give a layman terms explanation of "the top 5 takeaways" I have on what this income limit change means.

1st... the earliest it will affect a Webster property owner's real estate tax bill is the September 2023 School tax bill (i.e. 1 year from now).

2nd... The Town of Webster's Assessment Office handles ALL Exemption applications and processing for the Town, Village, School and County. If you own property in the 35 square miles of Webster, including Town and Village, if you feel you may qualify for any exemption, you will be working with the Town’s Assessment Office.

3rd. .... If only one of the taxing entities changes their current income limits on one or both of these exemptions, and the other 2 or 3 do NOT, then the Town Assessment Office's volume of applications will increase. For example, if the County decides to increase the income limits on these exemptions and the Town, Village, and School decide to NOT change from their current limits, the property owners in Webster who previously did not qualify at the lower income limits will now apply. If they are awarded the County exemption, then that property owner will initially see it reflected on their Town and County January 2024 tax bill.

4th.... For every dollar less that a property owner pays on their County, School, Village and/or Town tax bills, that dollar is spread over the rest of the taxpayers.

Simply said, if these exemptions cut $1 million off the eligible people's County tax bill, then the rest of the tax base, including those receiving the discount, have that $1 million spread over their bills. The shift will be reflected in an increased tax RATE for all. This concept in and of itself is why the governing body leaders need to look long and hard at increasing the current income limits in the economy we are currently in.

5th.... The deadline to apply for these exemptions is March 1, 2023 to be eligible for the exemption on the School District September 2023 bill and the Town and County January 2024 bill. This "timing" will be problematic as March 1, 2023 is less than 7 months away and NO local governing agency has made a decision this yet as to whether they will be increasing their current income limits, having just been approved by the Governor. “Problematic” only in the sense that the Assessment Office cannot not definitively advise potential applicants at this point about the income limitations and has unknowingly discouraged other applicants before this option was made available.

As such, I plan on communicating with "key" School, Village, and County leaders on this in the next few weeks to determine where they are at in this process. The later we make a decision, especially if that decision is to increase their government entity's income limit, will cause challenges to both applicants for the exemption and the Town's Assessment Office ability to process all of them in a timely fashion. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 7, 2022

The Consolidated Drainage District in the Town of Webster

The Town of Webster encompasses 35 square miles. Lake Ontario is its northern border and Irondequoit Bay is its Western. In between are many creeks, streams and ponds. Bottom line... compared to other municipalities, Webster is a "wet" town. That wetness results in a lot of drainage issues. Drainage for the most part means that all storm water and other water from impervious areas needs to make its way to a final location. That location in Webster is Lake Ontario. The "means" by which all this water gets to Lake Ontario is complicated and needs constant maintenance. The Town's Highway Department maintains the various drainage mechanisms in the town. This includes but is not limited to; maintaining the over 200 retention ponds in town, keeping drainage easements clear, and installing new drainage mechanisms as the town's population has expanded over the past 50+ years.

Historically, the funding annually for the Highway Department's labor and materials for this drainage maintenance has come from a special Drainage district tax on resident January Town and County Real estate tax bills. The history of these Drainage districts started 50+ years ago. In 1969, the Town Board consolidated some of these districts and in 1995 the Town Board consolidated ALL drainage districts into ONE Consolidated Town Drainage district. As of 2022, approx. 11,800 Town residential properties were in this consolidated drainage district. They were each charged approx. $43 on their January 2022 Town and County Real estate tax bills. This resulted in over $500,000 be collected "specifically" for Drainage maintenance. The reality is that the cost of labor and materials to properly maintain drainage in Webster in 2022 is much greater than $500,000, and the drainage projects needing to be done has fallen behind.

At a February 2021 Town Board Workshop, retiring Highway Superintendent Joe Herbst presented to the town board that the "time was now" to expand the Consolidated Town Drainage district to ALL 15,000+ residential homes in Webster. He explained how when drainage districts started 50+ years ago the town board exempted/grandfather existing homes at that time to NOT be in these newly created drainage districts. Therefore, as of 2022 approx. 78% of all homes in Webster were in the district, and the other approx. 22% or 3,500 homes built prior circa 1965 were NOT in the district.

Over 5-6 town board meetings in 2022, Pat Stephens-Highway Superintendent, and Mary Herington- Town Engineer, and Paul Adams- Finance Director presented to the Town Board the following: 1. financially what adding the other 22% of homes in Webster to the drainage district would look like for 2023, and 2. the DEC requirements and other regulatory agencies that have exponentially put more mandates on the Town over the past 20-years as it pertains to drainage. These efforts culminated with approx. 3,500 homeowners getting a notice last week that a public hearing would be set for Thursday September 8th at 5:30PM at the Town board room to consider adding those homes to the current consolidated drainage district in 2023. The result would be that the 11,800 homeowners charged $43 in 2022 would be approx. 15,300 homeowners getting charged $40 on their January 2023 County and Town tax bill. The net effect would be approx. $125,000 additional revenue collected for the Highway department to utilize on Drainage projects in 2023. In summary, I do believe the "time is now" to remedy this unintended consequence of Town Board decision from 50+ years ago to exempt/grandfather existing homes when they created drainage districts. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

August 31, 2022

School Tax Time in Webster

By the time you are reading this article, you most likely have received your Webster Central School District Tax bill in the USPS mail. These are the two most common questions we get pertaining to this tax bill:

1. Why am I paying these taxes to the Town and not the School District? The Receiver of Taxes for the Webster Central School District in the Town of Webster is Dorothy Maguire. Dorothy, or "Dolly" as she goes by is the Webster Town Clerk and Tax Receiver. She is an employee of the Town government and not of the School District. The Town government and Dolly are acting as agent for the Webster Central School District. From what I have gleaned, this system was set up 60+ years ago when the Town government had more capacity and infrastructure than the School District and thus was in a better position to do this tax collection.

2. What are the options I have to pay this tax bill? Taxes will be received at Webster Town Hall, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY, beginning September 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. None received Saturdays, Sundays or Holidays. Mailed full or first installment payments should be made payable and addressed to Dorothy M. Maguire, Receiver of Taxes at the above address.

From September 1, through October 1, no interest is due if the total is paid in full. From October 2, through October 31, a 2% interest penalty must be added to the entire amount of the bill. Taxes paid under the INSTALLMENT option are due September 15, October 15 and November 15, 2022. The FIRST payment is made to Dorothy M. Maguire, Receiver of Taxes, 1000 Ridge Road, Webster, NY 14580. Payment TWO and THREE are made to the Monroe County Treasurer, PO Box 14420, Rochester, NY 14614. If you elect to use the installment option, there is a service charge on ALL three payments. With the exception of residents of Walworth and Ontario, taxes may be paid in installments.

Taxpayers who pay by check (via the US Mail or by Drop Box) may consider their canceled check as proof of payment. However, receipts will be issued for full payment if specifically requested and/or both pages are sent with payment. The DROP BOX is located in the front vestibule of the Town Hall (open 24/7). No tax payments will be received by the Webster Receiver of Taxes after November 1, 2022, at which time the School Tax Rolls will be returned to the Monroe County and Wayne County Tax Offices.

If you do opt to come to Town Hall during business hours to pay your School tax bill at the counter or drop box, don't be surprised if you see one or more of the Town Board members and/or town staff manning tables outside the two entrances. With the plan to update the 2008 Comprehensive Plan tentatively scheduled to begin in early 2023, we are in the process of getting "citizen feedback" via a 5-6 question survey. Please consider taking the two minutes while you're at Town Hall to fill out this survey, either digitally on your phone, or on paper. The Town Board member and/or Town employee can assist you with this. Simply said... the MORE surveys we get filled out by Webster Citizens, the better prepared we will be in 2023 to produce a Comprehensive Plan that reflects the wants and needs of ALL Webster citizens! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 24, 2022

Progress on 600 Ridge Road- Webster Furniture Strippers

Over the past 3 years that I have either been campaigning for Webster Town Supervisor, or have been the Supervisor, I have heard from over 500 Webster citizens on 600 Ridge Road. The common denominator of those discussions were disgust at the condition of the building and why is something NOT being done to remedy it? This is my 4th Supervisor's Corner article since 2020 focused on 600 Ridge Road, the old Webster Furniture Strippers, and the West Webster Hamlet that is affected by it. In the past 3 articles I have chronicled the sad history of this property the past 20-years that have led to its decay. The 2 main factors to that history and why nothing has been done for 20 years are 1. lack of multi government agency cooperation to effectuate a remedy, and 2. the unknown environmental situation at the property.

Over the past 2+ years, the Town of Webster leadership and legal counsel have been researching various strategies to address 600 Ridge. Within that process, it became clear that Monroe County Government had the "direct" tie to this property via their Real Estate tax foreclosure process. Simply said, 600 Ridge is privately owned. If the owners don't pay their town, school, and county taxes for 3-4 years, the county will initiate the foreclosure process. That started back in the circa 2005 time-frame. However, when no one bought the property at auction, the county within their rights decided to "not take title" due to concerns with unknown environmental issues that may be on site. As such, the property went to auction every year for 10-15 straight years, and every year no one bought it, and every year the county decided to not take title and let the private owner retain the title.

The Town leadership and legal counsel have been working with Monroe County leadership and legal counsel to figure out a strategy that could both 1. take the unknown nature of environmental issue out of the equation and make it KNOWN, and 2. do so in a manner that minimizes or eliminates the Town and/or County government liability on any environmental issue remediation, should any be manifested. On August 4th at the Webster Town Board meeting, a resolution was passed that has the Town of Webster entering into an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) with the County of Monroe, wherein the Town will pay the approx. $22,000 for Phase 2 environmental testing at 600 Ridge Road, and the County will go through the legal process of getting "temporary control" of the property so that said testing can be done. Armed with the August 4th Town resolution, the Monroe County Legislature has started the process to approach the appropriate court to get the "temporary control" so that the Phase 2 environmental testing can be done. It is estimated the County Legislature process on this will be completed in mid to late September and testing will be done in October.

In summary, they say it is always darkest before dawn. As this pertains to 600 Ridge, the condition of the property in August 2022 looks as bad as it has ever looked in the past 20 years, with weeds and overgrowth encompassing the building. The milestone actions on this property in the next 1-2 months will go a long way to the final resolution on this property. That in turn could spawn redevelopment in the whole West Webster Hamlet that is centered at Ridge and Gravel intersection. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 17, 2022

August and September Events in Webster

Summer 2022 may be winding down, but here are 3 fun events that will be happening in Webster before we get to Autumn:

1. Webster Jazz Festival: Friday and Saturday August 19-20th in the Village right at the 4 corners of Main and 250. Go to www.websterbid.com/events/jazz-festival for the event details. The Business Improvement District (BID) in the Village are putting on this event. It runs Friday August 19th from 6:00PM to 11:00PM and Saturday August 20th from 4:00PM to 11:00PM.

2. Oktoberfest: Friday and Saturday September 16-17th at the Fireman's Field on Ridge Road. Go to www.rochestermiraclefield.org/event/oktoberfest/ for the event details and sponsorship opportunities. It runs both days, Friday September 16th and Saturday September 17th from 12 noon to 10:00PM. Proceeds to benefit the Challenger Miracle Field.

3. Webster Parks and Recreation Family Mud Run: Saturday, September 17th from 10:00AM to 12:00PM at the Rec center at 1350 Chiyoda. Go to www.ci.webster.ny.us/609/Upcoming-Events for more event details and to register.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 10, 2022

Ambulance Service in Webster- 2023 and Beyond

It seems at times in today's society that it is impossible to find something we ALL agree on. I think we can all agree that our "Hometown" First Responders: Ambulance, Fire, and Police are extremely important to the 35-square miles that make up the Town of Webster and its 46,000 citizens. Their world is one where "seconds matter" when it comes to saving lives. Often ALL 3 show up at a scene and perform their specific function in concert with the other 2 for the purpose of the optimal outcome. In many ways, it’s like the 3-legged stool. Remove ANY one leg and it topples over.

The genesis and evolution of each of the 3 arms of 1st responders is quite unique. For efficiency’s sake, I'll spare you the historical details and just give where each of those arms is at in 2022 in the Town Webster. The Webster Police Department is fully funded through the Town of Webster taxes. It is not a sperate line item/district but is reflected within the Town and County real estate tax bill in January. 90% of the expense of the Police Department is current and retired personnel payroll and benefits. Webster has 2 fire districts: West Webster fire and Webster Fire with the dividing line essentially being Hard Road. These fire districts are governmental taxing entities like the Town of Webster. They have a vote each year on their budgets. Their passed budgets are reflected on the Town and County real estate tax bill in January as a separate line item/district. Almost 100% of their expense is facility and equipment/firetrucks due to currently being "volunteer entities".

Ambulance or "Emergency Medical Services (EMS)" is covered by Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS)/Webster Emergency Medical Services (WEMS). Their funding comes from Medicare, Medicaid, Private Medical insurance, and private pay for the calls/patients they attend to. They also get monies from the Town of Webster annual budget ($50,000 in 2022) and fundraising. They are a "private business" NON-for-profit. As an industry, Ambulance is by far the youngest compared to Police and Fire. It is also the one that was born of volunteers at fire departments that over the years due to a myriad of factors, the fire departments divested themselves of the ambulance service and Private; Non-for-profits and For-profit ambulance companies filled that void. Simply said.... the ambulance industry has major challenges as we go into 2023, and NEQALS/WEMS is not immune from them. The past 5-6 weeks activities at the Town Board meetings reflects such: On July 7th, NEQALS was awarded $205,000 of the Town of Webster's ARPA monies from the $350,000 the town had made available for non-for-profit agencies in the town. 13 other non-for-profits were awarded in aggregate the other $145,000. On July 28th Ahmed Mustafa, the president of NEQALS, presented a PowerPoint proposing an Ambulance district in the Town of Webster as of January 2023 with initial funding of $800,000. On August 4th, 18 people took the podium for an aggregate 1 hour and 20 minutes with their support/plea to the town board to "fast track" this Ambulance district for January 2023.

The good news is that Ahmed, the NEQALS board, and the Town Board are aligned in their goal to set up the "Hometown" Ambulance company to be strong in 2023 and beyond. Currently what we don't agree on is the "means and timeframes" to achieve that goal. The Town Board and I will be seeking to work with NEQALS leadership over the next several months to figure out both a) the short-term solution to Ambulance/NEQALS financial challenges in 2023 and b) the long-term solution for 2024 and beyond. I envision "deep dive" research on this that will seek input from MANY sources so that we can make an "informed" decision on EMS in Webster for the next 20+ years. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 3, 2022

Chapter 5 - Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

In my first article on the Town of Webster Budget in the Wednesday, June 29th Webster Herald, I described in Fact #1 how the current 2022 Town tax rate of $5.43 per $1,000 of assessed value resulted in a $1,086 annual real estate tax bill for a property assessed at $200,000. In the 4th article on the Town of Webster Budget in the Wednesday, July 20th Webster Herald, I described in Fact #6 that Webster's current equalization rate of 72% means the estimated market value (What you could sell the house for TODAY) is approx. $278,000 for a house assessed at $200,000. I received over a two dozen calls and e-mails from citizens after my July 20th article asking for more info on what Equalization rate means, and making comparisons of Webster's Town Tax rate of $5.43 per thousand versus other Monroe County town's tax rates that did not take into account the Equalization rate of those town's in the comparison. In layman terms.... comparing apples to oranges.

In my discussions with these people and/or e-mails I attempted to explain what Equalization means as it pertains to comparing apples to apples on different town's tax rates.

FACT #7: APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON OF TOWN TAX RATE PER THOUSAND OF ASSESSED VALUE

The figures shown below attempt to show "like-kind" towns to Webster from the January 2022 Town/County Tax bills. Like-kind was based on Monroe County towns with Police departments.

--Town-- --2022 Town Tax Rate per $1,000 --2022 Equalization Rate -- Town Tax rate per $1,000 converted to Market rate

Greece $5.98 100% $5.98

Irondequoit $6.41 88% $5.64

Brighton $5.24 95% $4.98

Webster $5.43 72% $3.91

Simply said... if your home has a market value in 2022 of $300,000 (I.E. you could sell it for that amount) then your Town of Webster taxes would be $1,173 at the $3.91 "market rate". That same $300,000 house in Greece would have town taxes of $1,794 at the $5.98 "market rate"

FACT #8: APPLES TO APPLES SANITARY SEWER RATES/RENTAL FEES ANNUALLY:

The Town of Webster government decided 20+ years ago to not take their sanitary sewer plant "off line" and join in with the Monroe County Pure Waters sewer system. Since Webster has its own sanitary sewer plant, it makes an "apples to apples" comparison of annual sanitary sewer rates/rental fees with other towns difficult. Webster's is a "flat fee" regardless of the assessed value of your home. It assumes an average home will have 60,000 gallons a year of discharge into the sanitary sewer system. The other town's sanitary sewer fees are a combination of 1. a "variable" fee based on the prior year's water usage in gallons for the specific house, and 2. a "set/fixed fee" regardless of assessed value that is set by Monroe County Pure Waters

--Town-- --2022 Pure waters set fees-- --2022 Rate per 1,000 gallons-- -- 60,000 gallons-- --2022 Sanitary Sewer fee--

Greece $69 $1.74 $104 $173

Irondequoit $192 $1.48 $89 $281

Brighton $148 $1.48 $89 $237

Webster N/A N/A N/A $191

To give some perspective on the variable/water usage charge in other towns..... while doing research for this article, approx. 10-15 Town and County 2022 January tax bills were looked at for each of the comparison towns above. The lowest bill identified was a Greece resident who only used 23,000 gallons of water in 2021 so the total sewer rent/fee for 2022 was the pure waters set fee of $69 + variable of 23X$1.74 ($40) for a total of $109. Conversely, another residence in Greece used 186,000 gallons of water in 2021 so that total bill was $392. Variability of water usage in other towns includes but is not limited to # of people in the home, and yard sprinkler systems.

FACT #9 TOWN OF WEBSTER HISTORICAL RESIDENTIAL SANITARY SEWER RATES/RENTAL FEES: Webster has had the following history residential sewer rents/rates

-Year- Flat sewer rate/rental

1990 $214

1995 $185

2000 $167

2005 $162

2010 $162

2015 $167

2020 $187

The good news is that the Webster taxpayer saw their annual sewer fee/rental go DOWN over a 30-year period of 1990-2020. The bad news is that the annual sewer fee/rental revenue is used to both 1. operate the sewer plant and 2. reserve for repairs and/or new assets at the plant. Hindsight is 20/20, but keeping the annual sewer rate LOW for 30 years on a sewer plant that is now 50+ years old and has reached its useful life expectancy means we do not have enough reserves built up to self-fund the plant's renovations. This was proven in 2017-2021 when phase 1 of the plant upgrade cost $12 million, and the town had to bond/go into debt for $9 million of that, while paying the other $3 million via grants. The uptick from $167 in 2015 to $187 in 2020 (and $191 in 2022) reflects the annual debt financing of that phase 1 improvement. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 20, 2022

Chapter 4- Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

In my first article on the Town of Webster Budget in the Wednesday, June 29th Webster Herald, I described in Fact #1 how the current town tax rate of $5.43 per $1,000 of assessed value resulted in a $1,086 annual real estate tax bill for a property assessed at $200,000. I received over a dozen calls and e-mails from citizens stating that their home was assessed for approx. $200,000 and that their real estate tax bill annually was MUCH higher than $1,086. They went on to state their real estate tax bill was in the $8,000 range or higher and that my math must have been wrong.

In my discussions with these people, I was able to let them know that I was just talking about the TOWN component of their annual real estate taxes, and was not factoring in their School, Fire, Special districts, and/or County taxes. I further found from my discussions that the majority of the people that reached out to me on this had their real estate taxes "escrowed" within their monthly mortgage payments. As such, their $8,000 of annual real estate taxes was paid at approx. $700 a month within their mortgage payment (i.e. 1/12th of their total annual real estate taxes. As such, they told me they never had looked at the individual real estate tax bills that are paid in January and September each year as to the breakdown of Town, county, fire, school, and special districts if applicable.

These conversations got me thinking that a breakdown of my own annual real estate tax bills may be a good " fact".

FACT #6: BREAKDOWN OF THE JANUARY AND SEPTEMBER REAL ESTATE TAX BILLS:

The figures shown below come right of my September 2021 and January 2022 Real estate tax bills. My home is currently assessed for $208,000 so at Webster's current equalization rate of 72% means the estimated market value is approx. $290,000.

--Tax Bill--- --Description-- --$$$$-- -- Tax rate per $1,000 assessed--

September 2021 School Taxes $4,989 $24.90

January 2022 Town of Webster $1,132 $5.43

January 2022 County of Monroe $2,493 $11.96

_ _____

Annual Real Estate Tax Totals: $8,614 $42.29

There are other "details" on the actual tax bills that can run the gamut depending on your specific situation as a town of Webster Property owner. Some of those include but are not limited to; 1. If you live in the Village, your town tax rate is less, but you have a village tax, 2. West Webster or Northeast Fire District tax, 3. Special district charges such as drainage, lighting, etc. and 4. the Sewer Department "flat" rates for the year on O/M and Capital, and 5. The STAR exemption on School taxes. (Mine above reflects Basic STAR savings of School bill)

In future articles I will breakdown the services that each of these taxing entities supply to residents. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 13, 2022

Chapter 3 - Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

As stated in the past two week's Supervisor's Corner articles, the overall theme of these facts will be 2-fold; 1. historical stats from 2022 and prior year budgets, and 2. trying to relate a Town's budget to what each of our families need to navigate in our own "home budgets". Those factors are 1. How much money we bring into our home annually from our jobs, pensions, etc. 2. How much money we spend annually as a family on housing, car, food, etc. 3. How much debt we have as a family in mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. and 4. How much savings do we have in bank accounts, 401ks, etc.

FACT #5 - ANNUAL REVENUE/MONEY THAT COMES IN TO PAY THE TOWN GOVERNMENT BILLS:

This figure is similar to what your family figures out comes in from their employment, or social security, pension, etc. This money "comes in" to the household and is used to pay the bills. If the bills exceed the money coming in, then decisions need to be made on how to make up that gap. Those decisions include but are not limited to; 1. take money out of savings, 2. reduce spending, and/or 3. go into further debt (i.e. buy things with credit cards)

The town budget has historically been comprised of four (4) revenue components to "bring money in" to be able to pay the bills; 1. Real estate taxes to property owners, 2. Revenue we control, 3. Revenue we don't control, and 4. Tapping into savings. Below is an explanation of each of these:

1. Real Estate Taxes: In fact #3, it was shown what the annual bills are for the town. Below are the last 8-year's budgets of the Real Estate taxes collected in millions, and the percentage each year that these taxes made up of the overall bills the Town had to pay (i.e. Net expenditures)

Real Estate Taxes % of ALL Town Expenditures

2015 $16.0 62.0%

2016 $17.2 63.5%

2017 $17.4 62.4%

2018 $17.9 61.7%

2019 $18.4 60.5%

2020 $19.0 61.1%

2021 $19.6 60.9%

2022 $20.2 61.7%

The statistics above reflect that historically the town budget gets approx. 60% of its funds to pay the bills from real estate taxes. The other 40% comes from a combination of controlled revenue, uncontrolled revenue, and tapping into savings.

2. Controlled Revenue: My description of this may be misleading. I call it "controlled" because the town government has influence on how much of it can be generated annually. Two examples of such revenue are 1. EDU sewer rental fee that is currently $191 in the 2022 budget, and 2. Recreation program revenue. The EDU sewer rental rate set each year takes into many factors. They include but are not limited to; are we just trying to set a rate to cover the sewer department annual expenses? Are we trying to build up a reserve? Are we giving back some of the reserve to citizens in that year by reducing the rate? Theoretically for each dollar of revenue they generate, it is one less dollar of real estate taxes we need to levy on our citizens

3. Uncontrolled Revenue: The biggest one is Sales tax. The town finds out every 3-months how much sales tax revenue we are getting from eligible sales from the Webster community. We have historical trends on the actual, but it is still a difficult figure to budget. There are other county, state and federal revenues in this category including but not limited to mortgage tax and CHIPS money from the state for the Highway Department. Once again.... theoretically for each dollar of this revenue, it is one less dollar of real estate taxes we need to levy on our citizens

4. Tapping into Savings: The town has several fund balances of which some are unrestricted and some restricted. There are also reserves. Regardless of what they are categorized as, they are essentially the "Savings" of the town government. Just like our families, savings are usually generated by having your annual expenses be LESS than the money you bring in. As the town board works to form a budget each year, they have the option to tap into these savings to "make ends meet" if the annual expenditures are not going to be covered by the aggregate of real estate taxes and controlled and uncontrolled revenues. This option often assists at staying under the State's 2% tax cap.

Below is the ACTUAL "end of year" for the past 7-years on the town savings in millions (i.e. ALL unrestricted and restricted fund balances)

2015 $13.4

2016 $13.9

2017 $14.4

2018 $15.1

2019 $14.4

2020 $13.3

2021 $26.6

Three milestone events have occurred in the past few years that have and will affect in the future these fund balances:

1. The 2019 and 2020 year-end reductions reflect the $12 million, Phase 1 Sewer plant improvement project that net of grants came in at $9 million. Some of the payments of principle and interest came from these fund balances.

2. In February 2020, Paul Adams, the town's Finance Director attended the annual Association of Town's meeting and the New York State Comptroller's Office made it clear that municipalities need to have a "formal" fund balance policy. Prior to that, Webster had not had one. In November 2020 the town board approved the new fund balance policy for the town. Such a formal policy will give guidance to the town board today and in the future so that less subjective decision making is made on money matters that affect fund balances.

3. The large increase in Fund balance from 2020 to 2021 was due to the fact that in July 2021 the town converted short term 1-year Bond Anticipation Notes (BAN) to $11,600,000 of serial bonds (i.e. Long term debt) When serial bonds are issued it creates revenue in the capital project fund. As such, it created net revenue of over $9M in 2021 to that fund. The capital projects fund had a deficit Fund balance at 12/31/20 of $(8,293,967) and a Fund balance of $916,826 at 12/31/21.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 6, 2022

Chapter 2- Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

As stated in last week's Supervisor's corner article, the overall theme of these facts will be 2-fold; 1. historical stats from 2022 and prior year budgets, and 2. trying to relate a Town's budget to what each of our families need to navigate in our own "home budgets". Those factors are 1. How much money we bring into our home annually from our jobs, pensions, etc. 2. How much money we spend annually as a family on housing, car, food, etc. 3. How much debt we have as a family in mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. and 4. How much savings do we have in bank accounts, 401ks, etc.

FACT #3- ANNUAL NET EXPENDITURES:

This figure is similar to what your family figures out what they pay annually on ALL of their expenses including but not limited to mortgage or rent payments for housing, car payments, health insurance, entertainment, taxes (income, sales, real estate) and food/clothing. However, for the town, these expenses include but are not limited to town employee payroll and benefits, town retiree benefits, materials at Highway Department, maintaining Police and Highway depts. fleet of vehicles, and other non-payroll services such parks, recreation, debt payments on bonds for infrastructure improvements, etc. Below are the last 8-year's budgets of these expenditures in millions of dollars, along with the correlating percentage increase from the prior year:

$$ % increase

2015 $25.8

2016 $27.1 +5.04%

2017 $27.9 +2.95%

2018 $29.0 +3.94%

2019 $30.4 +4.83%

2020 $31.1 +2.30%

2021 $32.2 +3.54%

2022 $32.8 +1.86%

FACT #4- TOWN EMPLOYEE PAYROLL, BENEFITS, AND RETIREE BENEFITS:

This is a component of the Annual net expenditures reflected above in fact 3. Almost 90% of the full-time employees at the town are in one of the following unions: 1. Blue Collar, 2. White Collar, and 3. Police. The Police union contract is in place as we approach the 2023 budget, but the Blue- and White-Collar contracts expire at the end of 2022. Historically over the past 15-20 years, these union contracts have been 3-year contracts and have had an approx. 2% cost of living (COLA) escalator of base pay year over year. These contracts also have had "steps" that give the employee an annual pay increase over and above the COLA increase. The challenge becomes that these COLA and "step" escalators year over year on base pay coupled with the 2% tax cap the State initiated makes it problematic to the budget process. Add in the escalating benefit costs to existing town employees and retirees of the town over the years, and the budget process becomes challenging to stay below the 2% tax cap. Below is the past 8-year's budget dollars on town employee base pay, employer paid benefits, and retiree benefits in millions, along with how those aggregate dollars in millions represent the percentage of overall net expenditures reflected in fact 3 above.

When your annual budget of expenditures has close to 70% being toward Employee payroll, benefits, and Retiree benefits, and much of that is from previously negotiated union contracts...... it leaves about 30% for non-employee/retiree items. The analogy to our family home budget is if 70% of our annual expenses were toward our mortgage payments/rent. We call this "house poor" since it does not leave a family much left to pay for the other things in their life. From my experience in the mortgage business, families that fall into the "house poor" category have a few options to remedy; 1. figure out how to bring more money into the home via a higher paying job, 2. sell or move and get into a lesser mortgage/rent payment, or 3. do nothing and suffer the consequences of having little money to spend on other things... or worse, go into more debt via credit cards to try and do those additional things that you can't do with the money that comes in from your job.

For the Town of Webster, some of the mechanisms that can be utilized to reduce the percentage of the annual budget that is for Employee/Retiree pay and benefits include but are not limited to; 1. Employee reductions through either cuts or attrition when people retire and not hiring someone new to that position, 2. Future Union contract negotiations being sensitive to the COLA and Benefits as to how they affect the tools the town can supply for their union members within doing their jobs. (i.e. that currently only 30% of the budget is available for things NOT employee/retiree pay and benefits) The problem with the former is that is short sighted and not reflective of the citizen's needs from its town government. The fact is that the Town of Webster's population per the 1990 census was 31,000 and by the 2020 census was 45,000. The annual budget process unfortunately is not geared to a "long term plan" that takes into account all the metrics including but not limited to; population, lane miles the Highway dept must service, and flow handled by the sewer plant and miles of mainlines and pump stations they service within that flow. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but maybe in the future we will tie the process of updating the 2008 Comprehensive Plan to the annual budget process, so they work in concert as to the long-term planning for the community. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 29, 2022

Town of Webster 2023 Budget Season

Arguably, the most important task of the elected Town Board members in Webster is the stewardship of the Resident's Tax money. The Town Supervisor is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the town, and along with the other 4-town board members needs to balance the services the Town supplies for its residents with the Tax money needed for said services. The town is on a calendar fiscal year so we will finalize our 2023 annual budget by approx. October 2022 so that the Town and County Real estate tax bill citizens receive in January 2023 is reflective of that budget. The 2023 budget process started in May/June 2022 with department heads submitting to the Director of Finance and Town Supervisor their "initial ask" for their department for 2023 expenses. Then the town board liaison to each department, the department head, the Director of Finance, and Town Supervisor have one on one meetings to discuss these "initial asks". Those meetings seek to determine if cuts need to be made from the initial asks so that in totality of the 14 departments, a budget can be produced that does not "break the bank!".

As we move through July and August 2022 the 2023 budget setting process will become quite active. There will be public presentations at Town Board meetings and Workshops by the various department heads where line item by line-item descriptions will be given of the proposed budget. The public will have a LOT of opportunity to chime in on this via attending these meetings or watching on TV/Live stream. There will be a setting of a preliminary budget by the town board. There will be a publishing of that preliminary budget in the Webster Herald that goes to ALL homes in Webster and/or in the October 2022 Webster Today. By the time a final 2023 budget is voted on by the Town Board, 4-5 months of activity will have occurred with many opportunities for public interaction in the process.

Similar to last year, over the next few Supervisor Corner articles, I plan on showing some "facts" about the town of Webster Budget. The overall theme of these facts will be 2-fold; 1. historical stats from 2022 and prior year budgets, and 2. trying to relate a Town's budget to what each of our families need to navigate in our own "home budgets". Those factors are 1. How much money we bring into our home annually from our jobs, pensions, etc. 2. How much money we spend annually as a family on housing, car, food, etc. 3. How much debt we have as a family in mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. and 4. How much savings do we have in bank accounts, 401ks, etc. So let's start with 2 FACTS:

FACT #1: THE TAX RATE: The 2022 budget for the town resulted in a Real estate tax rate of $5.43 per $1,000 assessed value. As such, if your home is assessed for $200,000 then your Town of Webster Real Estate taxes in 2022 are $1,086. Below is what the tax rate has been the past 8-years:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

--------- ----------- ---------- ----------- --------- ---------- -------- --------

$4.61 $4.95 $5.00 $5.11 $5.17 $5.22 $5.30 $5.43

FACT #2: THE 2% NEW YORK STATE TAX CAP: Several years ago, the state rolled out the "tax cap" concept. This may be overly simplified, but it meant that if the municipality wanted to increase real estate taxes on their citizens by 2% or more from one year to the next, then the board vote would need to be a super majority of 4-1. To me, the unintended consequences of this tax cap are 2-fold: 1. it does not reflect if a governance is making the right decisions fiscally for their community, and 2. it has become politicized (I.e. don't break the 2% tax cap in an election year..... don't break the 2% tax cap or you'll be seen as NOT being fiscally conservative, etc) The 2% calculation is not a straightforward one. The State Comptroller office gives guidance on the equation used to determine if your tax rate is going up 2% or more. Below is the last 7-year history of the Town of Webster on whether their budget exceeded the 2% tax cap, and if it did, how much tax rate went up:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

--------- ----------- ------------ ----------- --------- ---------- -------- --------

NO YES (7%) NO NO NO NO NO NO

Be on the lookout for more "facts" on the Town of Webster budget in upcoming Supervisor Corner articles. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 22, 2022

What are those little colored flags in my yard?

The title of this article is a question that several Town of Webster government departments have been getting the past few months. The simple answer is that they mark where the underground utilities are. Those utilities include but are not limited to electric, water, gas, and sewer. A more robust answer is as follows:

1st... why are these flags being installed? If a utility is planning to "dig" within their installation of new infrastructure or repair of existing, they need to call 811 to report it. That dispatch goes out to all pertinent parties who may have underground lines in the area the utility plans to dig in. For instance, the Town of Webster Sewer Department has to go out and install the appropriate colored flag in the area when they get such dispatch.

2nd...Why are the flags in my front yard? When your street was initially put in and homes were being built, the municipality that owns the street actually was granted a right-of-way (hereafter ROW) that most likely extends into your yard 10-20 feet from the curb of the road. Within that ROW is where the infrastructure was installed such as water lines, electric, sewer, etc. that your home ties into for those services. So that ROW is on your land/deeded parcel, but the utilities have the right to install and work on their infrastructure in that ROW. Sometimes that work will dig up your lawn and for a temporary amount of time render your yard or end of your driveway a "construction zone". The good news.... the utility doing the work needs to put the lawn/driveaway back to its pre work condition via seeding or asphalt.

3rd...what do the various colors of the flags mean? A more "colorful" chart on this is at the Town of Webster website. Some of the more common ones are as follows:

White- Proposed excavation/digging (you may also see this painted on road or in lawn)

Blue- Water lines

Green-Sanitary Sewer

Red-Electric

Yellow-Gas

Salmon-Communications (i.e. Frontier, Spectrum, Greenlight, etc.)

As always, feel free to call me at 872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

To view Current Roadwork Projects, please visit:

ci.webster.ny.us/639/Current-Projects

June 15, 2022
What is being done at 600 Ridge Road?

The title of this article, "What is being done at 600 Ridge Road?” is a question I have gotten at least 2-3 times a week from Webster citizens via phone call, e-mail etc. since I became Town Supervisor 2 and 1/2 years ago. Unfortunately, the "tone" of the question is usually one of anger or frustration foundational in a belief the Town of Webster is doing NOTHING. That "feeling" that the town is doing nothing is not all together accurate. However, the reality that the property at 600 Ridge Road (The old Webster Furniture Strippers) has sat there "empty and rotting" for the past 15+ years warrants citizens being upset. We should ALL be upset at the current situation there. 600 Ridge Road is at the epicenter of the Hamlet known as West Webster. It is the lynchpin to development 100+ yards in each direction on Gravel and Ridge. As long as it continues to be vacant and rotting, the whole neighborhood suffers. So, has the town really just been sitting around doing nothing on this property? I'd like to think not, but I'll let you decide based on the following timeline of milestone events the past 2 years in the effort to remedy this building.

1st.... My Supervisor's Corner article on September 16, 2020 addressed the "strange" fact pattern on this property over the past 15+ years. Please feel free to go to the Town Website to re-read that article as it gives elaboration to the MAIN stumbling block from this property's remediation.... that being "Unknown Environmental issues". 2nd.. in the January - March 2021 timeframe the town worked with Lozier engineering to figure out the cost to do a phase 2 environmental test on the property. In layman terms, such testing would remove the "unknown" from whether there actually are environmental issues on the site, and if there are how severe. This process culminated with a Town Board workshop presentation and discussion that manifested the 2 following hurdles to the town paying for the Phase 2 testing; 1. The $12,000 cost would be paid by taxpayers on a privately owned property, and 2. if the results of the testing showed millions of dollars of cleanup needed.... the town taxpayers may be in the liability position of that cost due to the town taking lead on the Phase 2 testing. 3rd...in August- October 2021 I visited 300 residences that are within 1/2 mile of the property answer questions on what the town is trying to do on it. 4th.... in March 2022, Monroe County and the Town of Webster entered into discussions on a "joint effort" to be able to do the phase 2 testing on the property, and have any remediation manifested from that testing NOT be directly liable to the County or Town.

On Thursday June 23rd, the Town Board Workshop will have a presentation done by Town Attorney Charlie Genese about specifics of this "County-Town" partnership on this venture to get the phase 2 testing done, and the risk, if any the Town would have of remediation cost of any environmental issues found. Please feel free to attend that meeting, or watch live on the town website. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 1, 2022

Updating the Town of Webster Comprehensive Plan

I'm elated to announce that the Town will be officially entering the process to either update the 2008 Comprehensive Plan or create a completely new one. At the May 12, 2022 Town Board Workshop, the Town's Director of Community Development, Josh Artuso presented a PowerPoint to the Town Board on the history of Master plans/Comprehensive plans in the town going back to 1991. That 6-7 slide presentation can be accessed on the Town website, as can the actual audio/video of the presentation and the Q and A that ensued with the Town Board members after. If you are not a "computer person", feel free to contact my office to get a paper printout of that 6–7-page presentation. Bottom line.... the Town Board unanimously said at the end of the meeting that we need to forge ahead on this updating and/or new Comprehensive Plan. As such, over the next several months, the foundational aspects will be put in place so that we can "hit the ground running" by January 1, 2023 on this project, and target getting the plan done and adopted by the end of 2024.

The path to this May 12, 2022 meeting has been over two years now. Three things we investigated in that time: 1. History: 14 months ago, on April 7, 2021, my Supervisor's Corner article referenced the "means" by which the Town Board was taking as it approached the endeavor to update the 2008 Comprehensive Plan for the Town. In that article I stated we can't formally start a process of updating that Comprehensive Plan until we look at the initiatives that were stated in the 2008 version. Did those initiatives get accomplished, and if not, why? I didn't want the process of updating the Comprehensive Plan in the next few years to have a "history repeats itself" aspect. We need to learn from that history so we can produce a better future for Webster! In 2021 I asked eleven people who had 20+ years associated with Town Government to look at the 100+ initiatives in the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, and simply answer YES or NO as to whether that initiative had been accomplished over the past 12+ years. The ones that had a NO needed to be looked at as to "why they were in the plan, and why they did not get accomplished" so we can learn from that and NOT make the same mistake in the 2023-2024 Plan effort. 2. Cost: Funding for an updated plan was a factor. The cost estimate is $100,000-150,000 to do such a plan update. We needed to exhaust all options to pay for this, and the presentation on May 12th showed 3 options; 1. spread over 2023 and 2024 Town Budgets, 2. ARPA funds, and/or 3. Grant application. We will continue to maximize the grant efforts to see if the cost can be done without directly affecting Town resident real estate bills. 3.Public engagement. Simply said, if 1 adult from ALL 15,000+ residences in town participated in information gathering on "what is important to them for the town today and the next 20 years".... we would have an awesome blueprint for how to configure this 2023-2024 plan! Over the next 7-months leading into 2023, we will be trying to maximize public input on this. That will be done through several means including but not limited to; July 2022 Webster Today survey and paper surveys to fill out at heavily-trafficked Town facilities like the Library, Rec Center and Town Hall.

In summary, if this project is done correctly, it will secure the future of this great Town of Webster for the next 20 years! That alone should motivate every able-minded adult in town to give their opinion on what is important to them on the surveys to keep Webster "Where Life is Worth Living"! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 26, 2022
Memorial Day Parade returns to Webster in 2022

One of my family's fondest traditions since moving to Webster in 1996 has been attending the Memorial Day Parade. COVID robbed us all of this great event in 2020 and 2021. It is another sign that "normalcy" is returning to our lives in that there will be a Memorial Day parade in Webster in 2022! The long-range weather forecast at the time I wrote this article predicted "sunny and 75" in Webster NY on Monday May 30th. The parade will start at 9:30AM as the people and vehicles in the parade will start streaming out of Spry middle school on South Ave and head north. They will then turn left and head west on Main Street. They will proceed down to the cemetery on the south side of the road near Holt. When all parade participants have filed into the cemetery there will be a memorial ceremony. When the memorial ceremony finishes at the Cemetery there will be refreshments at the American Legion on the corner of Five Mile Line and Ridge.

I want to thank ALL the people and agencies that make this parade, memorial cemetery ceremony and refreshments possible. Memorial Day is such an important day to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, and the ultimate sacrifice so many have made to assure we have those freedoms. The history of the day started after the Civil War in the late 1860s. It was known as Decoration Day then. It's interesting that the day started in the wake of the Civil War to honor and remember ALL the soldiers who gave up their lives fighting fellow Americans in that war. Over the years since, the foreign threats to our freedoms have occurred in places including but not limited to Europe in World War 1, Europe, Africa and the south pacific in World War 2, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and many more. In 1971 Memorial Day as the last Monday in May was first observed as a federal holiday. At 3PM local time on that day, a National Moment of Remembrance takes place.

It's easy to have recency bias and think that "today's world is crazier than it has ever been". The reality is that the citizens of the United States have dealt with "crazy" things for the whole 250 years this country has been in existence. The sacrifices that Americans have had to make over those 250 years in different eras can be debated. For example, who sacrificed more? The colonists during the Revolutionary War or the citizens during the Civil War? One thing that cannot be debated is the ultimate sacrifice so many have made of their lives. Whether in the Revolutionary War in 1777 or Afghanistan in 2020, the ultimate sacrifice is constant and timeless. That is why it is so important for ALL Americans to honor these defenders of our freedoms on Memorial Day. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 11, 2022
Tis the Season for Road Work in Webster

How nice has it been this week to have the sun shining and the temperatures in the 70's? All the splendor of Spring is upon us and it’s great to see the budding trees and flowers. Spring is also the season when the Town Highway department takes the snowplows off the trucks and starts road maintenance. Road maintenance and improvements in the town of Webster include some of the following variables: 1st there are Town, County and State roads in the 35 square miles that make up the town of Webster. Knowing which a road is will be the guide to "what government entity is responsible for its maintenance". It also gives a blueprint for what type of maintenance and/or improvements are going to be done.

Here is an example of each type of road, and the maintenance that is usually done:

Town: Most of the residential subdivision streets are town roads. Often, they are built by the developer and then the town takes dedication of the road when the development or certain phases of it are complete. Once the town owns the road, they will often due Oil and stone maintenance approximately every 7-8 years. This oil and stone (or sometimes referred to as chip seal) is a cost-effective way to keep "good roads" maintained so they last 50+ years. The Town Highway department will be sending out USPS mailers soon to let residents know if oil and stone will be done on their street in the summer of 2022.

County: An example of a county road is Lake Road. The County does not have a highway department per se, so they contract out for maintenance and/or improvements. This summer phase 2 of the Lake Road improvement project between Pellett and Bay Roads is being done.

State: the most dominant State road in Webster is the 104 expressway and the service roads, on and off ramps that feed to it. The State of New York does have their own trucks, staff etc. to do maintenance/improvements. In the winter you'll notice State plow trucks on 104. In the summer, hopefully you see State of New York trucks, or contracted out firms by NYS repaving or filling in potholes.

In summary, the Town of Webster government and Highway Department are in constant communication with the Monroe County Department of Transportation on County roads and the New York State Department of Transportation on State roads in the Town of Webster, within the effort to advocate for as best maintained roads in town as possible. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 4, 2022

Town Board announces Preliminary plan for $4 million ARPA funds

13+ months ago, my March 24, 2021 Supervisor's Corner article's headline was "The stimulus check conundrum". An excerpt of what was said in that article is in italics:

A few weeks back, the United States Congress approved round 2 of the Federal stimulus packages pertaining to the COVID pandemic. This one is $1.9 Trillion and covers a myriad of items. The Town of Webster government is slotted to receive $4.95 million of which $600,000 of that is earmarked for the Village of Webster government. Furthermore, the first half of that money may be delivered to the town as early as May 2021. Over the next few weeks, the U.S Treasury department is planning on putting out guidance to state and local governments on "what the money can be used for/or not used for" and other considerations such as timing of the money usage etc. Other Monroe County towns may need the money coming to them to make up HUGE budget shortfalls due to aggressive budgeting of revenues and/or expenses. That is NOT the case for the Town of Webster. As such, I am proposing a "measured and patient" approach to the decision-making process on what to do with the Town's $4.35 million. Whenever money is involved, there will be MANY opinions on what it should be spent on! (LOL) More details need to be determined on this money from the U.S Treasury department and/or other governmental agencies. In summary.... let's do our due diligence so that a well thought out decision is made on what to use this money for.

Fast forward to May 2022. Over the past 13+ months the Town Board and Town Finance Director Paul Adams have tried to put into action, the comments and suggestions I made in the March 24, 2021 article. The biggest challenge to this was the "ever changing rules" on these funds. First off, the $4.35 million originally estimated for the town was revised to be $4.05 million. Half of that was received in July 2021 and the other half is estimated to be received by end of May 2022. 2nd was the U.S Treasury Department's amendments to "what the monies can be used for, and in what timeframes"? The final ruling on that was issued on April 1, 2022, and within it, a formal filing/reporting had to be submitted by the town on the fund usage by April 30th, 2022. Also, that final ruling stated the funds need to be "committed" by NO later than December 31, 2024, and "paid out" by NO later than December 31, 2026. Armed with that final ruling and short timeframe to report, the April 14th and 28th Town Board workshops had presentations by Paul Adams, and robust conversation of the Town Board on how to use the funds.

The decision was to use approx. $3.65 million for Town of Webster government services. Since we have until December 31, 2024 to "commit" said funds, we decided to not rush to give specificity of each item we will use it for. On the remaining $350,000 we decided to open it up for grants to be made available for non-for-profit organizations who both: 1. predominantly service Webster citizens and 2. were financially negatively affected during COVID. The application process for these grants opens on Monday May 2nd and will close on Tuesday May 31st with awards to be made in July 2022. The application package and FAQ's can be accessed on the Town of Webster website at:

https://www.ci.webster.ny.us/640/ARPA-Grant

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7078 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

April 27, 2022

The ongoing pursuit of improving Communication between Town Government and its citizens
If you're a frequent reader of this column, you know I am emboldened in the pursuit of improving communication between the Webster Town Government and the 46,000 citizens we service. The ultimate goal is lofty, and most likely unattainable. However, I think its pursuit needs to be committed to by the Town Government leadership and the over 350 full and part time employees of the Town. That goal is 2 pronged; 1. We reply to ALL phone calls, e-mails (i.e. incoming inquiries) from our citizens within 24-48 business hours with as honest and complete answer to the question and/or concern they contacted us about; and 2. We try to get pertinent information to our citizens in a timely manner and attempt to have at least one adult in the home receive and absorb the communication.

The 1st prong is by far the easier of the 2 to make inroads on. To me, it is a basic customer service tenet. It also falls into the old adage of "treat people like you would like to be treated". Simply said, if the citizen took the time to call, e-mail, inquire on something... then it is important to them. The Town Government in turn should treat it as important and getting back to someone in a timely fashion is the best tangible way to show that. Don't get me wrong, it is not as easy as it sounds as often the "honest and complete" answer to the citizen's inquiry is not what they were hoping to hear. Often in those situations we find that the same inquiry is then scatter shot out to 3, 4+ departments in what appears to be an attempt to get one of them to give the answer that was sought. The 15 departments at the Town are getting better at not running as a silo from the other 14. As such, they are in tune when a citizen has inquired to other departments on the same issue, and we try to make sure the message coming out of the Town is a consistent one.

The 2nd prong is quite a challenge. There are approx. 15,000 households in Webster that house our 46,000 citizens. On average that makes 3 people per household. That includes households with 1 person, and also ones with 7 people comprised of 2 parents and 5 kids. Simply said, if 1 adult in each of those 15,000 households "received and absorbed" the message from the Town Government, our community would be exponentially better than it is now! There are 2 things that cause citizen negative perception of their Town Government; 1. the feeling that the government is not being honest with them, and 2. the feeling that the government is not being transparent and proactively communicating with them. I purposely underlined feeling in both above due to the fact that "feelings are real. Perception is reality for people". The only way to change feelings and perception is to make changes today and in the future. You cannot change feelings and perception by "fighting the past" or trying to defend your actions of the past. As such, the best way to change people's feelings in the future on their government being honest with them, is to attack the tangible means today and in the future on how the Government communicates with the citizens in a proactive and transparent manner.

In summary... we've made strides in the past 2+ years on this, but we have much more work to do. Any and all suggestions our citizens may have are welcome on this! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

April 20, 2022

The Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park

On Friday April 22nd, the Town of Webster will officially rename North Ponds Park to the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park. I've tried over the last few days to write a fitting article to both honor Charlie Sexton and to articulate to our Webster citizens on why renaming North Ponds Park to the Charles E. Sexton Memorial Park is so fitting. However, as many times as I've started I've also kept erasing and re writing something new. So, after multiple attempts, here we go...

The reality is, I only met Mr. Sexton twice. Both times were in 2019, while I was campaigning for Town Supervisor and was introduced to him by a mutual friend. As such, I really did not know the man. However, it was even without knowing him that I got a glimpse of why Charlie was so universally beloved. At our second meeting, in particular, when I was able to meet him at his home for coffee, I saw his personality start to shine. He had an aura to him, one that combined strength with grace. He was and is a "class act". When I heard of his passing in June 2021 I was saddened. I remember reading his obituary, written by Victoria Freile in the Democrat and Chronicle, and thinking she, probably without having met him at all, had done an excellent job capturing the man. As such, as I "bumbled" the past few days to try and give Mr. Sexton the appropriate honor he deserves in this article, it dawned on me I am not a talented enough writer to do it. So here is Victoria Friele's obituary on Mr. Sexton from June 2021. Please take the time to read it and be sure to stop by the newly renamed park on or after Friday, April 22nd, to pay your tributes to a man who gave our Parks and Recreation Department a beautiful start for tremendous growth. Thank You, Mr. Charles Sexton. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Charles Sexton, New York's first African American recreation director, dies

Victoria E. Freile

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Webster's first full-time recreation director was a beloved father and a well-respected and innovative leader. Charles Sexton of Webster, died last month. He was 89.

A York, Pennsylvania native, Mr. Sexton was the first African-American recreation director in New York, according to a 1962 article from The York Dispatch. He was hired in 1962 and retired from the job in 1996.

"He made things happen," said Ron Nesbitt, Webster's former town supervisor, who spent two dozen years as a member of Webster's Town Board between 1996 and 2020. "He didn't have a large budget to work with, but he'd take the budget and stretch that sucker."

Nesbitt said that Mr. Sexton was widely respected in the town, was innovative, but was also a kind, gentleman. "He was a quiet, kind and sincere man who never wanted recognition," Nesbitt said.

Mr. Sexton was predeceased by his wife of more than four decades, Deborah, and daughter Tanya. He is survived by his sons Adam and Jared, grandson Malcolm and numerous other relatives, according to his obituary. He died on June 18.

"He was a great dad, husband and proud community member," Adam Sexton said. "He cared about all three and it showed in how he lived his life."

Jared Sexton described his father as a constant guide and support. "He was a role model for us both, and for many of our friends as well," Jared Sexton said. "He counseled us to live with patience and perseverance."

Mr. Sexton, Nesbitt said, built Webster's recreation department from the ground up, initially overseeing a staff of 23 part-time employees. Today, the department employs 12 full-time workers and more than 150 part-time and seasonal employees, said Chris Bilow, Webster's Commissioner of Parks and Recreation.

Mr. Sexton introduced the town's first programs for senior citizens, launched the town's first summer youth camps and secured the department's headquarters within Webster Central's former Ridgecrest school. That community center operated for more than two decades within the former school before it closed for good in 2010.

Beverly Geier, who was hired by Mr. Sexton in 1970 to teach gymnastics classes, still works for the town as a part-time fitness instructor. One of the first programs Mr. Sexton launched was a gymnastics program for girls, and Geier was among the program's earliest instructors. A version of that activity is still offered by the town today, she said. "He was a forward-thinking man and realized early on that there were more recreational opportunities for boys and men than existed for girls and women," she said. "He saw that need and he filled it."

Mr. Sexton also met his wife on the job, as she led the town's Tiny Tots swimming program, which was a backyard program where classes were conducted in private pools with the space donated by property owners, Geier said.

In a 1996 Democrat and Chronicle article about his retirement, Mr. Sexton said: "I came here quietly, I worked quietly and I accomplished things. I'm one of those people who likes new challenges. I gave them everything I have with the resources at my disposal.'' He took pride in accomplishing things in his low-key style, and told the newspaper that he always treated his staff equally.

A graduate of Lincoln University in southeastern Pennsylvania, Mr. Sexton was a three-sport athlete who studied recreation and physical education, according to the Democrat and Chronicle archives. He was a state champion wrestler in both high school and college, according to his family. He also studied several martial arts and earned a black belt in judo.

Before moving to Webster, he was the director of the settlement house program in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he also oversaw the city’s recreation programs. He previously worked as a recreation director in his hometown. He also worked as a social worker and a teacher. He loved gardening and movies.

Mr. Sexton was a U.S. Army veteran who also served in the military police. He was a longtime member of Holy Trinity Church in Webster, where he served as an usher for more than 50 years. Longtime family friend Sister Barbara Moore, a Sister of Mercy, described Mr. Sexton as a thoughtful, generous man who “was dearly loved.” "I considered him a brother in every sense of the word," she said. "Charles accepted you for who you were. Race, color, gender, religion. None of it made a difference."

His funeral Mass will be celebrated Sept. 11 at Holy Trinity Church, 1460 Ridge Road, Webster. His remains were buried beside his late wife last month.

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/07/13/charles-sexton-ny-first-african-american-recreation-director-webster-ny-dies/7884829002/

April 13, 2022
Sandbar Park Update – Part 2

In last week's Supervisor's Corner article, I gave a glimpse of the "busy April 2022" we would have on this project. We have reached several milestones as we continue to move towards the revitalization of Sandbar Park.

On Thursday, April 7th, the Webster Town Board awarded the construction project to Keeler Construction. Based on that award by the Town, Keeler will soon begin work on the Lake Road improvements, REDI projects and core park upgrades. Keeler will also be performing phase 2 of the Monroe County Lake Road improvement project in spring/summer of 2022. The County project will run from Forest Lawn to Bay Road. The Town REDI project picks up where the County project leaves off at Bay and runs west through Sandbar Park. It is hoped that with one contractor, Keeler doing both the County and Town projects on Lake Road this spring/summer, that efficiencies will be attained that minimize the disruption to traffic. Preliminary construction work will begin as planned in mid-April; updates and progress on the improvements will be shared on the Town website. Please be aware the entire Sandbar Park location will be closed to the public starting Monday, April 18th for the foreseeable future.

On Friday April 8th, the open submission period for the Expressions of Interest (EOI) for restauranteurs closed. The EOI process was assisted with a community citizen committee that identified key attributes of a future restaurant to be constructed within Sandbar Park. The EOI was meant to be a first step in selecting a restauranteur who would assist in the design and potential construction of the building. The response to the EOI resulted with one submission prior to the 4:00 PM deadline on Friday, April 8.

The next step will be for the Town to review the submission and determine if there is sufficient substance to meet with this potential vendor. This meeting will be an opportunity for the restaurateur to expand on their vision, allow the Town to ask questions, to clearly envision the long-term operation and ensure the restaurateur meets the amenities identified by the citizen committee. The final step will be to formally require a Request for Proposal to the Town and begin negotiations on a licensing agreement. The Town is committed to the process in selecting a restaurateur who will enhance Sandbar Park and create an environment that is truly unique.

Tentative plan is to have a groundbreaking ceremony the week of April 25-29th at Sandbar Park that would be attended by Federal, State, County, Town, and Village elected officials and dignitaries. Stay tuned for more information on the specific date and time of this event.

Finally, I would like to thank those individuals and business who shared their feedback and interest in this process. We are fortunate in Webster to have an amazing public location providing the community with access to not only one BUT two bodies of water, the natural scenery at this location is truly spectacular. Once the renovations and upgrades are completed, Sandbar Park will become a destination for the community and something to pass along to future generations to enjoy. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 6, 2022
Sandbar Park Update

April is going to be a very busy month for the Sandbar Park Project. A milestone event happened this past Tuesday, March 29th on the Sandbar Park Project. Three sealed bids were opened by Dolly Maguire, the Webster Town Clerk. Approx. 20 people attended this "bid opening" event at the Webster Town Board meeting room at 1PM that day. The people in attendance were comprised of representatives from the general contracting firms who submitted sealed bids, along with Town officials, engineers, architects, and construction management staff who have been involved with this project. What made this a milestone event was that the work that the general contractors were bidding on was a scope very different from when the Sandbar Park revitalization project started 6+ years ago. The citizen committee, Parks and Rec, and Town officials who started that process years ago could have never imagined the high-water levels of 2017 and 2019. Those high-water events prompted New York State to offer REDI grant opportunities to waterfront municipalities like Webster. Webster applied for those REDI grants and were awarded in aggregate just shy of $3 million. Those grants addressed Lake Road movement away from the Bay, lifting the road and area on the bayside of the road, and building a break wall to withstand water levels hitting 253 feet in the future. To give some perspective, the water levels in 2019 hit just over 249 feet.

The scope of what the general contractors were bidding on reflected the REDI grant work, along with Phase 1 of the Sandbar Park revitalization project. In the weeks leading up to the sealed bid opening date of March 29th, I for one had concerns about what the current economic climate in the United States would have on these bids. Simply said... when the cost estimates of this project were done, gas was at $2.25 a gallon and now it is at $4.25. The gas price comparison may be too oversimplified, but how were material costs of asphalt, supply chain, and other inflationary aspects going to affect these bids? Engineers, construction managers, and Town officials worked diligently in the past several weeks to try and create "alternatives" for potential general contractors to consider within their discerning what dollar bid to put in. The key to these alternatives was to balance cost savings with a quality product still being built for the citizens of Webster. Fortunately, the concerns we all had on what the bids would come it were alleviated when they were officially unveiled on March 29th. At the Thursday, March 31st Town Board workshop, Town Engineer Mary Herington presented to the Town Board a summary of those bids and the alternatives within them. Next up is the Thursday, April 7th Town Board meeting where it will be discerned whether to award the low bid and authorize the Town Supervisor to sign the contract with the winning bidder. Then on Friday, April 8th, the interested restauranteurs/bar owners have their deadline for formal submissions of "expression of Interest" for the new building that will be built that is intended to house a restaurant/bar. In mid-April, Sandbar Park will be closed for the summer as construction occurs. It is assumed at this point that groundbreaking for the road movement and break wall construction will occur by end of April. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

March 30, 2022
New site for leaf mulch and wood chips pick-up

For the past several years, the Town of Webster Highway Department has made leaf mulch available to the citizens to pick-up at the Town Hall campus. This free benefit to our citizens has been made possible by the fact that our Highway Department picks up leaves in the autumn and stores them at the Highway garage campus. Those leaves ultimately turn into the mulch we provide at this site in the Spring. The Karpus Family Playground at Miracle Field (Town Hall) has become a very popular play destination for families and has increased the need for parking spots. By relocating the mulch / wood chips pick-up to the parking lot on Orchard Street between Holt Road and North Ave (250), it provides a safer area for Webster residents to load their vehicles.

This parking lot abuts the northside of North Ponds Park. The tentative dates the mulch will be available for pick up start on April 1st and will run through the end of May (or until we run out of product) This new site, and the access/egress that will be set up should make it more efficient for our citizens to get in, get their mulch and get back out.

A few years back the Highway Department started making mulch and wood chips available for home delivery. There is a delivery fee associated with this service and you must be a Webster citizen to be eligible for home delivery. The delivery request form is available to download on the Town website in the Highway Department Section under "Services" or at the Highway Department during their current seasonal hours; Mon - Thurs 6:30 am - 4:00 pm, Fri 6:30 am - 10:30 am. The home delivery service has already started and will run through the end of May (or until we run out of product). Please call the Highway Department at (585) 872-1443 with any delivery-related questions. I want to thank the leadership of the Highway Department and Parks Department for their team efforts on creating what we think will be a better customer experience for our citizens! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 23, 2022
Webster Police Department - A Community Jewel

The past 2+ years have been both an active and challenging time for the Webster Police Department (WPD) and Law Enforcement in general in the Unites States. Just consider some of these recent events. We've seen the aftermath locally and nationally of George Floyd and Daniel Prude. We've seen the retirement of beloved Webster Police Chief Joe Rieger. We've seen the unceremonious firing of highly respected Rochester Police Chief La'Ron Singletary. We've seen the rampant increased murder rate in the city of Rochester. We've seen politicians scream to defund the police... only to see them later say we need to get more funds to the police when crime increased. All of this, and more has happened since January 2020 and concurrently we try to understand in New York State what new bail reform and discovery demands mean to the process of Law and Order. I could go on and on to the point where it would sound like the Billy Joel song "we didn't start the fire".

However, I'll focus the rest of this article on the happenings in the WPD in the past 2 years. As the microscope on law enforcement conduct intensified in the wake of George Floyd/Daniel Prude, the leadership of the WPD and the Town Board decided to take the "anti- defund the police" tact. As such, Body Cams were demo'd in late 2020 and by 2021 became standard operating procedure. We continue to work out the kinks of these cameras, but all in all, the footage has consistently shown the conduct of the WPD officers was professional and proper when a complainant has stated otherwise. That alone has been worth its weight in gold as society has shifted in the last several years from "giving the Police officer rendition of the interaction the benefit of the doubt over a conflicting rendition of the person taken into custody", to one where the person taken into custody's rendition is often given more credence. Bottom line... a picture may be worth a 1,000 words, but uncut video of a Police interaction can be worth an infinite amount of words to judge with one's own eyes and ears what actually occurred.

In early 2021 an exhaustive search and interview process was conducted to find and hire the next Police Chief. The candidates we met with were beyond impressive. Chief Dennis Kohlmeier was hired and over the past year, he has proven himself to be the "right person for the job, at the right time in history". Dennis has brought an accountability, teamwork, and customer service approach to the department that is so needed in Law enforcement in 2022. Last week, Chief convened a team to interview candidates for the open Lieutenant position created by Shaun Welch's recent retirement. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to be on that team. 4 current Sergeants in the WPD were interviewed. Each one was impressive which made the decision on who to promote all the harder. Ultimately Mark Read was promoted to Lieutenant. What struck me most about the 4 interviews were 2 things; 1. Accountability: The department culture is one where "holding ALL accountable" permeates. It is not just the Chief holding the Lieutenants who report to him directly accountable, but those Lieutenants holding the Chief accountable too. That same philosophy goes from Lieutenant to Sergeant, and Sergeant to Patrol Officers, and vice versa. 2.Listening and compassion/empathy: So many of the actual stories told in these interviews were about how important it is for a Law enforcement officer to listen to the victims of the crime, and also to the accused. They also told how often the people they interact with are going through one of the worst experiences of their life. As such, they try to act in a way they would want their own family to be treated if they were in the situation.

In summary, the job of a Law enforcement officer is difficult and take a special person to do it, and do it well. What I have seen the past 2+ years with the WPD is that its leaders and rank and file are "top notch" and that the Webster community is very fortunate to have them. As always, please feel free to call me at 595-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 16, 2022
The History and Future of Open Space in Webster

The constant in the Town of Webster over the past 100+ years is that it covers 35 square miles which equates to approx. 22,000 acres. 70 years ago, most of this acreage was farmland and the population of the town was around 7,000. Over the years, the farmers sold their land to developers who built houses on that land. The result is that Webster now has a population of 45,000. The downside of the town's population growth is the reduction in open space-undeveloped land. 20 years ago, a referendum was put out to town-wide vote to have the town purchase 3,000 acres for $21 million to keep that land "forever open-undeveloped". The vote did not pass. 2 years later, an amended referendum proposed the town purchase 1,000 acres for $7 million. That vote passed. In 2020 a citizen group approached me soon after I became Supervisor to propose getting another referendum on the ballot for a town wide vote to have the town purchase acreage to be kept forever open-undeveloped. This ad hoc Green Space Committee will hereafter be referenced as "the GC". Throughout 2020 we met, albeit virtually due to COVID. These meetings started to clarify specifics of the overall vision the GC had of "have a referendum to have town citizens vote on the town buying land to be kept forever open-undeveloped".

The consulting firm who the town contracted with 20 years ago on the last land referendum was brought into these meetings. By early 2021, we were ready to have a series of Town Board Workshops on this. Those workshops were on February 25, 2021, and June 24, 2021. The result of them was 2-fold; 1. the town cost would be approx. $250,000 just to get to a referendum on the ballot with NO guarantee the town citizens would vote yes, and 2. the timing of the referendum was not going to occur in November 2021 but would be targeted for November 2022. In mid-2021, we convened the GC with Friends of Webster Trails (FTW) and the Town Parks and Rec leadership. The purpose of the meetings was to try and leverage the effort of all 3 entities on the project to identify open space parcels that could be pursued to be on a November 2022 referendum. The FTW has worked with the town for years on maintaining trails throughout Town owned land. The FTW and GC had aligned goals in that they both would like to see the town obtain more open space land. The FTW looks for strategic land that abuts current town owned land/trails that could be incorporated into the current trail system. This consortium was hopefully going to do the leg work on a volunteer basis to avoid $250,000 cost per the 2020 Town Board Workshop presentations.

As such, it identified 85 parcels of land that aggregated to 2,300 acres and in August 2021 a letter was sent out to these parcel owners on Town letterhead and signed by the Supervisor that essentially said, "If you are interested in selling or donating your land to the town for the purpose of being forever green-undeveloped... let's talk". Over the past 6 months since that letter was sent, various members of the GC, FWT and the town have spoken or met with these property owners to vet both a) their interest and b) if a mutually agreed on price can be negotiated if they are interested. To date approx. 35 of those parcel owners have conveyed they are not interested or the price they would want for selling to the town was determined to be exorbitant to propose on a referendum. Unfortunately, about 20 of the remaining 50 parcel owners we have not heard from, even though efforts have been made since the letter sending in August 2021 to call, e-mail them etc. As such, over the next 4-6 weeks, we are trying to visit those property owners in person to gauge their interest. By early May 2022 it is assumed the GC, FWT and Town Parks dept. leadership we will be back at a Town Board Workshop to give the Town Board an update on the aforementioned efforts so we can determine if the process of getting a referendum on the November 2022 ballot makes sense. Stay tuned!!!
As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 9, 2022
How the current situation in Ukraine touches Webster

On Sunday March 6th a Ukrainian support rally was held at Webster Town Hall. Local Ukrainian leaders had reached out to Town Government officials to request Town Hall be the venue for this rally. In light of what is going on in the world currently, it was determined that it was the "right thing to do" to have Town Hall as the venue for this rally. Approximately 200-300 people attended this rally on "sunny and 70 degree" early March afternoon. All 5 members of the Webster Town Board were in attendance, and the Ukrainian leadership presented us with a Ukrainian flag. The wind was howling that day, so it was not until Monday morning March 7th that the Ukrainian flag was raised on the Town Hall flagpole. From what I can tell from my research, this is an unprecedented event in the history of Webster to have another country's flag flying on the Town hall flagpole with the United States flag. We made certain the manner in which this flag was presented with the United States flag was appropriate to our country's laws and customs. How long we will fly this Ukrainian flag is unknown at this time. However, I'd like to think that the combination of 1. How things continue to occur in the Ukraine, and 2. Webster Town leaders in concert with Ukrainian leaders in the Webster community will provide the answer to that.

I think it is very important to understand and respect the Ukrainian influence and presence in our great town of Webster. The Ukrainian Culture Center of Rochester is located in our town on Jackson Road. We have hundreds of Ukrainian American citizens in Webster. These and many other reasons were why Town leadership decided it was "appropriate" to raise the Ukrainian flag on our Town Hall flagpole and to allow Town Hall to be the venue for this rally. To me, it is surreal that we hosted 4 Ukrainian dignitaries at a Webster Town Board meeting in mid-2021 in celebration of the Ukraine's 30th anniversary of independence, and now less than 1 year later that independent country status of Ukraine is being threatened by an unprovoked military operation by Russia. Talking to several Ukrainian Americans at the rally was a heartbreaking experience as you heard stories and fears of their family members still in the Ukraine. I'm writing this article on Monday morning March 7th so by the time you are reading it, the situation in the Ukraine may be very different than it is now. Hopefully, the difference is better. Regardless, I hope that our Webster community can come together to support our Ukrainian brothers and sisters at this time. I hope we also respect our Russian American community too at this time. They should not be punished for the acts of ONE man who from all I can tell is taking action that is NOT supported by his own citizens. One last thing on this.... I have always loved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's quote that 'injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere". To me, this current situation in the Ukraine is exactly what Dr. King was thinking. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 2, 2022
Should we change Town Code on Fences and Sheds?

This past Thursday, February 24th at the Town Board Workshop, Town Director of Community Development, Josh Artuso presented a "past, present, and potential future" on the Town codes that govern fence heights and shed setbacks from property lines. I could not help to think while watching and listening to Josh' presentation and the Q and A that came after that this fence/shed issue is a microcosm of the Town of Webster's past, present, and potential future. From a global perspective, the challenge of the next update to the Town's 2008 Comprehensive Plan will be to create zoning, codes, and "vision" that is commensurate with what the Town of Webster citizens want in 2022 and beyond. So how do you respect and honor the rich history of the Town of Webster's farming and agricultural roots, and create a future that is representative of what the community is today? That "global" question may be guided by this "granular" fence and shed issue.

The current codes for fence heights and shed setbacks off property lines were put in place between 1940 and 1950. The one constant in the last 70-80 years is that the town covers approx. 35 square miles. The biggest changes have been population and property owner lot sizes in that time. The 2020 census reflects the town has approx. 45,000 people or about 1,300 people per square mile. In the 1940-1950 time period the town population was approx. 6,000 people or 175 people per square mile. The current fence code states a 4-foot-high fence can be on the property line, but 6 foot high fences and higher have to be "inside" the property line. How many feet inside the property line gets greater as you go from 6 feet high to 8 foot high, etc. The current shed setback code states 15 feet from the property lines on the sides and back of the lot.

These current fence height and shed setbacks made a lot of sense when the average lot size may have been an acre or more back in the 1940's. However, with the development of subdivisions in the past 30 years in Webster, most of those lots are a half-acre or less and these current codes can be problematic. Smaller back yards mean that 15-foot setbacks for sheds and/or 6-foot fences being inside the property line can result in NO compliant place in the yard to put a shed. Property owners still have the remedy option of going to the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals to ask for a variance to have their 6-foot fence on the property line and/or their shed less than 15 feet set back. However, the smaller lots in subdivisions in recent years are causing more such applications for variances. Furthermore, only 3 other of the 19 Monroe County towns have current codes similar to Webster on fences and sheds and those 3 towns have significantly less population and "people per square mile" than Webster. Over the next few months, we most likely will be drafting new codes on these fences and shed setbacks. Within that process at least one public hearing will be held to get citizen feedback. In the meantime, I invite you to visit the town website and view Josh Artuso's presentation from the February 24th workshop. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 23, 2022
Are All Politics Local?

This is a 2-chapter article. Chapter 1 is theory and philosophy. The old saying is "All Politics are Local". I have often wondered exactly what that means? First of all, I guess you have to define the difference between Politics and government. Government essentially has four levels: Federal, State, County, and City/Town/Village. So, which of those 4 do you consider "local"? I think we can all agree that the Town of Webster government is local. But do you also consider Monroe County's government local? One thing is for certain... we pay taxes to ALL four of those government levels.

There is another old saying/question... Does good politics lead to good government, or does good government lead to good politics? I for one am a proponent of the latter. This may be oversimplified, but to me if you govern with a compass of "doing the right thing for your constituents", you will have an end product that creates good politics regardless of the political party you are in. The "good government" compass cannot be based on the "I'm 100% right, and you're 100% wrong". Unfortunately, sometimes in the world we live in today, that 100% right/100% wrong dominates the narrative. To me, that is "purely politics" and that does NOT lead to good government.

Chapter 2 of this article has to do with actual events happening the past few months that will definitely affect ALL resident of Webster. The New York State Government has proposed legislation that at its core, is trying to promote more affordable housing options/opportunities in the state. However, when you peel back the onion on the details of this legislation, it erodes the local town government's Home Rule components of controlling its zoning. An example of the consequences of this legislation passing at the state level is that if you own a single family home in Webster in a subdivision, on a quarter acre lot, and have neighbors on each side of you that own the same..... those neighbors could build a second house on their quarter acre lot that could potentially be right up to your property line. Currently, local zoning in the town of Webster would never allow that, but that would be trumped if this state law passed.

Last week, Governor Hochul backed off this proposed legislation citing pushback from local governments. (i.e. there are over 900 towns in New York) However, she left the door open to bring it back in the future after further analysis. In the past 2-3 weeks leading up to the Governor's decision, the 19 Monroe County Town Supervisors comprised of Democrats and Republicans met on a few occasions to devise our unified approach to letting our State Assembly, State Senate and Governor know we oppose this. Within our discussions, all the town Supervisors agree that having more affordable housing is a good thing... we just think there are other incentive-based ways to go about creating that end goal. We also were very unified on the slippery slope it is when the State government does laws that minimize or eliminate our local ability to craft local laws, zoning, etc. in our communities in the manner our constituents want. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 16, 2022
Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)- Town Sewer Plant upgrade

In last week's article, EPC was introduced. This part 2 will get into more detail on how EPC works, and why the Town of Webster decided to go this route in their $31 million phase 2 upgrade of the Phillips Road Sewer plant. An EPC is a contractual agreement between the Town and an energy service company for turn-key services, including project scope development, engineering design, construction, and post-construction services. In this arrangement, the energy service company is the prime contractor, with all companies needed for the project (engineers, contractors, consultants, etc.) being subcontractors to them. In the contract, the energy service company also provides a financial and performance guarantee that annual benefits and new revenue will be realized for an agreed upon length of time. This guarantee places responsibility on the energy service company to ensure there is a direct and beneficial connection between engineering design decisions and the post-construction performance of the facility.

Three Reasons to Consider Energy Performance Contracting:

#1 - Total Cost Predictability: During the engineering design, there is a continuous financial evaluation of design considerations — weighing the impact of each on construction price versus long-term operating cost. The goal is to ensure a small cost savings in construction doesn’t create a large cost increase in operations. In an EPC, the construction price is determined between the Town and the energy service company during the engineering phase before the EPC is approved. This minimizes the price uncertainty between the engineer’s price estimate and the actual contractor “municipal bid” price.
Improved anaerobic digesters and the biosolids dryer create the opportunity for the Town to obtain new sources of revenue from accepting outside waste. This revenue potential is established during engineering design, and the energy service company would provide a contractual guarantee on a minimum annual revenue that the Town could plan on for debt repayment or to cover operating costs.

#2 - Active Risk Management: Traditionally, the Town hires an engineer to create a complete set of engineered drawings and specifications, and next, the Town bid these drawings to contractors to obtain the “responsible municipal bidder’s” price. But when design errors are identified after construction begins, the Town is responsible for the error and the contractor gets the change order. This is how cost overruns occur in traditional construction. By contrast, in an EPC, the engineer is a subcontractor to the energy service company, and not the Town. This transfers design responsibility, and associated risk, from the Town to the energy service company. This minimizes the risk of costly change orders, beyond issues of unforeseen and subsurface conditions. The Town will negotiate a construction scope knowing the agreed-upon price will not increase because of design issues. In a traditional municipal bidding procurement, the Town has multiple contracts to manage Biosolids disposal management, organics support services, equipment maintenance, and staff training can be included in the contract. In a traditional municipal bidding procurement, the contractor has short-term start-up responsibilities for equipment and typically provides a one-year warranty. There are no guarantees on facility performance. In contrast, the long-term financial guarantee provided by the energy service company — up to 20 years — creates a direct connection between the construction price, long-term operating costs, expected benefits, and new revenue sources.

#3 - Cooperative Decision-Making Process and Timely Project Delivery: The traditional municipal bidding procurement process is inherently linear, can be slow to implement, and is not structured for collaboration. EPC is an adaptive and responsive process that removes the linearity of the traditional design/bid/build process. The Town will have flexibility to adjust the scope of work throughout the design process until a final scope and price are agreed upon. In addition, the construction contractors are early participants in the development process, improving a project’s constructability and therefore reducing costs. This collaboration allows the Town to consider numerous project scenarios to determine which will best meet their overall project technical goals and financial constraints. For projects where an aggressive construction schedule and timing of completion are critical, EPC is a flexible and smart choice. Techniques such as phased contracting, early equipment procurement, and construction shop drawings created during design can save months on the construction schedule and, ultimately, save the Town money. Regarding equipment selection, the Town may wish to standardize on certain products or systems for ease of operations and maintenance or because of positive past experiences. To accomplish that in a traditional design/bid/build procurement, they need to write a very detailed specification that only a certain product can meet, attempt to sole source it (often at a price premium), or hope it is provided by the contractor. In performance contracting, the Town meet their procurement obligation through the competitive selection of the energy service company. This allows for the Town to provide direction on preferred equipment brands and contractors that have done quality work for them.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-857-1399 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 9, 2022:
Open mindedness to something different

At the Thursday February 3rd Webster Town Board meeting, a resolution was passed to name Navitas as the company that the Town will enter into a contract with for Energy performance within the Town Sewer plant's phase 2 construction. As Town Supervisor I stated after this resolution that "it seemed almost anti-climactic that the motion and resolution took 90 seconds after months of due diligence on this decision". The fact is that Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) is something that heretofore the Town has never entertained within municipal construction projects. It's a phenomenon born out of New York State energy law Article 9. The purpose of that article is to obtain long term energy and cost savings for municipalities.

In the 2017 timeframe when the Town and its engineers were discerning phase 2 of the Phillips Road sewer plant upgrade, it was estimated that it would be a $20 million "asset replenishment" project. Such asset replenishment was similar to the phase 1 upgrade that cost $12 million and was completed in 2021. Simply said, asset replenishment is replacing old equipment with new, but with no real technological upgrades to create return on investment (ROI). In 2020 and 2021 the Town Sewer department's leaders, Art Petrone and Rick Kenealy toured some sewer facilities in New York and Pennsylvania that had incorporated ROI aspects to their upgrades and not just asset replenishment. The impetus for researching this was the skyrocketing annual costs of sludge disposal at the Webster Sewer plant. That cost had doubled in the past few years from approx. $250,000 to $500,000 annually due to the supply-demand challenges of landfills that take sewer sludge.

Art and Rick worked with Barton and Loguidice engineers and came up with a proposal in mid-2021 that would increase the cost of phase 2 at the Phillips Rd. plant from the $20 million in 2017 to $31 million now. The big difference was the addition of $11 million of ROI technology on top of the $20 million asset replenishment. Over the next 6+ months, the due diligence on this proposal was robust and was reflected in the fact that it was a topic at almost ALL Town Board meetings and workshops. It was determined that the $11 million in ROI technology "paid for itself day 1", in the revenue production and cost savings it created.

Those could be used to pay the annual bonding/debt on that $11 million and still created more cashflow to be used to cover the bonding/debt on the $20 million asset replenishment. A big part of this ROI was energy savings. As such, it qualified to be a candidate for EPC within Article 9. The biggest challenge to the Town actually considering EPC was its lack of knowledge and experience on it. Basically, it is a completely different methodology to a municipal construction project than the traditional "design by engineer and build by contractors". So, we "dug in" and did the research and due diligence to see if "different" was actually better.

This was not intuitive by ALL involved in this collaborative process and in fact some said initially "I've never heard of EPC so I can't get behind the Town doing it on the sewer project". To all's credit, professionalism won out over human frailty fears of "things different". The Town Board and several Department Heads met with many EPC firms and subject matter experts to get educated on the pros and cons of EPC as it pertained to our $31 million project. That culminated with the February 3rd Town Board resolution to do EPC. In next week's Webster Herald, I'll present part 2 to this article on just how EPC works. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 2, 2022:
Leadership of the Town of Webster Government Services

Leadership. Has there ever been one word more analyzed and debated as to "How to do it"? Autocratic or collaborative? Goal or means oriented? Those are just a few and believe me, there are many more. I guess the most simplistic end product created by good leadership is that the Organization being led, including its personnel and customers are in a better place at point B than they were at point A. To fully assess whether the leadership was good using the "end product" theory often takes years. For example, it is easy to say in 2022 that Winston Churchill was a great leader of England during World War II because we know the end product. However, during the 1940-1945 timeframe, Churchill was criticized by many. How would history judge Churchill as a leader had the allies not won?

That is the great challenge of leadership. While you are in the midst of it, you have NO guarantees of the end product. Herb Brooks coached the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team in a most "unconventional manner". Had the team finished 7th, he most likely would be judged as a quack for the tactics he used. So how is the Town of Webster Government, its employees, and the services it provides for its citizens led? A common misperception is that the leadership solely lies in the 5-person elected Town Board, including me as Town Supervisor. No doubt that the Town Board ultimately makes local laws and decides via majority vote within the Representative Republic that our government is. However, in my opinion the reality is that the elected Town Board's most important leadership role is the hiring and/or appointment of the fourteen (14) department heads. To me, it is tantamount to the President of the United States decision on a Supreme Court Justice.

If chosen correctly, these department heads will effectuate the culture of the over 350 full and part time employees of the Town. As such, the service level to the citizens of Webster will be affected on a day-to-day basis much more so than the local laws set by the Town Board. Since January 2020 the Town has welcomed nine new department heads: Josh Artuso- Director of Community Development, Mary Herington- Town Engineer, Chris Bilow- Parks and Rec Commissioner, Pat Stephens- Highway Superintendent, Dennis Kohlmeier- Police Chief, Brayton Connard- Director of Human Resources, Dolly Maguire- Town Clerk/Tax Receiver, Rick Kenealy- Chief Operator Sanitary Sewers, and Adam Traub- Library Director.

I've said it is bittersweet when a department head of 20+ years retires. The bitter part is the loss of institutional knowledge. The sweet part is the opportunity that comes with newness and change. By far the thing I am most proud of in my first 2+ years as Town Supervisor is the manner in which WE collaboratively went about searching, vetting, and ultimately hiring these new department heads. These new department heads will be here long after I am done as Town Supervisor. Their expertise, and Leadership will benefit the personnel in their departments and the Webster citizens they service for years to come! As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 26, 2022:
Federal and State Supreme Court Rulings on Masking/Vaccination Proof

January 2022 has proven to be quite eventful on the legal front of the COVID "Masking or proof of Vaccination" mandates. These legal fronts affect both New York State and Federal mandates on Masking/Vaccination. On the federal level, on January 13th the United States Supreme Court ruled against the OSHA ETS mandate. So what does that all mean? First of all, OSHA is an acronym for U.S Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ETS is an acronym for Emergency Temporary Standard. On November 5, 2021, the OSHA ETS mandated that employers of over 100 people needed to set up policy to "Mask and weekly test if unvaccinated, or prove full vaccination and not have to wear a mask or be tested". Then, once that employer's policy was set up, a few weeks later it needed to be implemented. Not surprisingly, this was a controversial mandate that added to the COVID divisiveness already prevalent. Some employers decided to take a more stringent stand on this, and essentially mandated employees prove they are fully vaccinated by a certain date or lose their job. OSHA got pushback and a federal stay was put on the OSHA ETS. During this stay, the policy/execution dates were moved from December 6/January 4th to January 10th/February 6th. In early January 2022 the U.S. Supreme Court heard attorney oral arguments "for and against it" and ultimately decided against it. As such, on January 13, 2022, OSHA withdrew its ETS.

On the New York State level, Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency on November 26, 2021. On December 10th the Governor announced that within that State of Emergency she was mandating that as of December 13, 2021 that ALL public places needed to have employees and visitors either mask, or prove full vaccination status. There could be no combining of this, so the employer had to choose "ALL employees and visitors mask, or ALL employees and visitors prove full vaccination to enter". Originally the Governor said this mandate would expire on January 15th, 2022, but subsequently extended it to February 1st. The Governor got pushback, and on January 24th State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker ruled that the State department of Health did not have the legal authority to implement a mandate and said in his ruling "it is therefore void and unenforceable". Governor Hochul responded to the ruling by stating "she will fight the decision".

In parallel to these federal and New York State mandates, and court rulings the past 30 days, we have seen the Omicron COVID variant increase the number of positive tests in Monroe County from 486 on December 22nd, to a high of over 2,000 on January 8th, to 450 on January 24th. Those 30-days stats of positive tests appear to mirror other communities where Omicron became present prior to it getting to Monroe County (High positivity rate over a very short period of time) Hospitalizations and ICU stats in Monroe County followed the trend of the positive COVID tests, with the overwhelming majority of them being Unvaccinated. In summary.... as we enter February 2022 hopefully both the legal wrangling on COVID and the positive test cases, hospitalizations and ICU continue to minimize or go away all together!!! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 20, 2022
Electronic Town Meetings in 2022

How can the Town of Webster government communicate better with its citizens? If you have read my Supervisor’s Corner articles the past 2+ years, you know the answer is multi tentacled. A weekly Newspaper like the Webster Herald is just one of those tentacles. Several years ago, the Town devised a TV show called the "Electronic Town Meeting". It's mission has been to present pertinent town topics/issues, and have guests to help in the presentation and Q and A of those topics/issues. Often those guests were department heads such as the Highway Superintendent or Town Assessor. Phone calls often were taken from citizens watching it live and answers were given to the questions they had. It has historically been hosted by the President of the Webster Chamber of Commerce and the Webster Town Supervisor. Initially it aired on Cable channel 1303 in Webster, but over the years has grown to also be live streamed on the Town Website and other social media platforms. Citizens can also watch the taped episodes at later dates if they'd like.

In 2022, the first Electronic Town Meeting will be on Wednesday February 16th at 7PM. Barry Howard from the Chamber of Commerce and yours truly as Town Supervisor are the co-hosts this year. The plan is to do these live shows every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7PM. They will run for 30-60 minutes depending on the # of guests and/or topics/issues that will be addressed. We hope to have citizen participation via phone calls in during the meeting. We are looking to change some things in 2022 and the future on this production. These changes are intended to "get more citizen participation" in both the live production and the subsequent taped segments. These changes include but are not limited to the following:

1. Branding change from the current Electronic Town Meeting name: We'd like the name of the "show" to be more representative of what it is. It is a live TV/streamed show that has topics/issues pertinent to the Webster Citizens. Heretofore, the citizen's involvement in this show has been via call ins during it. We'd like to have help from the citizens in ideas of what to rename it. To do that, the citizens need to see some other changes we seek to make in 2022 and the future. 2. Citizen input on topics/issues/guest for the show: We're hoping that future meeting topics/issues and guests can be suggested by our citizens. They often have the best "finger on the pulse" of what's important to them and what they want to hear about. 3. questions coming in LIVE during the show via e-mail and/or social media: Some of us like using the phone.... some like e-mail and/or social media to ask questions. 4. 10-30 second social media posts edited from the 30–60-minute show: It’s hoped that each show can produce 10-12 of these posts over the month following the show. For those who don't want to sit through the 30–60-minute live show, or watch all of it on tape, these 10-12 posts may appeal to them.

In summary, we really are excited for the future of this show and how it can fit into the overall communication system we have at the Town with its citizens. As always please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 12, 2022:
Volunteer versus Employee-The future of the Special Police in Webster

Two weeks ago, my Supervisor's Corner article in the Webster Herald was about Volunteerism. If you have followed my 2-years+ of articles, you know I am a huge proponent of volunteerism. Simply said, organizations and communities are better when more people get involved. Because of my feelings on volunteerism, I've been troubled by the manifestation of the events of the last 20+ years, and specifically the last 2 years within the organization structure of the Special Police in the Town of Webster, and what it means for the future of this "jewel" volunteer organization in Webster in 2022 and beyond.

Much of this manifestation has been triggered by New York State government bail reform as of January 2020. Bail reform meant certain defendants who previously were escorted into town court by the Monroe County Sheriffs in handcuffs, now were walking into town court on appearance tickets. This made Special Police leadership concerned on the safety of their "unarmed" volunteer officers that have run the weapons screening for Webster Town Court. The Special Police volunteers have historically done court security, traffic control, and a uniformed presence for the Webster community events. The volunteers of that force did not feel safe doing court security without being additionally "armed" beyond their current pepper spray and batons. That feeling of "not being safe" could have been met with either the town leadership a) arming them or b) removing them. The town opted for the latter. As such, in the 2nd half of 2021 and going into 2022 court security is handled by paid, armed, 3rd party firm.

Traffic control and event security was also brought into this risk management in mid-2021 as Special Police leadership wanted more clarity on the insurance coverages for the volunteers when they were deployed. The answer was disturbing. Essentially, these citizens of the Webster community volunteering their time had only partial workers comp coverage and a small death benefit insurance coverage should something happen to them while volunteering for the town. The options for the town leadership were, a) putting them back out there or b) de-activating them from details until we could "figure this out". The town opted for the latter and since September 2021 the Special Police have not been present at events like the Turkey Trot and the Village Christmas parade.

On Tuesday January 4, 2022, Webster Police Chief Dennis Kohlmeier, Deputy Town Supervisor Patti Cataldi and myself met for 2 hours with the Special Police Chief Mike Charland and the 12 of the 18 officers on the roster at that time. At that meeting a summary of the last 6+ months of due diligence on these "risk management" issues was presented. The compass the town has had during the past 6+ months has been to "fix the risk issues so that the Special Police volunteers can get back to doing what they have a passion for.... serving the Webster Community". Unfortunately, the 6-month process became like "pealing an onion" and more issues arose. It appears that the Auxiliary Police that was formed in the mid 1950's was converted to Special Police in the late 1990’s when Monroe County disbanded the Auxiliary Police. This changed the legal structure of their organization and the authority they operated under. Sometime in the 2005 timeframe, the Webster Special Police pursued becoming Peace officers in New York State. That "action" of being a certified Peace Officer had the unintended consequence of muddying the waters on the Webster Special Police volunteer/unpaid status. I am not sure why it took until the last 2 years to find out between the Town Board, Webster Police Department, and Special Police the disconnect between being a certified Peace Officer and being an unpaid/volunteer of the Webster Special Police.

What I do know, is that NOW we know it and we need to do something about it for "all parties involved". At the Thursday January 6, 2022 Town Board meeting, over 1 hour was dedicated to this issue. I invite you to go to the town website to watch the video of it. On Thursday January 13, 2022, the Town Board Workshop will have time dedicated to this issue. I invite you to attend that meeting in person or to watch live on the town website or social media platforms. The two things I am emboldened on from the past 2 years as Town Supervisor and getting to see the incredible value the Special Police brings to the Webster community are 1) The current organizational structure of the Special Police is "broken/disconnected" and needs to be discontinued and 2) That certain representatives from the Town Board, Webster Police Department, current Special Police force and community need to be organized in an ad-hoc committee to ASAP come up with an organizational structure that MAKES SENSE for all parties in 2022 and beyond in the Webster community. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 5, 2022:

The COVID Challenge in January 2022... Mask, Vaccinate, Test, etc.

Happy New Year Webster!!! I truly believe that 2022 will be the end of COVID. The Spanish flu in 1918-1920 essentially has followed the same path we've seen with COVID in 2020-2022. That alone should give us confidence that by Spring/Summer of this year the Pandemic will have run its course. The two (2) big differences between the Spanish Flu and COVID have been 1. the "flattening of the curve" we have achieved with COVID that has lengthened the time of the Pandemic, but has saved lives, and 2. Technological advances in the past 100 years that gave us a "shot" that reduces the risk of getting COVID, or of getting a lethal case of it.

Unfortunately, before the COVID pandemic "officially" runs its course, we will continue to deal with the "direct and indirect" challenges of it. The direct challenges are pretty straight forward; how to avoid getting COVID and the Omicron variant of it, and if you do get it, trying to minimize the symptoms and spread. The indirect challenges are more tricky as they are a mixture of human nature/interaction and government mandates. A lot of the human nature/interaction part of this spawns off the Government mandates. The "lines have been drawn" in many ways as to things like pro-mask versus anti-mask, and pro-vaccinate versus anti vaccinate. Often people reference the science they prescribe to as the reason they are adamant to the side they are on of masking and vaccinating. But what science is accurate? And is it possible that BOTH ends of the spectrum of these "sciences" have merit?

The Town of Webster government, its employees, and visitors to its 5-7 facilities have been dealing with these indirect challenges for the past 2+ months now. The federal OSHA ETS mandate of "employee prove vaccination or mask/test weekly" was discussed at the November 15th Town Board workshop. At that time, the policy adoption date was December 6th and execution as of January 3rd. However, the federal "stay" on the mandate and the New York State PESH aspect to this federal mandate muddied the water as to whether the Town of Webster had to move forward with the time deadlines on it. Ultimately, the Town Board decided to take "no action" while the federal stay was in place. However, while the Town Board was discerning this decision the human nature/interaction aspect came roaring in from the almost 400 full and permanent part-time employees of the town, and the 3 unions that represent them. In the end, some were happy we took no action and said it was the "right thing to do", and some thought we showed no backbone of leadership by NOT enforcing it.

Then, along comes New York State in late November with Governor Hochul's state of emergency declaration, and subsequent December 10th mandate that "as of December 13th, ALL public places have to have employees and visitors prove vaccination or they all need to mask while in the facility". The Town of Webster opted for the latter of masking and have been doing so for its employees and visitors since Monday, December 13th. Originally the Governor’s mandate was to expire on January 15, 2022 but she recently extended it to February 1, 2022. Now, OSHA ETS comes back into play as attorney oral arguments are scheduled on the federal stay for January 7th and the deadlines of adoption of policy and execution have been moved out to mid-January/early February. Are you confused yet? I know I am!!! In summary, at the Thursday, January 13th Town Board workshop, Human Resources Director Brayton Connard will be giving an update on OSHA ETS/PESH and the NYS emergency declaration. I invite ALL Webster citizens to attend this meeting or to watch it live on the various website and social media platforms it is played on. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 30, 2021
The challenges to Volunteerism going into 2022

The dictionary definition of volunteerism is "the act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service". Why a person or group volunteers their time and talent is harder to define. There is a social aspect to volunteerism. In years past, it is why secular groups like the Elks and Kiwanis, and faith based groups like the Knights of Columbus thrived. There is a personal gratification aspect to it. As we mature we find that "giving" of ourselves is often the thing that gives one's life purpose. It seems like volunteerism is being challenged as we go into 2022. Why is that? I suppose there are a myriad of reasons, but I'll focus on three (3);
1. Perceived or real lack of time: When I was growing up in the late 1970's/early 1980's, my parents volunteered in a lot of organizations. There were a lot of things different in society back then as compared to today. For example, Parents usually did not go to any of their kid's sports practices. There were 3 channels on TV. Most jobs were 9-5 Monday- Friday. There was no internet, social media, or cell phones. Fast forward 40+ years later to 2022 and you can see how the 30-50 year old demographic that is busy raising kids and working to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table can be stressed for any free time to recreate much less volunteer. The result is that many of the volunteer organizations out there today are manned by the 60 or older population.
2. Socializing: In the past, Volunteering to an organization often became a key aspect of someone's social life. As stated prior in this article, 40+ years ago there were not the mechanisms available today to keep some one "connected" like the internet. As such, people's connections were "in person" and often included being a volunteer in an organization. Sadly, the mechanisms available today to "stay connected" may also contribute to the lack of "in person" connectivity that is foundational to volunteerism. I've heard several people say "I'm friends with that person on Facebook".... but have not actually seen that person in years, and in some cases have never met them. It has also fostered a sad by product that it is easier to be alone and type on a keyboard than it is to actually be with other human beings. COVID has certainly not helped on this.
3. Personal satisfaction: It is said that there is nothing we do for 100% altruistic reasons. I happen to believe that. In fact I think it is quite natural that when you do something for the greater good of your community you have a great sense of personal satisfaction from it. The erosion of this personal satisfaction that has historically come from volunteerism is difficult to attribute to one thing. However, I know from my own experiences in some volunteer groups that I have been associated with over the years, the demands and/or criticisms of the volunteers have become heightened. Many youth sports organizations find a high level of burnout by their volunteers due to this.

So as we go into 2022, I ask you to consider 2 things; 1. Consider volunteering in 2022! and 2. Be thankful to the volunteers you come across at various organizations. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 22, 2021
A Holiday Present for the Sandbar Park Project

Last week was quite an eventful one for the Sandbar Park project on two (2) fronts: 1. Financing the $9.5 million flood mitigation and park improvements On Wednesday December 15th, the Town of Webster was informed it has been awarded an additional $2.3 million in grants from the State of New York for the Sandbar Park project. Therefore, the Town has secured over $5.3 million in grants and dedicated funds for this $9.5 million project, reducing the use of local funds to a maximum of $4.2 million. The Town will continue to pursue other grants and funding sources to further reduce bonding/indebtedness. It should be noted that the Town is finalizing the design and construction plans on the initial phases of this important quality of life investment, totaling $9.5 million. On November 4th, the Town Board approved two (2) bond resolutions to authorize the required $9.5 million in spending to ensure the project has sufficient funding to be completed. These two (2) bond resolutions were comprised of $4 million for flood mitigation/roadway improvements, and $5.5 million for the Sandbar park improvements. It should be clarified that the action taken on November 4th authorized the Town Board to borrow up to $9.5 million, essentially creating a line of credit towards the use of the project. This most recent grant award means that at worst, the town will bond/go into debt $4.2 million on the flood mitigation/park improvements "pending" any future grants applied for and awarded.

2. The new Bar/Restaurant building: On Thursday December 16th the Town Board approved advertising for Expression of Interest by local bar/restaurant owners to run the bar/restaurant that will be in the new building that will be built on the foundation where the current Bayside Pub is. The parameters of this expression of interest were crafted by a volunteer citizen committee over the past 2-3 months. That citizen committee was unified in its desire to have a bar/restaurant that kept the genre and culture of the current Bayside Pub. The initial cost estimates of the new building are $1.5 million and are based on a 2,400 square foot 1-story structure. What we know is that $200,000 in REDI grants have been obtained by the town for this new building. However, the end cost of this building, and how much the town needs to bond/in debt for it will not be known until the following are determined including but not limited to; a) Awarded Bar/Restaurant owner vision including square foot and accouterments inside and outside, and b) negotiated upfront monies the awarded bar/Restaurant owner will be paying toward the construction of this building. (i.e. the more the restaurant/bar owner pays upfront as essentially leasehold improvements, the less their monthly rent will be, and the less the town will have to bond/in debt for the building).

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 15, 2021:
Covid masking in Town of Webster facilities and COVID rapid test drive-thru event

Every action has a reaction, or multiple reactions. One thing we have learned in the almost two years that COVID has seemed to dominate our lives is that the "action" of COVID tests being positive, people in hospitals, and/or people in ICU has created "reactions" as to how we have to live our lives. As such, there are two major things occurring this week in the Town of Webster:

1. MANDATORY MASKING IN TOWN OF WEBSTER GOVERNMENT FACILITIES: With COVID cases increasing in the past few months, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on November 26, 2021. On Friday, December 10th Governor Hochul announced within that state of emergency that all public facilities as of Monday, December 13th either have to have mandatory masking for employees and visitors/patrons, or that vaccination needs to be proven by all employees and visitors. Due to the issues that "checking/proving" vaccination presents, the town government of Webster has opted for mandatory masking in their facilities for ALL employees and visitors as of Monday, December 13th. As such, NO checking of vaccination status will be done. The state of emergency is through January 15, 2022. We will keep a watchful eye on any updates that come from New York State and the governor on this.

2. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18TH RAPID COVID TEST DRIVE-THRU EVENT: The Town of Webster in partnership with Monroe County has obtained several thousand 2-packs of COVID rapid tests. On Saturday December 18th between 10AM and 2PM these test kits will be distributed at a drive-thru event at Xerox building 147 parking lot located off of Orchard St., near Phillips Road. Each car will be given ONE 2-pack of Rapid COVID tests. Residency of the Town/Village of Webster will be needed, by showing a Driver’s License or current utility bill. Several towns/municipalities did their drive-thru distribution events last Saturday, December 11th. Town leadership decided to hold off on the Webster drive-thru event until Saturday, December 18th so that we could get an accurate count of the 2-packs we received from the County on Thursday, December 9th. We wanted to make sure we assessed certain citizen groups in town that may need test packets that would be unable to come through the drive-thru event. Being able to supply these test packets the week of December 13-17th will better position us for the Saturday, December 18th event. Please visit our website for additional information on this event.
As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 8, 2021:
80th Remembrance Anniversary of Pearl Harbor

This past Tuesday, December 7th, was the 80th remembrance anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Most of the people who were alive back in 1941 and were old enough at the time to remember it have most likely passed away by now. If still with us, the actual military personnel and civilians who were at Pearl Harbor that day, would be close to or over 100 years old now. When it happened, President Roosevelt called it "a day that will live in infamy". The saying goes that "if you don't learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it". So, what does an event like Pearl Harbor mean to Americans 80 years after it occurred? First of all, it is hard for us in 2021 to relate to people who lived back in 1941. The United States was just coming out of the great depression. All of the late teen/early 20's military had grown up in the 1930’s with a perspective on life that we can't really grasp in 2021. Struggle, poverty, and being self-sufficient were the things that were overriding factors that formed them. In years to come, they would come to be known as the "Greatest Generation".

However, on December 7, 1941 on that early Sunday morning in Hawaii, they were just doing their duty as Americans. They may have been still in bed on the U.S.S. Arizona after a Saturday night in town. The attack was sudden, surprising, and devastating. When it was done most of the United States South Pacific naval fleet was in ruins. Over 2,400 people died and another 1,000 injured. It ushered the United States into World War II. Three and a half years later in 1945, the war would end with the Allies victorious in both Europe and the South Pacific. Victory came at a high cost. Over 400,000 Americans lost their lives fighting for freedom in that war. With the benefit of hindsight, we can see why the moxie Americans had back in 1941 forged from years of struggle in the Great Depression made them perfectly suited to rise up and win World War II. Pearl Harbor and the war did not build their character, it revealed it.

Whether your 10, 50, or 80 years old in 2021, there are lessons that can be learned from the Greatest Generation. They did not initiate the battle, but when called to react they stepped up, won our freedom, and sacrificed in ways we may not ever be able to comprehend. We should all be eternally grateful for them and honor them by trying to mimic their selfless ways. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 1, 2021:

Part 2- Decision 2022 for Webster - Opt in or out on legal recreational Marijuana dispensaries in Town

Part 1 of this story was 6 months ago in my Supervisor's Corner article in the June 9, 2021 Webster Herald edition. At that time, I stated that I had not really started my due diligence and/or "getting educated" on this issue but that the town board and I would do the work necessary to make sure this was a "fact based" decision and not an emotional one. I'm proud to say that to date, the Town Board has done everything it said it would do within that June 9th article on the due diligence needed on this decision.

Some highlights of what has been done in the past 6-months; 1. I toured a 40,000 square foot Hemp processing facility near the Rochester airport, 2. There were 2 town board workshops where we had guest presenters for both the "Pro" and "con" opinions of allowing legalized marijuana dispensaries in the town of Webster, 3. I attended several in person and zoom meetings put on by various agencies regarding this issue.
Back on June 9th, I stated that "opting out" seemed to make the most sense for the town. My reasoning was that "opting in" was forever. If it did not go well in 2022 and beyond, the town had no ability to opt out. However, if we opted out going into 2022, we could opt in at a future date if we saw how other municipalities were making out. I did state in that June 9th article that I still needed to get educated and do the due diligence. That process over the past 6-months manifested that there are two mutually exclusive decisions the town board needs to make on Legalized recreational marijuana in the town as of January 1, 2022; 1. Retail outlet(s) and 2. Lounge(s). Here is the analogy of both; the retail outlet is like a liquor store for alcohol. You can buy alcohol there but you cannot consume on site. The Lounge is like a Bar/Tavern/Pub for alcohol. You buy it there and consume it there in a social setting.

Based on those differentiations, I am advocating for "opting out" on the Lounges going into 2022, and "opting in" on the Retail outlet(s). There is a public hearing on this Legalized recreational marijuana issue on Thursday December 2nd at 7:30PM in the Town Board room. That public hearing is more "general" as to opt in versus opt out going into 2022 for all Recreational Marijuana dispensaries in the town. Over the next few weeks I will be working with the Town attorney to draft various resolutions/town laws on this issue as we go into 2022. My guess is that we will have another public hearing on December 16th at 7:30PM to get more granular on the "Opt in" of Retail outlet(s) as of January 2022. Within such an opt in, there needs to be factors considered such as zoning, feet from schools/churches, and the number of such retail outlets that will be allowed in the town.

At the end of the day, I am proud of the due diligence the town board has done on this issue, and feel confident a fact base decision and local law will be done to best serve the interests of the town and its citizens as we go into 2022. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 24, 2021
Part 3-The changing face of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Webster

This will conclude the 3-part series. Part 1 was on September 29th and part 2 was on November 17th. I will continue on with using the acronyms that were introduced in those previous articles to keep this as short as possible. At the Webster Town Board meeting on Thursday, November 18th, a resolution passed by a vote of 5-0 that had WEMS/NEQALS intended to be #1 in the 911 queue for ambulance calls in the town of Webster as of January 1, 2022. This decision by the Town board came after a thorough due diligence process that was intended to make sure the best decision on EMS was being made for the whole town as of January 1, 2022 and for the next 20+ years. That due diligence process will be ongoing. In fact, in the verbiage of the resolution it stated how the Town Attorney and Town Supervisor would be working with the leadership of WEMS/NEQALS and their legal representation on amended contract terms. Those terms have a tentative completion date of December 15, 2021 so as to be in effect as of January 1, 2022.

There has been a lot of information that has been put out there in the past few months on this issue. Some of it has made it difficult to separate "fact from fiction" for the people involved such as WWFD and the EMS agencies of PVA and WEMS/NEQALS. If those "in the trenches" had difficulty in this separation of "fact from fiction", I can only imagine how confusing this has been for the citizens of the town. As such I wanted to highlight three (3) facts that are important to consider within EMS in the Town of Webster as we go into 2022.

Fact 1: Government subsidy/reimburse to EMS agencies: In 2021 the Town of Penfield gave $75,000 of their budget to EMS. $50,000 to PVA and $25,000 to WEMS/NEQAL. The WEMS/NEQALS portion paid by Penfield was for the Advanced Life Support in the WWFD geographical area that included Northwest Penfield. In 2021 the Town of Webster gave $50,000 of their budget to EMS. All $50,000 was to WEMS/NEQAL. The 2022 adopted budgets of both Penfield and Webster have the same EMS monies in it as they had in 2021 (Penfield $75K and Webster $50K) Now that Penfield will be handled by PVA for the whole town as #1 in the 911 queue for ambulance calls as of January 1, 2022, it is assumed all $75K will go to PVA instead of the split it had in 2021. The town of Webster will be giving WEMS/NEQALS the same $50K in 2022 as it did in 2021

Fact 2: CON and the control they have: The WWFD CON that was transferred/awarded to PVA on October 27, 2021 results in PVA ultimately "owning" that CON going forward into 2022. PVA is a fantastic EMS agency and I have no doubt put in their bid to WWFD good faith assurances of items including but not limited to; how many ambulances would be at the WWFD Gravel road firehouse, staging an ambulance at various events like high school football games, etc. Those assurances were then put into a contract between WWFD and PVA. The problem is that a "contract" by definition means that if one of the parties does not perform, the other has remedies. Unfortunately, once the CON is transferred/awarded to PVA from WWFD, WWFD would have NO remedies if PVA does not perform as they bid, and/or what was contractually agreed on. The CON that the Town has is NOT being transferred/awarded to WEMS/NEQALS. The town is retaining that CON and entering into a contract with WEMS/NEQALS for EMS for the whole town of Webster where if terms of that contract are not met, the town would have remedies. That is also a major reason why the Town is amending contract terms with WEMS/NEQALS as we enter 2022. The past contract was for half the town of Webster east of hard road on both Basic and Advanced Life support EMS, and west of Hard Road for Advanced life support as WWFD handled Basic. Now that WESM/NEQALS will have the whole town on both Basic and Advanced life support, the town owes it to its citizens to make sure the contract going into 2022 is structured appropriately to assure the best EMS for the town of Webster today, and to position that to be for the next 20+ years.

Fact 3: PVA and WEMS/NEQALS as mutual aid for both the towns of Penfield and Webster in 2022: PVA will be #1 on the 911 queue for the whole town of Penfield in 2022. WEMS/NEQALS will be #1 on the 911 queue for the whole town of Webster in 2022. When an EMS agency is out on calls that is utilizing all ambulances and/or staff scheduled at that time, and another 911 call comes in, mutual aid kicks in. Mutual aid essentially says that PVA covers for WEMS/NEQALS as #2 in the 911 queue for Webster, and vice versa. These 2 EMS agencies have worked harmoniously in the past several years in East Webster in the NEJFD on this mutual aid. Both have bases in the east side of their respective town going into 2022. This assures PVA can get to an East Webster call quickly if mutual aid is needed, and the same for WEMS/NEQALS in East Penfield. PVA will also have a base for the northwest side of Penfield calls due to the WWFD allowing PVA to use 1 or more of the 3 ambulances bays WWFD has at their WWFD Gravel road station. Now that WWFD has exited the EMS business going into 2022, it is possible that WEMS/NEQALS would be able to occupy 1 of those 3 bays at the Gravel Road WWF fire station like PVA is. If that ends up the case, the harmonious mutual aid based on PVA and WEMS/NEQALS bases in east Webster and Penfield in the NEJFD could be achieved in West Penfield and Webster in the WWFD. That would be a huge win for the Penfield and Webster citizens.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 17, 2021
Part 2 - The changing face of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Webster

A lot has happened in Webster in the "Ambulance world" in the past 6+ weeks since I wrote Part 1 in the September 29th edition of the Webster Herald. I'll apologize in advance for the number of acronyms in this article. However, it is needed to keep this article short. On October 27th the West Webster Fire District (WWFD) officially announced they were exiting the Emergency Medical Services (i.e. EMS-Ambulance) business as of January 1, 2022. Within that decision the WWFD awarded/transferred their Certificate of Need (CON) to Penfield Volunteer Ambulance (PVA). By November 1st citizens in West Webster had gotten a post card in the USPS mail from WWFD letting them know PVA would be servicing them in 2022 as #1 on the 911 call queue. So what does this all mean as we dovetail to January 1, 2022 in the whole 35-square miles of the Town of Webster and EMS service? To answer that, you first need to consider the rules of engagement in 2021 and prior for EMS in Webster.

The WWFD geographical area consists of the town of Webster west of Hard Road and part of Northwest Penfield. The Northeast Joint Fire district (NEJFD) geographical area consists of the town of Webster east of Hard Road and part of Northeast Penfield. The NEJFD either was never in the EMS business or exited it long ago. As such, for the past several years, the manner in which EMS was handled in the town of Webster was that Webster Emergency Medical Services (WEMS) and Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support (NEQALS) was #1 on the 911 call queue in the NEJFD geographical area. In the WWFD geographical area, WWFD handled the "basic" portion of EMS and NEQALS assisted on "Advanced Life Support" calls. As such, citizens in Webster west of Hard Road paid for "Basic" EMS in their WWFD annual tax bill. For the past 10 years, WWFD leased staff from WEMS to cover the "Basic" calls in their geographical area and supplemented that with the Volunteer Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTS) from WWFD. These leased staff and volunteers would be on WWFD ambulances that staged out of 2-3 bays at the new Gravel Road WWFD station.

So now we know how it worked in 2021 and prior. Next week I will have Part 3 of this EMS article. Currently, the Town Board is going through a due diligence process to determine if the WWFD transfer/award of their CON to PVA will be in place January 1, 2022 or whether the Town Board will exercise their CON to have ONE (1) EMS agency cover the whole town. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

November 10, 2021
The Importance of Veterans Day

Veterans Day is Thursday, November 11, 2021. It's a federal holiday so kids will be happy because they will not have school, and some adults will have the day off of work. However, the "genesis and meaning" of Veterans Day is one that ALL Americans should think about. On November 11, 1918, at 11:00 am the guns on the western front of France fell silent and the “War to end all Wars” came to an end. After four years of brutal conflict and over 9 million military and 10 million civilians dead the world took a collective breath, paused, and began to count the cost of World War I. To give some perspective on the 19 million dead, the world population was under 2 billion in 1918 and in 2021 it is almost 8 billion. Imagine the loss of 80 million lives today?

After the war ended, the United States General of the Armies John Pershing said “We have had no national expression of any sort since the war ended that would give the people an opportunity to show their appreciation of the services over there of the young manhood of the nation and it seems to me it would be a very fine thing for Congress to make some provision for a ceremony that would give the people of the country an opportunity to do that.” As such, on November 19th, 1919 "Armistice" day was remembered. In 1926 Congress passed a resolution for an annual observance of November 11th and it became a national holiday in 1938.

Over the past 100 years since World War 1, millions of Americans have served our country to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Many of them have died for us to have this great country and we honor them on Memorial Day in May each year. Our living veterans of our military may have not sacrificed their life within their service, but many if not all of them have sacrificed their physical and/or mental health in ways us civilians will never fully understand. Remember that on November 11th. Thank our veterans for their service, but more importantly I implore you to take action within your thanks, and not just 1 day year, but every day!! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

November 3, 2021
Let's make Webster a shining example for how Democracy should work

I experienced something wonderful on Saturday, October 30th at the Village's Trick or Treat Trail. For about 10 minutes several of the Democrat and Republican-Conservative party endorsed candidates met impromptu on the street and had a "human" discussion. The conversation may have started out a little awkward as we have been political combatants for the past few months as each seeks election on Tuesday, November 2nd. However, within a short period of time, the conversation became relaxed because we focused on the "human" aspects rather than partisan politics. Being Mothers, Fathers, sons, daughters, and Webster citizens reflected how we had more in common than we had different. I walked away from that discussion energized that "Webster will be OK post November 2nd no matter what the election results".

As I write this article, Tuesday, November 2nd election day has not happened yet. By the time you are reading it, the elections results will be in. Either Danielle Palermo-Jimenez will be the town's next Town Supervisor as of January 1, 2022, or I will enter my 2nd 2-year term as Supervisor. How do I plan on conducting myself in both scenarios? If Danielle wins, she can rest assured that I will do everything in my power to help in the transition for two main reasons; 1. Danielle is a great person who I have the utmost respect for her family and her, and 2. because the 45,000 citizens of Webster deserve their leaders to act accordingly. Having owned a business for 25+ years and raising 7 children, I thought I was prepared for the myriad of issues the Town Supervisor would need to juggle at any given time. However, I found that the position is more challenging than I estimated. Don't get me wrong.... I have loved the challenges, but for the good of the town, Danielle needs to be brought up to speed on them ASAP and not go into January 1, 2022 blind. She also deserves my counsel after January 1, 2022 if she seeks it.

If I win, I will try my best to conduct myself as Webster Town Supervisor in years 3 and 4 of my tenure in a manner that a) builds on the lessons I have learned from these first 2-years, and b) continues to have as the main compass that decisions for this town need to be looked at from the prism of "Webster Citizens FIRST".... both today and with a vision of how such decisions affect the next 20+ years. Within that prism, political partisanship has no place. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 27, 2021
The value of 30+ years of Webster Highway Superintendents

In 1969, the Town of Webster built an approx. 15,000 square foot highway garage. Since then, additions have gone on to it including 4-bays in the mid-1990s that in aggregate are about 3,500 square feet and cost as much as 15,000 square foot building in 1969 to construct! How about that for inflation. The staff at the Highway department over the years have proven their skill by doing most of the additions in house and not going out to 3rd part contractors. Even with the best of efforts to maintain the facility, the growth of the town over the past 50 years and the aging of the facility manifested several years ago the need to build a new Highway garage. In the past year the town purchased approx. 8 acres across from the current highway garage on Picture Parkway. The tentative plan is to build the new facility on those 8 acres.

The Town Board will be discerning options in the near future on the proposed new Highway garage including but not limited to feasibility and concept studies, engineering bids, cost estimates, funding options and timelines. This past week I had a meeting with Pat Stephens, Joe Herbst, and Barry Deane. These 3 gentlemen represent the Webster Highway Department Superintendents for the past 30 years. Barry served from 1990-2008, Joe from 2008-2021 and Pat is the current Superintendent. I asked for this meeting in that I was hopeful these 3 generations of Highway Superintendents getting together to brainstorm and share info would be helpful to the process. What occurred over the 2 hours in the meeting was a "thing of beauty" that every functional organization should strive for. Elder Statesmen and Sage wisdom are always welcome by leaders. Pat Stephens may only be 6+ months into the new position but he has already demonstrated he is a leader. Barry Deane and Joe Herbst could not have bene more comfortable in their new roles as mentors and/or confidantes to Pat. The information that came out of that meeting will be invaluable to the Town board as they get further along in this process.

However, what is most important is that the town citizens benefit from such culture of current leaders having the past leaders in the organization to bounce things off of. It takes a certain grace to be both the recipient of the advice, and to tender it as the elder statemen. True leaders understand this. It is NOT about them. it is about the greater good of the organization and the people it serves. These 3 gentlemen inherently understand they "caretake" the Highway Superintendent position for the Town of Webster. As such, you do what's best of the organization while IN the position and also when your time is through. I want to thank Barry, Joe, and Pat for be shining examples of that and only hope I can demonstrate their same leadership when my time is done as Webster Town Supervisor. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 20, 2021
How to stay informed as a Webster Citizen

In my first two years as Webster Town Supervisor, I have dedicated several of the Supervisor's Corner articles to the efforts being made to improve communication between the town government and its citizens. As with any relationship that requires good communication, both parties need to be "willing and able" to participate. For the town government, it means we need to maximize all forms of communication. For example, if we put all our efforts into communicating via the internet such as websites and social media platforms, we miss all the citizens who do not use computers. For citizens, it means that they want to get communication from the town. For example, many people have reached out to me and said "I was not aware of that" on an issue that is important to them. More often than not, in such situations I am able to show them how in the prior 2-6 weeks the communications that have come out on the issue from the town in the form of Webster Herald, Town website, Town social media platforms, and/or direct mailers.

One of the best ways for citizens to stay "proactively" informed is to sign up for alerts on the Town Website. You can access the site at ci.webster.ny.us. If you click on the Town Notification Sign Up tab in the upper right-hand corner of the home page it will take you to a sign-up page for these alerts. These alerts can be designated to come to you via e-mail and/or text. During the past 2 months, we have been handing out a flyer on this alert/news sign up feature to citizens visiting town hall. The good news is in September 2021 we saw a significant spike in subscriptions to these alerts from the flyers handed out to people who came into town hall to pay their school taxes. In fact, over 1,000 people are now subscribers to our Webster Police Department alerts/news updates. However, there is more work to be done on this effort as the majority of the 15,000 households in Webster have not signed up for these alerts/news.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 13, 2021
Webster is better when people "get involved"

It's an old adage... you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. I don't agree 100% with that adage since many times people sit on the sidelines for a myriad of reasons. As such, I am not comfortable categorizing all the "sideliners" as part of the problem. On Monday October 11th, an online portal was opened on the Town of Webster website for citizens looking to get involved and be part of the solution. This portal will be open until November 12th so people can apply for the various board positions opening up as of January 1, 2022. These include Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Conservation Board, Assessment Review, Library, and PROSAR.

To access the portal, go to: ci.webster.ny.us/121/boards. The portal shows which boards have openings and descriptions on what each board does. It also shows the responsibilities, attendance, training, and time commitment to be on said board. It is easy to navigate the online application process to apply to be on one or more of these boards. Once all applications come in and the portal closes, they will be reviewed by the Town Board for the determination of who will be appointed to these boards as of January 1, 2022. Within that decision process, the Town Board along with the liaison for each of these boards needs to also discern if an existing board member is interested in serving another term on that board.

Ideally, we will receive significantly more applications for these board positions that what is available. That would be a good problem to have since there will be more opportunities going into 2022 for citizens to "get involved". Within the next 2 months we should find out if the town is awarded the grant applied for to assist in the updating of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan. The tentative plan is to have that updating process begin in 2022 and there will be the need for citizen involvement in that process. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

October 6, 2021

The Future of the West Webster Hamlet (Corner of Gravel and Ridge)

If you live in Webster, you know the corner of Gravel and Ridge. It's where the Furniture Strippers and Jade Palace businesses used to reside. The former has been out of business for over fifteen years, and the latter went out of business recently. Over the past month I have been visiting residential neighborhoods closest in proximity to this corner. The two common threads I heard from people during those visits were 1. frustration at the corner looking like it does currently and 2. a desire to see the corner revitalized.

The story about how this main corner of the historic West Webster Hamlet got to this point is an incredible one. If I attempted to tell it all in this article, it would need the whole edition! Therefore, I'll let you know about a new section on the Town of Webster Website where you can go and "see the whole story". The direct link to this section is: http://ci.webster.ny.us/611/West-Webster-Hamlet

You can also get there by selecting the new blue tab on the main page titled "West Webster Hamlet". The website section contains but is not limited to the following;

• History of the Hamlet including subsections for the Furniture store and Jade Palace parcels
• Participation: Link to application form for the new committee, which will be active until Oct. 29th, as well as a comment/question form
• Link to meeting videos where the project was discussed
• News including press releases and past columns on this corner

I'm excited for the possibilities that this corner and the whole Hamlet could have in 2022 and beyond. The information reflected at this new website section is critical to Webster citizens getting the facts on this area. Please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 29, 2021:
The changing face of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Webster

In March 2018, two years before I became Town Supervisor, I had the experience of getting an ambulance ride from Webster to Rochester General Hospital. I had to spend the night in the hospital as they did tests, but everything worked out well and I was discharged the next day with no long-term ramifications. About a month after that experience, I got the bill in the mail for that ambulance ride. When I investigated the bill, I found that my high deductible/health saving account (HSA) private-based insurance policy had resulted in the bill being my responsibility to pay, due to the fact I had not hit my family’s max out of pocket for the year yet on the deductible. I paid the bill out of my HSA checking account and never thought about it again.

That is, until I became Webster Town Supervisor. Since then, I have had an almost 2-year education on the 3-prongs of First Responders; 1. Police, 2. Fire, and 3. EMS. For the most part, we all understand that Police and Fire Departments are paid through our real estate taxes. The Webster Police is paid via Webster Town taxes, and there are two fire districts in town: Northeast Joint and West Webster. Depending on where you live in Webster you are in one of those fire districts and it is reflected on your real estate tax bill. Ambulance service, or EMS has had an interesting path from when it started to where it is now. Years ago, most ambulance services were handled by the Fire Department, and you paid for that service within your fire district tax bill. As the years went on, the EMS business evolved beyond the basic transportation to the hospital, to medical treatment in the field at the scene. At the same time, fire districts started to get out of the EMS business and private EMS companies started filling the role.

From what I have been told, currently in Monroe County only three fire districts still provide EMS within their scope of services they perform, and for which is on the citizen’s real estate tax bill. One of those districts in West Webster and they are in the process of discerning whether to exit the EMS business. What effect will it have on the Webster citizens if West Webster Fire Department does exit EMS and a private company takes it over? If you live in the Northeast Joint fire district the answer is none. However, if you live in the West Webster fire district, then you will see a difference minimally on the manner in which you are billed for the service. 911 calls that necessitate ambulance vet through a series of questions to determine if the incident needs Basic EMS, or if it needs Advanced Life Support (ALS) too. If strictly a basic EMS call, currently that is covered through the West Webster fire district taxes and the patient, nor insurance company gets billed. If an ALS call, currently the basic part of the call is not billed, but the ALS is to the insurance company and/or patient. If West Webster Fire Department exits the EMS business, both basic and ALS calls will be billed to patient and/or insurance companies.

In summary, there are many more aspects to this, including but not limited to Medicaid, Medicare, private health insurance, etc. but to save you from me writing a "war and peace" article, I'll stop here. One last thing.... my ambulance experience 3+ years ago I referenced at the beginning.... it was a Basic and ALS related call. I needed the basic ambulance ride to the hospital, but I also needed medical treatment in the field and on the way to the hospital that ALS brings. I live in the Northeast Joint fire district so the bill I got was for both the basic and ALS parts of the service I got because my fire district is not in the EMS business. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

September 22, 2021
Town Government Communication to "non-computer using" citizens

Last week I was the guest presenter at one of the "Talks on Tuesdays" at the Senior Center on Chiyoda Dr. We decided to format the event as a Q and A for seniors, and I invited Deputy Supervisor Patti Cataldi to assist in answering the questions the attendees had. The first thing that caught my attention was the attendance number at the event. There were approximately 15 seniors there. Within the 1st few questions, it manifested itself as to why more seniors were not in attendance. Simply said... these events are advertised/promoted either via posters hung up at the Senior Center on Chiyoda, or via computer functionality driven measures such as website, social media, etc.

So, to be aware of such senior events, you either need to be a senior that goes the Senior Center on a recurring basis and would see the posters, or you need to be "online". Several of the seniors voiced that they and their friends are NOT "online". If you have read my previous columns, you know I am committed to getting the Town Government in the future to a position of better communication with citizens. Ideally, we will maximize ALL forms of communication with the goal that one of those forms will be seen and "absorbed" by one of the adults at the 15,000 residences in town. So much of the current forms of communication revolve around being "online" (i.e websites. social media, etc.) However, if a person has made the conscious decision to NOT be "online" we need to respect that at the Town and find other ways to communicate with them.

Direct USPS mail pieces that go to the citizens home is a great way to communicate with them. Things such as the Webster Herald that is a weekly production, and the Webster Today which is currently a quarterly production assist in that. However, we need to get creative and find other ways to communicate on a more recurring basis with these "NON online" citizens, of which many are Seniors. I have a database of Webster citizens from the Board of Elections that reflects approx. 33,000 registered voters. From what I can tell, approx. 8,000, or almost 25% of them are 70 years old and above. Where many of them are "online", it is safe to assume many are not. Patti Cataldi is working with Daphne Geoca, Senior Coordinator, with ways to get the monthly senior newsletter in the hands of more seniors in the future. I have no doubt they will succeed in that effort and that next time I am guest presenter at a "Talk on Tuesdays" with seniors at least 100 seniors will be in attendance!!!

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 15, 2021
Identifying and remediating Abandoned properties in Webster

This past June I was going door to door in the neighborhoods where road maintenance was going to be done in the subsequent months. My purpose was to answer any questions residents had about the materials the highway department uses for maintenance. However, I made another discovery about in-person interactions with Webster citizens.

Knocking on the doors of town citizens ended up being a treasure trove for me as the Town Supervisor. Simply said, I discovered plenty of issues that I may not have been aware of in their neighborhoods and in town, in general. One such issue was that of vacant or abandoned properties. On four occasions, people pointed out to me an abandoned house on their street. Some of them you would not have known, at first glance, were abandoned.

Since July, I have been working with key Town Department Heads on a plan to identify and remediate these abandoned properties in town. On Wednesday September 15th, those efforts will go live to the citizens of Webster. The efforts are twofold: first, identify abandoned properties, and then second, determine the appropriate steps to remediate.

On the identification effort, if you suspect a home in your neighborhood is abandoned, please visit our website to complete the online reporting form: ci.webster.ny.us/606/Abandoned-Homes. Per Webster Town Code Section 225-3, an abandoned property is hereby defined as one that has not been occupied as a residence or a business for a period of one month and meets certain criteria spelled out in the code.

On the remediation effort, once the Town Code Enforcement office is made aware of a potential abandoned property, it will perform a series of due diligence items including but not limited to visiting the property to do a site assessment; checking to see if a public utility (gas, electric, or water) has been shut off by the utility company; and checking real estate tax records on the property to see who is owner of record and whether taxes are current.

Our goal is to facilitate the remediation of abandoned properties in Webster. What that remediation looks like will differ with each property, depending on the situation. On one end of the spectrum, the structure could be demolished and leave an empty lot. On the other end of the spectrum, the property could return to being occupied and cared for, inside and out. The Webster citizen's participation in this process is both needed and greatly appreciated.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 8, 2021:
The $31 million future of the Webster Sewer Plant

At the June 24th Webster Town Board Meeting, engineering firm Barton & Loguidice presented the framework of Phase 2 at the Phillips Road Town sewer plant. The estimated cost was approximately $31 million. In all honesty, the number somewhat stunned me. Even though I had been involved in "the process" for the past year and half, seeing that $31 million figure on the presentation screen took me aback. I stated that night that a lot more due diligence needs to be done before the town board could commit to such an investment.

What has transpired over the past 2+ months since that initial presentation may be unprecedented in Webster. Every Town Board meeting and workshop since June 24th has had this phase 2- $31million sewer project as one of, or the main topics. To fully understand "the process", you must go back 4-5 years ago when the Town Board decided to commit to the $12 million phase 1 at the Phillips Road sewer plant. It also reflects the analogy that sewers are like referees in sports..... you don't notice them until something goes wrong!

Phase 1 centered on the secondary clarifiers at the plant. They were almost 50-years old, and it was becoming apparent that some parts needed to repair it were not made anymore. They had reached their "useful life expectancy" and something needed to be done. If something was NOT done, then it was possible that in the next few years the sewers in Webster would become "known" like a referee in sports when they make a bad call. Phase 1 was completed in 2021 and came in under budget! That is a testament to the team of engineers, contractors, and Art Petrone, Webster's Deputy DPW Commissioner and Sewer Plant Manager.

When I became Town Supervisor in January 2020, I became aware of the ongoing phase 1 project at the sewer plant, and the preliminary estimates of Phase 2. As I was being briefed on both, it became apparent that phase 1's $12 million was solely to replace 50-year-old equipment with new equipment. There was no real future revenue production or cost saving component to phase 1. The only real cost savings was stopping the band aid repairs on the aged-out equipment. The preliminary estimate on phase 2 that I saw in early 2020 was approximately $20 million. It seemed to have similarities to phase 1 in that it was replacing 50-year-old equipment with new equipment but was not really addressing revenue production or cost savings in the future.

When Rick Kenealy was hired as Chief Plant Operator in mid-2020, Art Petrone and he started working with the engineers to tweak the phase 2 design to bring future revenue production and cost savings to the plant. They visited state of the art innovative sewer plants throughout New York and Pennsylvania to get insights. They reported on how the sanitary sewage industry was changing from a "sewage treatment" model to a "Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)" model in the 21st century. It may seem on the surface to not be much of a difference between the two, but the philosophy and infrastructure needed in the new model is significantly different from the old one.

The culmination of "the process" the past year and half came with the sobering $31 million estimate on June 24th. The initial reaction to that number could easily be "How can you go from a $20 million estimate a few years ago on phase 2 to $31 million"? To be honest.... that was MY initial reaction! The due diligence of the past 2+ months on this has manifested that the seeds of revenue production and cost savings that come from this phase 2 started before I became Supervisor. In mid-2019, Supervisor Nesbitt reported how the 2020 Town budget had to increase sludge hauling at the sewer plant from $250,000 to $500,000 a year. The reason for the increase? Landfills were closing and the ones still in operation that take "sewer sludge" were upping prices due to supply-demand. The technology in this new phase 2 design significantly decreases sludge hauling fees to the town, or possibly eliminates them all together!! That could be a $500,000 cost saving TODAY and possibly a lot larger in the future. This may be over simplified math... but if the cost annually to bond/indebt the town $10 million is $500,000, if the town is saving $500,000 on sludge hauling, is that bond payment/indebtedness a "budget neutral figure"? (i.e. does it pay for itself day one?) The difference of approximately $11 million from the $20 million estimate several years back to the $31 million today is the equipment and infrastructure now being added to the project that will not only help to pay for itself, but also help to pay down the bonding for the $20 million portion that didn't have that return on investment previously.

On September 9th, there is a public hearing at the Town Board meeting on this $31 million proposed Phase 2. The tentative plan is to do the town board resolutions at the September 16th meeting on the bonding of this project. The due diligence performed by engineers, Rick and Art at the sewer plant, Paul Adams the Town Finance Director, and the Town Board is too much to articulate in this article. Some include but are not limited to; revenue production components, cost saving components, the importance of getting a project "shovel ready" as to the 9/16/21 bonding resolution, and grant potential to offset $31 million in bonding.
I want the Webster citizens to be INFORMED on this phase 2 project. By law, we publish Town Board meetings in the newspaper. We also try to promote these meetings via website and social media. The Webster Today quarterly magazine that goes to all Webster homes has highlighted this project a few times in the past year. However, even with those efforts my guess is many Webster citizens don't even know about the $12 million phase 1 sewer project or the proposed $31 million phase 2. As such, we are looking to put together informational platforms the next few months so that citizens can ask questions, and get information needed on this project. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 1, 2021
September is School Tax payment time

Hard to believe we're approaching Labor Day weekend. The calendar turning to September means different things to all of us. For some, it brings sadness because it means summer is coming to an end. For others, it brings excitement for such things as the prospect the kids are going back to school and/or the colors of autumn are on the horizon. At the Town Hall in Webster, September means that 3,000-4,000 citizens will be entering the building during the month to pay their school tax bill.

September 2020 was the first chance as Town Supervisor to see the dynamic of people coming into Town Hall to pay their school tax bill. The first question I had for Town Clerk/Tax Collector Dolly Maguire was "why does the town collect the school taxes"? I wondered why the Webster School District offices on South Avenue at Spry was not the location to go pay these taxes. What Dolly showed me was that in 1953 (yes... 68 years ago) the Webster Town Board officially did a resolution changing the town from a 2nd class to a 1st class town. 1st class towns have over a 10,000-citizen population. As such, per Town Law 37, as a 1st class town, the town collects the school taxes on behalf of the school district unless the town board and the appropriate school authorities have agreed otherwise.

To be honest, I'm not sure I got a realistic view of citizen traffic at Town Hall in September 2020 due to COVID restrictions we had in place, and incentives the County made available to pay those taxes with credit card and NO transaction fee. Bottom line.... the goal in 2020 was to try and give as many options as possible to the citizens to pay their school tax bill without having to come into Town Hall to do so. Even with all those other payment mechanisms in place, over 3,000 property owners opted to come into Town Hall to pay their school taxes "in person".

In many ways, September 2021 will be similar to 2020 since COVID is not really 100% behind us yet. At the time I'm writing this article, the delta variant is still prevalent and public and private institutions are struggling to balance CDC recommendations on masking with their organization's employees and customers experience inside their facilities. If a citizen still wants to come into Town Hall to pay their school taxes in September 2021, I think it is important for them to understand the Town Hall's current policies on masking, "pending" any future changes from the CDC or State Government. If fully vaccinated, employees and visitors are not required to wear masks, although it is recommended. Non fully vaccinated employees and visitors are required to wear masks, but we do not check for vaccination card proof. There are plexiglass barriers between the Town Hall employees and the visitors, and we still recommend 6+ feet social distancing where such barriers are not present.

In summary.... we always welcome our citizens to visit Town Hall but based on the current COVID situation I invite you to go to ci.webster.ny.us/293/receiver-of-taxes to see ALL the other ways to pay your school taxes than coming into Town Hall and paying in person. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 25, 2021
Communicating the Sandbar Park project, REDI resiliency grants and the Bayside Pub

It has been almost 3-months since the Thursday, May 27th Town Board Workshop where the proposed plans for Sandbar Park were unveiled. If you are a frequent reader of my columns the past 20 months, you know I am a "student of Communication". I've stated often that the Town of Webster has a communication challenge with its citizens. In many ways, the law on municipality communication to its citizens is antiquated. It has not been changed in 50+ years and mandates that timely publishing of Town Board meetings and/or public hearings needs to be done in the established newspaper of the municipality. As we all know, newspapers were the main median that citizens consumed their news 50 years ago but is not so much anymore. As such, where the law mandates newspaper, if a municipality really is dedicated to communicating with its citizens, it will commit itself to maximizing all the other means and modes of communication including but not limited to direct mail, websites, social media, television, phone, and e-mail.

The past 3-months experience with Sandbar Park has been very educational to me as it pertains to just how challenged the Town is at communicating with its citizens. Leading up to the Thursday, May 27th workshop, I worked closely with several key Town Department Heads, the engineers and architects on this proposed Sandbar Park project. We tried to develop a communication plan that went "far above and beyond" what the law requires. One of the main reasons we wanted to over communicate this proposed project was that in the middle of the 12+ acres that makes up Sandbar Park is the iconic establishment; the Bayside Pub, and the plan necessitates that building be taken down.

With that spirit in mind, the Town mailed out 9 by 12 inch postcards the week of May 24-28th to ALL Town of Webster residents promoting four open house presentations of the Sandbar Park proposed project on June 2, 8, 10, and 12th at the Rec Center and Joe Obbie Farmers’ Market. We also promoted these open houses on the town website, and social media platforms. We had large boards produced of the project that were placed on easels that were presented at these open houses. These boards and easels have been on display at the Library and Rec Center since mid-June and have elicited a lot of interest from those facility's visitors. We had handouts at the open houses that addressed the FAQs on the Bayside Pub, and also what the plan was for the building replacement was as it was apparent there was a lot of misinformation out there on this. The initial meeting of the 7-person volunteer committee for a "request for proposal" for the bar/restaurant at the new building was held two weeks ago. Their 2nd meeting is next week. I am very confident that this committee will come up with a wonderful option for the community that will keep the essence of the current Bayside Pub.

As we move into the Autumn of 2021, the Sandbar Park proposed project will pick up speed with the Town Board deciding on bonding, and contractor bids on the portions of the project that will be initiated in the spring of 2022. I guess the biggest lesson I learned from the past 3-months is that sometimes the facts aren't as good as a "good story". The facts unequivocally and irrefutably support that the current building that is the Bayside Pub must be taken down for the New York State REDI resiliency grants to be fully utilized. The flooding in 2017 and 2019 almost created a situation where the Town was going to have to condemn or take down the Bayside Pub building. One more such high-water spring and there is no doubt the current Bayside 80+ year old building would need to be taken down. Raising the Bay side of the park and putting in a break wall to withstand 252 ft. water level will assure that any new building that houses a bar/restaurant will never have the flooding issues of 2017 and 2019 when the water got to 249+ feet.

I've been surprised that the Town's attempts to communicate the facts have often been met with indignation or incredulity by people who want the current Bayside to remain. If I'm fortunate enough to be Supervisor in 2022 and beyond, this is a lesson I hope to remember and learn from as to how the Town communicates out in the future. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

August 18, 2021
What characteristics do we want our government representatives to have?

Last week, Andrew Cuomo resigned his position as New York's Governor after 11 years. Depending on who you talk to, the state's situation improved, got worse, or stayed the same from the time when he entered the office in 2010 until he resigned in 2021. Cuomo's resignation is just the most recent occurrence in what has been an unprecedented few years of political divisiveness. It is not hard to understand why so many people are getting disillusioned with the "leadership" in the country, state, and locally. Too many politicians, Republican and Democrat in the past few years have left office in shame, and in some cases under investigation for things that may end in prison time. Throw in the skepticism we have with "news" and whether what we read or hear about is accurate, and the situation becomes even that much more dire on the surface as to the faith we have in our elected officials.

The past several years have manifested two very interesting phenomena's in the political arena; 1. the percentage growth of registered voters NOT affiliated with the Democrat or Republican parties, and 2. The shift of philosophy and/or main platforms of the Democrat and Republican parties. On the former, approximately 40% of the registered voters in the United States are independent or in parties other than the Democrat or Republican party. Why is that percentage growing, and will it ever grow to being over 50%? That question would need several articles to discern! On the latter, the key to any progress being made is when compromise is found. It's good to have two different parties/opinions on things. However, when the parties and the people in them start saying "100% of what I think is right, and 100% of what you think is wrong".... nothing good can come out that.

So what characteristics should we be looking for in the political candidates? Ultimately these are the people we vote for and put in positions that "should be leadership roles". By definition, they should be held to a higher standard. True leaders understand that. They know they are NOT above the law, and in fact need to lead by example within the law. As such, this is my opinion on two important things to research on the candidates you ultimately cast your vote for; 1. Honesty and 2. Work ethic. Neither the Democratic nor Republican parties have proprietary domain on these two. In fact, in my lifetime I have met a LOT of "Lyin and/or Lazy" people in BOTH parties. One of the biggest challenges we have in citizens doing true, unbiased research on candidates is "affiliation". Simply said, many people will vote party line, even if there are facts out there that support that their party's candidate is a liar and/or lazy. From what I can tell, the rationale for voting party line even if the candidate has warts is that "the philosophy of the party" is what they're truly voting for. I suppose that makes sense when considering what I stated earlier in this article on party platform and "I'm 100% right and you're 100% wrong".

One thing I know for certain is that we need more LEADERS in elected positions. The eternal optimist in me hopes that the recent tumult will result in a renaissance in the future of LEADERS seeking these positions. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

August 11, 2021
Updating the 2008 Town of Webster Comprehensive Plan

In late July 2021, the Town of Webster applied for a $100,000 grant for the purpose of updating the 2008 Comprehensive Plan. Josh Artuso, the Town's Director of Community Development led the project of putting this application together. Josh started with the Town in January 2020 and has a background in "planning". From what I can tell, Josh may be the first person employed by the Town who has such a background. From how we interpret this grant, the approval would come around December 2021, and the Town would have three years (January 1, 2022- December 31, 2024) to execute the updating process and adoption of the new comprehensive plan that will supersede the 2008 plan.

So, what is a Comprehensive Plan? I was first introduced to the 2008 Comprehensive Plan while discerning whether to run for Webster Town Supervisor in early 2019. On the surface, it is 140+ page document with another 15 or so attached maps. However, I have learned over the past 2+ years that plan is lynchpin to the operation of the Town of Webster government. Depending on who you talk to, the plan is either an "absolute" to refer to unequivocally on how to handle ALL situations, or it is a "guidepost" for the various Town boards to look at within decisions they make.

The 2008 plan is an update from the 2000 Comprehensive Plan. That is an example of how these "long term" plans most likely need to be updated every 5-10 years to address the changes that are going on in a community. Another way to look at this is that a comprehensive plan in 1990 when the town population was 31,000 would be very difference from a plan in 2020 when the population is approx. 47,000. The 2008 plan lays out the zoning for all 35 square miles of the town. It also lays out approx. 120 initiatives the Town seeks to achieve in various timeframes (i.e. immediately, within 2 years, within 5 years, within 10 years).

A few months ago, I asked 10-12 people who have been involved in Webster government for at least the past 15-years to assess whether each of the 120 initiatives was accomplished between 2008 and 2021. The purpose of that exercise was to see if we could learn lessons from 2008 that would assist us as we update the plan in 2022 and beyond (i.e. if the initiative did NOT get accomplished, why? How can we make sure ALL initiatives laid out in an updated plan can be accomplished in the timeframes stated?).

Over the next 4+ months as we dovetail to December 2021 and the "hoped for" approval on this $100,000 grant, I will be working with Josh Artuso to determine the best course of action on this project going into 2022. Simply said, the manner in which comprehensive plans were produced 10-20 years ago may be very different now. If there is a different/better way to the process in 2022, we need to fully vet that. One thing I am pretty sure of is that the process in 2022-2024 will necessitate community stakeholder involvement. Be on the lookout for the volunteer opportunities that will be available!

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

August 3, 2021
Chapter 4 - Fun Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

In my first article on the Town of Webster Budget in the Wednesday, July 14th Webster Herald, I described in Fun Fact #1 how the current Town tax rate of $5.30 per $1,000 of assessed value resulted in a $1,060 annual real estate tax bill for a property assessed at $200,000. I received over a dozen calls and e-mails from citizens stating that their home was assessed for approx. $200,000 and that their real estate tax bill annually was MUCH higher than $1,060. They went on to state their real estate tax bill was in the $8,000 range or higher and that my math must have been wrong.

In my discussions with these people, I was able to let them know that I was just talking about the TOWN component of their annual real estate taxes, and was not factoring in their School, Fire, and/or County taxes. I further found from my discussions that the majority of the people that reached out to me on this had their real estate taxes "escrowed" within their monthly mortgage payments. As such, their $8,000 of annual real estate taxes was paid at approx. $700 a month within their mortgage payment (i.e. 1/12th of their total annual real estate taxes). As such, they told me they never had looked at the individual real estate tax bills that are paid in January and September each year as to the breakdown of Town, County, fire, school, and special districts if applicable.

These conversations got me thinking that a breakdown of my own annual real estate tax bills may be a good "fun fact".

FUN FACT #6: BREAKDOWN OF THE JANUARY AND SEPTEMBER REAL ESTATE TAX BILLS:

The figures shown below come right of my September 2020 and January 2021 real estate tax bills. My home is currently assessed for $208,000 so at Webster's current equalization rate means the estimated market value is approx. $280,000.

--Tax Bill-- --Description-- --$$$$-- --- Tax rate per $1,000 assessed---

September 2020 School Taxes $4,855 $23.29
January 2021 Town of Webster $1,104 $5.30
January 2021 County of Monroe $2,461 $11.81

Annual Real Estate Tax Totals: $8,420 $40.40

======= =========

There are other "details" on the actual tax bills that can run the gamut depending on your specific situation as a town of Webster property owner. Some of those include but are not limited to; 1. If you live in the Village, your Town tax rate is less, but you have a Village tax, 2. West Webster or Northeast Fire District tax, 3. Special district charges such as drainage, lighting, etc. and 4. the Sewer Department "flat" rates for the year on O/M and Capital.
In future articles I will breakdown the services that each of these taxing entities supply to Residents. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or email at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 28, 2021
Chapter 3 - Fun Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

As stated in the past 2 week's Supervisor's Corner articles, the overall theme of these fun facts will be 2-fold; 1. historical stats from 2021 and prior year budgets, and 2. trying to relate a Town's budget to what each of our families need to navigate in our own "home budgets". Those factors are 1. How much money we bring into our home annually from our jobs, pensions, etc. 2. How much money we spend annually as a family on housing, car, food, etc. 3. How much debt we have as a family in mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. and 4. How much savings do we have in bank accounts, 401ks, etc.

FUN FACT #5 - ANNUAL REVENUE/MONEY THAT COMES IN TO PAY THE TOWN GOVERNMENT BILLS:

This figure is similar to what your family figures out comes in from their employment, or social security, pension, etc. This money "comes in" to the household and is used to pay the bills. If the bills exceed the money coming in, then decisions need to be made on how to make up that gap. Those decisions include but are not limited to; 1. take money out of savings, 2. reduce spending, and/or 3. go into further debt (i.e., buy things with credit cards).

The Town budget has historically been comprised of four revenue components to "bring money in" to be able to pay the bills; 1. Real estate taxes to property owners, 2. Revenue we control, 3. Revenue we don't control, and 4. Tapping into savings. Below is an explanation of each of these:

1. Real Estate Taxes: In fun fact #3, it was shown what the annual bills are for the Town. Below are the last seven year's budgets of the real estate taxes collected in millions, and the percentage each year that these taxes made up of the overall bills the Town had to pay (i.e., net expenditures)

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------- -------- ---------
$16.0 $17.2 $17.4 $17.9 $18.4 $19.0 $19.6
62.0% 63.5% 62.4% 61.7% 60.5% 61.1% 60.9%

The statistics above reflect that historically the Town budget gets approx. 60% of its funds to pay the bills from real estate taxes. The other 40% comes from a combination of controlled revenue, uncontrolled revenue, and tapping into savings.

2. Controlled Revenue: My description of this may be misleading. I call it "controlled" because the Town government has influence on how much of it can be generated annually. Two examples of such revenue are 1. the EDU sewer rental fee that is currently $192 in the 2021 budget, and 2. Recreation program revenue.

The EDU sewer rental rate set each year takes into many factors. They include but are not limited to; are we just trying to set a rate to cover the Sewer Department’s annual expenses? Are we trying to build up a reserve? Are we giving back some of the reserve to citizens in that year by reducing the rate? The Recreation program revenue is one that I am very proud of what the department has done in the past 18+ months. Chris Bilow became the Parks and Rec Commissioner in March 2020. Within a few months of him being in the position he conveyed to me that there was a tremendous opportunity to provide MORE recreational and Senior programs out of the Rec center on Chiyoda Dr. than had historically been offered. He also said that these programs would produce revenue, and that revenue would at least break even to the costs of the new programs being added.

The result? In March 2021 the Recreation and Senior programs generated revenue 25% MORE than the nest March in the 5-year period of 2015-2019 (i.e., the last 5 NON-COVID years) Furthermore, Chris and his team accomplished this with a 30% reduction in gym memberships that had previously came from Xerox employees who worked at the campus across the street. When COVID hit, those Xerox employees were sent home to work and thus canceled their gym memberships. As of July 2021, Xerox has not called most of these people back to the Xerox campus to work. In summary on this "controlled revenue" component... I have made it a priority to work with and support the efforts of the Department Heads who can generate revenue. Theoretically for each dollar of revenue they generate, it is one less dollar of real estate taxes we need to levy on our citizens.

3. Uncontrolled Revenue: The biggest one is sales tax. The Town finds out every 3-months how much sales tax revenue we are getting from eligible sales from the Webster community. We have historical trends on the actual, but it is still a difficult figure to budget. There are other County, State and Federal revenues in this category including but not limited to mortgage tax and CHIPS money from the state for the Highway Department. Once again.... theoretically for each dollar of this revenue, it is one less dollar of real estate taxes we need to levy on our citizens

4. Tapping into Savings: The Town has several fund balances of which some are unrestricted and some restricted. There are also reserves. Regardless of what they are categorized as, they are essentially the "Savings" of the Town government. Just like our families, savings are usually generated by having your annual expenses be LESS than the money you bring in. As the Town Board works to form a budget each year, they have the option to tap into these savings to "make ends meet" if the annual expenditures are not going to be covered by the aggregate of real estate taxes and controlled and uncontrolled revenues. This option often assists at staying under the State's 2% tax cap.

Below is the ACTUAL "end of year" for the past 6-years on the Town savings in millions (i.e., ALL unrestricted and restricted fund balances):

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
--------- ---------- --------- ---------- --------- --------
$13.4 $13.9 $14.4 $15.1 $14.4 $13.3

Two milestone events have occurred in the past few years that have and will affect in the future these fund balances; 1. the 2019 and 2020 year-end reductions reflect the $12 million, Phase 1 sewer plant improvement project that net of grants came in at $9 million. Some of the payments of principal and interest came from these fund balances. 2. In February 2020, Paul Adams, the Town's Finance Director attended the annual Association of Town's meeting and the New York State Comptroller's Office made it clear that municipalities need to have a "formal" fund balance policy. Prior to that, Webster had not had one. In mid-2020 the Town Board approved the new fund balance policy for the Town. Such a formal policy will give guidance to the Town Board today and in the future so that less subjective decision making is made on money matters that affect fund balances.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 21, 2021
Chapter 2 - Fun Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

As stated in last week's Supervisor's corner article, the overall theme of these fun facts will be 2-fold; 1. historical stats from 2021 and prior year budgets, and 2. trying to relate a Town's budget to what each of our families need to navigate in our own "home budgets". Those factors are 1. How much money we bring into our home annually from our jobs, pensions, etc. 2. How much money we spend annually as a family on housing, car, food, etc. 3. How much debt we have as a family in mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. and 4. How much savings do we have in bank accounts, 401ks, etc.

FUN FACT #3- ANNUAL NET EXPENDITURES: This figure is similar to what your family figures out what they pay annually on ALL of their expenses including but not limited to Mortgage or rent payments for housing, car payments, health insurance, entertainment, taxes (income, sales, real estate) and food/clothing. However, for the town, these expenses include but are not limited to Town employee payroll and benefits, town retiree benefits, Materials at Highway department, maintaining police and highway dept fleet of vehicles, and other non-payroll services such a parks, recreation, debt payments on bonds for infrastructure improvements, etc.

Below are the last 7-year's budgets of these expenditures in millions of dollars, along with the correlating percentage increase from the prior year:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------- -------- ---------
$25.8 $27.1 $27.9 $29.0 $30.4 $31.1 $32.2
+5.04% +2.95% +3.94% +4.83% +2.30% +3.54%

FUN FACT #4- TOWN EMPLOYEE PAYROLL, BENEFITS, AND RETIREE BENEFITS: This is a component of the Annual net expenditures reflected above in fun fact 3. Almost 90% of the full-time employees at the town are in one of the following unions; 1. Blue Collar, 2. White Collar, and 3. Police. The union contracts in place as we approach the 2022 budget have the following similarities: 1. they are 3 year contracts of which 2022 is the 2nd or 3rd year of each contact, and 2. They have 2%+ cost of living (COLA) escalators of base pay in 2022. These 2%+ COLA escalators to base pay for these union members is commensurate with the past contracts the town has negotiated with these unions over the past 10-20 years. The challenge becomes that these COLA escalators year over year on base pay coupled with the 2% tax cap the State initiated makes it problematic to the budget process. Add in the escalating benefit costs to existing town employees and retirees of the town over the years, and the budget process becomes challenging to stay below the 2% tax cap.

Below is the past 7-year's budget dollars on town employee base pay, employer paid benefits, and retiree benefits in millions, along with how those aggregate dollars in millions represent the percentage of overall net expenditures reflected in fun fact 3:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------- -------- ---------
Employee pay/benefits/retiree benefits $17.9 $18.8 $19.5 $20.2 $21.1 $21.4 $22.0

Percentage increase from prior year
of employee/retiree pay and benefits +5.0% +3.7% +3.6% +4.5% +1.4% +2.8%

Percent of employee/retiree
expenditures to total net expenditures: 69.4% 69.4% 69.9% 69.7% 69.4% 68.8% 68.3%

When your annual budget of expenditures has close to 70% being toward Employee payroll, benefits, and Retiree benefits, and much of that is from previously negotiated union contracts...... it leaves about 30% for non-employee/retiree items. The analogy to our family home budget is if 70% of our annual expenses were toward our mortgage payments/rent. We call this "house poor" since it does not leave a family much left to pay for the other things in their life. From my experience in the Mortgage business, Families that fall into the "house poor" category have a few options to remedy; 1. figure out how to bring more money into the home via a higher paying job, 2. sell or move and get into a lesser mortgage/rent payment, or 3. do nothing and suffer the consequences of having little money to spend on other things... or worse, go into more debt via credit cards to try and do those additional things that you can't do with the money that comes in from your job.

For the town of Webster, some of the mechanisms that can be utilized to reduce the percentage of the annual budget that is for Employee/Retiree pay and benefits include but are not limited to; 1. Employee reductions through either cuts or attrition when people retire and not hiring someone new to that position, 2. Future Union contract negotiations being sensitive to the COLA and Benefits as to how they affect the tools the town can supply for their union members within doing their jobs. (i.e. that currently only 30% of the budget is available for things NOT employee/retiree pay and benefits) The problem with the former is that is short sighted and not reflective of the citizen's needs from its town government. The fact is that the Town of Webster's population per the 1990 census was 31,000 and by the 2010 census was 42,000. In the coming weeks we will be getting the results of the 2020 census, and it is foreseeable that the Town's population is currently around 47,000. The annual budget process unfortunately is not geared to a "long term plan" that takes into account all the metrics including but not limited to; population, lane miles the Highway dept must service, and flow handled by the sewer plant and miles of mainlines and pump stations they service within that flow. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but maybe in the future we will tie the process of updating the 2008 Comprehensive plan to the annual budget process, so they work in concert as to the long-term planning for the community. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

July 14, 2021
Fun Facts on the Town of Webster Budget

One thing I have learned since becoming Town Supervisor 18 months ago is that " the budget season is year-round". The Town is on a calendar fiscal year, so we finalize our annual budget by approx. October 2021 so that the Town and County real estate tax bill citizens receive in January 2022 is reflective of that budget. The 2022 budget process started in May/June 2021 with Department Heads submitting to the Director of Finance and Town Supervisor their "initial ask" for their department for 2022 expenses. Then the Town Board liaison to each department, the Department Head, the Director of Finance, and Town Supervisor have one on one meetings to discuss these "initial asks". Those meetings seek to determine if cuts need to be made from the initial asks so that in totality of the 14 departments, a budget can be produced that does not "break the bank!".

As we move through July and August 2021 the 2022 budget setting process will become quite active. There will be public presentations at Town Board meetings and workshops by the various Department Heads where line item by line item descriptions will be given of the proposed budget. The public will have a LOT of opportunity to chime in on this via attending these meetings or watching on TV/live stream. There will be a setting of a preliminary budget by the town board. There will be a publishing of that preliminary budget in the Webster Herald that goes to ALL homes in Webster and/or in the October 2021 Webster Today. By the time a final 2022 budget is voted on by the Town Board, 4-5 months of activity will have occurred with many opportunities for public interaction in the process.

Over the next few Supervisor Corner articles, I plan on showing some "fun facts" about the town of Webster Budget. The overall theme of these fun facts will be 2-fold; 1. historical stats from 2021 and prior year budgets, and 2. trying to relate a Town's budget to what each of our families need to navigate in our own "home budgets". Those factors are 1. How much money we bring into our home annually from our jobs, pensions, etc. 2. How much money we spend annually as a family on housing, car, food, etc. 3. How much debt we have as a family in mortgages, car loans, credit cards, etc. and 4. How much savings do we have in bank accounts, 401ks, etc.

FUN FACT #1: THE TAX RATE: The 2021 budget for the town resulted in a Real estate tax rate of $5.30 per $1,000 assessed value. As such, if your home is assessed for $200,000 then your Town of Webster real estate taxes in 2021 are $1,060. Below is what the tax rate has been the past 7-years:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
--------- ----------- ------------ ----------- --------- ---------- --------
$4.61 $4.95 $5.00 $5.11 $5.17 $5.22 $5.30

FUN FACT #2: THE 2% NEW YORK STATE TAX CAP: Several years ago the state rolled out the "tax cap" concept. This may be overly simplified, but it meant that if the municipality wanted to increase real estate taxes on their citizens by 2% or more from one year to the next, then the board vote would need to be a super majority of 4-1. To me, the unintended consequences of this tax cap are 2-fold: 1. it does not reflect if a governance is making the right decisions fiscally for their community, and 2. it has become politicized (i.e. don't break the 2% tax cap in an election year..... don't break the 2% tax cap or you'll be seen as NOT being fiscally conservative, etc.) The 2% calculation is not a straightforward one. The State Comptroller’s office gives guidance on the equation used to determine if your tax rate is going up 2% or more. Below is the last 7-year history of the Town of Webster on whether their budget exceeded the 2% tax cap, and if it did, how much tax rate went up:

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
--------- ----------- ------------ ----------- --------- ---------- --------
NO YES (7%) NO NO NO NO NO

Be on the lookout for more "fund facts" on the Town of Webster budget in upcoming Supervisor Corner articles. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 7, 2021
Thoughts on Local Government on Independence Day Weekend

What a glorious 4th of July weekend we had in 2021! We may not be fully opened back up from the restrictions of COVID but we sure are getting close. This past weekend made me think about how local government should match the vision of the founding fathers back in 1776 on a federal government "for the people". So, if you'll indulge me, here are a few of my thoughts....

DEMOCRACY: No doubt the Town and Village of Webster governments have open elections so citizens can choose their representatives. "Having Choices" and "citizen involvement" are such important aspects of this. When I was elected in November 2019 there were "choices" on the ballot for Town Supervisor, and almost 14,000 Webster citizens cast their ballot, which was approx. 43% of all registered voters. Believe it or not, that was a high percentage turn out compared to the prior 5 - 6 Supervisor elections. Maybe that is because half of those elections had NO choices, and only ONE candidate to choose from for Town Supervisor. To me, having only ONE choice is NOT good for a community and I am glad to see that in November 2021 there will be choices besides just me for Town Supervisor. Last month, the Village of Webster held their election for Mayor and 2 trustee positions. approx. 100 people voted from the approx. 3,300 registered voters in the village so about 3% of the registered voters. The reason for the low turnout? Probably due to only ONE choice on the ballot of these positions. Now... I think the people who won are fine and upstanding people who will represent the Village citizens to the best of their ability.... but having NO other choice is NOT good for a community and frankly is NOT what the founding fathers envisioned in a Democracy.

CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT BEYOND VOTING: Last month, we held four open houses to show the community the proposed Sandbar Park project. We tried to promote these open houses via post cards to citizen homes, website, and social media. We were mindful to have them on different days and times to assure that people would have minimized schedule conflicts. I was SO hoping we'd get 1,500-2,000 attendees in aggregate at these 4 open houses. Ultimately, we ended up with about 400-500 attendees. Frankly I was disappointed in the attendance numbers. However, people associated with local government throughout Monroe County told me that 400-500 was pretty good. I guess I am just still a novice at this "government thing" after 30+ years in business because I just felt that with 46,000 citizens in Webster and the project being potentially $10 million if we move forward with all of it... that more people would come and be "involved". However, I am an "eternal optimist" and feel that we will get more involvement from the citizens in the coming months/years, especially with COVID restrictions lifting, and improvements we are making to communications at the Town of Webster with our citizens. There will be more opportunities for the citizens to come to public forums, open houses, etc. on a variety of issues imminently facing the Webster community. I have confidence that the Webster Community is a GREAT one, and its people are looking to be engaged if offered.

I'll leave you with this as part of my proof of how great the Webster people are......the past 2 weeks I have been walking door to door in neighborhoods that are scheduled to have road maintenance by our Highway Department this summer. Pat Stephens, our new Highway Superintendent is an innovative and customer service driven professional. He and I discussed how when the Highway Dept. has historically done "chip sealing" in July and August, that there is spike in citizen complaint emails, calls, etc. Pat and I agreed that maybe we should deploy our time and energies on "proactively" on this instead of "reactively" and thus the reason for me walking door to door to let citizens know this chip sealing will be done soon on their street and to answer and questions they may have on the process (i.e. laying down tar, laying little stones over it, picking up excess stones, etc.) Some said I was crazy going to people's doors to discuss this since people generally don't like when chip sealing is done on their street every 7-9 years (including yours truly who has lived in Webster 24 years and has had it done 3 times on my street). I saw it as an opportunity to talk face to face with people and not via phone, email, zoom etc. that we've been relegated to since COVID. Selfishly, I need the exercise!!!!! The results? The experience has been AWESOME! To date, I've visited about 150 homes and made face to face contact with about 100 of them. The discussions have proven to me that most Webster people are "rational and reasonable" as long as you tell them the truth and not try to "spin things". My guess is that the founding fathers would probably subscribe to that last sentence as a foundational tenet of good government. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 30, 2021
Volume 2- What are the "numbers" on Village-Town Sewers... past, present, and future?

My Supervisor's Corner article in last week's June 23rd edition of the Webster Herald elicited a lot of great feedback. This feedback ran the gamut. Many reached out thanking me for giving "factual numbers" from the last 5 years Village and Town budgets and audited financial statements. Some reached out stating I was giving propaganda and there was no proof of the numbers I presented. I guess audited financial statements produced by an independent 3rd party accounting firm and remitted to the State Comptroller did not make the cut to those people as "factual".

Proving that "Webster Sewers are the issue du jour".... On June 24th, the Village Board meeting had 1 hour of the 1 hour and 25-minute meeting dedicated to public comment on whether the Village should partner up with the Town on a Consolidated Community Sewer system or invest capital into the Village plant on Wall Road and remain separate from the Town. The Village Board is tentatively scheduled to consider such a vote as soon as their next board meeting in early to mid-July. At the same time on June 24th, the Town Board was meeting and had the engineering firm of Barton & Loguidice present the details of phase 2 of the Town's sewer plant improvement project. By early to mid-July the Town Board is looking to discern the next steps in this process as it is critical to "get projects in line" to be shovel ready so as to maximize grant potential
So in the spirit of supplying the public with "More numbers", I figured I'd do a "part 2" edition of last week's article. Below are some more such "numbers" with analysis and explanation where needed on the following two (2) items:

ITEM 1: Several people noted to me that the 4,126 Xerox EDUs that make up 60% of Village's 6,911 EDUs from the chart below had the following italicized note; Residential EDUs at a flat rate bring guaranteed revenue. Commercial EDUs on a variable $$ per 1,000 gallons can fluctuate based on whether the business is expanding or contracting. as a point of reference, Xerox flows on their 800-acre campus were most likely higher 10+ years ago when more of the campus was being utilized. As such, these people wanted to know what the actual flows were from Xerox the last 10 years? Below is the same EDU chart that was in last week's article, and the breakdown of 2017-2020 actual flows from Xerox.

Current EDU configuration- Residential versus Commercial per August 2020 engineer presentation
Residential Xerox other Commercial Total
units % units % units % units %
Village 1,344 19% 4,126 60% 1,441 21% 6,911 100%
Town 15,711 88% 650 4% 1,540 8% 17,901 100%

Actual Flow/Billings- Xerox by Village
Year Gallons EDUs

2017 247,709,371 4,128
2018 241,073,908 4,018
2019 218,934,022 3,648
2020 212,072,364 3,534

In summary to this Xerox EDU item as it pertains to the Village: The 4,126 Xerox EDUs made up 60% of the 6,911 Village EDUs per the August 2020 presentation. Now it appears Xerox is at 3,534 EDUs based on 2020 actual flow/billings. Therefore, the actual total is approx. 6,317, which is 8.6% LESS than 6,911. When the Village leadership is discerning cost of the "Village ONLY plan- Asset replenishment option, they will need to determine if they spread the annual debt financing over 6,911 EDUs, 6,317 EDUs or some other figure. The approximate $8 million of bonding that will be needed by the Village in the phase 1 of the asset replenishment plan will be spread over these EDUs so the higher the number of these total EDUs, the less cost per EDU. Conversely, the less the number of EDUs this cost is spread over, the more cost per EDU.

ITEM 2: At the June 24th Village Board meeting, Village DPW Commissioner Jake Swingly gave the following "verbal" presentation as to the math he had done on a Town-only plant's phase 2, versus a consolidated community plant. He stated during his presentation to "take out your pencils", so I did😊. Here is what he presented:

TOWN ONLY: $20 million 25% grant. $15 million bond payment over 30 years equates to $37 per each of the town's approx.17,000 EDUs

CONSOLIDATED: $30 million 40% grant $18 million bond payment over 30 years equates to $32 per each of the approx. 24,000 village and town EDUs

Jake went on to state that the consolidated community is $5 less annually on EDU from his math but felt that "you had to take that into context". I agree with Jake that his analysis needs to be taken into context. One aspect of that context is what the math would be using Jake's logic on the "Village only-asset replenishment" option. That option results in approx. $8 million in VILLAGE bonding on phase 1 in 2023, and that the 30-year payment on that debt, even with 0% rate on $5 million of it, spread over approx. 7,000 VILLAGE EDUs is $45 per EDU. Then.... 7-10 years from now an additional $5-7 million would need to be bonded by the Village for phase 2 of this asset replenishment plan.

In this context, the $45 per EDU for the approx. 7,000 Village EDUs in asset replenishment seems to be $13 MORE than the Village taxpayers would pay in the consolidation example Jake presented at the meeting. That $13 means the Village resident and business would be paying 41% MORE on EDU on VILLAGE ONLY versus the math Jake presented on consolidation ($13 more than $32 is a 41% increase) Finally... based on the 4-year trend shown in item 1 above of Xerox flows/billings, I don't know if using 7,000 EDUs as the denominator is accurate to spread this $8 million in annual bonding payments over. It would be reasonable to lower that to 6,500 or less and then the $45 per EDU would go up commensurately.

In summary, as stated last week.....with the recent $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan from the Federal Government, local governments were slotted funds. The Town will be getting approx. $4.3 million and the Village approx. $600K. Based on the U.S. Treasury guidance to date, it appears these funds can be used for Broadband, water, and SEWER. That, along with the potential for a 40% grant on a consolidated community sewer versus 25% grants on "separate" sewers could drive down the amount needed to be bonded. The lower the debt on this project... the less the annual debt payment will be. The less the debt payments, the less $$ have to be included in annual EDU charges to citizens and businesses. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 23, 2021:

What are the "numbers" on Village-Town Sewers... past, present, and future?

At the June 10th presentation to the joint meeting of the Village Board of Trustees and the Town Board, a village citizen took the podium and asked the question "what are the numbers"? He went on to elaborate as to how it was difficult for the Village Board of Trustees to vote on a Consolidated Community Sewer system or a "Village-only" system going forward without these "numbers". Since then, no less than 10 times have Village and Town Board members and citizens said to me "we have not seen the numbers".

So, what are the "numbers" people want to see? I think it is a combination of two things; 1. Capital cost net of grants that will end up being debt to the municipality, and 2. The annual cost on a citizen or business owner tax bill for the sewer system. The latter will increase as annual debt payments on bonding for the project increase. On Capital cost, the town recently completed a $12 million phase 1 improvement at the Phillips Road sewer campus. 25% or $3 million in grants were obtained for that project so the net cost to town taxpayers was $9 million that either had to be bonded/go into debt or taken out of the Sewer fund balance/reserve. Also, at a public meeting in August 2020 held by ZOOM, the Village and Town engineers presented a 35+ slide deck that included how net of grants, a Consolidated Community system would cost approx. $10 million less than the Village and Town going forward with separate sewers. That figure was conservative, as it did not factor in the 40% consolidation incentive grants, and only factored traditional 25% EFC State grants.

An annual cost to citizens or businesses to be on the sewer system, the metric used is called an Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU). 1 EDU equals approx. 60,000 gallons a year. Residents are charged a flat rate EDU and businesses are charged a variable $$$ per 1,000 gallons of flow. As such, regardless of whether you flush your toilet one time a day or 20 times a day at your home, you will have that flat EDU rate annually. This makes estimating "residential" revenue to the system easy. However, at a business, since the flow is monitored and billed, if the business has two times the flow of another business, they will be charged two times as much in that year. EDU rates are set annually by municipality governance and take into account several variables including current fund balance/reserve levels, new debt taken on via bonding, and anticipated costs to run the plant. Below is the last 5 years of EDU rates at Village and Town, 4-year audited financial statement sewer numbers, along with some other analysis of EDUs between Village and Town currently:

EDU rate 5-year history:
2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
Village $195 $150 $120 $98 $98
Town $192 $187 $173 $168 $168

2021 EDU charge converted to tax rate per $1,000 on average assessed value of home in the municipality:

Village: Average assessed value $118,000. EDU charge of $195 equates to $1.65 per $1000

Town: Average assessed Value $176,000. EDU charge of $192 equates to $1.09 per $1000

Current EDU configuration- Residential versus Commercial
Residential Xerox other Commercial Total
units % units % Units % Units %
Village 1,344 19% 4,126 60% 1,441 21% 6,911 100%
Town 15,711 88% 650 4% 1,540 8% 17,901 100%

Note: Residential EDUs at a flat rate bring guaranteed revenue. Commercial EDUs on a variable $$ per 1,000 gallons can fluctuate based on whether the business is expanding or contracting. as a point of reference, Xerox flows on their 800-acre campus were most likely higher 10+ years ago when more of the campus was being utilized.

4 - year history per audited financial statements of Village and Town Enterprise/Sewer funds:

2020 2019 2018 2017
Town Village Town Village Town Village Town Village
Revenue $3.30 mil $947K $3.06 mil $781K $2.91 mil $741K $2.89 mil $800K
Expenses $2.07 mil $826K $2.15 mil $868K $1.71 mil $758K $1.54 mil $857K
Fund balance $6.14 mil $276K $7.21 mil ($55K) $7.09 mil $98K $7.68 mil $216K
Reserves

4-year audited financials-Notes:
- Village increased EDU charge from $150 to $195 in 2021-2022 budget most likely for the purpose of building fund balance/reserve
- Town fund balance/reserve has decreased the past 4 years due to upgrades to pump stations and main sewer lines in town.
- Pump stations and mains are part of collection system and NOT part of treatment at the sewer plant

One last thing on the "numbers" past, present, and future..... With the recent $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan from the Federal Government, local governments were slotted funds. The town will be getting approx. $4.3 million and the Village approx. $600K. Based on the U.S. Treasury guidance to date, it appears these funds can be used for Broadband, water, and SEWER. That, along with the potential for a 40% grant on a consolidated- community sewer versus 25% grants on "separate" sewers could drive down the amount needed to be bonded. The lower the debt on this project... the less the annual debt payment will be. The less the debt payments, the less $$ have to be included in annual EDU charges to citizens and businesses. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.

June 16, 2021:
Webster Consolidated Community Sewer System Update

On June 10th at 7 p.m., a presentation was given at the Village of Webster's board room for a joint meeting of the Village of Webster Board of Trustees and the Webster Town Board. The presentation was done by Matt Chatfield. Matt is the Executive Director of Webster Economic Development Alliance (WEDA). Matt acted as the moderator of an ad hoc committee/working group that had been formed earlier this year for the purpose of discerning whether a fair and equitable Consolidated Community Sewer System could be done within the 35 square miles of Webster, and its approx. 46,000 citizens.

The ad hoc committee/working group was comprised of four Village and three Town representatives. Those representatives were vetted and chosen by Mayor Byerts, Deputy Mayor Ippolito, Deputy Supervisor Cataldi and me. We tried to use the "Noah's Ark" philosophy on creating this committee; 1 Citizen from the Village and Town, 1 Board member from Village and Town, 1 Sewer plant employee from Village and Town, and 1 business owner from the Village and Town. The main thing we were looking for out of these committee members were to be open-minded within their research of whether a Consolidated Community Sewer System in Webster could be done in a fair and equitable way going forward in 2022 and beyond.

Heretofore, the Village and Town have operated separate sewer systems. Both had opportunities to go offline 20-30 years ago when almost ALL Monroe County sewer plants at that time opted to do so and go to Monroe County's Pure Waters system. For a myriad of reasons, they did not go to Monroe County back then. Now in 2021, both Webster plants have most of their infrastructure at 40-50 years old. Simply said, they have "aged out" and millions of dollars of new infrastructure needs to be infused to both.

The path the Village and Town governances have taken the past few years on determining improvements to their separate plants or to consolidate are as follows:

VILLAGE: They are looking at an "asset replenishment" plan that addresses the most aged out infrastructure 1st at a cost of approx. $7-10 million to start in 2022-2023. Within that 1st phase would be additions to the plant on Wall Rd to achieve the Village getting their own SPEDES permit from the New York State DEC. Then, a 2nd phase in approx. 7-10 years for another $7-10 million would be done. The current engineering plans on the Village plan is to replace 1970’s infrastructure with 2020 parts, but with no real change to technology on how sewage is treated.

TOWN: A phase 1, $12 million improvement has been done over the past 2-3 years to their plant on Phillips Rd. This $12 million essentially updated 1970 infrastructure to 2020 with no real change to technology on treating sewage. The good news is that ALL of that improvement would support a consolidated community sewer system should the Village and Town governances agree to do so. The Town is working on their phase 2 plan currently and the cost will be approx. $20 million. Phase 2 will have NEW technology on treating sewage that will address the current future challenges being faced. For example, garnering the gases from treatment to power the plant instead of having to buy power from RGE, and 21st century drying technology so that sludge hauling costs can be minimized or eliminated. The result will be a dryer output that is great for fertilizer!! The Town is trying to work with the engineers to keep the option open to this phase 2 plan to have the consolidation with the Village supported.

So, a decision has to be made on whether to consolidate as a community sewer system at an aggregate "pre-grant" cost of approx. $35 million, or to have the Village and Town forge ahead with their individual plants in the future at an aggregate "pre-grant" cost of approx. $45 million. The Town was able to get a 25% grant on the $12 million phase 1 project, so the net cost was $9 million. Consolidation is incentivized when it comes to grants. Our community could obtain 40% of the project in grants. As such, the NET cost of a consolidation could end up being $15 million + LESS to the Webster taxpayers than the Village and Town going forward with their separate systems.

The presentation from the June 10th meeting is on the Village of Webster's Facebook page (https://fb.watch/677gtq-8w3/) if you would like to watch it. In my opinion, the ad hoc committee did a great job of putting together a blueprint of how the Village and Town governances could move forward with a "fair and equitable" model of consolidation on a community sewer system for the citizens/businesses and taxpayers of both the Village and Town. Such a "fair and equitable" plan needs to address both initial costs of the capital to build it, and the ongoing costs to run it. The Village citizens should NOT be subsidizing the Town within this model and vice versa. Stay tuned for more info on this in the next few weeks/months. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

June 10, 2021:
Decision 2022 for Webster - Opt in or out on legal recreational marijuana dispensaries in town

It appears the New York State Assembly, Senate and/or Governor's office has, or is about to approve legalized recreational marijuana in New York State. All signs point to this being in effect as early as January 2022. If New York follows what other states have done like Colorado and Illinois, there will be an "Opt in or Out" decision for local governments within this. Simply said, if the Town of Webster wants to participate in the tax revenue from the sale of marijuana at a dispensary(s) in town, the Town Board will need to decide whether to "opt IN" to allowing such a dispensary(s) in the town. Should the Town Board decide to "opt OUT" initially going into 2022, there will be NO marijuana dispensaries allowed to operate in the Town.

Over the next several months, the Town Board will be getting educated on the various nuances of this decision. There will be Town Board workshops that seek to have presenters to show the pros and cons of all aspects of this. There will be at least one public hearing on this issue prior to the Town Board voting on the "Opt in or out". Some will say it is strictly a moral issue. Some will say it is strictly a financial issue with the tax revenue the town could get. Some will say it strictly a crime related issue and/or the difficulty in testing a driver at this point in time for being under the influence of marijuana. Some will say it is an issue directly affecting our children. The reality is that it is ALL of those things and more!

As I write this article, I have to admit I am just starting my research on this issue. I've stated in this column many times that "good decisions for today, and the future are based on being open minded and reviewing the FACTS.... and that bad decisions often are made based on emotion". At the risk of sounding like I am talking out of both sides of my mouth.... there is one FACT I do know about this issue that has me thinking I already know how I will be voting on this "Opt in versus Opt out" issue going into 2022. That FACT is simply this...… if a municipality decides going into 2022 they are OPTING IN to the tax revenue from the marijuana dispensary(s) in their town, they can NEVER in the future OPT OUT. That makes sense since it would be unfair to the business owners who would be getting licensed as a dispensary and putting capital into their business such a buying a building or long-term lease, etc. However, if the municipality decides to initially OPT OUT going into 2022, they can OPT IN in the future if they decide to.

As such, it seems the "logical" best move for Webster would be to OPT OUT going into 2022 and see what transpires in other municipalities in upstate that opt in as of 2022. I further think this will be the best course of action for the town due to preliminary financial estimates of the town's participatory tax revenue from the sale of marijuana would be minimal when compared against the town's overall annual budget of revenue and expenses. Bottom line, the town's finances are "solid" and therefore we will not be forced to consider opting in solely as a "money grab" due to sins of past budgets versus actual financial results of the town.

As stated prior in this article, we'll do our due diligence on this issue over the next several months and the public will have their opportunity to give input. However, it just seems like the "risk-return" on ALL aspects of this decision including but not limited to; moral, financial, law enforcement, health, our children, etc. make it a no-brainer that Webster should OPT OUT initially. If in the future we see that other municipalities are doing GREAT and there has been NO adverse effects to health, children, law enforcement etc. and that the municipality is making a LOT of tax revenue that helps lessen the burden on the citizen's real estate taxes...… we should then consider Opting in. Remember.... once you OPT IN.... you can NEVER Opt out. Kinda like the Hotel California! (LOL) As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 2, 2021
Making Sandbar Park the Waterfront Jewel of Webster

Sandbar Park. What a unique strip of land we have here in Webster. It runs west along Lake Road from Bay Road to the outlet bridge in the winter and a dead end in the summer. On the north side is Lake Ontario and on the south is Irondequoit Bay. Almost 20 years ago the Town of Webster obtained over 12 acres on this strip from a combination of purchasing parcels, and also a donation of parcels from town citizen John Casciani. Soon after obtaining this land, the town worked with New York State to turn into a town park.

Over the past 15+ years since then, not much has changed about the park layout. A few years back, a citizen committee was assembled to look at options for the town to make improvements to the Park. That committee was formed in parallel with the town retaining Passero Associates and Bayer Landscape Architecture to design some plans. A public presentation of that committee, and Passero/Bayer work was done in the Town Board room and approx. 80 citizens attended. Unfortunately, the second high-water event of 2019 (after the first in 2017) put the project on hold. The high-water event and flooding that occurred from it on Sandbar Park also resulted in New York State creating grant money for waterfront resiliency (REDI Grants) and the Town of Webster applied for and obtained almost $3 million in grant money to lift and move a section of Lake Road near Oklahoma Beach, and to build a break wall along the south/bay side.

In 2020 and 2021 the Town of Webster worked with the citizen committee, Passero and Bayer to start the Sandbar Park project back up and marry features of the Park design to the necessary waterfront resiliency that will be done with help from the REDI grants. On May 27, 2021 at the Town Board Workshop, Bayer and Passero presented to the Town Board the preliminary designs and costs of the proposed park improvement. If you'd like to see that presentation the link is: ci.webster.ny.us/CivicMedia.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, ALL Webster residents got a 9 by 11-inch postcard in the USPS mail that promoted four open houses on these proposed plans, costs, and timeline; Wednesday, June 2nd from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Rec Center on Chiyoda off Phillips, Tuesday, June 8th, and Thursday, June 10th from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at the Rec Center, and Saturday, June 12th at the Joe Obbie Farmer's Market at Towne Center between 9 a.m. - Noon. These open houses will give Webster citizens the chance to come and see the various aspects of the project including, the waterfront resiliency, park design, new building that will replace the current Bayside restaurant, and cost and funding options on the proposed project. As stated, prior in this article, the last time an open house was done on this project, approx. 80 citizens attended. I would LOVE to see 1,500+ citizens in total attend these four open houses!!! As you have heard me say "an informed community is a better community". Along those lines, government works BEST for the people when it HEARS the people. These open houses are the best way for citizens to give their input on this proposed project, and the best way for the elected leaders of the town to listen to them!

YOUR input in the next few weeks will help the project designers, citizen advisory committees, and the Town Board dovetail to the August - October 2021 timeframe. That is when the discerning of resolutions to finalize plans, bid out the project to contractors, and determine final costs and funding sources will most likely be done. The BEST way for the citizens to review this proposed project and give input is to attend these open houses. However there are other ways to track it such as visiting the Sandbar Park dedicated page on the Town website at: ci.webster.ny.us/522/Sandbar-Park-Project and following on Facebook at: facebook.com/Sandbarparkproject. You can also sign up for Sandbar Park alerts at: ci.webster.ny.us/list.aspx.

I TRULY hope to see and talk with thousands of Webster citizens at these open houses over the next week+! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 26, 2021
A mission we ALL can get behind in supporting

At 10 AM on Monday, May 3rd, I attended a press conference at Gates Town Hall. Several news outlets were in attendance as the topic was an update on the car jackings that had been going on in Monroe County, and on the investigation on the 71-year-old gentleman who had been shot and killed during one of these car jackings in Gates. I had been invited to the press conference by Gates Town Supervisor, Cosmo Giunta. Cosmo is the 2021 President of the Monroe County Supervisor's Association, and in his invite stated, "he really wanted to see as many Supervisors in attendance as possible to show solidarity on the issue". What immediately struck me when I entered the building that morning was the vast number of law enforcement and elected political leaders in attendance. They brought us all out to be a semi-circle behind the podium, and if you watched the press conference on TV, it showed just how many were there in support.

Gates Police Chief James Van Brederode led off at the podium. Chief is a "good man" who led off with the facts on where the carjacking and murder cases were at. However, he then gave an impassioned, layman’s term explanation of the unintended consequences that have come from the various New York State legislative changes in the past few years such as bail reform. He was in agreement that it is wrong to hold someone in jail because they are poor, while another person of means that perpetrated the same crime was able to get out on bail. However, he did a wonderful job describing how New York State may have "thrown the baby out with the bathwater" in an attempt to right a wrong on that. He described how it has resulted in essentially a "catch and release" situation the past year plus. Simply said, the criminal robs a store in Gates on Thursday, gets an appearance ticket for court in a month or two, and is back on the street on Friday to rob another store in Greece.

Several law enforcement and political leaders also spoke at this press conference. Some described how a confluence of events, social pressure and legislative actions in the past year have resulted in an emboldened criminal and a spike in violence. One person told me offline that there is a community of law abiding citizens who feel imprisoned in their own homes/neighborhoods for fear, real or perceived of the "wild west" that is going on outside on their streets. That leads me to the one speaker that day NOT from law enforcement or politics: Clay Harris. I had never heard of Clay before hearing him at the podium on that morning. What struck me immediately about Clay, was that he is an excellent public speaker. However, it was not so much HOW he spoke, but WHAT he was saying that had me bobbing my head in agreement. Clay is the founder of United Healing through Hope - Monroe County. He is a Christian man who was motivated to start this organization in the past year in the aftermath and social unrest since George Floyd's death while in law enforcement custody in Minneapolis. He stated that morning on the podium that it is his mission... his vocation to STOP THE VIOLENCE in our community. I told him at the end of the press conference that "Webster is IN" on this effort, and that we should get together to soon to see how he envisioned utilizing me within his mission.

Clay and I met for coffee the next week and immediately hit it off. He is a pioneer as far as I am concerned to the RIGHT way to solve societal problems, especially the one of violence. He knows it is too easy to "broad brush" and blame law enforcement, or Donald Trump, etc. for those ills. He knows it is multi-tentacled and knows that it will take years to remedy... but you gotta start somewhere. He preaches that coalescing the leaders of the faith-based community, law enforcement, the judicial system, elected officials and the citizens is the only way to put a dent in the problem today, and eventually remedy it.

I have attended three of his organization's meetings since I first met Clay earlier this month as they are busy organizing a STOP THE VIOLENCE march and rally for Saturday, June 5th between 10 AM and 3 PM. This is Clay's "creation”, and it is a bold endeavor given a short time to organize and execute. At the time I wrote this article, the logistic details were not yet decided on for the march routes and rallying point. As soon as they are known, I will then be executing my marching orders Clay has given me. That is to simply promote and let as many Webster citizens know of this march and rally as possible with the hopes that we get great attendance. Stay tuned for more details as they arise on this Saturday, June 5th event. Let's show the world that the Monroe County community is united in our mission to STOP THE VIOLENCE. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 19, 2021:
Transparency in your Webster Town Government

If you are a weekly reader of this column, you have heard me say several times, "An informed community is a better community". There are approximately 15,000 residences in Webster that encompass 45,000+ citizens. Those residences are single family homes, apartments, etc. The citizens include adults and children. When I became Supervisor in 2020, I found that the Town Government mechanisms to communicate to its citizens were comprised of the Webster Herald, social media, Town website, Thursday Town Board meetings open to in-person attendance, and aired on cable channel 1303, Electronic Town Meetings, Town Times that went out 3 times a year, and posting boards at Town facilities like Town Hall, Rec Center, and Library.

Even with all those various means of communication, it was estimated that approx. 15-20% of the adults in Webster actually see and "absorb" the communications the town sends out. That is why one of the biggest initiatives we are trying to accomplish at the Town is to improve the communication to Webster Citizens and get that "see and absorb" rate up over 50%. That effort is not something that can be achieved over night. COVID has hurt the effort. In February 2020, prior COVID, we had a public information forum at Webster Thomas on the water levels on Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay. Over 200 citizens attended. I was ecstatic and thought we'd have 5-6 such public forums a year on various topics of interest to Webster citizens and have 200+ citizens attend. COVID hits in March 2020 and that put that effort on the shelf. Hopefully we can come back to it soon!

The reality is that in our society in 2021, many people feel that if they are not seeing and "absorbing" communications from an organization, that the organization is NOT TRANSPARENT. Unfortunately, if your organization is accused of being "Non-transparent", it often is interpreted that the organization is hiding things, or worse yet, has nefarious intentions. Social Media makes it easy to type in the allegation that an organization is not being transparent. People read it, and many will accept that as fact.

A few things to consider as you discern the Town of Webster Government's transparency: 1. Customer Service: We've made it a priority in the past year+ at all the Town departments. Responding to citizen calls, e-mails, etc. in a timely fashion, and with facts on what they inquired about it imperative. 2. When I have been informed of a citizen comment that the Town government is "not transparent", I have sent that person a note in the USPS mail with my business card and a note stating," I would welcome meeting with you at a venue, day and time of your choosing to discuss your concerns on the Town's transparency and hear your ideas of how we can improve it". To date, I have sent over 30 such notes in the past year plus and have had NO response on any of them. I find that sad, but also predictable in the society we live in today. Much easier to hide behind a keyboard and accuse an organization of being non-transparent than to actually meet with that organization's leadership to be "part of the solution process" if indeed what they are accusing us of is true.

The good news, I believe the majority of Webster Citizens will appreciate the Town government's efforts to improve its communication. Any citizens who want to assist in this effort, I would love to hear from you! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 12, 2021:
2022 and Beyond Changes at the Highway Department

There may be no more Customer facing department in Webster Government than the Highway Department. Their big yellow trucks can be seen everywhere in Webster. In the winter, they plow the roads and have historically been one of the at it compared to other Upstate New York municipalities. In the Spring and Summer, you will see them out there on various drainage projects in town, delivering mulch, and chip sealing roads amongst other things. In the Autumn, they are out there picking up the leaves. These are just a few of the many things the Highway Department does for the Webster Citizens.

The Webster Highway Department is a great source of pride in this community. One thing I have learned since I became Town Supervisor is that the department is very respected amongst other Highway Department Superintendents in Monroe County. The department has historically gotten work from the county and other municipalities to do road work such asphalt, etc. because of their expertise. That work has brought revenue to the department that helps lessen the need to tax the Webster citizens. I personally think that one of the main reasons the Highway Department is a top-notch unit is the continuity of leadership it has had for the past 50-years. If you're a football fan, you know that the Pittsburgh Steelers have had three head coaches in the past 50-years. That consistency in organization is why they have historically been a winning team during that timeframe. The Highway Department has had three Superintendents in the past 50 years: Cliff Jones, Barry Deane, and Joe Herbst. Joe just retired in February 2021 after 13+ years as Superintendent. After an exhaustive and collaborative search, application, and interview process, the Town hired Pat Stephens as its new Highway Superintendent in April 2021. Pat's engineering and construction background have me very excited for what he will bring to that department for the next several years!!

Another source of pride in the department is the multi-skilled tradesmen employed there. The current Highway garage and admin offices sit on a 20+ acre parcel at the end of Picture Parkway off Hard Road. It was originally built 50+ years ago and 1. is starting to show its age, and 2. has been expanded over the years by construction of additions done mostly by the department staff. They say necessity is the mother of invention and the Highway Department is a living embodiment of that! The town's population is DOUBLE what it was when that facility was originally built and the lane miles of road they have to service is most likely more than double. My predecessor, Supervisor Ron Nesbitt recently wrote that there is a need for a new Highway garage, and I could not agree with him more on that. In April 2021, the Town acquired eight acres across the parking lot to the north of the current Highway garage. This land was purchased from Monroe County after they had perfected a real estate tax foreclosure on it. The town paid approx. $58,000 for those eight acres. To me, this land purchase was "step 1" of the process of building a new Highway garage. Step 2 most likely is looking at other newly built Highway facilities in upstate NY in the past 10-years to get an idea of design and cost on those so we can start discussing what size, design, cost is appropriate for Webster today and for the next 20-30 years.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068, or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

May 5, 2021:
The "Job Duties" of Town Government

What are the job duties of the Town Supervisor and the four Town Board members that make up the Town of Webster government? Seems like a simple enough question. However, I found that while campaigning in 2019, and during my 16 months as Town Supervisor, you can ask 100 Webster citizens that questions and get 100 different answers! Since there seems to be no succinct job description I have found of Town Supervisor, I would propose it has some tangible and intangible aspects. The most tangible aspects to it are the Town Board meetings where annual budgets, codes, and laws are voted on by the 5-person board. Many of those voted on items are preceded by a public hearing so the governance can get feedback from the citizens on what they are about to vote on. In my opinion, board meetings and public hearings as they are "advertised" in 2021 show a fundamental flaw in the system between "what is legal and what is right way to do things for the overall benefit of the community".

Legally, the law of publishing a board meeting, its agenda items, a public hearing, etc. is based on laws done at the State level 50+ years ago. As such, they are predicated on publishing in a newspaper within a certain number of days of the meeting. The Town of Webster's identified newspaper for such meeting notices is voted on each year at the organizational meeting on or about January 1st. The Webster Herald is the Town of Webster's newspaper for these notices. However, where that fulfills the Town's "legal" responsibility of these notices, I think we all know that newspapers for citizen news consumption is drastically lower in 2021 than it was 50 years ago when the law was made. The result.... few people in Webster know about our board meetings, agendas, and/or public hearings. As such, few people come to our board meetings which are open to the public, nor do they watch them live on Spectrum channel 1303 or at the Town’s website. As you have heard me say many times, "an informed community is a better community". As such, we continue to try and advertise/promote these board meetings in mediums over and above the legal requirement of the newspaper. They are on the Town website, and social media platforms currently. We continue to strive to improve the Town government communication mechanisms to our citizens with the end goal that at least one adult in each household gets the communication and "absorbs it". As we make progress on that goal, I hope to see more attendance at board meetings/public hearings in the future, and viewership of those meetings on TV and website.

The intangibles of the job are too many to write in this article, but a few that I have found the most fascinating are as follows;

1. Are you a leader or someone looking to be liked? I admit, with the benefit of hindsight in my early years owning my company, I made decisions (or avoided them) with a compass more geared toward being liked/not causing confrontation, then what was best for the organization today and the future. As a business owner if you don't evolve from that you will go out of business. However, government almost promotes and incentivizes its elected officials to make decisions based on being liked. At least ten times in the past few months I have been in various meetings of town officials, citizens, etc. where we are discussing decisions that need to be made for the BEST of the community today and the future, and someone says "Tom, you may not want to pursue that right now cuz its an election year". I can't tell you how odd that seems to me. If I'm voted out due to pushing for agendas I think are right for the community during an election year, then it was not meant to be for me being Webster Town Supervisor for more than two years.

2. What is your management and/or change agent style? This is one of those "soft" skill items that is so hard to quantify, but you know it when you start to get to know someone. Do you campaign and/or come into a new position "guns a slinging" and making first 100-day promises of what you're going to change? Another way to look at this is the person who wants to overthrow the government and once they do, has no idea on how to actually govern! If you understand the Town Supervisor position and that you ultimately are just 1 of 5 votes, that would be a colossal mistake. Some people are so interested in winning the battle, they give up any chance of winning the overall war.

Bottom line... in 2021 you need people swimming in the same direction if you are to achieve anything at the town government level. Does that mean those people are all "Yes men and women"? Absolutely NOT!! I've learned so much in the past 16 months from robust conversations and debates with the Town Board members, Town Department Heads, and citizens where we disagreed on MANY things!! However, I'd like to think foundationally there was a mutual respect to those debates that forged trust so we could move to a position of swimming all in the same direction for the greater good. Was there risk to me as Town Supervisor in being more collaborative that autocratic? Absolutely! One of my favorite sayings is "Don't let my congeniality be confused for weakness". Some people ONLY respond to autocratic so they will see my style as weak. I usually have a lot of fun with those type of people in the long run! (LOL) As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 22, 2021
799 Holt Road- 70 acres that is the old lumber yard

In the past few months, I have written articles, had Town Board discussions, and highlighted on the Electronic Town Meeting the West Webster Hamlet, specifically 600 Ridge Road, Webster Furniture Strippers. Over the past 15+ years, a lot of attention from the Webster community has been on 600 Ridge Road due to the condition the property is in, and people wanting to know "what the end game is going to be on that property" as we go forward into 2022 and beyond?

That attention on 600 Ridge Road spurred many people reaching out to me about the property at 799 Holt Road. That property is a 70-acre parcel on the west side of Holt Road north of 104, and just south of the Hojack Trail. It has approx. 500 feet of frontage along Holt Road. Strewn along this frontage are several vacant, dilapidated buildings within 200 feet depth off Holt Road. As such, these buildings are VERY visible from Holt Road, and to Hojack Trail walkers/bikers. For many Webster citizens these buildings are seen as an "eyesore", and that is the main reason I have had many people reach out to me on this property. They want to know "what is the end game on this property going forward into 2022 and beyond"?

The fact pattern on this 70-acre parcel at 799 Holt Road is VERY different to the one at 600 Ridge Road, the Webster Furniture Strippers. For example, the property is privately owned and been listed for sale for over two years. It is current on its real estate tax payments to the County, Town, and School. There is nothing to indicate the 70-acre site has any environmental issues. Where it has approx. 500 foot of frontage on Holt Road, it has significantly more feet depth going west that comprises the 70-acre site. Allegedly some of the 70-acres has wetland aspects. Such wetlands will have an effect to any potential buyer, and what such a buyer will want to propose as future use on the site. Obviously, the current zoning of the site will affect a buyer's future use too.

Over the 16 months I have been Supervisor, I have been in contact with the current owner and their representation of these 70-acres. They have been very cooperative to any town requests to remedy code issues. Most recently the Town Code Enforcement Officer met them in November 2020 at the site to discuss overgrowth of brush. Within two weeks the owner cleaned it up. The big issue is the buildings. The owner and their representation were working in early 2020 to obtain demolition permits and asbestos assessment on them. Their plan was to have a fire department use the buildings in 2020 as their testing and as such they would be burned to the ground. COVID hit and permits got delayed. By the time they were able to navigate the process, the fire departments moved on to other sites as their testing in 2020.

Within my most recent discussions with the owner and their representatives they have conveyed they are looking to demolish the buildings at some point in 2021. They think that the buildings being gone may assist in finding a viable buyer. Based on my previous interactions with them, I have NO reason at this point to doubt them and their conveyed intentions. They have made good on all previous interactions I have had with them. I'm scheduled to talk with them in late June/early July to see where they are in the process of demolishing the buildings. In summary.... if these buildings are gone, my guess is that most Webster citizens will have NO issues with seeing 500 feet of frontage along Holt Road that is foliage/woods. At some point in the future, a buyer will manifest themselves. Then, that buyer's desired usage of the 70-acres will be where attention is turned to as I can only assume they would not be buying it to remain wooded land. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 14, 2021:
A "Vision" of the Webster Community in 2041

Vision has more than one definition. If your optometrist determines you are far or near sighted, you know what your "vision" is like when not assisted by glasses or contact lenses. It's hard to see tangible things clearly right in front of your face! Those tangible things we see in real time, today are for the most part universally agreed on. Stand 100 people from all walks of life side by side and put a glass of water on a table and ask them what they see... and they will all say they see a glass of water! Now the "intangible" aspect of how those 100 people perceive that glass of water can run the gamut from "I'm thirsty, I want to drink it", to "that water is for plants to grow", and everything in between.

But what about the definition of vision when it pertains to "seeing something that is currently NOT there tangibly for your eyes to see"? Steve Jobs at Apple had such vision when it came to people in the future having computers at their homes, or in their hands in the form of cell phones. With the benefit of hindsight, we now know Jobs was "visionary" and that those things he "saw in the future" came to be. However, 40 years ago when he was pitching that vision, not ALL were on board. Some thought he was crazy! It’s easier to criticize and shoot down a "vision of something in the future" than to get behind it. Maybe easier is not the right word. Maybe the right word is "safer". There is risk in getting on board to a future vision. What if it fails? The "safer, in the moment" move is to keep the status quo, unless that status quo is universally agreed on to being untenable and change must occur. FDR and Churchill experienced that in the late 1930’s as the status quo of their citizenship was "stay out of any altercation with Germany/Japan", but by 1940/1941 the actions of those foes made the status quo untenable and England and the U.S entered World War 2.

Privately held companies are forced to have vision and take risks on future visions or they run the bigger risk of going out of business. It's a bit of a "salt in the wound" for us Rochester people, but Kodak decided to keep the status quo several years ago and NOT move forward with digital. I think we know how that "in the moment safer" move panned out. Government has two things working against "taking visionary moves"; 1. They can't go out of business like a private entity, and 2. Being an elected official does not mean you are a leader, and often you can be motivated in your decisions by not what is best for your community in the future, but what is best for you to get re-elected. On that latter point, putting your neck out there like Steve Jobs is NOT something most elected officials will do!

So, what will the Webster community look like 20 years from now in 2041? If you'll indulge me for a few more paragraphs, here is one man's opinion on how it could be. It's 2041. The 800-acre industrial campus that used to be ALL Xerox and as recently as 2021 had six million square feet of building space of which approx. Four million was EMPTY has been revitalized either by Xerox and/or by new developer(s). There is 21st century industry(s) that are set up on that campus and 10,000+ "good jobs" are there. One of the determining factors for those companies to come to that campus back in the 2020’s and 2030’s was the "state of the art" community sanitary sewer treatment plant that was built in the early 2020’s by a partnership of the Village of Webster and Town of Webster governments. That sewer plant was built in the early 2020’s with an "eye to the future" and is a Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) and not your "traditional sewer plant". In layman terms, it has the capacity to break down the industrial discharge of certain industries into clean water.

The Village of Webster Board of Trustees and the Town Board parlayed their partnership on the community/consolidated WRRF built in the early 2020’s into partnering on an action plan on the 800-acre Xerox campus. That plan included moving village/town lines to make the campus easier to parcel out. It also included improving Xerox owned and maintained roads with federal and state grants and getting them dedicated over to the town and/or village for further ease of parceling out. As business started to come to that campus in the mid to late 2020’s from these partnership efforts, property values in the community increased as good jobs were on the campus.

The Village Board of Trustees saw that the four corners/village was the "nucleus" of the Webster community. That Webster community had 40,000+ people in the town that were a different socio-economic make up than what they were in the 1970’s. That community wanted to walk, bike, or drive 1-2 miles to the nucleus to spend their entertainment and goods and services money and NOT have to go 10+ miles away to do it. The Village Board of Trustees saw that and acted on that. They redirected their focus on the "nucleus" of the Webster community; the four corners of Main St. and 250 and the businesses that spawn east and west down Main Street from there. The result by 2030 was NO cars on Main Street from 250 running east for about 100 yards and from 250 running west for about 100 yards. 250 running north and south continued to have car traffic. This "walking mall" had the proper off street public parking to support it. It created a "community center" where many events occurred throughout the year such as the jazz festival that occurred in the late 2010’s when they would close down the street for the weekend. It also brought small, boutique type businesses to that area that prior would not have come. The economic result to the village? In the early 2020’s 50%+ of the Village's budget revenue came from sales tax from the businesses in the village. Much of the other revenue came from real estate taxes to Village residents and businesses. The revitalization of the Village's four corners in the late 2020’s resulted in increase in sales tax revenue to the point where "all other factors being equal" the Village government could reduce or possibly no longer charge Village real estate taxes to the Village citizens and businesses.

In summary..... I am NO Steve Jobs!! (LOL) I also concede that the "vision" I described above for 2041 in Webster may NOT be what the citizens would like to see. However, I have seen the value of "having a vision" and getting people on board to start the foundational work of turning it into a reality. I don't have all the answers, and that is why any efforts done in the next 1-2 years that will effectuate how this community looks in 2041 needs "partnership and cooperation". Is it risk? Do we need to leave our "comfort zone"? Absolutely!! However, change is inevitable, and we can either let our fate be dealt to us as passive observers and complain about it..... or we can drive our fate. I for one am a proponent of the latter. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

April 7, 2021:
Separating Fact from Myth about Development/Green Space in Webster

My wife and I moved to Webster 24 years ago. What attracted us to the community was the "rural-suburban" feel it had and the 10 – 20-minute driving proximity it had to the rest of Monroe County for our jobs, services, etc. As the years went on and we grew our family, what has kept us in Webster was the GREAT people who live here. The feel I described of "rural-suburban" was something I had no empirical data on back in 1997... it was just a "feel" for my wife and me. We had grown up in Irondequoit, so I suppose that was our point of reference.

Since I became Supervisor, I have been able to obtain factual data on Webster's "rural-suburban feel". For example, Irondequoit covers 17 square miles and has approx. 51,000 residents. That equates to 3,000 people per square mile. In comparison, Webster covers 35 square miles and has approx. 46,000 residents. That equates to 1,300 people per square mile. When I was campaigning in 2019 and going "door to door", I was introduced to how passionate people are about over-development and maintaining Green Space in Webster. The good news from that experience was that ALL Webster Citizens seem to be aligned on these issues. We love our hometown and the "rural-suburban" feel it has! The bad news was the disparity of people's opinions on them. If you are a habitual reader of my weekly column, you know I'm a self-proclaimed "data geek". Data to me are FACTS, and facts are foundational to making good decisions, and/or forming an opinion on a subject that is an educated one. You also know I feel an informed community is a better community. So, without further ado, here are some myth/fact aspects of development and green space in Webster.

DEVELOPMENT: Many Webster citizens reach out to me with concerns that Town Board, Planning Board, and/or Zoning Board of Appeals approve a developer's plan to build with a "magic wand" and do not have to adhere to any guidelines. The reality is that the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, and current zoning laws, and town codes/laws are the guideposts on any and ALL development in town. The process that needs to be followed for a developer to get approval on building a housing track or commercial building is extensive. Public hearings are part of the process. Those hearings, by law are published several days in advance in the Webster Herald, and other Town websites, and social media pages. Unfortunately, where the zoning, codes, laws are specific... there remains a subjectivity to people's opinions as to whether that specificity is enough. For example, the difference between R2 and R3 zoning is that the minimum lot size for the home is 22,000 feet versus 28,000 feet. In each case, the minimum lot width is 100 feet, but the depth minimum differs from 220 to 280 feet between R2 and R3. Those are "specifics/facts" of the zoning, but some people feel that those minimum square feet lots are too BIG (if you want more houses built) ... or too SMALL (if you want less houses built).

GREEN SPACE: Many Webster residents reach out to me with their concerns about over development and the loss of green space in the town. Some have said that the town has not invested in purchasing any land for green space since the referendum back in 2005 that resulted in approx. 1,000 acres purchased at approx. $7 million. The reality is that in the past 15-months since I became Supervisor, the town has purchased or is contract for approx. 60 acres of green space. Furthermore, in the years between 2006-2019, the town obtained several parcels of land that are green space. Currently between Town and County parks, and other land currently designated "green space/no development" approx. 12% of ALL of the 35 square miles in Webster are undeveloped/green space. Furthermore, there is another approx. 20% of acreage in Webster that currently owned by private citizens that is NOT developed. This makes Webster currently one of the most "green space friendly" towns in Monroe County!

In summary, the current zoning, codes, and laws have specificity in them to promote green space. For example, in certain residential zonings, there is "cluster" potential for a developer when building a housing tract where if they can preserve natural features of the land, they can apply to the Planning Board for such a configuration. In the past few months, we have started the process of discerning the current town codes and laws in place. Within that process we are looking to identify obsolete codes and laws and see if there are new ones that need to be proposed. We've also started looking at the 2008 Comprehensive Plan. Bottom line.... we can't formally start a process of updating that Comprehensive Plan until we look at the initiatives that were stated in the 2008 version. Did those initiatives get accomplished, and if not, why? I don't want the process of updating the Comprehensive Plan in the next few years to have a "history repeats itself" aspect. We need to learn from that history so we can produce a better future for Webster! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

March 31, 2021
Town Board Meetings opening back up to public in person attendance in April

One thing I heard consistently when I was on the campaign trail in 2019 was that Webster Citizens felt that the Town government did not communicate well with the public. As we know, people's perception becomes their reality. When I became Supervisor in January 2020, I wanted to take action to change that perception. You've heard me say many times, "an informed community is a better one". In the first 2 months I was Supervisor we had a public meeting at Webster Thomas' auditorium for Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay property owners to discuss the potential rising water levels in the Spring of 2020. Over 200 people attended. I was hopeful that we could parlay that into having more public attendance at Town Board meetings in the future. Then.... COVID hit in March 2020 and we had to close Town Board meetings to public in person attendance.

We've made attempts to have these board meetings in the last year as accessible to the public as possible. Some of those methods had always been in place such as showing live on Spectrum channel 1303. Other things we did was to make sure board meetings could have call-ins, and live stream on the town website. With the world starting to open back up due to COVID vaccine, we will be opening Town Board meetings for public in person attendance in April 2021. The first of these will be the Town Board meeting on Thursday April 1st at 7:30 pm. Regular Town Board meetings occur at 7:30 pm on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. At these meetings there are things like resolutions voted on and public hearings. On the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 5:30 pm we have Town Board workshops. At these meetings we have agenda topics for presentations and discussion. We publish these meeting agendas in the Webster Herald eight calendar days prior to the meeting. We also post these agendas on the Town's Website and social media platforms.

The Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings will also re-open for in person public attendance in April 2021. The Planning Board meetings are at 7 pm on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month. The Zoning Board of Appeals meetings are at 7 pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month. In May 2021 the Assessment Board of Appeals hearings will return to being open to in person attendance. All these board meetings will initially have COVID appropriate procedures in affect. There will be check in procedures, masking, social distancing, and hand sanitizing in place. The foyer outside the board room will be utilized for overflow if needed. There will be a television in the foyer for those to watch the meeting as they wait for their agenda item to come up and they enter the board room.

In summary, as we come out of COVID we need to make baby steps on these town board meetings having in person public attendance. Hopefully we can continue to get public participation in these meetings by either in person attendance, call ins, e-mails in, and watching live on TV or on website. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 24, 2021
The Stimulus Check Conundrum

A few weeks back, the United States Congress approved round 2 of the Federal stimulus packages pertaining to the COVID pandemic. This one is $1.9 Trillion and covers a myriad of items. Two of them are: 1. $1,400 check to each person who qualifies, and 2. State and local government monies. Within the latter, the preliminary numbers reflect the Town of Webster government is slotted to receive $4.95 million, of which $600,000 of that is earmarked for the Village of Webster government. Furthermore, the first half of that money may be delivered to the Town as early as May 2021. Over the next few weeks, the U.S Treasury Department is planning on putting out guidance to state and local governments on "what the money can be used for/or not used for" and other considerations such as timing of the money usage etc.

Conundrum. Some synonyms of that word are "a difficult question" and "dilemma". Each person/family will have their own "conundrum". They may use the money to buy something, payoff debt, or put away for a rainy day in savings. Foundational to each person/family's decision on this stimulus money will be how COVID affected them the past year. For instance, did the person/family lose their job or not.... or did they get overtime and make more money during COVID? Did the small business owner suffer or did COVID actually increase their business's revenue and profit? Finally... as it pertains to a person/family, a lot goes to how they "think about money". Are they more prone to spend all the money that comes into their home (and sometimes due to credit cards MORE than comes in), or are they "savers"?

The reality is that the same decision-making challenges a family has on "what to do with their $1,400 per qualified person", pertain to the Town and Village of Webster governments on the $4.95 million. One thing I like about how the Town Board of Webster has historically approached the annual budget process is to "underestimate revenues and overestimate expenses". That fiscally responsible philosophy was intact long before I became Town Supervisor. There are MANY pros and cons associated with that philosophy that affect the short and long term.... but I'll keep this article topic isolated to how that past budget to actual revenues and expenses will influence how the town uses its $4.35 million from this stimulus package. The 2020 Town budget was done before I became Supervisor. Prior Supervisor Ron Nesbitt and the Town Board approved that 2020 budget before they knew COVID would be present. Their fiscal responsibility within setting that budget resulted in the actual revenues and expenses in 2020 being very close to the 2020 budget. Bottom line.... The Town of Webster government did not suffer "overall" financial hardship in 2020 due to 2 factors: 1. fiscally conservative budgeting and 2. $1.05 million received from Monroe County from the $130 million the County received from the 1st round of the stimulus.

Other Monroe County towns may need the round 2 money coming to them to make up HUGE budget shortfalls due to aggressive budgeting of revenues and/or expenses. That is NOT the case for the Town of Webster. As such, I am proposing a "measured and patient" approach to the decision-making process on what to do with the Town's $4.35 million. Whenever money is involved, there will be MANY opinions on what it should be spent on! (LOL) More details need to be determined on this money from the U.S Treasury Department and/or other governmental agencies. In summary.... let's do our due diligence so that a well thought out decision is made on what to use this money for. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 17, 2021
Webster Sanitary Sewer Plant(s)- 2021 and beyond

Let me start by saying that the decisions made in the next 6 - 9 months on the sanitary sewer plant(s) in Webster will have profound effect on taxpayers for the next 20+ years. Before I get into "what those decisions are", a little background on this. My guess is that most citizens are like I was prior to taking office in January 2020 as Webster Town Supervisor. Simply said, I had little to no knowledge of the Sanitary Sewer systems in my hometown. I was happy if the sanitary waste from my home went OUT and did not come back IN! Ask anyone who has had a sewer line back up into their basement and they'll know what I mean on this.
I've learned a LOT in the last 15 months about Webster's sanitary sewer systems. 1st of all, there are two components to the system; 1. Collection, and 2. Treatment. The collection component is the sewer main lines that are strewn throughout the town and village, and the pump stations utilized to get that sewage from the "source" (i.e. your home) to the sewer plants for treatment. Pump stations are needed when flow must be moved uphill, and pitched gravity can't be utilized. If we all lived on top of a hill and the sewer plant was at the bottom of the hill, pump stations would not be needed. There are approx. 400 miles in the town of these mains lines and 20 miles in the village. The town has 20+ pump stations and the village has 3. These mains usually run parallel to your street and each of our homes has sewer lines on our property that feed into those mains.

The treatment is done at two sewer plants in the community: the Village's on Wall Road and 250, and the Town's on Phillips Road north of Klem. Prior to 2018, both plants have not been significantly upgraded in over 40 years. The Town just completed phase 1, a $12 million upgrade to its plant and is in the process of discerning the configuration and cost of phase 2 of those upgrades. The Village is still discerning what upgrades to put into their plant. In layman terms "treatment" at these plant entails raw sewage coming into the plant and leaving the plant as water clean enough to be emptied into Lake Ontario. The details of how they accomplish that is nothing less than an "engineering and scientific miracle"! Both the Village and Town's finished product from treatment empties into Lake Ontario from a common effluent pipe at the Town's Phillips Road plant. That discharge into the lake is governed by a SPEDES permit owned by the town and for which the Village is an "authorized user" of.

So what is the BIG decision that must be made in the next 6 - 9 months? Answer... Do the Village and Town consolidate their treatment into a Regional Sewer plant and invest taxpayer money accordingly on that effort.... or do the Village and Town pursue "separately" upgrades and modernization of their respective individual plants? The reality is that the Village and Town governance has been assessing that question for over 5 years. Over that time, the Village and Town each have had their own outside engineering firms laying out plans and cost estimates for the individual plant upgrades/modernization. At some point a few years back, it was discussed how this is a "unique opportunity" to discern before investing in two sewer plants in the 35 square mile Webster community, the concept of consolidating into ONE regional sewer plant. The Village and Town engineering firms worked together on that effort and in August 2020 a public presentation was done of their findings. Unfortunately, being COVID, that public presentation was a ZOOM meeting and was only attended by less than 40 people.

On September 10, 2020, the Village of Webster Board of Trustees passed two resolutions; 1. approve the forming of a Regional Sewer Plant working group equally represented by Village and Town, and 2. Apply for a separate SPEDES permit from the DEC. This week, that 8-person working group had their initial meeting. It is estimated that the information they discern will put them in a position by no later than June 2021 to present their findings and/or recommendations to the Village Board of Trustees, and the Town Board. If the decision is to go regional, then the 2nd resolution by the Village of a separate SPEDES permit becomes moot. If the decision is to go forward with two separate sewer plants and invest taxpayer monies into each of them, then the separate SPEDES permit for the Village Plant by the DEC will be important. The Village leadership would need to analyze any additional costs they will need to consider within their plant upgrade to be able to get this permit from the DEC.

In summary.... a LOT happening on this "regionalize... or go forward separate" sewer plant issue by the end of 2021! As the information comes in from the Working group and is presented to Village and Town governance, the public will have a front row seat to this. The decision is NOT a referendum voted on by the public, but I would hope that the input and comments from the public are many. Net of any grants obtained, it's OUR taxpayer money that will be invested in this regional plant or 2 separate plants, so the public deserves to be heard on it. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 10, 2021:
COVID turns 1 year old. What's next? Vaccines, etc.

Well, it is officially 1-year. On Saturday March 7, 2020, my wife and I were in Knoxville, TN visiting our daughter who is a student at the University of Tennessee. We went to the Auburn- Tennessee basketball game that day in a "packed" 20,000 seat arena. Flying home to Rochester the next day, I could not fathom what the next 2 weeks was to bring. The weeks of March 9-13th and 16-20th, 2020 were as chaotic as any we have ever seen. Announcements of professional sports leagues shutting down, then schools, then sending workers home as Governor Cuomo's executive orders were coming fast and furious and changing the rules of engagement by the day! Couple all of that with the FEAR of the unknown that pervaded at that time about COVID. How was it contracted? Is it a death warrant if you get it? What is the best way to protect oneself from getting it?

The reality is that we humans are not wired to absorb and accept "the rules changing daily". Change is both inevitable and fought against by all of us to some degree or another. Some of us are more open to change, where others are very thrown off by it and it causes anxiety. The change that has come "fast and furious" in the last year has challenged everyone! I've said since the beginning of this pandemic that I don't know what is worse, the actual virus being contracted, or the anxiety and effect on everyone's mental health on both fear and the lack of human interaction. On the latter point, it pains me that our elderly and most vulnerable have sat in nursing homes alone and isolated from loved ones.

So now we're one year into this "circus" that has been COVID. Quick recap of that year.... mask or not mask... or 2 masks? 6-feet social distance... but is that with masks or not with masks? Mask when standing at a restaurant.... but unmask when seated. Essential or non essential? Is COVID noncompliance per Governor executive orders a crime? Full test or rapid test? Orange and yellow zones. Finger Lakes region versus rest of New York. Positivity rates. Quarantine if you came in contact.... Isolation if you contracted COVID. And finally.... throughout the year, what was alleged as "universally accepted FACT" last week has a different set of FACTS this week, depending on who you talk to or reference.

So what's next? I think the key word as we enter year 2 of COVID is VACCINATION. What spring, summer, and autumn 2021 look like in society will most likely depend on how quickly ALL of us get vaccinated. Whether you believe in Vaccination or not.... whether you choose to get vaccinated or not.... one thing you will most definitely be subjected to in the immediate future is how open society will be for YOU based on whether you have been vaccinated. We have already seen a glimpse of this with the Buffalo Bills Playoff game where they let in 6,000 fans. They had to PROVE negative COVID test within a certain time prior to entering the event. It seems logical the next progression of that as we open venues to 20%, 50%, 100% capacity is that you will need to prove a negative test, or a vaccination.

I along with 100+ other people were on a Zoom meeting/Teleconference this past week with Monroe County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza. He reported to date 17% of ALL Monroe County citizens have received at least their first vaccination dose. He also stated that the Johnson and Johnson "1 dose" vaccine appears very effective. Finally, he said that based on the supply of vaccine that will be available soon due to FDA approvals of other manufacturers, that it is reasonable to think by JULY 2021 everyone in Monroe County could be vaccinated!!!!!!!! I love his optimism! I also know the logistical challenge that at will be to get 500,000-600,000 people in Monroe County vaccinated in a 5-month period of March-July 2021. Be on the lookout for more info coming from the county on venues that vaccine will be available at, and how to sign up to get vaccinated. Who knows..... by March 2022 maybe I'll be back in Knoxville TN at a basketball game with 20,000 other fans!!! As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

March 3, 2021
Saying Goodbye to Joe Herbst.... Saying Hello to Dennis Kohlmeier

One of the biggest differences I've noted from private industry to government in the past year is the relatively young age that government employees retire compared to private. I turn 56 in March and feel like I have a good 15-20+ years left in my tank to work in some capacity full time! (LOL) The reality is that in government, if you have worked for 20, 25, 30+ years, the New York State pension system that was in place when you started in the 1990’s makes it very enticing to retire. As such, people who started working for the Town of Webster in their 20's will retire in their 50's. What they do next in their life? I suppose it runs the gamut from never working again to starting a 2nd career.

In the past 12 months, we've seen this at the Town of Webster with several employees, including Department Heads like Mark Yeager at Parks and Rec, Barbara Ottenschot Town Clerk/Tax Collector, and Chief Joe Rieger in the Police Department. On Friday, February 26th, Joe Herbst, Superintendent of the Highway Department joined these ranks. It's not my place to tell you Joe's age, but I can tell you, he is YOUNG to me! His energy is "off the charts" and I have no doubt that his next chapter in life will NOT entail sitting still. Joe will be missed by ALL of Webster; from the citizens who benefitted from his leadership of the department and the services it supplies, to the people who worked with him. On a personal note... I'll miss him. He was very helpful to me as the "rookie" Supervisor over the past year+. He also brought a sense of humor that made working with him fun. I won't even try to be coy on this one..... unless Joe permanently moves out of state, I got my eye on him for future endeavors that will have benefits to the Town of Webster!

As I've stated, the retirement of these people is "bittersweet". The bitter being the institutional knowledge we lose when they retire along with the GREAT human beings they are. How do you quantify that latter point as a loss to an organization? The sweet part is the opportunity that come with newness. On Monday, March 1st, Dennis Kohlmeier took over as the Webster Police Department Chief. If you watched the Town Board meeting on Thursday, February 18th, you saw Dennis, his wife, and 4 children as Dennis was sworn in as Chief. A more "pomp and circumstance" type of swearing in will occur when COVID restrictions are relaxed. The process that the Town carried out in vetting and multiple interviews of candidates for this position was extensive. To me, that process not only gave me a chance to get to know Dennis but made me think him being chosen as the next leader of the Webster Police Department was BEST for today, and hopefully 10+ years from now. Simply said.... this man's personal, academic, law enforcement, military, and private industry experience is impressive beyond words. He embodies the leadership qualities that the WPD needs today, especially considering fairly or not, the focus society has put on law enforcement in the past year. Personally, I am looking forward to working with Dennis. I foresee he will challenge me, and I mean that as a compliment. The best relationships are when both parties learn from each other. Not sure what I can teach Dennis, but I'll try! (LOL) I also foresee Dennis challenging the WPD officers and civilian staff to be the best they can be. He is a devout believer in training and education and that will permeate throughout the department. Please join me in welcoming Dennis back to the WPD as it next Chief! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

February 24, 2021
Bright Future for Lake Road and Sandbar Park

The next few years will be quite active on Lake Road from Pellett road heading west. Three following major projects will be initiated in the order they will be conducted.

PROJECT 1: A Monroe County project that looks to start in the Spring of 2021. It entails the rehabilitation and widening of approximately 2.3 miles of Lake Road between Bay Road and Pellett Road. The proposed work consists of milling and resurfacing the existing pavement, full depth shoulder widening, drainage improvements, removal of an abandoned railroad overpass and replacement of the Shipbuilder’s Creek culvert. Isolated areas of full depth reconstruction will be needed to correct horizontal curvature and ensure the pavement section is adequate for the life of the project. Widening the shoulders will require the relocation and redesign of the storm water system. Drainage inlets will be located along the roadway curb or gutter. A combination of closed systems and a few open ditches will be used. The abandoned railroad bridge currently carries the Hojack Trail over Lake Road. As part of this project, the bridge will be removed, and a new at-grade posted crosswalk for the Hojack Trail crossing Lake Road will be established. The existing Shipbuilder’s Creek culvert will be replaced with a similar 3-sided precast concrete structure founded on rock. The new structure will be slightly wider to accommodate the proposed shoulders.

PROJECT 2: The Town of Webster has obtained approximately $3 million in New York State REDI grants for shoreline resiliency. Two of the main uses of this grant money are for: 1. moving a portion of Lake Road near Oklahoma Beach to the north to create space on the south for a walkway, and 2. building a resiliency type break wall along the bay at Sandbar Park. 60% of the engineering has been accomplished on these REDI grant projects and it is hoped in Spring 2022 they will be initiated.

PROJECT 3: Restructuring of Sandbar Park. This Town project was first discussed 3 - 4 years ago. A citizen committee was formed to come up with some ideas and a public presentation of the various architect renditions was done in late 2018. Then in the spring of 2019 the water levels rose and flooded Sandbar Park and portions of Lake Road. That resulted in both a) the Town Sandbar Park project being put on hold and b) the State offering REDI grants for shoreline resiliency. The citizen committee has been reconvened and is trying to marry architectural plans for Sandbar Park with the road movement and break wall of the REDI grant projects. The rest of 2021 will be an "active and exciting time" for the plans for Sandbar Park. If everything goes well, it is very possible the final plans will have construction initiated in parallel with the REDI granted projects in 2022.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column for February 17, 2021:
Continued efforts for the Town to communicate better to its citizens.

When I entered office in January 2020, I assumed the first few months would be a discovery phase for me. I needed to ask a lot of questions and LISTEN to the Town Board members, Department Heads, and employees on what they thought were the strengths and weaknesses of how the Town Government operated. The reality is, how could I know what needed to be changed, if anything, if I did not have 1st hand knowledge from the people in the trenches carrying out the Town government's mission.

One thing I heard about early on was the Electronic Town Meetings that had been conducted monthly for the past several years. If you are not familiar with them, they were monthly LIVE 1-hour television shows aired on the Town’s cable channel. Most recently in 2019, they were moderated by Barry Howard, the Webster Chamber of Commerce CEO, along with prior Town Supervisor, Ron Nesbitt. Think of them as Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon! (LOL) They would have 1-3 guests on each show that usually consisted of Town Department Heads or other pertinent non-town government entity leaders in Webster. These shows were intended to be both informative and entertaining to the viewers. After watching a few tapes of the shows, I was so excited to get them started up in 2020! Then... COVID hit in mid-March and that was the end of any plans to start production again of these televised/videotaped meetings. Masks, social distancing, etc. does not play well for the production staff, the hosts of the show, the ability to have guests, and the viewing audience.

After a lot of discussion and planning during COVID, the Electronic Town Meetings will be returning to television on Wednesday, February 24th with Host Barry Howard and yours truly, Supervisor Tom Flaherty. While the show will look a little different due to COVID, the show will still offer residents the latest Town news and information each month. At the onset while COVID is still prevalent, the shows will have NO guests and only Barry and I will be on the dais. We will be at least 6-feet apart and have a clear polyurethane barrier between us, as we will NOT be wearing masks, so the viewing audience has a better visual and auditory experience. The shows will initially be pre-taped and 30 minutes in length instead of the 1-hour LIVE they were in the past. This will help us work out any "bugs" that may come up so that once again, the end production is the best quality for the viewer. The show will air on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on Spectrum channel 1303 and will also be available on the Town’s website: ci.webster.ny.us under Watch Town Meetings. We're also hoping to use some 5-20 second snippets from these shows to put on social media. If there are topics or questions you would like to see discussed on our upcoming shows, please email your ideas to: Communications@ci.webster.ny.us

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column for February 10, 2021:
New Town Newsletter Coming Next Week:

Over the past 13+ months since I became Webster Town Supervisor, you have heard me say many times "an informed community is a better community". Our goal as a team at Town Government was to figure out the optimal way to get communications out to the 15,000 residences in Webster that house our 45,000 citizens. Within that effort, we knew that multiple communication means would be needed. Bottom line.... some people like reading newspapers.... some people like Facebook, etc. The trick is to "maximize" all means of communications in a fiscally responsible manner to have the BEST chance that the communication will be "absorbed" by the citizens.

So, what do I mean by "absorbed"? Well, we can send out the Webster Today (the new Town Times) to ALL 15,000 residences with critical communication on town news. ALL of you got it, but did ALL of you actually read it and "absorb" the message? Probably not, because many people may prefer their "news" be from Twitter or Facebook, etc. This effort is a "tall task”, and baby steps are needed to accomplish the end goal. I figure that between the Webster Herald, social media, and the Town Website that the Town government was getting through to about 15-20% of our citizens when I entered office in January 2020.

The next step in the process of improving Town Communication with its residents starts next week. Citizens will be able to receive the latest Town news and information each week in our new Town Newsletter called “Webster This Week". Published every Monday beginning February 15th, the newsletter will offer a variety of town news, events, and community information. The newsletter will be published on our Town website and residents can also sign up to receive it via email.

The newsletter will feature the following weekly topics:

- Going on Around Town – latest information on construction projects and new businesses
- Town Meetings – listing the Board meetings for the week, along with how to participate
- Webster Cares – recognizing our Webster citizens and business owners for their community service
- Town Department News
- Senior Center News & Events
- Community Outreach – news and information from the non-profit organizations in Webster
- Community Events
- Monroe County News

For more information including email sign-up and how to submit community events, please visit our website: ci.webster.ny.us/585/Town-Newsletter

Please direct any questions to: Communications@ci.webster.ny.us

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column for February 3, 2021:
The only constant in life is change- Retiring Town of Webster Personnel

COVID-19 has "changed" us all. It has changed our day-to-day lives in ways we could have never imagined. Things we took for granted were taken away like eating out at a restaurant, working out at a gym, or visiting a grandparent. It has also made all of us rethink our life priorities. For many Town of Webster dedicated employees this meant deciding to retire in the past year. At the time this article was written, approx. 15-20 employees had officially retired since January 1, 2020, and another 5-10 are considering it. God bless em! When they made the decision years ago to be a government employee and not go into the private sector, they most likely discerned the pros and cons of each. A big "pro" of government employment at that time was the "time in service" escalator at various milestone years as it pertains to your pension. Simply said, the longer you work, the bigger your pension is.

Now I don't portend to know the "personal" reasons each of these people decided to retire. Some of them back in 2019 had officially stated they were retiring in 2020 due to hitting a milestone of 20 or 25 years in service. What all of them have in common is that they are "young"... at least my perception of what "young" is! (LOL) They all seem to be in that 55-65 year old range. They all have 20-30+ years in and had an attractive pension system in place when they were hired. Some have told me that they did not want the call at 1:30 AM anymore to "get out there and plow the roads". Some have told me that their children and/or grandchildren situation makes them want to spend more time with them. Some have told me that COVID made them question their priorities going forward.

To me, and the Town of Webster, ALL of these retirees have a bittersweet aspect. The "bitter" part is the institutional knowledge these people take with them that the town is losing. Also, as I got to know many of them in the past year plus, the fine human beings they are will be sorely missed. Some of that "bitter" has been assuaged by bringing them back in a part time status to help with certain projects. I've found that structure to be a "win-win" for the town and the retiree! The "sweet" part is that there is opportunity in change. This opportunity manifests itself most at the top of the Organizational chart with the 14 Department Heads. In the past 13 months since I became Town Supervisor, there have been seven of these Department Heads who are different now, or soon to be based on official retirements. These changes at the top were due to four retirements, one resignation due to what I perceived as "Covid-related", and two Management driven changes. If Organizational Structure is "solid", transition of leadership in these departments is much easier. Solid Organizational Structure assures policies, procedures and job duties are well documented. It also means that the people IN the department have a say in how the department is structured and run day to day. It also means that professional development within the department had been committed to, and very possibly the next Department Head/leader comes from within. Finally, a change at the top gives the opportunity to "assess what works, and what needs to change". Simply said... what worked in 1990 and was implemented then, may not make sense in 2021 and needs to change.

In conclusion, there is one thing that has really bothered me about "how we have sent off" the 15-20 retirees. Simply said.... they got VERY little pomp and circumstance and I don't like that. In one case back in June 2020, I felt like it was an act of Congress to get an "outside in open air, 20-person mid-day coffee and cake" for a retiree on her last day. These people have given 20-30+ years of service to the town. They deserve better. As such, we are committed to holding a BIG retirement gala for ALL retirees since March 2020 once the "world opens back up". Preliminary plan is to have it "outside with open wing tents at the Rec Center". Stay tuned for more info on this since we can't really set a date until the world opening back up supports an event this size. In the meantime, ENJOY your new life recent Town of Webster retirees! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column for January 27, 2021:
Our ever-changing perspectives during COVID

It's been almost 11 months since the term "socially distancing" entered our vocabulary with the onset of COVID 19. Doesn't it seem like 11-years!!!!??? It is hard enough dealing with the tangible medical realities of contracting COVID-19. Throw in the intangibles such as "Mask wearers versus NON-mask wearers" and we've had a tough 11 months on our psyches. Truth be told, my wife, three kids still living at home, and myself got COVID back in mid-November 2020. The good news, we all had either NO discernable symptoms, or very mild ones and by Thanksgiving we were all fine. The bad news... 1. trying to counsel my 12-year-old that he won't be seen as a leper by his classmates when he goes back to school. 2. navigating the calls, e-mails, and texts from the Health Department on isolation and/or quarantine times five of us necessitated a master’s degree! (LOL). 3. trying to figure out the most appropriate way to communicate that I had COVID-19 to Town employees and/or citizens when balancing HIPAA privacy laws and my position as Webster Town Supervisor.

"Time and relatable experiences" during COVID-19 the past 11 months has played out differently for all of us. The process our brains utilize to absorb information and make determinations on things has been seriously challenged. One day you THINK you know how COVID is contracted and how you feel about people who got it.... the next you think differently on it as more information becomes available, or your family is touched by it. For example, a mid-20's aged young lady our family knows got COVID in early November 2020. She had minor symptoms and was able to fully perform her job functions from home, albeit not optimally. By mid-November she was officially released from isolation by the Monroe County Health Department. She just assumed she would be able to go back into the office she worked at with 10 other people. However, the owner informed her that the other nine people in the office did NOT want her back in the office! Worst of all, it seemed as though it was a punitive punishment being administered by people 40+ years old on a younger person due to their impression "her going to a Halloween party was irresponsible and she deserved to get COVID". She was essentially labeled as a "pariah". Fast forward to mid-January 2021, ALL the nine people in her office in the past two months have been out of work either due to contracting COVID or one of their immediate family members contracting it. Based on the timing of them getting it, there was NO way it was due to the young lady we know. Wonder if those nine people still see people who got COVID as "pariahs" or "deserved to get it based on their lifestyle"?

Facial masks during COVID, and WHY people wear them may be a great thesis topic for some master’s degree candidate in Psychology in the next few years. Full disclosure.... I am an advocate for wearing a mask and try to make sure I do "when appropriate based on CDC and Monroe County Health Department issued guidelines". I don't wear one when I am on the dais and conducting Town Board meetings. I have been criticized for that. My reason for not wearing the mask at that time is that I am more than six feet apart from anyone else, and I want to make sure my voice inflection can be heard by ALL in the room and those watching on Spectrum cable channel 1303 or livestream on the Town Website since our meetings during COVID are closed to the public from attending in person. What has amazed me are the wide varying reasons people either wear a mask or why they defiantly DON'T wear a mask. Some of these reasons are pure (i.e. health)... some of these reasons are image (i.e. fear of backlash from people if they don't) Some could be perceived as hypochondria (i.e. wearing a mask outside on a walk in a park, or while driving alone in a car..... but I concede that it may be "pure" due to health specifics of that person) Then, you have the "non-mask wearers". I find these people interesting and that thesis I mentioned earlier may take a deeper dive on "why they don't wear masks"? I've heard reasons including but not limited to: a) the government is trying to control us, b) COVID is a hoax, and c) masks don't work on keeping us safe from contracting COVID.

In summary.... by the time we all get a chance to sit back and REALLY assess "why we feel the way we do" on all these COVID related issues, we'll most likely be coming out of it!! That to me is the BEST news. With vaccines already being given to health care workers, and now to the 65+ aged citizens, it is very reasonable to assume that Summer of 2021 will be opening the world back up. God willing, Autumn of 2021 will return schools to normalcy as students will hopefully be able to attend ALL day, every day, in person, and maybe with NO masks! I'll bet my friend, Webster School Superintendent Carmen Gumina would like that! Makes me think this one final thought.... remember pre-COVID when you used to see a person in public with a mask on and wonder "what's their gig?". I wonder when we'll have that feeling again when mask wearers post-COVID become the minority? As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column for January 20, 2021:
The need for open mindedness in 2021

This edition of the Webster Herald is dated Wednesday January 20, 2021. By the time you are reading this article, the Inauguration of the forty-sixth President of the United States, Joe Biden has occurred. God willing, it occurred with civility and no repeat of the disturbing events at the Capitol two weeks prior. There's old adage that at family events or other social gatherings "Don't talk about politics or religion". I don't know the genesis of the saying, but I can only imagine some wise person saw the combustible aspect to such topics if the participants in the discussion were a) from polar opposite viewpoints and/or b) impassioned enough in their view to cause an argument or worse! Bottom line.... not a great thing to occur at Thanksgiving or Christmas with family or a get together of friends.

So why do some people get so agitated if they encounter another person who doesn't agree with their point of view? I don't purport to have the answer to that question, but I think some of it may have to do with "open mindedness". When I was campaigning in 2019, I met a gentleman who was a registered Independent. During our conversation I asked how he came to be an Independent. His answer made me a lot of sense to me then, but it really has resonated with me in the past few months as we saw the divisiveness of the country that was on full display during the Presidential Election. Essentially, he described how he did not like the "labels" that were on people when they were in teenagers in high school. You were a jock, or artsy, etc. Then you go to college, into the military, or work and in your early twenties those labels go away, and you become enlightened to the reality that "People are more complex than a ONE label". You can be a jock AND be artsy at the same time. However, then as you enter your late twenties/early thirties and you started to get interested in voting for our government leaders, your options to party affiliation make you revert to the "Label" issue of high school and he just did not want to do that. He wanted to be "open minded" and thus avoided registering in one of the two dominant political parties in the United States.

I don't think we all need to register as Independents to achieve open mindedness. However, I do think you can be Democrat or Republican and NOT identify yourself as that first and foremost as you approach your fellow human being. If we are going to put labels on ourselves or others we encounter, it seems to me some better ones that would promote open mindedness in our dealings are as follows; Mother, Father, Daughter, Son, Sister, Brother, Friend.... fellow human being. See yourself and others as those labels and NOT "Republican or Democrat" and we will go a long way in 2021 to the open mindedness we so desperately need. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 13, 2021
The 2021 Political Process for Webster Candidates

Hard to believe it has been over two months since the November 2020 election. In many ways, election day 2020 started earlier than Tuesday, November 3rd due to early voting venues and mail in votes due to COVID 19... and it feels like it is still going on to some extent with disputes over the results. Since January 1, 2021, and over the next few weeks, positions elected in November 2020 will have already been sworn in (i.e., new House of Representatives and Senators) or will be such as the POTUS on Inauguration day.

The election season for positions that will be on the ballot in November 2021 has already started. If you have heard the old saying "All politics are local", you will definitely be interested in how candidates get on the ballot for Town of Webster positions such as County Legislatures, Town Board, and Town Supervisor. Let's start with the foundational tenet that to be a "viable" candidate on the ballot in November 2021, you most likely need the designation of the Webster Democratic Committee (WDC) or the Webster Republican Committee (WRC). There are other paths to getting on the ballot but based on the size of Webster and number of registered voters, obtaining the number of petition signatures you would need to be "independent or unaffiliated, etc." would be very challenging especially during COVID, where going door to door to get such signatures would most likely not be met well. Currently the number of signatures/petitions needed would be approximately five hundred (500) based on the number of registered voters in the various parties or unaffiliated. There is talk at the State level to reduce that number for 2021 due to COVID challenges of "door to door" signature/petition gathering but as of now there has been no formal approval of that.

The WDC and WRC are currently comprised of 20-50 members each. Considering that there currently are approximately 10,000 registered Democrats and 11,000 registered Republicans in Webster, there is a GREAT opportunity for them to get involved by joining these committees. If you go by the adage, "you are either part of the problem or part of the solution", getting on these committees is one of the best ways to be involved in what "choices" are put forth for the citizens of Webster. The WDC and WRC go through a process in January and February of vetting potential candidates (i.e., Nomination), and ultimately voting at the committee level on who will be the party's candidate (i.e., Designation). Once that candidate is designated it does not mean they go straight to the November 2021 election being on the ballot as that party's candidate. There are two scenarios that occur: 1. Another person in the party can force a primary in June 2021 if they obtain enough signatures/petitions from citizens registered in the party. 2. Primary or not, the designated candidate needs to obtain enough signatures/petitions to be validated to be the party's candidate on the November 2021 ballot.

In summary, the WDC and WRC have a lot of influence on the "choices" the Webster citizens will ultimately have to vote for in November 2021. Our democracy is founded in "choices". Please consider joining the WDC or WRC. The more people on those committees in the future will assure that Webster will always have choices, and that the choices they have will not be determined by too small a number of people. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

January 6, 2021
A different take on New Year's resolutions and the Town of Webster Government

The dictionary meaning of the word "resolution” is a firm decision to do or not do something. A New Year's tradition has been that this is the time when we make resolutions in our personal lives. Often, they are to get in shape, or lose weight. They also tend to fade by February! As such, were they truly "firm decisions to do or not to do something"? Fact is, New Year's resolutions are usually verbal, and a contract made with one's self. Ever try enforcing a verbal contract... and worse yet one you made with yourself? (LOL)

At the Webster Town Board meetings each 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, we vote on "written resolutions". They are not to be taken lightly since if the motion being voted on is approved by at least three of the five Town Board members, that becomes part of the Town code and/or law. Bottom line.... these truly are the dictionary meanings of "Firm decisions to do or to not do something".

Recently I have been quoted in press releases, the Webster Today (The new Town Times) and social media postings my realization in my first year as Town Supervisor that "Governing in the Town of Webster is a TEAM effort". To accomplish anything for the greater good of the community, you need the team effort of the Town's Department Heads, employees, various citizen volunteer boards, and the Town Board.

During my candidacy for Town Supervisor in 2019, a competing candidate verbally and in writing stated what he/she would do in their "1st 100-days as Town Supervisor" and the wide scale changes he/she would make happen in town. I can only speculate that this candidate for Town Supervisor did not understand that the position is NOT an executive position such as President, Governor, County Executive, or Mayor. Simply said, the Town Supervisor position is a "hybrid" of executive and legislative. The executive part comes in the form of being who the Department Heads report to. The legislative part is that they are only one of the five-person Town Board, and as previously stated.... you need a majority vote of this board to pass resolutions that become Town code/law.

Make no mistake... the Town Supervisor has a LOT of influence. As with any organization, it is a "top-down" culture. If the leader of an organization is committed to Organizational Structure and Customer Service.... it will eventually permeate down through the organization. If a leader does NOT set the tone on culture and what the organization is committed to.... it will be created for them from within and often will be one that is not good.

I knew all this one year ago when I was sworn in as Town Supervisor. As such, I approached my 1st year as Supervisor with two simple mantras that had served me well in my personal and business life..... The 1st was that NOTHING changes day 1. I was in discovery mode and needed to work with the Department Heads to determine what the strengths and weaknesses of the organization were before discussing what changes need to be discussed. The 2nd was that I would "Work hard, tell the truth, and take my chances on how I would be ultimately received and accepted.” I remember many of my initial meetings with Department Heads and board members where I said, "I appreciate you don't know me, so why would you trust me day 1?” Trust and respect are not garnered by having the title "Town Supervisor." They are earned through experiences you encounter with people. They all needed to encounter experiences with me, and me with them to form that trust and respect.

So now I enter year two of being Webster Town Supervisor. My "day to day" learning curve is much less now than it was one year ago... but every day I am learning something new. I'm excited for the opportunities 2021 will bring for the Town. I truly feel that people are "rowing in the same direction" and when that organically occurs.... the TEAM can achieve a LOT. I am "resolved" to lead the Town in a pragmatic manner that makes sure no one feels disenfranchised. Decisions need to be made for the "greater good" and with an eye to the future. Over the next several months, I look forward to articulating some details of that for the Town in this column. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 30, 2020
The Christmas Carol and my 1st year at Town Supervisor

I admit it. My favorite holiday tradition the past 20+ years has been going with my family to GEVA Theatre to see the Christmas Carol. At first it was my parents and mother and father-in-law and my wife Molly, but as time went on and my children got older, they all joined in. It was always great to see how the children interpreted the production differently from the time they were 5, 15, 25 etc. My father passed in July 2019, so we missed him last Christmas for the show, and with COVID in 2020, we ALL missed the show and have been relegated to watching various versions on TV.

Simply said, the Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a "classic" that has stood the test of time. Based in the mid 1840's, the lessons it teaches are still prevalent almost 200 years later. One major aspect of the story that resonates with me as I think back on completing my first year as Webster Town Supervisor is the interaction between Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghost of his 7-years dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley is bemoaning his links of chains he has to carry in the afterlife that he forged during his despicable life. Scrooge says "Jacob, you were always a good man of business" for which Marley ROARS back at him.... "Business?..... Mankind should have been my business!!!!!" Besides being a GREAT line..... it is something all of us can relate to in one way or another.

No doubt our deeds are part of what determines if we have made mankind our business. However, it can be as subtle as smiling and being kind to people that affect it. Some of us are naturally better at making mankind our business. These people seem to "brighten the room" when they walk into it, and also consistently perform deeds to make the world a better place. Others of us have to work harder at it, but we are conscious of it and our shortcomings on it. That is good because you can't work on bettering yourself unless you admit that you have faults. Finally.... some of us it would appear are heading down the path of Jacob Marley! Yikes!!

So, what does that all have to do with being Town Supervisor? For me, this year has been rewarding beyond anything I could have imagined coming into it. To do the job of Town Supervisor the right way and for the right reasons, I believe that "Mankind needs to be your business". After 25 years owning my business, being Town Supervisor this year gave me the opportunity to REALLY make a difference in people's lives, whether the citizens or employees of the Town. I have always been a disciple of "Servant Leadership". At its core, it means YOU as leader are there for the people and NOT the other way around. In my opinion, to do the job right it is far more than a 9 - 5/40 hours week. Fortunately, having been self-employed for most of my adult life where "there is no clock to punch" so this was not culture shock to me, and frankly, if you like what you do, are you really ever working? I also appreciate that after surveying the situation/culture I walked into in January 2020, the initiatives started this year by the dedicated team of Department Heads and Town Board members, and the time it will take to see those initiatives come to fruition, to do the job the right way for the people of Webster, and assuming no major health issues come up for my family or me....I feel it is a 6 - 8 year position for me. My gut tells me after that amount of time the position would start to become about the Supervisor / done for the wrong reasons, and NOT about the people he or she serves. I also appreciate in November of 2021 the citizens of Webster could vote to end my time as Town Supervisor at 2 years if they vote me out. That is a reality every 2 years currently.

In summary, as Tiny Tim says... "God Bless us all, everyone". Merry Christmas everyone!!! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 16, 2020
2020- The year in review. Glass half empty or half full?

I got the December 14th Time Magazine at my house this past weekend. The cover said "2020- The worst year ever". At the time of my writing this article, I had not read the article yet by Stephanie Zacharek who cited those cover words, but I did see that she is a film critic by trade so that may bias her as to 2020 and her experiences with it.

Fact is.... 2020 has been a tough year, but has it been the worst year ever? The answer is so individually subjective based on where you are at in your life. For my 3 children still in high school and middle school, 2020 has been the worst year ever in their lives. Between losing the sports they love to play and losing the human interaction of in-school learning and socializing, their "less than 20 years on this earth" qualifies 2020 as legitimately being their worst. However, the 70-year-old who served two tours in Vietnam and has beaten cancer may not view 2020 as "the worst year".

"Worst year ever" also calls into play our individual perspective on life. Do you inherently lean optimism, or do you lean pessimism? If you are of the latter persuasion, 2020 could easily be considered by you as being the "worst ever". However, I find pessimistic people to suffer from recency bias. Simply said.... whatever is going on NOW is the "worst" to them. Now I admit, I am a self-proclaimed "eternal optimist". People have said to me what a terrible year to be the new Town Supervisor when 2+ months into my term COVID hit. Frankly, I have never felt that way. Quite the opposite, I feel that my personal and professional experience leading up to March 2020 prepared me to lead during the crisis that was unfolding before our eyes back during the 1st half of March 2020. Also, 2020 has brought me much closer to my two brothers, and we were already pretty close to begin with! We committed to getting together either in person or by zoom every week, and that has been a GREAT experience.

At the risk of sounding like a "glass half empty person"......The biggest challenge I have had as Town Supervisor in 2020 with COVID is the inability to "meet people face to face". In early January 2021 the next edition of Webster Today (The New Town Times) will be mailed out to ALL businesses and residences in Webster. Within it will be a recap of what the Town Government either accomplished in 2020 or started the process on. Those accomplishments are a "WE thing". It takes a team of Department Heads and the Town Board to achieve things. You'll notice in that edition that in January and February 2020 I was "out and about" as Town Supervisor meeting with people. I really thought and continue to think that what I want most to accomplish as Webster Town Supervisor is to be "present and accessible". I don't want to sit behind my desk at Town Hall. I would rather be out at various community events meeting with people. That is how I get the best gauge on what people's thoughts, questions, concerns etc. are. The COVID shutdown in March 2020 put an end to being "out and about" in the community. Even as we started re-opening in June 2020, the challenges of social distancing and mask wearing made me as Town Supervisor have to avoid meeting people face to face and getting out there in the community. The bottom line is that if you are a Webster citizen who does not get the Webster Herald or is not on Facebook, it would be easy to think that Town Supervisor Flaherty has been MIA in 2020. As previously stated in past Supervisor Corner columns, we are working diligently to shore up that "Communication gap" the Town of Webster government currently has with its citizens.

In summary, 2020 has certainly not been a "great year", but I personally and professionally don't feel it has been the "worst ever". I'm proud of the manner in which the Town Government Department Heads, various citizen boards, and the Town Board took a "failure is NOT an option" attitude to accomplishing things in 2020 when it would have been very easy to give the excuse of COVID as to why things were not getting done. A major lesson I learned owning a business for 25 years is that how you handle adversity will ultimately determine your success or lack thereof. No doubt, COVID is a big adversity item, but we made a decision at Town government in 2020 to not let it define us and make us victims. We did our best to address this adversity and adapt to the realities that COVID presented to put us in the best position for success. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 10, 2020
Remembering Pearl Harbor as we enter 2021

This past Monday, December 7th marked the 79th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 that ushered the United States into World War 2. The vast majority of us were not alive when President Roosevelt addressed the nation with those words that will live on forever.... "Today, December 7th, 1941, a day that will live in infamy”. Most, if not all the women and men that were there in Hawaii on that fateful morning are no longer with us. For these reasons it is more important than ever that we remember and honor that "greatest generation" who rose from the gut punch of the Pearl Harbor attack and coalesced to protect the freedoms we enjoy in the United States today.

Why do I underline we? 2 reasons...... 1. because the passing of almost 80-years means the greatest generation is no longer part of "we", and 2. "we", the living in 2020, whether 20, 50, or 80 years old owe the greatest generation for all they did. We as Americans need more than ever to coalesce and galvanize as we enter 2021. If we don't, we do a great disservice to those women and men of the greatest generation who sacrificed so much during World War 2 to make sure the United States could remain the land of the free. Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice. ALL of them had just come out of the Great Depression. That must have hardened them to the point that when "duty called" to defend this country's liberties from the threats of fascism, dictatorship, and genocide.... they answered the call with no complaint. Most were so young, still in their teens, or just into their early twenties, that maybe they did not completely understand the gravity of what they were doing and the consequences if they were not successful.

If you have not figured out yet, I am in awe of the greatest generation. We owe them a debt we can never repay. One way we can honor them is to take the baton from them and strive to make the United States the best country in the World in 2021 and beyond through our deeds and how we treat each other. They were "selfless" and did things for the greater good. We need more of that from Americans in 2021. The reality is that America is "flawed". It has been since the day the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776! It's "flawed" because human beings are "flawed" and unfortunately our human flaws translate to the flaws in the country. However, even with all its flaws (and ours as humans) we should not throw the baby out with the bath water. Too many people have sacrificed to give us the opportunity to make this country even greater than it is. But to do so, we need to coalesce as a country. We need to recognize we have more in common that we have differences.

I know a united country can feel like an impossibility when you see the divisiveness that is going on in the country currently with events like the presidential election and COVID. However, I remember how the people of this country coalesced in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks in 2001. For as awful an experience that was, looking back now it was great to see the country come together. For several months, if not a year after those attacks, Democrat or Republican did not matter...... black or white did not matter..... what mattered was that we were Americans.

So, thank you Greatest generation. We will fly flags at half-mast this week in commemoration of Pearl Harbor. Hopefully, we can honor you properly and into perpetuity with our deeds in 2021 and beyond to caretake the liberties in the United States you fought to retain for us. Those liberties should be for ALL Americans. We have work to do, but I have faith in the human spirit of Americans that it can be achieved. As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

December 2, 2020:
Continuing an Annual Webster Tradition – With a Twist

What started as a simple question from 8-year-old Blake Richey has turned into one of the biggest events to be held in the Town of Webster this year. The 2020 Webster Holiday Parade of Lights – with a Twist, will be held this Saturday, December 5th, from 3 to 8 pm on the Xerox Campus. Webster’s Holiday Parade of Lights is normally hosted each year by the Webster Fire Department. The very popular parade normally features dozens of first responder vehicles, floats from community agencies and local businesses, marching bands and more, all wrapped in twinkling holiday lights. Originally scheduled for early December, it was cancelled due to COVID restrictions.

In its place a new re-imagined 2020 Webster Holiday Parade of Lights will be held on Saturday Dec. 5 from 3 to 8 p.m. Community members will be invited to this COVID-safe “reverse parade” where emergency vehicles, area businesses and community groups will be parked in a Xerox parking lot, and spectators will drive past them, enjoying the lights and music from the safety and warmth of their cars. I am grateful for Syed Ahmed Mustafa, President/CEO of Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support and Chairman of the Webster Emergency Responder Council, taking the reins and pulling a team of people together to hold this event this year. I think that this is something our citizens and businesses really need this year.

As a long-term resident of Webster, my family and I have enjoyed the Holiday Parade for years, and I know this parade is something the community looks forward to every year, as do the first responders and community groups that march in it, and local businesses that benefit from the foot traffic. For many in our community the Holiday Parade is a cherished tradition and I am glad the Town was able to help put on this meaningful community event. The event is being planned in collaboration with the Town of Webster Parks and Recreation, Webster Economic Development Alliance, Webster Chamber of Commerce and the Webster Village Business Improvement District. Local businesses and civic organizations are encouraged to participate in what will be a safe and creative way to reach out to their customers and remind community members that their shops are open for business.

Webster’s Holiday Parade of Lights will be held Saturday Dec. 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Xerox parking lot on San Jose Drive. A pre-event viewing time from 3 to 4 p.m. will be reserved for those with special needs and those living in our senior living communities. Spectators will be directed to approach the event via Salt Rd., turning west on to San Jose Drive and then into a staging parking lot from where they’ll be directed to the parade site. To help manage the traffic flow, visitors are asked to sign up online for one of the eight 30-minute time slots. Visitors can register on www.EventBrite.com website searching 2020 Webster Holiday Parade of Lights or by clicking this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2020-webster-holiday- parade-of-lights-guests-tickets-127079737917

As of Wednesday, 12/2, more than 2,600 cars have registered to attend the parade, which will
feature more than 60 first responders, town and village vehicles, area businesses and community
groups.

Special thanks to the following organizations for their donations:
- Reliant Credit Union for providing us the VIP Gift bags
- Xerox Corporation for giving us the space to hold the event
- ADMAR Construction Equipment & Supplies for providing us the generators and lights
- McMahon LaRue Associates P.C. for mapping the parade route for us
- The local media that helped us spread the word about this event
- The First Responders, Businesses & Community Organizations participating in the “parade”

As we all know, having an idea is easy, the hard part is the execution. So many have donated their time, expertise and contacts to put on this free event that it is impossible to list them all in this article.
I believe this special event will serve as a bright spot as we wind down a very unique 2020 and
will serve as one more reminder that Webster is indeed the Place Where Life is Worth Living. I
look forward to seeing you there. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 25, 2020:
A special Thanksgiving to Webster's First Responders

Being positive and thankful can be challenging at times. I love the phrase "Have an attitude of gratitude”, but sometimes it seems easier to focus on the negatives in life and fall prey to them. COVID has challenged even the most positive dispositions in us. On Thursday, November 19th at the Webster Town Board meeting, the most poignant presentation occurred that I have witnessed in my first year as Town Supervisor.
We are fortunate to have an incredible first responder network here in Webster. There aren't many other towns where the police department, fire departments and emergency medical services work as well together as they do in Webster. On November 17, 2019, a team came together and were able to save a life. A few days, ago, the patient's wife emailed the President of Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support the following email the following with redactions to protect privacy:

Hello-my husband and I live in Webster. Tomorrow, 11/17/20 will mark one year to the day when my husband went into cardiac arrest around 4 pm. The EMT who responded worked on him for 25 minutes before they got a pulse. No one thought he would survive but after two weeks on life support, to the amazement of all of us and the doctors, he woke up. This year certainly has taken its toll on so so many families during this pandemic and we are sure the EMT workers have seen many heartbreaking events. So we wanted to share some good news and with all of you. Due to the heroic efforts of your team my husband's life was saved! He certainly has had many hurdles to overcome but continues to make progress. So thank you so much!!! All of you!!! For all you do for the community and families in need. During these stressful times we thought some good news would put a smile on some of your faces!

It is not very often that first responders get to meet their patients, and there is probably no meeting more significant than meeting a patient whose life you saved from cardiac arrest. At the November 19th, 2020 Town Board meeting, the very grateful patient and his family got to meet the amazing team of first responders who are responsible for him being alive today. They included the following; Webster Police Officer Sam States who was first on scene and, recognizing the patient was in cardiac arrest, applied an AED which delivered a shock. CPR was promptly initiated. NEQALS Deputy Chief and Paramedic Matt Lloyd arrived on scene 2nd , closely followed by NEQ EMT Chris Devlin and West Webster Fire Department EMT Caleb Stammler. Shortly thereafter West Webster firefighter Cameron Antonelli, Lt James Kommeth and Capt Brian Zimmer arrived, as did NEQALS Deputy Chief and Paramedic Julie Jordan.

In summary, I want to wish everyone in Webster a happy and safe Thanksgiving. I hope that ALL Webster citizens give thanks this time of year for the job our first responders do. These women and men embody all that is good in our society. I've always said you need to be cut from a different cloth to be a first responder. It is not a profession as much as it is a vocation for these amazing people. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

To view the presentation at the Town Board meeting, please visit: http://ci.webster.ny.us/CivicMedia?VID=Town-Board-Mtg-November-19-2020-295

November 18, 2020:
Interested in helping out your hometown?

I always loved that John Kennedy phrase, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. Another phrase I am quite fond of is, "think globally, but act locally". Not exactly sure who coined that one! The more active involvement by people in any organization by definition makes for a better organization! That goes for the Town of Webster government too. Did you know there are several citizen boards you could serve on? Here is a rundown of them, along with some key aspects to each.

Planning Board: In accordance with the provisions of § 274-a of the New York State Town Law, this board shall have the authority to review and approve site development plans for the following uses; 1. All principal uses permitted in the Town of Webster Zoning Ordinance, with the exception of single-family detached dwelling units, 2. A change of use in any preexisting structure involving any permitted principal use, provided that the change in use is not to a single-family detached dwelling, 3. Site plan modifications, additions, or structural alterations to any of the permitted principal uses, with the exception of single-family detached dwelling units., 4. Accessory uses: outdoor, in-ground community swimming pools for multifamily dwellings, apartment buildings or townhouses. Members are appointed to a seven-year term by the Town Board.

Zoning Board of Appeals: is granted two appellate functions: the review of applications for use and area variances, and the power to render interpretations of the zoning regulations. Members are appointed to a five-year term by the Town Board.

Board of Assessment Review: Your home is assessed at $200,000 for real estate tax purposes and you think that is too high. If you pursue your assessment being lowered, you will most likely have this board hear your case. The BAR constitutes what is known as a quasi-judicial body and the members of the board are charged with judicial responsibility to get all the facts, and apply appropriate laws and reasoning to the facts in a fair and judicious manner. Members are appointed to a five-year term by the Town Board.

Conservation Board: serves to advise the Town in the development, management, and protection of its natural resources. Board members will review proposed development applications for environmental impacts and advise the various Town Boards on their findings, including the Town Board, Planning Board and Zoning Board. Responsibilities include conducting site visits and staying current on the Town Comprehensive Plan, the Town Code and SEQR guidelines. Members are appointed to a two-year term by the Town Board

Library Board: A library trustee's commitment is to both the physical property and resources of the library and the services it provides. The library board has the responsibility to see that its library provides the best possible service to its community. The responsibilities of trustees include; 1. Create and develop the mission of the library, 2. Regularly plan and evaluate the library's service program based on community needs, 3. Exercise fiduciary responsibility for the use of public and private funds, 4. Adopt policies and rules regarding library governance and use. Trustees are appointed to a five-year term by the Town Board.

Parks, Recreation, Open Space and Athletic Review Board (PROSAR): serves to advise and assist in the preparation of plans and programs for carrying out the functions of the Department of Parks and Recreation. Such Board shall also review such plans and proposals for the acquisition and development of parks and recreation lands and facilities as may from time to time be referred to it by the Town Board or the Planning Board, and make such recommendations to the Town Board and Planning Board in connection therewith as it deems appropriate. This Board consists of 11 members and members are appointed to a three-year term by the Town Board.

We've made great strides in 2020 to make these boards both a) more transparent to potential interested candidates as to the description of what these boards do and what the responsibilities are, and b) ease to apply. If you're interested in becoming a member of one of our Webster citizen boards, please do the following:
1. Review the responsibilities for the Board you are interested in, on the Town’s website: https://www.ci.webster.ny.us/121/Boards

2. Review the attendance commitments for board meetings and training.

3. Upon review, interested residents can complete the online application form to submit their resume for consideration.

Application link: https://www.ci.webster.ny.us/FormCenter/Boards-10/Citizen-Board-Application-Form-59

4. The application form will be open until Friday, December 11, 2020.

5. Applicants must be 18 years or older, and a Webster resident.

6. At the end of December, the Town Board will appoint new members to fill any vacancies.

7. Applications will be kept on file for one year, as mid-year vacancies can occur

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 11, 2020:
A Veteran's day message from General David Petraeus

With all the turmoil we have encountered in 2020, I feel this Veteran's Day is more special than any one in my lifetime. Frankly, I don't have the skill or background to write an article that does Veteran's day justice. Therefore, I hope you enjoy an excerpt from General David Petraeus' "The 0.45%"............
I remember the day I found out I got into West Point.

My mom actually showed up in the hallway of my high school and waited for me to get out of class. She was bawling her eyes out and apologizing that she had opened up my admission letter. She wasn’t crying because it had been her dream for me to go there. She was crying because she knew how hard I’d worked to get in, how much I wanted to attend, and how much I wanted to be an infantry officer. I was going to get that opportunity.

That same day two of my teachers took me aside and essentially told me the following: “David, you’re a smart guy. You don’t have to join the military. You should go to college, instead.”
I could easily write a tome defending West Point and the military as I did that day, explaining that USMA is an elite institution, that separate from that it is actually statistically much harder to enlist in the military than it is to get admitted to college, that serving the nation is a challenge that all able-bodied men and women should at least consider for a host of reasons, but I won’t.

What I will say is that when a 16 year-old kid is being told that attending West Point is going to be bad for his or her future then there is a dangerous disconnect in America, and entirely too many Americans have no idea what kind of burdens our military is bearing.

In World War II, 11.2% of the nation served in four years. In Vietnam, 4.3% served in 12 years. Since 2001, only 0.45% of our population has served in the Global War on Terror. These are unbelievable statistics.
Over time, fewer and fewer people have shouldered more and more of the burden and it is only getting worse. Our troops were sent to war in Iraq by a Congress consisting of 10% veterans with only one person having a child in the military. Taxes did not increase to pay for the war. War bonds were not sold. Gas was not regulated. In fact, the average citizen was asked to sacrifice nothing, and has sacrificed nothing unless they have chosen to out of the goodness of their hearts.

The only people who have sacrificed are the veterans and their families. The volunteers. The people who swore an oath to defend this nation. You.

You stand there, deployment after deployment and fight on. You’ve lost relationships, spent years of your lives in extreme conditions, years apart from kids you’ll never get back, and beaten your body in a way that even professional athletes don’t understand. And you come home to a nation that doesn’t understand. They don’t understand suffering. They don’t understand sacrifice. They don’t understand that bad people exist. They look at you like you’re a machine — like something is wrong with you. You are the misguided one — not them. When you get out, you sit in the college classrooms with political science teachers that discount your opinions on Iraq and Afghanistan because YOU WERE THERE and can’t understand the “macro” issues they gathered from books with your bias. You watch TV shows where every vet has PTSD and the violent strain at that. Your Congress is debating your benefits, your retirement, and your pay, while they ask you to do more.

But the amazing thing about you is that you all know this. You know your country will never pay back what you’ve given up. You know that the populace at large will never truly understand or appreciate what you have done for them. Hell, you know that in some circles, you will be thought as less than normal for having worn the uniform. But you do it anyway. You do what the greatest men and women of this country have done since 1775 — YOU SERVED. Just that decision alone makes you part of an elite group.
Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.
You are the 0.45%.

General David Petraeus West Point Class 1974

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

November 4, 2020:
The importance of Organizational Structure and Customer Service

When I first met my fellow Town Board members, and the Town of Webster Department Heads back in December 2019, I felt it was important to let them know that "nothing would change" when I took the office of Town Supervisor on January 1, 2020. There were two reasons why I felt this was important for them to know; 1. My years of experience owning my own company and having been on several non-profit boards had shown me that "I don't know what I don't know" and I would really need the first few months in my new position to be in "discovery" of the Town of Webster Government's current strengths and weaknesses, and 2. The best way to have people work with you when you are NEW is to not come in and immediately rock the boat with "change for the sake of change."

By late January/early February 2020, I had enough individual interaction with the Department Heads to request that we have a meeting with their respective staffs under their management to go over two foundational tenets I feel very strongly about; 1. Organizational Structure and 2. Customer Service. Since it was going to be my first "formal" meeting with the Department Head and his or her staff, I wanted to make sure it was "short and sweet". I said at each of these meetings that as time goes on, they would see me constantly coming back to Organizational Structure and Customer Service as the most important things we commit to in ALL we do. I further told them at that meeting I would NOT get into the "nitty gritty" detail of those two things because we would be in the meeting ALL day! (LOL) I figured those details would come in time as we crossed bridges of experience where I could further elaborate to them on how they pertain to that specific experience.

Since I have limited space to write this article, and I do not want to put you all to sleep, here are my readers' digest descriptions of why Organizational Structure and Customer Service are so important to ANY and ALL organizations.

Organizational Structure: On the surface, it seems pretty basic. You may have seen the visual Org Chart where the position on top is the CEO in a private business, and then the positions that report to the CEO under that, and the positions that report to that 2nd level position under that, and so on. However, that just scratches the surface. Defining each position's duties and responsibilities so they are unequivocal in their interpretation is extremely important. Often organizations fall into the trap of depending on "the person" that is in the position and fail to document these duties and responsibilities. The person leaves the organization and out the door walks all their institutional knowledge with NO documentation of what he or she does. Often that is when you find out that the "person" was actually doing duties and taking on responsibilities of other positions. They just "filled the void" when the person(s) in those other position(s) was NOT doing their job. That's a sign of a GREAT person.... but not of a good organization that allowed that to occur. Also, properly constructed duties and responsibilities of a position should take into account "checks and balances" to assure that NO position has isolated, unchecked authority that could minimally cause errors to go undetected, and more seriously allow malfeasance to occur and not be detected. Finally, a well-defined Organizational Structure assures continuity of the organization as individual people come in, and also leave positions. At the end of the day, we all are "caretaking" our position and eventually someday someone else will be caretaking it. If we don't look at it that way, it can go off the tracks and have the person think they are bigger or more important than the position.

Customer Service: Simply said.... the 46,000 citizens of Webster are the Town of Webster Government's customers. That is a fact that needs to permeate documented policies and procedures of the Town.... but even more important it needs to be in the philosophy of the employees of the Town that is demonstrated in how they approach their job, and their interaction with the community. As in any organization, this philosophy needs to come from the top down. It is incumbent on me as the Town Supervisor to set that tone. I could write 10,000+ words on why I feel customer service is so important, but to keep it short, I'll focus on these 2 aspects: 1. The customer is NOT always right.... but they deserve the respect of being given timely and honest responses to their inquiries and/or complaints. I've found that often the thing a citizen may be contacting me to complain about ends up being an opportunity for me to talk with them and give facts of the situation. More often than not, the person ends up staying "I was not aware of that" and their initial angst is assuaged by getting facts about the situation. 2. an organization's customer service philosophy and system should be built to make things EASIER for the customer, and NOT be driven by what makes things easier for the employee/organization. You would think this would be common sense... but I can't tell you how many times I have asked over the years "why do we do it that way"? and the answer comes back either "we've always done it that way and/or because it is easier". My follow up question is "easier for the customer or easier for US as the organization?????" More often than not as we proceed forward on those items, we end up changing a policy/procedure due to it having previously been NOT Customer friendly.

In summary, I am very encouraged by the progress we have made this year on Organizational Structure and Customer Service. The biggest reason for that is the people we have at the Town. They genuinely want to do a good job and that makes it so much easier to forge ahead when things need to change. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 28, 2020:
How our decision making is influenced in 2020

One thing I think we all can agree on is that 2020 has been a unique year. It's hard to compare crisis times against each other due to the recency bias we as humans have. That recency bias makes us feel like the current thing we are going through is the WORST thing we have ever had to endure. For me personally, I felt that after 9-11 as a young father concerned about whether the world was about to end, and also again in 2008 when the financial world collapsed, and I owned a mortgage company. For people a few years older than me, I can't imagine what it was like for you in the late 1960's with Vietnam, and Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy being assassinated. Finally, for any of the greatest generation who may still be with us, the depression and World War II must have been incredibly stressful times to live through.

So how do "the times we live in" affect our decision making? To me, decision making is broken down into two categories; 1. overt, and 2. opinion forming. An example of each is that when you are driving in your car and come to a T in the road, you have to make an overt decision (i.e. action) to turn left or right. Conversely, opinion forming by each of us is much more complicated based on the factors of influence we encounter each day. Interestingly enough, you would think opinion forming by definition does NOT mean an overt action needs to be made such as the turning left or right at the T in the road example. The fact is opinion forming often is the predecessor to overt actions we each do. Bottom line.... in the next few days several governmental positions will be determined by the election and each of our individual opinion forming led to the overt action of who we vote for.

There are so many factors that go into our individual opinion forming, that ultimately drive our overt-action item decisions. Three that I see having great influence in 2020 are as follows:

1.TANGIBLE FACTS/DATA: This is something I really try to gather, question, and absorb on my path to opinion forming and decision making. I find it interesting that in business, if you do NOT subscribe to this process, you ultimately will go out of business from making uninformed decisions. However, it seems in politics, certain politicians are rewarded with getting elected and re-elected by skirting the facts/data, or outright just stating things as facts that are not supported by tangible data. One thing I experienced as a business owner and in my first year as Supervisor is that a high-level person such as a CFO or Department Head has said to me individually, or in meetings with other high-level people in the organization "We've had a LOT of this occurring lately/the past year and we need to do something about it". I always answer that comment with "define a LOT?" Out of 100 transactions has it happened on 5, 10, 50, etc.? Often, once we go out and gather the data/facts, the desired "do something about it/make an overt decision" is rendered moot since it does not happen as much as the person thought it did.

2. TRADITIONAL NEWS MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA: We all know that the traditional media of newspapers, TV, etc. is changing before our eyes in the past 10+ years. I am not talking so much about whether or not the traditional media has become more or less biased in the last 10+ years... I am talking about how people GET their news, and what news they determine is credible. Social Media has changed the landscape. Has it changed it for the better as to people's opinion forming, and subsequent overt action decisions? I'm going to stay away from answering that, but suggest that if you have not watched the 90-minute documentary on Netflix called "The Social Dilemma", that you do and make your own determination on it. One thing social media has definitely changed is the concept of slander and libel. Slander is when you SAY something untrue about someone and libel is when you WRITE something untrue about someone. In the past slander and libel were often tied to news media outlets and/or civil lawsuits if one or both could be proven, and if proven it harmed the person or organization the untrue statements were made on. social media allows ANYONE to go on and "say or write anything" on a person or organization, regardless of whether factual or not and do so with impunity from liability for being sued for libel/slander.. Worse yet, often the biggest spreaders on social media of lies are anonymous in that they can set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. with alias names. Unfortunately, some people read this stuff on social media and accept it as fact... even though it is NOT. That in and of itself will lead to bad opinion forming and/or overt action on certain issues

3.INDIVIDUAL PERSONALITIES: Human beings are complex. Some are more averse to change than others, and let's face it... "change is inevitable". Some fear what they don't know or understand and will shy away from trying to get to know and/or understand something. They will just jump to the final conclusion it is WRONG in their mind. Others will be open minded and try to get educated on what they don't know or understand before making a conclusion on how they feel about it. Some want the safety of tribalism. That can lead to the unintended consequence of "100% of my tribe is RIGHT, and 100% of your tribe is WRONG". As humans, we have the amazing ability to "justify" even if logic dictates otherwise. A great example of this it is that some people can be pro-life and pro-death penalty... while other people are pro-choice and against the death penalty.

At the end of the day, how we are each "wired" within our individual personalities will have an effect on how we assess our opinion forming, and ultimately decision making/overt actions. This is influenced by how we as individuals look at tangible facts/data, and traditional news media/social media as we form those opinions and ultimately make decisions/take overt action. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 21, 2020
Please exercise your RIGHT to Vote

If you have read my previous 40+ Supervisor Corner articles this year, you know I am a self-admitted "stats geek". To me, data is foundational to facts, and facts assist so much in good decision making for today and the future. My first introduction to registered voter stats in Webster was while I was campaigning for Town Supervisor in 2019. I found that there were approximately 31,000 registered voters in Webster and that approx. 30% of them registered as Democrat, 30% Republican, and 40% as unaffiliated, Conservative, Independent, or other party.

I also found that historically in the 5-year period of 2014 - 2018, approximately 35% of those registered voters voted in the "non presidential" Town Supervisor years of 2015 and 2017 (i.e. about 11,000) and in presidential or governor/senator/congress years of 2016 and 2018, about 55% voted (i.e. about 17,000) I was very happy to see in the 2019 Town Supervisor election I was in, 13,800 voted or about 44% of the registered voters in Webster. 2019 was also the first year New York State offered "early voting". In Monroe County there were eight locations in October - November 2019 where you could vote early. About 1,200 Webster citizens early voted in 2019 which is about 9% of the total 13,800 voters that year.

So now that I have put you to sleep with these historical stats...... I would be remiss if I didn't say that it boggles my mind that ONLY 35 - 55% of registered voters in Webster ACTUALLY exercise their right to vote!!!! I appreciate there are things that come up last minute that may make a registered voter unable to get to the polls on Tuesday, November 3rd. However, now that early voting is available, I hope that we see a big spike in people actually voting over the next few years, starting with 2020!! Here is some info on the early voting venues, days, and times for October - November 2020. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

Early Voting Dates & Times for the November 3, General Election:
• Saturday, October 24, 2020 - 9am-3pm
• Sunday, October 25, 2020 - 9am-3pm
• Monday, October 26, 2020 - 9am-5pm
• Tuesday, October 27, 2020 - 11am-8pm
• Wednesday, October 28, 2020 - 9am-5pm
• Thursday, October 29, 2020 - 11am-8pm
• Friday, October 30, 2020 - 9am-5pm
• Saturday, October 31, 2020 - 9am-3pm
• Sunday, November 1, 2020 - 9am-3pm

Early Voting Locations that will be open each date and time listed above:
• David F. Gantt Community Center - 700 North St, Rochester, NY 14605
• City of Rochester Recreation Bureau - 2nd Floor, 57 St Paul St, Rochester, NY 14604
• Genesee Valley Field House - 1316 Genesee St, Rochester, NY 14611
• Edgerton Recreation Center - 41 Backus St, Rochester, NY 14608
• SUNY Empire State College - 680 Westfall Rd, Rochester, NY 14620
• Town of Chili Senior Center - 3235 Chili Ave, Rochester, NY 14624
• North Greece Road Church of Christ - 1039 N Greece Rd, Rochester, NY 14626
• Marketplace Mall (North Entrance) - 1 Miracle Mile Dr, Rochester, NY 14623
• Irondequoit Public Library - 1290 Titus Ave, Rochester, NY 14617
• Harris-Whalen Park Lodge - 2126 Penfield Rd, Penfield, NY 14526
• Perinton Square Mall - 6720 Pittsford Palmyra Rd, Fairport, NY 14450
• Webster Recreation Center - 1350 Chiyoda Dr, Webster, NY 14580

October 14, 2020:
FAQ's on the Ash trees being cut down in Webster

The Emerald Ash Borer, better known as the EAB, is native to South-eastern Asia. Unfortunately it has made its way to North America and has wreaked havoc on our beautiful Ash trees in Monroe County. The infestation is moving west to east and we noticed it in Webster in the spring of 2020 when several Ash trees did not bud with new leaves. Over the past several months, the Town of Webster government has been working diligently to address the situation. Below are the most commonly asked questions we have been getting from our residents:

Why is the Town cutting down these Ash trees? These dead and dying ash trees were brought to the Town government's attention by concerned Webster citizens who were near a tree that was threatening their home or grounds. Out of concern for the safety of our residents, the Town Board made this a priority and took quick action to address the problem. In our research we discovered that it could cost an individual homeowner between $400 - $2,200 to take down one of these trees. Although the cost would be prohibitive for the Town to cut down every dead Ash tree, we are focusing on addressing the threat located within Park Districts or Town-owned land.

How many trees are being cut down? Approximately 420 trees have been identified to be cut down between September and November 2020. Not all of these trees are being cut down to the stump and some will only have the top canopy cut that is causing the risk to residents' homes and grounds.What is this costing the Town? The winning bid was for $86,000 for 280 trees. Within the bid specs and the subsequent contract, there was a provision to have additional trees added. Residents have identified an additional 140 trees that will cost another $56,000. In such, a total of approx. 420 trees will be cut down or canopies cut at a cost of approx. $142,000. Trees on Park District land will have the cost passed on to the Park District.

Will the wood from these cut down trees be removed? In an effort to keep the cost to taxpayers down, we are having the tree contractor leave the cut logs "felled in place". In such, these pieces of cut wood will be left on the Town-owned land or Park District land the tree was on.Will stumps be taken out/grinded? No. In an effort to keep the cost to taxpayers down we are not have the firm cutting down these trees remove or grind stumps

How do residents let the Town government know about a possible tree that needs to be addressed? There are 2 ways; 1. If you are aware of a tree that needs to be brought to Town government attention, visit the Town website at http://ci.webster.ny.us/568/Tree-Maintenance and complete the form. 2. If you just have a general question, please call 585-872-7037.

Will these 420 trees be the last of the ones cut down in Webster Town-owned land or Park District land? No. Most likely we will have a 2nd round in 2021. The trees are dying fast from the EAB and once the leaves bloom again in the spring of 2021, it will manifest some additional dead ash trees on Park District land or Town-owned land.

I want to thank the residents and the key Town of Webster employees who have worked in concert to make the best of a troubling situation. Bottom line.... NO one likes to see trees die and be cut down. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

October 7, 2020:
Peaceful Protest.... or Harassment challenging the right of quiet enjoyment?

This past Friday night, October 2nd, over 100 people, and the cars they came in, converged on a residential neighborhood street here in Webster. Their target was the Monroe County District Attorney, Sandra Doorley, and in such, they set up right in front of her family's home. They banged drums, chanted for Ms. Doorley to resign her position as D.A., and used a lot of loud profanity in doing so. They came across the Bay Bridge in cars, set up around 9:15 p.m., and left by 10 p.m. My guess is that few if any of the attendees live in Webster.... and frankly I'm not sure how many actually live in Monroe County.

So.... was this a peaceful protest exercising the right of free speech? Or was it a show of force in numbers, representative of more gangland rules of intimidation and threats? Ask 100 people that question in society today and you might get a 50/50 answer. However, from my perspective as a Webster citizen the past 23 years and now its Town Supervisor, I did NOT like that this "event" occurred. Now, before I go on, out of full disclosure, I grew up across the street from Sandra Doorley's husband and have known his family and him my whole life. I consider Sandra and her husband personal friends the past 30 years, and our daughters went to school together and Irish danced together.

With that being said, I admit in my bias that I did NOT like that happening to my friends. I further did NOT like that experience having to happen to their neighbors. It is easy now that the event is over to say that there was NO property damage or people that got hurt. But as the event was unfolding, the anxiety and fear created for the people in that neighborhood must have been terrifying. In the aftermath on Saturday morning October 3rd, I visited the neighborhood to talk with Sandra, her husband, and neighbors. Sandra and her husband were not home but I got a chance to talk with some of the neighbors. Bottom line.... they were shaken up by this experience and wanted to know a) how it could be allowed in the 1st place, and b) how "law and order" could prevent it from happening again.

One interaction I had that has "stuck with me" and motivated me to write this article was with a young woman who lives in the neighborhood who has a 3 and 2-year-old and is expecting her 3rd child in a week. Simply said, her husband and her did not move to Webster to endure things like this in front of their home. She went on to describe how she tried to sooth the two children through the noise going on outside. I have seven children and the youngest is now 12... but I couldn't help but think of when my wife and I had "4 under 3 years of age" and how such an event in our Webster neighborhood would have upset us.

So, what is the answer to avoiding having such events in Webster in the future? I have been in communication with Webster's Police Department leadership team on this since Saturday. At the time I sent this article to print, they were scheduled to meet with other law enforcement agencies to devise a strategy on "how to handle these things in the future". The answer is NOT as simple as you would think. On one end of the spectrum, if Webster's current laws and codes warrant us arresting the attendees of these events in the future, is that something the attendees WANT to get more exposure and thus spawn on MORE of them? On the other end of the spectrum, I don't want a repeat of last Friday night in our town and am hopeful that the Webster Police and other law enforcement agencies will help in figuring out the best way to assure it does not.

In summary, make NO mistake, a daytime, planned "protest/march" at the Webster Village park just north of 250 and Main St. a few months ago is a far different "event" than a surprise, unpublicized, in the dark on a residential street event that occurred last Friday night. I completely understand that some reading this article will be 100% against what I am saying. To those people I would propose the old adage "Two wrongs don't make a right". If you truly believe there is a "wrong" that needs to be fixed, don't undermine your efforts and go out and do another wrong. You can talk to me till you're blue in the face and you'll never convince me otherwise. If that upsets you, we’ll just have to "agree to disagree". As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 30, 2020:
Shared Services amongst Government Entities - Saving Taxpayer’s money

As the saying goes "a penny saved is a penny earned". We often think of this as being isolated to our home/family budgets, or to private businesses. Unfortunately, we don't think of it as much as we should in government spending. To some extent, we all are a little cynical when it comes to government and taxes, especially living in New York State. Some of that cynicism is based on sayings like "death and taxes... the only certainties in life". However, some of that cynicism is based in fact and we in government need to "own that". For instance, COVID-19 hits and closes down businesses, and puts people out of work wondering where the money will come from to feed their family. However, in government, it is somewhat "business as usual" with real estate taxes, income taxes, sales taxes etc. that citizens pay staying at their current rates or going up!

In the nine months I have been Supervisor, I have become very aware of the Town of Webster's approx. $30 million annual budget, of which about half is collected from real estate taxes and half from other sources such as state aid, sales tax, etc. Within that awareness, there are factors in play that make it challenging to keep the next year's budget, 2021 at less than a 2% rise from the current years. As with any financial model, the only way you can save money or push more to the bottom line is to increase revenues, and/or decrease expenses. The former is one we are looking at ways to do without increasing the real estate taxes to our citizens such as increasing our sales tax base. The latter is more challenging when a large percentage of the budget is personnel and union contracts have COLA built in for annual raises.

So how do you cut expenses without cutting services... or better yet improving services to the citizens? One answer is maximizing the New York State Shared services program. The program was launched in 2017 and its two core principles are 1. two or more government entities join together to save money on a particular service, and 2. he annual savings produced are matched by the State dollar for dollar. As an example, if the Town of Webster joined with another town (or several towns, villages, etc.) to form a consortium of cyber security and/or IT hardware, software, etc. purchase and/or annual subscription discounts, if the savings to the Town of Webster was calculated at $5,000 annually, the state of New York would pay the Town an additional $5,000 that year for the savings!!!

In 2018, the program was expanded to include fire districts and school districts giving the Town of Webster even more potential "partners" to team up with within the effort to SAVE money and get "dollar for dollar" monies from the State on the annual savings. Besides the program being relatively new, the reason it most likely has not been pursued as much as it should be is that the Council of Governments (COG) ceased being active in the past several years. Why has it stopped? I am not sure since it is intended to be NON-partisan. I commend County Executive Adam Bello for reconvening the COG in 2020. It gives a forum where Town Supervisors, Village Mayors, City of Rochester, Monroe County, and school district officials can meet and collaborate for the betterment of the community as a whole. A recent COG meeting was the forum the County Executive utilized to have a person from the Department of State present and do a Q and A on the shared services program. It was obvious that the attendees were both a) excited for the possibilities and b) thankful that the COG was the impetus for educating all of us on this and hopefully spearheading us to maximize its benefits for our constituents.

The Town of Webster getting benefit from the shared services program in 2021 is remote. The plan is "County led". By November 10, 2020, the County Legislature needs to vote on the preliminary shared service plans proposed for calendar year 2021. Then three public hearings will occur after culminating with adoption by end of December 2020 by the County Legislature. That gives us approx. 40 days to identify a partner (or multiple) on a specific project, services, etc. to write up a proposal for 2021 savings from the shared service. However, I see a LOT of potential for identifying various partners in 2021 to work on proposals with that will hopefully result in savings in 2022 and matched dollars from the State. The Village of Webster government is the most logical partner for the Town government to work with to identify such opportunities. Also, the two fire districts in town and the school district are viable partners. I'll leave you will one last old saying.... "failure to plan, is planning to fail". If we want to maximize 2022 savings and state matching, we need to get on this ASAP in early 2021 with potential partners and projects. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 23, 2020:
WEDA, the best organization you've never heard of

While campaigning in September 2019, I met Pete Chatfield while going door to door. Pete told me that if I really wanted to get an idea of ALL that was going on in Webster, I should meet his son Matt. One week later, Matt Chatfield and I met for coffee at the Village Bakery. At that meeting, I found out Matt was the Executive Director of an organization called WEDA, which is an acronym for Webster Economic Development Alliance. Matt described to me how the organization was formed several years ago and has five board members: Town Supervisor, Village Mayor, Superintendent of Schools, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, and the President of the Business Improvement District (BID).

Matt showed me a brochure that highlighted what WEDA's mission is, and what it had accomplished in the past five years as to securing state and federal grants for Webster projects. As our meeting culminated, I stated to Matt "WEDA is awesome! Why haven't I heard of it prior and that I speculate that most of the Webster citizens do NOT know about the organization and what it does and has accomplished!"
When I became Town Supervisor in January 2020, I became one of the five board members of WEDA. I've attended the monthly meetings of WEDA, and it has helped me immensely in getting to know the Village Mayor, Darrell Byerts, School Superintendent, Carmen Gumina, BID president Elena Bernardi and Chamber of Commerce CEO, Barry Howard. How did it end up that WEDA would put these five people in the same room at least once a month? I found out that years ago while finalizing the by-laws of this organization, Chamber of Commerce CEO, Barry Howard, had the foresight to assure that the five entities that made up the governance of WEDA would ONLY have their "top person" representing this. The initial draft of the by-laws stated the top person of each of these entities, "or a designated representative". Barry was VERY smart to demand the top person be the representative.

WEDA is a unique organization that none of the other 900+ towns in New York has. In fact, many Town Supervisors I have talked to said they can't believe that organization exists that unites government, school, and businesses for the purpose to do what is "Best for Webster" and use that united force to drive projects, and the grants and funding needed for them. To get five entities to share in the funding of WEDA is foundational to the unique nature of it. WEDA's annual budget is under $80,000, yet the organization has brought in grants to Webster 15 times the annual budget on average the past six years.

Since 2014, WEDA has secured $7,465,000 for the following projects in Webster:
• $815,000 for bicycle, pedestrian and beautification enhancements on North Avenue in the Village of Webster;
• $1,480,000 for sidewalks on Ridge Road from Jackson Road to Five Mile Line Road;
• $118,000 for design and engineering of a new public park on Webster’s Sandbar waterfront;
• $1,425,000 for the realignment of Lake Road and construction of waterfront promenade at Sandbar Park;
• $711,000 for shoreline protection and flood prevention at Sandbar Park/Bayside Restaurant;
• $73,000 towards the construction of a permanent dock for a West Webster Fire Boat on Irondequoit Bay;
• $476,000 for sanitary pump station flood resilience improvements on Lake Road;
• $350,000 for East Main Street revitalization efforts in the Village of Webster;
• $1,838,000 for roadway improvement within the Xerox industrial zone;
• $50,000 for the development of a Community Revitalization Strategy;
• $87,000 for the Study of a Chilled Water System in Webster’s Industrial Zone;
• $42,000 towards reactivation of a vacant former Xerox facility on Salt Road

In the next 15 months as we go into 2022, the governance of WEDA is looking to produce a strategic plan to have WEDA utilized even more in the future for the "Best for Webster". There may be volunteer opportunities opening up within that effort on various committees. Stay tuned for more details on this AWESOME organization! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 16, 2020:
The facts on Webster Furniture Strippers- 600 Ridge Road

As a resident of Webster for the past 23 years I had been surprised to see how the corner of Gravel and Ridge had not been developed, and frankly has eroded over the years. When I was campaigning in 2019 for Town Supervisor, several citizens voiced to me their concerns about this corner. I also read in the 2008 Town Comprehensive plan that there were big plans for the development of this corner.

So why has that corner fallen into disrepair over the past 15-20 years? When I entered office in January 2020 it was one of the first issues I sought to tackle. From my research, the answer lies in the strange story of 600 Ridge Road, which previously housed the business Webster Furniture Strippers. I say it is a "strange story" because it something that could not and would not happen at our homes or in private business. It is a story that shows how the government can at times not be smart on getting resolutions on issues.

600 Ridge Road's owners ceased paying their town, county, and school real estate taxes about 15 years ago. The law requires the County of Monroe to reimburse the Town of Webster and the Webster School District for those unpaid taxes. After three years of not paying taxes, the building goes to a Monroe County tax foreclosure auction. At that auction, the County is asking for a "minimum bid" of the unpaid taxes. If no 3rd party makes that minimum bid, the County takes title/ownership to the property and can market it for sale in any way they deem proper and at any price.

Here's where the story gets "strange". Within this process, the County does a basic review of the property before they take title to see if there are any potential environmental issues. That "basic review" is foundational in looking at what the most recent use of the building was. The County saw that the building was used for furniture stripping with various chemicals used and determined they did NOT want to take title to it. In such, the property stays in the ownership/title of the current owner who has essentially abandoned the property by demonstrating they have not paid the taxes on it the past three years. Then, for the next 10-12 years, the town, county and school district send tax bills to the owner, and the owner continues to NOT pay them, and the county reimburses the town and school for their unpaid taxes.

Simply said.... the situation will go on like this into perpetuity or until the building falls down and someone or some municipality is forced to do something to get to "final resolution". This goes into the category of "you can't make this stuff up!!". So how does this situation get remedied and NOT have the can kicked down the road for 10+ more years? I have been working with the Webster Town Attorney, the DEC, and the real estate division at Monroe County to resolve this. The first part of the plan is to get the DEC reports on the building in the last 30 years and if they show that the environmental issues at the site are "minimal or non-existent", the County may take title to the property and market it for sale. At that point, a developer most likely would want to buy it if they saw the cost to take down the building was NOT going to have hundreds of thousands of dollars of environmental remediation. If the DEC reports are not definitive enough to have Monroe County take title, we will move on to plan B which most likely entails a phase 1 or 2 environmental study of the property to determine the true environmental risk and what needs remediation.

Bottom line.... I am not comfortable just throwing my hands up and saying "oh well... nothing we can do. It's Monroe County's decision". Fact is, the property is IN Webster. It is an eyesore at best, and a safety risk at worst. It also is impeding the development of that corner and all neighborhoods that spawn off of it. I am emboldened in the effort to get this situation resolved. Stay tuned for more details on this as they arise. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

September 10, 2020:
We should all learn from Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I'm into my ninth month as Webster Town Supervisor and have tried to use this Supervisor's corner forum to focus on Webster-centric topics. Back in early June I deviated from that in the wake of the events in Minneapolis with George Floyd and the aftermath of protests nationwide including here in our county. My article then was focused on "walking a mile in someone's shoes" and understanding that as a 55-year-old white male, it is difficult for me to understand what it is like to be black, and what our black brothers and sisters in the human race encounter in everyday situations compared to what I encounter.

Last week, it hit closer to home for all of us with the news coverage of the events surrounding Daniel Prude's death back in March 2020 here in Rochester. In such, I am going to deviate again from Webster-centric topics to discuss this global issue with the preface of "I do NOT have the answers, but I do know what won't work in the effort to move society along". The bothersome thing I have seen is that it feels like we are being forced to "choose sides". Either you are FOR Black Lives Matter, or you are FOR the police. I for one am not comfortable in that since I have friends and family of color and it sickens me to think they experience a different America than I do.... but I also have friends and family in law enforcement who are phenomenal human beings doing probably the most difficult job in society in 2020 and being spit on.

History is a great indicator of what works and what does not work in moving society along. I have no greater admiration for any historical leaders than that of Nelson Mandela in South Africa and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in the United States. Simply said, these men had a grace that transcended the experiences they had encountered. Frankly, I do not think I have 1/100th of the courage and leadership mettle these men had. For all they had experienced, and with all the pressures on them to do otherwise, they chose and embodied "togetherness and peace" as the path to healing and making the future better for the human race. If you read one or two biographies in the next few months, I suggest you read about these two amazing human beings.

Choosing sides of Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter is NOT the answer. It is too simplistic to stereotype every Police Officer as racist and abusive, and frankly it is NOT accurate. Far from it in my experiences. The vast majority of law enforcement are dedicated to "serve and protect" regardless of whether the people they encounter in that mission are men, women, tall, short, black, white, etc. However, it is ignorant as a white person to not see tangible evidence that systemic racism has been out there as recently as 50 years ago with deed restrictions on Monroe County properties stating "no African Americans can own or live there". I'm sure there is more recent evidence of this too. Bottom line.... we can do better as the human race than to "pick sides" and think the side picked is 100% RIGHT and the other side is 100% WRONG. Dr. King and President Mandela knew that. Let's follow their example if we really want to see positive change in the future. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

September 2, 2020:
Webster Sanitary Sewers.. a decision for the next 20-30 years

In the 25 years I owned my business, I became comfortable making decisions on a daily basis. Some of those decisions I knew had more at stake than the average run of the mill ones. Those with more at stake usually had ramifications for years to come. After eight months as Town Supervisor, I can see that the Town Board makes decisions at every board meeting. These decisions are called resolutions, ordinances and laws and are voted on by the five of us. Some are housekeeping (i.e. run of the mill) where others have major implications to the future of our community.

On September 10th, the Village of Webster's five trustees will have such a major decision to make/vote on. Simply said.... the Village sewer plant will either have $10+ million invested in it in the next 2-3 years, with another $5+ million in 7-8 years after that, or the Village and the Town will "regionalize" into ONE sewer plant and the Village and Town governments will work as a TEAM to invest in that regional plant in the next 2-3 years.

A few frequently asked questions I have encountered in the last eight months on this, and the answers as I see them:
1. Why is this the Village government's decision? That is because the Town wants a regional plant. Based on the Village's vote, the Town will either move forward with phase 2 of their plant or move forward with a phase 2 that supports the regional model.

2. Why does the Town government want regional? The cost to the Town residents and businesses will be less annually, and long term as to bonding/grants in a regional model. It is important to remember that Village residents and businesses ARE TOWN RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES and I truly believe that the regional plant will benefit ALL Town residents and businesses, including those that live and operate in the Village

3. Is this decision being "rushed"? The discussion and engineering analyses paid for individually by the Town and Village and an engineering analysis of a regional plant jointly paid by the Village and Town started in 2016. That is five years. Within this process, the Town invested $12 million on phase 1 of their sewer plant update and did so with a) $3 million of grant money, and b) with a structure that supported the regional plant should the Village decide to go regional. That phase 1 will be completed in December 2020 so as we look in 2021 to phase 2, it is incumbent that we know if that phase 2 will be configured for Town-only or regional.

4. What are the main objections to regionalization? From what I have seen, people in the Village have concerns that the regional plant will actually save money annually and in the long run for Village residents and businesses. Those objections may be genuine in the person's mind because "there are a lot of #s flying around out there". However, the accountant in me has felt from the beginning when I first met on January 20, 2020 with Mayor Byerts, Deputy Mayor Ippolito and Deputy Supervisor Cataldi that the law of economies of scale would prove that a regional plant was more cost effective to the citizens of Webster than two individual plants that the Village was about to invest over $10 million in theirs and the Town just invested $12 million in theirs. Over the last seven months, nothing I have seen changes my mind on that, and in fact the more data I got from engineers, state funding and grants just cemented my opinion on this more.

I also saw over the past seven months that some intangible factors were in play on the objections to a regional plant. Some of it has to do with nostalgia and trying to keep the status quo. Some of it has to do with fear of the unknown. Some of that has to do with generations going back 50+ years on how the Village government sees the Town government and vice versa. It certainly does not appear that the two governments have worked as a TEAM in the past for the greater good of the community. A regional plant has to have at its foundation a "trust" level between the Town and Village governments and the past has not fostered that. I'm realistic that in my eight months as Town Supervisor no matter how hard I try to foster trust, it is not going to get people to a point of totally divorcing themselves from emotions of distrust that were cultivated for 30+ years.

If the Village board of trustees does vote for regional on September 10th, the immediate next move would be to form a regional plant steering committee that to me MUST be equally represented by the Town and Village. To put it more succinctly... the Village may only have 1/4 of the volume of a regional plant, but they will be 1/2 of the steering committee. As that steering committee figures out the details of the final configuration and cost splits, it is important to understand that this regional plant will be a "separate entity" from the Town or Village governments. I have heard the question "will Village employees at the Village plant be hired by the Town at the regional plant? The answer is actually that the regional plant will need to hire the employees currently at the Town plant and the Village plant. This is NOT the Town running this regional plant. It is the governance/board of the regional plant that is ultimately decided on by the equally represented Town and Village steering committee. I would not be surprised if the end result is that the regional plant is a utility. I will not bore you all in this article with the details on the pros and cons of operating as an Enterprise fund-based utility.

In summary.... I don't envy the five Village board trustees. I know they are getting pressure from several sides on this. I've gotten a chance to get to know them the past eight months and they are wonderful people. Fact is, they were elected to lead, and leadership is not easy. It's having the ability to put your human emotions in check to do what is right for the community today, and 20+ years from now. This is one of those defining decisions to their legacy. I have told each and every one of the Village trustees that I want the Town government to work as a TEAM with them in the future and break the cycle of the historical petty, Hatfield/McCoy rivalry between the two governments. The loser in those battles is the Webster citizen and business. Those past battles also "cloud vision" and Webster needs vision now in 2020 more than ever.

Moves made by a TEAM effort of the Town and Village governments in the next few years could lay the foundation to what the 770+ acres Xerox campus looks like in the future, and what "the hub/nucleus of Webster".... our Village will look like in the future. The Village should be a thriving center to this 46,000-person town. Town residents want to walk, bike or drive 1-2 miles to the Village to spend their discretionary money more than they want to cross the Bay Bridge and go 10+ miles to do so. Town residents in 2020 are a different socioeconomic make-up than the population in 1990 before all the $300,000 houses were built. The Village needs to take advantage of that so they "win" and so does the Town resident with the goods and services of a robust hub. Currently, the Village government budget revenue is made up of 60% sales tax. A focus on revitalizing downtown will bring more sales tax revenue. If all things are equal.....each dollar increase to sales tax is one dollar less taxed to the Village citizens in their real estate taxes. I'll bet the Village Board of Trustees in the future will have a lot more fun spearheading initiatives to downtown revitalization than running a sewer plant. And as I said prior... it won't be the Town government running that regional plant, it will be the separate entity regional plant governance. The future of Webster looks bright... all ya gotta do is imagine what it could be and take the proper proactive steps to make it happen. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

August 26, 2020:
COVID 19 and Paying your Webster School Taxes in September 2020

Hard to believe we are coming up on six months since "all of our worlds changed" and terms like social distancing, masks, etc. started dominating our lives. COVID-19 has been challenging for all of us and those challenges are very individualized based on your personal and professional life.
One thing I have struggled with as Town Supervisor during COVID-19 is the "lack of being able to be out there amongst the people". In February prior to the home quarantining, I was enjoying going to different events and getting to meet and know more Webster citizens. I felt that was helping me get a pulse on what topics and issues were really amongst the majority and not just the echo chamber rantings of social media "keyboard warriors".

With Town hall opening to the public "without the need for an appointment" as of July 20th, we have seen the daily visits by citizens go up from approximately 50 a day to 60 in 5 weeks. The good news... people are feeling more comfortable getting out. The bad news.... 60+ visitors a day to town hall and the interaction with the 40+ employees who work there causes challenges in COVID-19. Sanitizing, social distancing, plexiglass barriers, masks and answering health questions are mandatory. Some citizens completely understand and comply with NO question.... some are annoyed by it but comply, albeit begrudgingly .... and some overtly fight it by saying they won't wear a mask, sanitize their hands and/or answer the health questions. Simply said... the receptionist position is a LOT more complex today than it was prior COVID-19.

September historically is the month where many Webster citizens go into town hall to pay their school taxes in person. Based on the math I have done, it averages about 100-150 people a day coming into town hall in past Septembers to pay their taxes. As such, I cannot stress this enough...... putting an additional 100-150 citizens a day into town hall over the current average of 60 will put stress on the safety system in place, to the point where it most likely is NOT manageable for either the town staff or citizens. So it pains me to say this... but for our citizens and town staff physical and mental health and safety, PLEASE PAY YOUR SEPTEMBER SCHOOL TAXES IN ANY MANNER AVAILABLE OTHER THAN COMING INTO TOWN HALL TO DO IT IN PERSON!!!!!!

The means made available in COVID-19 are "unique" from past years and include the following: USPS mail, online via credit card with the 3% fee waived by County Executive Bello, drop box in vestibule of Ridge Road entrance to town hall, and at the M+T branch at 935 Hard Road. For more details on these payment options, please visit the town website at www.ci.webster.ny.us and hit the "department" link on the homepage and then "Receiver of Taxes".
As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

August 19, 2020:
Unions and the Town of Webster Government employees

Prior to becoming Webster Town Supervisor, I had been in "private industry" for 30+ years. For the first eight years out of college, I was an "employee". The next 25 years I was in "management/ownership". The common denominator of my private industry experience was that there were no labor unions at the companies I worked for or owned.

The Town of Webster government has 14 departments that encompass over 100 full time W-2 employees and another 100+ part time W-2 employees. Many of the full-time employees are in a labor union. The three labor unions are white-collar, blue-collar, and Police. For example, the white-collar union encompasses administrative employees, the blue-collar union encompasses Highway Department and Sewer Department employees, and the Police union encompasses the Police Officers. For the most part, Department Heads are considered "management" and are not in the union.

When I became Supervisor in January 2020, the blue-collar and white-collar union contracts for the 3-year period of January 2020 - December 2022 were already in place, as they had been negotiated in 2019. The current Police union contract expires on December 2020, so I have recently entered into negotiations with the Police union reps on the contract for January 2021 and beyond. Assisting me on this negotiation are various members of Human Resources, Finance Department, and the Town Board liaison to Police.

A few things I have noted in my first eight months as Supervisor as it pertains to unions: 1st... I'm a habit-based person. It has not been my habit in the past to have to "bounce things off the union" before I move forward on management decisions that affect employees. I've apologized to the various union reps on this and have asked them to be patient with me as I "build that habit" of including them in communications early in the process.

2nd.... COVID-19 is something that is "challenging" the Town Board on both the 2020 budget to actual, and on budgeting for 2021. This is due to the "unknowns" created by the pandemic on both lost revenues and added expenses due to COVID-19. Labor union contracts need to be referred to, prior to any moves the Town Board seeks to make to react or better yet be "proactive" to COVID-19 created issues if the Board ever seeks to reduce expenses/taxes to the town citizens via payroll and/or benefits moves toward the Town government employees.

3rd.... This may be my "first rodeo" on union negotiations, but it certainly is NOT my first foray into negotiating "win-wins" between ownership/management and employees. The KEY is the "win-win" aspect of this. In layman terms.... Every dollar that the Town "wins" is a dollar the employee is conceding in pay and/or benefits. Conversely, every dollar the employee "wins" in pay and benefits is a dollar the Town concedes. The Town concession means getting that dollar from revenue sources or from taxing the town citizens.
In conclusion, it is imperative that Town government leadership and union leadership understand the delicate balance on this. If one side gets too much... that balance can have short- and long-term ramifications.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

August 12. 2020:
The Xerox factor in the Village and Town of Webster and how it affects our future

Having lived in Webster for the past 23 years, the Xerox campus out on Salt Road was something I certainly was aware of. I knew it was built in Webster over 50 years ago. I knew it was a key component in the Bay Bridge being built. I knew it brought a lot of jobs to Webster and assisted in the population growth of the town as farmland was sold to developers who then built subdivisions. I knew that with Xerox moving their corporate headquarters out of Rochester in the past 20 years, that the Webster campus was profoundly affected with shuttering of buildings and losses of jobs as the company's focus changed.

Over the past seven months as Town Supervisor, I have learned just how big a shadow the 700+ acres of the Xerox campus cast on the Village and Town of Webster today... and more importantly for the future. Currently, the campus has over six million square feet of building space on it. However, only about two million is occupied. The other four million have been vacated over the years. Luckily, most of those "empty buildings" at least still show well on the exterior so it does not look like a total ghost town. Allegedly, Xerox had a national developer looking to buy the whole campus in the past few years. It appears that never materialized. Maybe it was due to Xerox' attempt to buy Hewlett Packard in the past year... or the rumored Hewlett Packard seeking to buy Xerox when the former fell through. Welcome to the world of big corporations! Any sale of the 700+ acre campus would need to go through the Xerox board, and if the Hewlett Packard deal hit the board's desk, it would take preference over that 700-acre campus sale. If a seller drags its feet, the buyer will move on to something else.

There is nothing I would like more than a resurgence of Xerox at the campus with them filling the empty four million square feet of buildings with new employees and business functions. The reality is that is probably not going to happen. While Xerox still owns the campus, it puts the Village and Town of Webster into a form of "purgatory". I've heard at least a dozen times in the past seven months on development plans that people don't like where it is proposed to "put it on the Xerox campus"! Problem is that campus is privately owned by Xerox and the Village and Town don't have the ability to make Xerox "put something on their campus". As Xerox contracts at the campus, it affects what real estate taxes can be collected from them. It affects the sanitary sewer plants and their future planning. Currently that campus makes up over 55% of the flow handled by the Village sewer plant. It only affects about 3% of the Town's sewer plant flows. The uncertainty and possible continued contraction at the campus is one reason why a regional sewer plant makes sense so that the Village sewer plant is not so tied to that 700-acre campus. Bottom line... if NO flows come from Xerox in the future, and the Village keeps its own sewer plant, Village citizen's sewer fees would more than double.

People have said to me, "just call or meet with Xerox leadership and find out their plans". I wish it were that simple. I appreciate Xerox' position on this 700-acre campus and why they keep their cards held close to their vest on future plans. Frankly, I believe they may have NO future plans right now and are content to stay in a "holding pattern" (i.e. purgatory) until something comes up. That may be good for Xerox, but it is NOT so good for the Town and Village of Webster. So what do we do? Well. I'm not a big fan of throwing up your hands and saying there is nothing we can do! To me, the best plan is to put the campus in a position where Xerox can sell it. To do that, it will need a TEAM effort of the Village and Town governments on several items including but not limited to regionalized sewer plant, road upgrades on campus with maximized state and federal grants, extending a road east to west through campus to make it easier to divide it for sale, and getting Town/Village border lines that run through the middle of some buildings on the campus currently in a schematic that makes more sense.

In conclusion, one of my favorite sayings is "God helps those who help themselves". In my opinion, it is incumbent on the Village and Town Boards to be a team on this effort to move the needle on what the 700+ acre campus at Xerox will be in the future. This is no time to be nostalgic to the good old days of Xerox. The leadership needs to look to the future. They need to rise above any " non-team" and/or competitive aspects and/or bad blood that may have existed between the Village and Town governments that existed in the past. If we work as a team, and leverage county, state, and federal government leaders to help on this team, we can help create the future at that 700-acre campus instead of sitting around feeling like a victim and waiting for our destiny to be dealt to us. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column - August 5, 2020:
The Town government structure and Town Board meeting structure:

Seven months into my new gig as Webster Town Supervisor. Learning something new everyday. I actually am enjoying it immensely. It is extremely interesting and diverse with the fourteen departments the town has. It also is gratifying to be able to help people. The "helping people" can be convoluted if the county, state and/or federal government agencies have to be interacted with to get a resolution, but I'll save that for another article in the future.

I've been surprised by the misconception that several citizens in Webster have about the governmental structure of the town. I'm a firm believer that "knowledge is power" and that "an informed community is a better one". As such, I'm hopeful this article may shed some light on two of these misconceptions.

1. County, state, and federal government have the 3 branches; executive, legislative, and judiciary with all their commensurate checks and balances. However, Town government really only has 2 branches. The Supervisor is NOT an Executive position like a County Executive, Governor or President. The Supervisor is just one vote of the five Town Board members that make up the legislative branch of town government. I see the Supervisor position as a "hybrid" executive-legislative one due to the organizational chart of the town departments reporting up through the Supervisor. However, any resolutions, ordinances and/or laws voted on have to be a majority vote of the five Town Board members.

2. The Town Board meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month for "formal" board meetings at 7:30 PM. On the 2nd and 4th Thursdays they meet at 5:30 PM for an "informal" meeting called a Workshop. To be honest with you, I enjoy the workshops more than the formal meetings. The formal meetings demand that the board members be on top of their game as they will most likely be voting on resolutions, ordinances, and/or laws that will affect the town today and for 20+ years. Workshops are more "free flowing" of conversation between the board members, and any other department head and/or citizen involved in the meeting.

Often the workshop agenda items will make their way to formal Town Board meetings and/or public hearings if traction is built. In my first seven months as Supervisor, I have heard or seen several things done in town that when I ask "why"... the response is that "it's always been done that way and/or that the law/resolution/ordinance on that was passed 10, 15, 20+ years ago". That answer always makes me curious to see if maybe the practice needs to be discussed at a workshop to see if there are aspects to it that are obsolete in 2020 and the future from when they were adopted years ago.

As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us

Supervisor’s Column, July 29, 2020:
Some more interesting Town of Webster statistics

A few months ago, I did a column about some interesting statistics I had found out about the Town of Webster since I became Supervisor. At that time, I admitted that I was kinda a "stats geek" and that I hoped you'd all indulge me. I actually got a lot of positive responses to that column with some even asking me to do a follow up describing other interesting stats I had found out about the town.

This edition of "interesting Webster stats" will focus on some dollar and cents items. Bottom line... we're in the 2021 budget season for the town government. On the surface, this budget process will be unique to what has occurred in the past 25+ years due to two reasons; 1. a new Town Supervisor who had not previously been on the Town Board and involved in the process, and 2. the uncertainties of COVID-19 and the unresolved 2020 budget to actual items on lost revenues and/or additional costs that may or may not have state or federal reimbursement potential. The good news.... have no fear of my being the "rookie" Supervisor.

My background is financial based, I have had to do budgeting at my own business for years, and the current Town Board are seasoned professionals who have helped me immensely in my first 7 months.
The COVID-19 thing. Well that is problematic to even the most experienced of budgeters. So here is where Webster statistics and facts may assist. These stats do not take into account if you live in the Village, commercial properties, fire district charges and other special districts and/or exemptions a citizen may have. Webster residents who pay real estate taxes due to owning real estate have three basic taxes they pay: Town, County, and School. These taxes are attempted to be collected from citizens in an equitable manner based on the assessed value of their real estate. The current average town assessed value on a residential home is approx. $200,000. Due to the last town-wide revaluation having been done in 2004, that means a $200,000 assessed valued house would most likely sell today for $250,000. Webster's aggregate assessed value of ALL real estate is approximately $3 billion.

The Town of Webster budget is approx. $30 million. These monies provide services for all 46,000+ citizens including but not limited to: road maintenance, plowing, leaf pick-up, sewer, parks, recreation, etc. It is covered by $15 million from real estate taxes collected from its citizens on real property they own, and another $15 million from "other revenues" including but not limited to sales tax, special district charges, and state aid. Simply said... if all other factors remain equal, if the town government can figure out how to get MORE of these "other revenues" it would be able to tax its residents LESS. The $15 million in real estate taxes is divided by the total assessed value of ALL real estate, $3 billion, to come up with the approximate $5 per $1,000 of assessed value tax rate.

New York State initiated a "2% tax cap" years ago. Essentially it means that if the Town Board decides to propose a 2021 budget that is 2% higher than the 2020 budget, it requires a super majority vote (i.e. 4 to 1 at least approval versus the normal 3 to 2 approval). In round numbers.... 2% of 2020 budgeted taxes of $15 million to Webster citizens is approx. $300,000. Unfortunately for the town budget, capital projects, their debt and interest payments on them count in the 2% cap. This is not the same in the School tax budget and gives the schools much more latitude to build new facilities and stay below their 2% cap.

So grab a seat, make some popcorn and get ready to watch a very unique 2021 budget process for the town. Last week this article was dedicated to the milestone events in the process and reflected how PUBLIC the process is. You can literally watch on TV or live stream all of them. You can also be as much involved in the process as a citizen of the town as you want to be.

In conclusion, I want the Webster citizens to know my philosophy on budgets and where my struggles will be within this process. I lean more proactive than reactive. I think 10-20 years out for the community and not one year at a time. I am not influenced by "it’s an election year" as to budgeting and why to stay under the 2% cap. I'd rather advocate for what is the best fiscal move for the community for years to come, and be voted out, than kowtow to political pressure to do something that will help me get reelected. That's the benefit of being 55 years old when holding my first elected position, and a position I do NOT look to use as a springboard to a higher elected position. My next job after Supervisor will be back to private industry. So, what does that all mean? Well, I’d rather spend $5 today and have it affect the 2% tax cap, than spend $10 tomorrow out of the town's fund balance to fix something the $5 upfront would have taken care of. You see, if you pay the $10 "reactive" fix it out of the fund balance, it does not affect the 2% tax cap. However, it is still $10 of taxpayer money. My philosophy will be problematic in the COVID-19 world we live in, and the financial uncertainties it has in July 2020. I need to be mindful of that and proceed cautiously in the 2021 budget process. As we have learned with COVID-19.... what is the RULE today, may be very different in a week, a month, etc.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 15, 2020:

How changed laws and current times in 2020 are affecting Webster Police and Webster Town Court
The first six months of 2020 have been unprecedented on many levels. Much of what makes it unique is the combination of multiple events in a short period of time. For instance, we've had pandemics before where we have had to shut down mass congregation venues, albeit not since 1920. We've had law enforcement changes before. We've had social unrest and protesting. However, we've never had all three of those occur in a short period of time in parallel. In such, the results of them happening like this are new experiences for society and most likely ones never envisioned.

We all know about the pandemic and the social unrest and protesting. The opinions on both run the gamut on issues including but not limited to; are we being too cautious with wearing masks, and closing businesses, or are we being too cavalier? Is the social unrest and protesting warranted and being done by good intentioned people who truly have been disenfranchised for far too long, or are political special interest groups taking advantage of a situation? I don't have enough space in this article to write all the words that would do all the opinions justice on these.

However, I do want to present the third parallel event of the last six months and how it has and will continue to an impact on how the Webster Police and Webster Town Court operate going forward. Law and Order. It is a foundational pillar of society. How does it work? This is an oversimplified description: the Police arrest the accused and investigate crimes of said accused. The District Attorney's office prosecutes them based on evidence obtained from the Police within their investigation. Private Defense Attorneys or the Public Defender's office defends the accused. Various venues of the judicial system (i.e. Judges/juries) hear the cases depending on the crime and where it occurred.

As of January 1, 2020, new laws went into effect in New York State that have an impact on the law and order system in the state, and in such, in Webster. Two of these are as follows:

1. Bail Reform: depending on who you talk to, this is either the best thing to happen or the worst in years. The people who feel it is the "best thing" see it more as reforms to keeping socio-economically challenged arrested people from having to sit in jail with no chance of being bailed out, while a person of means who does the same crime will be out on bail. The people who see it as "the worst thing" cite the term appearance ticket as the lynch pin to why it is bad. Simply said, crimes committed in 2019 and prior that would have been jailable offenses for a judge to set bail on, are now given appearance tickets where the arrested person is back on the street within hours of the arrest. The severity of the crimes that appearance tickets apply to have surprised many in law enforcement, and the judicial system. New York State Assembly, Senate and Governor are now looking at some of the unintended consequences of the law that went into effect on January 1, 2020 and trying to remedy that. The most recent revision to address more serious crimes being held in jail/for bail and not get an appearance ticket went into effect on July 2, 2020.

2. Discovery: Earlier I described how the Police arrest the accused and investigate the crime. The results of those investigations that are handed over to the D.A's office and the defense for the accused are called Discovery. Changes to discovery in 2020 made it such that the time frame the Police have to get their evidence to the prosecution and defense is shorter. The effect is that Police may take longer to arrest an accused person because that arrest date starts the clock on the time frame they have to hand in discovery.

In a way, it is changing the sequence of events for the Police from arrest first and investigate second to being vice versa.

In summary, I am working with the leadership teams at the Webster Police and Webster Town Court to determine how to best handle these law changes in 2020 and the effects they have on them. Many questions to answer on this. One big one is how we will do security at the court when in the past some of the accused based on the severity of the crime they were accused of were brought in from jail in handcuffs to court accompanied by jail guard, and now they will be walking through the front door with no handcuffs, no guard due to an appearance ticket having been issued for their crime.

As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 8, 2020:
The unique configuration of the Department of Public Works (DPW) in Webster

My guess is that if you asked 100 Webster citizens to describe what the Department of Public Works does, you'd get 100 different answers. Truth be told, if I were asked that question a few years ago I would have struggled with the answer. Understanding the unique nature of the Webster DPW compared to other towns in Monroe County is foundational to describing what they do. The DPW in most towns oversees the Sewer and Highway Department functions. They also oversee the town-owned facilities such as town hall, court buildings, etc., as to their mechanics and maintenance. They issue building permits, do inspections of projects the building permit was issued on, oversee code enforcement, animal control, and the Fire Marshal, and have engineering experience to assist the Planning Board on reviewing developer's engineering drawings. Usually there is a DPW Commissioner that oversees all the various functions the department is involved in, and has Deputy Commissioners that report to her or him to handle major segments like Sewer and Highway.

Webster is unique in that it has three separate departments for Highway, Sewer, and DPW, with each of those Department Heads reporting to the Town Supervisor. This configuration evolved over the years for a myriad of reasons. For one thing, Webster has a sewer plant, pump stations, and collection system of main lines. All other towns in Monroe County now only have pump stations and collection systems. That fact alone makes sense as to why the Sewer Department in Webster would be segmented off from DPW. Another reason for the uniqueness is that Webster has an appointed Highway Department Superintendent where many towns in New York elect their Highway Superintendent. In Webster, the Highway Department among many things maintains the roads, plows the roads, does leaf pickup in the autumn, and handles drainage issues for storm sewers and retention ponds

Two of the main challenges of this three department configuration are as follows; 1. Possible customer service issues: If a citizen calls, e-mails, or stops in a Town facility to inquire on an issue they are encountering, they may be reaching out to the wrong department. For example, if their storm sewer is backed up after a heavy rain, it would be understandable to have them reach out to the Sewer Department for remedy. Unfortunately, storm sewers are handled by the Highway Department and not the Sewer Department. 2. Potential lack of project oversight leadership: ALL major projects in Town such as housing subdivisions have involvement of DPW, Highway, and Sewer staff. There may be a list of 25-30+ different tasks, inspections, etc. that need to be done in making sure the project is built to the standards laid out in the plans and approved by the Planning Board. Those tasks and inspections often are sequential in nature and need quarterbacking. Since none of these Department Heads reports to the other, a void can occur. Currently it is on the Town Supervisor to make sure these three departments work in concert on this.

These challenges are something the three Department Heads and I are addressing currently to make sure that Webster's unique DPW, Sewer and Highway Department configuration do not have unintended consequences to the Webster Citizens. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

July 1, 2020:
The greatest influence on my conduct as Town Supervisor

The date of this Webster Herald edition is July 1, 2020. For me, it marks the 1-year anniversary of my father's passing. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about my father, Bob Flaherty, and the legacy he left. It might help to explain the manner in which I approach being Town Supervisor as it pertains to addressing both people, and the issues I come in contact with.

My dad was not a political person, although he was extremely involved in Irondequoit where he lived for over 55 years. He had an ability to look beyond Republican or Democrat and accept people for what was in their heart and their intentions. He backed Republican Supervisors in Irondequoit in the 1990s like my father-in-law Bill Dillon. However, he was very fond of Dave Seeley, the current Democratic Supervisor in Irondequoit. From my relationship with Dave, I think the fondness was reciprocated.

He was my main influence in the simple mantra of "work hard and tell the truth and things should work out". If you think about it.... laziness will be vetted out over time, as will lying, or being two-faced. But working hard and telling the truth will ultimately be respected by all. He saw it as foundational to trust. As to "trust", my dad approached people with a "blank canvas" and no preconceived bias, regardless of gender, age, race, or education. He believed and embodied the idea that you "get what you give" and he gave everyone respect immediately. I truly believe he detested the thought of anyone being disenfranchised and took extra efforts to make sure it did not happen on his watch. People saw it, experienced it, and loved him for it.

He worked hard.... he played hard. His family and friends were so important to him. We marveled at the "balls he kept in the air" even into his late 70's before he got sick. He was still working full time in the Insurance business, owned and managed real estate, and was omnipresent working and helping his adult children at their house projects. He was a reliable and a positive influence on any situation he was put into.

Maybe the most amazing thing was that he always was joking around to the point where you thought he still acted like a mischievous teenage boy even in his 70's. I saw first-hand when people mistook his congeniality for weakness, and that did NOT work out well for them. He felt that life was full of serious issues and stresses that had to be dealt with every day.... but he was going to go about tackling them all with a smile on his face, a joke, and a beer. He talked a lot which is something I definitely inherited from him!

He took a lot of ribbing as the "verbose Irishman". He did not mind the reputation as long as it was not a reputation of "he talked a lot but got nothing done". The man got a LOT done. He had two cents to his name when he married my mother in 1959. When he passed, he had amassed a small fortune and it was all the result of hard work, ethics, and being smart. His humble beginnings showed when he would go an extra five miles to buy gas for three cents less a gallon. His austerity was toward himself, however, and there was no one more generous and giving of his time, talent, and treasure than him.

I could write 10,000 more words, but I think you get the gist. So, thank you dad for the influence you had on me becoming who I am today. For the Webster community, when you see me doing my job as Supervisor, you now have a better perspective of where I come from as it pertains to dealing with people and issues. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 24, 2020:
Sidewalks going in on Ridge Road:

While campaigning in 2019, I heard several people say they wish we had more sidewalks in Webster. Some even said that the Town government was against installing sidewalks in Webster. One of my favorite lines is "don't let the facts get in the way of a good story". When I entered office in January 2020, I got first-hand knowledge that the facts on how the Town government was approaching sidewalks did not match the story. I immediately became aware of a 3+ year effort that the Town Board had been involved in to have sidewalks installed on Ridge Road, in the 1.5 miles between Five Mile Line Road and Rachel Drive in the Village. The "effort" was one of my first educations as Town Supervisor as to the process it takes to have sidewalks put in.

I am pleased to announce that the Town Board's efforts on this project long before I became Supervisor, and several other key Town of Webster personnel has finally culminated. In the next several months you will start to see the construction of these sidewalks. So why did it take 3+ years? If the Town Board wanted sidewalks on Ridge Road, couldn't they just wave their magic wand and make it happen? Well, unfortunately I am learning we don't have a magic wand as a Town Board, but man that would be cool if we did! Life would be a lot easier. What I found out was that the cost and the land use were the two stumbling blocks that made the process take over three years.

On the cost side, the $2 million+ project will be 75% - 80% funded by State and Federal grants. That grant process is long and arduous. Had the Town Board opted three years ago to bypass that grant application process, the sidewalks would be in by now. However, Webster taxpayers would have footed the whole $2 million bill instead of the $400 - 500,000 it will now cost. On the land use side, these sidewalks over a 1.5-mile swath will cross over lands owned by the Town, State, County, and private owners. Unfortunately, we could not just say "hey, we're putting in sidewalks so we're going to go through your land to do it and there is nothing you can do about it". The time and cost to obtain the rights to put those sidewalks on that land, was combined with a legal process of easements and rights-of-way, and I'll spare you all the boring details. Trust me, it is no easy task.

So have some patience the next few months as you traverse Ridge Road between Five Mile Line and Rachel Drive. Installation of the sidewalks may cause some traffic issues. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. But oh, will that omelet be nice once it is done! I for one look forward to being able to walk from Wegmans on Holt Road down Ridge Rd. to Town Hall on Hard Rd., and all the way to Five Mile Line Road on these new sidewalks. I am thankful for the efforts of previous Town Supervisor Ron Nesbitt and the Town Board members for "staying the course" on what was a difficult and challenging process the past three years. They brought $2+ million dollars of quality of life improvements to Webster and did so with the citizens paying for a fraction of the cost through their town taxes. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 17, 2020:
The "jewel" that is the Webster Rec Center

With Phase 3 going into effect in the Finger Lakes region on Friday June 12th, many of you may have had a chance to go to a restaurant for the first time in 3 months. Since Webster town government does not operate any restaurants, Phase 3 did not change much of how the town facilities were operating. However, with Phase 4 on the horizon most likely on Friday June 26th, plans are being put in place to reopen the Webster Rec Center.

First of all, if you have never visited the Webster Rec Center on Chiyoda Drive off Phillips Road, I strongly suggest you do in the near future as "the world continues to open back up" from COVID-19. The facility is much more of a Community center than anything else. There is a myriad of recreation activities to be done there including but not limited to basketball, pickleball, aerobic classes, and a nautilus type gym with treadmills and ellipticals. Also, the facility is where the town's Senior citizen activities are based out.

If you have a membership at a gym, you may have run into the frustration I have heard from so many during COVID 19 the past 3 months. That frustration is that it is bad enough you can't enter the gym to work out, but it is worse that the gym is still charging monthly membership fees during the shutdown. I am proud to say that the leadership at the Webster Rec Center immediately ceased charging monthly dues to gym members when it was shut down for COVID-19 on March 16th.

I met with Chris Bilow, our new Webster Parks and Rec Commissioner this past week to go over the details of reopening the Rec Center. Not surprisingly, Chris and his staff have an excellent plan. They are awaiting details from Phase 4 and any Governor executive order on the "details" of a gym so as to be COVID-19 safe. For those of you who are members of the gym aspect of the Rec center, by the time you read this article, you may have already heard from Chris and his staff on the details of reopening. For those of you who are not current members of the gym aspect of the Rec center, I invite you to tour the facility and consider becoming a member. Even if you are not interested in a gym membership, a tour of this truly magnificent facility is something you should plan to do. I think you'll find there is something there for everyone. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at tflaherty@ci.webtser.ny.us.

June 10, 2020:
An informed Community is a Better Community

"Communication". Is there a word more overused today than communication? Whether in your personal or professional relationships, most people's biggest complaint is either a lack of communication or a feeling that what is being communicated to them is confusing. Also, most people when asked think they are good communicators, and it is other people they have personal and professional relationships with who are NOT.

Historically, it's interesting to ask the "Who, What, Where, How, When and Why" does the Town of Webster government communicate to the 15,000 households in the town... and conversely ask the same questions about the 15,000 households communicating to the Town of Webster government? Let's start with the latter.
Webster citizens can have a myriad of opportunities and reasons to communicate with the 10+ departments and 3-4 Boards associated with the town government. For the town departments These include but are not limited to; coming to town hall to pay their real estate taxes, apply for a building permit for a deck on their home, going to the Library to take out a book, going to the Rec center to exercise or for Senior events, etc..

For the various town boards, they include but are not limited to; participating in a public hearing, applying for a zoning variance with the Zoning board of appeals, Presenting a sketch plan to the Planning board, etc. From what I have gleaned in my first 5+ months as Supervisor, the means and reasons a citizen reaches out to Town Government departments and boards has not changed much in 50 years except for the onset of e-mail and websites. Simply said,.... most citizens reach out and communicate with the Webster town government when there is a service, they need that the town government supplies said service. This has led to a customer service philosophy at the town of "we'll provide the service when asked" (I.e. reactive).

Unfortunately, the means and reasons the Town government communicates to the 15,000 households has not changed much in the past 50 years too. Oh, don't get me wrong. Efforts have been made to improve this communication via websites, text or e-mail alerts citizens can sign up for, live televised, streamed, or taped board meetings, Facebook and Twitter to name a few. However, at the end of the day most likely only 15-20% of the households in Webster get our communication in a manner in which they absorb the message and it is valuable to them. One goal I have said to ALL department heads is that I'd like to see us move the needle to the point that in a year or two we feel like we have the means to communicate with ALL 15,000 households in town, and in such a manner in which the absorb the message and feel it is valuable to them. Foundational to this is changing the customer service philosophy to be one of "letting the citizen know of the services, so they can determine if they need or want them" (I.e. Proactive)

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, "an informed community is a better community". As always please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

June 3, 2020:
Walking a mile in a fellow human's shoes

In the first five months of being Town Supervisor, I have tried to keep the topics broached in this column isolated to "Webster-centric" ones. However, the events of the past week in Minneapolis and this past Saturday night in Rochester make me think it is worth branching out on this article's topic.

Race. What should be a simple thing in that we all are part of the human race, is far from it. Six Billion+ humans on the planet belong to this race. We ALL have heads, torsos, arms, and legs, etc. We are the SAME. However, over the thousands of years of evolution, and based on the geography/climate that various tribes of humans lived in, skin pigmentation differs among the human race. Now, other features are different among all of us such as height, weight, eye color, etc. but those differences don't separate us as the human race like skin pigmentation does.

So why is skin color such a divisive topic in the United States in 2020? Has it gotten better in the past 60 years since Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently gave his "I have a Dream" speech? Ask those questions to 100 people and you'll get 100 different answers.

What I do know is that I am a 55-year-old white guy. As such, I have never walked in the shoes of a 55-year-old African American guy. I cannot say that I can relate to what the experiences of the African American Community are. What I can say is that, as the Town Supervisor and on a human level, I have compassion, empathy and understanding.

I feel blessed that from an early age I got a chance to go to school, play sports, and be friends with African Americans. I truly believe that experience formed my view of people and how to evaluate my experiences with them. There is a famous line in the movie Mississippi Burning by actress Frances McDormand... "you're not born with Prejudice, bigotry and racism. It is taught". How true that is! Put 20 babies on a desert island, 10 white and 10 black and raise them to the age of 18 with NO real emphasis on the color of their skin. Do you think they would differentiate, judge, or profile the others based on skin color? I highly doubt it.

Yet here we are in 2020. Whether you are 30 years old, or 80 years old reading this article, your experiences over the years have "taught" you how you feel about race. The best thing about being "taught" is that no matter how old you are, you should always be learning. If you are predisposed based on your experiences to profile someone on their skin color, I implore you to consider that "you've never walked a mile in their shoes". Opening your mind to that concept may just start the needle moving in the right direction on race relations in this country.

On a "Webster-centric" note....At the end of the day it is important to remember we are all one Webster community. We need to support and lift up our neighbors and value what each of us brings to this town. We have so many wonderful locally owned businesses that we want to see thrive, not destroyed. We have dedicated Police Officers putting their lives on the line daily to protect our community. Our Webster community is strongest when we work together, and it is my hope that we will not lose sight of that. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 27, 2020:

COVID 19 and Challenges to both the 2020 and 2021 Town budget

In early May, Paul Adams the Town Finance Director and I completed the 1st quarter "budget to actual" meetings with thirteen (13) Department Heads. The good news was that January-March 2020 did not manifest any major issues that would portend the overall calendar year 2020 budget being exceeded. In fact, budgeted sales tax revenue actually came in higher on the actual. The bad news.....the 2nd quarter (April- June) is where the true effect of COVID-19 will start to show. What will be the effect on lost revenue? I have to believe sales tax revenue will be down since New York on "pause" essentially shut down commerce. At the Parks and Recreation Department, membership fees for the gym at the Rec Center run at about $17,000 a month and they have ceased since March 20th.

How about additional expenses to the Town created by COVID-19? How do you quantify lost productivity from personnel sent home by State Executive orders that can't perform their jobs from home, but continue to be paid their regular full-time hourly or salary rate? Will we be challenged with paying overtime when they return due to the backlog of work?

Amidst all this uncertainty of the 2020 Calendar budget to actual, in June we will be starting the 2021 budget process. The process starts with each Department Head completing their initial "ask". If their department budget in 2020 was $1 million, their "ask" for 2021 may be the same $1 million. If that occurs with ALL of the departments, then we have the same budget in 2021 as we had in 2020 and would come in far below the 2% tax cap. However, what if each Department Head's initial "ask" is 20% more than their 2020 budget? For example, the $1 million budget for the department in 2020 is proposed to be $1.2 million in 2021. Well...if the Town Board agrees to all of their "asks", in aggregate the Town taxes would go from approx. $15 million collected in Real Estate taxes to $18 million. The tax rate per thousand would go from a little over $5 to over $6. A $200,000 assessed house would have their town taxes go from approx. $1,000 to $1,200.

Now, if I have not put you to sleep yet with all these numbers (LOL), there is little to no chance that the Town Board would ever approve a 20% increase year over year in Town taxes. The 2% tax cap per New York State gives us guidance that $15 million collected in Real estate taxes in 2020 should have approx. no more than a $300,000 increase in 2021 if you want to stay below the 2% cap. The Town Board has the right to approve a budget that exceeds the 2% cap, but there better be VERY good reasons for it, and I can assure you the process will give the public several chances to chime in.

Two (2) last things to leave you with as we venture into the 2021 budget process.....1. You may be scratching your head if you have a $200,000 assessed house from when I said your Town real estate taxes are $1,000. You know it's more like $6,000-7,000, but that includes School taxes, County taxes, fire district taxes, and possibly sewer, park and/or drainage district charges. 2. Budget increases really come down to three (3) expenses; Personnel, equipment, and facilities. Balancing the cost-benefit relationship of these expenses with the services provided the town citizens is always the goal. As always, please feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us. ENJOY THE SUNSHINE! We definitely deserve it after the past few months.

May 21, 2020:

Separating Fact from Fiction on Development

In the past few weeks, The Town of Webster Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals held their first meetings in over two months since COVID-19. I got involved with these initial "remote" meeting planning and production due to challenges of holding such meetings due to COVID-19. Simply said, these meetings are meant to be public, and COVID-19 has essentially ceased our ability to bring the public into the Town Board room, so we have had to put together a structure of teleconferencing and videotaping them. Also, we had to figure out how to do these meetings with several of the board members not in the room. Personally, I think the May 5th Planning Board meeting and May 12th Zoning Board of Appeals meeting went very well considering the two month layoff and navigating a remote schematic for the first time.

While helping in preparation for these meetings and watching them on Spectrum channel 1303 live, I could not help but think of the manner in which these boards operate in concert with other Town boards. Furthermore, I thought that probably less than 10% of the citizens in town actually understand what these boards do and/or how a proposed project's path to getting approved and "breaking ground" occurs. Truth be told, prior to my taking office in January 2020 as Town Supervisor, I was in that group of citizens who did not completely understand it! I'm hopeful that over the next few months we can put together a forum and/or tutorial for Webster citizens that better explains the path a proposed project must take to get to approval.

For now, I'd like to separate a few facts from fiction/perception that may be out there on development in Webster and how the various boards rule on it. FICTION: If a proposed project is on the Planning Board agenda as sketch review, it does not mean it will be approved and ultimately get built. In the past few weeks such a proposed project was on the Planning Board agenda and I got several calls/emails to my office outraged that we were going to allow it to be built. I was able to explain to these people that the proposed project had a LONG road ahead of it to ever get approved and built based on zoning issues, variances needed, etc. I further explained that if a developer wants to get on the Planning Board agenda for a sketch review of building the new Buffalo Bills 80,000 seat stadium in Webster, they are well within their rights to have their sketch reviewed by the Planning Board but they will never get approved for it. We try to counsel such developers to not get on the agenda when their project is a long shot based on zoning, variances, etc. but some developers want to still be heard. In such cases, the Planning Board may refer them to go to the Zoning Board of Appeals to get the 1, 2, 3+ variances their project would need and then come back to Planning. They may also refer them to the Town Board for zoning or special use permits before the Planning Board will approve. Bottom line....many of these proposed projects hit a brick wall and can't move forward due to a myriad of reasons.

FACT: The Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Town Board, and Conservation Board, along with Town department heads on the Project Review Committee (PRC) work in concert to make sure any proposed project has its T's crossed and I's dotted before approved, building permits are issued, and ground can be broken to start construction. I could write thousands more words describing this process, but I'll leave that to the forum/tutorial we plan on putting together for citizens in the future. One thing that I think is important to understand is that these boards and PRC have over 40 people on them in aggregate to make sure checks and balances are in place for responsible development based on current zoning, codes, etc.. Projects do NOT just get rubber stamped and in fact is quite the contrary. The amount of input from intelligent, varying expertise people is quite impressive. These board members have helped me immensely in getting up to speed on "how it all works" and I hope in the future we can give the citizens of Webster a forum/tutorial that helps all understand.

An informed community is a better community! As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 14, 2020:
Mask Distribution event shows the greatness of Webster

A smile can change your attitude for the better. Whether you are the one smiling, or someone smiles at you, a stressful situation can be disarmed with a simple smile. One of the unfortunate by-products of all of us wearing facial masks due to COVID 19 is that these smiles can't be seen. In such, an already stressful time for all of us is robbed of one of the simplest, but most effective ways to "calm nerves" and connect as people.
On Saturday, May 9th at the Webster Town Courthouse, 60,000 FREE masks were distributed out to Webster citizens. Town Employees and elected officials manned the event that brought almost 5,000 cars through the distribution lines between 10AM and 2PM. By the time you are reading this article, another similar distribution event would have occurred on Wednesday, May 13th between 10AM and 2PM at the Town courthouse.

The Saturday May 9th distribution event was one of the most unique experiences I have ever seen. The full spectrum of human nature was on display. The volunteers acted quickly and in an incredible team-oriented fashion to adapt traffic patterns when it was seen that we were going to be handling much more cars than anticipated. All of this while withstanding blizzard like conditions at times! However, the interaction we volunteers had with the people in the cars was what struck me the most and what I will remember. Oh sure, you had the negative side on human nature on display such as people complaining about being shorted 1 mask, or the masks being wet from the snow, etc. But the far majority of people were extremely grateful for us giving them free masks and doing it under less than ideal weather conditions.

Some of these people did not have masks on in their cars so I could see their smile. Those smiles energized me to forge on as I was getting fatigued. As I was wearing a mask, I wanted them to see my smile but initially was challenged to figure out how to convey it through the mask. About an hour into the event, a couple most likely in their 80's came through the line with masks on and said thank you and both at the same time "gave a double thumbs up gesture" to me. Yup... all 4 of their hands thumbs up in concert! That was all it took. They showed me how I could smile at people while having a mask on. The rest of the event, when I gave that thumbs up gesture, I got smiles from people in cars not wearing masks, and for the people wearing masks, often got a return thumbs up!

We're two months into this COVID 19 situation. I think we all know we will not magically return to life as we knew it anytime soon. We'll open back up in phases, and foundational to that opening up will be us wearing facial masks. Let's try to keep our connection as people and respect that all of us are experiencing unprecedented stresses. If we can't smile at each other to reduce that stress, maybe a thumbs up to each other will be a reasonable facsimile for the time being. We'll get through this! As always, if you want to reach me, please call 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at tflaherty@ci.webster.ny.us.

May 6, 2020:
A Saturday in the life

Saturday, May 2nd was shaping up to be a great day in the Flaherty household. With the weather looking to be in the 60's and sunny, I'm sure like all of you, we were excited to do some outdoor "work and fun". I like to take Saturday mornings between 6 AM and 10 AM to do catch up work on Town of Webster items. Over a few cups of coffee, I find that time before the kids get up to be one of my favorites of the week. Whether returning phone calls or e-mails, it is always therapeutic to "catch up" and know you'll be going into the next work week somewhat caught up.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, you have to accept that your "plans" may be changed due to unforeseen events. Having seven children showed me that any plans you may have had for a day could be altered for a myriad of reasons. Seems like someone was always spraining an ankle or something that made me have to deviate from the day's plan. Also, having been the owner of a company for 25 years, things came up all the time that made you have to change your plan.

So on Saturday, May 2nd, after I had done my 6 AM to 10 AM catch-up, I had planned on number of work and play things to do including; volunteering at the Food Drive at Holy Trinity that had been coordinated by County Legislator Matt Terp, walking a few miles with my 81-year-old mother, and doing some projects with my two college age daughters who had just gotten home this past week.

Then, at about 10:30 AM I got a call from Art Petrone, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works, letting me know that the sewer plant had an issue that had resulted in 10 feet of waste water in a basement of one of the plant's buildings. The timing of such an event is never ideal but it was particularly interesting in that Art had presented to the Town Board on Thursday, April 30th the laundry list of things he thought needed work on at the sewer plant. He had a disclaimer in that presentation that "this is what I see on April 30th.... the list could increase as unforeseen events occur". Unfortunately, unforeseen events can occur when a facility starts to age. It is why the Town Board decided a few years ago to do a $12 million Phase 1 project at the sewer plant.

That project will be complete in the next few months. We are now looking at options as to entering into a Phase 2 project at the plant, or to do repairs as they manifest themselves. The Phase 2 option will most likely tie into whether the Village of Webster Board votes to keep their own sewer plant, or to pursue a regional plant with the Town. The grant and financing options vary greatly between two separate plants and one regional one. The repair option becomes more of a "read and react" as functions break down. The danger of that with a sewer plant is that "the flow can never stop".

I spent some time over at the plant on Saturday, May 2nd assessing the situation with the flooded basement. I was still able to deliver some food to the food drive, albeit not work at it, and I was still able to walk with my mom. My time at the sewer plant showed me the great teamwork in place there. Sewer plant employees, outside engineering firms and electricians converged on site to minimize the damage. Bottom line, the situation could have been a lot worse if not for the quick actions taken by this team. As I got a chance to talk to many of them, it became apparent to me that they too knew that "best laid plans can often be changed", and no use crying over spilt milk (or in this case, waste water). Gotta move fast and clean it up, whether it happens on a weekday at 1 PM or a weekend at 3 AM.

I'm glad I got my schedule changed on Saturday since it showed me what a great team we have in this town at the Sewer Department. The Town Board and I will continue to work with them to try and get the plant in a position to have less repairs based on aged items, while balancing fiscal responsibility to the citizens. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

April 29, 2020:

COVID-19 as we enter May 2020

It's hard to believe we are only in week 7 of COVID 19. It feels more like 7 months! So much of what has transpired since mid-March came so fast and furious. It challenged our normal time frames mentally and psychologically of hearing about change, processing it, and accepting and adapting to it. It has been analogous to the five stages of grief, but with the difference that you were dealing with all five stages at one time.

The past few weeks have settled us into the "new reality". This has come with a new dynamic too with two distinct ends of the spectrum of thought. Some feel that the shutdown measures of the government are too draconian for the number of cases and deaths that have occurred. They have taken to the streets in protest to "open back up immediately". On the other end of the spectrum, some feel that we should not open things back up to the way it was prior March 2020 for 2+ years. Search the internet for podcasts and articles and you will have your full on both ends of this spectrum of thought. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

New York "on pause" is currently through May 15th at the time I write this article. Governor Cuomo's executive orders that "shut down" the state were broad brush and painted Monroe County in the same light as New York City. As we all know New York city is the epicenter of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths in the United States.... and Monroe County is very different demographically from New York City. We can armchair quarterback and second guess the Governor's broad brush shut down of the state all we want, but the dye is cast. We need to look beyond it now to the future and "how we will open back up".

The good news is that occurrences of the past two+ weeks portend that the opening up of New York State will be handled very differently than the broad brush close down. Random Antibody testing has shown that Upstate New York is less affected than New York City. The Governor has named Bob Duffy to head up the effort to assess how to open up Monroe County and contiguous 8 counties. Simply said... I'm hopeful that regions/counties in New York will be given the latitude to open back up at their discretion based on the COVID-19 results in their specific community. Two things on this... 1. I would assume the Governor will need to issue another executive order that articulates this county/region specific opening up latitude, and 2. You can rest assured, the opening up will not be all at once to return to prior March 2020 conditions. Such things as public building occupancy maximums, social distancing, and facial covering conditions will most likely be tied to a phased in opening up schematic. Stay tuned for more details as they arise. As always, feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us with any questions or comments. STAY POSITIVE WEBSTER! WE WILL PERSEVERE!

Supervisor’s Column for April 22, 2020:
The Challenges of Conducting Board meetings during COVID-19

One of the most important functions of Webster Town Government is to conduct various board meetings that are open for the public to attend, and be active in. COVID-19 has created challenges to these meetings being open to the public, and for the public to be active in them. I'm proud to say that the Board chairmen, Communications Director, and IT Director have met that challenge "head on" and have come up with a manner in which to hold these meetings in May 2020 to maintain the integrity of the letter and spirit of open meeting laws

To understand the challenge faced and its remedy, I would like to first describe the various board meetings. There are town board meetings of the supervisor and 4 elected council members. These include regular town board meetings the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:30 PM, and Town board workshop meetings the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month at 5:30 PM. Regular meetings are where resolutions, ordinances and/or laws would be voted on. Public hearings occur at these too. Workshops are less formal and where discussion occurs between board members and public on issues important to the town. Planning Board meetings are held the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.

All of these board meetings are conducted at the Town Board meeting room in the Court building across the parking lot from town hall. Except for the Town Board workshops, they are all televised live to be viewed by the public on channel 1303 on Spectrum and on various streaming services. All of these board meetings agendas are posted in the Webster Herald and on various town government websites and social media platforms. Simply said... all these board meetings are open to the public and the public should be made aware of them and what agenda items they may be interested in are going to be discussed.

The biggest challenge COVID-19 posed to these board meetings was the potential of having to close them down to the public to attend in person. In late March and for the better part of April, the town addressed that challenge by just canceling all board meetings except for the regular town board meeting on April 2nd and 16th. Even on those two regular board meetings, COVID-19 posed challenges of social distancing the board members in the room along with other department heads. This was remedied with some creative positioning of tables in the room to keep us all at least 15 feet apart, and teleconferencing of some board members from their homes. We also used some call in and e-mail in techniques to implore public interaction in the meeting.

On Thursday April 23rd at 5:30 PM, the Town Board workshop will be conducted for the first time March 12th. On Tuesday May 5th, the Planning Board will meet for the first time since March, and on Tuesday May 12th the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet for the first time since March. These meetings will be conducted with a hybrid of board members in the room and ones teleconferencing and/or video conferencing in. These meetings will be conducted with a mindfulness of the letter of the law and spirit of public interaction. in such, means will be made available for the public to do so. As always, if you have any questions for me please call 585-872-7068 or e-mail supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us. STAY UPBEAT WEBSTER! WE'RE GONNA GET THROUGH THIS.

April 16, 2020:
The "Art" of Communication and keeping people informed in 2020

When it comes to "means of communicating", society has changed a lot in the past 35 years since I got out of college. I remember my awe when I first saw a fax machine send a paper memo from the office I worked at in the late 1980's in Rochester to another office 3,000 miles away in California and print it out there within minutes. Prior to the fax machine, such a written communication would have had to be USPS mailed and received 3-4 days later.
In 2020, the fax machine is a dinosaur, and if you still use one, you are often looked upon as a dinosaur yourself! During my 30+ years in private business, I became a student of the "art of communication". It's an art, not a science since you can never truly master it, and it is always changing. The two constants are that there is a party who is looking to communicate a message, and a party that the message is intended for. I'll refer to these 2 parties as the communicator and the intended recipient.
As a private company CEO, I saw the intended recipients as two distinct categories; 1. the employees of the company, and 2. the customers and service providers of the company. The message content which the company as the communicator sent to the intended recipient categories was often very different. However, the means by which we communicated was not. I found that there were two genres of these means; 1. overt, and 2. passive.
Overt was "sending the message out" such as USPS mail, phone call, text, or e-mailing the intended recipient. Passive was "putting the message out there" and the intended recipient could look at it at their leisure 24/7 such as Facebook, or a website. When possible, we would try to make sure the message was sent out or on ALL overt and passive means of communication. That way, the intended recipient would have the best chance of seeing it, and actually absorbing the message based on what their personal preference was on means of consuming their news. I think this last point is critical within the "art of communication". The communicator often makes the mistake that the means that THEY like to consume their news is the way the intended recipient does too. Simply said.... just because I may like Facebook doesn't mean the 45,000 Webster citizens in 15,000 residences in town do too. It would be a huge mistake to tie the town government's whole communication structure to its citizens (I.e. intended recipients) to Facebook if only 1,500 of the 15,000 residences are on Facebook. We'd be communicating to 10% of the households if we did that.
One of my goals as Town Supervisor is to maximize the overt and passive communication means that the town government utilizes to communicate with its employees and its citizens. An informed staff is a better organization, especially if ALL staff get the same message at the same time. In that same spirit, an informed community is a better community and most likely a more involved community. I'd love to see public meetings in the future have 500 people attend and need an auditorium, instead of having 10 citizens attend in our town board room.
Within this effort, we are in the process of revamping the communication structure to the 230+ employees of the town of Webster. We are also starting the process of trying to communicate to 15,000 households in Webster. COVID-19 has shown us that we most likely hit less than 20% of those households currently on town communications through newspaper, website, Facebook, signed up for text or e-mail alerts, etc. The strategy to hit all 15,000 households will be multi tentacled and need cooperation of ALL departments at the town of Webster, and input from its citizens. If you'd like to hear more on how we tentatively plan to accomplish this, feel free to e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webtster.ny.us or call me at 585-872-7068. STAY HOME AND STAY HEALTHY WEBSTER!!!!!

Supervisor’s Column April 8, 2020:
The Town of Webster 2020 budget and COVID-19

There is no doubt that when the Town Board and the department heads collaborated in mid-2019 on the Town's 2020 budget, they never imagined the effect COVID-19 would have on it. They used the time tested and traditional means to come up with the budget such as historical department expenses, and the 2% tax cap. Simply said.... the board and department heads did a great job of producing a final 2020 budget that balanced the departmental needs to perform their services, and the fiscal responsibility the town taxpayers should expect from the board members. That is not an easily accomplished balance as the town department heads often are challenged with the same dilemma, I encountered in 30 years in private industry; "American business in the last half century is expecting more, but with less resources". Those resources can be personnel, newer equipment, and/or newer facilities.

Between March 13th and April 7th, I convened the department heads in Webster eight times to give COVID-19 updates so they could go back to their staff with the information. Initially these update meetings were all in person, but as time has gone on with the social distancing mandated by COVID-19, they became more teleconferences. Also, the first few weeks were "changing by the minute" as to what we were presenting to the department heads due to daily federal, state, and County Executive orders. As things smoothed out the past 2 weeks and we entered our "new norm", I presented to the department heads the 3 main things we will be focusing on in the April 6 - May 1st time-frame; 1. Safety of our employees, 2. Maximizing Productivity, and 3. Researching and pursuing every means of reimbursement possible.

The safety aspect is based on the fact that more than half of the town’s 230+ full time and year-round part-time employees are out of work right now due to mandated facility closures and non-essential staff designations being told to go home. The staff that is still working we want to BE and FEEL as safe as possible. I capitalized "be and feel" as they can mean different things to an employee in the Sewer department versus one in the Assessment office. We are trying to respect that. On productivity, we are trying to "think outside the box" and try to make lemonade out of the lemons that COVID-19 has dealt us. The taxpayers deserve to have this productivity maximized so that when we return to full staff and all facilities open, we don't enter a phase of heavy overtime to catch up. On reimbursements, the 2020 budget to actual in the town will ultimately come down to how successful at this we are. We have people NOT working who are getting paid. We have budgeted revenues in 2020 such as rec center fees, and sales tax that will be significantly less than what we anticipated. No doubt that the 2020 budget will not balance to the actuals on revenues and expenses due to the 1, 2, 3+ months we are affected by the COVID-19 shutdown. I'm confident that between the Finance Director, Town Attorney, and other department heads that we will maximize these reimbursements from federal, state and/or county agencies so as to minimize or eliminate the effect on the 2020 budget and the taxpayers of the town. Hopefully, upon execution of that... we'll be entering the 2021 budget development season!

As always feel free to call me at 585-872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY WEBSTER!!!

Common Sense and Enforcement during COVID-19

I wanted to do this week's article on something totally independent of the COVID-19 situation we are currently in. However, no matter how hard I tried to come up with a pertinent topic, the reality is that COVID-19 is the dominant influence in all of our lives at this point. My article in last weeks' edition was already inaccurate by the time the Webster Herald hit the newsstands and people read it. I have done a follow up to that article that you can find on the Webster Herald Facebook page and Webster town government website.

As of the April 1 edition of the Webster Herald, The COVID-19 situation has been prevalent in all our lives for about 3 weeks. Doesn't it feel like 3 years!!!!!! Some milestones have been the week of March 9-13 when sports leagues shut down, March 16-20 when facilities like the Library and Rec center in Webster were shut down by government mandate, and March 23-27th when employees and businesses had to be quantified as "essential or non essential" to determine who can stay open and who has to work from home. Wow!!! That was quite a whirlwind of 3 weeks! For those of you familiar with the 5 stages of grief, we as a community had to process almost ALL the stages at once in parallel.

The week of March 30-April 3rd seems to be where the community is starting to enter the "acceptance" stage of COVID-19. The stage where we understand that life will not be normal for at least the next 2-6 weeks. Social distancing is a term none of us had heard of 1-month ago and now it dominates our day to day. This acceptance stage has brought with it an interesting dynamic to citizens contacting Webster Town government officials such as me.

The contact has been about questions, comments, and concerns about social distancing they have seen or heard about at places like the parks, and certain stores in town. Often within the contact, they have asked "What is the town of Webster government going to do about it?" Essentially this means they are asking about enforcement. All of these contacts have validity, but the COVID-19 situation has created government mandates so fast that the mandate really never considered the subjectivity of it.

A store may be considered "essential" within these government mandates and thus is allowed to be open, but what about the "non essential" items the store sells? Should the store be allowed to sell them? Should a person leave their house to go to that store to buy non essential items? What is a non essential item? Should the police be called, and if so, what enforcement would they legally be doing? How should they dispense out this enforcement when the court system has been shut down by mandate until April 30th? Ask these questions to 100 people and you may get a 100 different answers.

The problem is that much of the COVID-19 government mandates depend on individual citizen common sense to be carried out since the enforcement in many ways has not been clarified. As we know, common sense is a subjective thing. My 14-year old son who is a freshman in high school is a great kid, but his common sense is different from mine at 55 years old.

In conclusion, The Town of Webster government will trumpet loud that social distancing is so important during this COVID-19 situation to assure we "flatten the curve". However, there is something my parents taught me long ago..... I can only control my actions. How other people act is on them and should not have an influence on how I conduct myself. I hope that the majority of Webster citizens got this same lesson from their parents and practice it at this most critical of time.

Follow up to Supervisors Corner article in Wednesday March 25, 2020 Webster Herald

I have gotten a lot of calls, text, and e-mails, and seen a lot of social media posts related to my "Supervisor's Corner" article that was in the Webster Herald's Wednesday, March 25 edition. The reality is that I wrote that article later in the day on Friday, March 20 so as to meet deadlines of printing the weekly paper. By the time it was published and people actually read it... 6-7 days had passed since I wrote it. Frankly, the number and frequency of mandates, executive orders, and unemployment changes per the stimulus package that had come in since March 20 had rendered most of the decisions articulated in that article moot! Simply said... the decision-making process was taken out of my hands by a "higher power" in the form of county, state or federal government.

I'm writing this follow-up to that article on Saturday, March 28 at 9 a.m. over a cup of coffee at my house. Therefore, if you are reading this 1 hour, 1 day, or 1 week from now, there may have been several new "twists and turns" within COVID-19 per county, state, and federal mandates. The one thing that was not rendered moot in the last 7-10 days by county, state, and/or federal mandate were the two (2) following foundational principles to the initial decision to NOT pay people who were NOT working:

1. Failure is not an option: There is a scene in the movie Apollo 13 where Ed Harris's character comes into a conference room in Houston's NASA headquarters and drops a bunch of "junk" on the table and essentially says to the 10 engineers in the room, "You need to make this into a contraption the astronauts need so they can get back to earth." The engineers initial reaction is "can't be done." The Ed Harris character replies by saying failure is not an option, so change your paradigm from CAN'T to "How can we". The result was the engineers figured out a way, made the contraption from the junk, and the astronauts got home. The parallel to the Town of Webster was that I wanted the 15 department heads to have a "How can we" attitude to figuring out jobs our employees could do as of March 23 that would benefit the Town of Webster today and in the future. This was to be done even if those jobs had to be done from their home and were outside the normal scope of what the employee did. Those department heads were more likely to "find a way" than to just accept that Governor Cuomo's 100% non-essential mandate and/or other mandates that closed facilities meant that their employees would be home NOT working and getting paid to NOT work. I feel that "challenge" to them was met and I'm proud of what the department heads have accomplished in this effort with the help of the town's IT department. I truly believe more of Webster town employees are home working due to these efforts than any other town in Monroe County.

2. Work is cathartic to the employee: Maybe I just come from a different era, but I always felt that working gave a sense of pride for people and was "good for the soul" to take the person's mind off of hard times they may be encountering. COVID-19 is hard times for sure. I felt that the mental health of the town's employees was improved if we could find ways to have them work, and do so in a manner that would make them feel they were contributing to the greater good of the Town of Webster today and in the future. Statistics show that people out of work are more likely to be depressed. Couple that with the stresses of COVID-19 and it could be a real bad result for "idle time people." I'm proud of the efforts of the department heads and the 230+ town employees that are trying everything in their power to work.

I'd like to think that we have tried to be sensitive to the specific individual situations of our employees within this overall desire to "have them working." We want our employees and their families first and foremost to be safe. If they, one of their family members, or someone they caretake for is at high risk if they contract COVID-19, we are trying to be respectful to that.

As always, please feel free to call me at (585) 872-7068 or e-mail me at supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us with any questions, comments, or concerns you may have. STAY WELL, WEBSTER!

March 25, 2020: Leadership and Decision Making during turbulent times

The week of March 16-20 was challenging to all of us within this COVID-19 situation. Fear and anxiety ran rampant and threatens to be a bigger problem than people actually contracting COVID-19. Some feared getting COVID-19. Some feared their loved ones who had compromised immune systems and/or respiratory issues getting it. Some feared the financial ramifications of lost income from the private business they own or work getting shut down.

One of the bigger challenges to me as Town Supervisor in making decisions for the 15 departments and 230+ Town of Webster employees was the quickly changing landscape of the “rules of engagement”. One day Governor Cuomo mandates that 50% of non-essential staff needs to be out of the facility they work out of and positioned to work from home... then two days later, it was 75%... and finally, on Friday, March 20, it ended at 100%.

At my private business I owned for 25 years, we were built to work remotely. Unfortunately, the Town of Webster government is the 180-degree opposite and is built to NOT work from outside the facility out of which you work. This made Governor Cuomo’s mandates to “get them out of the office and working from home” exponentially more challenging. The IT staff at the town did an amazing job getting as many employees able to work from home by Monday, March 23 as possible.

Another challenge to this was the potential that Webster town employees may end up being home, NOT working, and getting paid their normal salary/hourly wages. This weighed on me. I knew that many of the 45,000 citizens in Webster were hurting financially from the business they owned or worked for closing. It did not sit well with me that these same hurting citizens had paid real estate taxes to the Town of Webster and now those tax dollars were being used to pay town employees who were not working. Some said to me, “The payroll is in the budget, so what is the big deal?” Depending on how you do the math, the town annual budget is between $25 and $30 million, of which approx. $15 million is collected from real estate taxes. The annual aggregate payroll to all town employees is almost $15 million, so to me it IS a big deal if employees are getting paid to not work. Once they come back to work in 2, 3, 4, etc. weeks, there will be a backlog of work and we’ll have to pay overtime, which will just further hit the taxpayers in the 2021 budget or from the general fund balance. It was not an easy decision, but leading means you have to make tough decisions and sometimes you will not know if they are the right or wrong decisions for a long time.

The decision was ultimately made to not pay town employees who were home and not working. It was made knowing 18 other towns in Monroe County did NOT make that decision and are “paying all their employees even if they are home not working”. It was made with the town board being split on this concept, but with the understanding and respect of even the town board members against it. It was made being mindful of factors including but not limited to full-time versus part-time status, unions, and the current state of emergency we’re in at the state and county level. It was made while collaborating with the department heads to find ways to have these employees WORK so they can get paid as of Monday, March 23, even if the job we come up with for them during this COVID-19 situation is NOT what they normally do. As long as the job they will be doing will benefit the town and its citizens today and in the future, I can get behind it. It was made knowing I could NOT go in front of the 45,000 citizens of Webster and say with a straight face, “We’re all in this together...” if the facts were we were not and private company citizens were not getting paid to be home not working... but Town of Webster employees were.

People’s opinion on this decision will vary. Some will think it is great while others will think I am the devil incarnate. If I had my druthers, all decisions made by the town board and/or me would have 100% consensus, but that will never happen and people in leadership positions need to be cognizant of that. However, I hope that people in leadership positions make measured and pragmatic decisions based on a moral compass and the good of the whole community.

In closing, I heard a story this past week about Cathie Thomas, the Webster town supervisor 20 years ago. It essentially was that she was counseled on a decision she was about to make that it would cost her votes and she replied, “I don’t make decisions based on whether it gets me or costs me votes. I make decisions that are good for the community as a whole.” I think I would like Ms. Thomas and hope I get to meet her someday.

March 19, 2020: Multi-faceted Approach to Communication:

As we enter into uncharted territory with the Covid-19 virus, communication with our residents becomes vitally important. Residents can find the latest Town and County updates, via the following media platforms:

On the Town Website: ci.webster.ny.us

- On the main page, there are blue tabs on the right side that can direct you to the following resources:

COVID-19 Town Updates: ci.webster.ny.us/561/COVID-19-Updates

- Here residents will find the latest information from the Town regarding services and facilities, along with updates from the Monroe County Dept. of Health and the CDC.

NOTIFY ME: ci.webster.ny.us/list.aspx

- Here residents can sign up for direct notifications to your email and/or phone via our “Notify Me” system. We recommend residents sign up for “Emergency Alerts” and “All Town-Wide News & Updates”.

All of the latest Town and County notifications will also be posted on our social media pages:

Facebook: facebook.com/TownOfWebsterNY

Twitter: twitter.com/TownofWebsterNY

Instagram: instagram.com/townofwebsterny

We will continue to provide timely updates to residents and encourage you to sign up for notifications and follow our social media pages. If you have any suggestions for additional modes of communication, please feel free to contact me at: 585-872-7068 or supervisor@ci.webster.ny.us.

March 11, 2020:

Webster Library in 2020

One of the treasures we have here in Webster is our public library. If you have not visited it lately, I strongly suggest you do soon. It is in the middle of town on Hard Road, south of Route 104 and north of Ridge Rd. It has approx. 45,000 square foot of space to house books, meeting rooms and other special items.

Being a public library, you can take out books and other materials at NO cost/rental fee as long as you have a library card as a member. The only cost you might incur is a late fee if you bring back the book after the due date. I know personally I paid a lot of those in my younger days!

Something I have learned in the past few months is that the library has "gone digital" in much the same way as the rest of the world. This transition has its pros and cons, both today and in the future. Digital books that you can take out and read on your Kindle or tablet are starting to grow in proportion to hardcover and paperback books that people take out. If that trend continues, and there is nothing that portends it won't, the number of hardcopy and paperback books the library will have to buy annually and store on shelves will decrease. In such, it is not hard to imagine that in 10+ years the library will need far less space than its current 45,000 square feet. Less space will mean either less rent or building ownership cost.

However, the cost of hardcover/paperback books versus digital in 2020 is surprisingly different to the point it could be concerning in years to come, with regards to the economics of funding a public library from municipality tax money. Currently in 2020, the publishers are charging the library approximately $18 to buy a new hardcover or paperback book that will sit on the library shelves for years to come, and potentially be taken out by an infinite amount of people to enjoy. Conversely, the publishers are charging the library approximately $65 for digital books. Worse yet, the library does not OWN that digital book. It is essentially renting it, as it can only be taken out 24 times by the public. Therefore, if the book is popular, the library may need to "rent it" 3 or 4 times at an aggregate $200+ to meet the demand of its members.

The publishers will sell these digital books to individuals and bookstores for significantly less than the $65 charged to a public library. They also govern the supply of the books they will rent to public libraries for what I can only assume is to make sure they have a market of individuals and bookstores to sell to. I appreciate that publishers are "for profit" businesses, but this has a feel of subsidizing their profits through government monies since Public libraries are funded by municipal tax dollars.

March 5, 2020:

On Thursday February 27th at 7PM, the Town of Webster hosted an informational meeting at Webster Thomas. This open to the public meeting was to give updates on Lake Ontario and Irondequoit bay water levels. The updates centered on 3 governmental agencies; 1. Federal with the International Joint Commission (IJC) , 2 The state of New York and REDI grants obtained by the town of webster for resiliency at the Sandbar, and 3. The Town of Webster and what they did in 2017 and 2019 to assist property owners on the water, and what lessons were learned from those years that we will use to assist better in 2020. The meeting had over 200 people in attendance and was advertised by a combination of USPS 1st class mailed invites to people who own property in Webster on the water, publication in the Webster Herald, and various town websites and social media sites

The meeting was purposely structured to have less than 30 minutes on formal presentation and give an hour or more for attendee questions and comments. That structure was executed flawlessly as the meeting went slightly over 90 minutes and less than 30 of those minutes were in formal presentation with powerpoint slides, and over 60 minutes were attendee questions/comments. We tried to assemble a panel of people from the state, county, and town that would be best suited to answer the specificity of the questions from the attendees. The meeting was not televised live, but taped and is now on the Town Website should anyone want to view it in the future.

Two(2) final comments on this February 27th meeting; 1.The IJC update given at this meeting has already proven to be dated. In the past few days, a bill has been entered in the United states congress that if it becomes a law, would give citizens who own waterfront property the ability to sue the IJC for the damages they have incurred. 2. One of the central themes of the meeting was VOLUNTEERISM. In the coming months there will be opportunities for groups and individuals to volunteer their time to the efforts of placing sandbags and other resiliency items on properties that will be potentially affected by high water levels in 2020. We envision these efforts would start in Mid April, but factors such as weather will go into that. I will be reaching out to various webster civic groups to see if they would be interested in helping. Individuals can go to the town of webster website for more info on this if they are interested in volunteering. The issues that these property owners have with the IJC and the State of New York are things that I plan on advocating for as the Webster Town Supervisor. However, in my opinion the best deployment of time and resources in the next few months for these property owners is to galvanize the community in helping them. That's what good neighbors do.

Finally, I'd like to say this.......This "open to the public" forum is something I would like to do more of in the coming months/years on a variety of topics/issues that affect Webster citizens. . Venues like the webster thomas and webster Schroeder auditoriums assure that if attendance is 200+, we can accommodate with no problem. Frankly, the "more the merrier" if you ask me!! An involved community is a better community. The webster town government is NOT the answer to solving all that is wrong in the world. However, I think it can be utilized to bring people together in town for. Stay tuned for more of these "open to the public forums" and I look forward to a robust attendance

February 27, 2020:

The old adage goes that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes. Where death is pretty simple to define, taxes are not. That is because taxes come in so many different formats including but not limited to Federal income, State income, sales, and of course Real Estate. In Webster, property owners pay 3 different real estate taxes; School, County, and Town, and a 4th if you are in the village. To add to the mix, you have fire district fees, and sewer fees to name a few that really are tantamount to taxes.

Of all of the things I have learned about Real Estate taxes in my first 2 months on the job, the most confusing aspect to me has been the STAR program. STAR is an acronym for School Tax Relief. It is a program started in New York State several years ago as an attempt to give Homeowners some relief from their annual School taxes. Seems simple enough. However, there are two different options where you can benefit from STAR; exemption and registration, and a homeowner can only enjoy one of them

The Exemption option utilizes a maximum household income as a qualifier. Initially if your income was under $500,000 annually, you qualified. A few years ago, the New York State budget lowered the income qualification to $250,000. The current New York State budget being proposed for adoption in April 2020 has in its draft an additional lowering to $200,000 annual income max to qualify. These reductions in maximum household income limits to qualify reduce the number of homeowners who qualify for this STAR option. How does a homeowner save on this option? Ultimately it reduces the homeowner's school taxes by giving a reduction to their house's assessed value. For example, if the house is assessed for $200,000 for county and town taxes, it may be lowered to $180,000 for the calculation of school taxes. The homeowner's benefit is the difference in school taxes between what it would have been at a $200,000 assessment, and the lowered $180,000 assessment.

The Registration option ostensibly is simpler in that the homeowner gets a check from New York State that is essentially a partial refund of the school taxes they paid. It is approximately equal to the same savings offered by the exemption. How "simpler" it actually is? Hard to say. The reduction of the income limit on the Exemption option over the years has moved people into the Registration option, and it appears New York State wants to do that. Is that good for the homeowner? Hard to say as each homeowner's situation can be unique as to their assessed value and annual income. In conclusion, one thing is for certain (besides death and taxes).... as a homeowner, just when you figure out all this STAR stuff, you may have to turn your attention to other potential exemptions you may have including but not limited to veteran, age, etc.

February 20, 2020:

Last week, I got the opportunity to drive "shotgun" for an hour and half in one of the town of Webster's plow trucks. No matter how much I pleaded with Joe Herbst, Webster's Highway Superintendent, he would not let me drive. For that, all Webster citizens owe a thank you to Joe. The experience was "eye opening" to say the least. I got a perspective of what these talented plow truck drivers have to navigate within the effort to keep our roads clear of snow.

I drove with Tony on a sub division route. At some point in the future I hope to do a main road route. Some things I learned about Webster sub divisions is that there are currently 271 lane miles that need to be plowed. Within these 271 miles, there are 194 cul de sacs. Each cul de sac accounts for 0.2 lane miles. Therefore there are approx. 39 lane miles of cul de sacs out of the total 271 lane miles in the sub divisions or about 15%. Now here is the kicker.... the cul de sacs take about 50% of the time to make one plow run on all 271 lane miles in the sub divisions. Joe Herbst wants to be able to do one plow run of the sub divisions FASTER than his crew currently does it. If they do it faster, it saves the town money, makes the roads clear of snow quicker, and assures our drivers are not overworked. So how do we achieve the goal of doing a plow run faster? To me, the answer is one of two things; 1. find more efficient ways to plow when factoring in the cul de sac challenge, or 2. "Throw money at the problem" and buy more plow trucks, hire more plow drivers, etc.

Bottom line...… I don't like the answer of "throw more money at it". I did not like it as CEO in private industry and I certainly don't like it as Town Supervisor with the fiduciary responsibility to safeguard town funds and try to keep taxes low to its citizens. I feel trying to find ways to become more efficient is ALWAYS the first thing we should look at. I used the plowing example and the cul de sac challenge because in my first 50 days in office, I have seen several such challenges in almost ALL of the Town government departments where "Throw money at it" versus become more efficient needs to be assessed. I feel like we always need to exhaust strategies to become more efficient before resorting to spending money. Luckily, I have experienced town department heads who share in this philosophy. They understand that "throwing more money at the challenge" is not the first option, and often many not be an option at all. Webster citizens can be assured, the department heads and I are aligned in our efforts to improve services to the town while not spending more money while doing it if the opportunity for increased efficiency can be found.

February 12, 2020:

One of the main things I have been introduced to in my first 6+ weeks as Supervisor is the structure of the Webster Village government and the services they provide to approx. 6,000 village residents. Within that structure, there is a unique relationship with Webster Town government and the services the town provides to the approx. 46,000 residents. To me, the "uniqueness" is 3-fold;

The first is that The 6,000 village residents are included in the 46,000 town residents. In such, many services provided by the town are provided to village residents. In such, when Town government is discerning decisions that will be voted on by the town board, the village residents will most likely be affected by those decisions as they are town citizens too

The second is that when the Village government is discerning decisions that will be voted on by the village board, the 6,000 village residents no doubt will be affected by those decisions, but the 40,000 citizens of the town NOT living in the village most likely will not "directly" be affected.... but may have some "indirect" effect.

The third is that on paper what makes the MOST sense for the 46,000 citizens of Webster is that the Town and Village governments should work as collaboratively and harmoniously as possible for the good of the WHOLE community, while navigating the challenge that the two governments operate independently of each other. From the papertrails I have reviewed on several topics and stories I have been told by both town and village officials and citizens..... the history of the town and village has NOT always gone as collaboratively and harmonious as the ideal would have it. Perceptions become reality in people's minds, even if the fact pattern does not support those perceptions

Over the next 2-3 months, the 46,000 citizens of Webster today, and 20+ years from now will be directly affected by the town and and village government's decision on Sewers in this community. Simply said.... the Village government will vote on whether to continue on with their own sewer plant, or whether to join with the town on a regional/consolidate sewer plant. Mayor Byerts, Deputy Mayor Ippolito, Deputy Supervisor Cataldi and myself have been meeting the past month within the effort to work collaboratively and harmoniously for the good of the whole community on this issue. My goal in this process is to make sure the town and village have the facts on the dollars and cents of the 2 options the village government will ultimately vote on. As we progress in this process, we will "increase to number of people" in these meetings beyond the 4 of us. Already we have met with engineering firms who have conducted studies at town and village expense in the past 2-3 years so that we could get an understanding and agreement on the dollars and cents they came up with from their paid for studies. Our next endeavor will be to meet with the DEC and the State grant and financing agency to get facts on what the 2 options would mean to them. By March, The Mayor, deputy mayor, deputy supervisor and me need to determine how many more people to expand these meetings to. Since the village government is making the vote, Deputy Supervisor Cataldi and I will defer a lot of that decision to Mayor Byerts and Deputy Mayor Ippolito as to how many of the 6,000 village citizens should be included in this vetting and discernment process.

In summary, I am an accountant by trade so I am biased. almost 100% of the time, consolidation makes more dollars and cents sense today and 20 years from now than 2 separate entities. However, I am keeping an open mind to the facts as them come in from engineers, DEC, state finance and grant agencies etc. Also, even though I am new to this process, I am sensitive to the NON dollars and cents aspect to this decision by village government that may influence the decision. I do have trust in the Village government that they will make a fiduciary decision based on the present and future of the community and not on what has happened in the past.

February 5, 2020:

I'm a self proclaimed "data junky". I went to college for Accounting and then was in some form of a financial business for the past 30+ years. In such, I came to depend on data as both a) being facts and b) thus being foundational to decision making. Data can also be misleading if not looked at from all sides. For example, saying that you attended 100% of the board meetings this year when there has only been one meeting is not really statistically relevant.

With the spirit of data in mind, I'd like to tell you some of the things I have learned the past year campaigning and now being in the Supervisor position about our great town of Webster! The town is 35 square miles and has approx. 45,000 people. Therefore there is approx. 1,300 people per square mile. For a point of comparison, Irondequoit has 51,000 people and is 17 square miles or approx. 3,000 people per square mile. There are 31,000 registered voters. Approx. 1/3 of them are registered Republican, 1/3 Democrat and 1/3 unaffiliated or other party. 13,000 people voted in the November 2019 election or approx. 42% of all registered voters actually voted. I'd like to think that the early voting opportunities now available to webster residents will increase voter participation in 2020 and beyond. I think we all can agree that maximizing voter participation is a good thing. Hard for me to hear a citizen complain about something and then find out they did not vote.

I was surprised to find out that 76% of the November 2019 13,000 voters were over 50 years old. My surprise comes from the fact that there are approx 8,500 students in the Webster school system and about 6,500 live in Webster. I have not done a deep dive on this, but I felt it safe to assume that the majority of these 6,500 student's parents are UNDER 50 years old. I sure hope they vote!

The 2020 town annual budget is approx. $30 million. That's the money we have to provide the services to the 45,000 townspeople such as sewers, highway department, etc. Of that, approx. $30 million, half comes from real estate taxes, and the other half from federal, state, county monies, other taxes such as sales, mortgage, and fees. The approx. $15 million collected in taxes is spread over an aggregate assessment of $3 billion on 17,000 tax parcels of which approx. 12,000 are people's residences. The simple math of $15 million taxes needed from $3 billion in aggregate assessment means about $5 per thousand. So, if your house is assessed for $200,000, the town portion of your real estate tax bill is about $1,000.

There are a lot more data points I have picked up in these past few months, but I'll conclude at this point before I have you all fall asleep from reading this. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have on the data points I presented in this article

January 29, 2020:

One of the things I truly believe in is that "you are part of the problem or part of the solution". I used to tell the staff at my company that there was no talent in pointing out the problem, but that talent lies in proposing some solutions to the problem. WIth that in mind, I have been blown away by home many boards, committees, associations and clubs there are in Webster. The people on these boards and committees are giving their time, talent, and treasure to several causes. They by definition are "part of the solution". I would welcome getting a chance to meet all of these organizations. It gives me the chance to learn more about their mission and it gives them a chance to query me on things important to them to see where we match up.

The more involved the citizens are in a community, the better the community. Involvement in various organizations usually results in participants understanding that facts drive good decision making, and opinion drawing. They tend to be more understanding of other organization's challenges based on what they have experienced with their own, and less apt to just blindly accept as unequivocal truth a rumor they heard. The social media society we live in has wonderful aspects to it in the access to information we now all have. One of the unfortunate by products of this is that anyone can be a "keyboard, faceless warrior/troll" and put rumor and statements out to the world that are not based in fact and have them accepted by many as fact. Before social media, such people either were not heard, or if heard it was by a few people at the corner bar or diner and most likely the person was not take that seriously. Now that person's vitriol can be seen and heard by thousands and potentially drive decision making and opinion drawing. Very scary.

As previously stated, good decisions and opinion drawing are based in facts. The keyboard warrior/troll poisons the well to being able to make good decisions and draw opinions. My experience has been that involved people who are giving their time, talent and treasure to various causes tend to not be these keyboard warriors/trolls, and they also are not as willing to accept their bombastic statements as fact. In summary, if you're already involved, THANK YOU! If you are not involved, please consider doing so. It is so rewarding for both the community and you personally. Finally... please reach out to me to have me as a guest at your organization's meeting.

January 22, 2020:

My friends and family have been asking me how the first couple weeks on the job have been going. My answer has been "challenging.... and pleasantly surprising". The challenging aspect has been that the position is robust as it pertains to all you need to know to be effective. To me, being effective means you support and advocate on behalf of the organizations employees and customers. The town of Webster has 45,000 customers in the form of its citizens. Between full and part time, the town has approx. 200 employees operating under more than a dozen departments. Bottom line... it is incumbent on me to learn and absorb all aspects of the position of Town Supervisor as quickly as possible so that my effectiveness can be sooner than later.

The pleasantly surprising aspect has been in what I have encountered with the department heads and employees of the town. The stereotype of government employees not having some of the characteristics of private industry employees could not be further from the truth in Webster. I've found several of the department heads to be type A personalities who work way more than 40 hours a week, own their department with the pride and attention to detail commensurate with high success individuals. These people would be successful in any line of work including had they chosen entrepreneurial business ownership. I cannot emphasize how critical that is to my potential success in the position of Town Supervisor. In any organizational structure, if the CEO, General, or whatever title is on top has great leaders, department heads, great things can be achieved. The top of the organizational chart has a lot to do with the culture that evolves at the organization. However, that person at the top can only do so much and if the department heads don't genuinely buy in to the culture, it will not happen. I'm very excited at what I have seen so far and feel confident great things will happen in 2020 and beyond for Webster.

Something i found on the campaign trail in 2019 and has continued to manifest itself since I was elected in November and took office in January is that there are a lot of talented citizens in Webster who have conveyed to me they want to help their hometown out. I want to tap into these people's talent and enthusiasm for the greater good of the town today and the future. I'm new to the position and still vetting how such citizens can be involved. Some of it is easy to assess as there are boards and committees they can be appointed to. However, I think there is an opportunity for several ad hoc committees to evolve in the future to research topics that are hot buttons to the town. A potential example of this would be an adhoc committee to research and make recommendations to the town board on amending zoning laws that have been in affect in some instances over 40 years. Webster and the world in general is very different in 2020 than it was in 1980. Do some of the zoning laws put in place in 1980 that made sense then not make sense in 2020?

As the saying goes, "Rome was not built in a day". I'm anxious to move forward with ideas and plans for Webster. I have also learned over the years that I need to be measured in that. I need to continue to learn from the great department heads Webster has. every day brings a something new I learn that will be foundational to any plans ultimately proposed. I promise you all I will continue to be a sponge and get in a position of being efective as soon as possible.

January 15, 2020:

As a 54 year old husband, father of 7, and business owner the past 25 years, I have seen a lot. The past year of campaigning for and now being the Webster Town Supervisor has accentuated something I am very familiar with. That being that "various forms of misinformation or being devoid of information" is the biggest hurdle to effective communication, decision making and/or determining one's opinion.

As I met with Webster citizens the past year, I found that many had a perception that Webster Town Government was not being transparent. The more I looked into it, the more I started to understand how that perception could be just a "form of misinformation/devoid of information". Now don't get me wrong, one thing I learned a long time ago is that you don't argue against perceptions by defending what you did in the past. You CHANGE perceptions by what you DO in the present and future. Hopefully this column can act as a start to that change

At the top of Webster Town Government is the 5-person Town Board. As Town Supervisor, I am one of those board members. We minimally meet 24-times a year for regular board meetings, on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. These meetings are open to the public and are in the Town Board meeting room in the courts building behind town hall. These meetings are also by law given public notice by publishing in the local newspaper. (I.e. the Webster Herald) ALL decisions made by the board occur at such meetings including resolutions, ordinances, and laws. Based on the last 3-4 sentences.... Webster town government IS transparent. So why the perception it is not?

The first challenge is that the "relatively universal" law of publishing/posting government meetings in a local newspaper was adopted when newspapers were the main means of citizens consuming information. Reality is that in 2020, "print media" is having its challenges as other digital means of information consumption become more utilized by people. I'm not certain the current subscription levels of the Webster herald, but my guess is that a minor percentage of the approximate 45,000 citizens in town and 31,000 registered voters subscribe and/or read the "print version". That can lead to a majority of the population being "devoid" of the information about Webster Town government notices and just how accessible and transparent it can be.

One thing I learned as a CEO of a company was that you have to accommodate the demands of the customer base. Where I may like having a print version to read my news (which in fact I do cuz I'm old school) I have to be aware that a majority of people may not and want it in some digital form. I don't foresee the posting/publication laws changing any time soon from newsprint, However, as Supervisor, I will work to make sure that an expansion of these postings will be done in a variety of digital ways so that a majority of the townspeople will know when these town board meetings are, and what topics will be discussed at them.

Supervisor's Columns

February 11, 2026

An Update on Webster's Comprehensive Plan

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone and Josh Artuso, Director of Community Development

One of the most exciting things going on in town right now is the update of Websters comprehensive plan. I get asked about it all the time, but thought in order to give the most accurate information possible I would turn it over to Josh Artuso, our Director of Community Development:

The Comprehensive Plan Committee (CPC)

Town Staff and Colliers Engineering & Design

Our Community

February 4, 2026

Optimizing Winter Safety with “Sensible Salting” in the Town of Webster

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone and the Webster Highway Department

There are four key pillars to this strategy:

Precision application: All Highway trucks are equipped with computers and ground speed sensors. These systems automatically calibrate salt distribution in real-time, ensuring that application rates are precisely tied to the vehicle's speed to prevent over-salting.

Enhanced performance at lower temperatures: The Highway Department treats all salt with an organic liquid solution that allows it to remain effective at temperatures where standard rock salt typically fails.

Reduced "bounce and scatter": Liquid-treated salt is designed to adhere to the pavement. This treatment reduces “bounce and scatter,” keeping 30% to 40% more salt in the center of the roadway where it is most effective, rather than rolling into the shoulder.

Mechanical-first approach: Webster crews prioritize mechanical removal through aggressive plowing. By utilizing high-durability carbide-insert plow blades, teams can remove up to 90% of snow and ice mechanically, leaving only 10% to be treated with salt.

During snow events, roads will be covered with snow at times, and snow will accumulate in residential areas. It is critical that motorists operate their vehicles with caution and adjust driving methods to meet the conditions of the roadway in these instances.

This approach has been implemented by the Webster Highway Department for decades and has ensured the most efficient use of salt. As we experience times when salt shortages and record-high costs are a reality in our region, it will become even more beneficial to our residents.

January 28, 2026

Webster Town Board Decision Making Process

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone

A few weeks ago, I was asked by a resident about how the Town Board makes its decisions. This is a great question that I’d like to shine a little bit of light on using our recent resolution to award the Salt Barn project to the lowest bidder.

Coming into office, I knew the Salt Barn was one of the Town’s bigger spends that would come before the Board, and I wanted to make sure I covered all angles and provided everyone with as much information as needed.

January 14, 2026

January 2026 County and Town Property Tax Bills

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone and Danene Marr, Receiver of Taxes

On Friday, January 2, 2026, the Office of the Tax Receiver at Webster Town Hall started accepting January 2026 County and Town real estate tax payments and issuing paid receipts.

As Town and County Tax Bills arrive each year, many Webster residents ask a similar question: where does the money go? Town and County taxes play a critical role in maintaining essential services and infrastructure throughout our Town and Monroe County.

Town of Webster Taxes: Supporting local services

Town taxes fund the day-to-day operations and long-term investments that directly affect life in Webster. These revenues support a wide range of municipal services, including:

Public Safety, such as the Webster Police Department and EMS

Highway and Road Maintenance, including snow removal, paving, drainage, and signage

Parks and Recreation, which maintains Town parks, trails, recreation programs, and community facilities

Code Enforcement and Planning, ensuring safe development and compliance with zoning regulations

General Government Operations, including administrative services, information technology, and facilities maintenance

Town officials develop the annual budget through a public process that includes departmental reviews, long-term capital planning, and public hearings. The goal is to balance service levels with fiscal responsibility while minimizing the tax burden on residents.

Monroe County Taxes: Regional services

County taxes fund services that operate at a broader, countywide level and benefit Webster residents alongside other Monroe County communities. These funds help support:

Public Health Services, including disease prevention, health inspections, and emergency preparedness

Human Services, such as child and family services, Office for the Aging, foster care, and the Youth Bureau

Public Safety and Justice, including Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, emergency services (911), County courts, the District Attorney’s office, and the Public Defender’s office

Transportation and Infrastructure, including county roads, bridges, and traffic systems

Environmental Services, such as solid waste and recycling, water quality protection, and sustainability initiatives

Because many county services are shared across municipalities, this approach allows for cost efficiencies and consistent service delivery throughout Monroe County.

Transparency and public participation

More information on the adopted may be found here.

Bottom line for 2026

More information about budgets, tax rates, and public meetings can be found on the Town of Webster official website.

January 5, 2026

Decision making as Webster Town Supervisor

By Supervisor Alex Scialdone

I am bringing this to your attention early, as there is a lot of misinformation out there, and I want to be truly open, honest, and transparent. I am humbled by your trust, and I intend to keep it by providing clear and truthful information for the duration of my service as Webster Town Supervisor.

December 24, 2025

Reflections on my six years as Webster Town Supervisor

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Construction of a new Highway Facility

Major upgrades to Sandbar Park

State-of-the-art Wastewater Treatment Plant rebuild

Bringing fairlife to Town

Demolition of 600 Ridge Road (old furniture strippers)