A petition signed by more than 400 Malta residents calling for a public referendum on the $6 million planned expansion of the town’s community center will be challenged by the town following a narrow vote dividing council members and the supervisor.
During an emotionally charged special meeting Monday morning, Oct. 15, board members were clearly torn about how to toe the line faced by elected officials across town lines in every municipality: being open to input from residents late in the game, and being elected to make sound fiscal decisions without undue delays.
This board has been put in a no-win position, said Audrey Ball, who as the town’s parks and recreation director has been involved in the physical and financial planning for the expansion for the past three years. `It’s unfortunate that a great community project that should bring together this town still has politics come into play; that’s a great disservice. I think to some point this board has been set up.`
The petitions were circulated after the board voted to expend funds collected in a capital account derived from fees attached to new developments in town of $1,000 per unit. Board members said the account will completely cover the costs of building and maintaining the upgrades, which would include a gymnasium and more space for civic and social meetings and enrichment classes. Board members, and several people in attendance at the early morning meeting, had both technical and philosophical questions about the petitions and how they were collected.
Town attorney Tom Peterson said there were flaws in the mechanics of the petitions, including inaccuracies in some of the wording at the top of the sheets, and the manner in which they were presented to the Saratoga County Board of Elections.
But deeper still were the questions of intent and hidden agendas for those gathering signatures, which more than one member of the public said were collected knowingly using misleading claims.
`I totally support this expansion and this snag is unfortunate,` said Demetria Koninis, a Malta resident. `They came at night to my door with the petition without identification and told me my taxes would go up if I didn’t help stop this project. It was not explained fully, and I don’t care whose door you go to, if you mention higher taxes, they’ll sign anything to oppose it. They don’t care what they tell people to get them to sign it, and I say shame on them.`
`I went to my neighbors and asked if they signed it knowingly, and they weren’t given the correct information, so their signatures aren’t even valid,` said resident Karen Adriance. `It was dark; you couldn’t even read the page. People stood in McDonald’s and asked for signatures. The board wouldn’t put the town in jeopardy, and people should know that.`
But Linda Bablin, a town resident who said she collected at least half the signatures on the petition, disagreed with the other residents.
`I explained it fully,` said Bablin. `Yes, the board put work into it, but there are very few people who even knew about it. Less than 10 people out of my 223 signatures supported the expansion. I never said taxes would go up. I don’t really care one way or another but the public needs to have a vote. That’s democracy.`
As a further wrench in the works, the town could stand to pay as much as 10 percent more with every annual delay in the construction work, due to rising materials costs and missing the ideal times for outdoor work. That could mean putting off the project until more funds can be added to the capital account from fees to new developers.
If the board accepted the petition, the final say in going ahead with the community center expansion would rest in the hands of voters. By law, the public referendum would be set 60 to 75 days from the date of the petition’s filing, which would put on the calendar around Dec. 11. This timing also concerned some board members, who said during the December holidays most people wouldn’t bother to go out and vote unless they were strongly against the project.
After much discussion, the town board split its individual votes, with Gerald Winters, Sue Daley-Nolen and Cliff Lange voting to challenge the petition to put the project to a public referendum. Supervisor Paul Sausville and council member Donna Gizzi voted against challenging the petition.
`We’ve done more than our due diligence on this, with three to four years work,` said council member Daley-Nolen. `For people to come out at the 11th hour who never even came to a meeting is ridiculous. We put up a community center without a referendum. This community center is bursting at the seams. Kids don’t have a place to play basketball, and seniors need a place to walk inside for exercise.`
`I’m for honoring the petition,` said Sausville. `We spent a lot of time crafting this plan, we did our homework, and I think the citizens will support it. We can afford it; it’s a fiscally sound amenity. Let’s bring this to finality so there will be no arguments afterwards.`
Town attorney Peterson rushed the paperwork to the courts to comply with a five-day deadline. The courts will determine the validity of the petitions based on their technical merit and applicability to the law. The Supreme Court now has 20 days to make its ruling.
Bablin said she was not pleased with the outcome.
`Can the citizens now sue you people on the board, because that’s a very possible thing,` said Bablin.“