Editor, The Spotlight;
On Sept. 16, Supervisor Clarkson invited by email a select few members of our community to a private meeting, “to seek input from landowners on procedures and approach for the Conservation Easement Agreement Exemptions.” That meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 25 at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. I am concerned by the fact that this meeting of limited group of handpicked participants will occur outside the purview of an interested public and at a location that is not equipped to provide an electronic record of discussions that occur.
As a basic tenet of our form of government transparency serves the greater interest of democracy by providing the citizens with the opportunity to participate in and control their government. It was a popular idea in 2011 when Supervisor Clarkson first won election by promising an open and transparent government. Those who supported him believed then and we believe now that transparency is key to maintaining the faith of the people in their governmental institutions and leadership.
In the current situation, transparency as an imperative has seemingly fallen off the table. This is unfortunate because the issue at hand concerns the Conservation Easement Exemption program, a program that will result in tax giveaways that will affect every tax paying resident of our Town. Specifically, to the extent that tax exemptions are granted to landowners, absent a corresponding reduction in spending by the Town, every other tax payer in Town will be forced to make up the difference. Furthermore, the tax exemption will effectively result in a purchase of private lands by the Town, funded by the tax payers of this Town. This was made clear on September 10th, at the regular Town Board meeting, when Town Attorney Jim Potter stated, “… the Town is essentially buying the continuation of open space and it is paying for that with lost tax revenue, it is really an acquisition…”.
There are few (if any) instances in which discussion of the Town’s business should be hidden from the public. This is particularly true on matters of taxation and expenditures. In this situation, where the potential for massive re-distribution of the tax burden hangs in the balance, secrecy is not only offensive but it runs contrary to the best interests of our Town, the taxpayers, and the Town’s elected government. It is time for the Town Board to take a stand, supporting the principle of open government, by moving Supervisor Clarkson’s meeting out into the light where the issues can be properly discussed and understood by a concerned public.
Dan Cunningham
Delmar
