If she had just one word to describe the Town of Colonie’s 2011, Supervisor Paula Mahan knows exactly what it would be.
“Productive. 2011 definitely proved to be a very productive year for us,” said Mahan. “We’ve had to deal with the weak economy. … It hasn’t been easy but we were able to reduce and maintain despite the weak economy.”
Seeing treasure in trash
Perhaps the biggest source of Mahan’s pride is that 2011 marked the early accomplishment of a few goals she gave herself 10 years to complete.
“When I first started in 2008, we put together a 10-year financial plan. … One of our main goals was to eliminate the inherited deficit and we have been able to do that. We have eliminated the landfill deficit and eliminated the governmental fund deficit,” said Mahan.
The landfill deficit sat at about $11 million and the governmental fund deficit was approximately $10.5 million.
“That was a 10-year plan and we were able to accomplish that main goal within four years,” said Mahan.
The tricks, she said, were to cut out waste, reduce the size of town government through attrition and restructuring of departments and improve efficiency across the board. The big move that put the goal over the edge, though, was the controversial landfill agreement with Waste Connections that Mahan signed in August.
“We are the owners of the landfill and the landfill agreement allowed us to receive up front payment, which helped us to eliminate deficits,” said Mahan.
By signing operation of the landfill over to a private company but maintaining ownership, the town received a $23 million paycheck right off the bat. Over the 25-year lifespan of the agreement, the town is guaranteed $85 million in town coffers and has the potential to realize as much as $100 million down the line, according to the town.
“We have guaranteed annual income for the life of the agreement,” said Mahan, who argued the deal was one example of her “outside of the box” approach to governance.
The agreement set off fierce debate, with some questioning whether it would be that lucrative for the town, but Mahan stands behind the numbers now that the transition is well underway.
Denise Sheehan, who made a run for Mahan’s supervisor seat in a contested and close election race, was vocal in her opinion that the town should have “held out” for a better deal and ended up settling for one that “underestimated” the landfill’s true value, claiming it could be worth as much as $600 million after reviewing a study by Clough Harbor and Associates engineering firm.
“You’re not putting this thing on eBay,” said Sheehan in August. “You have to ask, ‘Are you getting what it’s worth?’”
Sheehan also criticized Mahan and the town for transferring landfill employees to town positions, saying taxpayers would be forced to fund salaries for 21 new employees.
Department of Public Works Commissioner Jack Cunningham maintained the town had gone with the most lucrative bidder for the landfill and that no additional revenue needed to be built into the budget to accommodate the transferred positions.
A hard-fought road to reelection
From Mahan’s point of view there was much to boast about in 2011. But, there was at least one part of the year Mahan didn’t enjoy.
“It’s difficult to go through the process of a campaign and election every two years, so I find that challenging,” said Mahan.
Mahan’s run against Sheehan ended in victory but the road wasn’t always smooth.
“I’m certainly pleased with the results of the election but I was disappointed in some of the campaign tactics that were used throughout the campaign,” said Mahan, who previously called the race one of the dirtiest she’d been involved in. “It differed from other campaigns I’ve seen in the town and gone through.”
Both Mahan and Sheehan also claimed to have had lawn signs stolen around town during the race.
In early October, Mahan faced accusations from Albany County Conservative Party Chairman Richie Stack, who claimed a $1,000 contribution by Jerry Cifor of County Waste was inappropriate and filed a complaint with the Albany County District Attorney’s office.
Mahan fought back by pointing out Cifor left the company County Waste before it became Waste Connections, and chalked the complaint up to “silly season” and said Stack lacked character.
The election was heated right down to the end, with just 296 votes separating the candidates at the end of Election Night. Sheehan did not concede the race until absentee ballots were opened and counted days later.
Balancing a political campaign with her duties as supervisor was also less than ideal, Mahan said.
“It’s difficult in a town this size. You get started on a project in a certain direction and before you know it you’re at the end of a two-year term,” said Mahan. “It would be more efficient if it was a four-year term.”
‘Right where we should be’
It won’t be revealed just how well the town fared in 2011 until sometime in March, said Mahan, but barring any major storms or cataclysmic events, she’s “cautiously optimistic” about what the numbers will show.
“We’re right where we should be. We’re happy about that so we’re hoping 2011 will prove to be a very good year,” said Mahan.
The town’s total assessed value increased by $31.7 million and the 2012 property tax was lowered by a half percent, said Mahan, with residential and commercial projects to thank for that.
The agenda going forward
The supervisor is now turning her attention to the future.
“Our next goal would be to start building a surplus or some reserves,” said Mahan. “We want to continue to strengthen the town’s finances. Our goal is to live within the 2 percent tax cap.”
Colonie also celebrated some non-monetary successes this year.
“The paving and drainage plan … it’s a five-year plan and 2011 was the second year and it proved to be very productive,” said Mahan.
In two years, 26 total road miles have been paved and 74 storm water management projects were completed.
“We’ve received a lot of positive feedback on the improvements on our roads and we’re hoping once again, weather permitting, that 2012 will be another productive year,” said Mahan.
Making improvements to the Latham traffic circle is the next big infrastructure project on the horizon, with Mahan hoping for work to start by summer.
Redevelopment in town has been a priority and Mahan said she expects it to remain at the top of the list in 2012.
“It makes sense because we don’t want to be taking more land when we have areas that could be improved and really be redeveloped,” said Mahan.
She pointed to the Fresh Market Commons at the corner of Route 9 and 155 as a shining example.
“(That) was underutilized for years and so by redeveloping that entire corner, it really created a focal point and a gateway to that part of the town.”
A vacant area that could see some redevelopment attention in 2012 is near Route 9 and Columbia Street Extension where the old Starlite Theater used to sit.
“There’s a lot of land around it and we have a proposal for redevelopment of that parcel,” said Mahan.
The old water treatment plan near the Mohawk-Hudson Bike Hike Path is set to be demolished in the spring and Mahan said the town is planning to create a “passive park” with open green space.
“A connection to the bike path which will offer people another option to park there,” said Mahan. “That’ll be a nice improvement.”
Now, her focus is strictly on propelling the Town of Colonie forward.
“Going into 2012 without a deficit is just a major accomplishment for the entire community. … We’re in a positive direction for construction,” said Mahan.
Raising the quality of life bar for residents and shining light on the town’s assets is a never-ending objective, too.
“This is a great community to live in, raise your family. It’s great for businesses … We have excellent schools, we offer outstanding services and low taxes compared to neighboring municipalities,” said Mahan. “All the ingredients are there.”
