FARMERSVILLE
Board refines paperwork on wind farm law
FARMERSVILLE — During its first meeting of the new year Monday night, the Farmersville Town Board made no changes while completing the update of the town’s local wind farm law.
A November wind farm law was repealed and a public hearing was held so board members could properly assess the law’s potential to cause environmental impacts with a longer environmental assessment form.
A longer form was adopted unanimously without any board discussion or public input Monday night. The action allowed the board to reinstate the town law without conducting a full-fledged environmental impact study.
The Town of Centerville’s law, which was similar to Farmersville’s original 2007 law regulating wind farms, was recently nullified by an appeals court after citizens successfully challenged the use of a short form.
“We are now doing the long form just to cover ourselves,” Supervisor Joe Brodka said.
Noble Environmental Power had finalized more than 30 leases with property owners to set up turbines, but that project suffered financing setbacks. Delays in developing the company’s 67-turbine array in nearby Centerville and Rushford have also been reported.
Most officials maintain that specific project-related issues will be addressed during formal environmental reviews of wind farm projects.
Brodka said the 21-page form will be available in the clerk’s office.
The board then held a public hearing and voted, 5-1, to adopt an unchanged version of the November law — the Wind Energy Facilities Law.
During the hearing, resident David Amsler suggested any payments to the town might constitute payments- in-lieu-of-taxes that could become part of a package to be managed by an industrial development agency. He also suggested the law be revised to widen residential setbacks to minimize impacts without hurting the town’s or landowner’s lease income.
Brodka said he did not know how such payments could be treated but setbacks will be established in host community agreements with wind farm developers, which will also provide town income.
“If we get the short end of the stick there aren’t going to be any windmills,” said Brodka, receiving nods of agreement from the other Town Board members.
In other matters:
• Brodka announced Cattaraugus County legislators will attend the Feb. 16 meeting to discuss the status of several parcels recently seized by the county in a tax foreclosure action against Southern Tier Waste Systems.
• In a reorganizational meeting also held Monday, the board appointed Tim Chase as a court peace officer on Tuesday nights, when district attorney court cases are heard. When Chase is not available, Joe Neamon will act as the peace officer for protection of town and court officials.
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