Loading...
2.2 2.2 SUPPORT/Constitutional Amendment—Ballot Proposal 3—10-2-17 RESOLUTION SUPPORTING STATEWIDE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BALLOT PROPOSAL #3 THAT CREATES A LAND ACCOUNT TO ADDRESS SPECIFIC PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS FOR USE BY TOWNS, VILLAGES AND COUNTIES HAVING NO VIABLE ALTERNATIVE OTHER THAN USING FOREST PRESERVE LAND RESOLUTION NO.: ,2017 INTRODUCED BY: WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY: WHEREAS, the New York State Forest Preserve lands, in many instances, border local and state highways where local government needs to use a portion of land to straighten a dangerous road, replace a culvert to prevent floods, create a safer bike path, drill a water supply well, or install broadband and other critical infrastructure, and WHEREAS, a proposed New York State Constitutional Amendment will create a land account with up to 250 acres of State Forest Preserve land eligible for use by towns, villages and counties that have no viable alternative to using State Forest Preserve land to address specific public health or safety concerns, and WHEREAS, as in exchange for the land removed from the State Forest Preserve, another 250 acres of land will be added to the State Forest Preserve, subject to New York State legislative approval, and WHEREAS, the proposed Amendment also will allow bicycle trails and certain public utility lines to be located within the width of specific highways that cross the State Forest Preserve while minimizing removal of trees and vegetation, and WHEREAS, the New York State Constitution has been amended to allow such projects in the past, requiring approval by two separately elected New York State Legislatures and a Statewide Referendum, and WHEREAS, there exists currently a New York State Department of Transportation land bank for New York State road projects which has a longstanding record of success, and WHEREAS, if approved by the voters of New York State, Ballot Proposal 43 would eliminate the time-consuming and costly bureaucratic process for completing important road maintenance, utility installation and bicycle path creation projects in the Adirondacks and Catskills, a process not faced by communities in any other region of New York State, and WHEREAS, the Amendment has wide bipartisan support from local governments, environmental protection organizations, business groups, recreational enthusiasts, and others for two simple reasons in that it is for the public good and it is rooted in plain old common sense, and WHEREAS, this Amendment represents the best possible solution to longstanding or continuing issues, which local government leaders have worked for many years to resolve, and WHEREAS, Ballot Proposal 43 on November 7, 2017 warrants the support of all the voters of New York State, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Queensbury Town Board does hereby support Ballot Proposal 43 on November 7, 2017, which is deemed critically important to our communities, the State Forest Preserve, the environment and the People of the State of New York, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town Board further authorizes and directs the Town Clerk to forward certified copies of this Resolution to the New York State Association of Counties - 540 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, New York 12207 and the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages — P.O. Box 777 Mayfield, New York 12117. Duly adopted this 211d day of October, 2017, by the following vote: AYES NOES ABSENT: