Post by Swimmy on Oct 15, 2008 6:08:55 GMT -5
Here's the thing. Ever since this agreement was first announced in January, there's been a group of people trying to get their hands on the agreement. The Town Clerk insisted that no such agreement existed. Then when the town attorney was asked to certify that, a signed copy of the agreement was produced. Now, the public has not been involved at all and in many cases has been shut out of the process completely.
For example, the 840 intersection. The DOT was not aware that there is NO environmental impact statement covering this project or the proposed intersection. A former administrative law judge who dealt with this type of stuff sent a letter to the DOT. The summary of the letter is that the DOT was grateful for being informed of this matter and would not proceed with the approval process until the town conducted a full EIS that included public input. That's when the town decided to approve the traffic light on Rte. 5.
My legal research indicates that the school board cannot legally fund this business project. The statute creating the school board (Education Law) does not authorize school monies to be used on non-school purposes. No case law or statute has defined school purpose to include expanding the tax base.
And if you look at the agreement that Westmoguy points us to, you realize that it is not to preserve the jobs or increase the number of jobs. In fact, the guaranteed number of jobs drops by 100 and at the end of the 10-yr period, the Hartford does not have to guarantee any jobs. That's not economic development. That's not even protecting the status quo.
Why all the effort to close out the public? Sure we elected them into office to do a job (except the superintendent). But it is the public's right to make sure those officials do that job correctly.
For example, the 840 intersection. The DOT was not aware that there is NO environmental impact statement covering this project or the proposed intersection. A former administrative law judge who dealt with this type of stuff sent a letter to the DOT. The summary of the letter is that the DOT was grateful for being informed of this matter and would not proceed with the approval process until the town conducted a full EIS that included public input. That's when the town decided to approve the traffic light on Rte. 5.
My legal research indicates that the school board cannot legally fund this business project. The statute creating the school board (Education Law) does not authorize school monies to be used on non-school purposes. No case law or statute has defined school purpose to include expanding the tax base.
And if you look at the agreement that Westmoguy points us to, you realize that it is not to preserve the jobs or increase the number of jobs. In fact, the guaranteed number of jobs drops by 100 and at the end of the 10-yr period, the Hartford does not have to guarantee any jobs. That's not economic development. That's not even protecting the status quo.
Why all the effort to close out the public? Sure we elected them into office to do a job (except the superintendent). But it is the public's right to make sure those officials do that job correctly.
