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Wednesday, September 10, 2008 6:33 PM EDT
Officials agree on selling Farmersville land
By Rick Miller
Olean Times Herald
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| Cattaraugus County and Farmersville town officials toured the 437-acre site of the proposed Farmersville landfill now owned by the county on Tuesday. From left County Legislator Jerry E. Burrell, Farmersville Supervisor Joseph Brodka, Legislator Donna Vickman, Joseph Williams, acting director of the county Department of Economic Devlopment, Planning and Tourism, and County Attorney Dennis Tobolski. Rick Miller/Olean Times Herald |
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FARMERSVILLE - Cattaraugus County and Farmersville town officials who toured the 437-acre former Farmersville landfill site Tuesday agreed it should be returned to the tax rolls.
The question is how fast the county - which seized the property in January for nonpayment of back taxes - will move to sell it.
“I want the land sold,” said acting Farmersville Supervisor Joseph Brodka. “I think that’s pretty much what everyone else wants, too.”
The use of the land “is up to whoever buys it,” he added.
County Legislator Jerry E. Burrell, R-Franklinville, who helped organize the tour of the property formerly owned by Integrated Waste Systems, said the county should inventory and appraise the land before any sale. He said he favored selling the five parcels - which range in size from 190 acres to six acres - separately.
Mr. Burrell, who is chairman of the county Legislature’s Development and Agriculture Committee, was joined on the tour by the two other District 5 legislators, Donna Vickman, R-Farmersville, and Charles Hebdon, D-West Valley. Legislator James Boser, D-Allegany; County Attorney Dennis Tobolski; and Joseph Williams, acting director of the Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism, also attended.
The county and the grassroots environmental group Concerned Citizens of Cattaraugus County fought the proposed landfill for more than 15 years before the Integrated Waste Systems was unable to come up with the money to pay its back property taxes last fall. The county promptly seized the property.
“I wanted everybody to get the lay of the land rather than just drive by,” Mr. Burrell said of the tour. “There are numerous things to consider for disposing of the property.”
Mr. Brodka, who has been on the Farmersville Town Board for nine years, was joined by Councilman William Kozak.
“I just want to see it back on the tax rolls generating taxes,” Mr. Brodka added.
Mr. Burrell made it clear that he does not support the idea of using the property for a county park, as had been proposed at one time when county officials were still fighting to block the landfill. There are enough parks in the region, he said.
“I don’t think there is any strong feeling to retain it,” said Mr. Burrell, who also chairs the Farmersville Task Force. “We may choose to sell one or two parcels at a time.”
He said the average cost of an acre of rural property in the region runs between $800 and $1,200. That would place the value of the property in the $500,000 range. Mr. Burrell said he wants the county’s forestry consultant, Forecon Inc. of Jamestown, to appraise the wooded area on the site and recommend whether it could be logged.
Mr. Kozak asked if the county would consider renting the land out for agricultural purposes until it can be sold. Mr. Tobolski said that would raise liability concerns.
Would the county consider selling the property for farming, which it was used for prior to Integrated Waste Systems buying the properties for a campground?
“It’s tough for a farmer to get financing for starting up,” Mr. Burrell said.
Mrs. Vickman said he agreed the five parcels of the property should be sold separately.
“After seeing the property, I think it should be divided up and sold,” he said.
Mr. Boser, who is vice chairman of the Development and Agriculture Committee, said there are many options open to the people of Farmersville and Cattaraugus County.
“There are a lot of avenues open to us out there,” he said. “We need to get the Real Property Tax Services Office out here to look at it and Forecon to look at the woods. We need to evaluate the whole thing.”
He indicated that he was not in a hurry to sell it.
Mr. Kozak said the town is “worried about the tax revenue we lost” when Integrated Waste Systems failed to pay.
“So did the county,” replied Mr. Burrell.
In addition, the county paid the amount of taxes the company failed to pay to both the town and the school district over the past two years. As the property was assessed by town assessors several years ago for more than $1 million. Most agreed the property was over-assessed.
Legislator Hebdon said he’d like to see the first parcel sold off next year.
“It shouldn’t be just a money issue,” Mr. Burrell said. “The use of the land is important.”
Mr. Burrell emphasized that he wanted input from individuals and groups about what to do with the property.
“We want something that benefits not only the county, but the town and its residents,” he said. “This (property) has split families, friends and governments. That’s over. You’re not going to find us obstructionists or hard to deal with.”
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com)
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