State lawmakers visit Jamestown, pledge help on water bill, flag nursing-home transparency and state budget squeeze

Sen. Dawn Oyer and Rep. Alex Finkelman attended the Jamestown Town Council meeting to discuss several state-level matters affecting Jamestown, including a local water bill, proposed nursing-home financial-transparency rules and a projected state budget shortfall.

Oyer said she plans to refile a water-related bill aimed at reversing a 2022 statewide change that altered how water authorities provide service and which, she said, has created “a great deal of concern” for Jamestown residents about capacity, cost and who must pay to extend service lines. She said a near-term municipal infrastructure grant secured for Jamestown — roughly $115,000 as reported to the council — can be used to study infrastructure options.

Why it matters: Councilors described water as “the number one issue” facing Jamestown. The state bill Oyer described would, if enacted, restore the prior local rules in place before the 2022 law, and Oyer said she will seek committee hearings and legislative action this session.

Oyer also described a separate statewide bill she plans to sponsor to require greater consolidated financial disclosure for nursing-home owners, saying many nursing homes are held behind layers of LLCs that make it difficult to see how increased state reimbursement translates into care and workforce support.

Finkelman said the dominant issue in the 2025 session will be the state budget, and he told the council lawmakers are projecting a roughly $250 million to $350 million deficit. He said that will limit new state funding this year and that many local requests are likely to be denied. Finkelman described one of his priority bills as a tax-advantaged “flexible spending account for housing” — a benefit account employers and employees could use to pay housing costs — and said he is also working on legislation addressing homeowners insurance and related costs.

Council members pressed both lawmakers about the municipal property-tax cap and routes for exceeding it. Finkelman said some cities and towns have pursued DOR petitions while others sought legislative relief; he said the council could pass a local resolution and ask the General Assembly to enable an override or removal of the cap.

The two legislators also took questions on multiple infrastructure topics: suicide-prevention netting on bridges, DOT projects that affect Jamestown (including the Great Creek bridge study and Mackle Cove dune work), and a municipal infrastructure grant tied to Fort Getty and water studies. Oyer said a recent state-funded study found some bridges cannot structurally support netting and that a report on the bridge studies would be shared with the town. Finkelman said DOT presented five options for the Great Creek bridge and chose a high-cost option (about $95 million as described to the council), but he said he had asked DOT to re-examine lower-cost alternatives, including options that would include a bike path for less additional cost.

No formal votes were taken during the legislators’ appearance. Councilors asked the lawmakers to pursue committee hearings and to continue coordinating infrastructure and housing funding requests.

Council President Roberta (presiding) and multiple councilors thanked the legislators for attending; the lawmakers left after the council’s public questions and the meeting moved to open forum.