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Legislature committee schedules March public hearing on Chautauqua Lake sewer extension, declares county lead agency; approves budget amendments
Summary
The Planning & Economic Development Committee voted to schedule a March public hearing on an extension of the Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, designated Chautauqua County as lead agency for environmental review, and approved several budget amendments including occupancy-tax project carryovers and a lake maintenance fund replenishment.
The Chautauqua County Legislature Planning & Economic Development Committee on Feb. 19 voted to call a public hearing in March to consider a map-and-plan report proposing an extension of the Center Chautauqua Lake Sewer District from Midway State Park through Point Chautauqua, and to establish the county as lead agency for state environmental review of the project.
Committee chair Gerry Shagnon and County Watershed Coordinator Dave McCoy told the committee the map-and-plan report has been reviewed and approved by the county sewer agency and the sewer district board. The report is intended to put the county in position to apply for grants; staff said the grant application is expected around June 1 and that the engineering estimates use conservative assumptions, including a baseline funding scenario that assumes 50% state capital funding for user cost estimates.
The proposed extension covers roughly 6.5 miles, presenters said. The March public hearing will allow engineers to present findings from the map-and-plan report and take public comment prior to any final legislative action or formal grant application.
The committee also voted to have Chautauqua County act as the lead agency for the state environmental quality review process. Staff described the action as a Type I SEQRA project requiring preparation of a long environmental assessment form and said they have filed the paperwork to establish lead agency.
Separately the committee approved three budget-related resolutions: moving incomplete occupancy-tax-funded projects from the 2024 budget into 2025 to allow contract completion; replenishing the county lake maintenance fund to the planned level for 2025; and making routine 2024 year-end reconciliations for Planning & Economic Development accounts. Presenters said delays on a small number of the occupancy-tax projects were largely due to permitting and state agency review timelines.
Votes recorded in the meeting transcript were voice votes; the transcript does not include numeric tallies. Committee members called each measure and, when asked, responded "Aye," and the chair declared each resolution carried.
Why it matters: Completing the map-and-plan and establishing lead agency are prerequisites to seeking state grants to build sewer infrastructure around Chautauqua Lake. County staff emphasized conservative cost estimates and said prior local projects have in some cases received more state funding than the report assumes, which could lower user costs if similar awards are received.
Next steps: A public hearing will be held during the March legislature meeting; staff will proceed with SEQRA paperwork and prepare the grant application expected in June.
