A map produced by WRFA depicting the BPU substation property (in red) that sits adjacent to the border between Jamestown and Village of Falconer/Town of Ellicott.
FALCONER – The tension is expected to be high Monday night when the Jamestown City Council, the Falconer Village Board, and the Ellicott Town Board hold a joint public hearing on a proposed annexation of a piece of property in Falconer/Town of Ellicott.
The city of Jamestown is seeking to annex the Board of Public Utilities’ substation property in the village of Falconer, which is known as the BPU Dow Street Substation. The access road to the substation sits on Tiffany Ave. – which also serves as the board between Jamestown and Falconer. As a result, city officials say it makes the property eligible for annexation.
The city wants to annex the property because it would save the Board of Public Utilities an estimated $160,000 each year in tax payments. City officials also argue it would serve the public interest to have the substation located within the city. In addition, the BPU would pay the cash-strapped city nearly $80,000 each year as a payment in lieu of taxes. The city school district would also see a similar PILOT from the BPU.
Currently, the BPU pays more than $320,000 annually in taxes to the village of Falconer, Town of Ellicott, Falconer School District, and Chautauqua County for the property. By having the property lie within the city boundaries, those taxes would no longer have to be paid, and because the BPU is owned by the city.
Falconer Mayor James Rensel shared his concerns with the Jamestown City Council about a possible annexation of property in the village, owned by the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, during the April 24 meeting of the Jamestown City Council.
According to the Post-Journal, of the $322,090 the BPU pays in property taxes, $153,852 goes to the Falconer School District; $68,789 goes Falconer; $67,217 goes to the county; and $32,232 goes to Ellicott. The totals are all less than 1 percent of the total operating budget for each, except for the village of Falconer, where the total BPU tax payment comprises just over 5 percent of the total revenue for the village’s operating budget.
In order for an annexation to move forward, a public hearing is required to take place, allowing residents who would be affected to have an opportunity to share their thoughts on the matter. Officials in Falconer and Ellicott, along with the Falconer School District, have already announced their opposition to the annexation. Monday’s public hearing will likely see more of that sentiment expressed.
No matter how much opposition is voiced during the hearing, residents will not have a direct say on the annexation, as it will not be put up for a public referendum. Instead, all three government boards will have to act within 90 days of the hearing and vote for or against the annexation. It’s expected both Ellicott and Falconer will vote against it, which means the matter would then have to be decided by the state appellate court.
The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, June 12 in the auditorium of Falconer Central School. It is open to the public.
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