Superintendent Wetherbee:
I attended the meeting Executive Director Sherron of SCIDA presided over on January 18,2008, Atlanta, NY for the purpose to officially record any concerns which SCIDA board member should consider before voting on the PILOT program for Cohocton. This included as part of the package, monies designed for Wayland/Cohocton schools as to its proper share to be decided on by SCIDA. It is my understanding that all testimony and letters addressing the pilot were to be given to absent SCIDA board members to hear or read the concerns and testimony of taxpayers to be used in their decision of the final vote the following week. I do not recall that either you or any representative of the school system identified themselves and spoke at this very important public meeting sharing your views or concerns as how the proposed pilot would or would not effect the school system’s bottom line. You arguably had the responsibility to do so. Sadly, the Cohocton/UPC/SCIDA pilot was subsequently approved by the SCIDA board last week.
I am sure you are very aware by now that the Naples School District recognizes the injustice of the current SCIDA PILOT and is addressing it with no apologies because of the negative financial effect on their school system which involved different counties and towns. The school board’s attorney, superintendent and other concerned citizens, all voicing their strong negative concerns and making their case against the existing SCIDA PILOT and how it wrongfully hurts their students and taxpayers by depriving them of significant tax dollars on comparison to SCIDA PILOT allowed, that is rightfully theirs over at least a 20yr period.
You and our school board also have a very similar and critical financial responsibility to our students and taxpayers and to make certain this decision of PILOT or no PILOT be done right. With the known side by side comparison of taxing the UPC multimillion dollar wind project rightfully in the interest of the student and taxpayer with it’s clearly significant and needed financial benefit or accepting an insulting meager PILOT allowance by SCIDA seems to me by all the facts known is not even close. One can only wonder perhaps then of political pandering entering the decision making process. I would prefer you lead by diligent and informed example. If you think the SCIDA PILOT payment is inherently unjust and needing court litigation to prove it, so be it. Proceed to do so and lead in a responsible manner with our interest in mind, not SCIDA’s. In doing so, you will have rightfully gained the support and respect of the student and taxpayer alike.
In closing not having read any recent correspondence on this matter from you or the board, I would request as a Wayland/Cohocton School taxpayer be kept better informed about this in a timely manner, perhaps in a news letter.
Respectfully submitted,
Don E. Sandford
3668 Brown Hill Rd.
Cohocton, NY 14826
January, 30, 2008
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