SYRACUSE -- Onondaga County is preparing to shell out $34 million to improve the safety and security of its water system, but some county lawmakers question how its going to be paid for.
The Onondaga County Legislature's Ways & Means Committee approved the resolution to bond $34 million to replace an open reservoir on Route 31 in the Town of Clay with two 15 million gallon enclosed tanks. That reservoir is the central distribution point for the importation of drinking water from Lake Ontario to Onondaga County and beyond.
The reservoir is operated by the Metropolitan Water Board, whose executive director, Holly Rosenthal, told lawmakers the replacement is mandated by the EPA. She says the mandate will improve overall water quality, protect public health, improve security, and reduce operating costs for the drinking water supply.
To pay for the project, the MWB is proposing a property tax increase that will average $12.03 on a $145,000 home.
County Legislators Robert Warner and Marty Masterpole object to the tax increase. They question why people who may not receive water from the reservoir should have to pay for it.
The vote to approve the bonding to send to the full Legislature was 4-0 because three lawmakers abstained. They thought they needed more information. The resolution now goes before the full Legislature at its next meeting where its future is uncertain.
