A Decade of Accomplishments
Published: 6/4/2003
I have been informed by Messenger-Post Newspapers that this will be my last column until November since this is a reelection year for me. As such, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Pittsford for their support and trust in me as your Supervisor over the last ten years. I truly am thankful to be the Supervisor of a community that I love.
In thinking over the past decade, there are a number of initiatives that Town Boards and I have undertaken and thought I would summarize the accomplishments that we are most proud of.
One of the truest measures of the success of any administration relates to the fiscal side of policies. This can be measured in two ways. The first measure is taxes, or the amount of financial resources expended by residents to support their government, in this case the Town of Pittsford. Over the ten years I have been Supervisor, the total town tax increase realized by the average taxpayer is $113.39 or approximately $11 per year.
Eleven dollars a year is pretty amazing when you consider that we have been able to maintain and in many cases enhance services. It is also amazing when you consider that this includes the repayment of the money borrowed to implement the "Greenprint". Today, the average town taxpayer pays about $637 to support town services. We are proud to say that we are one of a few communities in New York State that has the highest rating from Moody's recognizing the strength of our financial position.
The second measure is property value, which represents a significant investment by most people. According to our Town Assessor, when I first became Supervisor in 1994, the average value of a house was $181,400. Today, that same house is valued at approximately $205,000 which represents an increase in investment of over $23,000.
The chart of county home sales found in the Democrat and Chronicle Saturday real estate section further supports this measure of increasing property values. This chart clearly shows that Pittsford properties are increasing at a rate greater than any other community in Monroe County. This is another affirmation that the programs we have put in place over the last ten years are positively influencing property values in the Pittsford community.
There are a number of successes we can point to regarding planning and zoning issues. The "Greenprint" is a plan that set out to achieve a balance between development and the protection of important open space resources. Recognized as one of the leading planning efforts in this area, we have been able to save over 1,100 acres of critical agricultural resources and hundreds of acres of environmentally sensitive lands.
Coupled with this we have strengthened the Monroe Avenue commercial zone. In 1996 this was an area that was struggling with Pittsford Plaza over half empty. Today, the Monroe Avenue Commercial area represents one of the top commercial areas in the Monroe County region.
We have also made strides in dealing with other planning issues including the closing of Monoco Oil. The Monroe Avenue Transitional Zoning has been established to provide protection and transition of the properties between French Road and the Village. We have also been working cooperatively with the Village of Pittsford, the Town of Brighton and the City of Rochester to do some joint planning for the entire stretch of Monroe Avenue with the intent of creating a "Main Street" for Monroe County.
Another area of accomplishment that we are most proud of is our community events. We have slowly built upon our tradition of summer concerts in the park to a year-long schedule of activities that include a partnership with the American Legion for the Memorial Day parade, Positively Pittsford, Pittsford Celebrates, the Buffalo Bills parade and the Halloween Fest. We have also put on special celebrations for the Ryder Cup in 1995, the Millennium Celebration in 1999 and this year we will welcome the PGA Championship to Pittsford.
Over the years we have also prided ourselves in having a government that is open and accessible to residents. Simple things such as answering my own phone and maintaining an open door policy provide an accessibility that residents should have to their local elected officials. In addition, we have citizens engaged in important decisions facing our community. This includes citizens who serve on our various volunteer boards, as well as citizens who give us their time and expertise to address specific issues. Examples of this includes the Technology Committee (1997), Monroe Avenue and Canal related planning issues (2000), Pittsford Community Forum (2001), Library and Community Center (2002) and Communications Committee (2003).
Recently, the Town Board, the School Board and the Village trustees signed a Collaboration Compact to recognize our commitment to strengthen our working relationship so that we can better meet the needs of our collective residents. I have worked hard over the years to build these relationships as well as to foster other community partners including emergency services, our local colleges and various not-for-profit organizations. Through my role as the Chairman of the Council of Governments, I have also been able to extend this working relationship countywide.
As I look over this list of accomplishments it is easy for me to understand why the last ten years have passed so quickly. Your trust is something that I value and with your continued support I will work hard to keep Pittsford a quality place to live, work and visit.
Other Supervisor columns are available here.