Twelve years of accomplishments
Published: 7/1/2005
Due to this being a re-election year for me, Messenger-Post Newspapers will temporarily suspend my Town Supervisor's column following this writing until after the fall vote. That being the case, I want to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Pittsford for their support and trust over the last twelve years. I am truly thankful to be the Supervisor of a community I love.
In thinking back over the past twelve years, there are a number of exciting initiatives and extraordinary accomplishments that Town Boards and I have achieved. I would like to share with you a summary of the "shining moments" that we are most proud of.
One of the truest indicators of the success of an administration is the fiscal health of the organization it oversees, in this case the Town of Pittsford. Financial well-being can be determined in two ways. The first measure of fiscal strength is taxes, or the amount of monetary resources expended by residents to support their local government. During my tenure as Supervisor, the total town tax increase realized by the average taxpayer is $190.63 or approximately $17 per year.
Holding the town tax increase to seventeen dollars a year is pretty remarkable when you consider that we have been able to maintain and in many cases enhance services. Seventeen dollars is particularly noteworthy when you consider that this includes the repayment of the money borrowed to implement the Greenprint and construct our new Library. Today, the average town taxpayer pays about $709 to support town services. We are proud to say that we are one of only a handful of communities in New York State that has attained the highest rating from Moody's recognizing the strength of our financial position.
The second measure of fiscal health is property value, which represents a significant investment for most people. According to our Town Assessor, when I first became Supervisor in 1994, the average value of a house was $179,300. Today, that same house is valued at approximately $233,200, which represents an increase in investment of over $53,900, or in other terms a 30% return on your money.
The chart of county home sales found in the Democrat and Chronicle's Saturday real estate section further supports this measure of increasing property values. The chart clearly shows that the value of property in Pittsford is rising at a rate greater than any other community in Monroe County. This is another affirmation that the programs we have established 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 preservation of important open space resources. Nationally recognized as one of the leading efforts in habitat protection and land use planning, we have been able to save over 1,100 acres of critical agricultural resources and hundreds of acres of environmentally sensitive lands.
Nine years after its adoption, the Greenprint continues to serves as a planning model for its content, its process and citizen involvement. Recently Pittsford was named one of nineteen "nature-friendly communities" in the United States. An additional honor was received last year when the Town of Pittsford was selected to be a recipient of the Governor's Quality Communities Award for Excellence recognizing the dedicated effort and vision shown by government and citizen leaders in effecting positive change through partnering, consensus and innovation.
In conjunction, we have strengthened the Monroe Avenue commercial zone. In 1996, Monroe Avenue was struggling with the affects of its retail anchor, Pittsford Plaza, being over half empty. In a dramatic turnaround, the Monroe Avenue corridor today represents one of the top commercial areas in the Monroe County region.
Another area of accomplishment that we are most proud of is our full and diverse calendar of community events. We have slowly built on our tradition of summer concerts in the park to a year-long schedule of activities that includes partnerships with the American Legion and St. John Fisher College for the Memorial Day parade and Family Halloween Fest, respectively, Positively Pittsford, Pittsford Celebrates, and the Buffalo Bills pep rally. We have also sponsored special celebrations for the Ryder Cup in 1995, the Millennium Celebration in 1999 and the PGA Championship in 2003.
Over the years we have prided ourselves in providing a government that is open and accessible to residents. Simple things such as answering my own phone and maintaining an open door policy assures accessibility that residents should have to their local elected officials. In addition, we are pleased to have citizens actively engaged in important decisions facing our community. This includes residents who serve on our various volunteer boards, as well as those who give us their time and expertise to address specific issues. Examples of this include 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).
Citizen input can be directly linked to two major initiatives on the part of the Town over the last few years. The construction of King's Bend Park, located on W. Jefferson Road, provides residents with cabins and park area for family and social functions. The concept for the park came from a resident who correctly pointed out the need for these types of facilities in Pittsford. The restoration of the Schuyler Barns on Jefferson Road is a result of citizen input and partnership to assure that these structures will serve as a gateway into our village. Finally, the Library, which will open this September, is a direct result of the hard work of many residents who helped to define our library services and facility needs.
As I look over the list of our many accomplishments, I feel immense pride in this community and what we have achieved together. 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.