Stating that “we’re not willing to sign it in its present form,” Batavia Town Supervisor Gregory Post said this morning that the Batavia Town Board did not take any action in connection with an amended and restated water agreement with Genesee County.
The board met on Thursday afternoon but decided not to sign off on the document, a 40-year agreement for water supply between the county and the town.
Post would not say what aspects of the agreement were deemed unacceptable.
“It is a complex issue; a work in progress,” he said.
County Manager Jay Gsell also would not elaborate, saying only that county legislators will discuss the situation next week and “continue our conversation with the Town of Batavia.”
As reported Wednesday on The Batavian, amendments to the water agreement focus on making sure municipalities are aware there is no unlimited supply of water and giving the county the flexibility it needs to increase the surcharge that municipalities pay as the demand for water increases.
Per County Attorney Kevin Earl, the restated agreement includes a provision that the county has to give 120 days prior notice to towns and villages of a price increase and, as part of the master plan, explain why an increase is warranted.
Phone calls to Earl and Batavia Town Attorney Andrew Meier were not returned as of the posting of this story.
