City Council, Town Board applaud municipal compact
Apr. 13—PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh City and Town officials are pleased with a historic settlement to end lawsuits and promote communication, collaboration and compromise between the neighboring municipalities.
"I think it's great," Plattsburgh City Councilor Patrick McFarlin (D-Ward 5) told the Press-Republican. "Let's start looking forward and figuring out what we can do as a team.
"Most people, even around here, don't realize that the city and town are different municipal entities; most people that know they are different, don't know when you cross into one or the other," he continued.
"It makes sense for us to be collaborating together."
THE PACT
City Mayor Christopher Rosenquest and Town Supervisor Michael Cashman announced the Plattsburgh City-Town Compact at a Monday afternoon press conference, saying they met weekly since the end of January to pen the agreement.
"The second meeting we had, we had a proposal and we just built from that proposal," Rosenquest said. "That's how serious we both were; that's how openminded we both were.
"This is a compromise. It's a compromise on both ends."
The agreement will end two active lawsuits, instead solving the disputes outside the courtroom. It also discourages future legal action, noting "litigation between the municipalities should be a last resort."
Memorandums of agreement (MOAs) related to planning, zoning and infrastructure initiatives were included, as well, to create coordination between the sister Plattsburghs when developing at boundary points.
Supervisor Cashman said those recognized, "What is built on the opposite side of the road will impact the other municipality, so we need to be in conversation to find how we can do zone softening and to be supportive of the various industries and opportunities within the region — not to be competitive, but to find how things make sense."
It encourages future City Common Councils and Town Boards to "sustain this vision and to always reimagine what can be accomplished through communication, collaboration and compromise."
'EQUALLY BENEFICIAL'
Current City Council and Town Board members are expected to vote on the compact at their respective meetings this Thursday. The mayor and supervisor said the bodies were kept abreast of negotiations and were seemingly on board.
"It's great," Chuck Kostyk, a Town Board member, said following Monday's event. "To be able to put the lawsuits to bed and really let us get focused on things that we can focus on that are going to help people versus this distraction — I just think it's great that we can move this forward.
"There's so much that we can do together."
Kostyk called the deal "equally beneficial," adding that it did not favor "one municipality more than the other."
A PART OF IT
City Councilor Jennifer Tallon (D-Ward 4), who joined the council at the start of the year, said she was honored to be a part of the change.
"It's great that we're turning a new page for both the city and the town together," she said Monday. "Really, the only way to move forward with anything is to work together."
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Twitter: @McKenzieDelisle
