The Seneca Falls Town Board says it’s time to start planning for the end of landfill revenue from Seneca Meadows.
Currently, the Town benefits from approximately $3 million per year, which offsets costs for services in Seneca Falls.
During a special budget-themed session last week, the board agreed to work on a multi-point approach over the next four years to slowly accommodate for the loss of revenue.
The landfill will be forced to shut down at the end of 2025, as part of Local Law No. 3 of 2016.
“Using a combination of increased taxes, taxpayer relief reserves and reducing expenditures, we will reduce, each of the next four years, landfill revenue from the operating budget by about $330,000 each year,” said Town Supervisor Mike Ferrara. Part of the process will also include identifying and estimating the increased expenses the town will incur.
“We hadn’t heard everyone on the board articulate that before. Everyone recognized the importance of increasing revenue as well as cutting expenses and then using reserves to help minimize the impact,” Board Member Doug Avery told the Finger Lakes Times. “The difficulty will be in formulating the balance in the approach. This was an important first step, though, and bodes well for our future.”
Closure is expected to be a legal battle of its own. Seneca Meadows has applied for an expansion permit through the DEC, despite the Town’s local law mandating closure in 2025.
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