October '25 Update from the Supervisor

Greetings:

While October is nearly over, there are many activities to report on for the coming months.

On November 1, there will be a public meeting at the Skaneateles Fire House from 2-4 pm to discuss many of the area green energy projects.  Registration is required.

November 2, we set our clocks back 1 hour to resume standard time. 

November 4 is election day to vote for our local town officers.

On November 12 at 7 pm, two consecutive public hearings will be held at the town office.  

      The first is the proposed local law to ban large-scale battery storage in the town. The second is to vote on the proposed town budget for 2026.

      Town assessment for 2026 is proposed to be $304,051, which is the standard allowable 1.02% increase above last year’s $297,672.  Additionally, this budget does not use any reserve funds as we are not purchasing any equipment or replacing or renovating any buildings.

I also noticed from Cayuga recycling that there will be a recycling day on January 10, 2026, for packaging foam.  This is the clear white polystyrene foam commonly known as Styrofoam that many electronics are packaged with, but it also includes foam coolers.

We have updated our website to townofscipiony.gov. All towns are required to switch to a .gov website by the end of the year because it provides better security. Soon, everyone who works for the town will also receive new email addresses that end in @townofscipiony.gov.

     For now, you can still reach the website using either the old .com address or the new .gov address. However, by the end of the year, the .gov website will be the only one that works. Please take a moment to update any saved links or bookmarks so they point to townofscipiony.gov instead of the .com version.

On October 14, 2025, the state of New York, Department of Public Service, Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Public Transmission ruled that all the opposing parties were denied public standing. In the Ruling, the ALJs concluded that the Town failed to raise any substantive and significant issues for adjudication in our Petition. 

      The attorneys for the towns of Scipio and Venice and the Alliance to Preserve the Finger Lakes have collaborated to appeal this ruling. Again, we await further rulings, but understand how our state government has taken away home rule.

The solar project on Center Road continues to progress. I have not heard when it is expected to come online, but the information given to the town stated that this project will cost more than $38,000,000.

If you want any information regarding the two public hearings, feel free to attend or contact me ahead of time. 

Respectfully submitted,

Gary Mutchler

Scipio Town Supervisor

315-730-3638

Fall 2025 Update from the Supervisor

Greetings:

We have been enjoying some wonderful early fall weather this past week.  With it comes a reminder that our fall cleanup day is scheduled for October 4 from 9 am to 4 pm.  As always, we will have 5 dumpsters for regular items not accepted at the recycling dumpsters or the compactor. Unfortunately, we will not be accepting mattresses or box springs, as the cost has escalated to $150 each. Additionally, we will have a dumpster for metal.

While you are bringing items that day, why not plan to take home some delicious chicken from the Scipio fire department? They will begin dispensing the dinners around 11 am, and reservations are suggested by calling Wayne Pettit at 315-730-8887.

 I trust you are enjoying their nice new sign, which was purchased through a grant.  Tammy Pettit David is doing a great job of keeping it current and informative.

Two weeks later on October 18, there will be an electronics recycling day where items can be taken to the county highway building on Long Hill Road just east of Venice Center.  Drop-offs can be made between the hours of 10 and 1.

Additionally, there will be a hazardous household waste event on October 25 from 9-12:30 at 7413 County House Road in Auburn.  Registration is required and opens on September 19.

While we are accustomed to a lot of truck and agricultural traffic most of the year, it will increase as the harvesting of corn silage begins.  Please be cautious, slow down, and pass only when it is safe.

We are working on the town budget, which will be presented to the town board prior to the October 8 meeting for their review.  If you would like to see a copy of that proposal prior to the meeting, let me know and I can email a copy to you. 

 The public meeting and final vote will be held at the November 12 meeting.

Since we no longer mail newsletters to our residents, this is the method for communication.  Please tell your family, friends and neighbors to go to “townofscipio.com” and subscribe to receive these town news blasts. At the bottom of the main page on the town’s website is where you enter the information so you can be more expeditiously informed of updated information.

We are also happy to announce that, effective October 1, Jay Franklin has been appointed our new town assessor.  Jay serves Tompkins County in that capacity and along with his able assistant, Irene Kehoe, he will be serving Venice and Scipio along with Genoa which he has served for the past several years.  His office hours will be on the fourth Thursday of every month from 4-7:30.

As always, email me or call with any concerns or questions.

Respectfully submitted,

Gary Mutchler

Scipio Town Supervisor

315-730-3638

Thank you to our community -

Thanks to Everyone

A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone from our enlarged community who showed up at the Hilton Garden Inn for the public hearing regarding the proposed construction of the 24 wind turbines in the towns of Scipio and Venice.

It has been a busy week, but plans have been in the works for months.  A big thanks goes to the Alliance to Preserve the Finger Lakes for their promotion of this event and educating the public about these 650-foot structures.

As I shared, along with Venice Supervisor Steff McGonagle, on Channel 9 News Monday evening, the St. Louis Arch is 630 feet tall, and the Washington Monument is 550 feet tall and here we are going to have up to 24 of these structures placed on flat land which will be seen for miles.

More than 300 people showed up last evening and nearly 60 people voiced their opinion.  Only 6 of those people voiced an affirmation for the project.  Many of those objecting agreed that Green Energy is good, but not while destroying the wildlife, soils, beautiful vistas, water quality, roads and impacting many health issues.

Everyone is encouraged to provide written comments before 5 pm, August 8 at the following website.

https://documents.dps.ny.gov/public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterSeq=85401&MNO=23-03002

On Monday, August 11, the Town will be filing a Combined Petition for Party Status, Issue Statement and Statement of Compliance with Local Laws and Regulations in the Agricola Wind matter. The Petition is filed to request that the Town be granted full party status which allows the Town to participate in the issue determination procedure and any subsequent adjudicatory hearings that may be deemed necessary by the Administrative Law Judges. The Issue Statement and Statement of Compliance is an in-depth analysis of whether construction and operation of the proposed facility is in compliance with the applicable local laws and regulations of the Town, particularly those concerning the environment or public health and safety. The document all together also gives the Town a chance to highlight concerns with the proposed design of the facility and set forth recommendations for the Applicant and Administrative Law Judges to modify the draft permit to ensure Town property and residents receive maximum protection. Once the Petition and Statement are filed, the ALJ will have several months to file a ruling in response. We need to continue informing friends and neighbors about this project while being patient to hear what the Administrative Law Judges respond.

Additionally, we are happy to report that the new salt shed is complete along with the paving which should allow adequate time for the materials to cure before we prepare to fill the shed.

Again, thanks for your interest in the town and caring for our neighbors.

Gary Mutchler

Scipio Town Supervisor

315-730-3638