BY PAUL MITCHELLNorth Country This Week

CANTON –  The Canton Town Board supported calls for various reforms pushed by the New York Association of Towns (NYAOT), but shot down a proposal that would provide local jurisdiction over speed limits..

Each year, the NYAOT adopts its legislative priorities for the year in accordance with its bylaws. Member towns may send in proposals on what should be included in AOT's Legislative Priorities.

Although Canton supported 16 of the 17 proposals, the lone negative vote on Monday night centered around providing towns with the option to set speed limits on local roads. 

Currently, speed limits are addressed and set by the New York State Department of Transportation.

This resolution raised the eyebrows of board members.

“The state has criteria to set and establish speed limits. We get several requests. I think we can get into a mess with it,” said Councilman James T. Smith. “A lot of times I complain about the process but they have the criteria.”

Councilman John Taillon agreed.

Currently, towns must submit a request through the county highway superintendent to the state DOT requesting a lower speed limit be set on local roads within the town.

It can take an extended period of time for DOT to process requests for speed limit reductions; and towns, as the entities in charge of highway maintenance and local traffic patterns, are well positioned to evaluate the areas where reducing the speed limit would be beneficial, the proposed resolution reads.

DOT recently approved a speed limit reduction (55 miles per hour to 45 mph) on a stretch of the State Street Road from the eastern side of Canton  Central School to Route 310.

The 16 resolutions endorsed by the town board include Preserve and Support Home Rule, Maintain and Increase Aid and Incentives to Municipalities Funding, Declare General Ambulance Service an Essential Service and Provide Service Funding, Increase the Salary Cap for Retired Public Officials Returning to Public Service, Reform Tier 6 of the New York State and Local Retirement System, Create a Dedicated Funding Source for Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Training, and Amend Civil Service Rules to Create a More Efficient Hiring Process for Public Employers.

Also, Provide Towns with Negotiation Authority in PILOT Agreements that Impact Their Tax Base, Reform Inequities in the Real Property Tax Cap Formula, Support Highway, Bridge and Transportation Funding, Increase or Repeal the Tax Levy Limits for Highway Equipment Purchases, Create a Dedicated Funding Program for Municipal Water and Sewer Infrastructure, Reform Public Service Law Article 8, Support Dedicated Funding for PFAS Testing, Remediation, and Prevention, Foster Opportunities for Smaller Scale Renewable Energy Development in Participating Towns, and Provide Guidance and Resources for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).