The Livingston County Planning Board voted 14-2 to disapprove the proposed Village of Geneseo Master Plan at its monthly meeting on Thursday, May 10. Opposition to the plan was led by Dennis Witte of Conesus who serves as a member at large, and Livonia representative Don Richards. (See Bill Lofquist’s report on the meeting and Corrin’s take in this week’s Clarion Call column.)
Voting against the motion to disapprove the plan were Karen Roffe of the Village of Leicester and Kathy Gehrig of the Town of Mt. Morris. Roffe said Friday that she voted against the motion because she believed that it should be left to local municipalities to determine their own planning.
At the meeting Planning Board staff member Heather Ferraro cautioned the board that it should only vote against the proposed plan if it involved an issue of county-wide importance. Apparently the majority of the board decided that having Geneseo provide increased shopping opportunities and sales tax revenue for county residents was sufficient reason to intervene in the local planning process.
In a statement to the media Friday, Bill Lofquist responded that, “The view that Geneseo has an obligation to be the tax generator for the County not only denies Geneseo a right to self-determination, it also encourages the further weakening of the economies of surrounding communities.”
The plan now goes back to the village board which can pass it over the county’s objections if they can muster a so called super-majority. (A majority plus one or 4 out of 5 votes)
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