Syracuse, NY – Just days before losing their majority, Republican county lawmakers approved a $549 million sewer upgrade today despite demands from some residents and Democrats to delay and gather more financial and environmental information.
The 12-5 vote, along party lines, came after a 70-minute public hearing where more than a dozen people spoke against approving the project right now. They said they were worried the cost of the expansion would raise their rates. They also said the county did not provide enough detailed information to show why such a large expansion was needed.
Some of the critics included New Democrats who will take control of the Onondaga County Legislature in the new year. The former governor of the region for waste water, who resigned last summer at the very time when the ministry is carrying out a major expansion, also spoke out in favor of a postponement.
Former WEP Commissioner Shannon Harty Pagona said she supports the overall mission of expanding services, but that the county needs to provide more details about the need and conduct more environmental reviews before moving forward.
“Without a financial analysis, there’s no way to know how this project will affect sewer charges or household affordability,” Pagona said.
She said county officials have not outlined operating costs, projected sewer rates or budget specifics on how community growth will affect those rates.
The county should create a comprehensive plan for all sewer lines in the county and provide assurances that residential users will not end up paying for any industrial infrastructure or uses, Pagona said.
Democrat Gregg Eriksen, who will represent the 6th District next year, compared the last-minute vote in 2025 to the district’s much-criticized fish tank.
“Having the biggest bond increase before the buzzer sounds on this majority, in the middle of the holiday season, doesn’t exactly scream ‘confidence,'” Eriksen said during a public hearing before the vote.
The vote means the county Department of Water Conservation can begin planning for the expansion and take steps to borrow money for the project.
The $549.5 million project aims to increase the capacity of the Oak Orchard Wastewater Treatment Plant, which cleans waste from cesspools and toilets.
It was designed to handle 10 million gallons of sewage per day, though it averages about half that. The plan is to rebuild and expand Oak Orchard to process 15 million gallons per day. Micron Technology’s sanitary wastewater is expected to be 2.6 million gallons. The remaining added capacity will provide room for growth, county officials said.
It is the costliest single infrastructure investment in the region’s history.
Many speakers asked lawmakers to wait to vote on the issue until the new Legislature is sworn in next year, when Democrats have a 10-7 majority.
Today, five Democrats currently in the Legislature proposed a delay. However, the Republican rejected this proposal by Democratic Minority Leader Nodesia Hernandez.
“We have unanswered questions,” Hernandez said.
Julie Abbott, a Republican in the 6th District whom Eriksen narrowly defeated in November, dismissed Democrats’ concerns.
She said she feels offended by requests for delays because the county has been working toward this moment for years.
Going forward, she said, she hopes new lawmakers will “show up to meetings and do their homework.”
She reminded them that they will be able to vote again before the rate increases. The region will not borrow all the money at once, but as the project progresses.
“It won’t cost more than it needs to,” said Brian May, the current majority leader. “We will not borrow more or spend more than we need to.”
The Republican ran unopposed in November and will serve in the minority starting in January.
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