Proposed Local Laws

AMHERST PURSUES TERM LMITS FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS:

Amherst lawmakers have dusted off an old reform idea - term limits for elected officials - in hopes of attracting votes and supporters in next year's Town Board elections.

By a 5-2 vote, the board set Aug. 21 as the date for a public hearing on a new law that would limit elected town officials to two four-year terms.

The measure must survive a public hearing and a final vote by the Town Board. But even the sponsor of the new law, Council Member Daniel J. Ward, seemed surprised that it passed at Monday's meeting.
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Under the proposal, Amherst's town clerk, highway superintendent and all seven board members would be limited to two, four-year terms. Those now serving would be allowed to serve one additional term, assuming they win re-election. That leaves the town's two justices, who are subject to other laws, Ward said.

Other municipalities with term limits include the Town of Tonawanda, Syracuse and New York City.
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In a second 5-2 vote, the board approved a proposal by Ward calling for term limits for all members of citizen advisory committees and agencies. Under the proposal, board and committee members would be limited to seven consecutive years in office.

Milan town officials are preparing to pass a law that will restrict the number of lots large landowners can place on their property.

Later this month, the Milan town board is expected to hold public hearings on a proposed rural space overlay, affecting parcels 20 acres or larger.

The overlay would allow large landowners to put one lot for every 10 acres. The lots could be clustered, depending on the agreement reached by the landowner and town planning board.

That maximum number could be decreased depending on land characteristics, such as the existence of wetlands and slopes. The overlay would require landowners to put 60 percent of the land into a conservation easement.

"The purpose is to preserve the town's rural character and resources and to maintain the rural density of the town," said Lauren Kingman, chairman of the Milan town planning board. "If we kept with our standard zoning of two-, three- and five- acre zoning, the build out in the town would be significantly higher."

The law would affect about 12 percent of all the parcels in town and about 65 percent of all the land, according to Kingman.