App users, tap here to watch video report.
ROCHESTER – A State Appellate Court has ruled against an appeal in the case to annex a Jamestown Board of Public Utilities’ property.
In 2020, a Chautauqua County Supreme Court Judge ruled that the BPU Dow Street substation property, between Dow Street and Tiffany Avenue, didn’t meet legal requirements to annex the property from the Town of Ellicott and Village of Falconer.
Following a hearing, justices in the Fourth Appellate Court dismissed all appeals in the case. The suit is now slated to be heard in State Supreme Court later this year.
City leaders argue that the annexation will save a $160,000 each year in property taxes, in turn saving money for all BPU utility customers. The suit claims that the city is also better equipped to respond to emergencies on the property, thanks to their fulltime fire department.
Both the town, village and Falconer School District are opposed to the case. They say the loss of tax revenue from the BPU’s ownership of the station would negatively impact their budgets.
Leave a Reply