Impact fee situation is inequitable in district

BESSIE CHRONOPOULOS

Editor: I am struggling about how to vote on the upcoming DeKalb School District construction referendum, and I am talking to people, asking questions and reading as much as I can so that I can make my decision. I recently came across some very upsetting news and thought it best to pose the question publicly so that everyone can be informed. It is my understanding that the city of DeKalb has a written agreement with the DeKalb School District that stipulates that impact fees for schools will be imposed on new development. It is also my understanding that a similar agreement exists between the town of Cortland and the DeKalb School District. There is, however, a difference between the two agreements in that DeKalb's written agreement uses the word “shall” when stipulating the imposition of impact fees, but the Cortland agreement uses the word “may.” It is also my understanding that Malta has no agreement with the DeKalb School District. Something about this is not right. To me this means that DeKalb and its residents will certainly bear the burden for new schools, and two communities served by the DeKalb School District may or may not bear a burden. There is a significant legal difference between the words “shall” and “may,” and there certainly is a huge gap in the fact that one town has no agreement at all. How can this be? I can't believe that the city of DeKalb would stand alone. Nor can I believe that the district would allow the “may” clause and no agreement with Malta. One reason to support the referendum would be that the governmental bodies of the communities served by the DeKalb School District were committed to supporting the schools and would present a unified front. A simple explanation would be appreciated. BESSIE CHRONOPOULOS DeKalb