Towns look to change status of highway superintendent
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ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- Neighbors in two Onondaga County towns will be asked to elect a highway superintendent this November. But that vote may not matter depending on the outcome of a referendum vote.
Both Lysander and Van Buren have proposed changing the highway superintendent position from elected to appointed. Tuesday night, both municipalities decided to add it to the November 6th ballot.
The idea has faced some criticism, but the towns' supervisors say they're hopeful that taxpayers will understand and approve of the financial benefits.
"Any time there's change, there's always questions. But I think those that aren't part of a special interest group, they were open minded and listened to what we said," said Claude Sykes, Van Buren Town Supervisor.
If the referendum is approved, the current Van Buren highway superintendent would be appointed to the job provisionally on January 1st.
In Lysander, it's a little more complex because there are two candidates running. Leaders say they will decide on how to proceed once they know the outcome of the vote.