Legislators discuss state conference

YATES COUNTY--Multiple members of the Yates County legislature attended the recently held statewide New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) conference. While some were happy with what they heard during the meetings, others were decidedly not. The discussion regarding NYSEG was not limited to energy rates but focused on everything from broadband expansion to the sale of carbon fuels and retaining veterans from moving out of state.
"It was exciting to be in the broadband meeting where the project in Yates County was highlighted more than once as a model for all the others that are going on," said Leslie Church, legislative chair.
County Administrator Nonie Flynn used the opportunity to update the legislature on the current broadband objectives.
"We submitted our ReConnect Three to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) last week for expanded broadband and should hear back by the end of the year," Flynn said.
Carlie Chilson said she also attended multiple seminars and meetings regarding veterans.
"I sat in on the veterans course and the challenge I came away with, and veterans do an awful lot for communities, is that veterans who enlist from New York, only one-third return when their enlistment is over," Chilson said. "They go to states where there are lower taxes and more job opportunities."
Given the importance of veterans to the community, Chilson recommended that Yates do a better job recruiting and retaining veterans to come to Yates.
"I think we need to look at what we have in our community to attract veterans back here," Chilson said.
Chilson added she also attended environmental meetings where the importance of reducing pollution and doing things like planting more trees was stressed as a matter of utmost importance.
Daniel Banach expressed his disappointment with the environmental meetings during the NYSEG conference. He talked about new laws discussed for New York to limit carbon fuels and urged everyone to vote in November.
Douglas Paddock also attended and said one meeting brought up the current condition of the Distressed Hospital Fund and how money has been diverted out of it by the state but nothing has gone to small rural hospitals like Soldiers and Sailors in Penn Yan.
"Nothing has been paid to hospitals," Paddock said.
The board voted unanimously to make March 29 Vietnam Veterans Day. While the conflict drew from every corner of America, roughly 2,000 individuals from Yates County served their country during that time.