All builders by law have to pay a $3,000.00 for
water hookup fee per each new single residential unit then $2,000.00 for every
additional unit.
I reported many months ago that developer Sonny
Bonacio had gotten away without paying hookup fees of at least $854,000.00 that
Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco waived. The Commissioner also waived fees in the
amount of $35,000.00 to Gordon Companies of Albany at Seward & Morgan
Streets in 2012 and Saratoga attorney James Doyle had fees of $9,000.00 waived
at homes on Adams & Jackson streets.
The amount so far is $898,000.00, that’s right $2,000.00 short of $1
million dollars taken away from citizens on just these 3 projects. While this was reported in the Times Union
today, this may only be the tip of the iceberg.
Records also show that Bonacio, B&B Plumbing (owned by Bonacio and
Billy Benton) and Doyle contributed money to Sirocco’s campaigns.
The reasoning Scirocco gave of waiving the fees was that
DPW can subtract costs for water hookups if developers install 12” water pipes
in right of ways but it is noted that none of the waivers approved by Sirocco
for these projects included installation of said 12” water pipes. Scirocco also said that he alone can grant a
waiver but the city ordinance states that the Council has to approve waivers of
this type. Scirocco also stated that the
developers were granted waivers because they spent money to update the water
infrastructure, which William McTygue a city resident, former Director of
Public Works and a candidate who ran against Sirocco in the last election makes
a valid point as far as I am concerned, stating that developers shouldn’t be rewarded
with waivers for improvements because in some cases they would have to make
them anyways for their projects to be approved.
After the waivers were granted by Scirocco, Tim
Wales the City Engineer (who reports to Scirocco) sent Bonacio a letter which
informed the developer that the free connections for the Weibel Avenue and
Railroad were awarded mistakenly As there is no provision in the law that the
Commissioner alone can make this decision and that he (Wales) asked Bonacio to
pay the fees, which he has refused to do.
Now Scirocco wants to change the law in the Charter
giving him sole discretion to waive fees without Council approval. McTygue has asked for an audit to be
conducted by Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan and also an outside audit
of the waiver reductions. Madigan said
she did a limited review but now she is thinking of doing a more defined audit
if necessary. She also said “that would
mean a larger scope and I would go much further back in time as well”
This story smelled funny when I reported it many
months ago and it smells worse now. It
seems we have a Commissioner who doesn’t know how or doesn’t care what is in
the best interest of the taxpayers.
I would suggest any developer to start your engines
now and ask for a waiver before something changes.
