OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon Pictured are members of the Chautauqua Town Board.

MAYVILLE – The town of Chautauqua is looking to take regulations of wind turbines, solar projects and battery energy storage systems out of its zoning code and have it in its own regulations.

The Chautauqua Town Board is in the process of updating its zoning code following the completion of its Comprehensive Plan, which it did with the village of Mayville.

At the June town board meeting, Councilman Scott Cunningham said he supports such a move. “It sounds like we would have much better control of our laws if we do that,” he said.

Town attorney Joel Seachrist that move would also make it easier should the town have to go to court for a specific project.

For now the town board is looking to extend its moratoriums on wind energy, commercial social energy, and battery energy storage.

Three public hearings will take place next month and then if the board chooses, it can extend all three moratoriums for another year.

Seachrist said since the town is updating its zoning code, it is justified to keep the moratoriums in place.

In other business, Supervisor Don Emhardt discussed the model of having residents bring their trash during the spring clean up to the highway barns versus visiting every home outside the village.

Emhardt said in 2023, the town spent around $24,000 for the spring clean up when residents would place their trash out front of their properties. They also made about 50 trips to the landfill hauling the trash.

In 2026, when residents were required to bring their trash to the highway department where dumpsters were placed, he said they spent about $12,000.

Emhardt said the other advantage is by having residents bring their trash to the DPW building, “you don’t have scrappers running around the streets, throwing your stuff all over.”

But Councilman Tom Carlson said he still prefers the town visiting individual homes. “I don’t think $12,000 is a big deal myself, especially with the town of Chautauqua,” he said.

Another resident said she is fine with the scrappers. “I see nothing wrong with people picking through other people’s junk out on the curb. Some people need that. … One man’s junk is another man’s treasure,” she said.

In 2024, Chautauqua town Highway Supervisor Terry Sanden changed the model from visiting homes to having residents bring their trash to dumpsters placed at the DPW. He said he was doing it for the safety of the town employees, because they don’t always know what is in the trash they are handling.