Village of Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson recently stated on local media sources that a small group of Fredonia citizens are holding up his administration’s plan to decommission Fredonia’s water treatment plant and reservoir in order to purchase water from the North County Water District. The mayor also claimed this small collective is costing the village in legal fees and lost grant funding.

Ferguson is partially correct in his statement. But he continues to misidentify the small group of people blocking his plan and costing the village. The small group holding back the village board from moving forward with their proposal is comprised of none other than Ferguson, the village board majority and the legal counsel that they have chosen. They just can’t seem to get their act together and it continues to cost the village precious time and substantial amounts of money.

On Sept. 10, to the surprise of no one, the board majority voted to approve their plan to decommission Fredonia’s reservoir and buy water from the NCWD. They granted themselves the power and the means to move forward.

As long as Ferguson and company proceed properly and legally, no one can stop them from decommissioning and buying. There lies Ferguson and this board’s roadblock. For the second time in the past 18 months the trustees have demonstrated their inability to put forth a lawful plan to carry out their proposal to decommission and buy. One would think that after their previous plan to buy water from Dunkirk was found to be improper in State Supreme Court by Judge Grace Hanlon, the board would have corrected their missteps and properly filed their most recent plan to decommission and buy from the NCWD. Instead, and even after being told by the opposition of the flaws in their resolution, they have proceeded improperly and are once again being challenged in court.

Three private citizens, who are actually representing a much greater number of Fredonians, should not have to provide the legal guidance needed in order to make sure that village government proceeds according to state law, village law and local law. That is the village attorney’s job. This board’s legal team has once again proven that they are not up to the task. The village attorney has for the second time allowed the board to put forward an improper resolution. Why are our tax dollars being paid for inadequate legal advice that is costing the village money?

The claim that the lawsuit plaintiffs and anyone supporting them are costing the village in legal fees and between $8-13 million in lost grant funding is simply an attempt to deflect blame and avoid responsibility. Did Ferguson and the board really believe that they were going to get grant money for a project plan that was already found to be unlawful in state supreme court? Had Ferguson and the board proceeded properly with either of their decommissioning resolutions, the lawsuits would not have even been possible. But it is much easier for Ferguson and company to unfairly blame others rather than take responsibility for their continued missteps.

Ferguson’s misleading statement about the size of the group opposing his plan to decommission and buy is also puzzling. Village government was presented with a petition containing the signatures of more than 300 village residents who are in favor of keeping the reservoir and water treatment plant in operation.

The reality is that Ferguson and his board have no idea how many village residents are in favor of or are opposed to decommissioning and buying. And they have no interest in finding out. If the board was truly interested in how the public feels about their plan they would hold a referendum and put the issue to rest once and for all.

And while Ferguson was avoiding responsibility by calling on village residents to speak out against the filers of a second lawsuit that will show that his administration is once again proceeding improperly with a decommission and buy resolution, Fredonia has had a drought caused water conservation scare. This current stretch of rainy weather has replenished the water level in the reservoir.

But shouldn’t village government have a better plan in drought conditions than to just conserve water and hope for rain? Fredonia already has water interconnects with Dunkirk that were constructed five years ago and were reportedly to be used for water emergencies. Taxpayer dollars paid for those pumps and piping connections. Those interconnects currently sit idle. A number of excuses as to why have been given by county government. The inoperable interconnects have been brought to Ferguson and the board’s attention numerous times but there has been no visible movement by village government to resolve the issue and get the pumps into operation.

One has to wonder what small group Ferguson and the trustees will blame if the village’s reservoir were to dry up in drought conditions while the water interconnects constructed for just such an occurrence continue to sit idle?

Andrew Ludwig is a Fredonia resident.