Dissolve The Conservancy
April 20, 2025 at 3:15 p.m.
Editor, Times-Union:
As a lifelong resident and engaged citizen, I am writing to express serious concerns about the continued existence of the Turkey Creek Dam and Dike Conservancy District (TCDDCD), a special tax district originally formed for the limited purpose of repairing a single dam and a single dike. Those projects are now complete. Yet the tax remains.
Let’s be clear: both the Syracuse Dam (also known as the water control device) and the Wawasee Village Dike have now been fully repaired — with most major work completed between 2020 and early 2023. The repairs were funded through a combination of private donations, town contributions, county drainage funds, and the first wave of property taxes collected by the conservancy district. These efforts were a success. But now that the repairs are finished, taxpayers are left wondering: why are we still paying?
What’s more troubling is the timeline. In May 2023, shortly after all repair work was done, the Town of Syracuse transferred ownership of the dam to the conservancy district via a quitclaim deed. This move contradicts the original public assurances made during the formation of the district — that the town would retain control, and that the district’s role was solely maintenance. Suddenly, a district created for short-term repair has become a permanent asset holder, with taxing authority and little accountability.
Residents deserve to know why a 50-year tax district is needed if its founding mission has been accomplished. The TCDDCD is now collecting taxes at an annual rate of approximately $280,000 to $320,000 per year. That’s nearly $1 million since inception — yet no new infrastructure projects have been proposed that justify such a rate. Meanwhile, the dam is now owned by the conservancy, but still operated by the town, creating a muddled and confusing governance structure.
Originally, the district was pitched as a "practical" solution to a problem the town failed to budget for: infrastructure it had owned for over a century. Instead of being a temporary fix, the TCDDCD has turned into a long-term burden for taxpayers.
It’s time for a serious public discussion about dissolving the district, or at the very least, dramatically revising its scope and tax rate. Taxpayers did their part. The job is done. We shouldn’t be paying indefinitely for a problem that’s already been solved.
David Abrell
Syracuse, via email
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Editor, Times-Union:
As a lifelong resident and engaged citizen, I am writing to express serious concerns about the continued existence of the Turkey Creek Dam and Dike Conservancy District (TCDDCD), a special tax district originally formed for the limited purpose of repairing a single dam and a single dike. Those projects are now complete. Yet the tax remains.
Let’s be clear: both the Syracuse Dam (also known as the water control device) and the Wawasee Village Dike have now been fully repaired — with most major work completed between 2020 and early 2023. The repairs were funded through a combination of private donations, town contributions, county drainage funds, and the first wave of property taxes collected by the conservancy district. These efforts were a success. But now that the repairs are finished, taxpayers are left wondering: why are we still paying?
What’s more troubling is the timeline. In May 2023, shortly after all repair work was done, the Town of Syracuse transferred ownership of the dam to the conservancy district via a quitclaim deed. This move contradicts the original public assurances made during the formation of the district — that the town would retain control, and that the district’s role was solely maintenance. Suddenly, a district created for short-term repair has become a permanent asset holder, with taxing authority and little accountability.
Residents deserve to know why a 50-year tax district is needed if its founding mission has been accomplished. The TCDDCD is now collecting taxes at an annual rate of approximately $280,000 to $320,000 per year. That’s nearly $1 million since inception — yet no new infrastructure projects have been proposed that justify such a rate. Meanwhile, the dam is now owned by the conservancy, but still operated by the town, creating a muddled and confusing governance structure.
Originally, the district was pitched as a "practical" solution to a problem the town failed to budget for: infrastructure it had owned for over a century. Instead of being a temporary fix, the TCDDCD has turned into a long-term burden for taxpayers.
It’s time for a serious public discussion about dissolving the district, or at the very least, dramatically revising its scope and tax rate. Taxpayers did their part. The job is done. We shouldn’t be paying indefinitely for a problem that’s already been solved.
David Abrell
Syracuse, via email