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WHEREAS, the Town of West Seneca shares and affirms those principles, namely: 1. Protection and defense of municipal home rule, recognizing that towns, as the level of government closest to the people, are best positioned to balance competing interests and make decisions that shape daily life; 2. Local control of land use and zoning, free from statewide zoning rules that override the voice of resident taxpayers and the officials they elect; 3. Freedom from unfunded mandates, so that local taxpayers are not made to bear the cost of orders imposed by State and federal authorities without the resources to carry them out; 4. Modernized transparency, accessibility, and engagement, including reform of outdated public-notice requirements that consume scarce municipal dollars on print notices often missed by the public; and 5. A meaningful voice in State decisions affecting the hometowns that towns govern, so that town government is treated as a true partner rather than an afterthought or a hurdle to clear; NOW, BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the Town Board of the Town of West Seneca hereby endorses and adopts the New York Association of Towns Bill of Rights and affirms its commitment to the principles set forth therein; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Board calls upon the Governor and the New York State Legislature as elected representatives of the people to respect and uphold these principles in the enactment of legislation and the administration of State programs affecting towns; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk is hereby directed to transmit certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of the State of New York, the Temporary President of the Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly, the State Senator(s) and Member(s) of the Assembly representing the Town of West Seneca, and the New York Association of Towns. ATTACHMENTS: Page 56 of 253