The Clay Town Board again put off action on three pending battery energy storage projects and continued its own vote on a proposed town law regulating the technology, as company representatives and residents continued to clash over how the emerging industry should be regulated. At the May 18 regular meeting, chaired by Deputy Supervisor Joseph Bick in the absence of Supervisor Damian Ulatowski, the board voted 6-0 to adjourn the public hearing on Local Law No. 5 of 2026, which would create a new Town Code chapter titled the "Town of Clay Battery Energy Storage System Law," to June 1, 2026. Bick said the version under discussion was the fourth revision of the draft. Changes since the prior draft include requiring only one special permit instead of two, removing additional setbacks except where sites abut residential districts, allowing storage at existing solar farms in commercial districts (new solar would still have to locate in industrial districts), a 16-foot height restriction, a requirement that applicants near wetlands coordinate with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, one-year permits renewable at the Commissioner of Planning and Development's discretion, and a lengthened emergency response time of two hours, up from one hour in earlier drafts. Representatives of all three companies with pending applications addressed the board. John O'Hern of NexAmp said the two-hour response time was more stringent than the four-hour standard in the state fire code. A representative from Carson Power said the draft law's cash-based decommissioning security requirement should instead allow a security bond, and objected to the two-hour response time and to noise and medical requirements, saying they don't fit the fire code. Sean Terry urged the board to prioritize the boundary rules discussed earlier, and Sera Yoon of Aurora Renewables asked the board to clarify that a 50-foot additional setback applies only near residential districts. Resident Janet Rathburn said resident input was not being factored in and asked that battery storage be limited to industrial districts, citing the proximity of NexAmp's Wetzel Road application to neighborhoods, parks and the YMCA. Councilor Eugene Young suggested the permit be formally named a "BESS Special Permit" to distinguish it from a standard special-use permit. With the law still unfinished, the board voted 6-0 to adjourn public hearings on all three pending applications to June 15: NexAmp's Wetzel Road Storage and Long Branch Storage projects, and a Carson Power LLC application. The board also opened a public hearing on The Reserve at Clay, a proposal to rezone about 20 acres on Lawton Road from Residential Agricultural to allow roughly 61 single-family lots. Applicant representative Tim Coyer said a traffic study found no significant impact on Lawton Road and that Onondaga County has confirmed adequate sewer capacity. Numerous neighbors spoke in opposition, raising concerns about drainage, the displacement of wildlife including red-tailed hawks and blue herons, construction traffic, and existing trash along the road. Commissioner of Planning and Development Brian Bender said the property, developed under its current zoning, could yield 8 to 10 lots. Bick said the town has no wetlands mapped on the site and told residents they "have say over your property" while an owner has the right to apply for a zone change. The board voted 6-0 to adjourn the hearing to June 15 and refer the application to the Planning Board for a recommendation. In a separate hearing, the board closed public comment on a zone change to allow a nearby West Herr dealership to expand its parking lot onto an adjoining parcel of about three-quarters of an acre on State Route 31, rezoning it from Neighborhood Commercial to Highway Commercial. Elsewhere, the board approved, 5-1 with Councilor Courtney Gauthier opposed, a special permit for Community Bank/Erik Turner to build a bank with drive-thru service at 4000 State Route 31. It approved 6-0 a zone change from R-10 to RC-1 for the Sweetheart Corner Redevelopment project, clearing the way for two commercial structures. The board adopted, 6-0, Local Law No. 4 of 2026, adding a definition of "Smoke Shop" to the town code and requiring a special permit for such businesses in the RC-1, HC-1 and NC-1 commercial districts; the definition excludes state-licensed cannabis dispensaries. The board also approved, 6-0, the town's 2027 Community Development Block Grant application for street repairs on Steelway Blvd. South, and scheduled a June 1 public hearing on an AT&T Mobility special permit for a utility substation and antenna at 7200 Henry Clay Blvd. In other action, the board renewed its adult crossing guard contract with All City Management Services for one year at $34.80 per guard hour, up from $33.59, not to exceed $68,904.00 for the year beginning July 1, 2026. The board also approved, at no cost to the town, a sanitary sewer connection for two Elmcrest Road properties developed by Scott Merle Builders, with the developer covering all associated costs.