Auburn planning officials want to have some say in the Cayuga County project to build a new mental health building.

The city Planning Board passed a measure this week requesting to be the lead agency in the state-mandated environmental review process for the project. But the county Legislature has also requested to be the lead agency.

The matter could be decided in Albany by the Department of Environmental Conservation if the two entities can't agree on who will take the lead. The lead agent for the environmental review decides how significant or insignificant a project's impact will have on the surrounding environment. The review examines typical environmental issues, as well as traffic, crime, quality of life and impacts on historic artifacts.

According to Stephen Selvek, a planner with the city of Auburn, county officials asked the city Planning Board to name the county Legislature as the lead agent. The board responded to that request at the Tuesday meeting with a 3-2 vote in favor of the county being named lead agent.

However, two board members were absent and the measure needed four votes to pass. After deliberation, the board put a new resolution on the floor designating itself as the lead agent and unanimously approved it.

“The board felt they were better equipped to review the potential environmental impacts of the project,” said Selvek.

John Breanick, who sat in as chair because of the absence of Sam Giangreco, said Wednesday that all of the Planning Board members believe the Mental Health project is a good, worthwhile project for the community. However, there are concerns with how it will affect traffic, water runoff and snow removal in the area, he said.

“(The board) felt it would be better for us to deal with it than an elected body that usually doesn't deal with issues like traffic and runoff in the city,” Breanick said.

Once a project's impact is designated, the lead agency could then require public hearings or further environmental studies before construction can begin.

This recently occurred when the city Planning Board designated a large housing development near Fulton and Rochester streets to potentially have a large or significant impact. The decision forces the developers to carry out an impact study that would address potential concerns, which will likely delay the project for months.

County Health and Human Services Committee Chair Ann Petrus said there are elements to the project that should still be considered. Petrus said the topic has not been discussed thoroughly during Legislative meetings, so it would be premature for the Legislature to come out completely for or against the city Planning Board's request at this time.

“I think what it is, is that no one wants to argue about who is the lead agent, ... but it is a process,” Petrus said.

County Attorney Fred Westphal did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday.