TOWN HALL IN ONEONTA

Herzig To Salka:

Help Upstate Cities

By JENNIFER HILL • Special to ALLOTSEGO.com

ONEONTA – Ask and you may receive.

“Cities like mine have maintained taxes at the state-mandated cap of two percent – even at zero percent, but  state aid to municipalities have not increased in 10 years,” said Mayor Gary Herzig during a Town Hall with Oneonta's Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, in Council chambers this evening. “Why won’t the legislature not step up to and provide aid to cities who are fighting to renew their infrastructure, economic development, maintain services, attract new people and prevent people from leaving?”

Salka began his answer suggesting the lack of state aid increases to cities was because the legislature was controlled by “downstate interests,” legislators did not understand what Upstate New York needed, and the governor thought “there were too many towns and cities” and “wanted things big.”