County to Re-issue Trolley RFP on Shorter, Renewable Contract

By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
COOPERSTOWN

Otsego County is expected to issue a new request for proposals to run the Cooperstown Trolley on an annual renewable basis in January, officials say. The move comes after Village of Cooperstown elected officials expressed that the cost for a full five-year contract would be too high and local tourism and commerce organizations urged a solution.

The Cooperstown Trolley’s main function is to provide tourists a shuttle service from three annex parking lots to destinations in the village like the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Its fare is $2.50 for a standard individual day pass, and the service only runs during the tourism season.

The trolley is a joint service of the Village of Cooperstown, Otsego County and New York State Department of Transportation, run by a contracted operator, currently Leatherstocking Trolley Company. It is funded through an enterprise fund, which is intended to be self-sustaining but has not been in recent years.

In the past, village officials said, Cooperstown owned the trolleys and operated the system on its own. At the end of their useful life of 10 years, the trolleys would still be in working condition and sold to other businesses or municipalities. The funds from the sale would then support Cooperstown’s portions of the costs, about 10 percent. According to a graph in the 2025-2026 budget, the village appropriated $25,565.00 to the trolley for the year.

Village officials said they could not afford to enter a full five-year contract with an operator, which was originally advertised in a request for proposals issued this fall.

“Hourly rates have gone up for drivers. The cost of gas has gone up. The cost of insurance has gone up. So everything is escalated,” Cooperstown Deputy Mayor Cynthia Falk told AllOtsego. She added that one bid came in for the first RFP accurately reflecting those costs, and that the village could only afford about three of those years.

Tammie Harris, the director of Otsego County’s Planning Department, said she expects the new RFP to be issued in January.

“We’re going to shorten the terms,” Harris said, adding that the decision followed consultation with the village and committee responsible for overseeing the system. “Basically it wouldn’t be for a full five years, and would focus more on a year-to-year evaluation of the system so that the partners could make a decision each year on whether to extend.”

When village officials floated that they would need to reconsider the agreement at their November regular meeting, they soon received letters from the NBHoF, Fenimore Art Museum and Fenimore Farm, and the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce expressing support for the trolley as a critical part of the local tourism industry.

The NYSDOT contributes reimbursements to the county via its State Operating Assistance Program. That amounts to $0.68 per passenger and $1.15 per vehicle mile, according to the agency’s website.

Asked whether any private entities contribute funds to the trolley system, Falk told AllOtsego they do not currently. In the past, she said, The Scriven Foundation contributed some funds.

The county, village, and operator collectively determine the route and fares for the trolley.