Board Honors Assistant EMS Coordinator, Discusses Tentative 2026 Budget Overview

By BILL BELLEN
OTSEGO COUNTY

A presentation by County Administrator Steve Wilson on the 2026 budget and recognition of EMS Coordinator Damon West were the highlights of discussion when the Otsego County Board of Representatives met on Wednesday, November 5.

Before the regular session, the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee convened for a brief special meeting to vote on Board of Elections Commissioner Michael Henrici’s request to approve overtime and compensatory pay for deputy election commissioners in accordance with state law. This request was approved and added as a late resolution to the consent agenda of the primary board meeting.

Rep. Jennifer Mickle was absent for the meeting. All other board members were present throughout the duration of the session.

Edward Dawyot was the sole speaker to address the board during the privilege of the floor. He asked the county to find out information regarding the efficiency of windfarms, including a ratio of costs per kilowatt hour of energy they produce. Dawyot cited other energy concerns relating to a hypothetical reactivation of the Indian Point nuclear power plant and his continued advocacy for underground modes of energy transit rather than aboveground lines, mirroring similar comments he has made at previous board meetings.

The board made a notice of receipt of summons and complaint in the case of Janel Whitbeck vs. Otsego County, the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy E. Lincoln, and Deputy J. Smith. It was noted that this suit is being pursued due to claims of “unlawful arrest, denial of medical care, and discrimination based on disability.” There was no further discussion on the matter beyond this acknowledgement.

A special presentation was given by Emergency Services Coordinator Victor Jones and Rep. Daniel Wilber, where Wilber put forth a resolution to honor Damon West, assistant EMS coordinator, “for his use of the Heimlich maneuver during an emergency medical incident involving a fellow Otsego County employee.” Wilber recited some of the history of the maneuver and how it is estimated to have saved more than 100,000 lives in the United States alone since being introduced in 1974. The employee West saved presented him with a plaque of appreciation on behalf of EMS.

Wilber went on to say how impressed he has been by the work of Jones and West.

“These two gentlemen, what they have brought to this department, is very impressive. I don’t think it’s a secret among a lot of people, because there’s not secrets in Otsego County. When these two were up for the job, I was not really in favor of them being in the positions. I had questions on whether they could handle it. These two have proved me not only wrong, but so wrong that I am almost embarrassed by it.”

Moving to standing committee reports, Rep. Keith McCarty reported for the Public Works Committee and said that the Village Improvement Society of Gilbertsville spoke with them about the Meadowbrook Bridge closure they brought to the whole board’s attention at October’s meeting. McCarty recounted lengthy discussion of the impacts the closure was having on local businesses and livelihoods. The possibility of doing repairs to temporarily open the bridge again was proposed, but in the end, the cost of $100,000.00 was deemed too much to be funded by taxpayer dollars. The committee decided that given the five-minute detour around the bridge that they had to regretfully “let things take their course.” McCarty closed by noting the approval of the placement of a free Narcan vending machine in the county office building.

Rep. Adrienne Martini spoke for Human Services Committee and said that Office of Employment and Training Director Penny Seeger gave the committee an update on the center, noting that the numbers have been consistent, with about 500 walk-ins each month. She then expressed her concerns about funding for next year, noting possible federal cuts and cuts of roughly 50 percent to Job Corps. Martini reminded the board that there is one more county-sponsored rabies clinic this year, from 6-8 p.m. on December 4 at the Hartwick Seminary Fire Department.

Rep. Margaret Kennedy presented the report for the Administration Committee. She mentioned that the committee approved a criminal court payment of $101,829.96 for August 2025, as well as set the date for the 2026 tentative budget hearing for November 25 at 6 p.m. Kennedy shared that the Treasurer’s Office has contracted with the towns of Unadilla and Pittsfield to collect taxes for them, meaning the county will charge each town a $2.00 fee per parcel.

Rep. Andrew Marietta represented the Technology and Strategic Planning Committee, saying they are actively working toward quantifying department service levels by next year and correlating those efforts to budgeting processes.

County Administrator Steve Wilson commented, “I think we can do much better at matching what we get with what we pay. And that’s gonna be essential, because it’s hard to more accurately estimate a year in advance what your budget will be. And that will help us, I think, with the coming challenges we have in financing over the next couple of years.”

Marietta continued his report and said that Clear Plan was now live, mentioning that AllOtsego’s coverage of the software was helping bring public awareness to the service’s launch and “informing them in a way [the board] never ha[s] before.” He expressed his appreciation for department heads and the work they have done with the committee, agreeing that getting on track with quarterly updates is a priority.

“I just want to lay out the specific challenges we have in this kind of post-pandemic inflationary world. One is simply getting employees to do the work that we have here. Our case workers for instance, in social services, or some of our law enforcement positions. These are tough jobs for special people to be able to do this stuff and we need to pay folks enough…That’s driven the increase in expenses.”

Wilson reported that 70 percent of the 2025 budget for the county had been used so far. He then launched into a presentation on the tentative budget for 2026. Wilson showed off a pie chart detailing how two-thirds of county revenue came from local sources, countering the misconception that state and federal governments fund the bulk of the county’s services. He said that 2024 was the first year where county expenses exceeded expected revenues, citing inflationary issues and the expectation that the trend will only be exacerbated further in the years to come.

Wilson continuously made it apparent that Otsego County is not alone in these struggles. He displayed the tentative budget, which currently sits at $167,672,196.00. Some highlights of the budget noted on his slideshow presentation are no layoffs, a property tax increase consistent with that of 2025, a 6.6 percent reduction in expenses proposed by departments, and a slow-down of 24/7 police coverage. All of these changes and more have managed to keep the funds of the proposed budget balanced.

Wilson pointed out how so much of the county’s revenue was generated from sales tax, as opposed to many other upstate rural counties having to rely much more heavily on property tax, stating that “we are blessed with having a dynamic economy.”

Wilson said the next few years will be a process of trying to get expenses and revenue back in line with one another. He finally stated his team is looking to have all of the tentative budget information on display on ClearGov by the week of this publication. Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr. then clarified the goal is to approve the budget during the December board meeting.

With Wilson’s presentation concluded, the board moved to and unanimously approved the consent agenda. Wilber pulled Res. 364 for individual consideration. After some brief confusion among members of the board over what exactly the resolution entailed, the motion passed, officially requesting Governor Kathy Hochul to sign legislation passed by both houses of the state legislature that “removes expenditures for EMS services from the real property tax cap allowing local municipalities to maintain, expand, and better support their local EMS services.”

Late resolutions—Res. 375 through Res. 378—were adopted, approving the purchase of property for bridge repairs, compensatory pay for election workers, support for the Operation Green Light military service recognition initiative, and official honoring of West, respectively. Rep. Kennedy then requested the meeting enter executive session to discuss Res. 379, a resolution to approve the purchase of 386.86 acres of land adjacent to County Highway 33W for the construction of a new county facility. After returning to public session, the board unanimously approved the resolution before adjourning for the day.

More detailed information regarding the tentative county budget for 2026 can be found on the county’s official website at https://www.otsegocountyny.gov/index.php. The public hearing regarding the 2026 tentative budget will be held at the Otsego County Courthouse on Tuesday, November 25 at 6 p.m. The next regular session of the Otsego County Board of Representatives will be on Wednesday, December 3 at 10 a.m. This meeting can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpXhhqDF2k8.

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Darla M. Youngs, General Manager and Senior Editor
AllOtsego, “The Freeman’s Journal” and “Hometown Oneonta”
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