DMV, Elm Park Saved During

County Budget Workshop

COOPERSTOWN – After two weeks of worry about the possible closing of the Cooperstown DMV office and the relocation of the Elm Park senior meal center, a sigh of relief came when both items were once again placed on the 2015 budget proposal by an overwhelming majority.

During a three-hour workshop, the members of the Otsego County board debated, argued and added items to the County Treasurer Dan Crowell’s proposed budget.

In hoping to bring back the lively Thursday Oneonta’s Main Street enjoyed during the D&H heyday – Thursday was payday for the railroad workers – the board voted yes to having the Oneonta DMV opened from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Thursday evenings.  “This is a marketing tool,” said Lynda Rowinksi, District 13.  “There’s a lot of business to be had in Oneonta.”

But this meant that the two positions that had been cut in the Cooperstown DMV, effectively shuttering the operation, had to be restored.  “I can’t run two full-time offices with only five people,” said Gardner.

To help generate revenue, dropboxes will be placed to encourage people to register through the local office rather than online, and a reminder to utilize the DMV offices, rather than going online, may be sent with county tax bils.

When word came down that the meal site at Elm Park church in Oneonta would be combined with the one at Nader Towers,, Beth Rosenthal, District 7, said she had heard from multiple constituents pleading with her not to allow that to happen.

Those pleas were heard, thanks in part to Elm Park offering a reduce rental rate for the space, which was originally projected to cost the county $18,969.  Crowell’s early draft funded the site until March for $4,720, but Elm Park offered to reduce the rent the county paid, saving $5,943 and reducing the total expenditure for the county to $13,742.

The total proposed budget for 2015 is  The budget will go to a public hearing on Monday, Dec. 1, and go to a vote on Wednesday, Dec. 3.