Oneonta Common Council Considers Property Tax Increases, Parking, Tenant Protections 

By BRANDON RAUL RAMIREZ
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA

The City of Oneonta Common Council began setting the parameters for a difficult 2027 city budget on October 6, confronting a projected 23.3 percent increase in health insurance premiums while also discussing tenant protections, downtown parking and several capital projects. 

The budget discussion followed an extended public comment period dominated by debate over a drag show performance at the recent City of the Hills Festival. Some speakers said the show should have been confined to an age-restricted venue, while others defended it as protected artistic expression and urged those who were uncomfortable to simply “walk away.”

Other speakers urged the council to adopt the state’s Good Cause Eviction protections, citing rising rents, housing insecurity and a sharp increase in local homelessness. 

Director of Finance Virginia Lee told council members the city is projected to finish 2026 close to a balanced budget. That would allow the city to avoid using most of the $1.775 million in reserves it had originally planned to draw down. The improved outlook reflects higher-than-expected sales tax revenue, $777,000.00 in one-time state aid and savings from staff positions that remained vacant during the year. 

The picture for 2027 is less favorable. Health insurance premiums are projected to rise 23.3 percent, adding more than $900,000.00 to the city’s approximately $4 million insurance expense. Officials said the city cannot reduce premiums by increasing its deductible again because it is already at the legal maximum. 

Council members agreed that the first budget draft should assume $400,000.00 in hotel and short-term rental tax revenue and $6.6 million in sales tax revenue, up from $6.3 million. The sales tax figure prompted debate between members who favored a more optimistic projection and those concerned about a slowing economy. 

Property taxes produced the evening’s sharpest budget disagreement. Lee again recommended increasing the tax levy by $600,000.00, which she said would cost the average homeowner about $155.00. Councilmember Elayne Mosher Campoli suggested a $400,000.00 increase, while Councilmember Don Mathisen said he would not support exceeding the state tax cap. 

Councilmembers ultimately directed staff to prepare an initial draft that remains within the cap and identifies possible spending cuts, allowing the council to decide later which services or expenditures to restore. The draft will also keep the proposed use of fund balance near $1.8 million. 

The request for Good Cause Eviction legislation resurfaced during the first public comment period. New York’s 2024 law applies automatically in New York City but allows other municipalities to opt in. In communities that adopt it, covered landlords must provide a legally-recognized reason for removing a tenant who wants to renew a lease, such as nonpayment of rent, a lease violation, nuisance behavior, an owner’s plan to occupy the unit or a decision to remove the property from the rental market. 

The law also creates a presumption that certain rent increases are unreasonable. Generally, the threshold is the lower of 10 percent or 5 percent plus the annual change in the consumer price index. Exemptions include units owned by qualifying small landlords, certain owner-occupied properties, high-rent units and some newer construction. Advocates asked the council to revisit the proposal as a way to limit arbitrary non-renewals and destabilizing rent increases. The council did not vote on the law on October 6. 

In other business, City Administrator Greg Mattice reported that Oneonta received an unmodified audit opinion for its 2025 financial statements. The required federal and state Department of Transportation single-audit reports contained no findings. The council accepted the reports unanimously. 

Mattice also announced that a state grant will cover the full cost of a $1.44 million water service line project. Construction is not expected to begin until 2027. 

Mayor Daniel Buttermann proposed a pilot permit program that would allow a limited number of downtown residents and employees to park longer than the current four-hour limit. Mathisen noted that two newer municipal lots already provide all-day parking. Other council members questioned enforcement costs and said the city must preserve turnover so spaces remain available to shoppers and other short-term visitors. The council took no formal action. 

The council unanimously approved a $25,000.00 increase to the airport fuel farm relocation construction budget, using unrestricted general fund balance. The project has encountered added electrical costs and change orders associated with conduit requirements and an extra day of crane rental. 

Council members also approved the purchase of $28,470.44 in waterline materials from F.W. Webb Co. for the Wilber Pool splash pad project. The materials will support a new 4-inch water service and interior plumbing. The splash pad is expected to be ready for public use at the start of the 2027 pool season. 

The council transferred an additional $14,000.00 from general fund contingency for road salt, after the Department of Public Works reported that an earlier order had left only about $600.00 available in the account. It also accepted anonymous donations of $500.00 and $25.00 for the Oneonta Fire Department and approved appointments of Justin Osterhoudt to the Airport Commission and Becky Thomas to the Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission. 

At the start of the meeting, Mayor Buttermann announced that Second Ward Councilmember Cecilia Walsh-Russo had resigned to accept a state climate policy position in Albany. He said he hoped to appoint a successor by October 15 so the ward would be represented during budget deliberations. Second Ward residents were invited to submit letters of interest to the city clerk. Elizabeth Bloom was appointed to the seat on October 15.

Buttermann also recognized retired Coast Guard Master Chief Vicky Kates as Veteran of the Month and thanked the volunteers who brought “The Wall That Heals” to Oneonta. More than 800 students visited the traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial exhibition during September. 

Addressing calls that the city prohibit drag performances, Buttermann said such demands conflicted with constitutional protections. 

“The freedom of expression and its protections described in our constitution cannot be abridged by the attitudes of the majority,” he said. He pledged never to act to disrupt that freedom for anyone in Oneonta, a stance several speakers later thanked him for. 

This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.