PROPOSAL SUBMITTED ON DEADLINE Drawing On Surplus, County ’17 Budget Even By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – The proposed county tax levy is up 0.4 percent in the preliminary budget that, by law, County Treasurer Dan Crowell had to deliver to Clerk of the County Board Carol McGovern by Tuesday, Nov. 15. Applying surplus accrued over the past year, tax bills will stay even, he said. The proposed levy – the amount that must be raised by…
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Treasurer Employee, Other Charged With $25,000 Theft COOPERSTOWN – A former county employee and his accomplice have been arrested and charged with stealing $25,000 in tax proceeds from the Otsego County Treasurer’s Office. Lawrence Woodards, 34, Cooperstown, and Kevin Williamson, 34, New York City, are accused of working together to steal from taxpayers and the office.…
County Wish List $8M Over Target Frazier, Crowell Confident Budget Can Be Pared To Avoid Tax Hike By JIM KEVLIN • for www.AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – The difference between departmental wish lists and the Budget Committee goal is $8 million, but the officials who have started crafting the 2017 county budget are undeterred. “These are gotta-haves and wanna-haves,” said county Rep. Ed Frazier, R-Unadilla, who is chairing the Board of Representatives’ Budget Committee for the third year. “My wife wanted a…
Rate Of Bed-Tax Growth Up 2.5 Times In ’15 Over ’14 COOPERSTOWN – County Treasurer Dan Crowell reported today that the rate in bed-tax growth in 2015 was almost 2½ times higher than the year before – 11.21 percent last year, compared to $4.74 the year before. He cited increased number of visitors, new hotel construction (Courtyard by Marriott in Oneonta), increased weekly rentals and enhanced collection of sales-tax revenues as among the factors. He didn’t specify it, but the…
26 Jobs, Services On County Chopping Block By DON MATHISEN • for AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – The county Board of Representatives is on track to cut 19 full-time and 7 part-time employees, slash some services and raise property taxes by about $100,000. That’s according to county Treasurer Dan Crowell and county Rep. Don Lindberg, R-Worcester, who chairs the Budget Review Committee. “The committee has identified departments, dollar amounts and in some cases the number of positions to be cut,” said Crowell. “The…
THE COUNTY BEAT How Did $5 Million Boon Become $9 Million Gap? Treasurer Explains County’s Changing Fortunes By DON MATHISEN • for AllOTSEGO.com COOPERSTOWN – How did Otsego County go from a prospective $5 million surplus with last year’s sale of Otsego Manor to a $9 million budget gap? The question is being raised as county representatives prepare the 2016 budget. According to County Treasurer Dan Crowell, the surplus never materialized. It evaporated when Otsego Manor legacy costs proved to…
Closing $9.2 Million Gap ‘Daunting, Do-able,’ County Treasurer Declares COOPERSTOWN – Closing the $9.2 million gap in Otsego County’s prospective 2016 budget is both “daunting and do-able,” county Treasurer Dan Crowell said today of what will be his seventh budget. He added, “I haven’t been through a budget year that’s been easy.” He was commenting after county Rep. Don Lindberg, R-Worcester, Budget Review Committee chair, sent out a notice that preliminary budget meetings will be at 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, Sept.…
This Christmas, Shop Local – For The Fun Of It! Editorial in the Edition of Thursday-Friday, Nov. 27-28 Shopping local isn’t simply a feel-good decision. It’s essential to the economic well-being of our Otsego County neighbors and ourselves. In recent days, that’s been dramatized by the debate over whether the county should close the Department of Motor Vehicles Office in Cooperstown. The office was under threat because local drivers have opted to renew their licenses in Albany via the Internet.…
Public Hearing On County Budget Planned Monday In Cooperstown COOPERSTOWN – The Otsego County Board of Representatives have scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, in the County Office Building to hear comment on the proposed 2015 budget. The $103 million document includes a local tax levy slightly over $11 million. That reflected a property tax decrease of 2.4 percent. But given the decision to keep the Cooperstown DMV office and the “Gathering Place” senior site in…
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…
