$3 Million? No Thanks, Says Town

2-12-10

Town Of Oneonta Fails To Back Even Looking At Consolidation

By BENJAMIN DEER : WEST ONEONTA

$3 million a year in new revenues?
The Oneonta Town Board doesn’t even want to explore that possibility.
Faced with 41 residents voicing objections Tuesday, Feb. 9, to the possibility of the town and city of Oneonta merging, no town board member would even second Supervisor Bob Wood’s motion to at least study the matter.
 “The city just wants our money,” said resident Mark Greene, West Oneonta.  “They should mind their own business is what I say.  “We say ‘no.’  Period.”
Even Wood said: “There is not a single board member, including myself, who wants this merger to take place. This resolution calls for strictly a study.”
On the city side, Common Council Tuesday, Feb. 2, unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a study to update a 1996 report that recommended consolidation.
Mayor Richard P. Miller, Jr., estimated that efficiencies could save the municipalities $250,000 a year, but the real benefit is the state’s policy of preemption.
Under preemption, only counties and cities receive direct payments of state-collected sales tax; towns do not.  If the Oneontas became one larger city, it would gain access to an estimated $3 milllion in additional tax revenues a year from the Southside mega-retailers.
The city plans to continue the study, Wood said; the town would simply be a watchdog for the process.  Ultimately, town residents would get the final vote.
Town board members were unswayed.
“I’ve never seen any government grow and save money,” said Councilman Scott Gravelin.  “That’s why I will vote no.  It’s just not realistic”, he said.
Councilman William Mirabito agreed: “I was originally open-minded to having the study conducted.  But it’s a representative government and with the turnout tonight and what other residents have said, they clearly don’t want this to happen.”