County shuffles money to pay $100,000 in bills

NORWICH – Members of the Chenango County Finance Committee spent the majority of the time during their monthly meeting Thursday identifying the funding sources for two bills totaling $100,000.

The first, for $50,000, was from the New York State Dormitory Authority for pre-construction phase work completed for the Public Safety Facility’s communications project. The county budgeted $700,000 in 2007. Clerk of the Board R.C. Woodford said he “hoped” that this initial part of the estimated $3 million, two-year long project was now complete, at $750,000, and told the board that DASNY would be requesting $1 million more this year for construction.

The first three towers, one each in the towns of Norwich, Otselic and Coventry, are scheduled to be erected summer. Woodford said new towers in Pharsalia and New Berlin will follow at a later, unspecified date.

The committee agreed to tap into a set-aside 911 surcharge reserve to the pay the bill. The reserve tracks between $300,000 and $400,000, Deputy County Treasurer Ardean Young said.

County leaders retained DASNY services and appropriated $700,000 for the project during the budgeting season last year. The board applied $500,000 in unused funds remaining with DASNY after close-out of the Public Safety Facility building project, $100,000 from Tobacco Settlement Funds and $100,000 from 911 surcharges.

Young said Chenango County has $600,000 in unexpended funds remaining in its Public Safety Facility building account. “We should, I hope, be coming in under $3 million,” Town of Pharsalia Dennis Brown said, referring to the tower project. The county resolved in February to apply the 1 percent dedicated sales tax to help pay for what they have dubbed “the communications phase” of the Public Safety building project.