County says no to reimbursing public works

CHENANGO COUNTY – County lawmakers continue to disagree about whether the Department of Public Works should be reimbursed for approximately $300,000 in excavation work completed prior to construction of the Public Safety Facility.

A referral, passed unanimously by the Public Works Committee last month, asked the Finance Committee to review transferring money from the jail budget to public works. Supervisor James J. McNeil (D-City of Norwich, Wards 1, 2, 3) made the motion to refer.

“There’s expenses the highway department has incurred for excavating the jail site,” McNeil said. “We should see that highway gets reimbursed.”

Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan (D-Preston) said that highway could be owed roughly $300,000, and “a re-focus and re-funding effort on road repair” should begin.

“Hopefully none of us get much use out of the correctional facility,” he said. “But everybody uses the roads. We need to focus on the one thing in the county that everyone uses.”