Will Guilford voters be satisfied with third building project?
GUILFORD – The new town hall and highway garage proposal has been trimmed by nearly $1 million and won’t raise taxes, one Guilford official says, but will that be enough to satisfy voters come Nov. 6?
In less than two years the project has been revised twice and voted down twice, but that doesn’t lessen the need for the new facilities, says town councilman Bruce Winsor.
A public hearing on the building proposal is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22 at the Guilford Town Hall. A second hearing will also be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at the Mt. Upton Fire House.
The proposition was last defeated Nov. 7, 2006, by a vote of 364 to 280. Winsor says 249 other voters went into the booth that day, but failed to pull the lever.
“We need this building project. We’re outgrowing what we have, and what we have isn’t safe. We have a building that is falling down,” Winsor said. He compared the situation to owning a home: “It’s like when you have a house; you have to keep it up. You have to make repairs.”
The town is proposing to build a 4,000 square foot town hall and a 15,300 square foot highway garage at a cost that won’t exceed $1.65 million.
The new facilities would replace the 6,495 square foot building on 125 Marble Road that houses the town’s offices, court and highway equipment.
The current town building has been under review since 1993, and has fallen further into disrepair in recent years, Building Project Committee members say.
“Even with the many repairs made over these years, the buildings have deteriorated to the point that they need to be replaced,” reads a pamphlet the committee is sending to all registered town voters prior to the Nov. 6 vote. “Changes in building codes and administrative requirements further necessitate that the new buildings be both physically larger and more advanced in function. The new buildings will consolidate town services, be more energy efficient, easier to access by the public, and provide a safer work environment for town employees.”
Problems include a lack of space for records and public meetings, a rotting roof, an outdated water and sewer system, and dilapidated walls, floors and ceilings.
“They do need a new building, there’s no question,” said one town resident, who wished to remain anonymous. “But I have mixed emotions with this project. My biggest concern: Will it raise taxes? Is there a guarantee that the taxes won’t be raised? Can they put that in stone? That’s the big issue, the tax increase.”
The original plan, voted down in April 2006, called for a 6,000 square foot town hall, 15,300 square foot highway garage and a 4,500 foot square foot salt barn at a cost of $2.5 million. Taxpayers would’ve seen a $0.65 increase on every $1,000 of their assessment for the next 30 years.
The new proposal, coming in at $1.6 million, will be paid for by a $135,000 dedicated fund that’s already included in each year’s budget for building costs.
“The project, if approved by voters, will be paid for by normal operating funds that already exist in the budget,” said Winsor. “This will not raise taxes at all.”
According to the state Department of Real Property Tax Services, as of 2006, Guilford had the 6th highest municipal taxes of the 21 towns in Chenango County at $8.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The anonymous Guilford resident also said some in the public question how the town procured the 116 acres of land that the new facilities would rest on.
“Nothing was done underhanded,” Winsor said, referring to the property on 215 Marble Road – just up the road from the current building – that the town purchased in 2004. “Everything was discussed openly at the town board meeting.”
Winsor admitted that the board acted quickly and discreetly, but only because they did not want to lose the offer – 116.8 acres for $145,000 – which allowed them to purchase the land at nearly half the price per acre than another, less-accessible site the town was looking at.
“It’s an investment,” Winsor said, explaining the town will only need 40 of the acres for it’s project, and can sell-off the remaining property and put it back on the tax roll.
Winsor also said the town is seeking federal grants to build a salt barn, and has $69,000 in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that can go toward the project.
In less than two years the project has been revised twice and voted down twice, but that doesn’t lessen the need for the new facilities, says town councilman Bruce Winsor.
A public hearing on the building proposal is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22 at the Guilford Town Hall. A second hearing will also be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at the Mt. Upton Fire House.
The proposition was last defeated Nov. 7, 2006, by a vote of 364 to 280. Winsor says 249 other voters went into the booth that day, but failed to pull the lever.
“We need this building project. We’re outgrowing what we have, and what we have isn’t safe. We have a building that is falling down,” Winsor said. He compared the situation to owning a home: “It’s like when you have a house; you have to keep it up. You have to make repairs.”
The town is proposing to build a 4,000 square foot town hall and a 15,300 square foot highway garage at a cost that won’t exceed $1.65 million.
The new facilities would replace the 6,495 square foot building on 125 Marble Road that houses the town’s offices, court and highway equipment.
The current town building has been under review since 1993, and has fallen further into disrepair in recent years, Building Project Committee members say.
“Even with the many repairs made over these years, the buildings have deteriorated to the point that they need to be replaced,” reads a pamphlet the committee is sending to all registered town voters prior to the Nov. 6 vote. “Changes in building codes and administrative requirements further necessitate that the new buildings be both physically larger and more advanced in function. The new buildings will consolidate town services, be more energy efficient, easier to access by the public, and provide a safer work environment for town employees.”
Problems include a lack of space for records and public meetings, a rotting roof, an outdated water and sewer system, and dilapidated walls, floors and ceilings.
“They do need a new building, there’s no question,” said one town resident, who wished to remain anonymous. “But I have mixed emotions with this project. My biggest concern: Will it raise taxes? Is there a guarantee that the taxes won’t be raised? Can they put that in stone? That’s the big issue, the tax increase.”
The original plan, voted down in April 2006, called for a 6,000 square foot town hall, 15,300 square foot highway garage and a 4,500 foot square foot salt barn at a cost of $2.5 million. Taxpayers would’ve seen a $0.65 increase on every $1,000 of their assessment for the next 30 years.
The new proposal, coming in at $1.6 million, will be paid for by a $135,000 dedicated fund that’s already included in each year’s budget for building costs.
“The project, if approved by voters, will be paid for by normal operating funds that already exist in the budget,” said Winsor. “This will not raise taxes at all.”
According to the state Department of Real Property Tax Services, as of 2006, Guilford had the 6th highest municipal taxes of the 21 towns in Chenango County at $8.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The anonymous Guilford resident also said some in the public question how the town procured the 116 acres of land that the new facilities would rest on.
“Nothing was done underhanded,” Winsor said, referring to the property on 215 Marble Road – just up the road from the current building – that the town purchased in 2004. “Everything was discussed openly at the town board meeting.”
Winsor admitted that the board acted quickly and discreetly, but only because they did not want to lose the offer – 116.8 acres for $145,000 – which allowed them to purchase the land at nearly half the price per acre than another, less-accessible site the town was looking at.
“It’s an investment,” Winsor said, explaining the town will only need 40 of the acres for it’s project, and can sell-off the remaining property and put it back on the tax roll.
Winsor also said the town is seeking federal grants to build a salt barn, and has $69,000 in aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that can go toward the project.
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