NORWICH – Two senior leaders of Chenango County government spoke out in favor of fully funding fire and building code enforcement last week during a meeting of financial decision makers.
Members of the Finance Committee themselves, Supervisor Alton B. Doyle of Guilford and Harry W. Conley of Sherburne said providing for the public’s health and safety is an important function of government.
“This has been grinding on me. I can’t think of another commitment in the state or the country that’s more important for us to do. Code enforcement has as much concern with the health, welfare and safety of the people and we are not budgeting for it,” said Doyle, a Republican, who was elected supervisor in 1996 and is in his seventh term.
“All departments are funded by taxation. This is one of the most important departments that we have.”
Conley said he agreed with Doyle, adding that many of his constituents had asked him why codes is not part of the county’s general levy. “We don’t understand why it can’t be,” he said. Conley was elected his town’s supervisor in 1996 and is also a seventh-term Republican.
Chenango County elected to make codes a Public Health Department function in 1984 when the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code Act was created. Codes functions were 100 percent covered by the state until 1992. The county later determined to have revenues from permits pay for staff.
However, fewer large building projects, a host of unpaid permits and calls for more enforcement have made it increasingly difficult for codes to meet budget over the past year and a half. After months of discussion in 2007, lawmakers agreed to partly fund the department this year and began charging towns a $40 fee per call for enforcement.
Public Health Director Marcas Flindt told legislators earlier this month that fewer towns have been contracting with the county for work, and the Town of Norwich had decided to hire its own codes officer. Both losses, which threaten to put the department in the red for a second year in a row, could result in staff cuts. However, Finance and Safety and Rules committee legislators decided to postpone taking any action until next month.
“But we need to not wait until we are in the midst of the budget before knowing what we are going to do,” Finance Committee Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, said. Wilcox pointed out that “a good portion of the county” are handling codes on their own (New Berlin, Greene, City of Norwich and Norwich).
“As these towns drop out, it increases the expense for the remainder through taxes,” he said.
Town of German Supervisor Richard Schlag said, “We can decry unfunded mandates forever. The fact is bigger towns can afford it.” German is the smallest and least populated town in the county.
Town of Lincklaen Supervisor Wayne Outwater said, simply, “Let someone go.”
Flindt said he would reduce staff if necessary, beginning with one part-time position.
There are currently two bills before the state’s legislature, one in the Assembly and one in the Senate, that could reinstate funding to municipalities for fire and building code functions. “We hope they are leaning toward it,” Chenango County Codes Enforcement Officer Bruce Bates said.