NORWICH – Too big, too slow and too expensive.
Those were the words NBT Bank President Martin Dietrich used to described Chenango County’s government structure as he addressed local business leaders at Commerce Chenango’s Annual Economic Forecast Breakfast.
The event, held Tuesday at Howard Johnson’s, was sponsored by NBT in conjunction with The Evening Sun and Pennysaver.
Dietrich used his time at the podium to issue a call to arms to his fellow business leaders, stressing the need for change at the county level and inviting them to be part of the conversation.
“It is now time that we look at fresh ideas,” he said.
Dietrich gave those in attendance several points to contemplate:
• In Norwich, there are three different highway garages located within one mile of each other.
• It took more than a year for the county to approve the Friends of the Park project, despite the fact that no county resources would be expended.
• During his own brief, daily commute, he passes snowplows from four different departments.
• City Hall was closed during a recent snow storm, even though no state of emergency was declared.
• Municipal employees have better health care and pension benefits than their counterparts in the private sector.
• Supervisors receive health care and pension benefits for a part-time job.
• It took four months for the county attorney to approve a service agreement for a credit card processing system for fuel sales at the county-run Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport.
• There are more than 20 highway superintendents in Chenango County. (There are actually 29, according to the most recent county directory.)
According to Dietrich, other counties took steps to reduce their 2011 budgets. Oneida County, for example, eliminated 250 positions. Broome and Otsego Counties, cut 125 and 17 respectively. But not Chenango.
“We eliminated zero positions, and we dipped into our reserves,” the bank executive said.
Chenango County’s 2011 spending plan totals $84.1 million, and required a 1.01 percent increase in the tax levy. Four and a half million dollars in surplus was applied to offset any further increase in taxes.
According to Dietrich, the county’s cost structure is “not sustainable.”
“It’s too big, it’s too slow and it’s too expensive,” he said.
Commerce Chenango President Maureen Carpenter said Dietrich “hit the nail on the head” with his call for change in the way Chenango County does business.
“There is no more time to waste to right-size government and make it more efficient,” she reported. “Business leaders have been calling for a more streamlined government for years, but what has been lacking is a coordinated effort to force the issue.”
“We can no longer afford to pay for inefficiency and complacency if we are going to keep businesses here, to keep them strong, and continuing to grow jobs in our area,” she stated.
Carpenter listed reducing the size of Chenango County government spending and taxes as one of the items on the business advocacy group’s legislative agenda for 2011. Reducing state and local government taxes and spending is also a priority, according to the Chamber executive.
“We really need to hold them accountable,” she told those in attendance.
Carpenter has pledged to work with business leaders to help convey this message to elected officials.
After the program, Kevin Walsh, chairman of Commerce Chenango’s board of directors, thanked Dietrich for expressing what he said many local business leaders were thinking.
“Change is never easy, but the need for governmental consolidation, while evident for years, has never been more imperative than it is right now,” he said.
According to Walsh, a real estate agebt, the county’s high property and school taxes can be a deterrent for those looking to relocate to the area. This is particularly troublesome at a time when several large local employers have revealed plans to grow their workforce over the next few years, and are actively trying to lure talent for those new positions.
“With the potential of drawing new people to the area and keeping those of us that love the area here, it would be a shame to look back and say that we didn’t explore every possible option, one of those being governmental consolidation, to make Chenango County a more viable option for families and businesses,” he said.
Town of Norwich Supervisor David Law was one of two county officials to attend the event. The other was the new county treasurer, William Craine.
When asked about his reaction to Dietrich’s critical assessment of county government, Law said, “I would have to somewhat agree with him.”
Citing cuts made on the town level, he said he and his colleagues are looking to do the same on the county level.
“We certainly don’t want to ‘go to the well’ again if we don’t have to,” he reported.
When asked about specific areas where cuts and consolidation might be possible, however, he had little to offer, brushing off the idea of eliminating positions other than through attrition and retirement.