NORWICH — During his visit Tuesday, United States Senator for New York Chuck Schumer spoke with local leaders about the financial future of Chenango County.

Leaders informed Schumer of the many areas where Chenango County needed help, including tourism improvement, access to childcare, and the effects of COVID-19 on local farms.

Commerce Chenango President and CEO Kerri Green told Schumer, "we're really focusing on tourism and business development."

Green explained that Chenango County now has an occupancy tax, which helps increase revenue, but that accommodations need to be improved.

"We have an occupancy tax now in Chenango which is very exciting that the board approved that last year. So we're hoping that through that we'll be able to have some more money for tourism dollars," said Green. "But we definitely need more accommodations, better accommodations, and really help those tourism properties that really suffered the last two seasons."

Schumer stated that some of the money the county received can be used to bolster local tourism.

"The money that you got ... can be used to help tourism. Because we did get money for restaurants, we got money for some of these independent arts venues, and money for small business," said Schumer.

He also explained that the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) can also be utilized by businesses.

"Any tourism person you know, owner, business, can use the ERTC," said Schumer. "And you can get as a full tax credit up to, salaries up to 40,000 [dollars], 70 percent of that. And even if you didn't make any money this year because of COVID, it's refundable."

Green also addressed the lack of childcare in Chenango County, calling the area a "childcare desert."

According to Schumer, approximately one third of childcare establishments in New York State closed during the pandemic. He stated this was due to daycares being unable to take on as many kids, and parents being afraid to send their children to childcare centers.

"A third of them closed in New York State. Because of COVID they couldn't take as many kids, so they lost money that way. Second, parents were staying home, because the kids were in school and so they weren't sending them to childcare. And third, some people were just afraid of going, sending their kids to a childcare place," said Schumer.

However, he also explained that there is 1.8 million dollars available that these childcare centers to apply for.

"It's 1.8 million dollars for to which childcare programs can apply," said Schumer. "In the Build Back Better plan that the President has proposed, is that anyone who's working, at least one of the parents has to be working, can get childcare and pay 7 percent of their income. Which is significant, but affordable."

Chenango County Farm Bureau President Brad Vickers also spoke with Schumer on Tuesday, and shed some light on the problems the diary industry and local farmers are facing due to the pandemic.

"We had at least 50 percent losses due to the shutdown. The schools and restaurants for our milk market. So, you know, consequently we lost farms because of that," explained Vickers.

Schumer informed those present that there is money available to local farmers who have been struggling throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

"There's really money to help some of our farmers who are hurting during COVID for a variety of reasons. There's money to invest in food and agriculture supply chain resiliency, and purchasing," he said. "Senator Gillibrand and I, we wrote to the Secretary of Agriculture through CFAP, that's the Corona Food Assistance Program. ... The percentage of farmers who have gotten this assistance is too low, so we need it much higher."

Schumer told local leaders he's not going anywhere, and will continue to make his annual visits to the county, stating he's visited approximately 23 times already.

"I'm continuing to visit every county every year. I stay in touch, I still have my great office. And you can't do your job in Washington unless you stay in touch with folks," said Schumer.