County Representatives Discuss Electrification and Sprinklers, COVID and Foreclosures

By KRISTIAN CONNOLLY
OTSEGO COUNTY

It’s a curious feature of Otsego County government that the monitor which displays voting results on matters before the Board of Representatives is set up so that every member is already listed as a “Yay” before a vote is even called on any particular issue.

In that sense, it came as no surprise that a raft of resolutions bundled into the consent agenda—as well as one resolution edited in order to fix a typo, and an added resolution following an executive session—were all unanimously approved by board members at their regular meeting on September 4 in the Otsego County Board Chambers.

With all votes taking place without public discussion, most of the board’s conversation during the monthly meeting took place amid the reports given by the chairs of various board committees.

The September meeting started with SUNY Oneonta President Alberto Cardelle and Otsego Now Chief Executive Officer Jody Zakresvky each making presentations to the board, with both leaders speaking about their entity’s relationship with Otsego County government; the role that their institution or organization fills in the county; projects that each has underway or on the horizon that will be to the benefit of the county; and the various challenges each entity faces—particularly in recruitment and retention of staff.

Following the presentations and committee reports, the board’s consent agenda contained a host of resolutions asking to approve committee decisions on department requests concerning everything from the construction of tiny homes for the unhoused to creating or abolishing county staff positions, to software, technology, or equipment purchases.

The lone resolution that substantially differed from the rest came out of the Public Safety and Legal Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Daniel Wilber. Resolution 301, as proposed, said the county board was “opposing updates to the New York State uniform fire prevention and building code requiring automatic fire sprinkler systems in all new residential construction and to the state energy conservation construction code prohibiting fossil fuel equipment and building systems in all new construction.”

A 2023 report from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services noted that “sprinkler systems rapidly apply water to a fire during its initial phase, when it is smallest, far sooner than a responding fire department, reducing fire and smoke damage, providing residents extra time to escape, and reducing the risk to firefighters.”

Meanwhile, according to the New York-based nonprofit organization Urban Green Council, the fossil fuel measures proposed by the state are to “require zero-emissions new construction to lower emissions from the buildings sector, which accounts for 32 percent of statewide greenhouse gas emissions.”

Edward Dawyot, of New Lisbon, was the only member of the public to address the board at last Wednesday’s meeting, and part of Resolution 301 was on his mind.

“I’d like to compliment you on going against the governor’s brainstorm about doing away with gas in residential houses and stuff,” said Dawyot. “It’s absurd. I don’t know where they come up with these ideas. You don’t have the [electric] power in New York State.”

The full language of Resolution 301 asserted that the measures being explored by the state would result in “[having a] negative impact on taxpayers proving to be overly burdensome and make new homeownership more difficult to obtain”; would “increase the costs of new construction, burden the existing water supply, cause delays in residential construction projects, and decrease the inventory of available housing”; and “will overstress the power grid, making the power load unmanageable to handle the level of electric buildings, drive up the costs of commercial and residential construction.”
Wilber did not respond to an e-mailed follow-up question about Resolution 301, and the county’s position that such requirements placed on new construction projects—e.g., buildings that do not exist at the present time and are not part of the existing available housing inventory—would have the effect of decreasing the available housing inventory.

As part of the consent agenda, Resolution 301 passed unanimously and without discussion, along with 31 other resolutions coming out of various committees.

In other business, most committee reports were presented without discussion afterward. Of particular note from those committee updates:

– Rep. Adrienne Martini spoke for the Human Services Committee, and provided information on programs and services for the unhoused, and an ongoing bill from the criminal court that the county must pay so that an individual in need of medical care will be able to stand trial.

But the topic to draw the most intra-board discussion during Martini’s committee report was based on a mid-August COVID update provided to the Human Services Committee by County Director of Public Health Heidi Bond.

“The COVID numbers are increasing kind of alarmingly,” said Martini, speaking to a room in which two of the approximately 25 people were masked. “I’m sure if you have talked to anybody you know, you already know that. There is expected to be kind of a dip, beginning of October, and then it’ll ramp right back up again. So, COVID vaccines are available, make your own choices.”

“Are we scheduling COVID now, with a dip in October and then coming back up?” asked Wilber.
“I have no idea how they come up with this stuff,” said Martini, which was followed by some laughter in the room. “Suffice it to say from now until December, take your own chances. Wear a mask. Get a vaccine. Don’t [get a vaccine]. It’s up to you.”

“I was joking,” said Wilber.

“I know what I would advise, but …” finished Martini.

Later in the week, Martini clarified what she would advise: “My personal recommendation—which is not to be confused with the county-level recommendation—is to get the new vaccine when you can and mask-up if you are medically vulnerable, feeling unwell, and/or just want to. Again: That’s just my advice and is not policy.”

Debra Lynch, the COVID coordinator for the Otsego County Department of Health, later told Iron String Press that the county recommendation hasn’t changed.

“There’s going to be a booster again offered this year,” said Lynch, who encouraged people to follow the health department’s website for updates, clinic announcements, etc. “Our guidelines are on our website. We follow the [Center for Disease Control and Prevention], and that’s per the State telling us that’s how we should do it. Nothing’s changed since last season.”

While mentioning advice like “If you don’t feel well, stay home,” Lynch also noted that there is some discretion given to workplaces about how to handle COVID when it comes to areas like how long before someone can return to work.

“Everyone’s supposed to have their own guidelines,” said Lynch.

– Rep. David Bliss gave the report for the Solid Waste and Environmental Concerns Committee, and informed everyone that county residents now “can order rain barrels and composting barrels from the Planning Department for a much lower cost than is available at retail.”

– Rep. Margaret Kennedy provided the Administration Committee’s report, which included that the committee approved a budget transfer from the recent federal opioid settlement in order to work with babies who have positive toxicity screens at birth.

“Those are federal monies from the settlement coming into the state, into the county, and that’s one way they can be utilized,” said Kennedy.

Kennedy also informed fellow board members that the subject of “land banks” would be coming up in the near future. Otsego County currently works with the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank when the county has foreclosure property it would like to relinquish.

The near future turned out to be just minutes later, however, as once all the committee reports were complete, Kennedy’s request to open up discussion about land banks was approved by County Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr.

Rep. Jill Basile inquired about land bank properties in Oneonta that the city has been maintaining, and whether the city would be reimbursed by the land bank.

“I don’t know the definitive answer, but my end-of-the-day response would be that if the land bank has had work done for them, the city should invoice them for the work that was done,” said Kennedy, who serves as the chair of the board for GMVLB.

GMVLB information also indicates that Otsego County Administrator Steven Wilson, a former Schoharie County representative and Schoharie County Administrator, is a former GMVLB board member.

Rep. Jerry Madsen wondered whether the county gives all of its foreclosed properties to the land bank.

“I don’t think all of them,” said Kennedy. “Some counties do put all their properties in the land bank, Albany County for example. One-hundred percent of their foreclosure list goes into the land bank. That isn’t how we’ve been doing it in Otsego, it’s been more of a case by case.”

After describing some of the general challenges with some properties in the county, Kennedy added, “I don’t know if we want to formulate a strategy for giving property to the land bank, but we can work on that with [land bank staff].”

Lastly, Kennedy addressed an additional question from Madsen about the process for the county turning over property to the land bank.

“Traditionally we have, as a county, forgiven the outstanding taxes when a property has been deeded over to the land bank,” said Kennedy. “But the idea is that the land bank will be providing at least [the equivalent to the tax forgiveness] if they’re doing a demolition, doing a cleanup, and eventually changing the property over to be a productive and taxable piece of property.”

The September board meeting wrapped up with an executive session that included County Administrator Wilson and E911 Director Robert O’Brien. Upon returning to open session, the board added and passed Resolution 302, which extended the service contract the county has with Bassett Healthcare for ambulance services.