Residents Oppose Tax Hike, Request More Transparency

By MONICA CALZOLARI
ONEONTA

The November 19 Oneonta Common Council meeting attracted about 25 concerned citizens, the equivalent of a full house. There were 20 motions on the agenda. The council debated various issues for more than four hours.

Just before 10 p.m., the council approved the proposed 2025 budget and voted to exceed the tax cap. By this time, only three members of the audience remained. Two were city employees, Brian Knapp, the fire chief, and Chris Yacobucci, director of Public Works.

These meetings are livestreamed for remote viewing and recorded for anyone to watch after the fact at https://www.youtube.com/user/CityOfOneonta/library.

Mayor Mark Drnek preempted some of the public’s concerns with a speech near the beginning of the meeting, which started about 6 p.m. He addressed the vacancy of the Seventh Ward Common Council seat.

The seat was vacated in September by Bryce Wooden. Mayor Drnek recommended Michael Forster Rothbart on November 19, weeks after his first nomination was rejected. Forster Rothbart has lived in Oneonta for 15 years and has owned his home in the Seventh Ward since 2011.