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THIS WEEK Chester ..........................2-4 Warrensburg ....................5 Opinion ..........................6 Bolton Landing ................7 Thurman ........................9 Week in Sports................16 Calendar ........................17 Outdoor ..........................18 Classified........................19
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Denton Publications
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December 12, 2009
Honored
Found it
Sports
Students are awarded for essays recognizing our country’s heroes.
A landmark horse statue has resurfaced in Stony Creek.
All the scores and stats from your favorite teams.
Page 15
Page 2
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Locals, environmentalists spar over Park’s future By Jon Alexander denpubs@denpubs.com
See PARK, page 10
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Sales tax hike would shift tax burden to non-residents, supervisors say By Thom Randall thom@denpubs.com QUEENSBURY — The proposed Warren County sales tax increase from 7 to 8 percent will stave off pending double-digit county property tax hikes and would mean lower net taxes for most residents while shifting much of the burden to tourists and transients, eight county supervisors said Monday. The supervisors held an unprecedented press conference to detail how $7.6 million has been cut from the budget in recent months, which includes eliminating more than 50 coun-
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ty jobs — but the county still faces a deficit of $3.9 million or so, and has nearly depleted financial reserves. These reserve funds, normally used to stabilize taxes or meet short-term obligations, were spent prior to last year on keeping taxes artificially low while county expenses increased, county Board of Supervisors Fred Monroe said. The depleted reserves, among the lowest for the state’s counties, put Warren County in financial jeopardy, necessitating borrowing — and incurring this debt at a higher rate due to a newly-reduced bond rating, Monroe said.
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To rebuild the reserves, avoid double-digit county property tax increases for many county residents, a boost in sales tax is the best available solution, Monroe said. Increasing the sales tax by 1 percent will provide about $14 million in extra revenue, with about $6 million of this sum shouldered by tourists, secondhome owners or transients — resulting in a lower total tax burden for county residents, he said. “We believe this is the best solution for residents and reducing overall taxes,” he said.
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RAY BROOK — After three legislative bills dealing with the Adirondack Park Agency failed to garner state Assembly sponsorship earlier this year, Agency Chairman Curt Stiles is now seeking input from local governments and environmentalists on re-drafting the APA Act. And with the potential rewriting of the agency’s legal foundation, representatives from various groups are outlining what they would like to see changed in the APA. If adopted by state legislators, amendments to the APA Act could drastically alter the mode and operation of the agency and its authority over private lands in the Park. These stakeholders apparently have long lists of aspects they would like to see changed. Adirondack Council spokesman John Sheehan said Monday that his environmental group would like to see more teeth put into APA enforcement. Unlike most land-use authorities, APA enforcement personnel typically cannot issue tickets for obvious violations. Instead, costly and lengthy hearings result when enforcers report infractions. The Council would like to have APA enforcers empowered to issue tickets or stop work orders on-site similar to other municipal zoning officers. Of primary interest to the Council is a provision in the affordable housing bill that would institute an agency subdivision permit fee. Most zoning regulating agencies charge fees for the permit process. The APA currently doesn’t charge a review fee and the permitting costs are now shouldered by state taxpayers. The housing bill is one of the three APA-related bills now stalled in the state Legislature. But if the bill did pass, such a fee would be instituted for largescale subdivisions. “Especially for big projects, which take years in review, some kind of modest fee seems reasonable,” Sheehan said. “Otherwise the people of the State of New York are subsidizing the cost.” In early October, Stiles issued a request for input from local governments regarding changes to the APA Act. In response, the Adirondack Local Government Review Board and the Adirondack Association of Towns and Villages drafted a 16-page response, detailing numerous historical gripes that have long split local officials and the APA. In November, Stiles drafted a letter to every town supervisor in the park, asking for input. “When we talk about regulatory reform, we are talking about the act itself, the regulations which interpret the act and the State Land Master Plan,” Stiles said. “I would look at attacking them in that order.”
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