12/14/07 - County may pick up cost of city hazmat crew

Budget and Finance Committee OKs resolution to pay $26,475 for the city fire department’s hazardous materials unit.

(As published by Cortland Standard, Evan Geibel reporting)

The Cortland County Budget and Finance Committee agreed Thursday to pay for the $26,475 annual budget for the city fire department’s hazardous material response unit, the only one in the county. The Legislature will review and vote on the request at the Dec. 20 session.

The city has requested help from the county in attempts to keep down what had originally been a 9.8 percent tax rate increase for city property owners. That tax rate increase has since been reduced.

City Director of Administration and Finance Andy Damiano said this morning that he received revised figures from the city fire department Thursday that put the cost of the hazardous materials unit closer to $35,000.

That figure has been sent to the legislators and Damiano said the city would be asking the Legislature for the larger figure.

The increase from the original proposal is due to the department taking into account the more costly and more stringent medical examinations for the HazMat unit members, Damiano said.

Since there is no guarantee of legislative approval of the city’s request, Damiano said the HazMat costs would likely be included in the preliminary budget when the Common Council votes on its budget Dec. 18. If approved, Damiano said he would recommend allocating the money to the city’s surplus fund balance in attempt to rebuild it.

The city’s surplus reserves will be drained to nothing at the end of this year, otherwise.
Committee member Dan Tagliente (D-7th Ward) said during the Thursday morning committee meeting that the hazmat funding is a “token” contribution.

“I think that we could at least do this,” Tagliente said.

Committee member Newell Willcox (R-Homer) said he approved of the county’s footing of the bill “in the spirit of Christmas.”

The city had hoped for help with its more than $200,000 annual funding of the Cortland Free Library, but meetings between city, county and eventually library officials convinced county officials that it was not their place to step in and fund the library.

Ninety percent of the library’s patrons live in Cortland and Cortlandville, which already contribute to the $300,000 operating budget. The city’s budgeted contribution for 2008 is $200,000 while Cortlandville’s is $79,000.