12/21/07 - County decides to buy site for DMV building

(As published by Cortland Standard, Even Geibel reporting)

The county Legislature voted to purchase a site off Port Watson and River streets for a Department of Motor Vehicles office at its last session of the year Thursday night.

The roughly 1-acre property would cost the county $375,000, which will be paid out of the county’s $2.8 million share of state _settlement funds from tobacco companies.

The only legislators to vote against the purchase — a two-thirds vote of the Legislature is necessary for property acquisitions — were Newell Willcox (R-Homer), Tom Williams (R-Homer) and Kay Breed (R-Cortlandville).

Legislator Larry Cornell (R-Marathon and Lapeer) was absent.

Part of the property would be subdivided from the BOCES plaza at 240 Port Watson St., owned by Joe Armideo of Homer.

The neighboring Barbarito Auto Body shop and a single-family home on that parcel at 112 River St. has been bought by Armideo and will be included in the sale of the property to the county.

Both will be torn down to make way for the DMV office, which the county will build for approximately $400,000, according to estimates. That cost can also be paid out of tobacco settlement money.

A resolution to lease was on the Legislature’s agenda but became moot after legislators approved the purchase of the property. The lease would have cost the county about $60,000 annually over a 10-year period.

Armideo provided the county with the rough costs of a building he would have constructed and later leased. At between $120 and $150 a square foot for a 4,000-square-foot building as the county envisions for the DMV, the building could have cost as much as $600,000 after a 10-year period.

“We’re basically paying for that building over its life span,” Schrader said.

A $60,000 yearly lease would amount to a half a percent tax increase, Schrader said. The county could not use tobacco money to lease; the money can only pay for capital improvements.

Willcox said he wanted more information about leasing. “I didn’t vote against the DMV,” he said. “I didn’t feel the lease options were fully explored.”

Also, a higher $777,000 figure for the lease was included in the Legislature’s agenda for the night, which Schrader said had been inserted before the $600,000 lease price had been provided.