2/26/07 County committee to hold first meeting

(As published by Cortland Standard, Corey Preston reporting)

A bi-partisan committee formed by Cortland County Legislature Chairman Marilyn Brown (D-8th Ward) to “explore opportunities existing and regarding the South Main Street land deal and the space needs of the County of Cortland,” will have its first meeting Tuesday.

The committee, which will meet at 7:30 a.m. in Room 304 _in the County Office Building, will be made up of the following legislators:
John Daniels (D-Cortlandville); John Steger (R-Preble and Scott); Larry Cornell (R-Marathon and Lapeer); Dan Tagliente (D-7th Ward); Carol Tytler (D-3rd Ward); and Mike McKee (R-Cincinnatus, Freetown, Taylor and Willet).

Brown said she hoped the committee would select a chairman, hold its meetings in public and report back to the Legislature by its March 22 meeting.

While she said she’d leave the scope of the work to the committee, Brown said she expected its focus would be the county’s space needs — space for a public health facility, a new jail and a motor vehicles office have been most often discussed — and a closer look at possible uses for the properties along south Main Street, over which the county faces a possible legal challenge.

“We haven’t really heard publicly yet what the needs are for these facilities — all we’ve heard is from the people who are opposed to what we proposed — and we need to hear that information so we can look realistically at what we need to do,” Brown said.

The Legislature’s Jan. 25 decision to go back on an initial vote, in December, to purchase $894,000 of property along south Main, Williams and Randall streets has been challenged by attorneys for property owners involved in the deal, who say that the original decision to purchase represents a binding contract.

Brown said she has asked County Attorney Ric Van Donsel to request that attorneys for property owners involved in the deal — four of six property owners have indicated that they will file suit — hold off on filing a lawsuit until after the Legislature’s March 22 meeting.