Village election taking place on Tuesday

On Tuesday, March 20, village elections will be taking place in the Village of Owego, and in other municipalities like the Village of Newark Valley, where the mayoral seat and three trustee seats are on the ballot, but without contest.

In Owego, three candidates are running for the mayoral seat, and a couple of other candidates are hoping to fill trustee seats, resulting in a contest among hopefuls and the incumbents.

Of interest in this year’s village election is the running of Tim Taft, a 20-year old Owego resident that is currently studying political science at Muskingham University in Ohio. As a life-long resident of Owego, and one of the youngest to run, Taft has been running his campaign solely as “The People’s Voice,” and maintains a website at www.tpvowego.com.

In an earlier story that announced his run, Taft stated that if elected, he will get sworn in and then he would be back for the summer. 

Also running in the March 20 election are candidates from the “Moving Owego Forward Party.”

Running for Mayor under the “Moving Owego Forward Party” is Owego resident Mike Baratta. An Owego Free Academy graduate, Baratta ran in the previous election for trustee in the second ward under the Oak Tree Party. And although he didn’t win the seat at that time, Baratta decided to run for Mayor in this year’s village election.

Running for trustee under the “Moving Owego Forward Party” is Charles Plater, who will be vying for the seat currently occupied by Earl Hartman in the 2nd Ward; Teresa Gosart is challenging Ed Morton for a trustee seat in the 1st Ward; Fran VanHousen will run against Mike Phelps for a trustee seat in the 3rd Ward; and incumbent Rodney Marchewka is running to maintain his seat as Clerk Treasurer.

The candidates vying for trustee seats in the “Moving Owego Forward” Party are running for the first time except for Gosart, who ran with the Rebuild Owego Party in 2016. 

In January, the “Taxpayers First Party” announced their candidates as well for the March 20 election, with each candidate currently maintaining a seat on the village board.

Steve May, who was elected as Mayor in 2016, is running for re-election. May also served as a Trustee from 2014 to 2016.

Trustee Ed Morton, incumbent, is running for re-election in the 1st Ward under the “Taxpayers First Party,” as well as Trustee Earl Hartman, who is running for re-election in the 2nd Ward. Also running is Mike Phelps, trustee representing the 3rd Ward. 

Last week, The Owego Pennysaver sent a series of questions to the candidates running in Owego’s Village election, with responses received from each candidate, and a unified response from Baratta on behalf of the “Moving Owego Forward Party.” 

Questions included priorities, and what they would be on day one if elected / re-elected into office; the maintenance of public services, and if such services would be cut or if taxes would be increased to keep them at their current level; if the candidates would seek consolidation of services, and if so, what services; and a final question about sewer rates, and any proposed solution.

Response by “The People’s Voice” Party

Tim Taft, mayoral candidate, responded by stating, “I have multiple priorities on day one; they include transparency, proposing to the board my plan to create a stronger Owego Police Department (OPD) without the increase of taxes, and proposing the re-establishment of both the Owego Historic Preservation Commission and the Cemetery Commission.” 

“The re-establishment of both commissions will help the village receive grants at a quicker rate, bringing more money to the village for projects that otherwise would be paid for by the taxpayers,” said Taft in his response.

Taft also noted that he does not plan on cutting services or raising taxes to strengthen services, such as OPD.

“OPD will be strengthened by creating a department of part-time officers,” said Taft, adding, “This will not decrease the quality of the officers, but will decrease the amount paid for an officer.”

As for the sewer rates, Taft felt that he did not have enough details to create a solution.

“As far as the sewer tax situation, no candidates with the exception of the incumbents have all of the information to give a proper answer regarding what they will do about the current sewer tax,” stated Taft. 

Response by the “Taxpayers First” Party

Earl Hartman, incumbent running for re-election in the 2nd Ward, responded with the following.

Regarding priorities, Hartman stated that he would work to get the Clerk Treasurer and budget issues resolved so there is reliable data to plan for the village. 

Regarding any plans to increase taxes or cut services, Hartman stated that it is not a simple increase or cut question, and that it is solely up to the taxpayers to decide whether to cut, hold at current levels, or expand services. 

On increasing taxes as an option to maintain services, Hartman stated, “The question started and ends with increasing taxes,” adding, “With the job shrinkage in Owego and surrounding areas, a dependable work force revenue stream is hard to find. It is easy to say increase revenue but the sources are limited.”  

Hartman also explained that if cutting services were necessary, the first priority for him is to look at and protect what services are bringing in revenue, and then look at all services to see which ones are or are not dependable. 

Regarding consolidation, Hartman sees this as an option if it is beneficial to the village taxpayer. 

As for sewer rates, Hartman stated that they will continue working with New York State and the DEC and EPA to look at compliance regulations, and possibly scale the plant rehab work back to meet those required and not overbuild on unsubstantiated revenue speculation.

Trustee Ed Morton, who is running for re-election in the 1st Ward, responded with the following.

Morton stated that his priority on day one would be to complete the past due audits so that the Village is once again eligible for Community Development Block Grant funding for residents who want to improve or repair their properties.  

Morton also stated that he will not vote for a budget that raises taxes above the 2 percent property tax cap, noting that he would prefer a 0 percent increase. However, he stated, this would require cuts to services. 

“I do not support raising taxes, but I do support raising revenue through other means, particularly through grants for which the village is eligible,” said Morton. 

And while he is still seeking input from constituents regarding services and sustainability, Morton believes the tax cap can be met by underfunding reserves again; cutting back the Owego Police Department’s part time line item; instituting EMS billing (Chief Gavin will be presenting his recommendations on this to the Board in April); and directing the Department of Public Works (DPW) to cut the remainder from within their budget.  

Morton added, “This will continue to hobble our departments, but the alternative is consolidating services, eliminating departments or dissolving the village.” 

He also commented that any duplicated services that can, be consolidated.  

He added, “I voted for putting the referendums in front of the voters for consolidation of the Village Justice Court and for changing the Clerk-Treasurer position from an elected to an appointed position. Both of these changes would have achieved savings. I will continue to support bringing these decisions directly to the voters.”

As for sewer rates, Morton stated he would consider suspending, modifying, or canceling Phase II of the Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades to achieve savings while still maintaining or upgrading sewer facilities. 

Mike Phelps, trustee representing the 3rd Ward and running for re-election, also responded as follows.

Phelps stated that his priority, on day one if re-elected into office, would be to produce a budget that is affordable for all taxpayers.

In order to do this, Phelps plans to follow what the voters and residents want for services, and he stated, “Almost all of those I have talked to so far do not want to raise taxes beyond what they are currently.”

As for new revenue streams, Phelps stated they are extremely rare, and that none being talked about will make a big enough dent in the budget to keep taxes level.  

Phelps added, “Although I can’t see residents wanting taxes raised, if they want the services kept at the same level they will need to be largely paid for by their property tax levy.”

Phelps did emphasize, however, that it isn’t his decision of what to cut; it is a taxpayer decision. He also supports consolidation if it benefits the village and those who pay the taxes. 

As for sewer rates, and keeping them down, Phelps stated that the current board has already taken the step of halting phase 2 of the sewer project to do further due diligence on the figures presented within by the contractor. 

“Reviewing of the EDU price and the data used for it is ongoing,” Phelps added.

Steve May, who is running for re-election as mayor, also responded, stating that his priorities would remain the same. 

“I will continue to try get the real financial condition of the Village of Owego,” May stated.

As for sustainable services and the need for a tax increase to maintain them, May stated that these decisions need to come from the taxpayer, and not seven people on a village board. 

May also noted that the village does not have a new source of revenue as such.  

“Grants, donations, etc. are the only other source of revenue, which is unpredictable other than property tax levy revenues,” May added.

As for services that would be cut to keep taxes down, May stated that, once again, the decisions come from the taxpayers of the village through referendums. 

“The village board can only recommend their suggestions that best meet the needs of the village residents, but residents need to decide their fate,” he added.

As for sewer rates, May stated that this was a good question, and is something that the village has been working on since he was elected to the board.  

May stated, “The costs of operating these facilities continue to be mandated to keep compliant with the 2010 Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act and DEC. The current board continues to spend hours to fully understand the sewer upgrade project and what the actual sewer costs to residents should be. It is also why we have put a recent halt to work on this project and are seeking independent evaluation of the project.”

Regarding taxes and services, May stated that they have already presented referendums to the voters in the village, and they are the ones that decide. 

“We continually need input from the taxpayers,” stated May.

Response by the “Moving Owego Forward Party”

For the “Moving Owego Forward Party,” Mayoral candidate Mike Baratta answered several questions on behalf of the Party.

As to the number one priority if elected, Baratta stated that they would meet with the department heads, ask for their cost-saving recommendations, and then follow the regular budget process of cuts and revisions. 

Priority two, Baratta noted, would be to post, for all residents to see and comment, a realistic and accurate, revised budget. 

Baratta added, “At the same time, we will restore communication with all Village residents in person, through open work sessions and through regular postings on the Village website, on an official Village Facebook page and in print. Priority three is to restore communication between the Clerk, the mayor and the trustees.” 

As far as taxes to pay for services or cutting services to keep taxes at bay, Baratta stated, “We don’t see this as solely a ‘tax or cut’ approach to providing essential village services.” 

He added that property taxes are not the only source of funding; and that 46 percent of revenues are not property taxes. 

As far as raising revenue, Baratta stated that the premise of this question is based on assumptions, proposed or created by the current administration.  

As an example, Baratta stated, “Hiring the most expensive police officers available, rather than selecting competent, but affordable alternatives must be explored. Building a new mayor’s office, clerk’s office and DPW, at a time belt tightening, is not advisable. The Party’s goal is to change the trajectory established by the current administration, and Baratta stated that they don’t believe there is a need for outrageous tax increases.

As for the possibility of needing to cut services, Baratta stated that, if elected, their Party would immediately cut the current administration’s dissolve-the-village spending on lawyers, consultants, and fruitless engineering studies. He also stated that with the retirement of the code officer, they would consider out-sourcing code enforcement, saving money and increasing efficiency. 

As another example of possible cost savings, Baratta offered an example, stating, “DPW currently spends inordinate amounts of time picking up yard waste and leaves. Many communities require yard waste to be bagged in compostable paper. With resident input, we would like to explore money saving, efficiency producing alternatives such as this.”

Baratta added, in his comments, that the “Moving Owego Forward” Party is committed to protecting the village property values, which are an essential component of the tax base. 

“Eliminating services, such as the OPD, will have a detrimental effect on the tax base,” stated Baratta, adding, “The dissolve-the-Village approach is running from the problem. We will be vigilant in exploring options that will enhance the village and protect taxpayers.”

As for sewer rates, Baratta referenced minutes from Sept. 9, 2017, in which Jerry Sibley, from the Waste Water Treatment Plant, stated, “Do an aggressive campaign to attract sludge haulers. The fees should cover the majority of Phase II expenses.”

The Moving Owego Forward Party plans to work with Jerry to accomplish his recommendation. 

“Bringing in revenue from outside sources was the original plan and why the Village Board chose this level of upgrades,” Baratta added. 

Voting

The questions rendered above will offer residents a chance to make an informed decision on Election Day in the Village of Owego. Polling takes place at the Central Fire Station on North Avenue in Owego from noon to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20.