The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Sherrill eyes ceasing pact with Vernon
SHERRILL, N.Y. » The Sherrill City Commission will gather more facts and data regarding a potential cessation from the town of Vernon following a lengthy informational session on Monday.
Dozens of residents gathered at the Sherrill City Court to learn more about the intricacies regarding a possible split between the city and town. Following a presentation by Assistant City Manager Bob Comis, those gathered fired questions at Comis and the city commission in attempts to learn more about how a potential split would affect residents in regards to the impact on taxes paid and services received.
Comis said that one of the most common questions his office receives, especially during tax season, is why residents are paying a property tax to the town of Vernon.
Vernon’s primary legal obligation to the city is to repair and maintain bridge expenses for the five bridges/culverts located in the Sherrill city limits.
In addition to bridges, taxes collected from Sherrill residents by Vernon help fund the Community Activity Center, the community pool, the Sherrill-Kenwood Library, and inter-municipality working relationships such as the Sherrill and Vernon assessors working together. Those services are agreements between the two governing bodies, and not guaranteed, Comis said.
The Sherrill City Commission gathered the property taxes levied by Vernon on city residents directly from Vernon and supplied themto those in attendance. Since 2012, nearly $761,000 has been collected from Sherrill tax-
payers, according to the figures handed out Monday, but Sherrill has only received approximately $438,000 back in both direct and indirect expenditures as per the figures collected from Vernon by the Sherrill Commission. Comis said more research would be required in regards to working out how the split would impact these services and VVS School District taxes.
Neal Rose, a member of the public in attendance, asked whether or not there was a way to gauge Vernon’s interest in the possible cessation.
“Shouldn’t Sherrill people know what the town is thinking?” he asked.
Vernon Town Supervisor Randy Watson, one of a handful of Vernon officials at the meeting, expressed his belief that Vernon town board members need to speak for themselves before giving his own thoughts.
“It’s kind of a slap in the face to the town. I would never vote yes, but I can’t speak for the whole board,” Watson said.
Vernon Town Clerk Barbara Coston brought up the fact that the town’s tax rate was $1.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value, and shed light on the fact that a handful of town employees would no longer be legally al- lowed to work for the municipality following the split as Vernon employees must reside within Vernon.
“I have lived here more than 85 years. Things have been pretty smooth,” Jack Stone, another resident, said before warning, “Better have a lot of thought before dumping Vernon.”
Ed Hutchison asked whether or not the city would be able to make up the funding for the local organizations should the split take place. Comis said that conversation had not taken place yet.
Sherri l l Mayor Bi l l Vineall explained that services, outside of the bridge maintenance, could be dropped at any time.
“I think that’s where some of the heartburn comes in,” he said.
Armand Seccurra said he wanted more information on the impact of the separation, particularly in regards to the financials. He suggested the city develop a worst-, best-, and middle- case scenario for what Sherrill residents may be looking at in terms of a tax increase or decrease.
The meeting, as was stated a myriad of times Monday night, was solely informational. The commission did not make any type of decision, rather it hosted the first in a series of informational meetings to gauge whether or not Silver City residents would be interested in pursuing a divorce from the town which would end a relationship began was Sherrill was incorporated in 1916.
There are 62 cities in New York state, and Sherrill is the only one that is not self- contained, sharing part of its land with Vernon.
This is not the first time the Sherrill government has broached the topic either. The commission investigated the impact of such a move in 1985 and again in 2005, Comis said.
Ultimately, the commission will record the questions posed at Monday’s meeting and post them on the city website in addition to basic facts concerning the proposed split. Comis proposed another informational in August in order for the commission to return with more answers and clarity regarding the financial impact of the decision. Even if the city decides to pursue a cessation, the state can ultimately say no, Comis added.
When asked what sort of timeline residents may be looking at, Comis suggested the commission would want to make a decision one way or another before the end of 2018.