COOPERSTOWN "" At Wednesday's county board meeting, representatives were briefed on the findings of a nine-month study of housing in Otsego County.
John Holehan of River Street Planning & Development of Troy confirmed what many had suspected: that housing is in short supply for people of limited means.
In the city of Oneonta, renters must compete with students for available housing. In other parts of the county, particularly in the Cooperstown-to-Oneonta corridor, renters have to compete with tourists, he said.
Developers interviewed as part of the study said they hoped municipalities would "streamline the approval process," making it easier and less expensive for housing projects to proceed, he said.
Holehan said the county's population centers "" Oneonta, Cooperstown and Richfield Springs "" are already built up, but that plenty of land for development is available in adjacent areas.
"Public transportation will be important to developing outside urban areas," he noted.
The study, due to be completed this month, cost $45,000, with the state providing a grant of $25,000.
County Planner Psalm Wyckoff said Friday the study may be used by the county and entities within the county in applications for funds to proceed with housing projects. By documenting and quantifying housing needs, the study will give developers and officials a data base from which to draw when seeking grants, she said.
At the end of Holehan's presentation, Rep. Donald Lindberg, R-Worcester, said a policy in the city of Oneonta to assess rental property at a far higher rate than owner-occupied homes was essentially forcing landlords to rent to students, who can pay more than low-income residents.
"I had cheap rent for people in my units, but I've sold most of them because I couldn't afford to keep them anymore," he said.
Rep. James Johnson, R-Otsego, asked if the study had investigated the effect that property taxes have on affordable housing.
"We get into that a little," Holehan said.
In other business, the board:
Agreed to purchase two Mack trucks from Utica Mack at a cost of $157,711. Rep. Betty Anne Schwerd, R-Burlington, voted against the purchase.
Agreed to immediately grant stipends of $10,000 a piece to the county's Social Services attorneys, Steven Ratner and Stephen Baker, for extra work being performed for the Department of Social Services. Voting against the payments were Reps. Stephen Fournier, R-Milford; Kathy Clark, R-Otego; Keith McCarty, R-Springfield; Schwerd; and Lindberg.
According to the county's Personnel Office, Ratner's annual salary without the stipend is $60,216, and Baker's is $53,352.
