Election Day will mean a rematch for Cayuga County Legislature District 8.
Once again, Francis Mitchell, a Republican who won a special election in 2005, will face Sjana McClure-Berry, candidate for the Independence and Democratic and parties.
Mitchell would like to continue the progress the current Legislature has made while McClure-Berry considers herself an advocate for change. Both come with a background in business. Mitchell is a former farm equipment store operator and semi-retired accountant. McClure-Berry makes her living as an organic farmer and logged time with accounting and tourism firms.
“I feel from my job as a bank auditor and working in tourism I have a lot to bring to the county,” said McClure-Berry, of Genoa. “If I went to the Cayuga County Legislature, I would say that we're the ninth-highest taxed county in the nation, let's look at some of the lower-taxed counties and see what they're doing.
“We will never bring in any good jobs and development if we don't address that (the tax issue),” she said.
Doing away with unnecessary taxes may be one way of helping relieve the tax burden, McClure-Berry said. For instance, the county is one of only 19 in the state that collects a tax on heating fuel. Repealing that tax would mean less money in county coffers, but could spur an increase in sales tax, she said.
“They're either going to save it, which helps our banks, or spend it in the county,” she said.
Mitchell doesn't have plans for eliminating tax, but he'd like to see the county exercise more fiscal accountability in planning for the future. The Government Operations Committee he chairs is sponsoring a $750,000 project that would upgrade 20-year-old accounting software.
“I want to see our accounting system cleaned up,” Mitchell said. “I'm not comfortable with what I've seen so far.
“We are too sloppy in our procedures I feel at times,” he said.
A restructuring that would include a centralized accounts payable department, regular audits and a thorough review of contracts and agreements before they reach the legislature floor are some of his suggestions.
Getting all towns on a level equalization rate would relieve some of the tax burden, which currently is spread unevenly, he said.
Mitchell also wants to consider adjusting retiree health benefits that are currently covered in part by Medicaid - a portion that the county still covers for retirees.
McClure-Berry would like to adjust the health care coverage of active legislators.
“I would definitely say that we have some hard times coming and some hard questions need to be asked,” McClure-Berry said. “We all need to sacrifice.
“If we don't start to whittle away these extra costs, eventually our children won't be able to afford it,” she said.
The key to both tourism and economic redevelopment will be creating unsubsidized, self-sustaining initiatives.
“Organic farming is huge and it's here,” McClure-Berry said, noting an increase demand occurring in New York City and throughout the metropolitan areas of the eastern U.S. “It's here to stay.”
But it won't be the only avenue for economic development.
“I really feel that we can bring back manufacturing,” she said, noting a good economy needs education, agriculture, natural resources and industry. “If you don't have one part of the equation, none of it works.”
Mitchell said he would like to keep a closer watch on big agriculture, which at times has created a stir at the southern end of the county. Some residents have shown concern about the impact of animal waste on the environment.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
On the issues
Name: Francis Mitchell (R)
Age: 70
Residence: Genoa
Occupation: Semi-retired accountant and store owner
Political experience: Cayuga County District 8 legislator, 2005-present
Name: Sjana McClure-Berry (D, I)
Age: 55
Residence: Genoa
Occupation: Organic crop farmer
Political experience: Candidate for Cayuga County District 8 legislator, 2005
What issue is the most critical for Cayuga County in 2008? How will you address it as a legislator?
Mitchell: I would like to get the accounting system revamped, definitely get the new software installed in the treasurer's office, definitely get to the point where we have cross reports that we can rely on and to work with making projections for proper budgeting the new software would have for multiple years of budgeting so you can actually plan for more than one year ahead which goes with the idea that I have that we need to look at things longer term ... I think ultimately it will save us money.
McClure-Berry: Property taxes ... I feel that at the county Legislature what you can do is bring about overall debates about state mandates instead of accepting the fact that our county budget is 50 percent social services and welfare. What I feel the Legislature should do is aggressively work on that.
How can the county improve on the property tax situation in southern Cayuga County?
Mitchell: The equalization rate has such a negative effect on the southern end of the county. My problem is that I have no control over the equalization rate, that is up to the state of New York and the local assessor ... A decrease in the equalization rate means that your tax rate is going to go up and you're going to be paying more if everybody else's equalization happened to go down and went down more percentage wise than you, you're still in good shape. But, that's not happening on the south end we are having on the average bigger decreases than the average of the county... this means that the towns and town taxes are going to play into this too ... the way to keep town taxes reduced is to have their requisite and legal share of the sales tax. therefore, I'm totally adverse to giving auburn more at this point ... I'm going to remain adamant that the city of Auburn not get more at the expense of my town.
McClure-Berry: The first thing would be to do a study that shows how property taxes are higher than people's incomes are. That way, you start with a number. Then you do a study to show exactly which property taxes are being taxed and what's off the books (tax exempt).
We have people putting up their houses for sale and moving because they can't pay their property taxes with the amount of money they make ... If you have facts and figures and understand what's being taxed and what's not, I think as a Legislator, you go to the state Assembly and ask them to reconsider (the equalization rates and exemption benefits) ...
Because the county has a manager that can take care of day-to-day operations, I think it's the responsibility Legislators to be leaders and bring these things to the state's attention with the facts and figures to back it up.
There's been some public outcry about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in the southern end of the county. What role, if any, should the county have in regulating CAFO's?
Mitchell: I'm on the Board of Health and quite frankly, I've had some questions there about what we should do and the feeling I got was that for a particular instance I can depend on the Board of Health to work with me in contacting and putting some pressure on the DEC. I think ultimately it comes back to environmental protection and if we all have our own program, it's going to really be confusing.
If there's some way we can assist in the implementing, I don't know ... right now we do have the mechanisms in place, is the DEC doing enough? I doubt it ... Now, the farmers are aware of this problem and they can solve a great deal of it themselves and I think you're going to see a lot more of that because there has been a human cry in the southern end of the county about this and it's not the smell, it's the sanitation.
I would prefer if it were done in cooperation and in realization that there are others out there. Which to me, farmers have been pretty responsible when they know the facts.
McClure-Berry: I feel that we really need a diversity of agriculture. As farmers ourselves, we're working with groups to try to get to where our products are paid for through the marketplace, not taxpayer subsidies, which is not a very good situation to any of us because our neighbors don't want to pay for our business and it's embarrassing to ask them.
My very specific fear is that a lot of the government welfare from the federal, state and local levels have gone to support the constantly expanding. So, the concept is that if your going to be a CAFO you have to constantly be expanding to make money ... With every dollar of subsidy or government welfare, you're not going to have an economy to scale ... The only thing that sustaining these very large farms that are contaminating wells is government welfare.
Mitchell would like to continue the progress the current Legislature has made while McClure-Berry considers herself an advocate for change. Both come with a background in business. Mitchell is a former farm equipment store operator and semi-retired accountant. McClure-Berry makes her living as an organic farmer and logged time with accounting and tourism firms.
“I feel from my job as a bank auditor and working in tourism I have a lot to bring to the county,” said McClure-Berry, of Genoa. “If I went to the Cayuga County Legislature, I would say that we're the ninth-highest taxed county in the nation, let's look at some of the lower-taxed counties and see what they're doing.
“We will never bring in any good jobs and development if we don't address that (the tax issue),” she said.
Doing away with unnecessary taxes may be one way of helping relieve the tax burden, McClure-Berry said. For instance, the county is one of only 19 in the state that collects a tax on heating fuel. Repealing that tax would mean less money in county coffers, but could spur an increase in sales tax, she said.
“They're either going to save it, which helps our banks, or spend it in the county,” she said.
Mitchell doesn't have plans for eliminating tax, but he'd like to see the county exercise more fiscal accountability in planning for the future. The Government Operations Committee he chairs is sponsoring a $750,000 project that would upgrade 20-year-old accounting software.
“I want to see our accounting system cleaned up,” Mitchell said. “I'm not comfortable with what I've seen so far.
“We are too sloppy in our procedures I feel at times,” he said.
A restructuring that would include a centralized accounts payable department, regular audits and a thorough review of contracts and agreements before they reach the legislature floor are some of his suggestions.
Getting all towns on a level equalization rate would relieve some of the tax burden, which currently is spread unevenly, he said.
Mitchell also wants to consider adjusting retiree health benefits that are currently covered in part by Medicaid - a portion that the county still covers for retirees.
McClure-Berry would like to adjust the health care coverage of active legislators.
“I would definitely say that we have some hard times coming and some hard questions need to be asked,” McClure-Berry said. “We all need to sacrifice.
“If we don't start to whittle away these extra costs, eventually our children won't be able to afford it,” she said.
The key to both tourism and economic redevelopment will be creating unsubsidized, self-sustaining initiatives.
“Organic farming is huge and it's here,” McClure-Berry said, noting an increase demand occurring in New York City and throughout the metropolitan areas of the eastern U.S. “It's here to stay.”
But it won't be the only avenue for economic development.
“I really feel that we can bring back manufacturing,” she said, noting a good economy needs education, agriculture, natural resources and industry. “If you don't have one part of the equation, none of it works.”
Mitchell said he would like to keep a closer watch on big agriculture, which at times has created a stir at the southern end of the county. Some residents have shown concern about the impact of animal waste on the environment.
Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net
On the issues
Name: Francis Mitchell (R)
Age: 70
Residence: Genoa
Occupation: Semi-retired accountant and store owner
Political experience: Cayuga County District 8 legislator, 2005-present
Name: Sjana McClure-Berry (D, I)
Age: 55
Residence: Genoa
Occupation: Organic crop farmer
Political experience: Candidate for Cayuga County District 8 legislator, 2005
What issue is the most critical for Cayuga County in 2008? How will you address it as a legislator?
Mitchell: I would like to get the accounting system revamped, definitely get the new software installed in the treasurer's office, definitely get to the point where we have cross reports that we can rely on and to work with making projections for proper budgeting the new software would have for multiple years of budgeting so you can actually plan for more than one year ahead which goes with the idea that I have that we need to look at things longer term ... I think ultimately it will save us money.
McClure-Berry: Property taxes ... I feel that at the county Legislature what you can do is bring about overall debates about state mandates instead of accepting the fact that our county budget is 50 percent social services and welfare. What I feel the Legislature should do is aggressively work on that.
How can the county improve on the property tax situation in southern Cayuga County?
Mitchell: The equalization rate has such a negative effect on the southern end of the county. My problem is that I have no control over the equalization rate, that is up to the state of New York and the local assessor ... A decrease in the equalization rate means that your tax rate is going to go up and you're going to be paying more if everybody else's equalization happened to go down and went down more percentage wise than you, you're still in good shape. But, that's not happening on the south end we are having on the average bigger decreases than the average of the county... this means that the towns and town taxes are going to play into this too ... the way to keep town taxes reduced is to have their requisite and legal share of the sales tax. therefore, I'm totally adverse to giving auburn more at this point ... I'm going to remain adamant that the city of Auburn not get more at the expense of my town.
McClure-Berry: The first thing would be to do a study that shows how property taxes are higher than people's incomes are. That way, you start with a number. Then you do a study to show exactly which property taxes are being taxed and what's off the books (tax exempt).
We have people putting up their houses for sale and moving because they can't pay their property taxes with the amount of money they make ... If you have facts and figures and understand what's being taxed and what's not, I think as a Legislator, you go to the state Assembly and ask them to reconsider (the equalization rates and exemption benefits) ...
Because the county has a manager that can take care of day-to-day operations, I think it's the responsibility Legislators to be leaders and bring these things to the state's attention with the facts and figures to back it up.
There's been some public outcry about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in the southern end of the county. What role, if any, should the county have in regulating CAFO's?
Mitchell: I'm on the Board of Health and quite frankly, I've had some questions there about what we should do and the feeling I got was that for a particular instance I can depend on the Board of Health to work with me in contacting and putting some pressure on the DEC. I think ultimately it comes back to environmental protection and if we all have our own program, it's going to really be confusing.
If there's some way we can assist in the implementing, I don't know ... right now we do have the mechanisms in place, is the DEC doing enough? I doubt it ... Now, the farmers are aware of this problem and they can solve a great deal of it themselves and I think you're going to see a lot more of that because there has been a human cry in the southern end of the county about this and it's not the smell, it's the sanitation.
I would prefer if it were done in cooperation and in realization that there are others out there. Which to me, farmers have been pretty responsible when they know the facts.
McClure-Berry: I feel that we really need a diversity of agriculture. As farmers ourselves, we're working with groups to try to get to where our products are paid for through the marketplace, not taxpayer subsidies, which is not a very good situation to any of us because our neighbors don't want to pay for our business and it's embarrassing to ask them.
My very specific fear is that a lot of the government welfare from the federal, state and local levels have gone to support the constantly expanding. So, the concept is that if your going to be a CAFO you have to constantly be expanding to make money ... With every dollar of subsidy or government welfare, you're not going to have an economy to scale ... The only thing that sustaining these very large farms that are contaminating wells is government welfare.
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