OWASCO - The town of Owasco went into streamline mode Thursday as the town council discussed some high-profile issues of recent years.

“We're trying to take a fresh look at everything,” said John Klink, town supervisor.

The issue of reassessment is high on their priority list, as Klink and Town Councilor Ed Wagner met with the Citizens Advisory Board Jan. 24 to examine the impact of reassessment.

“The school tax part was the most confusing,” Wagner said, “so we went to the Auburn school district to get an idea how school tax really works.”

But Wagner said he and Klink were confused when they left.

Wagner then noted that the town of Fleming's taxes are not based on full assessments.

“If Fleming and everyone else went to full assessment, it would lower the school tax for the people of Owasco,” he said.

“We are going to see if we can get our portion of the school tax lowered.”

Wagner said he also happens to be a taxpaying homeowner in Fleming, too.

“I'm going to be a pitbull and go after what I think is necessary,” he said

On March 2, the town will receive its equalization rate from the state. That rate is the ratio of total assessed value to the municipality's total market value. The town determines the assessed value, but the state estimates the market value. The closer the equalization rate is to 100 percent, the greater the sales tax portion is for state aid distributed in Owasco. If the town's equalization rate is close to 100 percent, residents pay lower tax rates per thousand dollars.

“Revaluation is not a done deal at all,” Klink said. “We are looking into how we can do things better, more efficiently, and cheaply.”

The town would like to establish forums so that people could see how evaluations are done. They want people to have an ongoing educational opportunity to get a basic idea of how houses are assessed.

Klink also attended a meeting related to storm water runoff at Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation with the regional Director of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Klink said that because of DEC budget cuts, the director has to cover 10 counties, creating a greater lag between the time builders apply for building permits and the DEC sends a letter to the developer, with 10 days to respond. Attaching a DEC template to a building permit to require the builder to agree to DEC regulations would allow the town to send its code enforcement officer and water inspector out to the building site to check and see if the developer is following the regulations.

“It's better for the environment, we have control, and it's better for the developer,” Klink said. “It's quicker, cleaner, and closer.”

The board is also looking into getting the town out of recycling and outsourcing it to a private hauler for curbside pickup. Advantages include: reduction in cost to taxpayers of between $200 and $300 per year; a savings in cost, gas, and time for those who use the recycling center; trash traffic reduced to one day a week; a possible tax write-off, and the recycling center could be used for other town business.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net