Cooperstown News Bureau

OTSEGO - The Otsego Town Board approved a 2003 budget Wednesday night that contains no tax increase, according to Supervisor Bill Gates.

A preliminary budget had raised the possibility of a tax increase of as much as 10 percent, but Gates proposed an amendment that the town delay buying a $100,000-plus dump truck and increase its estimates of how much sales tax revenue it would receive next year. Both the amendment and the budget as amended were approved by the town board.

The tax levy for the combined highway and general funds will be $806,925, down $2,900 from the 2002 levy. The combined highway and general funds budget for 2003 is $1,387,900. Budgets for special lighting and fire protection districts add another $141,000.

With the slight cut in the tax rate and a $1 million increase in the town's tax base, most taxpayers will see a small decrease in their town tax bills, he said.

"I'm very pleased we were able to come in with no tax increase, particularly with all the talk about a possible large increase from the county," said Gates, one day after the county board voted to increase taxes as much as 17 percent.

In recent weeks in the town of Otsego, there has been a debate about whether the town needs a new highway garage, Gates said.

"We have a garage that's very old and at first we thought we'd have to replace it," said Gates. Town officials were thinking they would build a garage on Cemetery Road, where the town already has a cold storage facility, he said.

This proposal disturbed some town residents, who believe the Cemetery Road site, near residences, is already over-used.

"There is some controversy about the Cemetery Road site, but our building has been there more than 20 years and we're not moving that," Gates said.

Jim Atwell of Fly Creek said several people in town question the need for a new highway garage, and don't believe the Cemetery Road site is appropriate.

"I think it was a bad idea to use the Cemetery Road site 30 years ago, but it was much smaller then and less congested," Atwell said.

Putting another highway building on this road now would be a mistake and might pose a danger to residents, including children, he said.

Gates said that any decision about the highway building is months off, and first the old building will be professionally assessed to see if it can be rehabilitated.