Staff Writer

COOPERSTOWN — By raising sales tax to 8 percent, Otsego County Representatives managed to reinstate jobs and lower the tax levy hike to 11.57 percent Wednesday night.

That's a decrease from last week, when the board voted to raise property taxes 15 percent to 17 percent.

Board Chairman Carl Higgins, R-Edmeston, said the revised budget reinstates a variety of jobs previously cut.

Increasing Medicaid and health-care costs have caused the board to struggle with cutting the 2003 budget without laying off county workers.

Board members Donald Lindberg, R-Worcester, and Michael Swiderski, R-Oneonta, voted against Wednesday's proposal, saying they wanted to examine the possibility of cutting the reinstated jobs to further lower the levy.

"What's the sense of doing all that work if we're just going to put them all back in?" Lindberg asked Higgins.

Higgins replied that jobs should only be cut as a last resort.

"If we can devise a way to maintain your employment and still get your (budget) cuts in, you should," Higgins said.

Earlier this year, the board asked county departments to cut expenses, and instilled a hiring freeze.

Wednesday night's budget maintains the freeze, but cuts no filled positions.

Reinstated positions include one welfare fraud investigator, one assistant district attorney, one assistant public defender and a keyboard specialist in the highway department.

Rep. Cathy Rothenberger, D-Oneonta, said all county departments should be examined, and reorganized if necessary during the first quarter of 2003 to determine what is necessary.

"This gives us the opportunity to methodically affect change for future budgets," she said.

Rep. Charles Bateman, R-Cooperstown, who proposed the 1 percent sales tax increase, said the extra funds could give the county $4 million a year.

Rep. Gregory Relic, R-Unadilla, proposed raising taxes 14 percent to create more of a fund reserve, but other representatives voted the motion down.

Earlier in the meeting, board members responded to social services Commissioner Charles Christman's plea to fill three county positions that are only funded through December.

Social Services needs two Medicaid examiners — to process 510 cases — and one caseworker, Christman said.

Higgins disagreed, saying, "I think you are one of the most overstaffed employers in the state."

Representatives voted to fill one examiner position but cut an employee training position.

A public hearing to present the budget is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2.