The seven-month soap opera that has been the Otsego County Board of Representatives’ struggle with property-tax increases is over. Property owners will receive their refunds, and a tired subject is laid to rest.

But it is not a time for celebration or relaxation. Rather, it is time to move on. This saga has left too many issues ignored by a disorganized and distracted board, issues that demand equal time in what is left of the year.

As for the refund vote itself, while there are legitimate concerns with the cost (including postage and Treasurer Myrna Thayne’s request for two employees), sending checks seems to be the least-problematic solution. More importantly, it is what the board promised its constituents long ago, and in a year when it can’t seem to do much right, it should at least be able to keep its word.

Yes, the postage isn’t free (and is 2 cents per check more than it would have been a couple of months ago). Yes, the county is likely to have shortfalls and emergencies to which the money could be directed. And at this point, one may argue that it would have been best to just deal with it in next year’s budget.

However, the refund has been about two things: righting an error and making a symbolic gesture to residents. The error is the tax hike. If the board truly wanted to collect the 22 percent increase, it should have planned to do so. But it did not, so that needed to be fixed.

The symbolic gesture is that the board will be accountable when it damages its relationship with constituents. Returning even the smallest amounts of money is the only option if the board is to retain any credibility. It is an election year, but the responsibility would exist in any year.

As for moving on, here are just a few things the board could address now that its members are through squabbling over and delaying the refunds:

Dealing with a potential shortfall in the Otsego Manor budget and deciding the fate of its suspended administrator;

Preparing for the tens of thousands who will need parking next month for the National Baseball Hall of Fame inductions;

Working with Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, to get the requested bed-tax increase through the state Senate;

Implementing a county-manager system;

Finding a way to co-exist with the county treasurer;

Creating a post-MOSA solution for its trash and recycling demands;

Striking a deal with the county’s largest union, where negotiations are at an impasse; and

Hiring a new code enforcement officer while considering salary issues brought up by the departing official.

Members of the board need to start acting like adults and get to work.