Board should pass measure

May 15, 2008 12:16 pm

— This week the Otsego County Intergovernmental Affairs Committee adopted a resolution that, for the first time, would provide county financial support to the village, whose residents and infrastructure pay the price of having hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

The measure would provide a total of $100,000 to the village. Half the funds would be used to provide some relief to village taxpayers, with the remainder going toward targeted tourism infrastructure projects.

“It is very clear that Cooperstown is the crownjewel in Otsego County tourism,” said committee chairman James V. Johnson, “and all of the residents of the county benefit from the visitors the village draws each year. It is only fitting that the County reinvest some of the tourism-related Occupancy Tax revenue to help relieve some of the financial burden to Cooperstown property tax payers.”

Mayor Carol Waller, who has gone to the county on numerous occasions in an attempt to get some financial assistance, said she was thrilled the county has come to recognize the important role the village plays in the county’s tourism economy.

``I hope it will be the beginning of a long-term partnership with the county,’’ Waller said. ``It’s a move in the right direction.’’ We couldn’t agree more.

The village and its attractions are responsible not just for drawing visitors to the county, but also for generating enormous amounts of sales and bed tax revenue for the county.

It only seems right that the village share in that revenue to relieve some of the burden tourism places on its infrastructure and the residents who pay for it.

But before that financial support becomes a reality, it must clear two more hurdles. The plan must be approved by the county’s Administration Committee and the full Board of Representatives.

We urge the committee and board to follow the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee’s lead and approve the measure.

And like the mayor, we also believe this should be the beginning of a partnership between the village and county that provides annual financial support for the community which plays such an important role in Otsego County tourism.