Should Seneca County share sales tax with towns and villages?
That question has meandered around the County’s board of supervisors, sparking debate every few years. The most-recent effort, which has played out over the last several months, has been led by Supervisors Kyle Barnart (Lodi), Joe Borst (Ovid), and Dave Hayes (Romulus).
A resolution will go before the Ways & Means committee at Tuesday’s meeting, which is slated to start at 5:30 p.m.
That resolution, if approved first by committee, then by the full-board would share 10% of the county’s sales tax revenue to towns and villages based on actual assessed value.
The estimated amount shared in 2023 under the proposal would be approximately $3 million, which would be vital funding for towns and villages.
If approved by committee and full-board, the County Manager and County Attorney would develop all legally required documents to make the sales tax sharing plan official.
The entire debate around sales tax sharing comes as towns and villages across Seneca County face pending expenses associated with aging infrastructure, state mandates, and more.
Earlier this month, the supervisors voted to postpone a resolution that would’ve granted $10,000 to the Town of Covert to support operation of Camp Barton. Camp Barton, located on the western shore of Cayuga Lake, is currently being sold by the Baden Powell Council of the Boy Scouts of America, based in Binghamton.
It’s unclear how this resolution, if approved completely, would impact requests like that for Barton.
You can watch the committee meetings on Tuesday here:
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