Legislator Crusades Against Rental Fees

by Steve Yablonski | February 18, 2019 8:11 pm

OSWEGO – A member of the Oswego County Legislature’s Minority Caucus attempted to have a resolution considered, that hadn’t first gone through the committee level, at February’s meeting

According to Legislator Dan Farfaglia (D – Fulton), the county charges municipalities rental fees when they borrow county-owned highway equipment.

At the recent legislature meeting, he sought to put forth a resolution that would abolish rental fees to use county highway equipment.

However, it never made it to the floor as a vote whether to waive the rules to bring it to a vote without committee consideration failed along party lines.

Several surrounding counties don’t charge a rental fee, and neither should Oswego, Farfaglia told Oswego County Today after the meeting.

“This has been going on for about four years now,” Farfaglia said. “We should fairly share our equipment like all the counties around us do.”

One legislator complained that he couldn’t understand what Farfaglia was saying, “Could we have that in writing or something?” he said.

“It’s right in front of you!” Farfaglia replied. The clerk of the legislature had passed out 25 copies of the proposed resolution.

Before the exchange could get heated any further, Chairman James Weaterup banged his gavel. “Let’s have a little decorum here folks,” he demanded. “We can get through this.”

Prior to the vote being taken (to waive the rules) Legislator Patrick Twiss (R – Oswego) said the county does offer equipment for use by municipalities.

“We just make sure that when it comes back that it’s in good shape. That’s all we’re asking,” he said. “There is a fee; that they know is there … I just want to point out that this is offered. That’s all I want to point out.”

“The resolution hasn’t made it to the floor. I suggest we don’t discuss the resolution any further until we vote whether to waive the rules,” Legislator Roy Reehil (R – Cleveland) interjected.

He’s not likely to raise the issue again, Farfaglia said.

“Our Caucus has tried working with them and we have been as diplomatic as possible. Even after the deceptions were discovered, we still took the high road,” Farfaglia said. “Since they won’t admit that the policy is wrong or even negotiate any sort of compromise, that motion was a Hail Mary Pass that we know wasn’t going to get us where we needed to. The counties around us do not engage in such nonsense. They all work together.”

“But the majority caucus members that voted not to waive the rules to allow us to fix this directly on the floor, voted to continue putting our municipalities and taxpayers at a disadvantage,” he added.

The Proposed Resolution

Resolution No. _________________
February 14, 2019
RESOLUTION REPEALING RESOLUTION 455 of 2014 REGARDING HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT RENTAL RATES
By Legislator Dan Farfaglia:
Resolution 455 of 2014 written below, is hereby nullified and instead, will be replaced with Inter-Municipal Agreements (composed at a later time) with the Cities, Towns and Villages and school districts within the border of Oswego County. These agreements are to be similar in language and structure to those which already exists in the New York counties of Jefferson, Cayuga, Lewis and Oneida.

Resolution 455 of 2014 which will be nullified, was approved on December 11th of that year and was written with the following language:
WHEREAS, the Highway Department recommends the establishment of a schedule of rental rates for heavy equipment, and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate that such rental rates be based on and periodically adjusted to match the New York State Equipment Rental Schedule,
NOW, THEREFORE with the recommendation of the Infrastructure, Facilities and Technology Committee of this Body, with the approval of the Finance & Personal Committee, be it
RESOLVED, that the schedule of rental rates as enumerated in attachment A to this resolution are hereby adopted.
Again, this resolution will be nullified by a majority vote of this Legislature.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/legislator-crusades-against-rental-fees/

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