More clear bag county talk

Tax exemptions pursued

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — The supervisors of the 15 towns in Sullivan County are opposed to the mandatory use of clear plastic bags at the landfill. That was the message John LiGreci, supervisor of Lumberland and chairman of the Sullivan County Supervisors Association, brought to the county legislature on September 11.

LiGreci said seven of the town supervisors attended a meeting that addressed the matter and all were opposed to the clear plastic bag proposal. Lawmakers have been discussing the use of clear plastic bags as a means of facilitating stricter enforcement of the county’s recycling laws at a time when the landfill is quickly running out of space.

LiGreci said a mandatory clear bag policy would place a burden on residents. He suggested, however, that an incentive could be developed, such as charging a bit less to accept a clear bag than the $2.50 required to unload a black plastic bag at the landfill.

County manager David Fanslau responded that, because the landfill is costing the county $3 million per year, any incentive plan should raise the cost of unloading a black bag, while allowing the cost of a clear bag to be less.

No decision was made. But with 18 months of capacity left in the landfill, the county will likely be making many important decisions regarding the landfill within the next few months.

Taxing nonprofits

Also at the government center on September 11, county treasurer Ira Cohen and deputy treasurer Nancy Buck reported to work for the first time since both underwent surgery in late August to transfer one of Buck’s kidneys to Cohen.

Cohen addressed lawmakers about the Gurdjieff Foundation, which has made an arrangement with the Town of Tusten to provide a payment in lieu of taxes, but has made no such arrangement with the county or with the Sullivan West School District. County attorney Sam Yasgur said that after reviewing the agreement Gurdjieff signed with Tusten, there was no reason for him to call the town because it was clear that the town had entered into a five-year agreement with the foundation.

Cohen said the county’s choices now were to do nothing and accept the situation as is or to go to court. Legislators are expected to take up the matter again soon.

On another matter involving Gurdjieff, Cohen said the organization had not been paying room taxes for 10 years and that he and other officials believe the foundation is required to. He said the rules regarding room-tax exemptions are much more clear and favorable to the county than those regarding real estate tax exemptions. He said he had scheduled a hearing for Gurdjieff officials for September 19.

A separate issue regarding tax-exempt properties, this one regarding gas drilling, was also discussed. Yasgur said that the owners of a 1,000-acre property with a religious exemption were in the process of entering into a lease agreement with a gas-drilling company. Because this was likely to result in a large amount of income, including, perhaps, as much as a $2.5 million signing bonus, and because gas drilling is not a tax-exempt activity, Yasgur said, “it is likely that the property will be returned to the tax rolls.”