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In Our Opinion

‘Vacation Home’ Tax Is Not Such A Good Idea

Democrats are proposing to extend a bad idea in New York City into a bad idea statewide. Assemblyman Andrew Molitor, R-Westfield, and Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, have concerns about extending the proposed pied-à-terre from New York City to the rest of the state. We, too, have concerns. A quick examination of real estate sales transactions over the past couple of years shows only one sale that would qualify for the pied-à-terre as proposed by state Sen. Patricia Fahy. We do think that such a tax will have an impact on Chautauqua County at some point, though the effect likely ...

Pay Attention To Zoning For Clymer’s Commercial Farms

Clymer officials may be walking a tightrope as they consider a zoning update to deal with, among other things, commercial chicken barns. A Clymer resident spoke to Clymer Town Board members recently about commercial chicken barns that have begun popping up in Clymer and Sherman, including one on Upper Road in Clymer. Commercial chicken barns can be bigger than the chicken barns found on family farms, and the Clymer resident who spoke to the board was concerned about having a large barn built too close to his property line if a neighbor chooses to enter into a contract with a ...

Sex Offender Risk Classifications Should Be Revisited

Republicans in the state Assembly want to place all convicted sex offenders - even those classified as low risk of reoffending - on the state’s publicly searchable sex offender registry. Currently, only sex offenders classified as Levels 2 (moderate risk) or Level 3 (high risk) are listed on the publicly searchable areas of the database. The legislation, sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Angelino, R-Binghamton, has been publicly requested at least twice publicly by Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley in the wake of a case in Onondaga County after a man classified as a Level 1, low risk ...

Unpaid EMS Fees Are A Sign of Trouble

Two Chautauqua County fire districts not paying EMS fees billed by Chautauqua County isn’t a big deal - yet. County officials said in a news release recently that the county is taking steps to resolve unpaid fees owed by the Forestville and Frewsburg Fire Districts for Advanced Life Support ambulance intercepts. If payment agreements aren’t reached, the county may suspend some services provided in the areas. We hope it doesn’t get to that, though county officials said Forestville and Frewsburg fire district officials have hired attorneys after raising “novel constitutional ...

Tax Cap Overrides Here To Stay Until Changes Made

It should come as no surprise to city residents that the Jamestown City Council is likely to override the state’s 2% tax cap when it meets for its voting session in May. The end of American Rescue Plan Act funding removes an outside revenue sources that could have helped to eliminate a tax increase without dipping into the city’s surplus. In February, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $1.6 million in additional state aid for Jamestown as part of the state budget, but additional aid allocations aren’t always unrestricted aid - and that funding won’t be secured until Hochul and the ...

Regional Approach Needed For Deer Problem In City

To borrow from Ron Burgundy, we have a breaking and urgent news bulletin - Jamestown has a deer problem. Of course, anyone who lives in Jamestown knows this. And, as the four incumbents on the City Council know, trying to deal with the deer problem is a no-win situation. The council can’t get agreement amongst city residents that there even is a deer problem. Roughly half of the population is tired of the deer eating everything in sight or of dealing with the occasional diseased deer in their yard. Half of the city loves the deer, feeds the deer and generally encourages the deer ...