Busy County Neighbors, an October reminder: Be ready to participate fully in our democratic process.
These are some dates to keep in mind:
Oct. 8 is the last day to register in person at the Orleans County Election Office (14016 Route 31 West, Suite 140, Albion, NY 14411) or to postmark a mail-in registration to vote in the upcoming General Election. This is also the time you should think about being registered within whichever party you choose to be affiliated for June primary voting. Be ready to let your voice be heard through the June primary ballot boxes.
With a single Voter Registration Form (available at the County Election Office, or printable at (click here), whether already registered to vote or not, you can take care of any name or address changes as well as ensure you are registered in a way that allows your voice to be heard through the June primary ballot boxes.
In Orleans County, Oct. 23 – Oct. 31, we have the privilege of going to the Orleans County Election Office to cast our ballots for the “November 2” General Election, or we can go to our designated balloting site on November 2. There is plenty more information about all of this and options such as absentee voting at: (click here) and at (click here).
This above listed NY Political Calendar also provides dates such as the season for running for office. Now is the time to start talking with your town and county political party leaders if you are interested in running for office in November 2022!! The process of registering for placement on the June 2022 primary ballot will need to be complete in early February 2022.
Of note in the upcoming General Election, there are Statewide Ballot Proposals, details available here.
It’s crunch time. Politics and crazy proposals or science.
Alaska has joined Idaho and countless hospitals in low vaccinated states and declared statewide “crisis status.” Patients are being allowed to die without intervention!
People are: “More likely to die” no treatment; “Less likely to die” treatment; “Good enough” to go away and hope they do not die from lack of treatment.”
A year ago both the Finns and Israelis concurred that without a mask 21 feet was the safe radius. On April 27, 2021 Tucker Carlson encouraged viewers to confront mask wearers. Unlike most evening commentators, Carlson has a college degree but became a journalist after he was rejected by the CIA. He compares Covid to the flu. I note that as some here keep paraphrasing him.
But as of July 29th Johns Hopkins estimates that when dealing with the variants that respond to monoclonal antibodies – and I respect to people in the UD that have access to them – that the death rate is 10 times that of flu. (Several resistant variants “of concern” have been identified and the final number will takes years as the raging pandemic becomes an epidemic.)
Logically, since most deaths are now among unvaccinated Republicans (who increasing are coming to believe in the “big lie” about the insurrection and a danger to the Rule of Law) it’s interesting that Democrats seem disproportionately concerned about getting people vaccinated.
Legally requiring polio vaccine when there were lower standards was OK. Is Republican versus Democrat now worth betting one’s life to prove a point? (What point?)
As an employer I would never hire or keep anyone who could not solve this problem. As an employer and human being, I also want all to not only live but also get needed hospital care. Therefore, I sometimes wonder if some of these radio and TV personalities are actually captives of their listeners. Do they have to say what their listeners want to hear to keep their market share?
In fact, sticking with denial when hospitals are crumbling is not rational. It not even sane. All kids learn to reevaluate who is telling lies and who is actually being straight and their friends when they catch some making up stories out of thin air.
Now, today, the truth is Covid is a global problem and only Peru is doing worse per capita. Most countries figure they need 80% vaccinated. Not us.
Jimmy Kimmel has an easy solution – a crazy political solution – to clear out beds and solve the current crisis. It’s “no vaccination, no hospital admission.” The time is coming that uncaring hard-nosed solutions like that may be the rational.
Till then who lives and dies is a medical judgement. I hope we can keep it that way. Better yet I hope adults remember the lessons they learned about as children.
Congressman Chris Jacobs complains that President Joe Biden vaccine mandate “serves no public health interest and will only further divides an already fractured nation.”
More than 1,500 American citizens are dying every day because of Covid-19 and most people sick enough to be in the hospital and dying are unvaccinated.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) issued a “Crisis Standard of Care” for hospitals in their panhandle. DHW Director Dave Jeppensen issued the following statement: “Crisis standards of care is a last resort. It means we have exhausted our resources to the point that our healthcare systems are unable to provide the treatment and care we expect. The best tools we have to turn this around is for more people to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors and in outdoor crowded public places. Please choose to get vaccinated as soon as possible – it is your very best protection against being hospitalized from Covid-19.”
Hospitals in Florida and Texas are ordering mobile morgue units to handle overflow of dying patients. Waco Tribune-Herald reported, (8/25/21): “Local mortuaries have brought in a second mobile morgue to handle Covid-19 deaths, hospitals are short on nurses and Waco’s mayor is warning that the local health care system is near ‘the brink of collapse.’”
Hospitals are having to turn away patients with cardiac, pulmonary, kidney or other illnesses because all their bed are full of Covid-19 patient. The public health interest is served when hospitals are not over-crowed and resources are not exhausted.
Vaccines are safe and effective as Mr. Jacobs noted in his press release. The science is clear; masks work, vaccines work. There is no politics in the science.
I am sure the Mr. Jacobs cares about the health of his constituents but for some reason he must feel he can exploit the issue for political gains. That is very shameful.
In the Sept. 15, 2021 Washington Post, columnist David Von Drehle talked about how heroes like Jonas Salk, Sabin, Hilleman, Ruth Bishop and others changed our lives for the better by their invention of vaccines to eliminate encephalitis, Asian flu, measles, rubella, mumps, scarlet fever, polio, rotavirus and others.
How many of us would have died in our infancy if not for our state and federal governments declaring that the vaccinations were essential for our survival?
Von Drehle asked how many of us were born deaf and blind because of rubella, scarred by smallpox, paralyzed by polio or died at an early age because of tuberculosis. Probably very few of us, because we live in the age of vaccines.
I think he is correct in saying that vaccination today is not a choice, it is a responsibility.
Congressman Chris Jacobs is holding another phony phone town hall tonight (9/8/21). The idea is to have residents call into an event hosted by Mr. Jacobs and have Mr. Jacobs answer questions.
But based on past ones, this event will have callers pre-selected to have callers praise Mr. Jacobs and criticize Democrats. The entire event is staged as a love-in for Mr. Jacobs.
Why does Mr. Jacobs feel so insecure that he has to stage these love-ins instead of holding a genuine open town-hall meeting? Why is Mr. Jacobs so afraid of meeting his constituents?
I see that the Skate Park is now open and also know that there will be an official ribbon cutting ceremony this Saturday. What a wonderful addition to the Medina community.
I would like to commend the efforts of the Skate Committee, especially Alex Feig. Alex has given time/energy/money to this project. He has directly led the efforts these past few years to organize and fundraise this project.
Without his tireless efforts, we may not have such a beautiful site. Thank you, Alex, and the other members of the Medina Skate Committee. Just another reason why Medina is a great place to live.
As a former Orleans County public health nurse, I am concerned (like everybody else) about the Covid epidemic and the rising rate of cases in Orleans County.
I am especially worried for the elementary children, who will start school soon. They are not eligible to get their vaccine yet, and are therefore not protected. Our fully vaccinated rate is 45%, not even half of the population. August 16th the Pfizer vaccine was fully approved.
This is a good time to get your vaccine. The vaccine is available at pharmacies in Orleans County. The vaccine is free to you. There are no lines anymore either. Public Health also does vaccines on Thurs, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
More children are getting sick from the Delta variant. Please take the time soon to get your vaccine.
Thank you,
Rosanne Golden Leach and co-signed by Robert and Margaret Golden, Sister Dolores Ann O’Dowd, Gerard Morrisey, Grace and Gary Kent.
When I sent this letter to my brother to sign I remembered that our father wrote a letter to the editor at the beginning of the school year also. It was when I started kindergarten in 1947.
It was also a letter concerning personal responsibility to protect ourselves and others, especially little children when they start school. He was a captain in the police force in my hometown and the letter was asking people to be careful driving and watch for children.
Here’s that letter, which was printed locally in Elmira, NY, 9/6/47, but then traveled all over the country and was still being reprinted decades later, even in the Albion Advertiser 9/3/75.
It still applies today as does my plea for getting vaccinated and protecting children and their teachers and our health care workers:
Dad’s letter:
Dear Driver,
A few weeks ago, I saw a little girl struck by a car as she tried to cross the street. I saw a father race toward her and hold her to him as she struggled in the agony of death. I saw all the plans that have been made for her dashed and saw he look of despair that came over his face. I could only offer a prayer that such a thing might never happen again.
Today, my daughter, who is 6 years old, started off to school. Her cocker spaniel, whose name is Scoot, watched her leave and whined his belief in the folly of education.
Tonight we talked about school. She told me about the girl who sits in front of her, a girl with yellow curls, and about the boy across the aisle, who makes faces, about the teacher who has eyes in the back of her head, about the trees in the school yard and the big girl who does not believe in Santa Claus.
We talked about a lot of things—tremendously vital and unimportant things.
Now, as this is written, she is sound asleep with her doll “Paddy” in her arms.
When her doll gets broken or finger gets cut or her head gets bumped, I can fix them. But when she starts off to school—when she starts across the street—then Mr. or Mrs. Driver, she is in your hands.
Much as I wish I could, it’s not possible for me to be with her all the time. I have to work to pay for her home, her clothes and her education.
SO MR. DRIVER, please help me to look out for her. Please drive carefully. Please drive slowly past schools and at intersections. And please remember that sometimes children run from between parked cars.
Please don’t run over my little girl.
With deep thanks for whatever you can do for her, I am
Whether or not to get the vaccination jab is not a factual choice for those who are misinformed and afraid. But it also not freedom. It’s a moral decision.
The facts in favor the vaccine are endless if you do not get all you news from watching an admitted provocateur and dissembler like Tucker Carlson. But in addition the choice has a major moral – actually biblical – aspect that no one addresses.
Unlike the Spanish Flu which killed 50,000,000 and went away, Covid is developing variants that will stay. Covid, therefore will eventually turn from a an uncontrolled “pandemic” killing people worldwide into a persistent, but more manageable, “epidemic” since a portion will always die. It probably can not be wiped out like all the things I was vaccinated for standing in line as the school nurses administered the required shot each time science beat a new disease.
For vaccinated people (and all the unvaccinated people who survive) the quickest way to get our lives back is 1) for all to be quickly vaccinated or 2) for the unvaccinated to contract it and those who are going to die, die. The fact that the sooner the unvaccinated (but susceptible) die is one way to demonstrate that taking the jab has a moral dimension.
The other way of proving that taking the jab is a moral choice is to realize the plain fact that Covid’s spread is outpacing vaccine production worldwide. (The fact that this means as we so often hear that more variants will come back to try to get us as second time is not the point.) The point is that decision to not vaccinate when it’s there to take is immoral because it means the virus will spread faster and infect more people who are waiting and wanting the vaccine will die as they wait.
Till there is vaccine for all those that want it and die are victims due to the lack of morality and risk tolerance of the anti-vax people who justify endangering others as an exercise of independence.
The plain fact is that if the issue is independence and not death of other people, the time to exercise independence is when it’s time for a booster or treatment. Refuse either or both then.
Right now helping to slow this monster down is the only moral choice. For some it means overcoming fear. For some it means that just like not running a red light, they do what is safe for all. Either way, all ways, it’s time to take the jab.
On Aug. 24, 2021 Congressman Chris Jacobs voted against H.R. 4, the John Lewis Act which would allow the Department of Justice to prevent states from restricting voting. Republicans claim that H.R.4 would federalize elections. The Hill wrote, (8/23/21): “The GOP lawmakers wrote that the legislation ‘would federalize our election system, give more power to unelected career bureaucrats in Washington, and unconstitutionally erode the ability of states to oversee elections.’”
Republicans went after states and cities that had the temerity to offer sanctuary status to undocumented people, despite the fact that these measures made their cities safer. There was no claims of State’s Rights when the Trump administration sent in un-marked officers to Portland, Oregon over the objections of both the mayor and governor.
Mr. Jacobs had no problem trying to disenfranchise millions of citizens when he voted not to certify the election of Arizona and Pennsylvania, even though those states had certified their states election as free and fair. Republicans’ claim of State’s Rights is just too convenient.
Beyond this is the 15th Amendment to the Constitution which states: “1) The rights of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 2) The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
New voting laws in many states would make voting much more difficult for minorities. Putting barriers in places to ensure long lines and inconveniences to limit participation in our democracy is abridging people right to vote.
Mr. Cropsey, Australia is being run by leaders on a similar scale of incompetence and ignorance the likes of what the bumbling Biden administration is doing here. The people there actually despise what their government is doing to them.
You seem to enjoy government putting its boot on the throats of its citizens. It must sadden you Cuomo has left. Australia, unlike “We the People,” doesn’t have a US Constitution, the Bill of rights and a Declaration of Independence that enshrines that our rights are natural, given to us from God and not from government. That we are free men. It is bred into us at birth as Americans. Defiance is our best virtue. As far as I know the Constitution has not been suspended because of this pandemic that 99.5 percent of people survive from if it is contracted.
Tucker Carlson and Fox News won the frivolous case. They won because people in your profession made the laws that not only pertain to Mr. Carlson but all opinion commentators. Because you choose not to believe what was said in the clip I posted does not make it untrue. That is your bias and you are usually wrong. You believed that Joe Biden would be a good President and that Kamala Harris was a great pick for vice president. They are both failures. You believe the lies that the Democratic Party spoon feeds them daily.
Mr. Cropsey you ignored me because you knew that intellectually, politically, you could never match wits with me. There are so many more important things going on in Orleans County than to refute your letters. Like the Town of Yates spending 2,500 dollars for a study and moving forward on a 20 million dollar Bio-Digester project while not ever informing the citizens or asking the farmers first if it is something they would want or would be interested in. A year this has been in the making. Just think this is more important than playing a game of whack-a-mole with a Mr. Cropsey letter.
Paul Lauricella
Yates
Lauricella is Conservative Party chairman in Orleans County.
So I’m writing this wondering why our past governor was allowed to mandate health care workers to have a Covid vaccine or lose their jobs. And now Covid cases are climbing and there’s already a shortage of health care workers and our new governor doesn’t have enough sense to rescind that mandate.
Who is going to take care of these patients if we fire health care workers for not wanting to get the shot? We are still a free nation, I thought. Several of my family members are in the health care profession and when they go to work they still have to have their temperatures taken when they go in, wear a mask, wear a gown with Covid positive patients and if they’re not vaccinated they have to be tested once a week.
They do more than most people do to protect themselves and their patients. And now to be told to get a shot or you will be terminated is insane and unfair. Let’s put more people out of work. But wait. If they don’t get a shot and get terminated they can’t collect unemployment.
Hmm, seems like the ones that want to work are being punished for standing up their right to say no. Now I chose to get the shot as did my wife who is a nurse but the key word is chose to. Should people be vaccinated? Probably. But if they choose not to I would hope that they are smart enough to stay safe, mask up and get tested if they don’t feel well.
Governor Cuomo should not have been able to make such a law when he was on his way out and probably should have not been left in office for 2 weeks to make stupid decisions like that. Wake up Albany.
Is this a battle of power, knowledge, wills or fears? To many it is one or all of these. But truly for those that are Vaxed and unVaxed it seems to be becoming a matter of principle.
In a land governed under the principles of liberty and freedom, it seems a bit unsettling when those that we trust with our liberties are now saying phrases like “screw people’s freedom.” There are some citizens of this great country who applaud that sentiment.
Thankfully there are those that do not, both Vaxed and unVaxed. Common ground to be proud of, the respect for freedom of choice. Not sure how my grandfather, who was shot twice in WWII, would feel about depriving people of their freedoms. I wish I could ask him. What do you think he would say? Fighting for freedom changed the course of his life.
I will not be so self-righteous to try to presume, but many people are feeling very self-righteous these days. They don’t care to listen; they only want to be heard. They don’t want to support; they want to shame. They don’t want to comfort; they want to bully.
The Vaxed believe it is best for them to have the vaccine. It is a matter of self-preservation for the Vaxed. They waited in anticipation so they could get to living again. It allows them a sense of self-preservation because they have faith, they are decreasing their odds of becoming very ill if they contract the virus. Take comfort in knowing that if you believe in the vaccine, then you have done your part. The risk is now with the unVaxed.
For the unVaxed it is a complicated mix of why this path was chosen. For most it was not a fly-by-night decision. A lot of research and thought was put into it. At first it was because of fear, mistrust, and uncertainty. The fear of the vaccine is just as powerful as the fear of the virus.
The last 16 months have been filled with misinformation and constant threat to freedom of choice. It is hard to trust in the motivations of those pulling the strings of Covid mandates because they are politicians. To the unVaxed it is an overstep for politicians to be denying freedoms and creating mandates, all the while threatening to take away their financial security if they don’t step in line.
If you believe that the Vaxed have certain short-term securities, then you must know that the risk is with the unVaxed. Who with their freedom of choice have chosen to take that risk. The belief it is better to face the reality of what is known, than the reality of what has not yet been proven. Science shows that surviving the virus is 98.2% or better, especially if you are healthy and not in the top risk of America’s #1 health crisis, which is obesity.
We each have freedom to choose what we do to our bodies, whether it be unVaxed, eat donuts and French fries all day, smoke, drink or whatever. This issue of the Vaxed Vs. the unVaxed is not political for citizens, just politicians and the media. Citizens from both sides of the political spectrum are choosing Vaxed or unVaxed and it does not fall down party lines. Politicians and media want you to think that so they can continue to divide.
The real kick in the pants is when a free country feels it has the right to withhold money to demand you step in line. The unVaxed and many Vaxed can agree this is not something a free society does. At that point it almost becomes a matter of principle. People are hypersensitive to all actions that feel as though they are threatening freedom and replacing it with mandates.
The term “Super Spreader” is now the vernacular of those who want to keep you fearful. Unfortunately, our elected have failed all of us, by pitting us all against each other and making this about money. Money for pharmaceuticals, money in their pockets and taking money from those honest tax-paying citizens who won’t step in line. Instead of trying to understand the unVaxed, they are trying to put the boot of pressure on their thoughts and wallets, which will unfortunately make many dig their heels in.
I have had conversations with Vaxed who have received harsh criticism by their family because their families are afraid of the long-term vaccine effects. To them, I said, be at peace with your choices and don’t let others put shame upon you or make you doubt your choices.
I have had conversations with the unVaxed who have received harsh criticism because people are telling them they irresponsible and selfish. To them, I said, be at peace with your choices and don’t let others put shame upon you or make you doubt your choices. Free people need to make personal choices without fear of social and/or economic backlash.
But in the end the risks we take must be of our own choosing in a land of freedom and liberty. Don’t allow anyone to make you feel shame for your personal decisions. Be proud of yours and stand up for your convictions, even when others try to put doubt in your heart and minds, Vaxed or unVaxed.
Here in the United States some of us have a rich tradition of doing whatever we can get away with. One of our senior gas customers told us that traffic was backed up for twenty miles in Florida at 5 p.m. on election day 1996. According to her, it was all about making it more difficult for working people to vote, regardless of color.
Mr. Trump, a hero to some, has made it quite the rage again to act on our impulses. January 6th and what he told Billy Bush before his electoral college victory in 2016 were just the tip of the iceberg.
Not paying your taxes or, for that matter, those who build your casinos is consistent with getting away with whatever you can. Sometimes all you need is nerve and a fancy lawyer.
Perhaps if we make a big enough commotion about how we are free people we can ignore election outcomes, do what we like to those who may believe they do not have a voice, discount climate change and resist any further responsibility to our fellow citizens to get vaccinated and wear masks.
No, the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution should not be taken to deny or disparage others. But neither does the Ninth Amendment give us license to do whatever we please, even if some of us would apparently like to think it does.
Heck, if our freedom loving ancestors had been encouraged by “leaders” such as some of those we have lurking around today, they might have resisted the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment. What did our sixteenth President know anyway?
Demagogues such as Mr. Trump, Senator Cruz, Governor De Santis and others seem to believe living free is synonymous with doing whatever you like without regard for the consequences to others.
Why not let it devolve into every man for himself? Doesn’t it make sense that our relationships with our fellow humans should be so misguided? Hopefully no one reading this believes such nonsense has a happy ending.
It has become an article of faith that the reason businesses can not find workers is because of the federal unemployment benefits.
Congressman Jacobs has even offered legislation to cut benefits in the belief that cutting benefits would force people back to work. It is just silly to think that earning poverty wages is keeping people out of the job market.
Why is it that people think that giving someone poverty wages discourages work yet giving millions to businesses in the form of tax breaks etc. does not discourage work? Furthermore, there are multiple studies that dispute this claim.
Last Friday, (8/20/21), the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics showed that states that cut off unemployment benefits have experienced job growth similar to or worse than states that retained unemployment benefits. In other words the unemployment benefits did not affect people returning to work.
Hospitality and leisure section employment also did not improve when benefits were cut. According to the Labor Department data the five states with the fastest job growth have all retained some of the federal benefits.
A recent study by Arindrajit Dube, et al. found that by cutting off benefits workers spent about $145 less a week which puts less money into local economy. Thus, the unemployment benefits bolster consumer demand, increase business activity and help the our local small town economies.
Let’s dispel the myth that the American Rescue Plan’s unemployment benefits are hurting employment and the local economy.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 24 August 2021 at 1:23 pm
Photo by Tom Rivers: Kathy Hochul is shown at the Erie Canal in Albion in this photo from 2012 when she represented the community in Congress. Hochul is very familiar with the local small towns and many of the elected officials.
Kathy Hochul takes the reins as governor of the state today. She is facing major challenges on many fronts, including the reopening of schools in a safe manner during the Covid pandemic.
Many businesses still are reeling from the pandemic and state-imposed restrictions last year. The economy has been battered, especially in New York City which is fueled by so many tourists and the travel industry.
The rural areas of the state are seeing a major population exodus. Orleans County is down 5.9 percent of its population from 2010 t0 2020, or a drop of 2,540 people from 42,883 in 2010 to 40,343 in 2020. The percentage loss is the steepest in Western New York and among the highest in the state, where 39 out of 62 counties lost population, despite an overall increase of population of nearly 800,000 in the state. Those gains were mainly in the bigger counties.
Hochul will give an address at 3 p.m. today, outlining her priorities as governor. She won’t have much of a grace period. She is filling out a term that ends in about 16 months on Dec. 31, 2022. The gubernatorial race has already kicked into gear for next year. Hochul is the 57th governor in the past 244 years and the first woman.
She is also a rare statewide official from Upstate New York, and even more rare are her connections and knowledge of small town New York.
Soon after she became lieutenant governor in January 2015, Hochul reached out to me to talk about Orleans County. We met at the Village House in Albion. She meets with many people in diners across the state.
My top issue for her to consider was the gross disparity in AIM funding, or Aid and Incentives to Municipalities. The Orleans Hub has written about this often with charts showing how little local villages receive compared to cities, despite offering similar services. (Click here to see a previous article about the AIM disparity.)
Villages with police and fire departments receive about $7 per capita in AIM, while cities with similar levels of services receive well over $100. In Buffalo’s case, the per capita aid is over $600. In the Village of Albion, it’s $6.41, about 1 percent of what Buffalo gets. Bumping the villages up to $100 per person in AIM funding would result in about a 20 to 25 percent tax reduction for the local villages.
The AIM rates should be tied to a level of services offered by a village or town, and should also consider a community’s wealth. The state ties its school aid to a community wealth ratio. If it did in a similar way with AIM, our most poverty-stricken areas – the villages – would get significant relief.
The AIM distribution hasn’t improved for towns and villages under the Cuomo Adminsitriation. In fact, he made it worse by grabbing some of the sales tax from counties and using that to pay part of the town and village AIM share, instead of using state funds. In this case he robbed from the poor to pay the destitute.
I’ve brought AIM up to Hochul other times over the years when she makes local appearances. She has cited state attention for the small towns through the $750 million annually available through the regional economic development councils. Some of that money includes $10 million for downtowns on an upswing. Medina has tried for this grant several times but has been denied so far.
The regional economic development grants are a competitive process, with communities vying against each other for the money. The grants tend to go to wealthier municipalities which have an army of city managers, economic development specialists, grant writers and in-house engineers. They can put together more compelling aplications.
In Orleans County, none of the villages or towns have administrators or dedicated economic development staff. The county as a whole has a staff of three working on attracting and retaining businesses. The regional economic development councils have favored the communities with more resources.
A simple way to helping the small towns would be giving them more AIM funding, at levels close to what the cities are getting.
Just look at the villages of Albion and Medina. In the 2010 census Albion had 6,056 people and Medina was at 6,065. Albion receives $38,811 in AIM or $6.41 per capita. Medina gets $45,523 or $7.51 per person.
The City of Sherrill, the state’s smallest city with 3,071 people in Oneida County, receives $372,689 or $121.35 per capita. Another small city, Salamanca in Cattaraugus County, gets $928,131 for a city of 5,815 people or $159.61 per capita.
Orleans County has the added disadvantage of not having a city in the county so none of our municipalities get propped up by the state with AIM funding. That hurts us when all of the neighboring counties have at least one city, where the property taxes are much lower than in our villages, mainly due to the state’s AIM formula.
This is an issue that should be near the top of the agenda for Hochul if she wants to help give the villages and smaller counties a fighting chance.
