Offers made to the Village of Herkimer to proceed with new Correctional Facility

The Village of Herkimer has three offers on the table for the County to proceed with building a new correctional facility.

Despite those offers, County Chairman, Vincent Bono says they haven't heard from the Village Mayor or the Board of Trustees.

The County's been trying for fifteen years now to build a new correctional facility.

Offers were made with the Village of Herkimer in the past, but have been rejected.

Now, with a pending lawsuit, the County officials hope the project can move forward before it gets more costly.

Right now, it's costing Herkimer County a close to a million dollars a year to move inmates in and out of the County due to jail overcrowding.

As the County is pushing forward to build the new correctional facility along Route 28, at the former P & C site, the County Chairman says the Village of Herkimer is not in favor of building the facility there.

"The village is currently denying us the hook up to the sewer system and that has been coupled with the zoning issue put all into one lawsuit and we are waiting for a ruling from the judge," said Chairman Bono.

On top of denying the County a hook up to its sewer system for the new facility, the Village also enacted a law to re-zone the property the to halt the project says the Chairman.

"For quite a while it's been you're taking property tax, were losing sales tax, you're using more water... well if you look at those options I made them whole on the options. The property tax would be paid and same with the water sewer. "

There are currently three offers being made to the Village of Herkimer.

Chairman Bono says he hopes they can move forward with the project as soon as possible or else it can cost the taxpayers in the long run.

If the judge's ruling is in favor of the County, the chairman says the project has to be approved by the various committees and the Board of Legislators.

Chairman Bono says he expects to hear from the judge in the next thirty days.

HERE ARE THE OPTIONS OFFERED TO VILLAGE OF HERKIMER:

Option 1 is as follows:

- The $155,000 Sewer hookup fee to be paid by the County.

- The $133,000 Quackenbush Lawsuit to be dismissed by the County.

- Water and sewer rates that are to be paid for the jail will be similar to the Lowes Project.  That is 2.5 times the residential water rate and sewer rate to be paid at 1.75 times the residential sewer rate.  (approximately $60,000 annually.)

- A reinstatement of Herkimer's share of $300,000 of the sales tax distribution (approx $20,000 anually.)

-Help with engineering for College Hill flooding.

Option 2:

- A flat one million dollars will be paid to the Village throughout the building of the jail (with details to be worked out later on)

- The $155,000 Sewer hookup fee to be paid by the County.

- The $133,000 Quackenbush Lawsuit to be dismissed by the County.

- Help with engineering for College Hill flooding.

Option #3: 

- A flat $600,000 to be paid to the Village throughout the building of the jail.  

- A reinstatement of Herkimer's share of $300,000 of Sales tax revenues for the first 2 years (approximately $20k annually.)

-A reinstatement of Herkimer's share of $600,000 of Sales tax revenues for year 3 and beyond (Approximately 40k.)

- Help with engineering for College Hill flooding.

Initial offers of $400,000 and $800,000 were rejected by the Village previous to this offer.