‘Denied’ is the more common decision

By Dan Hust
MONTICELLO — May 4, 2010 — Legislators on Thursday unanimously agreed to accept the recommendation of a committee overseeing appeals of the controversial solid waste user fee.
More than 400 parcels were reviewed over the past two months by a group that included County Treasurer Ira Cohen, Deputy Treasurer Nancy Buck, Division of Public Works Commissioner Bob Meyer and Deputy County Manager Josh Potosek.
“We’re up to date as of this morning,” Cohen noted on Thursday, though property owners have until at least the end of June to appeal their fee(s).
Plus the committee has conducted more than a dozen face-to-face meetings with people who feel they were unfairly denied in the first round of denials issued a month ago. Cohen was sure more such meetings would take place after the latest denial letters reach their recipients.
And there will be plenty: the county will mail more than 230 denial letters this week, compared to just 70 approval letters.
Denials include a host of residents, several churches and businesses, and various non-profits and vacation/hunting clubs.
And not all of the approved appeals will result in the elimination of the user fee – about 18 properties will see reductions instead.
For example, the Cochecton Men’s Club bill will drop from $300 to $84.95, as will St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Narrowsburg and the Pentecostal House of Prayer in Monticello.
Still, this latest round of approvals means the county is giving back about $19,500 in user fees.