BY JIM AUSTIN
THE COOPERSTOWN CRIER
Joe Booan was sworn in at
noon Monday and later that
evening set an aggressive agenda
for the village during the board of
trustees’ annual reorganizational
meeting.
Before making the annual
appointments and designations,
Booan told board members he
wanted to ``define where we are
and where we want to go.’’
Booan said it is important to
``completely understand’’ the
village’s financial status as the
process of formulating a budget
for the coming year nears
completion. He said he met with
the village’s auditor to gain a better
understanding of that status
and will take over the budget
process.
``At this point, I will take control
of the budget process to date and
continue the hard work that the
trustees have begun to prepare a
budget for the fiscal year,’’ he said.
The recently completed
tentative budget calls for a three
percent increase in the tax rate
and will be the subject a public
hearing April 12.
``After speaking to the auditor,
it is my goal to try to keep
taxes in check and provide a
budget that reflects responsibility
in our current economic
climate. I will be working with
our treasurer and trustees over
the next few weeks to finalize a
budget that is appropriate for
our needs,’’ he told the board.
Booan also said he intends
to seek a collaborative partnership
with Otsego County Treasurer
Dan Crowell and to open
a dialogue with the county
and eventually other towns
to explore more cost effective
ways of delivering services.
``There is much work ahead
of us, but also much potential
opportunity,’’ he said.
Trustees will have their work
cut out for them on their board
and committee assignments.
Booan charged the trustees
with the goal of defining the
mission and setting priorities
for each of the committees
and boards.
``It is imperative that each
committee set both short- and
long-term goals; goals that
we are to accomplish within
the next three months, goals
that we want to have accomplished
by this time next year.
I will hold committees to these
goals and measured outcomes.
The mayor said he will provide
recommendations prior to
the initial meetings in an effort
to facilitate the process, which
he wants completed by the
June board meeting.
Committee and boards are
also being asked to compile an
updated inventory of assets,
their status, and plans to upgrade,
alter or improve them.
Each chair is expected to have
that report completed in July.
``All trustees must understand
our status to help participate
in meaningful conversations
about how to allocate
our resources,’’ he said.
Booan, who consolidated
some committees during the
reorganizational meeting
wants to continue to look
at the structure of village
government to determine if it
is the most efficient structure
or ``if we have continued
to create an expanding
bureaucracy that may have
lost its sense of mission, and
therefore has become less
effective.’’
In August, after the tasks
have been completed, Booan
wants to produce a ``state
of our village report’’ for
residents.
``It will be a summary of
where we are, and what direction
we hope to steer our
village,’’ he said.
