Schuyler sees sales tax jump

Schuyler sees sales tax jump

SCHUYLER COUNTY--With schools out and summer in full swing, County Administrator Tim O'Hearn reported to the county legislature Monday, July 12, Schuyler County is on track to have a very strong year financially. O'Hearn reported the sales tax numbers for June were up 43 percent over the previous year and 20 percent higher for the year so far.
"The economy is (booming), all you need to do is walk down the street to see evidence of that, we seem to have bounced back very strongly," said O'Hearn.
In some instances, O'Hearn said the volume of new customers is more than some businesses can handle.
"Staffing is also a problem, so businesses are being forced to close certain days of the week... it's not unique to the county, it is...nationwide," O'Hearn mentioned.
The legislators agreed and said it is not uncommon for vehicle traffic in the village on a Monday this summer to match weekends from a previous year.
"The economy is really good," O'Hearn added.
While O'Hearn sounded a note of optimism economically, he reported the county department of health is encountering some challenges as it continues its mission to vaccinate everyone possible.
"There is some frustration on the public health's and the hospital's part because it is a lot of effort and work and there are not huge turnouts as you can see," O'Hearn said of recent COVID-19 vaccine clinics only generating numbers in the teens.
Even as the vaccination rate has slowed recently, the number of virus cases has continued to go down.
"We are at day five as of this morning with no new cases or hospitalizations... the lowest numbers in a year... the vaccine efforts continue to be aggressive," O'Hearn said.
Between two recent vaccination events, one which gave out beer and the other ice cream, O'Hearn said it was actually the one with the free ice cream which did better.
The legislature formally adopted the 2021 Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan unanimously despite some concern over how areas designated for protection were selected.
The plan, which is an update to the original 1999 "Schuyler County's Agricultural Expansion and Development Plan," was developed with grant funding from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The original plan had many of the goals and objectives completed so the Schuyler County Planning Department worked with the advisory committee, farmers and the public to update the document.
A copy of the protection plan is available at https://www.schuylercounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/9840/SchuylerCountyAgPlanDraft_3-18-21.