City of Cobleskill could cost C-R

12/1/2022

By Jim Poole

More questions than answers exist for Cobleskill-Richmondville if Cobleskill town and village merge to become a city.
Chief among those questions is whether C-R would have to switch from a central school district to a city district or enlarged city district.
Hired by the village, the Center for Governmental Research is studying a possible merger of the town and village to become a city.
CGR researchers met with school officials several weeks ago, and “they had more questions than answers,” said C-R Superintendent Matt Sickles.
The state could force C-R to become a city district if the City of Cobleskill became a reality, he added.
Complicating the issue is the fact that the last city formed in New York was Rye in 1942, “so there’s nobody in state government who has any experience with this,” Mr. Sickles said.
“Nobody around has been down this road before.”
Timing is an issue, also.
Local officials want to how if the state would force the switch before a public vote about city status––if the move gets that far.
On the other hand, Mr. Sickles said, the state might wait till city status is in place before making the decision.
“We don’t know if there are criteria in place [for switching to a city district] or if it’s a subjective decision,” Mr. Sickles said.
Mr. Sickles detailed several changes a city district would bring:
•A city district isn’t required to provide transportation for students, so voters would have to approve transportation every year.
•As a city district, C-R would have to reapply to join Capital Region BOCES, which provides many services.
•A city district can’t borrow as much money for capital projects as a central school district can.
•It’s unclear how switching to a city district would affect C-R’s state aid, a major funding source.
And since no city has been formed in 80 years, it’s also not clear what the positives might be for the school district.
Any changes happen only if C-R becomes a city district. Mayor Becky Terk, who started the city issue this summer, doesn’t think the state will force the switch.
She spoke with an attorney from the New York Conference of Mayors, “and he’s pretty sure that’s not the way it would go.”
“My gut feeling is that I don’t think they [the state] will go that way,” Mayor Terk added.
She pointed out that about half of the C-R district is outside the village and town, so the state might not force the city district switch.
Although Cobleskill would receive more county sales tax revenue as a city, how city status would affect C-R “is the biggest question,” she said.
“Nobody wants to hurt the school district,” Mr. Sickles added, agreeing that town and village officials are sensitive to C-R.
Both he and Mayor Terk said CGR’s study is ongoing, and there’s no final determination yet.
“We’re still in the fact-finding stage,” Mr. Sickles said.
CGR’s study will likely be done in late January, according to Mayor Terk.