On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Otsego County Board of Representatives unanimously approved a land survey of close to 387 acres of vacant farmland that the county wants to buy with an eye towards expanding county operations.
The land on County Highway 33W in Middlefield is mostly situated across from the Meadows office complex and the county correctional facility, with some land stretching behind the jail. The property, which is split into several parcels, is owned by Cooperstown Holstein Holding and totals 386.86 acres.
The county board unanimously approved the land purchase at its Nov. 5 meeting for $1.2 million, along with another $50,000 for incidental costs that may arise as part of the sale. According to the resolution, the county wants to build a new facility to consolidate operations on the site — part of a capital improvement plan that addressees aging and outdated county government buildings.
According to Daily Star archives, a building assessment study conducted by N.K. Bhandari Architecture & Engineering recommended modest to major renovations in several buildings — the county office building, courthouse, annex building, the old jail that houses personnel and the district attorney’s offices, the satellite offices in Oneonta, the Meadows complex and central kitchen — while several buildings in the highway department were deemed in need of either completed construction or demolition and replacement. There also have been numerous studies on the condition of the county jail.
The survey approved Wednesday comes before the land purchase is finalized. The board approved spending up to $30,000 for the survey and any related expenses, as well as waiving the process of obtaining three price quotes due to time constraints and the complexity of the project, according to the resolution.
The land borders the Susquehanna River and there are wetlands on the property.
Other business
In other business, County Court Judge John F. Lambert conducted the swearing in ceremony for all 14 board members at the start of the meeting. The board reelected Edwin Frazier, R-District 1, as board chairperson and Margaret Kennedy, R-District 5, as vice chairperson.
The board reappointed Steve Wilson as county administrator for a two-year term at a salary of $165,209, with two members voting no — Daniel Wilber, R-District 10, and Jennifer Mickle, R-District 6.
Wilson was absent from the meeting. He has been on medical leave since just before Thanksgiving, but has been performing some work remotely, said Allan Barnes, assistant to county administrator.
“In my 10 years on this board, I have never seen the budget process so complicated and convoluted,” Wilber said. “I think there’s a few here that have expressed that opinion. We expressed our concerns last year about this problem, and it got worse this year, I feel … I don’t believe that he follows the wishes of the board.”
Jill Basile, D-District 14, said that while she respect’s Wilber opinion, she felt the budget process and quarterly reviews of the budget from the county administrator’s office “have brought a lot of clarity” about what goes on during committee meetings pursuant to the budget.
“I can see how it is more complicated and probably more work for folks, but with new processes comes change and adaptation,” she said.
Andrew Marietta, D-District 8, said he believes the board “made a lot of strides in 2025 with improving and starting the implementation of the new strategic plan.”
“The county administrator has been instrumental in helping us tie that in with their budget process,” he said. “I think we have higher expectations going into the 2026 budget process.”
The board also got an earful from several members of the public who spoke in opposition to the county sheriff’s participation in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Warrant Service Officer Program, which allows the county to hold an incarcerated individual for an additional 48 hours so that ICE can pick them up. Jail supervisors are trained to be part of the program.