Oneonta Mayor Dan Buttermann emphasized the importance of city partnerships during his State of the City address at the Tuesday, March 3 Common Council meeting.
Buttermann, who has lived in Oneonta since 2011 and was elected mayor in November, said his role shares certain characteristics with that of a consultant. His job is to “lead the way,” he said.
Toward the start of the address — the entirety of which lasted about 10 minutes — he said one of his main focuses as mayor would be to drive city partnerships, which are “critical in Oneonta for our long term success.”
He said the city needs to prioritize partnerships with organizations centered around attracting visitors to the community, like summer tourists or students.
“Oneonta, in my view, is the hub of central New York,” Buttermann said. “If you put Oneonta in the middle of a map, there are almost 400,000 people within a radius of 45 miles, or essentially between us and Utica or Binghamton.”
In a radius of about 30 miles, there are about 140,000 people nearby, Buttermann said. He said this poses Oneonta as a city with potential to be the “option for commerce and quality of life” outside of these other urban areas.
He added that he has heard Oneonta is “viewed negatively as a place for development.” While it is not his own view, Buttermann said, if others that may do business with the city are under this impression, it is imperative that the city flips that perspective.
“Partnerships will help us change the narrative and showcase our ability to build a collaborative environment that others will want to be a part of,” Buttermann said.
SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College each have off-campus, satellite-style locations in the city — SUNY Oneonta’s ExCL Center and the Hartwick Baking Innovation Lab. He said partnerships with the colleges show prospective students and their families that their “student will be well served when they choose Oneonta.”
Other partnerships can be made with the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, the County of Otsego Industrial Development Agency, Bassett Healthcare Network, Cooperstown All Star Village and the Albert S. Nader Regional Airport, Buttermann said.
Costs associated with administering the city budget will continue to rise, he added. To ensure the city has its best people “on the job,” Buttermann said, it will need to act competitively within the labor market and “enhance its revenue channels.” He said occupancy tax, which still requires state legislature approval, could generate between $300,000 and $400,000 annually.
He said at his community conversation at the Elks Lodge Sunday, Feb. 22 — which was the first of four planned this year — he was reminded that the city is slated to host to a statewide event, New York State History Day at SUNY Oneonta, which often goes primarily unnoticed.
Buttermann said the city can help its business community. Its work with Otsego Media for city marketing purposes could continue to lead to growth, he said, but the partnership only started last year. Buttermann said the city would need to continue with the partnership to see its longer term value.
If the city can host events that draw visitors, like History Day, the visitors could then help to support local merchants in downtown Oneonta, Buttermann said.
The city’s strategic plan is a necessary tool to move the city toward its goals, he added. Buttermann said he would “pursue such partnerships consistent with the strategic plan.”
At the start of the year, Buttermann made some revisions to the city committee structure, introducing the addition of the Communications and Negotiations committees, the removal of the Community Wellness Committee and the revision of the Budget Review Committee to the Budget Reviewing and Strategic Planning Committee.
He said that while it may need some adjustments, he hopes these changes will help to push the city toward more impactful partnerships.
“Our community resilience is strong,” Buttermann said. “It is in the foundations of who we are. It comes from the people that live here today, those that have come before us, and each has brought their ambition, their grit and their passion for progress.”