Municipalities See Increase in County Sales Tax Revenue

Schoharie County's twenty-two municipalities are set to receive $171,467.53 in sales tax revenue after Supervisors voted to distribute the county's first quarter receipts Friday evening. The revenue is allocated based off of the respective town and village government's 2014 assessment value. 

Friday's allocated shares represent a $12,000 (7.5%) increase for local municipalities over the same period last year, when only $159,610.62 was dispersed by the County Treasurer's office. 

Although most municipalities remained stable in sales tax revenue brought in, the Town of Gilboa saw a 33% increase, or $6,000 additional in their share, due in large part to the Gilboa Dam receiving a higher assessment this past year. The Village of Esperance, meanwhile, will take home only $981.91.

Controversy has surrounded the county's decision to distribute the revenue based on assessment value, as former Cobleskill Town Supervisor Tom Murray maintained that method of allocation was unfair to the county's largest municipality, because "Cobleskill is the engine that drives everything." 

Prior to this quarter the Village of Cobleskill had always received the highest amount in county sales tax revenue, but fell behind the Town of Gilboa in the latest apportionment of funds, because of the small community's recent increase in assessment value that pushed them above the economic hub.