Sept. 25, 2026: Scolding for a supervisor, budget woes in Colchester, crossing a closed bridge, and more
•Andrew Kantor
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Budget season is starting, and already at least one town is looking at a mess for next year, while the county has a tough decision to make. Meanwhile one supervisor dodged an ethics complaint (mostly), while motorcyclists are surprised to find that a historic (an historic?) bridge is closed. All in a week for Delaware County!
Written and produced in Sidney, NY, by Andrew Kantor.
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This is the Delaware County Newscast with a bit of the most interesting news from around the county this week. I'm Andrew Cantor. A Hancock Ethics Board found that Supervisor Jerry Vernald only committed a minor ethics violation because of a letter he wrote. Apparently, Vernald sent the letter to the county's Republican committee asking that a committee member be removed. Problem is he wrote it on Town Letterhead and he wrote it as Hancock Town Supervisor. But the ethics board said the only thing Vernald really did wrong was use municipal resources for private purposes. He wasn't seeking any material gain. It recommended Vernald not be punished, but he should think about what he's done and make sure not to do it again. It's budget season when local governments and residents deal with the fact that if you want things like paved roads, teachers, fuel for your trucks, you have to pay for them. Colchester is already in trouble for 2027. Healthcare costs are up, diesel prices are way up, highway employees are getting a big raise next year, and other employees would probably like a raise too. And the town's fleet of aging diesel trucks are in desperate need of repairs. The result? Colchester is looking at something like a 9.2% jump in expenses next year, and the general fund is pretty depleted. That means raising taxes or cutting services either now or later. No fun. We wish them luck making that decision. Meanwhile, at the county level, officials are trying to figure out how much to budget for mental health treatment for prisoners awaiting trial. See, state law requires counties to pay for that treatment for people in jail when they are mentally unfit to stand trial, and that can cost a lot. Or not. This year, so far, the county has spent a little less than a hundred grand on 730 cases. Not too bad. But last year the bill was almost $900,000. So what do you budget for if you're a county supervisor? It's kind of a roll of the dice. So we wish them luck too. The Downsville Covered Bridge is still closed to vehicles because it's not safe, but it's listed on the Backcountry Discovery Routes Network, which motorcyclists use to find cool stuff to see. So the bikers, they get to the bridge, they see it's closed, and sometimes they go over it anyway because pedestrian traffic is still allowed. Officials are hoping it'll be temporarily repaired before winter, but until then, motorcyclists are taking their lives into their own handlebars if they cross it. And there you have it, some of the most interesting news to come out of Delaware County this week. You can always find us at Delkonewscast.com. I'm Andrew Cantor. See you next time.