NORWICH – Asking taxpayers to pay for a portion of Chenango County’s code enforcement efforts doesn’t sit well with at least one town supervisor, but despite his lengthy and often personal objections last week, Town of Pharsalia Supervisor Dennis Brown was outvoted.

Finance Committee members representing the towns of Greene, Guilford, and Lincklaen voted to place whatever balance is not covered by fees collected in the department onto the 2008 general levy. Permit fees have traditionally covered the department’s personnel and operating expenses.

Finance Committee Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford, sided with Brown on several points, but did not vote on the measure. Chairman are only required to vote in the case of a tie.

Wilcox urged the department to concentrate on completing the more than 882 fire inspections outstanding in order to cover the approximately $37,000 shortfall anticipated by year’s end.

Armed with a national magazine survey that showed most county level code enforcement offices receive 75 percent of their operating budgets from permits fees and 25 percent from the levy, Chenango County Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Bates deflected the committee’s questions for more than 45 minutes.

At issue were complaints Brown said he had received from horse barn owners who said codes officers were investigating their properties without permission and were often rude. Bates pointed out that owning a horse for recreational purposes does not necessarily qualify a person for an agricultural exemption.