NORWICH – Chenango County’s contribution from reserves to support the highway department has fallen off over the past five years by $1 million – from $9.6 in 2005 to $8.6 in 2010.

Consequently, the amount of highway surplus applied to meet equipment purchases and other needs has increased over the same time period.

Department of Public Works Director Randy Gibbon provided the statistics to his standing committee Thursday. He said the department “just doesn’t have the funding we used to have,” and sometimes stone and oil or other work projects have to stop for lack of cash flow.

Reimbursements from the state are very late, he said, or don’t come at all.

“I know everybody says this isn’t so, but your towns have better equipment than the county does right now,” he told the committee’s supervisors.

“I wouldn’t say that,” said Town of McDonough Supervisor Arrington Canor. Several committee members echoed Canor.