Schuyler, Yates Counties to hold hazardous waste event

On Saturday, August 15th, Schuyler County will be holding a household hazardous waste and electronics recycling day, where residents of Schuyler and Yates counties can dispose of materials free of charge, including:

Household Hazardous Waste: Things such as driveway sealer, pool chemicals, pesticides, paint and more.
Electronic Waste: Computers, hard drives, monitors, printers and fax machines, cell phones, laptops and more.

A full list of accepted items is available here.

The event will be held that Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Schuyler County Shared Services Building at 910 S Decatur St. in Watkins Glen.

Pre-registration is required. Schuyler and Yates County residents can register here.

Schuyler County Legislature Set to Consider Emergency Services Contract, School Officer Agreement, Comprehensive Plan Update

The Schuyler County Legislature is set to consider more than two dozen resolutions at its regular meeting Monday (July 13), including a five-year contract with Motorola Solutions for emergency services technology and an intermunicipal agreement for school resource officer services.

The agenda, reviewed by the Legislative Resolution Review Committee on July 8, includes items spanning public safety, personnel, budgeting, environmental planning and community recognitions. The full board is scheduled to meet July 13.

Top priorities include authorizing a five-year contract with Motorola Solutions for Emergency Services Flex Subscription services at a cost of $275,000, with a local share, to support local emergency operations. The resolution notes Motorola as a sole source provider.

Legislators will also weigh an agreement with the Watkins Glen Central School District for evening School Resource Officer services from the Sheriff’s Department, valued at $67,000 through June 30, 2027.

Other notable items include:

- Creating and filling a less-than-full-time Administrative Data Collector position in the Public Defender’s Office at $25.76 per hour to meet state indigent legal services data requirements.
- Authorizing bids for water treatment and cooling tower services for county buildings.
- Amending the county Timecard Policy to adjust approval deadlines.
- Multiple budget amendments for grant funding in public health, community services, veterans services and aging programs.
- Adopting the 2025-2035 Schuyler County Comprehensive Plan Update, along with related environmental quality review declarations.
- Recognizing August 2026 as National Shooting Sports Month and commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The meeting is expected to include routine personnel, contract and policy matters alongside planning and recognition items. Full resolutions and supporting details are available through the county website.

Meetings of the Legislature are open and public. Public Participation time will be allowed after the opening of the official session for up to 30 minutes and at the completion of the agenda for up to 15 minutes.

Regular Meetings will be held in the Legislative Chambers at the County Office Building located at 105 Ninth Street, Watkins Glen at 6:30 p.m.

The Schuyler County Legislature is the county’s policy-making and appropriating body. It consists of eight part-time legislators elected from eight districts, each serving four-year staggered terms with term limits. Legislators represent county residents by establishing local laws, setting policy, and approving the county budget.

Schuyler County warns of planning board scam emails

Schuyler County Planning Director Joann Lindstrom and County Attorney Steven Getman are jointly alerting residents, businesses, and applicants to be vigilant against a scam involving fraudulent invoices and emails that impersonate county planning offices.

 

This scam, which has been reported across New York State, and in other states nationwide, attempts to deceive individuals into paying nonexistent fees for land use or planning reviews.  At least one incident has been reported in Schuyler County. 

 

“The Schuyler County Planning Department and its Planning Commission do not charge any costs for land use reviews,” said Lindstrom. “If you receive a bill from the Planning Department, do not submit payment and contact the Schuyler County Planning Department immediately.”

 

"We want to ensure that our community is protected from these deceptive practices," said Getman.  “If you've received any such email, report it immediately to help us track and stop these fraudsters."

 

Getman said residents should be on the lookout for common signs of potential scam emails, including:

 

• Urgent or high-pressure demands for immediate or expedited payment, often containing threats of delays to project review.
• Request for payment through suspicious channels: wire transfers, gift cards, prepaid debit cards or cryptocurrency.
• Multiple spelling or grammatical errors.
• Poor formatting or unclear language.
• Scam communications most often occur the week before the county planning board meeting is scheduled, as seen on the schedule posted to the county planning board web page. Scam attempts typically occur the first week of each month.

 

Getman offered the following tips to avoid the scam:

• Verify email addresses and confirm all communications come from official sources like “schuylercountyny.gov” or “schuylercounty.us.”
• Confirm any invoice or request by contacting the Schuyler County Planning Department directly using known phone numbers or the county website, not those provided in the suspicious message.
• Be wary of high-pressure tactics, such as threats of delays or urgent deadlines.
• Avoid payments through wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards—these are common scam indicators.
• Educate yourself on official processes by being an active member of the local community.

 

Persons who suspect they have encountered this scam should report it immediately to

Schuyler County Planning Department (Telephone:  607-535-8211) or visit the planning department’s website: https://www.schuylercountyny.gov/484/Planning.

 

Anyone who suspects they may have been the victim of fraud may also contact local law enforcement agencies, including the Schuyler County Sheriff's Office at 607-535-8222, the New York State Attorney General's Office Consumer Frauds Bureau at 1-800-771-7755, or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ftc.gov/complaint.

 

The Schuyler County Planning Director provides land use guidance to the county's municipalities, its legislature, and the public.   The County Attorney is the chief legal advisor for county government and is responsible for the prosecution and defense of civil actions brought by and against the county.