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Jahn thinks progressively
By Paul Crossman
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
George P. Jahn, a 30-year resident of Columbia County and current Austerlitz town supervisor, has chosen to run for the same office in the coming election. His decision to run for re-election was solidified when, as his term was coming to an end, he felt that there was no one willing to step into the position and run what he likes to think of as a progressive town government.
The incumbent supervisor believes that his degree in investment finance and his 40 years of service in commercial real estate investment have helped and will continue to help him with everything from educating the community to how the assessment process works to giving him insight on how to better structure town finances.
“[My background] taught me how to listen, negotiate and structure finances,” he said.
Jahn also plans to work hard and use financial discipline to keep the property taxes for the town at a low and reasonable rate for its residents.
“It’s really taking a hard look at every line,” he said. “The town’s in good shape, with a good fund balance. We’ll use that to keep taxes low.”
He is proud of the new zoning ordinance the town passed in June and said that although nothing has come up to test it, he believes there won’t be any major problems and that the next four years will be spent implementing the new law.
“We spent three and a half years working on it,” he said, “and had many public meetings. I don’t see it as really an issue.”
On top of that, he is also looking to consolidate some of the town’s services with other towns in order to help save money. Austerlitz and Hillsdale already share an assessors office. He said this allows both towns to invest in better software and products, while still saving money.
In the near future, Jahn is also looking to combine the Austerlitz, Canaan and Hillsdale code enforcement offices, and if he can, begin to perform this type of consolidation countywide.
“I’m not trying to put down home rule,” he said, “but I think where it makes sense to consolidate I would pursue it.”
As far as the Ockawamick decision, Jahn feels it to be a good one, though he admits that when he voted “yes,” his vote was made with the condition that he did not want to move any particular department there, such as the Department of Social Services.
“I don’t think it was a bad deal overall,” he said.
He is also a proponent of keeping DSS in the city of Hudson, saying that though he has not seen the hard facts, it seems like the great bulk of the department’s client base live in Hudson and Greenport.
Additionally, he agreed that the Pine Haven sub-committee’s recommendation to build a new facility on the current property in Philmont is probably the best course of action.
“It sounds like a good idea to me,” he said. “I’m all for it. We can come up with a first-class nursing home to replace the one that’s obsolete. It sounds like a win-win to me.”
On the topic of transitional housing, Jahn doesn’t believe that either the Charles Williams School or the St. Charles Hotel will provide an economically feasible solution to the problem, but feels that something definitely needs to be done.
“We will continue to work on it,” he said. “It’s a really really recalcitrant problem.”
Jahn is most proud of the way he and his administration have been able to deal with unexpected issues, such as when the developer of a large subdivision, Bryarcliffe Estates, defaulted on his obligations to complete the roads in the contract. On top of this, the letter of credit securing those obligations had been allowed to expire, giving the town no way to take action against the developer. After much negotiation, Jahn and the Town Board formed a special road district, sold bonds and had the roads paved.
According to Jahn, the town now has the title to the roads and the residents of the subdivision are servicing the bonds. Though he admits that this was not the most desirable outcome to the initial project, it was a tough issue which was worked out to the general agreeability of the residents of the development.
The incumbent supervisor believes that his degree in investment finance and his 40 years of service in commercial real estate investment have helped and will continue to help him with everything from educating the community to how the assessment process works to giving him insight on how to better structure town finances.
“[My background] taught me how to listen, negotiate and structure finances,” he said.
Jahn also plans to work hard and use financial discipline to keep the property taxes for the town at a low and reasonable rate for its residents.
“It’s really taking a hard look at every line,” he said. “The town’s in good shape, with a good fund balance. We’ll use that to keep taxes low.”
He is proud of the new zoning ordinance the town passed in June and said that although nothing has come up to test it, he believes there won’t be any major problems and that the next four years will be spent implementing the new law.
“We spent three and a half years working on it,” he said, “and had many public meetings. I don’t see it as really an issue.”
On top of that, he is also looking to consolidate some of the town’s services with other towns in order to help save money. Austerlitz and Hillsdale already share an assessors office. He said this allows both towns to invest in better software and products, while still saving money.
In the near future, Jahn is also looking to combine the Austerlitz, Canaan and Hillsdale code enforcement offices, and if he can, begin to perform this type of consolidation countywide.
“I’m not trying to put down home rule,” he said, “but I think where it makes sense to consolidate I would pursue it.”
As far as the Ockawamick decision, Jahn feels it to be a good one, though he admits that when he voted “yes,” his vote was made with the condition that he did not want to move any particular department there, such as the Department of Social Services.
“I don’t think it was a bad deal overall,” he said.
He is also a proponent of keeping DSS in the city of Hudson, saying that though he has not seen the hard facts, it seems like the great bulk of the department’s client base live in Hudson and Greenport.
Additionally, he agreed that the Pine Haven sub-committee’s recommendation to build a new facility on the current property in Philmont is probably the best course of action.
“It sounds like a good idea to me,” he said. “I’m all for it. We can come up with a first-class nursing home to replace the one that’s obsolete. It sounds like a win-win to me.”
On the topic of transitional housing, Jahn doesn’t believe that either the Charles Williams School or the St. Charles Hotel will provide an economically feasible solution to the problem, but feels that something definitely needs to be done.
“We will continue to work on it,” he said. “It’s a really really recalcitrant problem.”
Jahn is most proud of the way he and his administration have been able to deal with unexpected issues, such as when the developer of a large subdivision, Bryarcliffe Estates, defaulted on his obligations to complete the roads in the contract. On top of this, the letter of credit securing those obligations had been allowed to expire, giving the town no way to take action against the developer. After much negotiation, Jahn and the Town Board formed a special road district, sold bonds and had the roads paved.
According to Jahn, the town now has the title to the roads and the residents of the subdivision are servicing the bonds. Though he admits that this was not the most desirable outcome to the initial project, it was a tough issue which was worked out to the general agreeability of the residents of the development.
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