NORWICH – Putting the county’s code enforcement department onto the general levy isn’t going off as smoothly as previous governmental approvals have indicated.

When the decision to add $70,000 to Chenango’s 2008 operating budget for codes next year finally appeared before members of the Finance Committee on Wednesday, the matter was tabled.

Committee Chairman Lawrence N. Wilcox, R-Oxford, said his committee was “too divided” to take any action at this time. Wilcox asked Safety & Rules Committee Chairman Alton B. Doyle, R-Guilford, to create “a more concrete solution” to the issues raised, many of which dealt with possible charge backs to individual towns for enforcement services provided.

Financial leaders previously approved a referral from Doyle’s committee in August to leave the department’s current fee schedule in place and put the department’s budget on the levy. Supervisors from German, Lincklaen and Guilford voted for it, the Pharsalia supervisor voted against it and Wilcox did not vote. Committee member Wayne Outwater, R-Licklaen, who had voted to add the budget on the levy previously, was absent yesterday.

The nearly hour-long 2008 budget debate included two motions that died for lack of a second and a 15-minute executive session to discuss personnel.

Permit fees have traditionally covered the department’s expenses. Fees collected in previous years from such large retailers as Lowe’s and Wal-Mart enabled the department to hire-on needed officers. When those fees disappeared, however – and even though 1.5 of the positions were vacated and left unfilled earlier this year – codes began running a deficit, ending 2007 down an estimated 31 percent.

Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Bates and Public Health Director Marcus Flindt were able to convince the Safety and Rules Committee, and later, Finance, to fill the positions and include the unit in the budget. They cited a backlog of 882 inspections, 760 new permits this year, and more than 60 complaint calls received daily.

Most other counties in the nation receive 75 percent of their operating budgets from permits fees and 25 percent from the levy, Bates said.

Town of Sherburne Supervisor Harry Conley moved to table the matter yesterday. It was seconded by Richard Schlag, D-German.