NORWICH – At least one county supervisor objected to the presentation last week of $12,500 to a mobile farmer’s market project, calling it a pork, (or in this case, vegetable) barrel handout.
David C. Law, R-Norwich, asked for an explanation of the expenditure during a meeting of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors Oct. 14.
“We’ve been asking for and so far haven’t received a report on programs receiving these funds,” he said. “I’d call this pork barrel.”
The funds are available at the discretion of the Planning & Economic Development Committee and are intended to support infrastructure, promotion and business development. The county caps the capital project fund each year at $250,000.
The allotment will be used for phase two of the Chenango Bounty at Your Door, a service that delivers fresh produce to customers’ homes. It represents the second and final installment of county support.
After a brief discussion of whether the money was being used to purchase the actual delivery truck, Committee Co-chair Jerry Kreiner, R-Plymouth, said the allegation was untrue. “The money is used for consultants, an online website and business plan development,” he said.
George G. Coates, I-Columbus, said the handful of farmers involved use their own truck to make deliveries, both throughout Chenango and Madison counties. “It’s a good program. They bring quality produce to your door. They bend over backwards to accommodate you,” he said.
Committee Chair Linda Natoli, R-City of Norwich, responded to Law, saying there were “a lot of (government activities) that we don’t get a report on.”
