Broome County Executive Jason Garnar delivered his first State of the County address last night. He touched on several topics, including the result of a recent hiring freeze, responding to the heroin epidemic, and increasing traffic at the airport. When he took office, Garnar started a hiring freeze for the county due to their financial difficulties. He says that effort has already saved taxpayers $90,000. On drugs, Garnar says they will soon announce the details of a multi-agency program to help people find treatment for abuse. The Greater Binghamton Airport is down to one carrier, and Garnar says the county is working to develop a new strategic plan and increase marketing. He also wants SUNY Broome to begin offering an FAA-approved aircraft maintenance program in anticipation of more carriers calling BGM home in the future.
