Deemie: Gannett Case May Take Years to Settle

A decision in a case involving the Gannett Central New York Production Facility and the amount paid to the village of Johnson City may not occur for years.

Johnson City mayor Greg Deemie says a review sought by Gannett regarding the assessment of the printing plant at 10 Gannett Drive is in the early stages.

Deemie says the current total assessment for the property is listed at $712,800.

The mayor says Gannett wants that changed to $221,500.

Deemie says everything involved in the assessment review is "preliminary right now."

He's concerned any significant reduction in the total assessment ultimately will result in the major loss of revenue for the village.

Deemie says it could take up to three years before the matter is resolved. He says the site where the plant is located is owned by the Broome County Industrial Development Agency.

The mayor has said a future payment-in-lieu-of-taxes deal could be affected by the outcome of the assessment case.

Gannett began printing newspapers at the $50 million dollar facility in June 2006.

When the Johnson City production site went into operation, Gannett eliminated printing facilities in Vestal, Elmira and Ithaca.

In addition to printing the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, the site produces the Elmira Star-Gazette and the Ithaca Journal. The plant also produces daily newspapers for Utica and other upstate towns.

The Press & Sun-Bulletin now maintains offices on Lewis Road in the town of Union, north of the Johnson City printing plant.