City of Gaylord

City Hail A new $3.5-million City Hall with an Alpine motif, topped with a 73-foot spire and clock tower, has risen on the eastern edge of the city at the corner of Main and North Oak streets. The 25,663-square-foot facility was completed in the spring of 2008, and houses city offices and council chambers, as well as the Gaylord Police Department and garage.

The city of Gaylord was incorporated in March 1922. Since then, it has become a regional business and recreation hub. The city operates under a home-rule city charter, as a council-manager government.

Gaylord developed an Alpine motif in the 1960s, lending a unique charm to the city, which has come to be known also as the Alpine Village. The residents of the city adopted Pontresina, Switzerland, in 1965 as Gaylord’s sister city, and the citizens of Switzerland sent Gaylord a boulder from the Swiss Alps in 1989, which now stands at the northwest corner of the courthouse lawn.

Gaylord’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) completed a $2-million streetscape project in 1995, enhancing the city’s Alpine theme with stylish downtown lighting, parks, partially bricked pathways, benches and trees.

Another DDA project, the Pavilion on Court Street, officially opened in the summer of 2002. The structure, which nearly spans from Main to First Street, hosts farmers markets, concerts, antique markets, car shows and more, and is a central gathering area during Gaylord’s annual Alpenfest.

As Otsego County continues to grow, the city of Gaylord’s boundaries also have been expanded, extending water and sewer services to developing businesses.

Gaylord Data

Area: Approximately 5 square miles
Population: 3,681
Residential units: 1,200
Taxpayers: 2,800
2009 taxable value: $206,620,298
2009 SEV: $238,040,093
Government: Home-rule city charter
Registered voters: 2,000
Voting precincts: Wards 1, 2 and 3 vote at City Hall, 305 E. Main Street, Gaylord.

City Officials & Offices

The mayor, clerk and treasurer are elected positions with two-year terms that expire in January 2012. The city manager position is appointed by the Gaylord City Council. City offices are located in the City Hall, 305 E. Main St., Gaylord; 732-4060.

• Clerk: Rebecca Curtis
• Treasurer: Dave Duffield
• City Manager: Joseph Duff
• Mayor: John Jenkins

City Council

All council members serve four-year terms, with half of the six seats up for election every two years. The City Council meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 301 E. Main St., Gaylord; 732-4060

Council members:

Ward 1 — Joseph Wambold (term expires January 2012), 302 S. Center Ave., Gaylord, 732-1578
Ward 2 — Todd Sharrard (term expires January 2012), 709 West St., Gaylord, 732-7331
Ward 3 — Gerald Campbell (term expires January 2012), 124 E. Third St., Gaylord, 732-4311
At large:
• Patrick Mankowski (term expires January 2014), 280 Grandview Blvd., Gaylord, 732-4773
• Steve Johnson (term expires January 2014), 417 S. Elm Ave., Gaylord, 732-7911
• Bill Blaker (term expires January 2014), 320 S. Center Ave., Gaylord, 731-4226

City departments & related entities

• Assessor: Debbie Dunham, 305 E. Main St., 732-4060
• City Police Chief: Joseph FitzGerald, 305 E. Main St., Gaylord, 732-1777
• Human Resources: Karen Clark, 302 E. Main St., Gaylord, 732-4060
• Public Works Superintendent: Keith Roberts, city garage, 102 E. Seventh St., Gaylord, 732-5475
• Water Dept.: Steve Ciszewski, 102 E. Seventh St., Gaylord, 732-5475
• Wastewater Treatment Plant: Dale LaBelle, 500 E. Seventh St., Gaylord; 732-0750

Appointed boards & commissions

• Board of Review: The board members serve three-year terms and hear tax assessment appeals in March; chairwoman is Debbie Dunham, 305 E. Main St., Gaylord, 732-4060

• Planning Commission: The commission members serve three-year terms and meet the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 305 E. Main St., Gaylord, 732-4060; chairman is Roger Markham, 338 E. Fourth St., Gaylord, 732-6490

• Zoning Board of Appeals: The board members serve three-year terms and meet the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, as needed, at 7 p.m., City Hall, 305 E. Main St., Gaylord; 732-4060; chairman is Ronald Dickerson, 808 North Ohio Ave.; 732-5201

• Gaylord Downtown Development Authority: Meetings are the first Tuesday of each month, 7:30 a.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, 305 E. Main Street, Gaylord; Joe Duff, interim executive director, 732-4060.

Tax Data

Clock tower Tax levy (Principle resident property, or homestead):
    City operating: 11.5869 mills
    Street millage: 3.1513 mills
    Waste water debt: 2.1 mills
City Hall/DPW debt: 1.0153
    State ED tax: 6.0000 mills
    County allocated: 4.0502 mills
    County voted: 4.0193 mills
    Gaylord schools
        Voted (operating): 0 mills
        Debt: 2.41 mills
        Sinking fund: 1.1378 mills
    Intermediate School
        Allocated: .2597 mills
        Voted: 1.4876 mills
Total: 37.2181 mills

Nonhomestead properties:
    City operating: 11.5869 mills
    Street millage: 3.1513 mills
    Waste water debt: 2.1 mills
City Hall/DPW debt: 1.0153
    State ED tax: 6.0000 mills
    County allocated: 4.0502 mills
    County voted: 4.0193 mills
    Gaylord schools
        Voted: 18.0 mills
        Debt: 2.41 mills
        Sinking fund: 1.1378 mills
    Intermediate School
        Allocated: .2597 mills
        Voted: 1.4876 mills
Total: 55.2181 mills

City taxes on a home with a $100,000 market value (homestead) would be $1,860.91 yearly.

Guide 2010 » City of Gaylord