County Executive Garnar: Supervisor Sexton’s Unprofessional, Reckless, and Cruel Behavior is Forcing an Unnecessary Housing Crisis in Vestal

(BROOME COUNTY, NY) - Broome County Executive Jason Garnar today released a detailed timeline of the County's response to conditions at the Parkway Inn, raising serious concerns about the Town of Vestal's handling of the matter and Supervisor Maria Sexton's repeated verbal demands that all residents immediately vacate the facility.

"This has never been about whether code violations should be corrected," Garnar said. "They should be corrected, and according to the property owner they have been corrected. This has been about whether approximately 75 vulnerable residents should be forced from the only shelter they have when County professionals determined there was no need for an immediate evacuation."

The Town of Vestal is solely responsible for enforcing its building and fire codes. Broome County has no authority over the Town's code enforcement decisions. The County's responsibility has been to protect the health and welfare of the residents living at the Parkway Inn.

Timeline

On June 29, the Town conducted its inspection of the Parkway Inn.

On June 30, Supervisor Sexton contacted Broome County regarding code concerns and advised that she wanted all residents removed from the motel while repairs were completed. That evening, County officials met with Supervisor Sexton and requested a copy of the Town's inspection report.

The report was never provided.

Instead of waiting, Broome County immediately dispatched inspectors from the Department of Social Services and the Broome County Health Department to independently assess conditions. Those professionals inspected the property and did not conclude that conditions required the immediate evacuation of residents.

Over the following days, the County repeatedly requested both a draft and the final inspection report. Neither was ever provided by the Town. The County ultimately obtained the report directly from the property owner.

The inspection occurred on June 29, yet the owner did not receive the Town's official Notice of Violation until July 9.

According to the owner, all the violations identified in the report had already been corrected two days before the Town officially issued the report.

"The timeline raises obvious questions," Garnar said. "The Town sat on its findings for approximately ten days. During that time, the County repeatedly asked for the report and never received it. The owner completed the repairs before the Town officially served the report. Yet throughout this process, Supervisor Sexton continued demanding that approximately 75 residents immediately leave the motel."

Importantly, while Supervisor Sexton repeatedly stated verbally that residents needed to leave immediately, the Town's written Notice of Violation does not order the building to be vacated. Instead, it provides the owner with thirty days to comply with the violations cited.

The County also noted that the Town's previous inspection of the Parkway Inn, conducted early last year, identified no interior code violations whatsoever. The only items cited involved debris near a dumpster and shopping carts that needed to be returned to their owner.

"This year's inspection is dramatically different from the Town's prior inspection," Garnar said. "The public deserves to understand why."

County officials also expressed concern over comments made during discussions regarding the residents.

When County officials asked what would happen to approximately 75 vulnerable residents if the motel were emptied immediately, Supervisor Sexton responded, 'It's not my problem, it's your problem.'

"Those residents are everyone's responsibility," Garnar said. "Government should never treat families, children, seniors, veterans, or individuals experiencing homelessness as someone else's problem."

Forcing residents from the Parkway Inn would place enormous pressure on emergency medical services, law enforcement, shelters, hospitals, schools, and human service agencies throughout Broome County while leaving the Town of Vestal with approximately 75 additional unhoused individuals overnight.

Next Steps in Emergency Housing Request for Proposals (RFP)

On May 26, Broome County issued a Request for Proposals seeking an experienced organization to help redesign the County's emergency housing system and develop a comprehensive approach focused on short-term response, long-term stability, and reducing reliance on motel placements.

The County received three proposals in response from:

• HCD Consult LLC
• Chrysalis Research & Consulting
• Health Management Associates

The proposals will now be reviewed by a committee consisting of County officials and stakeholders. Following the review process, the County will select an organization with the expertise needed to help develop a more coordinated homelessness response system.