FONDA — Montgomery County Treasurer Shawn Bowerman said he believes some people are confused about the county’s finances following criticism Tuesday over the amount of surplus the county is preserving.

Bowerman spoke briefly during the county Board of Supervisors’ meeting after former Amsterdam town supervisor William Grzyb outlined millions of dollars collected in property taxes over the past several years.

Citing figures in the annual document submitted by municipalities to the state Comptroller’s Office, Grzyb argued that the county collected $1.1 million more than it needed in 2003 and has continued overtaxing property owners through 2007, when the county collected $4.4 million more than needed.

Grzyb said undesignated budget money as recorded in the state document shows the county had $12.8 million available to spend in 2005, $15.6 million in 2006 and $20.6 million in 2007.

Grzyb said the county’s recent borrowing of $4.5 million for roadwork and equipment will cost taxpayers another $400,000 in interest.

“That’s $400,000 you wasted,” Grzyb said.

Following Grzyb’s comments, Amsterdam Supervisor Ronald Barone, R-3rd Ward, asked for Bowerman to respond.

Bowerman said he believes documents detailing county surplus funds are confusing, and said he’s always available to discuss figures with interested people.

“I have nothing to hide,” Bowerman said.

Amsterdam town Supervisor Thomas DiMezza, a Democrat, said the county appropriated $3.3 million in surplus money to keep taxes level for all municipalities in the 2008 budget.

The remaining surplus is currently $15.7 million, DiMezza said. There has been discussion among some officials about giving money back to taxpayers, but DiMezza said doing so raises the risk of not having money for upcoming projects.

The county will be considering a land purchase to expand the Florida Business Park, and negotiations for employee union contracts are set to begin this year, DiMezza said.

“You can’t give back taxes and in the same breath say we want to improve economic development,” DiMezza said.

“The risk is that we give back too much, we end up with a fund balance that’s down to zero in a couple years. I’d rather see the taxes remain stable and do the projects we need to get done,” DiMezza said.

In unrelated business Tuesday, the board endorsed a set of critical maintenance projects that administrators at Fulton-Montgomery Community College are seeking funding for through the state.

With less funding than anticipated in the recently enacted state budget, officials decided to reject bids received for design work for a more ambitious renovation of the 40-year-old classroom building.

Instead, the college will make a request to the SUNY Board of Trustees for “critical maintenance” funding.

The county Board of Supervisors endorsed four projects totaling $1.07 million, including $250,000 for mechanical repairs to the library and annex buildings, $520,000 for roof and mechanical repairs at the classroom building, $200,000 for work in the student union and $100,000 for repairs in the physical education wing, according to the resolution.

Further details on the projects were not immediately available Tuesday.

If the state funds 50 percent of the needed work, college officials will return with requests for 25 percent each of the remaining project money from Fulton and Montgomery counties.