The Columbia County Board of Supervisors voted last week to withhold a quarterly payment of $500,000 to the Cornell Cooperative Extension, according to Registar-Star reporter Jeff Alexander. Outgoing CCE Executive Director Andy Turner has been working towards merging the administration of Greene and Columbia county offices. Town of Taghkanic Supervisor Elizabeth “Betty” Young said the Board needed better clarification because Columbia County's money should be used for Columbia County. "Until we get a clearer understanding of what our monies will be used for, we should not pay," Young said. Turner said that the issue has been discussed and voted on in a transparent manner. The directors of both of the extension’s boards voted to move toward a merger at an open meeting in June 2011. Roy Brown (R–Germantown), the current Chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, said he'd received no correspondence from Mr. Turner about any merger, but had received word that he'd acceptance a new position. Turner refuted Brown’s statement and said he had remained in contact with him regarding the merger. "I have sent Mr. Brown letters on this and I have met with the Greene County Legislature and we talked about the process," he told the Register-Star, "I explained what we were doing, and why, and the chair of the committee said something to the effect of expressing support for anything that would be efficient with county tax payer dollars." Responding to Young's concerns, Turner said, "“If she had questions, we were completely available to go over every detail." Turner’s new position will have him serve as liaison between Cornell’s administration and all county offices. Turner is on WGXC's Radio Council, the station's governing board. Read Alexander's article in the Register-Star.