Town of Catharine

The Town of Catharine was formed in the year 1798 (originally named Catharinestown) and was part of Tioga County.  The original Town had 26 families and approximately 89,407 acres of land.  In 1823, the towns of Catlin and Veteran were divided off.  Town of Dix was created in 1835.  In 1836, the three towns created previously and what was left of the Town of Catharine helped form Chemung County.  Dix and Catharine were taken from Chemung and made a part  of Schuyler County in April of 1854.  In 1860,  Town of Montour was broken off from Catharine, leaving what is now the Town of Catharine.

Currently, we are governed by an elected Board of 5 Councilmen (each elected to a 4 year term–these terms are staggered).  One of the councilmen is elected as the Supervisor.  The Town has it’s own traffic/civil/penal court that has one elected justice and a court clerk.

The Town has zoning laws and with that has a Planning Board and a Zoning Board of Appeals as well as an Assessment Review Board.   The Town Assessor is part of a cooperative agreement with other towns in the county to save on costs.  He/she is appointed to a 7 year term and operates out of the County Office Building in Watkins Glen, NY.

The position  of Town Clerk/Collector is also an elected position with a 4 year term.