content: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
  
                              _________________________
  
  
                                      FORM 8-K
  
                                   CURRENT REPORT
                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
                           SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
  
  
        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 26, 2000
  
  
                          COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM, INC.
                          ---------------------------
                 (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  
       Delaware                           0-11716                  16-123679
  -----------------------        ------------------------       ----------------
  (State or Other Jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)       (I.R.S. Employer
  of Incorporation)                                           Identification No.)
  
       5790 Widewaters Parkway. DeWitt, New York                     13214
  -------------------------------------------------------       ----------------
             (Address of Principal Executive Offices)              (Zip code)
  
  
                          _________________________________
             (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
  
  <PAGE>
  
  
  
  Item 5.   Other Events.
  
       On September 27, 2000,  Community Bank System, Inc., a Delaware corporation
  (the  "Company"),  and The Citizens  National Bank of Malone, a national banking
  association  ("Citizens"),  issued a joint press  release to announce  that they
  have  entered into an Agreement  and Plan of Merger,  dated as of September  26,
  2000 (the  "Merger  Agreement").  The press  release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to
  this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
  
       Citizens is a national bank with five  branches in Northern New York,  with
  approximately  $118  million in total  assets,  $95 million in deposits  and $60
  million in loans as of December 31, 1999.
  
       The  Merger  Agreement  provides  that  Citizens  will  merge with and into
  Community  Bank,  N.A.,  a  national  banking  association  and  a  wholly-owned
  subsidiary  of the Company (the "Bank").  Shareholders  of Citizens will receive
  1.70 shares of common  stock of the  Company  for each share of Citizens  common
  stock they hold. Based upon the number of shares of Citizens common stock issued
  and  outstanding  on September 26, 2000,  the Company will issue in the merger a
  total of  952,000  shares of its common  stock.  The  Company  intends to file a
  registration  statement with the Securities and Exchange  Commission to register
  under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  the shares of its common stock to
  be issued in the merger.
  
       The consummation of the merger is subject to various conditions,  including
  the  approval  by the  shareholders  of Citizens  and the receipt of  regulatory
  approvals.  Subject to the satisfaction of all of the conditions,  the merger is
  expected  to be  completed  in the fourth  quarter of 2000.  The merger  will be
  accounted  for as a purchase  and is intended to qualify as a tax-free  exchange
  for the shareholders of Citizens.
  
       Following the merger, Paul M. Cantwell, Jr., President of Citizens, will be
  elected to the Boards of  Directors  of the Company and the Bank,  and will also
  serve as a part-time  consultant to the Bank for a period of five years. Members
  of  Citizens'  Board of  Directors,  other  than Mr.  Cantwell,  will serve on a
  regional advisory council for the Bank.
  
  
  Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.
  (c)     Exhibits.
  
                 Exhibit No.                                Description
                 -----------                                -----------
  
                    99.1                   Press Release, dated September 27, 2000
  
  
  <PAGE>
  
  
                                     SIGNATURES
  
       Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as
  amended,  the  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
  by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
  
                                    COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM, INC.
  
                                    By: /s/ Sanford A. Belden
                                       ----------------------
                                      Name: Sanford A. Belden
                                      Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "0001.txt", "description": "8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 4474}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM INC", "cik": "0000723188", "assigned-sic": "6021", "irs-number": "161213679", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-13695", "film-number": "732332"}, "business-address": {"street1": "5790 WIDEWATERS PKWY", "city": "DEWITT", "state": "NY", "zip": "13214", "phone": "3154452282"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "5790 WIDEWATERS PARKWAY", "city": "DEWITT", "state": "NY", "zip": "13214"}}
text: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
  
                              _________________________
  
                                      FORM 8-K
  
                                   CURRENT REPORT
                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
                           SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
  
        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 26, 2000
  
                          COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM, INC.
                          ---------------------------
                 (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
  
       Delaware                           0-11716                  16-123679
  -----------------------        ------------------------       ----------------
  (State or Other Jurisdiction   (Commission File Number)       (I.R.S. Employer
  of Incorporation)                                           Identification No.)
  
       5790 Widewaters Parkway. DeWitt, New York                     13214
  -------------------------------------------------------       ----------------
             (Address of Principal Executive Offices)              (Zip code)
  
                          _________________________________
             (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
  Item 5.   Other Events.
  
       On September 27, 2000,  Community Bank System, Inc., a Delaware corporation
  (the  "Company"),  and The Citizens  National Bank of Malone, a national banking
  association  ("Citizens"),  issued a joint press  release to announce  that they
  have  entered into an Agreement  and Plan of Merger,  dated as of September  26,
  2000 (the  "Merger  Agreement").  The press  release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to
  this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
  
       Citizens is a national bank with five  branches in Northern New York,  with
  approximately  $118  million in total  assets,  $95 million in deposits  and $60
  million in loans as of December 31, 1999.
  
       The  Merger  Agreement  provides  that  Citizens  will  merge with and into
  Community  Bank,  N.A.,  a  national  banking  association  and  a  wholly-owned
  subsidiary  of the Company (the "Bank").  Shareholders  of Citizens will receive
  1.70 shares of common  stock of the  Company  for each share of Citizens  common
  stock they hold. Based upon the number of shares of Citizens common stock issued
  and  outstanding  on September 26, 2000,  the Company will issue in the merger a
  total of  952,000  shares of its common  stock.  The  Company  intends to file a
  registration  statement with the Securities and Exchange  Commission to register
  under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  the shares of its common stock to
  be issued in the merger.
  
       The consummation of the merger is subject to various conditions,  including
  the  approval  by the  shareholders  of Citizens  and the receipt of  regulatory
  approvals.  Subject to the satisfaction of all of the conditions,  the merger is
  expected  to be  completed  in the fourth  quarter of 2000.  The merger  will be
  accounted  for as a purchase  and is intended to qualify as a tax-free  exchange
  for the shareholders of Citizens.
  
       Following the merger, Paul M. Cantwell, Jr., President of Citizens, will be
  elected to the Boards of  Directors  of the Company and the Bank,  and will also
  serve as a part-time  consultant to the Bank for a period of five years. Members
  of  Citizens'  Board of  Directors,  other  than Mr.  Cantwell,  will serve on a
  regional advisory council for the Bank.
  
  Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.
  (c)     Exhibits.
  
                 Exhibit No.                                Description
                 -----------                                -----------
  
                    99.1                   Press Release, dated September 27, 2000
  SIGNATURES
  
       Pursuant to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as
  amended,  the  Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
  by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
  
                                    COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM, INC.
  
                                    By: /s/ Sanford A. Belden
                                       ----------------------
                                      Name: Sanford A. Belden
                                      Title: President and Chief Executive Officer