Archive: News

After mulling the County's proposed 2008 budget for nearly a month, Legislators acting as an Expanded Budget Committee tonight began recommending modifications to the $72 million tentative budget County Administrator Steve Whicher presented to the Legislature on September 14th.

Two of the recommended changes restored to the budget were two staff positions that the administrator had indicated could not be included and remain within the Legislature's 2008 guideline of a tax levy increase of no more than 2 percent: a Criminal Investigator position in the Sheriff's Department and a Community Health Nurse for the Health Department. Increased collections funding for the Tompkins County Public Library also was recommended.

Legislators also discussed of the philosophy of funding through target funding, which impacts the tax levy, and one-time funding, supported through the County's fund balance, with legislators exploring the question of determining the reasonable amount to use one time money to support ongoing expenses.

The following changes to the budgets were recommended. Tonight's decisions may be reconsidered at subsequent expanded committee meetings and require approval by the full Legislature to become final.

CONTINGENT FUND/JAIL OVERCROWDING:
In two separate votes of 10-4 and 9-5, legislators added a total of $350,000 to the contingent fund to address jail overcrowding, which would bring the total allocation for that purpose to $475,000. Sheriff Peter Meskill told the committee current year spending stands at approximately $260,000 for the first eight months of 2007 .

SHERIFF'S OFFICE:
The committee recommended restoration of the position of Criminal Investigator, supported by the District Attorney and a number of other local agencies, by a 10-4 vote; however, the proposed restoration of a Correction Officer position, at a cost of $66,956, failed by a vote of 4-11.

TOMPKINS COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY:
Legislators recommended a doubling of support for library acquisitions as part of the budget, approving by a vote of 8-7 the addition of $25,000 in target funding to the $25,000 in one-time support contained in the budget. Two proposals to increase staffing, however, failed to win support. The proposed addition of a library clerk at a cost of $38,500, failed by a vote of 8-7, and the proposed addition of an additional librarian at a cost of $60,000 failed by a vote of 3-12.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT:
By a 9-6 vote, the committee restored to the budget the new position of Community Health Nurse, to serve young children with special needs, including autism, at a total cost of $52,520. More than $3,300, for furnishings and equipment, was funded as one-time, with the rest as target funding which affects the tax levy. Sponsor Mike Sigler proposed a series of potential reductions to offset the added expense of the new position.

Of those, legislators approved, by an 8-7 vote, elimination of a half-time position of assistant program coordinator at the Multi-Cultural Resource Center, at a cost of $15,000. Also proposed was cutting $10,000 in one-time funding for the Public Transportation Improvement Program, a largely grant-funded initiative administered through the Department of Social Services. Social Services Commissioner Patricia Carey offered to support the local match for the grant from other available sources. Removing the $10,000 in budget funding was approved by a vote of 12-3.

Also for the Health Department, a proposal to fund a seasonal, part-time Public Sanitarian, through target, rather than one-time money, at a projected cost of $15,490, failed by a vote of 7-8.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT:
$71,975 in recommended multi-year funding to support the Workforce Investment Board was changed to one-time funding, by a vote of 10-4. A proposed amendment to reduce the County's support by $36,000 failed by a vote of 4-10.

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES:
By an 8-5 vote, Legislators cut from the budget $24,375 in one-time money to support workstation unit configurations for a cost of $24,375.

Other Actions:

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES:
A proposal to fund a Housing Specialist position at a cost of $33,510, through target, rather than one-time funding failed by a 4-10 vote. A proposal to maintain current-level service to preventive services contracts for at-risk youth through target, rather than one-time funding, at a cost of $46,200, also failed by a vote of 6-8.

ANIMAL CONTROL - SPCA:
Legislators discussed, but as yet took no action on a proposal to eliminate from the budget $5,000 in increased target funding to support the SPCA's animal control contract. The agency had requested more than $26,000 in additional target funding, which would have doubled the County's contribution for animal control services. Sponsor Leslyn McBean-Clairborne agreed to withdraw her motion to eliminate the target increase until more information can be provided on the contract and a ten-year history of the County's level of support.

PROBATION DEPARTMENT:
A proposal to support through target funding a package of professional services serving the county's drug courts and Day Reporting Program, at a total cost of $39,332, failed by a vote of 4-11. Legislators, by a vote of 3-12, however, declined to proposal to cut from the budget $42, 248 in target funding called for by the County Administrator to offset an expected reduction in state aid for the department.

ITHACA DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP:
The committee, by an 8-7 vote, removed from the budget $10,000 in recommended new one-funding to support the Ithaca Downtown Partnership

COURT ATTENDANTS:
In the only unanimous vote of the night, Legislators struck from the budget $10,000 included in the County Administrator's budget to increase the wages of court attendants to a livable wage level.

Potential Tax Impact of Recommendations to Date

In its initial night of voting, the committee added $479,355 to County Administrator Whicher's tentative budget. If tonight's committee recommendations were approved, the county's total 2008 tax levy would increase by 2.8 percent, and the tax rate would be $6.85 per thousand dollars assessed property value, an increase of 1.3 percent.

Committee deliberations resume October 17.