Archive: News

Legislature Urges Involvement, Support for County Health Departments Related to Gas Drilling
Maintaining that county health departments are responsible for ensuring the safety of local drinking water supplies and protecting public health, including the responsibility under pending regulations for water supply testing and investigating complaints related to potential contamination related to gas drilling, the Legislature is calling for local health department to be involved in determining procedures, processes, and funding requirements for aspects of drilling oversight that affect county health departments.

The resolution, approved by unanimous vote, requests that the State obtain direct input from county health departments on potential impacts and resource needs, that the Governor and State Legislature establish financial resources to fund the entire cost of public health oversight, and that a contract or other mechanism be established to transfer needed funds to county health departments, with procedures, roles, and responsibilities of local health departments and the State Department of Environmental Conservation negotiated and formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding.  Such requests, it says, should be fulfilled before permits for such gas drilling are issued.

Legislature Chair Martha Robertson thanked the Health Department for initiating the issue.  “This is really important, she said.  “I really thank the Health dept for taking a stand.”

Legislature Backs Legislation to Implement Phased State Takeover of Medicaid Costs
The Legislature, without dissent, urged passage of proposed State legislation that would implement a multi-year State takeover of the local share of Medicaid over the next eight years.  It was noted that State Medicaid is the number one mandate facing counties and is costing Tompkins County property taxpayers $11.6 million in 2011, and if the State takes over Medicaid, Count property taxes could be reduced by more than 28%, which Legislator Nathan Shinagawa said would be about a $300 reduction for the average county taxpayer.  The measure maintains the State could fund such a takeover through program reforms, state-derived savings, and other spending controls.

Johanna Little Recognized as Distinguished Youth
The Legislature recognized Ithaca High School junior Johanna Little as recipient of this month’s Distinguished Youth Award.  Johanna for raising thousands of butterfly larvae and donating hundreds of caterpillars to all elementary schools throughout the county to enable teachers to teach a unit on the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.  South Hill School kindergarten teacher Marcie Kidd, who nominated Johanna, credits her for “provid(ing) a wonderful learning experience to Tompkins County’s elementary school children.”  Johanna also provided original artwork portraying the monarch lifecycle, which the children can cut out, color, then arrange in the proper order depicting the monarch’s life.  Johanna, aged 16, plans to pursue a degree in ecology or environmental science after graduation.  The Distinguished Youth Award is cosponsored by A&B Awards and Engraving, Bangs Ambulance Service, Purity Ice Cream, and Cayuga Radio Group.

Among other actions, the Legislature

• Authorized the County to submit an application and the required fee to the New York State Department of Health for a Licensed Home Care Services Agency operating certificate for the County Health Department.  The certificate with allow the department to maintain and provide public health services in client homes, now that the County has divested of its Certified Home Health Agency.
• Authorized a supplemental agreement with Erdman Anthony and Associates, Inc. for up to $115,000 in additional design services for historic rehabilitation of the upstream Forest Home Drive Bridge over Fall Creek in the Town of Ithaca.
• Appropriated $500 in contingency funding to contribute toward the cost of the December 1 public hearing at Ithaca’s State Theatre, sponsored by the Tompkins County Council of Governments, to take public comment on the State’s proposed regulatory document governing gas drilling by hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus and Utica shales.
• Formally accepted several New York State grants for work at Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport—including update of the airport’s Sustainable Master Plan, acquiring and refurbishing friction measuring equipment, constructing a sand storage building, designing rehabilitation of the terminal ramp, and expanding the airport apron.

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