Archive: News

Legislature Supports Adoption of TC3 Operating Budget, Approves Additional One-Time Funding
The Tompkins County Legislature, by unanimous vote (Legislator Leslyn McBean-Clairborne was excused), recommended adoption of the Tompkins Cortland Community College operating budget for the coming academic year. The $40.8 million budget contains no increase in sponsor support, instead of the 1% increase first recommended by the Legislature's budget committee—that recommendation revised in light of Cortland County's unwillingness to support an increase. Both sponsoring counties must agree on the level of sponsor support. The budget contains total sponsor support of $4,650,364), split between the two counties based on proportional student enrollment—64% ($2,976,233) from Tompkins County and 36% ($1,674,131) from Cortland.

In a separate action, the Legislature, also without dissent, authorized a one-time supplemental discretionary Contingent Fund appropriation of an equivalent amount— $46,504— outside the budget process, to assist the College in implementing a Service Management Modernization Plan. The Legislature, at its June 6th meeting, already approved $83,200 in one-time funding toward that program, in line with an enrollment-based share of the cost. Cortland County has declined to recommend funding toward that program. Tompkins' one-time contributions, with the supplement approved tonight, support the full cost of the Service Management Modernization Plan, and provide the College a level of support, outside the budget process, equivalent to what would have received through a 1% budget increase from both counties.

Washington, DC – Representatives Louise M. Slaughter (NY-25), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Chris Collins (NY-27), and Tom Reed (NY-23) today stood with Flight 3407 families and Capt. Tim Canoll, president of the Airline Pilots Association, and Jeff Skiles, first officer of the Miracle on the Hudson, in a bipartisan call for Congress to preserve hard-fought aviation safety improvements as the House prepares to consider Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization legislation. They voiced strong and united opposition to any effort to roll back flight safety rules.

"Let's be clear, what is being proposed is a change in the rules to allow less experienced pilots to fly commercial planes," said Congressman Higgins. "That is a huge step backwards in the long bureaucratic battle for flight safety improvements that Flight 3407 families fought for and every airline passenger benefits from today."

Washington, DC – The co-chairs of the Congressional Diabetes Caucus, Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Tom Reed (R-NY), have written pointed letters to three key stakeholders to seek answers and solutions to the rising price of insulin, which millions of Americans with diabetes need in order to live.

"Unfortunately, this is not a theoretical concern," the two legislators noted. "We have heard personal stories from people across the diabetes community who struggle to purchase insulin due to prohibitive costs. Insulin is a life-sustaining drug for which there is no substitute. For those who need it, not taking insulin can lead to poor health outcomes, complications, and even death. However, people skip doses, fail to pay rent or buy groceries, and even resort to an insulin 'black market' in order to afford their insulin. No one should be forced to make these incredibly difficult choices."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recognized Tompkins County and the town of Ithaca as New York's 12th and 14th local governments to be designated as Certified Climate Smart Communities. Actions to strengthen resiliency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in these communities support the Governor's aggressive goals to reduce statewide emissions 40 percent by 2030.

"New York continues to make significant strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and by joining forces with communities across the state and the nation, we are combatting climate change to provide a more sustainable environment for future generations of New Yorkers," Governor Cuomo said. "I commend Tompkins County and the town of Ithaca for supporting these clean energy initiatives, and I encourage municipalities across New York to follow their lead and become Certified Climate Smart Communities."

Lansing taxpayers will not get tax relief from the impact of the reduction of the Cayuga Power Plant this year. Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and Senator Pam Helming introduced two bills in early June that would have expanded the definition of communities suffering tax revenue loss from power plants within their districts and allowed the Lansing Central School District to create a Tax Stabilization Reserve Fund. But Lifton's Counsel Jordan A. Lesser, Esq. notified Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson Wednesday that the two bills will not move forward in the current legislative session.

In an email to Town of Lansing and Tompkins County officials Robertson wrote, "Bad news from Barbara Lifton's staff person, about the revision to the Transition Fund and the option for Lansing Schools to create a reserve fund. I guess they were long shots. Better luck next year?"

A final draft of a memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) will make it possible to create a new sewer district in the Town of Lansing, once it is approved by the three municipalities involved.  The agreement was approved by the Town last week, and Town supervisor Ed LaVigne says he is hopeful that the villages will approve it over the coming weeks.  At a meeting this month it was agreed that Cayuga Heights Attorney Randy Marcus would make a few changes to the initial MOU drafted by Lansing town Attorney Guy Krogh for final consideration by the three municipal boards.

"We put everything on the table and this was a great meeting," LaVigne says.  "This is a win-win-win.  Nobody gives up -- basically people get.  There is tremendous potential here.  Talk about a shared service!  I can't think of a better one than three municipalities working together to either get the sewer plant repaired and up to date , if needed.  Also you have the Village that will have more money coming in to expand their infrastructure.  And you have the Town of Lansing that wants to build more so we can offset our losses from the PILOT  for the power plant."

This week a highway crew has been installing storm drains and shoulders on Myers Road between the Lansing schools and Myers Park.  While it may appear to be a small road project, it is only part of a solution to a problem that has been plaguing the neighborhood for a long time.  The project popped out of nowhere this summer to help address the speeding problem on the a road where many children live and play.  Along with radar signs and increased patrols, town officials hope their rapid response to the issue will greatly reduce speeding by the 4th of July.

"Cricket (Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell) and I were sitting at the front of this meeting and they asked us 'when can you get started?'", Lansing Town Supervisor Ed LaVigne recalls.  "Both of us, at the same time, said, 'Tomorrow.'  They were shocked that this will be done before July 4th of this year -- that a government can actually do this.  We had the money for it, because we always spend under budget.  The board approved it so we could do it now.  That's what we're doing this year.  We're also hoping to do something on the other hill, as you walk down from Myers Heights Road down to Salt Point -- we hope to address at least one side of that, probably next week."

A poll of Tompkins County residents shows broad and firm support across all demographic groups for the repowering of the Cayuga Operating Company coal plant to natural gas and renewable energy sources. The positive poll results follow the May 31st announcement that Cayuga Operating Company plans to construct one of New York's largest solar farms at its existing site.

Residents surveyed were asked for their reaction to the following statement: "The Cayuga Operating Company is considering a plan to convert its power plant in Lansing from coal to natural gas without a public subsidy and also build a large solar farm on the property."

The Legislature's Budget, Capital, and Personnel Committee today revised its recommendation on the Tompkins Cortland Community College operating budget for the coming academic year, recommending adoption of a budget that contains no increase in sponsor support, rather than the 1% increase recommended May 31st.

Since that time, Cortland County's budget committee failed to support the proposed budget, containing the 1% increase, and both counties, considered a single sponsor by the State, must agree on the level of sponsor support. The revised recommendation decreases total sponsor support to $4,650,364 (from $4,696,867), split between the two counties based on proportional student enrollment—64% from Tompkins County and 36% from Cortland. The committee approved the change by a unanimous 4-0 vote (Legislator Dan Klein was excused), but committee members expressed frustration at having to reconsider support of the 1% increase.

New York State Senator Pamela A. Helming (R,C,I-Canandaigua) applauded the passage of Brittany's Law (S.1107), which would establish a violent felony offender registry. This legislation, which Senator Helming co-sponsors, is named after Brittany Passalacqua, who was brutally murdered along with her mother, Helen Buchel, in Geneva, NY in 2009. The man convicted of killing Brittany and her mother, John Edward Brown, was a parolee released from prison after serving only 2 ½ years of a 3-year sentence for violently assaulting his infant daughter in 2003. Senator Helming adamantly believes a violent felony offender registry will help decrease the number of domestic violence incidents in the future.

"We never expect crimes this heinous to occur in our own communities, but they do. Sadly, the system currently in place failed to protect Brittany and her mother, Helen. This registry is common sense. We have a registry for gun owners, for sex offenders, and even for those who abuse animals (in New York City), yet there is no registry to keep track of violent felons. Had there been a mechanism in place to track Brittany and Helen's killer after his early release from prison, the two of them might still be alive," Helming said. "With the passage of this critical legislation, the Senate sent a strong message that we recognize it is government's foremost responsibility to keep our families and communities safe. How many more families will endure the pain and suffering that Brittany's family has before this legislation is passed by the Assembly? The Assembly Majority needs to stop playing politics and pass Brittany's Law now, so that we may prevent a situation like what happened to Brittany and her mother from happening to others."

Senator Pamela A. Helming (R,C,I-Canandaigua) announced two bills she sponsors passed the Senate earlier this week, as part of a package of legislation intended to safeguard children and families against abuse and exploitation. Specifically, Helming's bills aim to increase protections for victims and employees at domestic violence shelters and to strengthen penalties for failing to register as a sex offender.

"These shelters are supposed to serve as a safe haven for individuals and families who are victims of domestic violence, which is why we need to make crimes against these individuals seeking shelter more serious. However, in order to protect these individuals, we also need to ensure that the employees of these shelters are safe as well," Helming said. "We've seen in the past that those seeking shelter have not been the only ones at risk. There have been instances in domestic violence cases where the abuser cannot get to the victim and will instead attack an employee of a shelter as way to send a message. By making it assault in the second degree, we are sending a message to the perpetrators that we will not tolerate further harm on our victims nor the employees of these shelters."

Washington, DC- U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) introduced the bipartisan Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act, which provides tax incentives for farmers and rural electric cooperatives to invest in biogas and nutrient recovery technology.

"We must help our dairy farmers find a cost effective way to use processes that are environmentally friendly. This tax credit will make these new technologies more affordable and the use of such methods will benefit our communities," said Congressman Reed.