Archive: News

Lansing Planning Consultant Michael Long told the Town Board last week that an extension to Smuggler's Path will connect the East Shore Circle and Eastlake neighborhoods.  The issue of the connecting road has been a stumbling block in approval for the Nova Lane development, which aims to build seven new single family homes in phase one of the project.  The Town has intended for a road to connect the neighborhoods since 1988, but the new project only goes part way.  Developer John Young had no obligation to build the entire road unless future phases of the project bring the development all the way to the Eastlake side of the property.  The cost of building the entire road when only a portion of the land is being developed was deemed prohibitive.  Neighbors strenuously objected to a partial road on the grounds that it would cause safety concerns, and it seemed that the project had stalled.  Long said a unique partnership between Young and the Town will provide a solution that satisfies all stakeholders.

"As the Nova Lane project developed we started looking at different options," Long told Town Board members.  "Obviously the Planning Board was very concerned about the inter-connectivity between the neighborhoods.  We were trying to figure out a very cost-effective partnership, so to speak, to try to get this thing resolved.  I think we have a palatable plan that everyone seems to be in agreement with at this point in time."

Tammy Morse (D) will challenge Deborah Munson (R) for Lansing Town Clerk in the  election this November.  Munson, the incumbent, is currently filling the remaining part of the first year of Debby Crandall's term since Crandall retired in April.  Morse is currently the Village of Trumansburg Clerk.  

Munson made a bid to be placed on the Democratic line at the Lansing Democratic Committee caucus Tuesday.  There is nothing that legally prevents a Republican from running on the Democratic line, and there is precedent in Lansing for a candidate to run on both lines.  Some years ago Connie Wilcox ran for her Town Board seat on both the Democrat and Republican lines.  But after a long discussion, Lansing Democrats chose to make Morse their candidate, 40 to 21.

Joe GeigerJoe Geiger announced his candidacy for the NY State Senate 54th District Seat being vacated by Mike Nozzolio at a series of press conferences on Sunday.  The District includes portions or all of Monroe, Wayne, Ontario, Seneca, Cayuga and Tompkins counties.

Geiger is one of seven candidates vying to be the Republican candidate in November's general election.  Canandaigua Town Supervisor Pam Helming received the Republican Party endorsement in May, beating out a dozen candidates.  Businessman Floyd Rayburn immediately announced he would challenge Helming in the September 13 primary, and he filed the required signatures by the July 14 deadline.  Geiger has also filed, along with Cayuga County businessman Bobby Massarini, retired Greece police officer Jon Ritter, Lyons Town Supervisor Brian Manktelow, and Sean T. Hanna, who previously served in the New York State Assembly.

On the Democrat's side two candidates will run in the primary.  Geneva City Supervisor Charles Evangelista will challenge Rose Town Supervisor Kenan Baldridge, who won the Democratic Party endorsement.

Property tax levy growth for local governments will be capped at 0.68 percent for 2017, decreasing slightly from 2016, when it was 0.73 percent, according to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The latest inflation figure affects the tax cap calculations for local governments that operate on a calendar-based fiscal year (Jan 1. – Dec. 31) – which includes all counties, towns, fire districts, 44 cities and 10 villages.

"In what is becoming the norm, New York's local governments must cope with extremely limited growth for property taxes to stay within the tax cap," said DiNapoli. "Low inflation has positive effects for consumers, but it also reflects an uncertain economic environment. Local officials have faced growing fixed costs and limited budget options for years, but 2017 will necessitate even tougher financial choices."

Republican Floyd Rayburn, candidate for NYS Senate 54th district, has jumped out to a big lead in cash on hand for the race that looks like it will have seven republicans vying for the GOP voters’ endorsement.

Rayburn reported Friday he has almost $185,000 in cash on hand for the race.  Only two other candidates are reporting any cash on hand for the race with the closest having less than $20,000 in the bank.  Most of the candidates either filed saying they have no money for the race while two of the candidates haven’t set up campaign accounts yet.  The bulk of the all the candidates cash who filed came from the candidates themselves.

Tom Reed applauded the start of construction projects throughout the region. The move comes in the wake of the passage of the first long-term federal funding bill for roads and bridges in a decade.

"It's great to see the road and bridge projects get underway across the Southern Tier, Western New York and the Finger Lakes," said Reed. "It's only right that we ensure our local roads and bridges are maintained and we will continue to fight for our fair share of federal highway funding because these improvements mean jobs right here at home."

Funding Accepted to Support Law Enforcement Shared Services Data Project
The Legislature, without dissent (Legislator Jim Dennis was excused) authorized the County to accept a total of $31,800 from the City of Ithaca, and Villages of Cayuga Heights, Dryden, Groton, and Trumansburg to support data conversion of municipal police department records to county’s Spillman computer-aided dispatch/records management system.  Records going back to 1999 have been hosted by Tompkins County Information Technology Services (ITS) in the New York State Spectrum Justice System (SJS), which is no longer supported by the State, and County servers used to host the application are over seven years old and scheduled to be retired.  The conversion has been identified by the Tompkins County Law Enforcement Shared Services (LETSS) group as a top priority for 2016.
 
Tompkins County ITS will serve as project manager for the data conversion, and has contracted with White Box Technologies, to perform the data conversion project.  There will be no County cost; the municipalities are funding the project expense—80% from the City of Ithaca, and 5% from each of the villages.
 

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