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posticon June State Tax Receipts Down 17.3%

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State tax receipts in June were down $1.5 billion or 17.3 percent from the previous year, according to the monthly state cash report released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"As steps toward an economic reopening continue, state tax revenues remain far short of pre-pandemic levels," DiNapoli said. "Currently, state spending is well below projections, as the Division of the Budget withholds some payments in response to fiscal uncertainty. All eyes are on Washington. New York and its localities badly need more federal aid if they are to respond fully to the COVID-19 crisis."

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posticon 15 States and DC to Ramp Up Bus and Truck Electrification

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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that New York, along with 14 states and the District of Columbia will develop an action plan to ramp up electrification of buses and trucks. In a joint memorandum of understanding, the State committed to work collaboratively to accelerate the market for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including large pickup trucks and vans, delivery trucks, box trucks, school and transit buses and long-haul delivery trucks. The goal of the MOU is to ensure that 100 percent of all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sales be zero emission vehicles by 2050 with an interim target of 30 percent zero-emission vehicle sales in these categories of vehicles by 2030. The announcement supports the State's nation-leading targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

"With a lack of federal leadership and an outright failure to follow science, it has fallen to the states to address the climate crisis by working together to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all sources," Cuomo said. "Reducing pollution from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will result in cleaner air for New Yorkers, particularly low-income neighborhoods and communities of color that have historically and disproportionately borne the brunt of the worst environmental consequences. As New York continues to implement nation leading climate initiatives, this multi-state agreement furthers the critical leadership roles of the states in combatting climate change and establishes an example for other states to follow."

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posticon Legislature Reviews 2020 Mid-Year Budget Update

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Members of the Tompkins County Legislature’s Budget, Capital, and Personnel committee received an update on the 2020 County budget impacted by COVID-19 and discussed 2021 budget priorities. A recording of the meeting can be viewed here.

County Administrator Jason Molino presented an updated document on 2020 budget scenarios, expenditure reductions, and impacts from COVID-19. The presentation detailed concern regarding state aid payments, further conversation on the County’s hiring freeze, aid for supporting agencies, and consideration of further mid-year cuts.

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posticon Anna Kelles Accepts Democratic Assembly Nomination

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After 100% of the absentee ballots had been counted at both the Cortland and Tompkins County Boards of Election, Anna Kelles’ accepted the Democratic Nomination for the 125th district Tuesday morning.

“Now that every vote has been counted, from absentee to early voting to Election Day, I am humbled and honored to accept the nomination of the Democratic Party for the New York Assembly District 125 ” said Anna Kelles, Democratic candidate for State Assembly. ”I wish to recognize the other candidates who ran strong campaigns, and I thank them for their service to our community.”

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posticon County Legislature Highlights

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Legislature Passes Resolution Urging Federal Government to Provide Aid for States and Local Governments

A resolution urging the Federal Government to provide aid to states and local governments was filed from the floor by legislator Martha Robertson, (D-Dryden) and approved unanimously, 13-0. Legislator Robertson stated, "We're asking that the next COVID bill should include direct, unrestricted aid based on population, COVID impact, and lost revenue for municipalities due to the pandemic." The resolution reflects ongoing conversations had by the Tompkins Intergovernmental Relations Committee.

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posticon Travelers to NY From 3 More States Must Be Quarantines

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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that three additional states meet the metrics to qualify for the travel advisory requiring individuals who have traveled to New York from those states, all of which have significant community spread, to quarantine for 14 days. The newly-added states are Delaware, Kansas and Oklahoma. The quarantine applies to any person arriving from a state with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

"As states around the country experience increasing community spread, New York is taking action to ensure the continued safety of our phased reopening. Our entire response to this pandemic has been by the numbers, and we've set metrics for community spread just as we set metrics for everything," Governor Cuomo said. "Three more states have now reached the level of spread required to qualify for New York's travel advisory. We will now require individuals coming from Delaware, Kansas and Oklahoma to quarantine for 14 days. New Yorkers did the impossible - we went from the worst infection rate in the United States to one of the best - and the last thing we need is to see another spike of COVID-19."

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posticon $4.3 Million in Federal Funding to Support Local COVID-19 Planning and Response

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$4.3 million in federal funding is being made available to county emergency management agencies and the City of New York to support COVID-19 planning and operational readiness, including $22,203 to Tompkins County. This grant opportunity will provide an additional level of direct support to counties as New York, and the rest of the world, continues to grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible recipients will be able to utilize this funding to cover various emergency management-related costs already borne during the pandemic, as well as costs associated with local prevention and operational efforts moving forward.

"As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to threaten the health and safety of people around the world, New York continues to be the model for effectively responding to this crisis and controlling infection levels despite the financial toll it has taken on state and local governments," NYS Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said. "While this funding is a first step in providing local governments with much needed relief, this situation is far from over and I will keep fighting to ensure the federal government is providing real financial support to those who have been on the front lines since Day One."

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posticon 2020 NY State and County Fairs Canceled

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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Fair will be cancelled this summer out of an abundance of caution. Cuomo said that movie theaters and casinos will also remain closed. He noted that New York has done a good job reducing infection, but argued that caution is prudent. On Wednesday Cuomo also announced that all county fairs will be canceled until further notice, again, out of an abundance of caution.

"This is a really tough one," Cuomo said. "Fairs all across the nation are not reopening. We have a fantastic State Fair in Syracuse. We've invested a lot of money. We've had record attendance, 1.3 million people last year, we broke the attendance record. We invested money, we redid the whole State Fair. We built a new expo center, 110,000 square feet, it's really amazing. It's been an economic boon for the whole region. This year we're going to have to cancel it and that makes me personally very unhappy, but that is where we are."

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posticon Area Leaders Call on State for School Reopening Guidelines

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Horseheads,NY - U.S. Representative Tom Reed (R-NY), Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats), Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning), Assemblyman Chris Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats), Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes (R,C-Caledonia) and Assemblyman Joseph Giglio (R,C,I-Gowanda) today joined regional education leaders to call on New York State to give area schools the go-ahead to begin implementing plans to reopen in September.

The New York State of Board of Regents and the State Education Department announced in late April the formation of a School Reopening Task Force to oversee school reopenings. In June, the task force held a series of virtual meetings with four Regional School Reopening Task Forces representing teachers, parents, administrators, school board members and non-instructional school personnel, among others, to gather input on the protocols that will then guide New York’s 700 local school districts in devising their reopening plans.

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posticon COVID Nursing Home Report Issued, Local Reps Say Do More

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Nursing Homes COVID-19 Report

The New York State Department of Health (NYDOH) released results of an in-depth analysis of nursing home data Monday. The report found COVID-19 fatalities in nursing homes were related to infected nursing home staff.  But Congressman Tom Reed said the report is a "blatant attempt by Governor Cuomo to sidestep an ounce of accountability."  He added that "Justice is not served when the individuals who were responsible for the state’s deadly edicts are reviewing their own conduct."

"Placing the blame squarely on the staff who care for our grandparents -- when the state knowingly created COVID hotspots by forcing homes to accept COVID-positive patients -- is a slap in the face to those who lost a loved one," Reed said. "Even a cursory review of ADMA’s dire warning to New York State makes it clear what really contributed to New York’s horrific death toll."

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posticon Lansing Carnival Cancelled

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Lansing Carnival Canceled

As pandemic cancellations pile up the latest victim of COVID-19 is the Lansing Carnival. Lansing Events Committee (LEC) President Valerie McMillen announced on Facebook Wednesday that the 2020 carnival and parade will not take place.

"The Lansing Events Committee has the unfortunate position of having to announce the cancellation of the Lansing Community Celebration 2020," she wrote. "Phase 4 includes high-risk activities, such as: carnivals, concerts, performing arts, theater arts, water parks and the like, the reason being, they will go over the gathering limit of 50 people."

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posticon Village Extends Building Deadlines

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The Village of Lansing Board of Trustees extended building permit deadlines Monday by 120 days, despite the Planning Board's recommendation that the extension only be granted for 90 days.  Planning Board members said at their June 30th meeting that they would not be comfortable granting more than three months, influenced, in part, by their irritation with developer Arrowhead Ventures' Lansing Meadows project and its decade long history of changes to its Planned Development Area (PDA).  But the decision fell in the jurisdiction of the Trustees, who opted for the maximum allowed extension.

"The proposal is to increase that to 120 days from the initial conception," said Mayor Donald Hartill. "I got a note from Lisa (Planning Board Chair Lisa Schleelein) saying that the Planning Board had only approved 90 days, but the 120 days is much more of a standard. So I would urge that we have the 120 day extension discussion."

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posticon Trouble Ahead for Local Governments and Schools

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The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected many local governments' revenues and its impact will likely be severe for many municipalities' finances, according to a report released yesterday by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.  As sales tax revenues fall by double-digits and state aid is reduced or delayed, DiNapoli called on the federal government to provide aid to local governments before drastic service cuts occur.

"Local governments are under extreme fiscal pressure. Costs for fighting the pandemic are adding up while revenues are rapidly falling," DiNapoli said. "In this year's state budget, aid to local governments was flat and now the state has withheld some aid. Local governments can only tighten their belts so far. They need federal aid and they need it now."

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