Archive: News

Tom Reed voted last week to support legislation which will hold the Obama Administration accountable and ensure transparency for the American people when the government negotiates trade agreements.

"I believe that we have to ensure the President is accountable to not only Congress, but the American people," said Reed. "Trade Promotion Authority ensures Congress has the final say on trade agreements, by giving us an opportunity to vote on anything that the President brings to us, but only after the minimum standards are met and 60 days have passed. If the agreement is not a good deal for the American people, I will not vote for it."

This year, New York State required local governments and schools to present a plan to show how they will save over 1% of their tax levies through mergers, consolidations, shared services, and efficiencies that have been initiated since 2012.  Governments within Tompkins County submitted a consolidated plan showing savings of $1.7 million, or nearly 2% of their combined tax levies, from health benefit options made available through the inter-municipal health benefits consortium.

The Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) today released a report to the community that provides "the rest of the story" by documenting a long history innovative shared services that began well before the State's recent push for consolidation of services, and is saving local property taxpayers an estimated $3.8 million per year.

What could be better?  A US Soccer affiliated tournament attracts players and others from across the country, brings tourist dollars to local businesses, including hotels, restaurants and Bed & Breakfasts, and provides quality play and USSF certified referees for local youth to watch.  But the Lansing town government became entangled and tripped over its own laws Wednesday as the Town Board tried to figure out how to allow the Gorges Classic Soccer Tournament to use soccer fields next to the RINK over Labor Day weekend.

"I don't think any of us here disagree that we want to allow this to happen," said Councilman Robert Cree.  "I think we want to figure out how to make it so that next year you don't have to come here and ask... you can just do it."

Village of Lansing trustees voted to reduce sewer hookup fees by more than half in a unanimous vote Monday.  Village law required that each dwelling unit be charged a connection fee of $2,350.  The new law reduces that to $1,000 for a single residential permit, plus $500 for each additional residential unit that is part of the same structure.  Deputy Mayor Gerry Monaghan noted the Village sewer hook-up fee had been the highest in Tompkins County.  

"It was clearly the highest in the whole county," said Monaghan after the vote.  "I'm glad we're not the lowest and I'm glad we're not the highest."

Lansing students earned the third highest SAT scores in upstate New York, according to an article Wednesday in Buffalo Business First.  50 Lansing students who took the test scored an average of 1,754 of a possible 2,400 points in the three elements of the test.  Ithaca City School District ranked number one of all upstate schools.

The rankings reflect the 2013 SATs, the latest available scores at this time.  The list is for public schools only.  Private school scores are not ranked.  Each segment of the SAT has a maximum score of 800 and a minimum of 200.

The Lansing Board Of Education unanimously approved a five year contract with School Superintendent Chris Pettograsso at Monday's school board meeting.  Pettograsso is completing her third year at the superintendent's desk.

"Welcome on board for another five years," said board President Glenn Swanson after the 6-0 vote.

Pettograsso,  an Ithaca College graduate, began her teaching career in Voorheesville, NY, near Albany, and substituting in the Ithaca district.  She also holds a reading certification from Elmira College and an administrative degree from SUNY at Cortland.

The process of seeking a new use for Tompkins County’s Old Library site took another step forward today, as the Legislature’s Old Library Committee, in a 3-2 vote, recommended that the Legislature select the Travis Hyde Properties team as preferred developer of the site.
 
Travis Hyde would develop 63 residential market-rate senior-focused units, along with professional office space, and a community room.  It is the only proposal of the three before the committee that includes space for Lifelong as part of the project.  The full Legislature, which is not bound by the committee’s recommendation, will take up the matter at its next meeting June 16.
 

Congressman Tom Reed announced bipartisan legislation Monday which would help American manufacturers with energy consumption and costs.  The POWER Act, HR 2657 would encourage businesses to use new technologies to convert their "waste heat" into electricity.

"This is a great piece of legislation that really gives our manufacturers a competitive edge around the world. Time and time again, I've heard that energy consumption is the largest cost driver for manufacturers across the Southern Tier," said Reed. "This is a very simple way to help them keep those costs in check."

The Lansing Board Of Education approved a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that could mean 68.5% of the school district's electricity will be generated from solar panels.  If the project is realized a 1.5 megawatt solar array will be constructed in northwest Lansing, providing substantial savings to the school district over two decades.  School District Business Administrator Mary June King says school officials are conservatively projecting a net savings of around $50,000 per year, or at least $1 million over the contract's 20 year life.

"This does not mean that we're putting up the array next week," King said.  "This means that the agreement can go forward to NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) and wait for the grant approval.  They still have to work on the connectivity at that location, and they do have some backup locations in mind.  If that location falls through we don't have to be concerned about anything having to do with where this thing is.  We just have to be concerned that you are comfortable with the agreement to purchase power on a long term basis."

According to Congressman Tom Reed's office the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found last week that hydraulic fracturing poses no credible threat to public drinking water. The study is a compilation which includes over 950 sources of information from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports to published research papers and technical reports.

"Hydraulic fracturing can be done safely and the comprehensive science in this report once again validates this," said Reed. "The New York State fracking ban costs us jobs, limits our nation's path toward energy independence, which keeps production costs high for manufacturers and even violates the constitutionally protected rights of our landowners. With that in mind, I am calling on Governor Cuomo to reverse his unilateral and politically motivated decision to ban fracking in New York State."

Amy Wilson Guerreri Appointed County Personnel Commissioner
Amy Wilson Guerreri has been appointed Tompkins County Commissioner of Personnel following a national search.  The Legislature confirmed County Administrator Joe Mareane’s appointment of Ms. Guererri by unanimous vote (Legislators Nate Shinagawa and Peter Stein were excused.)  The appointment is for an initial six-year term, as is required under provisions of New York State Civil Service Law.  She succeeds Deborah Prato, who accepted a position with the New Jersey Transit Authority.
 
The new Commissioner has served as Personnel Director for Yates County since 2012, and for eight years before that served as talent acquisition recruiter for the 9,000-person Rochester General Health System, while also fulfilling a number of other human resources management responsibilities.  Before that, she was in senior management at the Geneva Housing Authority.  Commissioner Guerreri’s experience also includes four years in the U.S. Army.
 

Chris Williams (R) announced his candidacy for Lansing Town Supervisor Tuesday on WHCU radio, then held an informal campaign meet and greet that evening.  Williams is the brewer behind Stout Hearted Beer, Rogue's harbor Inn's own brand of locally made beer.  A Republican, he will challenge Councilman Ed LaVigne, who is also running for Supervisor this year.  Whoever wins the September 10th primary will presumably face off against a Democratic candidate in November.  Incumbent Supervisor Kathy Miller said Wednesday she has not yet decided whether she will run again.

"It's about a vision," Williams said Tuesday.  "I'm worried about a lot of things in the future, because I don't see a vision for five years.  I don't see 10 years or 25 years.  There are some obstacles that not just this town, but the entire country is going to have to navigate through in the next two decades.  These all have to do with access to energy and water and the rights of the properties we own."