Archive: News

The Tompkins County Legislature's Public Safety Committee discussed the issue of body cameras for police officers Tuesday, hearing a report from Sheriff Ken Lansing and Undersheriff Brian Robison from their examination of the issue.

Sheriff Lansing told the committee he supports the use of body cameras, which believes would enhance officer safety and capture an actual record of situations and events.  But he added that it is critical to have a policy in place regarding how such cameras will be used—including the information technology aspects—before units are purchased and the program is implemented.  The Sheriff said he has already consulted with the sheriffs from Schuyler and Niagara Counties, where body cameras are already used, and is reviewing rules and regulations from Niagara County, where the cameras have been in use for about three years.

Senator Michael Nozzolio, along with his Republican colleagues, outlined a plan Tuesday to totally abolish the notorious Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) and its devastating impact on state funding to public schools.

Nozzolio and his colleagues are proposing the return of $1 billion to schools across the state by accelerating the complete and total elimination of the GEA as part of the 2015-16 state budget.

Congressman Tom Reed shared Tuesday how his 'Private Property Impact Test' will protect property owners in New York.

"Last week I proposed an Amendment to the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act on the floor of the House.  My amendment is the next step to defend private property. While my bill, the Defense of Property Rights Act (DOPRA) is in the House Judiciary Committee, I am always looking for additional avenues to ensure American property rights are protected. This amendment does just that.

Lansing officials have been paying special attention to traffic maps as they assess the impact of significant new development in the township.  With a dozen developments under review or approved that could increase the number of housing units by 495 and another handful that could raise that number by an additional 575 units, neighbors are understandably concerned about the traffic impact.  But Lansing Planning Consultant Michael Long says that a recent study by Cornell University's Design Connect shows that Lansing's roads are currently well under capacity at the peak traffic hour between 5pm and 6pm.

"A lot of people primarily drive through the community from Cayuga County to Cornell," Long says.  "Cornell is the major magnet that drives a lot of traffic.  A lot of people go via Triphammer.  And as you go closer into the Village of Lansing the traffic really increases."

The February 6 deadline has passed, and Cayuga Operating Company (COC) and New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) have submitted their proposals to the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC).  It is now up to Albany to decide whether Lansing's Cayuga Power Plant will remain open or shut its doors forever.

Since the issue was first raised power plant officials have been given seven extensions to come up with a plan the PSC might accept.  For much of the past year they were expected to come up with a joint plan with NYSEG, but those negotiations fell apart at the end of last year. Plant officials requested a new extension to develop their own plan, and were given until last Friday to come up with it.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125) on Wednesday attended the meeting at the NYS Department of Health (DOH) in Albany of the Work Group on Medicaid Transportation and Mobility Management. The meeting was the fourth since Assemblywoman Lifton requested the first meeting with DOH officials in June 2014, asking that they listen and respond to the concerns of local officials, particularly those in Cortland County who were seeing a significant loss of funding and ridership to their bus system. To a lesser extent, this has been a problem in Tompkins County as well.

"I am encouraged by the hard work that everyone, including transportation staff from Cortland and Tompkins Counties, has put into this endeavor and the progress that has been made in improving the new brokerage system for Non-Emergency Medicaid Transportation (NEMT) that was implemented in 2013, and that work will continue to make further improvements," said Lifton. "However, many of our rural transit systems are still fragile from the loss of ridership and revenue as a result of the loss of Medicaid dollars to the counties. I will be strongly weighing in with Speaker Heastie and the relevant Assembly Chair this week, urging that we provide state STOA funding that ensures continued and robust operation of rural public transportation in Cortland and Tompkins counties in my district, as well as the other rural counties in Upstate New York."

Construction has begun on a $400,000 water main project that will insure water service on the south side of Route 13.  An approximately 200 foot pipe will be installed in a hole that is being drilled under the highway adjacent to the rear of the Triphammer Road Tops market that will bring water to the southern portion of the Village of Lansing and act as a backup for the Bolton point Water Commission infrastructure.

"The Village has an 8 inch line under Route 13 now on the south side," said Village of Lansing Mayor Donald Hartill Monday.  "That line is a very deep, around 50' in some places, and is getting long in the tooth."

Village of Lansing Mayor Donald Hartill said a traffic light on the corner of Craft and Triphammer Roads will be erected this Spring.  Hartill told Village Trustees Monday that a meeting to finalize plans was to be held Wednesday.

"The design is complete.  We now have the easements in place," he said.  "Construction will start in the Spring."

Senator Michael Nozzolio, Chairman of the New York State Senate Codes Committee, held the first in a series of public hearings Wednesday to provide a thorough review of issues affecting the safety of law enforcement, first responders, and the public in New York State. The hearing was jointly convened in New York City by four Senate Committees to address serious concerns raised by the shooting deaths of two NYPD Officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, and Rochester Police Officer Daryl Pierson, in addition to other recent attacks and hostility directed at law enforcement.

The Senate Standing Committees holding the hearing included: Codes, chaired by Nozzolio; Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections; Investigations and Government Operations; and Civil Service and Pensions.

The Ways and Means Committee passed Congressman Tom Reed's (NY-23) Fighting Hunger Incentive Tax Act Wednesday, which incentivizes excess food donations to those that need it most.

Congressman Reed released the following statement:

"America is in many ways the land of plenty but for many Americans hunger is a reality. Nearly one in six of our neighbors face the specter of hunger. At yet, over 150 billion pounds of excess food is simply thrown away. It only makes sense that this excess food be donated to our local charities and food banks which provide a crucial link in defeating hunger for those who experience food insecurity.

Local sales tax collections in 2014 suffered the slowest annual growth since the end of the 2008-09 recession, according to a report issued today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Collections across the state grew by $439 million, or 3 percent, from 2013 to 2014. In 2013, the growth rate was 5.2 percent. New York's 15-year annual average growth in sales taxes is 4.2 percent.

"Municipalities across this state know all too well the volatile nature of sales tax revenue in uncertain economic times," said DiNapoli. "When our local governments have slower-than-expected revenue growth, the results can have a serious impact on their budgets now and in the future. As the 2015 fiscal year unfolds, I recommend local leaders continue their vigilance in monitoring their revenues and spending and be ready to tighten their belts should this slowdown continue."