Archive: News

Congressman Tom Reed announced he is co-sponsoring the bipartisan Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act to ensure emergency services volunteers are not subjected to the employer mandate under the Affordable Health Care Act. Reed says such a distinction would burden communities with unnecessary costs as the vast majority of volunteers obtain health care through their primary employer, not the volunteer organization.

“Volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services personnel deserve full support and backing, not barriers that potentially put them out of business,” Reed said. “We rely heavily on our volunteer firefighters in our time of need. Just as they care for us, we need to care for and protect them so they can continue serving our communities. Many of our rural communities rely exclusively on volunteer fire departments for fire and emergency medical services – they cannot afford to have services reduced with regulations that put public safety at risk.”

The Tompkins County Legislature has elected Michael Lane (D) to lead the Legislature during 2014.   The position of Chair is filled each year by a majority vote of members of the Legislature.  The chair is responsible for overseeing all Legislative functions.

At the Legislature’s 2014 organizational meeting, Mr. Lane was the sole nominee for Chair and elected by unanimous vote (Legislator Dave McKenna was excused.)  Lane was nominated by Legislator Dooley Kiefer, who praised his deep interest in good government, as well as his ongoing care and concern for fairness, and his sound judgment.  Seconding the nomination, Legislator Peter Stein call Mr. Lane an honest and hard-working legislator, who has demonstrated his ability to devote a tremendous amount of time to the Legislature despite carrying out his professional responsibilities as an attorney, and his commitment to carry out what he has been sworn to do, no matter what the other responsibilities in his life.

Two New Legislators Begin Service; Legislature Reduced to 14 Members
The Legislature welcomed two new colleagues for the four-year term that runs through the end of 2017.  The newly elected Legislators, along with eleven of 12 incumbents (Legislator Dave McKenna was excused), were sworn in by Tompkins County Clerk Aurora R. Valenti just before the Legislature meeting.  With this term, the Legislature is made up of 14 members (reduced by one from its former complement of 15), due to redistricting as a result of the 2010 Census.

New to the Legislature is Daniel Klein (D), representing District 7 (Caroline, Danby, and a portion of the Town of Ithaca) and Michael Sigler (R) who, after serving from 2006-2009, is returning to the Legislature for a second term to represent District 6 (Town of Lansing).

Opponents to building on 156 acres of land on Route 34B across from the town ballfields argue that the government should wait for the Comprehensive Plan update to be completed before approving any development there.  They argue the plan will drive the direction of a town center, if the update even says the Town wants one.  But the fact is that the Town does have a Comprehensive Plan in place that was updated only seven years ago, and a town center is part of that plan.  Things haven't changed that much in seven years, and most people who live here know what those things are.  So there may be no reason to hold up projects for an update of an existing document?

"I strongly agree with that point of view," Town Planner Jonathan Kanter says.

Albany, NY – A precedent- setting court battle over fracking before New York’s highest court advanced today, with lawyers filing briefs asking the court to uphold the Town of Dryden’s gas drilling ban.

The decision by the New York State Court of Appeals, expected sometime next year, would cement the rights of the more than 170 towns in New York that have passed bans or moratoria on fracking and could give encouragement to the increasing number of communities across the country opting to place limits on the controversial practice. Last month, voters in four Colorado towns approved local ballot initiatives banning fracking. Just last week, the City of Dallas approved a de facto ban on oil and gas drilling within city limits.

As LegislativeTerm Ends, Chair Reflects on Challenges and Accomplishments
At the final meeting of the 2010-2013 legislative term, Legislature Chair Martha Robertson took the opportunity to reflect on how the County has addressed the many challenges it has faced over the past four years, and its accomplishments in meeting those challenges.  Among those challenges:  addressing the worst economic collapse in a generation that caused an abrupt drop in aid and revenue, and an equally rapid rise in demand for services.

Chair Robertson noted that the County’s used a measured and balanced response, involving shared sacrifice, tough choices, and fact-based decision-making, then adapted to the “new normal” of a stable, but smaller, county government.  As of now, she said, unemployment is the lowest in New York State, reserves are strong, the County’s AA1 credit rating is almost the best in the state, and Tompkins County is ranged by the Comptroller as the third-most fiscally stable county in New York State.  “We’ve adjusted to our era of constraint and are providing quality services to the community.”

Congressman Tom Reed voted Thursday to pass legislation to help the victims and families of the West Webster Fire Department following the December 24, 2012 shooting. The bill allows public charities to make a payment to any firefighter who was injured as a result of the ambush, or to the spouse or any dependent of any firefighter who died as a result. Reed was a co-sponsor of the bill.

New York’s state public authorities pay more than $7 billion in compensation and perks to more than 104,000 employees annually, with nearly $1.8 billion going to employees who earn $100,000 or more, according to a report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"New York's public authorities often operate under the radar and with their own set of rules," DiNapoli said. "While state agencies have reined in spending, public authorities have not been held to the same constraints. The public has a right to know how its resources are spent and what perks are given. Public authorities must do more to show what they spend and why in these challenging economic times."

The Tompkins County Legislature authorized appropriation of up to $15,000 in contingency funding to help address gaps in broadband Internet coverage in the Town of Caroline—areas initially planned for inclusion in the county plan to improve broadband access for unserved and underserved areas of the county through the Legislature’s Special Committee on Broadband, but that were subsequently unable to be covered due to the level of funding received in the Connect NY Broadband grant allocation received to support the project.

The cost to extend broadband access to nearly all residents in those difficult-to-reach areas of Caroline is estimated at $218,000, and the Town has raised public, private, and grant funding commitments for $156,000 to date.  The Town had requested $8,000 in County support to help fill that gap, but Legislator Pam Mackesey advocated increasing that amount to up to $15,000, maintaining that is consistent with the County’s goal of providing access to broadband to all residents of Tompkins County.  The amendment was supported by a margin of 11-4; then the appropriation at the higher funding level supported by a vote of 13-2, Legislators Brian Robison and Jim Dennis dissenting.  Both praised and recognized the Town’s actions and commitment, but said the Legislature should at this point approve the amount the Town was asking for.

After Governor Andrew Cuomo's announcement this week that the Dunkirk Power Plant  will be repowered under a 150 million agreement to repower and expand the Dunkirk to a 435 megawatt natural gas facility, the focus moves to Lansing's Cayuga Power Plant.  New York State Public Service Commission's decision on whether to repower the Lansing plant is expected December 28th, but Lansing Supervisor Kathy Miller and Tompkins County Legislator Pat Pryor say that without strong local support that decision may not be good news for the township.  Both made a plea to residents Wednesday to call Cuomo's office to register their support for repowering.

	To register your opinion on repowering the Cayuga Power Plant call Governor Cuomo's Office at (518) 474-1041 before December 28th

"The fact that they decided to repower Dunkirk is not good news for us," Pryor said.  "However if you look at the technical aspects of power and energy in New York State it's very clear that the State needs this power plant.  They need this energy.  There's a very strong push by some groups to say that they don't need it and all they need to do is upgrade the transmission lines.  That might solve the problem temporarily, but it's not going to be very long before they do need a new power plant.  It will be a real shame if we don't convince them right now to keep this plant open, instead of closing this plant now and building another one someplace else a few years down the road."

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More than 30 residents came to the Lansing Town Hall Wednesday to find out what Lansingites think about Lansing.  Town of Lansing Comprehensive Plan Update Committee Member Susan Tabrizi presented an analysis of data from a telephone survey that will partially drive future goals in the updated plan.

"Overall, people are happy living in Lansing," she said.  "They are invested in the community.  They see themselves staying here, but they have things that they want to see develop in the future, and they have an idea of what they see the future looking like."

Every municipality uses a comprehensive plan to guide its development.  The document is a way to look at the future residents want, as well as a road map for getting there.  Input is typically solicited from residents and that is folded into the final updated document.  Not long ago both the Town and Village of Lansing conducted a telephone survey that will be a major factor in updating their respective comprehensive plans.  Next week the Town of Lansing Comprehensive Plan Update Committee will present the results of their survey to the public. 

"The Comprehensive Plan survey shows there is an awful lot of agreement despite that north-south, old-new perspective that politically has been affecting the Town of late as evidenced by the recent election," says Town Planner Jonathan Kanter.  "There is much agreement in support of certain things."