Archive: News

The Town of Lansing pledged to cover up to $6,000 to help pay for eight poles needed to include the Town of Caroline in a county-wide project that will provide high speed Internet to more than 95% of unserved homes in rural areas of Tompkins County and Southern Cayuga County.  A $2.2 million state grant is paying for the project that has local Internet Service Provider (ISP) Clarity Connect building the infrastructure and providing the service in a couple of townships in Southern Cayuga County and most of the townships in Tompkins County.

"There is a possibility that all of the pledge will not be needed," Tompkins County Broadband Committee member and North Lansing resident Sheldon said, noting that new grants are being pursued to cover all or some of the cost.  "Clarity Connect is looking for a guarantee that they'll get paid for putting the poles in at this minimum price."

Mike Sigler announced Monday that he will run for County Legislature.  Sigler served as Lansing's representative to Tompkins County from 2006 to 2010, when he was defeated by current Legislator Pat Pryor.  Sigler says taxes were a major issue when he served before, and will continue to be if he is elected, saying taxes went down by 17% when he was on the Legislature.  He will be running on the Republican and Independence Party lines.

He and his family have lived and worked in lansing for ten years.  His daughter will enter third grade at next Fall.  He says Lansing will grow, and defending the character of the town while facilitating growth is a major challenge.  Sigler dropped by the Lansing Star Tuesday to talk about why he wants a rematch with Pryor and what he thinks is important right now for Lansing.

"A lot of people have asked to express themselves on the sewer," said former Town Councilwoman Connie Wilcox Wednesday night at a forum she hosted to discuss the proposed $10.8 million Lansing sewer project.  "I want everyone to be respectful whether you are pro or con on sewer.  A lot of people haven't decided yet."

But of the 50 Lansing residents who attended most have decided that they do not want sewer.  An informal poll showed that of 49 homeowners present only three were in favor of the project, two of them Lansing Sewer Committee Members.  The one who does not own a home was in favor as well, four were undecided, two didn't say one way or another, and the rest checked the 'against' box.

The Legislature’s Capital Plan Review Committee today recommended that the County proceed with a modest expansion of its Human Services Building to house the Community Justice Center’s Day Reporting Program, enabling the County to vacate the Old County Library.

The recommendation calls for adding the expansion and renovation project to the County’s five-year Capital Program at a cost over just over $1.5 million, and to execute a contract with LaBella Associates for project architectural and design services.  The project would add a 1,600 square-foot one-story bump-out on the southeast corner of the building and reconfigure interior space to accommodate Day Reporting, while also maintaining current functions of the Department of Social Services and preserving a mid-size conference room in the building—the current Livesay Conference Room would be reduced by about 40%.

New York State’s Medicaid program overpaid providers $11.4 million, largely because providers overstated the amounts of Medicare coinsurance charges and incorrect rate changes, according to two audits of the Department of Health (DOH) released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The state has recovered $3.8 million of these overpayments.

“New York’s Medicaid system continues to be rife with waste,” DiNapoli said. “Year after year my auditors identify the same types of Medicaid errors due to weak controls. As a result, New York taxpayers pay millions more than they should. DOH needs to greatly improve its supervision of the program to protect taxpayer dollars.”

Tom Reed announced his co-sponsorship of the bipartisan Kids First Research Act of 2013, a bill that invests $130 million in scientific research for pediatric diseases and disorders like autism, juvenile diabetes, and children’s cancer. The bill prioritizes funding for pediatric research by eliminating taxpayer financing of presidential campaigns and party conventions.

“Putting medical research at the top of the congressional priority list is right and appropriate,” Reed said. “Investing $130 million in additional research dollars so that we can better care for children could mean medical breakthroughs and most importantly, it could mean finding cures. We will continue to engage in this conversation of how to prioritize federal dollars and will fight for fair and efficient use of taxpayer dollars, putting our children first.”

The Lansing Board of Education set the tax rate Monday for the 2013-2014 school year at $20.69 per thousand dollars of assessed property value.  That number represents an 4.28% increase in the tax rate and a 6.66% increase in the $15,571,475 tax levy, the portion of the $26,536,296 budget that is collected in property taxes.

District Business Administrator Mary June King presented two scenarios including one that would have set the tax rate to $20.52.

Last weekend's protest against the Cayuga Power Plant stirred up a lot of local issues that were only tangentially touched upon by the protesters.  While the goal of immediately converting to renewable, non-polluting energy is lofty, the lives and livelihoods of townspeople in Lansing are real and in real danger.  No matter where you stand on the closing or conversion of the Cayuga Power Plant, its impact on this community is enormous.

In the eight years I have been covering Lansing news one of the recurring themes has been long-time residents, especially those on fixed incomes, being taxed to the point where they can't afford to stay in homes, some of which have been in these families for generations.  When the plant was prosperous it kept taxes low for homeowners.  About three quarters of last year's school tax rate rise was attributed to the falling value of the power plant.

Legislature Approves TC3 Budget
By unanimous vote, the Legislature adopted the 2013-2014 operating budget for Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3). The $38.3 million budget includes a total sponsoring community contribution of about $4.4 million (split between Tompkins and Cortland Counties), a 3% increase in sponsor contribution over the current year’s budget.  Tompkins’ share of the sponsor contribution is just under $2.8 million (63%), based on a funding formula related to the proportion of students enrolled from each county.  For Tompkins County, the 3% rise is an increase of about $81,000.  The Cortland County Legislature has already approved the budget.

Budget Chair Jim Dennis expressed the Legislature’s appreciation for the College’s presentations on the budget and its continued good work, saying the County is totally supportive of all that the College does.

The forecast didn't look good for fireworks this week.  Rain was predicted all week and the Ithaca fireworks were postponed.  But Lansing organizers held fast, and a miraculous break in the weather resulted in crowds filling a slightly soggy Myers Park Wednesday for the Lansing Community Council's 3rd annual Independence Day fireworks.

The park rocked most of the night with the Central New York band, The Destination.  Dave Hatfield provided food, and the Community Council sold just about anything that glows, which provided almost as good a show on the ground as the fireworks did in the air.

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The Lansing Fire District has four fire stations scattered across town.  A major addition/renovation to Central Station was recently completed, and the station in the Village of Lansing was replaced entirely with finishing touches being applied now.  Fire commissioners say they are planning renovations on two fire stations in the north of town as well, which they say is the first time all four stations have seen major construction work at the same time.

"I would refer to it as correcting deferred maintenance over the last 20 years," says District Treasurer George Gesslein.

You may receive a telephone call in the near future asking your opinion on the future of Lansing.  It is not a solicitation call -- your municipalities actually want to know what you think.  The Town and Village of Lansing are both updating their long range comprehensive plans, in part, on what you tell them.  The two municipalities are splitting the $18,610 cost of a professional scientific telephone survey conducted by a local firm, Survey Research Institute (SRI).

"365 interviews will be conducted on behalf of the Village," said Trustee Julie Baker.  "That represents half of the work so we will be paying half of the estimated cost."