Archive: News

Urge United States Department of Agriculture and United States Trade Representative to keep dairy products moving between the United States and Canada

Reps. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Ron Kind (D-WI) are urging federal officials to take proactive steps to prevent Canada from imposing new barriers to U.S. dairy exports. New York and Wisconsin are well positioned to take advantage of opportunities in the Canadian market, but only if Canada does not move to block U.S. dairy imports.

Martha Robertson, Tompkins County Legislator for the Town of Dryden (District 13, western half) and Chairperson of the Legislature, announced her decision to run for re-election this November. First elected to the post in 2001, Robertson is completing her third term on the board governing Tompkins County. She is in her fourth year as Chair of the Legislature.

A lifelong Democrat, Robertson represents the county on the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council and chairs the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency. She is a leader in the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), serving on statewide commissions on Mandate Relief and Medicaid Redesign as well as several of the association's standing committees.

Timing is everything for the Lansing sewer project.  The Lansing school district is on the verge of having to replace three major septic systems, and two state juvenile detention centers on Auburn Road are also racing the clock to replace its aging stand-alone sewage treatment plant.  Lansing Supervisor Kathy Miller and Town Engineer David Herrick met with New York and juvenile detention center representatives Monday to try to convince the State to wait until the sewer vote later this year.

"They had asked (facilities manager for the two state detention centers) Jeff Georgia to go out for bids on their system in May," Miller reported Wednesday to the Lansing Sewer Committee.  "The lawyer kept saying 'we don't know what's going to happen to this facility so we can't say that we would hook up to sewer.'  Everybody else was very much in favor of hooking up to sewer."

There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about the impact of the devaluation of the Cayuga Power Plant on local taxpayers.  As electricity from plants not powered by coal became cheaper a PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) contract that would have valued the plant at $255 million this year was renegotiated in 2010 step its value down to a low of $60 million in the 2014-2015 school year.  That drop could cost individual taxpayers thousands in additional taxes over the next four years.

Last year the Lansing school tax rate rose 3.89%.  About three percent of that was due to decreased power plant revenues.  If next year's tax rate rises 4.21% the owner of a $200,000 property will pay $315 more next year.  Two weeks ago School Business Administrator Mary June King presented the Board Of Education with a scenario that could raise the tax rate by 4.27% this summer, then a startling jump to 13.20% more in the 2014-15 school year, and somewhere between 7.16% and 11.10% the following year.

Village of Lansing trustees considered a first draft of a $2.2 million budget.  About $463,224 of that will be collected in property taxes.  Mayor Donald Hartill says the tax rate will go up from 99 cents to $1.01.

"If we take the dollar and one cent tax rate, it is again the lowest in New York State," Hartill said.  "For a village that provides all the services we provide."

Pat PryorLegislator Pat Pryor, Chair of the County Legislature’s Special Committee on Broadband, tonight announced that New York State has awarded a $2.2 million State grant to extend high-speed Internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the County.  The award comes in response to a coordinated application filed by provider Clarity Connect, Inc. to extend high-speed broadband service to unserved communities in Tompkins and Cayuga Counties.  The award is among $25 million awarded statewide under the Connect NY Broadband Grant program.  The local award is the third highest amount awarded among 18 grants statewide.

“As Chair of the Special Committee on Broadband I’m very happy and excited to be part of the effort to bring enhanced Internet access to rural parts of Tompkins County,” Legislator Pryor stated.  “Many rural residents have stayed in touch with the committee as we’ve waited for an announcement on our application for funding and I know that the opportunity for adoption of robust broadband service will make a real difference in the lives of many residents of the County.

Rep. Tom Reed says the growing number of voices in Washington advocating for comprehensive tax reform is a good sign that the 113th Congress will be successful in simplifying the current 70,000-page tax code.

“Leadership on both sides of the aisle and in both the House and Senate are coming out in support of tax reform,” said Rep. Reed. “This is good news for families and small businesses throughout the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes who could use simplification from the current tax code.

The state Department of Health made $26 million in Medicaid overpayments and other questionable payments because of flaws in its eMedNY claims processing computer system, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Taxpayers should not be forced to foot a $26 million bill due to computer programs that are poorly designed and lack controls to prevent inappropriate payments,” said DiNapoli. “The Department of Health needs to do better in ensuring that taxpayer money for critical Medicaid services is not wasted. This money must be recovered and controls to avoid overpayments must be put in place.”

Lansing Fire Commissioners unanimously approved the purchase of six mobile data systems Tuesday.  The in-vehicle computers will provide more information to help responders react to emergencies faster and more appropriately.   Landing fire fighter Casey Bordoni and 911 dispatcher Brian Cameron explained the benefits to a system Bordoni had scoped out.

"It's going to help with our responses to incidents large and small," Bordoni said.  "It will benefit the whole community.  If I have a map in front of me that shows where the call is and where I am it helps with our response a lot."

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It started with a simple neighborhood disagreement.  An established, local sign company nestled on a residential street installed a small digital sign along the road.  Neighbors objected.  They asked the owner to remove the sign, which he declined to do on the grounds that it is allowable by Town law and he had obtained a permit.  He did offer to turn it off at night, which he has been doing.  But the neighbors want the sign gone.

That was the beginning of a series of events that led to a dysfunctional Town Board meeting Wednesday at which two board members were told to recuse themselves from any votes on the issue, and the remaining three found it hard to agree on whether a six month moratorium on new commercial signage is even necessary.

Senator Mike Nozzolio announced Tuesday the introduction of the Family Tax  Relief Act, a targeted package of tax cuts and reform measures designed to provide a major economic boost to New York’s taxpayers.

This unprecedented tax relief plan restores the STAR property tax rebate program and will provide real and direct relief to millions of New Yorkers who pay some of the highest property taxes in the country.  The plan also increases the Child Tax Credit,  Dependent Exemption and the Dependent Care Credit.