Archive: News

New York State health insurance provider Empire BlueCross BlueShield has routinely allowed hospitals to charge excessive amounts for special medical items such as implants, drugs and blood, because they did not sign agreements to limit reimbursement for those items, according to an audit of the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.  

“New York is in a tough fiscal situation. It can’t afford to pay the exorbitant charges being billed by many hospitals for special items,” DiNapoli said. “Empire needs to stop paying excessive hospital charges and make sure it has agreements with every hospital it does business with to keep payments for special items within reason.”

New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio has been appointed to serve as the Senate Chairman of the Joint Budget Conference Committee for Public Protection.

The Public Protection Budget Conference Committee is responsible for reviewing all aspects of the criminal justice budget, and budgets for correctional services, military and naval affairs, the state police, the judiciary and homeland security.

New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio has called for the repeal of New York’s job killing Utility Tax Surcharge.   The proposed five-year extension of this 2% tax on all utility bills, would cost homeowners and businesses a total of almost $3 billion dollars.

“The extension of the Utility Tax Surcharge would be a giant step backward for jobs and the economic recovery of  Upstate New York.  Our State’s hardworking families and job-producing businesses already pay some of the highest utility rates in the country and repealing this surcharge is an opportunity to reduce the price of energy for all New Yorkers,” said Nozzolio.

Lansing Councilwoman Katrina Binkewicz unveiled a plan to cut off vehicular traffic from most of Salt Point Wednesday.  Owned by the DEC (New York Department of Environmental Conservation), the Town has a 25 year lease to manage the property.  Binkewicz says the new plan will discourage unlawful activities while bringing the point closer to the original plan  for managing it as a natural area conducive to hiking, bird watching, and other quiet activities.

"Over the last year the vehicle traffic has been very, very negative," Binkewicz told the Town Board.  "There are large divits and big potholes.  There is a lot of dangerous behavior.  I heard from someone that they were almost run over by someone speeding.  There has also been a lot of dumping of trash."

The Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response advises residents to use normal safety precautions for dealing with snow, in light of several inches of snow forecast for this region on Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for this area, beginning Friday morning.  A Winter Storm Watch means that it is possible for winter storm conditions to occur.


Snow is expected to develop Friday morning, become heavier during the afternoon, and last through Friday night, perhaps mixing with rain or sleet at times, before diminishing early Saturday morning.

The Lansing Town Board voted unanimously Wednesday to spend an additional $5,000 to complete a Map Plan and Report that will lay out details of an all-town sewer district.  The district will include the entire Town of Lansing excluding the Village of Lansing.  It will fold the Town's two existing sewer districts into the all-town district.

Town Engineer David Herrick presented a draft of the report to the Town Board and walked them through highlights of the plan.  The $10.8 million project will divide the district into two tiers.  To begin with, tier 1 will include three service areas, including the existing Warren Road and Cherry Road districts, plus a new service area that Herrick provisionally called the 'town center' area, starting at the Lansing schools, sweeping to the south to pick up Myers Park and the Ladoga Park neighborhood, then going east to include the new town center, businesses at the corner of Triphammer and Auburn Roads and the juvenile detention centers.

The new fire station on Oakcrest Road may be ready for use by the end of February if construction stays on schedule.  Fire Commissioner Alvin Parker reported Tuesday that apparatus bay interior walls and ceiling, a heating system have been installed.  Dry wall has been hung on framing, and is ready to be finished.  This week a sprinkler system is being installed, and compressed air lines needed to service fire equipment is close to completion.

The $750,000, 63,000 square foot building has four equipment bays to house a ladder truck, a fire engine and a duty-chief EMS vehicle, with the fourth bay available for future expansion. The station will also have five bunk rooms.  The new station replaces a smaller 1972 building that was too small for modern fire equipment and had deteriorated to the point where it might have been condemned.

Legislature Adopts Recommended Plan for TCAD Funding
Adopting recommendations of a broad-based task force that studied how to best stabilize funding for Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD , the Legislature by unanimous vote supported a plan that the County enter into a multi-year funding agreement with Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) to ensure a “sustained and balanced funding strategy” for the economic development agency.  The plan had also been recommended without dissent by the Legislature’s planning and economic development committee.

Supporting a continued revenue structure with one-third shares coming from County funds, employer investors, and project fees, the plan calls for increased County support, beginning next year, coming, in part from county Room Occupancy Tax revenues.  Based on advice from the County Attorney, the Task Force found that TCAD’s commitment to maintain and expand programs and activities that contribute to tourism and visitor activity justify such allocations within existing State and County law regarding the room tax.

Tom ReedRep. Tom Reed has been named the new Chairman of the bipartisan House Manufacturing Caucus, joining Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) as co-chair. The Manufacturing Caucus, founded in 2003, hosts briefings and roundtable discussions with industry experts to help support and spur job creation in manufacturing and associated industries.

“We are excited to be working with Congressman Ryan to continue to build the caucus’ reputation as a voice and a resource for the manufacturing sector – a group whose success is vital to our country’s ability to make a strong economic recovery,” Reed said. “It’s all about improving communication between manufacturers and Congress so that we can bring more manufacturing jobs to the 23rd district and the entire country.”

Local governments could do more to conduct background checks on individuals working in municipal youth program services, according to an audit released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Failing to perform background checks potentially jeopardizes the safety of children,” said DiNapoli. “It is essential that local officials take action to ensure they are consistently screening all persons who provide youth program services in their communities. Parents need to trust that all of the necessary steps have been taken to keep their children out of harm’s way.”

Mike NozzolioNew York State Senator Mike Nozzolio has been selected to serve as Chairman of the New York State Senate Codes Committee.  The Committee is one of the most important and active committees in the State Senate and has jurisdiction over all aspects of criminal justice policy.

“It is an honor for me to be given the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Codes Committee. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Committee to strengthen our State’s criminal justice laws and to work to protect our communities from violent criminals,” said Nozzolio.  Nozzolio previously served as Chairman of the Crime Victims, Crime and Committee.

The idea of a state forest in the northwest corner of Lansing has been gaining traction with a number of Lansing residents writing town officials in support of the idea.  But town officials are concerned that local taxpayers not take on liability or too much responsibility for the property.  To that end an open meeting has been scheduled between New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and town officials on February 27th to try to clear up some of the concerns Town Board members have.

Lansing Councilwoman Katrina Binkewicz updated the Lansing Economic Development Committee Wednesday.  She presented committee members with a brief outline of the possible project, samples of letters of support the board has received from local residents, and the beginnings of lists of potential benefits and liabilities to the Town.