Archive: News

The Lansing Town Board considered imposing an ethics disclosure policy on elected officials and some employees at a Wednesday meeting.  Supervisor Kathy Miller said the board would have to decide on whether it wants to impose a requirement that officials and employees turn in a disclosure form to guard against conflicts of interest, and to make a list of individuals who will be required to fill out the form.

Miller said officials have considered the disclosure form be filled out annually by elected officials, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals members, and full time employees over the age of 18.  She said she would like to include professional support people such as the town attorney and engineering consultant as well.

On February 27 Principal Jamie Thomas delivered bad news to the Board Of Education.  Lansing Middle School has been identified as a 'school in need of improvement' in special education English/Language Arts (ELA) by the New York Department of Education.  Thomas explained that most middle schools are in similar straights in the wake of new higher state performance standards.  Monday he was back to share a comprehensive plan for bringing the school up to the new standard.

"It is an unusual situation for us because we are also the highest scoring school in our entire area for our regular education students in every subject," Thomas told the board.  "We certainly are very proud of the high scores of our general education students.  The fact of the matter is that our school, along with most schools in the area, has been identified by the State as in need of improvement in terms of our students with disabilities."

TCAT’s bus operators and maintenance team, represented by the United Auto Workers Local 2300, Friday, March 9, overwhelmingly ratified a 2 ½‑year‑contract following several months of negotiations.

The previous 3‑year contract expired Sept. 11, 2011. After the UAW‑represented work force twice rejected the contract in both September and November, negotiators from both sides finally were able to craft and communicate an agreement acceptable to UAW rank‑and‑file members who voted 48‑16 to accept it.

Mike NozzolioNew York State Senator Mike Nozzolio announced Wednesday that he has been appointed to serve on the Joint Budget Conference Committees for Public Protection and Transportation. Senator Nozzolio also serves on the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for all aspects of the State budget.

"It is an honor to be given the important responsibility of serving on the Public Protection and Transportation Budget Conference Committees," said Nozzolio. “One of my top priorities is to ensure that State government remains accountable to the taxpayers of New York State and there is no better way to do that than to deliver an on-time, fiscally responsible State budget that builds on the many successes we achieved last year.”

The majority of municipalities in New York State were not aware of state laws allowing them to require foreclosing lenders to maintain vacant or abandoned properties even as 40 percent of them utilized local laws or ordinances to impose maintenance requirements, according to a survey conducted by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“Foreclosure devastates the families affected and hurts our communities. Many cities, towns and villages find themselves on the front lines of the foreclosure problem in New York State,” DiNapoli said. “When vacant properties in foreclosure aren’t maintained, they contribute to neighborhood blight and perpetuate a decline in property values. Upkeep of these homes costs municipalities millions of dollars. It is often the municipalities with the greatest foreclosure problems that have been the least successful in recovering costs. Local governments need to be aware of legal remedies to force banks and financial institutions to step up and take care of their obligations on these properties.”

The Lansing 2012-2013 school budget gap is dropping, and that changes the list of items to be cut next school year.  At the end of last month school officials said they would be applying $2.04 million of appropriated funds to a $2,836,500 gap, leaving $790,000 that must be made up somehow.  District Business Administrator mary June King and Superintendent Stephen Grimm presented the last in a series of budget breakdowns to the Board Of Education Monday.

The money comes from conservative spending throughout this school year.  Grimm says that $1.75 million can be appropriated for next year's budget without digging into reserves.  Currently Grimm is projecting a 4.5% rise in the tax rate.  About 3% of that comes from the reduction in the value of the AES Cayuga power plant that will necessity other taxpayers making up the difference.

Tompkins County Legislator and Legislature Vice Chair Nathan Shinagawa announced Wednesday he will run for Congress.

""I'm eager to take on Tom Reed," Shinagawa said. "Tom Reed is a congressman that's very close to the oil and gas industries. He's close to the Republican leadership. And I believe that I'm the candidate because I have the energy, the integrity and the determination to take him on and change Washington."

Emergency Responders Thanked for Dedication in Recent Search
The Legislature recognized emergency responders and community volunteers for their dedicated efforts during recent days in the search for 82-year-old Johanna Kirkwood, who wandered from her Lansing home and perished before searchers could find her.

Officials from the Sheriff’s Office and Department of Emergency Response were invited to the Legislature meeting to accept the Legislature’s thanks and recognition for the tireless efforts of their departments to organize and oversee the search, as well as of the hundreds of responders and volunteers, from throughout the community and beyond, who took part.

Lansing Fire Commissioners expressed frustration Tuesday at a public perception that work on two of the district's four fire stations is moving too slowly.  Commissioners say that things are going as well as can be expected when working on major projects with multiple contractors, as municipal taxing authorities are required to do.

"The contract is not finished yet," said Commissioner Alvin Parker.  "That's the way it works.  A lot of people are asking a lot of questions in a roundabout way, but nobody comes to these meetings to see what's actually going on.  You've got to follow the contract."

Trustees officially appointed a subcommittee Monday to work with consultants who have been hired to study potential development opportunities and study traffic in a southeastern portion of the Village of Lansing.  The study was prompted by neighborhood resistance to the Lansing Reserve development that has been proposed for a 23 acre plot north of Dart Drive in the Village.   Trustees also approved additional $5,000 for a total of $23,100 contract to cover 46 hours that will be used to chair and work with the committee, giving residents an official channel to provide neighborhood input. 

"Personally I think this is a much needed activity," said Julie Baker.  "Having them chair the meetings and work with the parties on the committee would be good.  I am in support of adding this."

The Legislature, by unanimous vote authorized the County to enter into an agreement with LaBella Associates, P.C. to provide engineering and related services required to implement the County’s Road Preservation Law, at a cost not to exceed $35,000.

The law, governing truck traffic that exceeds specific weigh and frequency thresholds, calls for damage resulting from such high-intensity traffic be anticipated, analyzed, and repaired promptly and to appropriate engineering standards, and that a bond sufficient to support the cost of anticipated road damage may be required before the project that generate such traffic begins.  LaBella was selected as the best qualified of several engineering firms that responded to the County’s Request for Proposals.

The Lansing Town Board agreed to pay $294,800 to lift deed restrictions on 156 acres of land that town officials hope will become a new town center.  That is $195,700 less than New York State asked last October.  Lansing Supervisor Kathy Miller credits Town Attorney Guy Krogh with negotiating the lower price, opening the way for a town center to be developed on the land.

"Guy did a good job," Miller says.  "He argued and he got them down to $294,800.  We had already paid them some money, so that was prorated.  We saved a lot of money, that's for sure.  Just to put it in perspective, there are 19 acres for sale near my house and they want $270,000.  If it was $2,500 per acre it would be $47,500.  Wow.  Good job."