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County Legislature Chair Martha Robertson, Legislator Will Burbank, and County Administrator Joe Mareane spent the day at the State Capitol in Albany Wednesday, urging legislative leaders to act on key concerns of Tompkins and other counties.

The local delegation met with senior staff for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and Governor Andrew Cuomo, and with Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton.

While New York State has regained 46 percent of the jobs it lost during the recession, in recent months the state has seen a decline in jobs while the nation has been adding them, according to a new report on economic trends released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“New York’s recovery appears to be losing momentum, which raises concerns about the pace of the economic recovery in 2012,” DiNapoli said. “The ranks of the long-term unemployed have grown markedly and those that have found jobs are being paid less. New York’s economy has improved over the past two years, but not all New Yorkers have benefitted equally.”

Last month Lansing Drilling Committee Chairman Larry Beck presented recommendations to the Lansing Town Board on what steps need to be taken to protect the town from consequences of hydrofracking on town resources.  He recommended the Town pass a moratorium on drilling to allow time to accomplish those tasks.  Wednesday the board met to discuss the pros and cons of imposing a moratorium and what it would mean to the town.

"We are going to move toward a moratorium and putting that in place before (New York State) starts to permit," says Town Supervisor Kathy Miller.  "I do believe that we can get the comprehensive plan and the land use ordinance under control."

A joint Planning Board and Trustees meeting at the Village of Lansing attracted a large crowd Tuesday who came to oppose a proposed development near Dart Drive.  The Lansing Reserve project proposes to build 65 townhouses to a 23 acre parcel north of Dart Drive.  At the end of last year the Village put their consideration of the project on hold while the Tompkins County Planning Department developed a Request For Proposals (RFP) Village officials will use to hire a consulting firm to study zoning, traffic, acces, and other needs for the area.  Mayor Donald Hartill hoped to discuss the five proposals that resulted Tuesday, and identify a firm to engage to conduct the study.

"They all appear to be very responsive and satisfy any of the objections that I have heard this evening," Hartill said.  "And I see no reason for delay unless we don't have a clear picture as to which company we want to choose, in which case I suggest we delay until next week."

Taxpayers pay most of the school property tax levy.  The rest is paid by PILOTs (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes).  If more money comes in from PILOTs, taxpayers pay a smaller percent of the levy.  If less comes from PILOTs, taxpayers have to make up that amount.  Superintendent Stephen Grimm told a packed room Monday that the Lansing Central School District is looking at $1 million in cuts for the 2012-20123 school year even if the tax rate goes up by 6.5%.  Almost half of that tax rise comes from the reduction of the value of the AES Cayuga power plant PILOT.  And Grimm said that the district will be looking at another $1 million in cuts next year.

"I'll tell you right up front I don't want to cut that million dollars," Grimm said after a detailed budget presentation.  "I think we need more than a 3.5% combined levy.  Which means that I think we need more than a 6.5% tax rate."

The Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) has released a study of the potential impact of hydrofracking on the region: “Tompkins County Community Impact Assessment – High Volume Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF)”.

The study, which provides municipal officials, community members, and business leaders an assessment of how high volume hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale might impact Tompkins County, was prepared by GREENPLAN, Inc. under contract with TCCOG, and incorporates work done by TCCOG’S Gas Drilling Task Force and the Tompkins County Planning Department.

Tompkins County Legislature concerns about hydrofracking were actively communicated to State lawmakers Tuesday, as hundreds of people from across the state rallied at the State Capitol to urge a statewide drilling ban, with many of them then speaking individually with State lawmakers to state their case.

Legislature Chair Martha Robertson and Legislator Pam Mackesey, who has chaired the Legislature’s Planning, Development and Environmental Quality Committee, were among the participants in the day-long event. The Legislature has called for a statewide hydrofracking ban, as well as a ban on such drilling in the Finger Lakes region, and has also urged the State to clarify and reaffirm municipal home rule regulatory land use authority regarding such issues as natural gas extraction.

Martha RobertsonThe Tompkins County Legislature overcame repeated deadlock at its last meeting two weeks ago, and reelected Martha Robertson (D – District 13, Dryden) to her third year as Legislature Chair in 2012.  The Chair’s position is filled each year by a majority vote of the 15 members of the Legislature and is responsible for overseeing all Legislative functions.

While the Legislature at its last meeting voted nine times but failed to reach a decision because of repeated, 7-7 tie votes, tonight’s decision came by a single ballot, with 9 Legislators voting for Robertson and 5 for Mike Lane (D – District 14-Dryden).  Voting for Robertson were Legislators Pat Pryor, Jim Dennis, Will Burbank, Peter Stein, Dooley Kiefer, Nathan Shinagawa, Robertson, Carol Chock (who had been excused from the last meeting), and Brian Robison, who changed his vote from the previous rounds two weeks ago.  Voting for Lane were Legislators Pam Mackesey, Frank Proto, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Dave McKenna, and Lane.  Legislator Kathy Luz Herrera, who had voted for Lane the last time, was excused from tonight’s meeting.

Legislator Pat Pryor chairs the Broadband CommitteeAfter more than a year of research and deliberation, the Tompkins County Broadband Committee presented its recommendations to the County Legislature regarding how to best extend broadband Internet service to all in Tompkins County. The Committee was charged to “advise the Tompkins County Legislature on how to best promote broadband technology countywide, to address the needs of unserved and underserved residents, foster public-private innovation, enhance existing capabilities, and support good governance.”

Noting that quality Internet access is a necessity for daily communications and transactions for every citizen, the Report documents that, according to a “gap map” recently prepared by the Committee, more than 4,700 households and businesses in the County’s rural areas lack reliable broadband access (a greater number that state and federal sources identify).  Although broadband technology exists, the Report notes that the cost for commercial providers and the price for individual subscribers are too great to extend the infrastructure into the County’s less densely populated areas.

The County’s Independent Redistricting Commission Thursday decided on a favored, 14-district plan to reapportion County legislative districts.

The Commission supported a slightly modified version of a 14-district scenario favored at its previous meeting; the revised map tweaks election district boundaries in the King/Troy Road and Hayts/Bundy Road areas in the Town of Ithaca.  Elections Commissioner Elizabeth Cree again advised that the Board of Elections prefers the 14-district option, which most closely follows current election districts.

In Newfield town court last Thursday (1/12/12), accused defendant Christine Carpenter waived her right to having the charges read out loud and her lawyer requested a stay in the case. The next court date will be in February.

SPCA Executive Director Jim Bouderau said “Our hope is that Carpenter will enter guilty pleas to both charges with a sentence that prevents her from having any pets in her home for at least three years, along with being required to provide restitution to the SPCA for the cost of rehabilitating Sheila.”