Archive: News

The Lansing Town Board Wednesday authorized Supervisor Kathy Miller to sign a cooperative/shared services agreement to establish a shared electronic records management system in Tompkins County.  On December 6th Lansing Town Clerk Debbie Crandall and Deputy Town Clerk Darlene Marshall attended a meeting with Tompkins County Clerk Aurora Valenti to review the county's paperless records program with an eye toward doing the same in Lansing.

"There are no files or file storage in any county office," Crandall told the board. "They have all been scanned.  The county has offered to help the towns to get a shared service grant."

TCAT is implementing a two‑zone fare structure with rural fare increases as well as service changes, effective January 15.

Reacting to a dismal budget climate, the TCAT Board of Directors on Dec. 1 approved a nearly $12.8 million spending plan for 2012 that included the two‑zone fare system along with service reductions.

The SPCA of Tompkins County has filed charges against Christina Carpenter of Nob Hill Road in Newfield. Carpenter is accused of starving one dog to death and surrendering the second to the SPCA in an emaciated state. She is charged with two Class A misdemeanors under Section 353 of the Agriculture and Markets Law of the State of New York, for failure to provide proper sustenance.

Carpenter was arraigned in Newfield Town Court on December 29th. She is scheduled to appear in the Newfield Town Court again at 1:00 PM on January 12, 2012.

When AES Cayuga’s parent company declared bankruptcy on December 30, many questions about what this means for our local plant, the Town of Lansing, Tompkins County, and the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) agreement have surfaced.

First a bit of history: the PILOT process was started in 2007 as a way to create a negotiated process to stabilize the unpredictable fluctuating valuations that made it difficult for AES as well as Lansing Central School District (LCSD), the Town of Lansing, and the County to create their budgets. The goal of all the parties was to create a PILOT that recognized the value of the Plant would change over time as conditions changed, but allowed the impact of those changes to be phased-in over a reasonable period of years (up to five years).  This allows AES and local taxing authorities to plan.

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s office is recalculating the pension of a former director at the state Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) after an investigation by DiNapoli’s office found that he took Fridays off for 17 years at taxpayer expense.

Howard Dean, 66, of Locke, N.Y., pleaded guilty last year to second degree grand larceny and is awaiting sentencing by Oneida County Judge Barry Donalty. On Tuesday, Judge Donalty postponed Dean’s sentencing to May 10. The case is being prosecuted by Oneida County District Attorney Scott D. McNamara.

Andra Benson was appointed to a one year term on the Lansing Town Board Wednesday night.  Benson was one of seven candidates who were being considered to fill a one year vacancy left when Councilwoman Kathy Miller won the Town Supervisor seat in November's election.  After an executive session at which the new board discussed the candidates the board reconvened the public meeting to officially vote on their choice.

"At last month's board meeting in looking at what the residents wanted and that really seemed to be the deciding factor," said Deputy Supervisor Robert Cree.  "After taking that into account we also realized that one of the candidates in particular has a lot of recognition or representation from the farmers' side.  We don't currently have that on the board."

Albany, NY-  Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125) delivered her SGEIS comments to the DEC Wednesday in a 14-page letter addressed to Commissioner Joseph Martens. Her letter, one of thousands sent to the DEC, focused on the SGEIS failing to address potential health impacts, wastewater treatment and disposal, the effect of gas drilling on the mortgage and real estate markets, a balanced socio-economic assessment, and, finally, climate change.

“The people and wildlife of New York State must not be asked to bear the impacts of drilling, threatening the sanctity of our environment and health for future generations, and seriously putting at risk the climate change goals of the state,” she said in her letter.

With each new year comes a new Town Board.  This year the board is missing a member from the five-person council.  Kathy Miller was finishing the second year of her four-year term as councilwoman when she won the supervisor position in November's election.  Miller, along with council members Robert Cree, Ruth Hopkins, and Ed LaVigne now must appoint someone to fill the 2012 portion of her term.  They have chosen to do it in a somewhat unusual way.

A call went out at the end of November for interested parties to submit their names for consideration.  Seven people responded before the December 21 deadline including three who unsuccessfully ran for office in November.  Since that time the four elected board members have been considering who will be the best choice.

Despite nine ballots, members of the Tompkins County Legislature have failed to yet elect a Chair of the Legislature for the 2012 term.  The position of Chair is filled each year by a majority vote of the 15 members of the Legislature.  Nominated were incumbent Martha Robertson (D – District 13/ Western Dryden) to continue for a third year as Chair, and Michael Lane (D – District 14/Eastern Dryden), who has nine years of experience as Legislature Vice Chair. The chair is responsible for overseeing all Legislative functions.

Legislators repeatedly deadlocked by 7-7 votes—Legislators Pat Pryor, Jim Dennis, Will Burbank, Peter Stein, Dooley Kiefer, Nathan Shinagawa, and Robertson voting for Robertson, and Legislators Pam Mackesey, Frank Proto, Kathy Luz Herrera, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Brian Robison, Dave McKenna, and Lane voting for Lane in each of the nine ballots.  (Legislator Carol Chock was excused from the meeting and did not participate in the votes.)

The Tompkins County Legislature, by unanimous vote (with Legislator Carol Chock excused), ratified a three-year bargaining agreement with the County’s Corrections Union, retroactive to 2010 and continuing through the end of this year.  The prior agreement expired at the end of 2009.

Newly elected Lansing Fire Commissioner Darrell A. Rhodes was welcomed by fellow commissioners at the first meeting of 2012 Tuesday.  After an organizational meeting the new commission heard reports on capital projects that enlarge Central Station and will replace Station 5.

Fire Commissioners left to right: Darrell A Rhodes, Alvin Parker, Larry Creighton, Robert Wagner, Jeffery Walters

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The Tompkins County Department of Assessment has mailed renewal applications to all senior citizens who received an exemption on the 2011 Final Roll pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 467 – (Senior Citizens with a limited income).  Since the Senior Citizen Exemption eligibility is based upon income levels, the renewal application must be filed each and every year by March 1.

The renewal application MUST be returned to the Department of Assessment by March 1, 2012 to be applicable for the 2012 Final Assessment Roll.  In addition to the filing of the application at the Department of Assessment by March 1, 2012, all supporting documents must be filed by April 15th, including the 2011 State/Federal Income Tax Form.