Archive: News

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WF-125) announced her support today of another year-long moratorium of hydraulic fracturing in New York State. Lifton, a longtime critic of "fracking," is co-sponsoring Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chairman Robert Sweeney's bill that would extend the moratorium on drilling through June 1st, 2013.

Lifton and other supporters of the bill believe that this will allow for a more thorough, unrushed analysis of the implications fracking could have on New York communities.

The new term for Town Board members begins January 1st.  The first meeting of the year is an organizational meeting where various procedural things are set -- it's normally a sleepy meeting in which committee assignments are set, the official bank of the municipality is declared... a seemingly endless list of mundane but essential things.

So it was a big surprise when newly elected Supervisor Scott Pinney brought a five point agenda to the meeting on January 2, 2008 that set a new path for the Town of Lansing.  Pinney spent the next four years leading the town to a leaner workforce and budget, with drops in the tax rate culminating in a 15% tax rate cut this year when the town tax bill comes out this January.

Awards announced last week by Governor Andrew Cuomo through the Regional Economic Development Council initiative provide significant support for projects initiated by Tompkins County to help spur economic growth and job creation in the Southern Tier.

The Tompkins County projects were included as part of the regional plan advanced by the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, which was awarded nearly $50 million for 58 projects throughout the region.  According to Ed Marx, the County’s Commissioner of Planning and Community Sustainability, the awards include about $6 million for Tompkins County projects, including a regional sustainability plan that the County applied for on behalf of multiple counties, and over $11 million to region-wide funding that Tompkins County projects may be able to access.

The Legislature’s Capital Plan Review Committee today continued to examine plans to improve the new Human Services Annex building (formerly occupied by Carpet Bazaar) into space to be initially occupied by the County Office for the Aging (COFA).  The intent is to configure the space as an office for COFA, which must vacate its space in the County Courthouse to accommodate court system needs, with the building also appropriate for future County uses, such as the Community Justice Center.

The committee, which had earlier reviewed preliminary architectural drawings and cost projections, today examined a more detailed, updated proposal and estimates, based on design development, presented by Graham Gillespie of HOLT Architects.  Based on the updated information, it is now estimated that the project, including design and construction, will cost in the neighborhood of $1.3 million.  $750,000 has been authorized for bonding by the Legislature, and legislators will need to amend that bonding authorization for the project, as presently configured, to move forward.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna’s bill to honor federal civilian employees who are killed on the job is headed to President Barack Obama to be signed into law.

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed the Civilian Service Recognition Act of 2011 (H.R. 2061), which honors federal civilian employees who make the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation.  The legislation authorizes federal agencies to give an American flag to families of federal civilian employees killed on the job as a result of a criminal act, terrorism, a natural disaster, or an extraordinary event as determined by the President.

Richard HannaWashington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Richard Hanna says he supports the United States Postal Service’s decision to delay the closing or consolidation of post offices and mail processing centers until May 15, 2012.

Earlier this year Hanna called the Postal Service consolidations “profoundly disappointing.” He publicly called for the closures and consolidations to be delayed until Congress had time to review current proposals to address the Postal Service’s financial situation.

U.S. Representative Richard Hanna released this statement today on The Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act of 2011.  The bill was approved by a vote of 234-193.

“This legislation extends the current payroll tax cut for Upstate workers. This provision is critical to middle class families," Hanna says.  "Without extending this rate,  families could see their taxes raise by $1,000 next year.

The Legislature’s Capital Plan Review Committee, meeting in special session Tuesday, recommended that bonding authority be increased for improvements to the new Human Services Annex building on West State Street, to reflect added cost since preliminary plans and financial projections were prepared.  But it incorporated recommended project changes that would bring cost down from the level initially estimated and advanced by the budget committee earlier in the week.

The Legislature has already authorized up to $750,000 in bonding to configure the space, first as an office for the County’s Office for the Aging (which must vacate its space in the County Courthouse to accommodate court system needs), and making the building also appropriate for potential future County uses, such as the Community Justice Center.  But the Capital committee was told last week that closer examination and detailed design show that the improvements cannot be completed for that amount, with a projected cost of nearly $1.3 million suggested to cover design and construction.

The Lansing Board of Education passed a security camera policy Monday.  After approving a first reading at the last meeting, a revised policy was put before the board.  Board member Christine Iacobucci asked the board to consider a number of changes that sparked a lengthy discussion, but ultimately the policy was approved with only one change, the removal of an extra punctuation mark.

Iacobucci has opposed the use of security cameras, putting her at odds on the topic with the rest of the board.  In the face of cameras being implemented, she asked several questions the new draft of the policy, saying that it is not specific enough.  She noted that many districts use boilerplate camera policies from New York State, and asked about differences or omissions in the Lansing version.  Other board members liked the draft, citing resaons for specific wording.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a three prong plan this week to make state taxes fair in a faltering economy.  Cuomo says his plan will stimulate New York's economy, create jobs, and restore fundamental fairness to our economic system.  His proposed reform would give a tax cut to 4.4 million New Yorkers, including a reduction of hundreds of millions of dollars for middle class taxpayers.

"You will hear opposing political rants from both extremes," Cuomo says.  "The 'starve the beast' supporters will say 'Cut government spending to close the deficit.  For them government can do no good.  Government is the problem and the less it does, the better.  The truth is that reckless cuts now could really hurt our schools, our health care system, our infrastructure, and that is in no one's interest.  That would damage the state economy."

Area residents had the opportunity to officially weigh in on New York State’s proposed gas drilling rules, at an Ithaca hearing tonight sponsored by the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG).  Citizens from Tompkins County, the Finger Lakes region, and beyond were able to provide verbal and written comments on the draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (dSGEIS) on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining and regulations that will govern high-volume hydraulic fracturing.

About 850 people attended the four-hour hearing, held at Ithaca’s State Theatre. TCCOG took the initiative to sponsor the hearing to make it easier for citizens to participate in the comment process on the proposed regulations to the DEC, even though no DEC-sponsored hearing was scheduled in the Finger Lakes region.  The proceedings, including all oral and written comments, were transcribed for submission to the DEC.

Washington, D.C. – While the nation’s unemployment rate remains at historically high levels, one of the hardest hit industries is the construction trades.

U.S. Representatives Richard Hanna (R-NY) and Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) introduced legislation that will help ease the worry of subcontractors and suppliers about whether or not they will be paid for their services on federal projects. Hanna serves on the House Small Business Committee with Mulvaney who is chairman of the Contracting and Workforce Subcommittee.