Archive: News

New York State stopped more than $2.3 million in Medicaid overpayments after an audit found errors in the Department of Health’s eMedNY computer payment system, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report is a six-month summary of the comptroller’s ongoing audits of payments made to Medicaid providers.

“The state continues to face tough fiscal constraints and we have to be ever vigilant of how taxpayers’ money is spent,” DiNapoli said. “DOH has to do an even better job stopping overpayments and recouping money that should never have gone out the door.”

The Lansing Highway Department is arguably the best in the county, and roads in the town are in generally very good shape.  But repeated budget cuts and rises in the cost of materials is threatening Lansing's roads.  Until four years ago Lansing's 96 miles of roadways were on a ten year resurfacing cycle.  Since then the budget has allowed for three or four miles.  That means that instead of ten years to re-top all Lansing roads it will take 25 years.

"A lot of roads just won't last that long," Lansing Highway Superintendent Jack French says.  "There's just no way, not with the winters and springs and thawing we get here."

Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Lansing resident and former Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature (2008-9), formally submitted 325 Town of Lansing petition signatures to the Tompkins County Board of Elections Tuesday to secure the Lansing Lighthouse independent ballot line in the fall general election to represent Town of Lansing residents on the Town Board from 2012 through 2015. Two representatives will be elected to the Town of Lansing Board on November 8 to fill four-year terms. One hundred ninety-eight petition signatures were required to secure a ballot line in the general election. Koplinka-Loehr had already been unanimously endorsed at the July 28, 2011, Town of Lansing Democratic caucus to be one of two Town of Lansing Democratic candidates on the ballot this fall.

“I am honored to have served our larger community with distinction for 12 years as a county legislator and have been involved in the Town of Lansing since becoming a property owner here in 2008. I am humbled to have this level of tangible support—325 signatures from Town of Lansing neighbors from all backgrounds and political perspectives— to allow me the opportunity to continue to serve the public good, representing their voices first and foremost. Especially in these times of unprecedented economic challenge, now is when experience matters most,” he said.

NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoliAn audit of the effectiveness of consolidation efforts by the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli showed that due to a lack of targets for success, results of the efforts could not be determined.  

“With more than 1,000 state agencies, commissions and public authorities, New York State needs to rightsize itself given continued fiscal challenges,” said DiNapoli. “Consolidation plans and shared services have the potential to cut state expenses and streamline state business, but these types of initiatives require a well-thought out plan and clearly articulated goals to truly be successful.

I read with interest the article about Senator Nozzolio's support for the safety of all the Finger Lakes.

I have read about the inadequacy of the State DEC for enforcing the laws now. I wonder how much worse it will be with a large build out of Natural Gas extraction from shale. I am concerned that NY State is not prepared to safely monitor and enforce laws to protect our watersheds.

Representatives from The Shops at Ithaca Mall presented a change Monday to the Lansing Meadows Planned Development Area (PDA) that could make Ithaca a leader in electric car fueling stations.  Triax Principal Partner Eric Goetzmann and Bold Associates's James Bold asked Village of Lansing Trustees to recommend that the Village Planning Board consider a zoning change that would allow a gas and electric fueling station on the site of the new BJ's Wholesale Club that is currently under construction to the north of the mall.  That would bring shoppers to Ithaca, where they could recharge their cars in one of the first electric fueling stations in Central New York.

"In concept you could think about the electric cars not just being a small regional thing," Bold said.  "People could come from farther away and travel by electric car and need a place to recharge.  So that could be a real community benefit to Ithaca."

Aging Office/Justice Center Location Question Addressed
Through Compromise Plan Trying to decide among a half-dozen options regarding where to locate the County Office for the Aging (COFA) and the Community Justice Center, the Legislature, after more than an hour of discussion, opted for a seventh alternative, to address the issue, at least for now. 

By a vote of 12-3 (Legislators Jim Dennis, Mike Lane, and Pat Pryor opposed), Legislators approved a proposal, advanced by Legislator Peter Stein, to renovate the Human Services Annex (the former Carpet Bazaar building on West Martin Luther King, Jr./State Street, which had first been envisioned as the permanent home for COFA) for flexible use; move COFA to that space on a temporary basis; renew the search for alternative permanent locations for Aging and the Community Justice Center; and delay any decision on longer term occupancy in the Annex until review of permanent alternatives is completed.

Tompkins County Legislator Pat PryorThe Town of Lansing's representative to the Tompkins County Legislature Pat Pryor gave the Town Board an brief update on the 2012 budget process Wednesday.  She told them that with mandate relief the 2% tax cap could amount to a four or five percent tax cap.  But Town Board members were leery of the County Legislature's intentions, saying that it appears the Legislature has already made up its mind to vote to exceed the State cap.

"Listening to the legislators I got the impression that they definitely want to increase the tax cap," said Lansing Deputy Supervisor Connie Wilcox.  "They don't want to keep it at 2%.  To me this whole thing was a farce as far as the tax cap goes, because everybody is allowed to raise it to whatever they want by a supermajority.  So it doesn't matter that the Governor put this 2% cap in place, because it can be changed.  I was disappointed when Peter Stein said he had met with people in the Town of Ithaca and nine of them raised their hands and said they would be in favor of raising the tax cap."

Why do we elect these people?  They get us into debt, and then they tell us they are capping our property taxes.  Then they say that a 2% tax cap is really a 4% or 5% tax cap, and that local governments can easily override the cap whatever it is.  Local governments say they have to override the cap to pay for State mandated programs.  From the State on down, each government pushes the tax burden down to the government below it in the political food chain.

And we all pay more to get less.

As members of Lansing Pathways we feel it is important to respond to Connie Wilcox's public statements characterizing our group in the August 5th and August 12th issues of the Lansing Star.  Like other volunteer organizations in our community, our members are residents who share a common interest and devote our efforts to creating opportunities for the greater good without relying on taxpayer funding.  We've learned that many Lansing citizens share our belief that trails increase the quality of life within the community.  The new Lansing Town Trail which was opened by Pathways this past January is a part of our vision and has been a popular attraction.

A tax incentive plan that would create a Lansing Town Center Incentive Zone to promote development in the new Town Center was brought to the Town Board meeting Wednesday for comment. Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD)'s heather Filaberto and Andy Sciarabba, Chairman of the Lansing Economic Development Committee reported on their progress in getting the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to approve and implement the plan.

"This is a process that is driven by the Town," Filaberto said.  "By the Town's vision that you want to see development and the kind of development you want to see.  The IDA is here to find ways to help support that development.  I think this policy is going to go a long way to help the Town promote development."

Lansing school administrators and school board members took a tour of Lansing High School Monday to see progress on major construction there.  Construction Manager Rob Medieros led the group through the school, which has been closed for construction since the day after graduation.  Medieros says contractors are speeding toward completion so the building will substantially completed before the end of August for the new school year.  To see it you would never guess it is that close to completion.  It looks like a giant hand reached in and tore out walls, ceilings, and floors.

"It does look like an awful lot," Medieros says.  "Our ceiling guy is absolutely amazing.  He did the library ceiling after lunch one day.  This morning he hung the ceiling frames for four classrooms.  He's incredibly fast.  And a good floor guy will put down 2500 feet a day.  We're in great shape.  Some areas will show 45% complete, some will show 73%.  We should be at 67% so we're very, very close.  We should be substantially complete by August 26."