Archive: News

The Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) joined in urging New York State to significantly cut the unfunded mandates that cause local property tax increases before it imposes a property tax cap.

The Council, which includes all of the County’s 17 municipalities, “urges New York State to take fiscal responsibility for services over which it has decision-making authority, rather than require local governments to pay for its decisions,” to reduce the property tax burden instead of preserving the status quo.

As it moves forward in considering of the County’s future space needs, the Legislature’s special Capital Program Review Committee today heard the findings of studies evaluating space in three county buildings.

Mark Kukuvka of LaBella Associates presented results from an in-depth space study of the County Courthouse, which assesses how the needs of the New York State Court System could be met. The New York State Court Facilities Act mandates counties provide adequate space to the State court system, a requirement affecting continued County use of Courthouse space.  The consultant also presented findings from two additional studies evaluating space use and availability in the County’s Human Services and Mental Health Buildings.

Legislature Listens to Comments, Delays Action on Proposed Road Preservation Law

The Legislature took public comment on a proposed new local law that would amend the County Code to regulate certain heavy commercial or industrial uses of County roads with the potential to cause road damage.  The proposed law is intended to protect roads from the effects temporary heavy use, such as would occur  from activities such as natural gas drilling, but to not affect operations of local businesses. 

But many who spoke at the hearing expressed serious concern—as was voiced at an informal information session the night before—that the law would have unintended consequences that would hurt local commercial operations.  Action on the measure had been included on the Legislature’s agenda, but was withdrawn to permit further work on the proposal by the Legislature’s Government Operations and Facilities and Infrastructure Committees.

Dan Cogan announced that he will not be seeking reelection to the City of Ithaca Common Council in November. “At the end of this year I will have been on Council for ten years, and I am looking forward to a break. As much as I love the work, I have other things I’d like to do that I simply don’t have time for.” Cogan and his wife, Tammy, have a 7-year old daughter, and he said his work as an engineer is taking up an increasing amount of time and attention. Cogan is planning to focus on family and his engineering work, but said he will probably get back into politics at some point. “I’m sure I will miss it.”

Governor Cuomo presented a $132.9 billion 2011-2012 Executive Budget last Tuesday. The spending plan is planned reduce the projected four-year deficit by 86 percent, from $64.6 billion to $9.2 billion. He acknowledged that deep cuts in government-supported programs will need to be made to get New York State back on track. 

"The budget is designed to get our state on the right path by eliminating a $10 billion deficit without raising taxes or borrowing," Cuomo said in a letter to constituents this week.  "Just as importantly, it will transform our state’s budget process itself.  New York State has been spending far too much for far too long and we simply can no longer afford it.  We must realign our state spending with reality.  Our budget efforts are not just a cutting exercise, but a management exercise.  We will redesign and reinvent state government based on the principles of quality and efficiency."

Five of seven board members were able to make last Monday's Lansing Board Of Education Meeting last Monday.  Sitting at the table with Superintendent Stephen Grimm were Board President Anne Drake and members Richard Thaler, Aziza Benson, and David Dittman.  Vice President Glenn Swanson was on the table.  At least his image was.  He joined the meeting via Skype from Pudong airport in Shanghai,China.

"I think it is amazing that today you can connect with China with free software and have a video call over the internet for free," Swanson says.  "There were no costs, none."

It was under ten degrees Fahrenheight, but at least ten people came out Saturday morning to join Lansing Recreational Pathways Committee for the official opening of its first Town Trail.  The trail is an early tangible result of the committee's work alongside of an effort to locate a town center on the 140 acre parcel.  Committee Chair Maureen Cowen says the trail can be used right now for non-motorized uses, especially walking and cross country skiing.  During Saturday's four-hour opening, people came to do just that.

"It's cold out here but there's no wind and it's just a beautiful sunny day," Cowen said.  "If people like outdoor activities this is an ideal day for it.  As long as you're dressed for it, it's great."

Lansing traveled to Valley Bowl last week to take on Waverly in a match of Large Division rivals, and Waverly bowls very well in their home house.  Boy did it show. Waverly rolled a total pin fall of 3473 with three of there six bowlers rolling 600+ series and the other two rolling over 700+ series as there boys took all 4 points.

Lansing had a couple of bright spots in Trever Rounds 234 - 651 and Troy Hradisky's 248 - 628, and the rest of Lansing boys rolled well just not good enough to beat them.

Alaska has its oil pipeline.  And it turns out that Lansing has manure pipelines.  Last Wednesday the Lansing Town Board considered a request from mega-farm Willet Dairy to run such a line along one town road and across another to transport manure used for fertilizer from one of their properties to another.  Lansing Highway Superintendent Jack French said that the benefit to the town would be reducing serious wear and tear to town roads from trucks transporting manure.

"It takes a lot of heavy truck traffic away, getting the fertilizer to the fields in the Spring and then again in the Fall," French told the Board.  "It really takes a toll on our roads.  You're talking about 120,000 or 130,000 pounds for those trucks and tractors."

Lansing's representative on the County Legislator Pat Pryor gave a 'heads up' to the Town Board Wednesday about possible cuts to County programs next year that could impact the Town and all municipalities as they plan their own 2012 budgets.  Pryor laid the blame for 5% of this year's County tax rise on unfunded state mandates, and said that next year more discretionary programs could be sacrificed to pay for mandated programs, especially is a 2% property tax cap is imposed by state legislators.

"I don't really know what they're going to do at the state level," Pryor said.  "What we do know is that it's going to have a very direct impact on what happens at the county level because so much of our budget is mandated to provide programs that the state requires us to provide.  Five percent of the tax increase that we had to arrange for this year was to go for programs that the state mandates.  Less than one percent of that increase went for local cost."

Chair Announces Committee Assignments and Appointments for 2011

The Legislature’s committee structure will remain much the same for the coming year, but Chair Martha Robertson’s committee assignments and appointments contain several key changes. 

Regarding chairmanships, Carol Chock will succeed Dooley Kiefer as chair of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, and Peter Stein will replace Nathan Shinagawa as chair of Public Safety.  Shinagawa, as vice chair of the budget committee, which has been renamed Budget, Capital, and Personnel, has been asked to take special leadership responsibility to focus on the committee’s personnel issues, especially the need to make real progress in diversifying the County’s workforce.  Jim Dennis will continue to chair the budget committee in 2-11; Mike Lane Government Operations, Frank Proto Health and Human Servicesw, and Pam Mackesey Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality.

NY State Senator Mike NozzolioNew York State Senator Mike Nozzolio announced Wednesday that the Senate has enacted legislation he fought for to restore New York’s economy by encouraging private sector job creation and fiscal responsibility. The “Job Creation and Taxpayer Protection Act” is a three-part plan that includes a job creation tax credit, two percent state spending cap and a two-thirds “super majority” vote requirement to increase taxes.

“Creating jobs and putting a stop to out of control spending and taxes are not only priorities for me, but are critically important to the people of my District,” Nozzolio said. “Enacting this legislation is a tremendous first step forward in making the changes necessary to transform the direction of our State and to renew hope and prosperity for all New Yorkers.”