Archive: News

Richard Hanna for Congress announced today that the campaign has raised more than $350,000 in less than eight weeks. The overwhelming majority of individual donors, 91 percent, are residents of the 24th Congressional District.

“Even though we have a long way to go, I am humbled and grateful for the enormous support our campaign has received throughout the district,” Hanna said.

Work Continues to Finalize Health Insurance Consortium

County Administrator Joe Mareane, just returned from a day in Albany, reported to the Legislature on discussions with representatives of the State Insurance Department regarding financial aspects of the Greater Tompkins County Municipal Health Insurance Consortium, specifically the matter of reserve requirements—how much money should be accumulated to reserves and the timing to accumulate these reserves. 

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY-24) issued a statement last week after U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner delayed the release of a determination on Chinese currency manipulation.  Arcuri believes it is critical for Geithner to issue the report and address the issue of Chinese currency manipulation as quickly as possible in order to protect local manufacturing jobs.

“Secretary Geithner’s recent announcement that the Treasury Department has delayed making a determination on Chinese currency manipulation is completely unacceptable and needs immediate corrective action,” Arcuri said.  “Without action we face the possibility of losing thousands of fair-wage manufacturing jobs.  In my district alone, thousands of manufacturing jobs locally need to be protected so we must address unfair trade practices being utilized by countries like China. Our manufacturers are not asking for any unfair advantage, they are just seeking a level playing field so that they can fairly compete internationally.”

This week is National Library Week.  First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

The idea to promote libraries came about in the 1950's.  Research showed that Americans were spending less time reading books and more on radios, televisions and music.  Concerned with the alarming decline in reading, the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens' organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee's goals were ambitious.  They ranged from encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time to improving incomes and health and developing strong and happy family life.

Is ATI Effective?

The Legislature’s Public Safety Committee has received the second phase of a report evaluating the County’s Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programs, updating an evaluation performed in 2003.  Deana Bodnar, program development specialist at the Department of Social Services, following up on a presentation to the committee in March, this week presented an analysis of costs and savings related to the county’s ATI programs—the Ithaca Community Treatment Court, Tompkins County Felony Treatment Court, and the Tompkins County Day Reporting program.  The committee requested the updated evaluation last year.

With budget cuts still under discussion the Ithaca School District needs to cut $8 to $10 million, but only a few speakers appeared at the April 13 Ithaca City School Board Meeting.  Although the board has recommended that cuts on the music program not be made, several people expressed concern about that issue.  Many of the comments underlined communications problems.

Martha Frommelt of the district's Fine Arts Booster Group noted that “the budget issues have not been fully discussed or understood.”  She noted that the group has given the Board a document listing the cuts and how they relate to school and Board priorities. 

If a budget approved by the Lansing Board Of Education (BOE) is approved by taxpayers next month, property owners can expect to pay about $104 more per $100,000 of their homes when the tax bills come later this summer.  The $24,377,906 budget involves cuts, including five and a fraction teacher positions, still raising the tax levy by 1.37% and the tax rate by an estimated 5.91% to $18.64 per $1,000 of property value.

"We put together what we think is the best snapshot right now of what our spending will be for next year and how we can cover the costs," said Superintendent Stephen Grimm.  "We're not just thinking about this year, but next year's budget gap should be large as well.  Knowing that anything we cover with reserves this year is program that will be threatened next year."

The Town of Lansing's 2nd
Public Meeting

To Review and Discuss
Town Center Vision and Strategies

Tuesday
April 13, 2010
7:00 PM
Lansing Town Hall
Court Room

See and comment on what the architects have come up with after listening to your
comments and concerns.

Lansing Town Center Committee, HOLT Architects, P.C. and Trowbridge & Wolf Landscape Architects, LLP

Organizers of the annual community fireworks show have identified a new site for the show, at least for 2010.  Fran Benedict and David Stewart, chair and vice-chair of the organizing committee, said officials at Tompkins Cortland Community College have given permission for the show to be staged on the Dryden campus.  The show date will be Thursday night, July 1.

Finding a new site became necessary after construction of a residence hall last summer on the Ithaca College campus limited the South Hill firing site that had been used for two decades.  For the first 43 years, the fireworks had been shot from Cornell University’s campus before construction projects there eliminated the East Hill firing area.

Only a week after a highly charged meeting on the Lansing school budget the Lansing High School cafeteria filled Monday to continue the debate.  Many speakers, particularly teachers and students criticized the list of proposed cuts, that, along with reserve funds and a $400,000 appropriation of funds collected but not spent in this year's budget, may have to make up more than a $2 million gap caused by rising costs and lost revenue.  Two lists of cuts have been suggested.  $927,500 of the first tier of cuts was reduced to $802,000 this week, with a second tier amounting to about half that amount.

"We all support the schools and the teachers and we don't want to see any programs effected negatively," began School Board President Anne Drake.  "However we also must consider the needs of the taxpayers.  Due to the severe economic conditions both this year and in the foreseeable future, I support the proposed tier one reductions.  I trust the administration will do everything they can to minimize the effect on programs."

Student musicians gathered in the cold drizzle to play in protest against cuts to the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) music programs before this week's Board oOf Education meeting. During the meeting, Ithaca High School students presented their response to the proposed cuts.

On March 17, the ICSD published a draft budget for the 2010-2011 school year.  At the Ithaca City School Board meeting on March 23, protesters filled a lecture hall to argue against cuts to their programs.  The budget—titled “Working Document Under Discussion” addresses the $3 to $8 million shortfall by cutting over $2 million in school funding.  The rest is to be made up by a 3.75% increase in property taxes.