- By Marcia E. Lynch
- News
Print 
Legislature Establishes 2010 Budget GuidelinesThe Legislature established 2010 budget guidelines which call for departments and agencies to cut spending by 6.25%, as an initial step in the 2010 County budget process. The vote was 11-4, with Legislators Martha Robertson, Dooley Kiefer, Pam Mackesey and Will Burbank voting no.
After 45 minutes of thoughtful discussion, the Legislature accepted the recommendation of County Administrator Joe Mareane and its budget committee. The administrator has indicated that the 6.25% reduction is needed to achieve the $2.4 million reduction in discretionary spending needed to balance the budget and meet the Legislature’s 3% tax levy increase goal. The fiscal target is the maximum amount of general revenue spending authority that a department may request without initiating an over-target request as part of the budget process.
At the Board of Elections in the run up to the November 2008 election, the phones never stopped ringing, the mail was delivered and sent out by the boxful, and a steady stream of people lined up for their turn at the counter. Temporary staff and volunteers pitched in, and the regular staff worked overtime. A record number of voters, 4,230, requested absentee ballots, and on Election Day, a record number of voters turned out.
Ithaca, NY 14850 (June 3, 2009) – The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) lab confirmed a second case of H1N1 influenza in Tompkins County. The person is an adult and is recovering at home.
More than two years after planning began toward an inter-municipal employee health insurance consortium of Tompkins County municipalities, the Tompkins County Council of Governments (TCCOG) has thrown its formal support behind the effort and is encouraging municipalities to participate.
Pat Pryor, retired teacher and former City of Ithaca Councilwoman, announced her candidacy today for the Tompkins County Legislature from District 6. District 6 is the Town of Lansing to the north of the Village of Lansing, with the exception of Lansing Election District 8. 
Albany – State Senator Mike Nozzolio today announced that he is supporting legislation that would fix a dangerous problem created by the so-called Rockefeller drug law changes that were enacted as a part of the 2009-10 New York State budget.
Lansing 
Village of Lansing Trustees and Planning Board members met in a joint meeting Monday to discuss a new land steward program. The program is an attempt to identify and manage many small pieces of property the Village owns, and to tie them into the Village Greenway. Carol Klepack, who has taken the lead to make the program a reality, gave a progress report and answered questions from the boards.
Election inspectors, school officials, and library supporters waited for nearly an hour before the final votes were counted Tuesday night. For Lansing Community Library supporters the final numbers were worth waiting for. Those who said 'No' on a proposition to abolish the library as a public library counted for 71.56% of the 446 to 1122 vote. Loud cheers and hugs were exchanged when the voting machine totals were announced at 9:30, and again when the final tally including absentee ballots was announced.
