Archive: News

Legislators Adopt Amendments to 2020 Recommended Budget
The Tompkins County Legislature, by unanimous vote, formally adopted amendments to the County Administrator's 2020 Recommended Budget and the 2020-2024 Capital Program, as recommended by the Expanded Budget Committee.

The amended budget would increase the County tax levy by 2.75%, just under the initial 2.76% in the Administrator's budget. The recommended county-wide average tax rate of $6.31 per thousand is 10 cents less than 2019 (a decrease of 1.59%). The amended budget would represent an increase of $12.69 in the tax bill for the median-valued $190,000 home. (Legislator Rich John proposed a wording change in the resolution, which was accepted, to clarify that the increased tax payment for a median-priced home increased, despite the tax rate decrease, since the median home price increased by $5,000 since the 2019 budget was prepared.) The Tentative Budget also includes a $2 increase in the County's annual Solid Waste Fee, to $60.

Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D-125AD, Tompkins/Cortland) announced Monday that a bill she sponsored that would allow the Ithaca City School District to create an insurance reserve fund to help manage healthcare costs has been signed into law by Governor Cuomo.

Two years ago, the Ithaca City School District elected to self-insure their employees, as a way to cut down on healthcare costs and save taxpayers money. Current law prohibits school districts from keeping more than 4% of their budget in unappropriated funds, so the insurance reserve fund created by this bill (A505) will allow the school district to meet its duties of self-insurance.

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) granted 2MW ReCharge NY low-cost hydropower to the Lansing site of what is to become one of two Empire State Data Center locations.  The allotment is a portion of 23 megawatts of ReCharge NY power and low-cost hydropower to 11 enterprises across New York State.  The allotment fell far short of the 25MW Heorot Power Holdings had requested for the site.  But the allotment makes Cayuga Operating Company (COC) a NYPA customer, which starts the process of obtaining enough power allotment to begin building the new data center.  The plan is to repurpose the Lansing coal-fired power plant into what company officials hope will eventually be a 100 megawatt data center at its north-west Lansing site.

COC had applied for an initial allotment of 25MW, and while the 2MW is not enough to begin work on the data center, it is considered a positive first step.  While it is only 8% of the company's request, it is just over 8% of the entire state-wide allotment in this round of NYPA allocations, a respectable piece of the pie considering the allotment is shared by 11 enterprises across New York State.  Company officials declined to make a statement, but indicated that they are working with NYPA on the next steps for obtaining the power allotment they need for the project.  As of now there is no immediate timeline.

Washington, DC - Today, Chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee John B. Larson (CT-01) and Ranking Member Tom Reed (NY-23) issued the following joint statement on the release of a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), "Social Security Benefits: SSA Needs to Improve Oversight of Organizations that Manage Money for Vulnerable Beneficiaries":

"The Social Security Administration's (SSA) representative payee program helps approximately 8 million Social Security beneficiaries, including nearly 4 million children, manage their benefits, if they are unable to do so themselves. Organizations play an important role in Social Security's representative payee program and often serve some of the most vulnerable beneficiaries.

Last week Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the launch of an innovative new pilot project to combat harmful algal blooms - or HABs - and return clean water to the Village of Southampton's Agawam Lake. The pilot is directed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of General Services in partnership with the Village of Southampton. The pilot project is part of the State's $82 million initiative to study, respond to and prevent HABs in New York waterbodies. If the pilot in Agawam Lake proves successful, it will be applied statewide. The Governor launched the HABs initiative in 2018 with $65 million in state funding.

"Safeguarding New York's water quality is a top priority and we are providing direct assistance to communities to swiftly and effectively respond to harmful algal blooms," Cuomo said. "We are deploying new and innovative tools like the HABs harvester to address the algal blooms in Agawam Lake, and will continue exploring the latest technology to eliminate these blooms altogether and keep waterbodies around the state clean and safe. If this pilot works, then we will bring it up to scale and apply it across the state wherever possible."

Many residents of long-term care facilities in New York state lack regular access to ombudsman services due to a decline in the number of volunteers and a severe shortage of paid staff, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

"Ensuring that residents of nursing homes and assisted living centers have regular and open contact with ombudsmen to resolve issues and provide a voice to those who feel overwhelmed is crucial to ensuring their quality of life," DiNapoli said. "The Office for the Aging needs to improve access to these important services for some of the state's most vulnerable residents."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo congratulated Distinguished Professor M. Stanley Whittingham Wednesday for receiving the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Whittingham won the prize for his work leading to the development of the lithium-ion battery along with John B. Goodenough, Virginia H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and Akira Yoshino, an honorary fellow for the Asahi Kasei Corporation in Tokyo and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya, Japan. Whittingham joins 15 other SUNY faculty members who have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

Whittingham said, "I am overcome with gratitude at receiving this award, and I honestly have so many people to thank I don't know where to begin. The research I have been involved with for over 30 years has helped advance how we store and use energy at a foundational level, and it is my hope that this recognition will help to shine a much-needed light on the nation's energy future."

Rensselaer, NY - The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) released a new study October 3rd, conducted by the Analysis Group, of the NYISO's proposal to incorporate the social cost of carbon into the wholesale price of electricity. The Analysis Group report finds that "A carbon price in NYISO's competitive wholesale power markets can help deliver New York's clean-energy transition in faster, cheaper, more reliable, more efficient, and more creative ways." View summary of the study.

NYISO President & CEO Rich Dewey stated: "We're pleased that this new analysis shows carbon pricing can help the state achieve its climate goals more broadly and effectively. Reaching the state's decarbonization goals will require all parties working together closely with every solution available. Competitive electric markets are a strong and proven platform from which to leverage innovation and we look forward to collaborating with the state on the exciting and important work ahead."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced new data showing 2018 had the largest decrease in new HIV diagnoses in New York since the launch of the Ending the Epidemic initiative in 2014 and that the Empire State is on track to end the AIDS epidemic by the end of 2020. New diagnoses for last year reached an all-time low of 2,481 - an 11 percent drop from 2017 and a 28 percent drop since 2014. By comparison, diagnoses decreased by 3.9 percent from 2016 to 2017. The Governor, who is delivering remarks today at the Gay Men's Health Crisis Fall Gala, also announced new data showing almost 32,000 New Yorkers took Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, or PrEP, in 2018 - an increase of 32 percent from 2017. Facilitating access to PrEP, which reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent, is a key pillar of the Governor's plan to end AIDS.

"Five years ago we launched an aggressive, nation-leading campaign to end the AIDS epidemic in New York and to ensure every person living with HIV or AIDS gets the support they need to lead a full and healthy life," Cuomo said. "This new data shows we are on track to meet that goal and continue our historic progress to finally bend the curve on an epidemic that has taken too many lives for too long."

The Village of Lansing trustees voted 4-0 Monday to permit the use of crossbows, but only for hunters who have been approved to participate in the Village's official deer population management program.  Village attorney William Troy explained that hunters may now use crossbows in addition to long bows and compound bows if they are members in good standing of the deer management program and the Village mayor. 

"It's one of the things, as a responsible government, that we have to do," said Mayor Donald Hartill. "I like to watch deer, but I don't like to watch cars kill them.  That's the equation we have to deal with."

Attorney General Letitia James announced that Tompkins County received a grant of $900,000 in the second round of the "Community Land Trusts Capacity Building Initiative," which acquires and renovates distressed properties, provides training and technical assistance to homeowners, and creates permanent affordable housing for the benefit of low- and middle-income families.

"By providing Tompkins County with this grant, we are opening the doors to solutions for a problem that affects many families and individuals: the lack of safe, decent, and affordable housing opportunities," said Attorney General James. "Our mission is to help communities develop solutions that meet local housing needs and revitalize neighborhoods."

In an overwhelming affirmation of including its LGBTQ members and churchgoers, the Lansing United Methodist Church (LUMC) Sunday voted 129 to 2 to become a Reconciling Church.  The Lansing Church joined over 1,000 other churches and communities, including 56 other in New York State.  With Sunday's vote the Lansing church became the 57th. 

"There are over a thousand reconciling churches now, and in Ithaca we're lucky because Saint Paul's has been reconciling for more than 20 years, and Forest Home Chapel is reconciling, says LUMC Pastor Alison Schmied.  "The Reconciling Ministries network, a group of churches that have joined together, are still a part of the Methodist connection, but have stood up and said we believe this to be incompatible with Jesus's teachings, and therefore something we want to resist... something we want to work towards changing."