Archive: News

Legislators began to wrestle with the prospect of moving from their current Chambers, most likely to interim space in the Old Courthouse, following the New York State Court System’s request for the County to provide a firm timetable concerning when the Legislature will vacate that space, to make way for a courtroom for the Supreme Court. 

Legislature Chair Martha Robertson reported on administrative judge Robert Mulvey’s discussion last week with the Capital Plan Review Committee, in which he stated the Courts could occupy space with only “minimal renovations,” but needed the Legislature to vacate its space as soon as possible.

U.S. Rep. Richard HannaWashington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna today voted in support of the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Resolution to help restore the U.S. economy and confront the nation’s challenges head-on.

“Our nation is approaching a crisis point,” said Hanna (R,C,I-Barneveld).  “We are borrowing over 40 cents on each dollar we spend and much of it from overseas.  Each and every second, we borrow $58,000 to pay for the spending spree in Washington.”

New  York  State  has  taken  the  first steps down the road of economic recovery,  but  that  recovery has been slow going and uneven across the regions  of  the  State,  according to a report issued today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

“The  recession  didn’t  hit New York as hard as other states,” DiNapoli said.   “But  there’s  still  a  lot  of pain.  Our economic recovery is headed  in  the  right direction, but the road out of recession is still winding and potentially perilous.”

Following a preliminary survey of storm damage, Tompkins County Director of Emergency Response Lee Shurtleff reports that, pending final confirmation from field examination by the National Weather Service, it appears that a tornado did in fact touch down in the Town of Danby early Thursday morning.  Shurtleff says Weather Service staff has advised that damage shows a tornado-like appearance and will be working to verify the initial determination, including the specific classification of the storm.

The storm track was in the vicinity of Jersey Hill and Hilltop Roads that extended east/northeast about five miles along Comfort, Danby, Nelson, Ridgecrest Road areas into the Town of Ithaca, and also along East King and the Whitetail subdivision, exiting out in the East King/Coddington Road vicinity.  Accompanying thunderstorms occurred throughout the county with periods of rain and wind.

Lansing High SchoolLast March Lansing School District voters approved a 'Health, Learning, and Safety' capital project to address acoustic problems in the high school and other issues at all three Lansing schools that impact health and security in the buildings.  The project has been held up while district officials waited for the New York State Education Department to give the project the green light.  That finally happened this month, barely in time to line up contractors and get the work done this summer.  That means that the high school will be closed to a myriad of programs that typically take place there.

"It is an inconvenience," says School Superintendent Stephen Grimm.  "When you're doing that much work there is a problem with utilizing the building.  The high school will essentially be shut down almost the entire summer."

About a dozen residents showed up for a public hearing Tuesday on the impact of a proposed PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) renegotiation between Tompkins County and Lansing's biggest taxpayer, AES Cayuga.  Of those, only four were not connected to the negotiation.  The hearing was an opportunity for the public to make their opinions known to the county IDA (Industrial Development Agency) before it votes on whether to accept the agreement that will devalue the plant by $17.5 million for the 2011 tax year.

Tompkins County Area Development (TCAD) President Michael Stamm led the hearing with IDA members and other parties to the negotiation also present.  The hearing format, required by State law, was only intended to get opinions from the public, not to answer questions.  County officials held an informational meeting last week to explain the purpose of the PILOT and the reasons it has been renegotiated at this time, so soon after the first renegotiated agreement was signed.

The Lansing Board of Education passed a $25,275,503 budget Monday for the 2010-2012 school year.  The new budget is 3.68% higher than last year, and is expected to raise the tax levy by 1.9% and the tax rate by 3.34%.  School officials estimate that will mean an additional $62 this year for every $100,000 of assessed property value.  The board considered options with higher and lower tax levy rises, but chose a middle choice to balance the dramatic loss of revenue the district faces with already stressed taxpayers.

"I recommend the 1.9% option," said Superintendent Stephen Grimm.  "I think that's what does the best for our taxpayers right now.  We plan forward, but we have to act now.  Our taxpayers are stressed.   I think regardless of what the next two years look like, right now we need to be good to them.  They've been good to us and we want them to be there with us in the future when we know it's going to get worse."

New York State Senator Mike Nozzolio was joined today by representatives of pro-taxpayers, pro-jobs organizations such as Unshackle Upstate, the Business Council, the New York Farm Bureau and the National Federation of Independent Businesses to urge members of the State Assembly Majority to act on legislation to place a cap on property taxes.  Senator Nozzolio fought to enact the tax cap legislation in the State Senate, where it was overwhelmingly adopted with bi-partisan support earlier this year.

“Every property owner…every business, big or small...every farm owner and manufacturer....every family and senior citizen ... all have the same concern.... property taxes in New York State are much too high,” Nozzolio said.  “My colleagues in the State Senate and I have worked with Governor Cuomo to provide this much needed tax relief and reverse the devastating impact property taxes have had on residents and job-creating businesses throughout New York.  It is now critical for the members of the State Assembly to join us in adopting a tax cap that will bring real relief before the end of the legislative session.”

The Coalition for Safe Medication Disposal reports continued success from its third Safe Medication Disposal Day last Saturday.  The collection days provide a simple, safe, and secure way for residents to dispose of unneeded household medications.

“I’m happy to report that the April 9th Safe Medication Disposal Event was a great success,” says Ed Gottlieb, pretreatment coordinator at the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility.  “436 people participated   They dropped off about 838 pounds of medications, including more than 16,000 doses of controlled substances.  More than three-quarters of people who dropped off medications told us this was their first time at a collection event.  The addition of satellite collection sites in Newfield and Trumansburg made the event even more accessible.  And, with the help of many pharmacists and other health care professionals, we were able to collect far more data on what medications went unused than ever before.

Tompkins County Administrator Joe MareaneCounty Administrator Joe Mareane delivered a sobering outlook to the Legislature’s budget committee today concerning the County’s 2012 budget.  Mareane said projections for the coming budget year show a $5.5 million gap between anticipated expenditures and revenue, were the County to maintain support of programs at current levels, which would require a more than 13% increase in the County’s tax levy.

Mareane told the committee, “It’s clear that it’s going to be a difficult year.”

The Town of Lansing Highway Dept. will pick up brush & limbs as follows:

Town of MayLansing  2dn to May 5th

To assist the work crews please:

• Place brush/limbs at roadside before 6:00 a.m. Monday.

• Limb diameter 8 inches or less, length 8 feet or less.

• Pile loosely, no bags, no ties, no leaves please.

Any questions direct to the Highway Superintendent at 533-4328.

Village of Lansing Trustees voted 4-0 Monday to acknowledge that funding and financing conditions for a project that will bring a BJ's Wholesale Club to the Shops at Ithaca Mall have been satisfied.  To some extent it was an official sigh of relief that a project Village Trustees want can now go forward.  The project has traversed a very rocky political road that centers on a tax abatement that would divert money generated by the commercial portion of the project to help finance senior residential apartments, wetlands, and a bird sanctuary.

"That has come to a positive conclusion," said Village Mayor Donald Hartill Monday.  "In the end it's going in a very positive way."