JOSEPH ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Legislature Chair Tim Joseph announced his roster of committees and committee membership for 2004. The number of standing and special committees and their charges will remain almost the same as in 2003, with one major exception: Personnel matters will now be handled by the budget committee, instead of Government Operations. Several committee chairmanships have changed. Michael Koplinka-Loehr will succeed Peter Penniman as chair of the new Budget and Personnel Committee; Penniman will stay on as vice-chair. Koplinka-Loehr said he plans to start the year with a review of the budget preparation process and to bring in more citizen involvement. Michael Lane will become chair of the Government Operations committee. A primary charge of the committee will be to examine the County Executive form of government. Kathy Luz Herrera will chair Planning, Development and Environmental Quality; with the previous chair, Michael Lane, as vice-chair. Peter Penniman will take over as chair of the Communications Capital Projects Committee; the previous chair, Barbara Blanchard, will be the vice-chair. Continuing from last year as chairs of their respective committees are: Martha Robertson (Health and Human Services); Dick Booth (Facilities and Infrastructure); Dooley Kiefer (Consumer and Community Affairs); Barbara Blanchard (Public Safety); and Frank Proto (Space Needs and Location).

COUNTY ENDS YEAR WITH $1.6 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL SALES TAX REVENUE
Tompkins County Finance Director David Squires reported that the County received $23,920,011 in sales tax revenue for 2003, 3.65 percent more than in 2002, and $1.6 million over the budgeted estimate for the year. Squires said some of the surplus will be used to offset cost overruns in 2003 and the rest will go into the County’s fund balance. New York State collects sales tax and then distributes it back to the counties and municipalities. Because of the time lag and occasional corrections by the State, the figures are not necessarily reflective of economic activity. Squires also reported that the County was able to stay within its anticipated Medicaid budget and will not need to dip into the fund balance to pay its 2003 Medicaid bill.

AIRPORT CONTRACT WITH US AIRWAYS TO BE EXTENDED FOR ONE YEAR
The Legislature approved, as part of its consent agenda, to extend a lease agreement with U.S. Airways, Inc. for provision of air service at the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport for one year beyond the December 31, 2003 expiration date. The contract has been in place since January 1994. The contract is being extended to allow additional time for negotiations.

LEGISLATURE REVISITS, PASSES HIGHER INCOME LIMITS FOR PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS
Legislator Kathy Luz Herrera, absent from the Legislature’s last meeting, led a reconsideration of a measure to increase the local income limits for property tax exemptions for senior citizens and disabled persons. A resolution to increase the exemptions limits was defeated by a 7 – 7 vote on January 6. This time, it succeeded 8 – 7, including Herrera’s vote. The proposed new income limits will match those recently set by the New York State Legislature. The annual income to receive the greatest exemption – 50 percent off one’s assessment for tax purposes – will be raised from $20,000 to $24,000. The higher income limits will allow about 322 additional parcels to be eligible for exemptions, according to the County Assessment Department, resulting in $96,867 in lost property tax revenue. The local income limits have not been changed since March 2001.

NIGHTS IN HOMELESS SHELTERS UP BY 10 PERCENT
Health and Human Services Chair Martha Robertson reported that, according to the Human Services Coalition, nights spent by homeless people in homeless shelters in Tompkins County increased from 13,981 in 2002 to 15,353 in 2003, a ten percent increase. These figures represent the total number of “bed nights” provided by the Department of Social Services, the American Red Cross, and the Advocacy Center to those needing shelter.

County home page