| LEGISLATURE AUTHORIZES FINAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH NORTHWEST AIRLINES The Legislature voted unanimously to authorize an agreement with Northwest Airlines for twice-daily, non-stop service between Ithaca and Northwest's domestic and international hub in Detroit. Northwest's flights would supplement the current offerings of the Ithaca regional airport's only existing carrier, USAirways. The negotiation package the Legislature approved tonight includes incentives needed to cover some of the risk faced by Northwest in entering the Ithaca market. Pending finalization of the agreement, the County will: -- waive landing fees at the airport for the new westbound service for one year, -- provide $50,000 in marketing funds to promote the new service and the airport; and -- cover $40,000 of Northwest's initial terminal set-up costs. The proposed agreement also includes a revenue guarantee of $250,000 that will be supported by a coalition of local businesses and educational institutions. These community partners have already committed to nearly three-quarters of the amount, task force co-chair Larry Baum reported. Commitments have been received from Cornell University, Ithaca College, Stone Travel, P.W. Wood and Sons, and The Computing Center, according to Baum. If the new Northwest service fails to meet its total revenue target of $5.3 million during the first 12 months of operation, the revenue guarantee will be used to cover the shortfall. Revenue shortfalls will only be guaranteed up to $250,000. If the new service exceeds the revenue target, the guarantee funds will not be spent. The new Northwest Airlines service will consist of one early morning and one afternoon flight on 34 seat Saab twin-engine turbo-props. Northwest's planes will tentatively begin flying from the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport beginning on May 1, 2005. Airline ticket bookings may be available for advance sales beginning in early February. Negotiations with Northwest are not final but are expected to be concluded by early February. Contacts: Charles Hamilton 592-8808, Larry Baum 257-3524, or Mike Hall 539-6784 of the Air Service Task Force; Thomas Becher, Northwest Airlines 612-727-4759; Tim Joseph, Chair, Tompkins County Legislature, 274-5434, 277-2519. LEGISLATURE APPROVES DISCOUNT PRESCRIPTION CARD The Legislature approved by unanimous vote a prescription discount card that is available to all Tompkins County residents, regardless of age, and that can provide savings to the uninsured and underinsured. The County will collaborate with Caremark Rx, Inc., a national pharmacy benefit manager, to provide the TompkinsRx card. There is no cost to the County or its taxpayers. The TompkinsRx card is free and requires no enrollment forms. Uninsured or underinsured residents can present the TompkinsRx card when purchasing prescription drugs at any pharmacy in the county, for average savings of 20 percent. Using the card for mail-order purchases can result in savings averaging 50 percent. The card can be used in other counties, as well as nationally, at any of the many pharmacies that have an agreement with Caremark Rx. People with no prescription insurance coverage will benefit the most from using the card. People who have prescription coverage can still receive discounts on drugs not covered by their plans or another discount program. Medicare recipients can use the Tompkins Rx card. They could bring both their Medicare and TompkinsRx cards to their pharmacy and ask which offers them a greater discount on any particular prescription. The free cards are available at numerous locations, including County offices, town and village halls, medical and health care offices, human services office, and all pharmacies. In addition, 30,000 cards will be distributed as an insert in the January 26 issues of the Pennysaver and Shopper newspapers. The Health Planning Council is coordinating the distribution, with the aid of a grant from a local foundation. The Health and Human Services Committee, chaired by Martha Robertson, interviewed several vendors of discount prescription cards and found that Caremark's plan offered both simplicity and significant discounts. The County will not be involved in the day-to-day management of the program, which is handled by Caremark Rx. Information is available at https://tompkins.advancerx.com or by calling 877-321-2652. Contact: Martha Robertson, Chair, Health and Human Services Committee, 272-0584. PAPER BALLOTS AND SCANNERS RECOMMENDED FOR IMPROVED VOTER ACCURACY By a vote of 11 to 4, the Legislature passed a resolution urging the State to certify optical scanning machines and paper ballots as compliant with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). Bo Lipari of New Yorkers for Verified Voting presented information advocating for the system, which allows for votes on individually marked paper ballots to be scanned and recorded electronically. Supporters favor the ballot-and-scanner system as an alternative to completely electronic machines that have no paper record. The resolution also requests the state to make other improvements in how votes are cast, including allowing for split shifts for election inspectors who now work long hours, and allowing absentee ballots to be used without requiring an excuse. Contact: Dooley Kiefer, Chair, Consumer and Community Affairs Committee, 257-7453. |