| LEGISLATURE SUPPORTS CONTINUATION OF
ALL LAKE SOURCE COOLING MONITORS The Legislature voted 10 to 4 to ask that Cornell University be required to continue current efforts to monitor water conditions in Cayuga Lake. Cornell recently announced its plans to reduce the number of lake water monitors associated with the university's lake source cooling system from nine to two. Cornell has stated that fewer monitors will accomplish the same results and that the university can save $50,000 a year by making the change. The County's advisory Environmental Management Council (EMC) has stated that insufficient data has been gathered and that some data has not been interpreted adequately. The advisory group has recommended to the County that it ask the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to require Cornell to maintain all of the existing monitoring sites. The County's resolution, which echoes the EMC's recommendation, will be forwarded to the director of the DEC's Division of Water for this region. Voting in favor of the resolution were Richard Booth, Kathy Luz Herrera, Tim Joseph, Dooley Kiefer, Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Michael Lane, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Peter Penniman, Frank Proto, Nancy Schuler. Voting against it were Barbara Blanchard, Thomas Todd, George Totman, and Daniel Winch. Martha Robertson was absent. Contacts: Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair, Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, 273-8169; Simeon Moss, Cornell News Service, 255-2281. ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY IN NEW YORK STATE, SAYS COUNTY The Legislature voted 13 to 1 to call for a permanent end to the death penalty in New York State. The resolution, which urges the state as well as the federal government to end the death penalty, was brought to the County by the Tompkins County Coalition Against the Death Penalty, with the support of the League of Women Voters. The state Assembly and Senate are prepared to review and amend the death penalty law, which is currently suspended. The resolution passed tonight asks for complete reform of the law to eliminate death as a punishment. Martha Robertson was absent. Contact: Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Chair, Public Safety Committee, 277-5104. COUNTY ASKS STATE TO CONTINUE ADDITIONAL 1 CENT OF SALES TAX Since December 1992, Tompkins County has had the authority to increase its sales tax from seven cents per dollar to eight cents. The ability to charge the additional cent will expire in November this year. The Legislature voted 11 to 2 (two Legislators were absent) to ask for a continuation of the additional tax through November 30, 2007. The County's request will be added to state legislation that addresses similar requests from a number of other counties. Contact: Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Chair, Budget and Capital Committee, 257-2329. COUNTY URGES EMPIRE ZONES FOR ALL COUNTIES The Legislature voted 11 to 3 to urge the state to extend Empire Zones to all counties. The economic development zones offer state-backed tax abatements and incentives and have been extended to all but eleven of New York's 62 counties. Some counties have more than one such zone. Tompkins County has tried in vain to be approved for an Empire Zone. Frank Proto, Thomas Todd, and Daniel Winch voted against the measure; Martha Robertson was absent. Contact: Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair, Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, 273-8169. LOCAL REMOVAL OF SALES TAX ON CLOTHING UNCERTAIN Tim Joseph, Chair of the Legislature, announced that if the County wishes to join the state in a possible return of the sales tax exemption on clothing and footwear costing up to $110, it must do so by March 1. A resolution to remove the exemption failed to gain the necessary ten votes to be added to the agenda. An effort to append the resolution to another resolution also failed when it was ruled out of order by the Chair. The Legislature's inaction means that the County's portion of sales tax (4 cents per dollar) would continue to be charged, regardless of the state's actions. Joseph said that, if a majority of the Legislators agreed to hold a special meeting on or before March 1, a resolution to remove the tax could be passed with a simple majority (8 votes). The state's portion of the sales tax on clothing and shoes is scheduled to be removed on June 1. Contact: Tim Joseph, Chair of the Legislature, 277-2519. JOSEPH APPOINTS AIR SERVICE COMMITTEE County Legislature Chair Tim Joseph announced the formation of the Air Services Committee. The new committee, which has already begun meeting, will guide efforts in marketing, strategic planning, grants application, and airlines negotiation and outreach for the Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport. Legislator Barbara Blanchard will chair the group, whose members are County Planning Commissioner Ed Marx; Cornell Associate Vice President Richard McDaniel; Air Service Task Force Co-Chairs Larry Baum and Mike Hall; Michael Stamm, President of Tompkins County Area Development; and Jean McPheeters, President of the Chamber of Commerce. Contacts: Tim Joseph, Chair of the Legislature, 277-2519; Barbara Blanchard, Chair, Air Services Committee, 272-7664. TC3 LABOR CONTRACTS APPROVED The Legislature approved labor contracts for several bargaining groups that represent employees of Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3). The Legislators had discussed the particulars of the contracts, which will be in effect until 2009, in previous executive sessions. Voting against approval of the contracts were Richard Booth and Frank Proto. Contact: Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Chair, Budget and Capital Committee, 257-2329. |