| HEARING DATE SET FOR EMPIRE ZONE APPLICATION Tompkins County plans once again to make application for an Empire Zone, knowing that success is assured due to a change in the regulations that, over the next four years, will bring an Empire Zone to every county that currently lacks one. The location or locations of the proposed Empire Zone acreage will be presented at the September 7 meeting of the Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee and will be completed by September 12 for inclusion in a local law authorizing the application. Empire Zones are designated areas throughout New York State that offer tax credits and incentives to encourage economic development and business growth, although the scope of the incentives for the new zones has been significantly reduced. The hearing, approved by a 12 to 2 vote (Kathy Luz Herrera and Frank Proto were opposed; Peter Penniman was absent), has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m., September 20, in the County Courthouse. Contact: Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair, Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, 273-8169. LEGISLATURE DETERMINES TO GRADUALLY ABSORB ELECTION EXPENSES As a result of changes in state and federal election law, Tompkins County is being required to take over all election responsibilities previously provided by cities and towns. In order to mitigate the increasing costs of these centralization activities, Tompkins County will charge certain expenses back to the municipalities at an amount not to exceed what was charged back in the year 2004. Over the next several years, the County will absorb the expenses until it has assumed the full cost. The Legislature voted 12 to 2 to approve this measure. Thomas Todd and Daniel Winch were opposed. Peter Penniman was absent. Contact: Michael Lane, Chair, Government Operations Committee, 844-8440. LEGISLATURE CHAIR CALLS ATTENTION TO DECLINING JAIL POPULATION Referring to a chart comparing local with statewide jail statistics, Legislature Chair Tim Joseph pointed out that Tompkins County's average daily jail population has declined steadily since 2001, going from a daily average of 85 inmates in 2001, to 78 in 2002, 76 in 2003, 69 in 2004, and to 65 in the first half of 2005. The almost four-year steady decline in Tompkins County's inmate population is the opposite of what appears to be happening in most other counties in the state, the aggregate of which shows a steady increase in inmate populations. "We've been looking for concrete information on the results of our alternative to incarceration programs, and while declining inmate population is not the only measure, it is one of the measures," said Joseph. "The fact that our population is going down when everyone else's is going up certainly indicates that something dramatically different is happening here." Contact: Tim Joseph, Chair of the Legislature, 274-5434, 277-2519. COUNTY-OWNED NATURAL AREA TO BE TRANSFERRED TO STATE PARKS Three parcels of land acquired by the County through the tax foreclosure process and totaling just under 12 acres will be sold to the NYS State Parks office for $28,100. The parcels are located near Buttermilk Falls State Park and include wetlands, a Unique Natural Area (UNA), the reputed location of Coreorgonel - the former Native American village destroyed in the 1700s - and sections of various established walking trails. The State Parks office will preserve the land. The transfer was unanimously approved. Contact: Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair, Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, 273-8169. IDA BONDS APPROVED FOR ITHACA COLLEGE REFINANCING In a repeat vote necessary because of a kerfuffle concerning the timing of a public hearing, the Legislature approved by a 14 to 0 vote (Peter Penniman was absent) the issuance by the Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) of up to $50 million of low-interest bonds to refinance a number of capital projects undertaken by Ithaca College over the past decade. Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair of the Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, said at time of the previous vote that the bond issue will help the college save interest expenses and will help the IDA, which receives a fee for issuing the bonds. Contact: Kathy Luz Herrera, Chair, Planning, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, 273-8169. |