Rep. Barbara Blanchard led a presentation on a proposed multi-million dollar upgrade to the county-wide emergency communications network. Joined by Sheriff Peter Meskill and City Fire Chief Brian Wilbur, Blanchard laid out the basics of a project that will be debated by the County Board as part of its 2001 budget. The existing microwave system, originally built in 1972, fails to provide emergency radio coverage to many areas of the county and does not support full inter-agency communication among emergency responders. A spate of emergency pager failures is attributed to the aging system, which in addition, is being slowly eroded by the loss of frequencies it is allowed to use. Blanchard explained that the current system has 14 relay sites, seven of which are located on towers. The new system, estimated to cost $8.5 million dollars, would require building six towers in new, more effective locations as well as the upgrade of two existing towers. The new tower locations, plus a move to an 800 megahertz radio frequency that can support many more channels, would solve faults that have become intolerable to emergency responders, stated Blanchard. The Board took no action, but a resolution that moves the project forward is expected within the next two Board meetings.

The Board of Representatives unanimously (by a vote of 12-0; Reps. Charles Evans, Peter Penniman, and Nancy Schuler were absent) approved the reinstatement of a Traffic Safety Board, disbanded 12 years ago. Membership on the Board will include representatives of police agencies, County Public Safety Committee members, and a transportation planner. The revived Traffic Safety Board will seek grant funding for infrastructure improvements and public education.

Following a public hearing, the Board approved by a vote of 12-0 (Reps. Charles Evans, Peter Penniman, and Nancy Schuler were absent) a local law that offers a tax break to owners of historic properties. Any increase in assessed value that is attributable to improvements to an historic property will be 100 percent exempt from property tax increases for five years. The exemption diminishes annually by 20 percent to zero in the 10^th year. The law is intended to encourage the upkeep of properties that are designated landmarks or located in historic districts.

The Board unanimously (by a 12-0 vote; Reps. Charles Evans, Peter Penniman, and Nancy Schuler were absent) voted its opinion that a proposed Veterans Administration medical clinic should be sited at a location convenient to the two counties – Tompkins and Cortland – that it is intended to serve. An action by the Cortland city council earlier this year favored a location in Cortland. The actual decision of where to site the clinic will be made by the Veterans Administration.