The Board approved by a vote of 10-5 a photovoltaic solar panel project at the new Tompkins County Public Library building on East Green Street. Charles Evans, Frank Proto, Thomas Todd, George Totman, and Daniel Winch voted no. The roof-top panels will generate clean-air electricity that will be used by the library. The $1 million project has an expected lifetime of 30 years, with a manufacturer’s warranty for 20 years. It will be paid for with $551,025 of County funds – an addition to the library capital project – and $455,514 in grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. At best, the solar panel project will pay for itself in reduced energy costs; at worst, it may cost the County up to $10,000 a year. Either way, two-thirds of the Board members feel that the social and environmental benefits of using solar power outweigh the potential costs. The system, to be installed and operated for its first three years by PowerLight Corporation of Berkeley, CA, will be the largest photovoltaic system in New York State. The manufacturer plans to showcase the project to other communities and to supply the library with educational materials and to sponsor events about solar power.
TOMPKINS-CORTLAND JAIL STUDY IS APPROVED
By a vote of 11-4 (Michael Koplinka-Loehr, Frank Proto, Susanne Davis, and Stuart Stein voted no), the Board agreed to allocate up to $30,000, from an existing budget line, for a feasibility study of a Tompkins-Cortland county jail. The Cortland County legislature approved a matching amount at its Board meeting last week. Tompkins County’s jail consultant, LaBella & Associates, will work with the two counties on the study. Deputy County Administrator William Benjamin reported to the Board that the Public Safety Building Space Study Committee has not yet finalized a recommendation on renovations to the current jail building on Warren Road. At a future Board meeting, the committee will seek authorization for a detailed design plan that will help determine both construction and operating costs of an expanded or renovated public safety facility.
COUNTY FUND BALANCE UP AGAIN
For the seventh year in a row, Tompkins County’s general fund balance – its unallocated pot of money – has grown. Finance Director David Squires distributed to the Board a summary report that shows that, at the end of 1999, the fund balance had gained about $3.1 million. Factors contributing to the gain include increased sales tax proceeds, unused funds (rollover) from previous years’ department budgets, more state and federal aid, and the initial tobacco settlement payment. The County Board allocated $4.8 million of its fund balance to offset a property tax increase in the 2000 budget. Even with that allocation taken into consideration, the total unappropriated fund balance is over $12 million, an increase of 34 percent over the previous year’s balance. This information is included in the County’s Annual Financial Report, dated 12-31-99, which was filed with the state last week. A copy of the report is available at the Board of Representatives office.
BOARD GETS FIRST LOOK AT POSSIBLE 2001 CAPITAL PROGRAM
Tim Joseph, chairman of the Budget and Fiscal Policy Committee, presented a set of capital program scenarios for 2001 that could require a considerable increase in the County’s borrowing. If all projects were approved, the County would need to absorb interest payments on over $40 million of new debt, Joseph reported. On the list of potential projects are proposals for improvements to the Public Safety Building, an upgrade to the emergency communications system, as well as possible renovations to the Old Library and the Courthouse. Without any cuts, delays, or infusions of cash, property tax in 2001 would increase by as much as 18 percent. Other options calculated for the Board’s information include using up to $17 million of tobacco funds, and reducing and/or postponing some projects. The scenarios are an exercise to show Board members the big picture and to preview the difficult decisions ahead.
ROOM TAX SUPPORTS TWO TOURISM INITIATIVES
The Board approved two resolutions that allocate proceeds from the county hotel and motel room occupancy tax to new tourism-related projects. The downtown visitors’ center in the lobby of the Clinton House will be upgraded and expanded, for a cost of about $27,000. In addition, a $10,000 computerized ticketing system will link the Clinton House box office with the Cornell Concert Series, Ithaca College Theatre, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, and the Hangar, Kitchen, and Firehouse theaters. The first ticket outlets will be set up at the Clinton House and on the two college campuses. As part of the project, an on-line ticket purchase option is planned for the fall. Both projects were recommended by the Strategic Tourism Planning Board. The vote on the visitor’s center was 9-6; the vote on the ticket center was unanimous.
BOARD PASSES TEENS IN OFFICE RESOLUTION
The Board issued a proclamation declaring May 13 Youth Empowerment Day, in honor of the Teens in Office program. The Board also unanimously approved a resolution authored by the teens in the program in support of a youth-organized festival called "Rock the Arts 2000." The festival will start on the Ithaca Commons at 11 a.m. on May 13 and will continue into the evening with a "band fest" at the Community School of Music and Arts. Teens in Office, a project of the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, puts area youth in touch with local government processes and officials.