Present:  B. Blanchard, K. Herrera, F. Proto (left at 2:58 p.m.), M. Koplinka-Loehr, P. Penniman, G. Totman, T. Todd, M. Lane, D. Winch, M. Robertson, T. Joseph, D. Kiefer, N. Schuler

Called to Order

 Mr. Penniman called the meeting to order at 1:06 p.m. (13 members present).

 It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mrs. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by a vote by show of hands, to lift the Capital Program from the Table.

Public Safety Communications System

 It was MOVED by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, and unanimously adopted by a vote by show of hands, to include the Public Safety Communications System Project in the 2004-2008 Tompkins County Capital Program and amend the payment schedule as follows:

 From:   Total Project Local Share $11,538,310
  2004 Payment       $1,221,138
2005 Payment       $1,221,138
2006 Payment       $1,221,138
 2007 Payment       $1,221,138
  2008 Payment         $1,221,138
 Final Year Payment            2024

Public Safety Building Renovation Phase I

 It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Proto, to add the Public Safety Building Renovation Phase I project with the following payment schedule:

Total Project Local Share   $15,800,000
2004 Payment   $     254,120
2005 Payment   $     502,700
2006 Payment   $     644,400
 2007 Payment   $     820,300
  2008 Payment   $  1,172,482
 2009 Payment    $  1,176,464
2010 Payment   $  1,196,593
2011 Payment   $  1,171,593
2012  Payment    $  1,146,593
2013 Payment     $  1,121,593
  Final Year Payment          2028

 It was MOVED by Mr. Lane, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, to amend the motion for the Public Safety Building Renovation Phase I project with the following payment schedule:

Total Project Local Share   $15,800,000
2004 Payment   $         4,120
2005 Payment   $     527,700
2006 Payment   $     669,400
 2007 Payment   $     845,300
  2008 Payment   $  1,197,482
 Final Year Payment          2028
 
 Ms. Herrera stated for the record that she cannot support increasing the number of beds in the Jail because she is not convinced the numbers that have been presented up to this point have been accurate.

 A vote by show of hands on the amendment to the amendment resulted as follows:  Ayes – 4 (Blanchard, Koplinka-Loehr, Lane, and Robertson); Noes – 9.  MOTION FAILED.

 A vote by show of hands on the original amendment resulted as follows:  Ayes – 10, Noes - 3 (Herrera, Kiefer, and Koplinka-Loehr).  MOTION CARRIED.

Aquifer and Groundwater Models

 It was MOVED by Ms. Robertson, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, to suspend payments for the Aquifer and Groundwater Models Capital Project for 2004.  A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 4 (Blanchard, Robertson, Todd, and Totman); Noes - 9.   MOTION FAILED.

 A vote by show of hands on the 2004-2008  Capital Program as amended resulted as follows:  Ayes – 12, Noes – 0, Temporarily Out of the Room – 1 (Winch).  MOTION CARRIED.

Recess

 Mr. Penniman declared recess from 1:35 p.m. to 2:05 p.m.

Correction of Error

 It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, and unanimously adopted by a vote by show of hands, to correct an error in OTR No. 30 – Mental Health Case Management, by increasing revenue by $216.

Alternatives to Incarceration

 It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Lane,  to reduce OTR No. 142 – Maintenance of Effort – Professional Service Contracts, from $82,957 to $56,957. A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 9; Noes – 4 (Herrera, Joseph, Kiefer, and Schuler).  MOTION CARRIED.

Rural Libraries

 It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, to reduce the appropriation to each rural library from $29,547 to $27,047, producing a total reduction of $10,000.  A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 9, Noes – 4 (Kiefer, Schuler, Totman, and Winch).  MOTION CARRIED.

Youth Bureau
 
 It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Totman, to reduce the base budget in the Planning and Coordination program in the Youth Services Department by $50,000.  A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 7 (Blanchard, Joseph, Penniman, Proto, Todd, Totman, and Winch); Noes – 6 (Herrera, Kiefer, Koplinka-Loehr, Lane, Robertson, and Schuler).  MOTION CARRIED.

Personnel – In-Service Training

It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Winch, to reduce OTR No. 247 – Professional Services- Training, in the amount of $15,000 to zero.  A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 7 (Blanchard, Lane, Penniman, Proto, Todd, Totman, and Winch); Noes – 6 Hererra, Joseph, Kiefer, Koplinka-Loehr, Robertson, and Schuler).  MOTION CARRIED.

STOP-DWI

 It was MOVED by Mr. Winch, seconded by Mr. Totman, to reduce expenditures and revenues in the base budget of the STOP-DWI program from $20,000 to $15,000.  A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 11, Noes – 2 (Kiefer and Koplinka-Loehr).  MOTION CARRIED.

Department of Social Services – Economic Security

 It was MOVED by Mr. Proto, seconded by Mr. Totman, to reduce OTR No. 54 – Maintenance of Effort – Staffing, from the amount of $204,698 to $150,000.   A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 4 (Lane, Proto, Todd, and Totman); Noes – 9.  MOTION FAILED.

Public Health

 It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Herrera, to reduce OTR No. 38 – Maintenance of Effort – PH Sanitarian – reduce restaurant, mobile home, and other misc. inspections – from the amount of $21,068 to zero.

 Mr. Proto left at 2:58 p.m. (12 members present).

 A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 5 (Blanchard, Herrera, Koplinka-Loehr, Todd, and Totman); Noes – 7 (Joseph, Kiefer, Lane, Penniman, Robertson, Schuler, and Winch).  MOTION FAILED.

Sales Tax Revenue

 It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Ms. Robertson, to increase estimated Sales Tax Revenue from $23,500,000 to $23,600,000.   A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 7 (Blanchard, Joseph, Kiefer, Koplinka-Loehr, Robertson, Todd, and Totman); Noes- 5 (Herrera, Lane, Penniman, Schuler, and Winch).  MOTION CARRIED.

Public Library

 It was MOVED by Ms. Robertson, seconded by Ms. Herrera, to reduce OTR No. 8 – Maintain Minimum Services, from $103,028 to $80,000.  A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 7, Noes – 5 (Kiefer, Koplinka-Loehr, Penniman, Schuler, and Winch).  MOTION CARRIED.

Public Safety Building Renovation Capital Project

 It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Robertson, and unanimously adopted by a vote by show of hands,  to reconsider the motion that was defeated earlier in the meeting to adopt a revised payment schedule for the Public Safety Building Renovation Project.  A vote on the payment schedule resulted as follows:  Ayes – 4 (Blanchard, Koplinka-Loehr, Lane, and Robertson); Noes – 8.  MOTION FAILED.

Ithaca Downtown Partnership

 It was MOVED by Ms. Kiefer, seconded by Ms. Robertson, to restore $4,000 to the Ithaca Downtown Partnership.  A Vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 4 (Blanchard, Kiefer, Robertson, and Schuler); Noes – 8.  MOTION FAILED.

 It was MOVED by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, to accept the proposed 2004 Tompkins County budget as amended and submit to the process for public hearing.   A vote by show of hands resulted as follows:  Ayes – 9, Noes – 3 (Todd, Totman, and Winch).  MOTION CARRIED.

 It was MOVED by Ms. Robertson, seconded by Ms. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by a vote by show of hands, to approve the following Resolution and submit to the full Legislature:

RESOLUTION NO.                          - SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF “PUSHBACK”

 WHEREAS, State and federal governments have authority to mandate that certain programs must be carried out by local government, such as Medicaid by New York State and smallpox vaccination and airport security by the Federal government, and
 WHEREAS, State and federal governments control these programs and have reduced their own spending on them. At the same time they have not reduced the actual costs, and in many areas they have actually increased the costs, requiring counties to use local taxes to carry out the programs, and
 WHEREAS, Using a very narrow definition of mandates (i.e., only the direct payments that Tompkins County must pay to program recipients or service providers), mandated payments will cost Tompkins County an additional $4.2 million next year, which is a 31% increase over 2003 spending, on top of a 25% increase the previous year, and
 WHEREAS, To pay just for these mandated costs in 2004 the County will have to raise property taxes by 14%, and
 WHEREAS, This does not even include County costs for carrying out mandated activities, including personnel to take applications, determine eligibility, process payments or send checks, and
 WHEREAS, In addition, we have seen an increase in fringe benefit costs that will raise taxes another 12%, most of which is an increased mandatory contribution to the State retirement fund, and
 WHEREAS, In the 2004 budget the Tompkins County Legislature has cut spending on local programs by more than $1.4 million, absorbing contractual salary increases, inflationary increases in supplies, materials, energy costs and rents, through reorganization and program cut backs including layoffs, and
 WHEREAS, The County still faces a 20% tax increase despite the deepest program cuts in more than ten years, affecting police protection and protection of children at risk, road maintenance and maintenance of the elderly in their homes, promotion of business development and of family self-sufficiency, and housing for the homeless and food for the hungry, and
 WHEREAS, Paying for state and federal programs with local taxes is part a massive tax shift in this country over the last decade, from the income tax to the property tax, such that the income tax cuts are directly responsible for the property and sales tax increases that we are now experiencing at the local level, and
 WHEREAS, Every time income taxes have been cut, those cuts have been heavily skewed to benefit the wealthiest people in the state and in the country, and
 WHEREAS, Our tax system has become wildly unbalanced with far too much of the burden on property tax, costing far too much for farmers, seniors, local businesses, and those least able to pay, while not asking those who enjoy the greatest wealth to shoulder their fair share, and
 WHEREAS, In many cases those who will be most hurt by the service cuts will also be the most hurt by a property tax increase, and
 WHEREAS, PushBack is a nonpartisan organization of Tompkins County citizens recently formed to resist the pushing down of expenses from federal and state to local government, from income tax to property tax, now therefore be it
 RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Legislature holds that the responsibility to pay for government programs must rest with those who create and control them, and be it further
 RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Legislature endorses the efforts of PushBack to educate the public and lobby our state and federal lawmakers to reverse the pressure on local taxes, and be it further
 RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Legislature will join PushBack in the work of creating a more equitable, compassionate sharing of the responsibilities of government, so we may continue to protect our citizens and our communities, and be it further
 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution shall be sent to President Bush, Senators Schumer and Clinton, Congressmen Boehlert and Hinchey, Governor Pataki, State Senators Bruno, Kuhl, Seward and Nozzolio and members of the Assembly.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:32 p.m.
 

Respectfully submitted by Michelle Pottorff, TC Legislature