HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE JANUARY 13, 2004 4:00 P.M. SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: M. Robertson, Chair; P. Penniman; N. Schuler; M. Koplinka-Loehr
Excused: F. Proto
Staff: P. Carey, Social Services Commissioner;
H. Filiberto, Planning Department; I. Stein, Office for the Aging Director;
E. Marx, Deputy County Administrator/Commissioner of Planning; M. Dill,
Human Services Coalition; B. Falcao, Health Planning Council; T. Albert,
Youth Services
Guests: A. Edelman, Realtor; B. Edelman, Lisa Morocco; C. Nocera,
Red Cross; A. Hovaguimian, Alcohol and Drug Council
Called to Order
The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m.
Changes to the Agenda
There were no changes to the agenda.
Chair's Report
Ms. Robertson said she will be reviewing the Committee's
2003 goals and putting together a report. She will also be pulling
from the minutes information concerning the housing issues discussed by the
Committee into one document.
In addition she asked Ms. Dill to provide an analysis
of bed nights for the Committee to review. Since 1997, bed nights have
been increasing dramatically. In 1997, there were fewer than 6,000
bed nights and in 2002 there were almost 14,000 bed nights. That number
was exceeded in 2003; the committee will get more information later.
Ms. Robertson said she has also asked the Health Department
and Social Services Department to provide information on generic drugs and
the idea of getting them from Canada. She hopes this will be a topic
of discussion at a future meeting.
Approval of Minutes
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Schuler,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the
minutes of the December 8 and December 16 meetings.
Appointments
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mr. Penniman,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to submit the following
appointments to the full Legislature for approval:
Mental Health Services Board
Mary Agnew - term expires December 31, 2007
MR/DD Subcommittee
Martin Luster - Mental Health Services Board representative; term expires December 31, 2006
John Bezirganian - Mental Health Services Board representative; term expires December 31, 2007
Amy Dunham - community member representative; term expires December 31, 2007
Presentation on Housing Market
Ms. Robertson introduced Audrey Edelman, Realtor, who
provided a power point presentation on the housing market in Tompkins County.
Ms. Edelman began the presentation with an overview of the history of real
estate values since 1980 and commented that real estate has changed dramatically
in the last four to six years. Between 1980 and 1989 the only time
the average price of a single family home decreased was in 1982 when interest
rates rose to 16-17 percent. During those nine years, houses continued
to appreciate. In 1989, the market decreased and people were unable
to sell their homes or postponed selling. During 1988, 970 houses were
sold; in 1989, the number decreased by 322. The market remained flat
for the next several years and in 1997 prices began to climb. The current
market is now similar to the 1980s. Below is a list of prices for the
average single family house:
1997 - $104,855
1998 - $112,262
1999 - $113,596
2000 - $117,243
2001 - $124,417
2002 - $137,432
2003 - $151,554
Ms. Edelman said that in 2003, 41 percent of the homes
sold in Tompkins County were under $100,000 and 25 percent were over $200,000.
She explained that 2001 to 2003 were good years with real
estate because of the record-low mortgage rates; in 2001 the interest rates
went to a 41-year low. Other factors at that time included investors
switching from stock market to home ownership, 9/11 reinforced the desire
for home ownership, and prices increased because inventory was low.
She spoke about the decrease in inventory of houses on
the market. The following are the numbers of homes for sale at the same point
in each of the last five years:
April 1999 - 1,767
April 2000 - 1,495
April 2001 - 1,363
April 2002 - 927
April 2003 - 707
At this time Ms. Edelman addressed the following questions:
Are prices too high to buy a house in Ithaca now?
Economists remind us that, historically, over the past 30 years, real estate has been a very good investment.
Some people are afraid that prices have peaked in Ithaca and that the housing "bubble" will burst.
Unless the inventory of homes in Ithaca increases dramatically, prices will not be adversely affected.
Who is buying?
About half of the county’s housing sales are handled by associates in Edelman’s
office. The following are statistics from within her own office:
Local - 62 percent
Out of town - 38 percent
Ms. Schuler asked whether “local” included people who moved here from out
of town, rented for a year, and then bought a home. Ms. Edelman said that
could be the case for some of these buyers; she did not have information
on how long someone had been “local” before they bought.
Marital Status
Married - 56 percent
Single - 28 percent
Unmarried Partners - 9 percent
Unknown - 7 percent
Educational Level of Buyers
High School - 11 percent
College Graduates - 19 percent
Graduate Degrees - 60 percent
Unknown - 10 percent
What are the people buying?
First Home - 39 percent
Relocation - 38 percent
Larger Home - 14 percent
Smaller Home - 5 percent
Vacation Home - 4 percent
What is the occupation of our buyers?
Teaching/Research - 33 percent
Administrative - 19 percent
Health Care - 12 percent
Self-employed - 11 percent
Blue Collar - 8 percent
Other - 17 percent
Buyers' Household Income
$20-39K - 15 percent
$40-59K - 21 percent
$60K or more - 42 percent
Unknown - 22 percent
Ms. Edelman commented that 10% of our population is 65 years old or more.
Traditionally for years houses sold the most during the months of March,
April, and May. However, the selling season in 2003 and again this
year has extended from February through July.
Why our community?
"America's Top Small City in the East" - Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities
"Most Enlightened Town" - Utne Reader
"Top 25 Terrific Places to Bring up a Family" - Mothering magazine
"Top 5 Places to Buy a Retirement Home" - Smart Money
What are the positive things happening in our community that encourage people to move here?
New Library
New YMCA
Sciencenter expansion
Museum of the Earth
The Rink and The Field in Lansing
Research Park
Kionix
ADIC, Advanced Digital Information Corporation
Autodesk
Moldflow
Tansact Technologies
Why might people choose other communities instead of ours?
Higher salaries
Lower taxes
Centrally isolated - air transportation a problem
Lack of sewer permits for new construction
Anti-growth attitude toward new big business
Outlook for 20004
National Association of Realtors expects the housing market to continue
as a strong sector of our economy, and they project 2004 as the second best
real estate year in history.
What the future brings is dependent on:
Interest rates
World situation
National economy
“I think that the housing in Tompkins County is very HEALTHY right now.”
In answer to questions, Ms. Edelman said that the mortgage market is such
that, even for lower income people, if you’re employed and don’t have bad
credit, you can get a mortgage. She felt that the housing supply will
continue to be tight, as fewer people are leaving the area. Some reasons
are that people feel Tompkins County is safer than other communities, and
some people who would have already retired in a better economy are finding
now that they can’t afford to retire yet.
Update on First-Time Homeownership Program
Mrs. Filiberto reported on the County's First-time Homeownership
Program and said the program is funded through the Small Cities Community
Development Block Grant program. Better Housing of Tompkins County
is the partner the County contracts with to deliver the services. The
program provides up to 30 percent of the purchase price as a second mortgage
at a three percent interest rate. The mortgage is for 15 years and
payment is deferred for the first three years. The hope is to get the
homeowner to build their equity to begin paying back the mortgage.
The cost of the second mortgage generally ranges between $90-$150 per month.
One of the components of the program is an introductory educational workshop
which provides an overview of the program. A client guidebook outlining
the entire process is given to each participant at the informational meetings.
One of the most important areas for homeowners to know is the importance
of saving money for maintenance and upkeep.
The program began in 1993 and more than 800 people have
attended the introductory meetings. There have been 194 homes closed
on since September 1, 1994. Mrs. Filiberto noted that all the clients
in the program fall below 80 percent of the median family income level in
Tompkins County (which is $41,250 for a family of three).
The program has loaned a total of 3.7 million dollars
in second mortgages over the last ten years and leveraged 10.2 million dollars
from private lenders. The purchase price of the homes generally ranges
between $40,000 and $100,000.
When the second mortgages are paid back, it is called
program income and can be re-loaned to keep the program going. To date,
$784,000 has been received in program income and $540,000 has recently been
committed to approximately 24 clients. Six separate grants have been
received from the federal government to further the program.
At this time Mrs. Filiberto highlighted some of the success
rates with the program as compared to FHA mortgages. She reported there
have only been two properties foreclosed and only two homeowners currently
repaying their loan are more than 30 days late. She also spoke about
the real estate market and the impact it is having on the program.
Clients continue to find homes but it is taking a little longer and they
are spending a little more on the homes. Mrs. Filiberto commented that
more assistance is needed by staff and as a result the cost per client has
increased, reducing the amount of money available to help more clients.
The good news is that families are still finding homes and the introductory
meetings continue to be well attended.
In response to Mr. Penniman's inquiry, Mrs. Filiberto
said that no one has ever been turned away; however if there were more resources,
the County would be able to continue the program indefinitely.
She believes there are enough funds currently that will last through the
end of the year. The Department is applying for another grant in 2004
that could be available this time next year. The grants usually provide
approximately $540,000 for the program.
Ms. Schuler spoke about the suggestion by Assistant Assessment
Director, Jay Franklin, at a recent committee meeting that the County consider
offering a longer, six-week program similar to Ithaca Neighborhood Housing's
program rather than the current two-hour model. Ms. Schuler said she received
correspondence from Better Housing’s Executive Director, Stacey Crawford,
explaining that they feel the success rate of the current program indicates
a six-week workshop model is not required for success of first-time homebuyers.
The correspondence from Ms. Crawford also reiterates the successes of the
program as outlined above by Mrs. Filiberto.
Ms. Dill spoke about the COMPASS II report and said the
issue of housing maintenance and repairs came up a lot in the surveys.
At this time, Ms. Dill distributed information concerning
an analysis of emergency shelter nights in Tompkins County, including the
Red Cross shelter, motels paid for by DSS, and the shelter of the Task Force
for Battered Women. It was noted that the number had gone up to 15,353
in 2003, an increase of 10%/ Ms. Dill reported the next Homeless and
Housing Task Force meeting is February 4, 2004 at 10:00. She also reported
that the FEMA funds we get annually have been cut because our unemployment
rate has gone down.
Ms. Carey explained a contract for emergency shelter was
negotiated yesterday and asked Mr. Nocera to comment on the specifics.
Mr. Nocera said it is a two-tier approach. The first tier covers fixed
expenses at $66 per night which includes the cost of the hotel night and
case management services provided. The second tier includes the costs
of variable expenses at a total of $38.50 per hotel night.
Mr. Nocera suggested that transitional housing be a strategy
that should be looked at this year. He said this would reduce the costs
of hotel use substantially. Ms. Carey said one area discussed
during contract negotiations was the goals for case management services.
She is hoping to create a database that will identify and monitor the case
management services being utilized.
Social Services Department
Ms. Carey provided a brief overview of the Department's
financial reports. She noted that year-end information is still coming
in. The Safety Net program appears to be on the rise, however the Department
will continue to monitor this situation to determine why it is increasing.
A brief discussion followed concerning the State's task
force report on Medicaid and Ms. Carey said she will meet with her staff
to see if there are areas where she can provide additional information.
She will also be attending a Social Services Commissioners conference at
the end of the month where this will be discussed and will share comments
from the conference she feels may be helpful. Mr. Penniman also suggested
that it would be helpful if Legislators attending the New York State Association
of Counties meeting received the same information.
Human Services Coalition
Ms. Dill provided a report to the Committee concerning budget impacts on services and agencies.
Mr. Penniman was excused at this time.
Ms. Dill expressed the appreciation of the agencies to
the County for all the support provided. At this time, she reviewed
the trends agencies are experiencing including widespread stress among clients
and employees. The agencies need basic operating funds, but are forced to
build their budgets on one-time grants and fundraising. Some have lost funds
in state and/or federal cuts, or are receiving stagnant State funding or
now are told that previous state grants require a match for the first time.
Overall there has been a loss of staff in the nonprofit sector since 2001,
benefits have been reduced, and there have been no salary increases. The
only new staff have been about 20 VISTA volunteers brought into the community
through a combined effort of Cornell University and United Way. The
Human Services Coalition is doing a salary and benefit survey of the nonprofit
community, and that is nearly finished. Two capital projects are going
forward: the expansion of the Drop-In Children’s Center (to add 28 slots)
and expansion of the Green Street facility of Unity House.
Ms. Dill reminded the Committee the Human Services Coalition's
annual meeting is February 5, 2004 and Kathy Okun, the First Lady of Cornell
University, will be the guest speaker.
Youth Services
Budget Adjustments
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Ms. Schuler,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to submit the following
transfer and budget adjustment to the full Legislature for approval:
From Acct
Title
Amt To Acct
Title(s)
7020.51000634 Youth Bureau Planner
$19,821
7020.54000 Program Expense
Explanation: The Legislature reduced the personnel line of the County
Youth Services 2004 Budget by $19,821. The reduction was made in Program
Expense. This transfer will accurately reflect the cut in the Planner
position and restore Program Expense line to $0 as planned.
BUDGET ADJUSTMENT
Tompkins County Youth Services Department
Revenue Acct
Title
Amt App. Acct.
Title(s)
7020.42070
Contribution from Private Agencies $11,902
7020.51000634 Youth Bureau Planner
Explanation: This reflects an increase in our 2004 revenue from the
City of Ithaca to coordinate the Community Drug Task Force for services during
2004. Due to budget cuts, the Planner position was reduced to 23 hours
per week. With this increase in revenue, that position can be brought
back up to 28 hours per week.