Chair Mink called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance and Roll Call of Members

Members and guests participated in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Present: 14 Representatives; (Representative Koplinka-Loehr arrived at 5:32 p.m.); Excused - 1 (Representative Winch).

Privilege of the Floor by the Public

Michael Raffe, Varna resident and member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, complimented the Board on sending staff and elected officials to the Integrated Emergency Management Course at the FEMA Emergency Management National Training Institute in Emmittsburgh, Maryland. He said the training received, contacts made, and lessons learned will help make both the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County a safer and more responsive community. The experiences shared during the training will allow the myriad of agencies and organizations that prepare for or respond to and help recover from disaster, to work together more effectively and efficiently in providing services to all residents. Mr. Raffe said he hopes the Board will encourage and support any activities that will allow those agencies and organizations to take the lessons that were learned there and expand and enhance their activities to prepare, respond to, and recover from disaster.

Mr. Raffe also spoke as the Volunteer Coordinator of Rugby at Cornell and informed the Board teams from this area have been very successful. He told of the team's accomplishment's and said for the past two summers the women's team has earned the gold medal in the Empire State Games and the men's team won a bronze medal. The majority of players on both teams were from Tompkins County.

Fay Gougakis, City of Ithaca resident, extended happy holiday wishes to the Board. She said City of Ithaca Common Council is considering beautifying the Green Street corridor to bring more attraction to the Library, and asked the Board to be involved with that effort. She expressed concern with the heavy traffic in that area and heavy drug traffic in the Commons area. She said unless these problems are addressed, people won't feel safe visiting either area. Ms. Gougakis also spoke of the tobacco settlement and said she feels money should be used towards tobacco use prevention and education.

Privilege of the Floor by Board Members

Ms. Blanchard, District No. 1 Representative, encouraged everyone to visit the downtown area of the City during the holiday season to see the many beautiful displays.

Mr. Stein, District No. 3 Representative and the County's liaison to the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) Ithaca-Tompkins Transportation Council, reported the MPO met today and he was re-elected as Chair of that group. At today's meeting they heard a report and accepted the long-range plan for transportation for the metropolitan area. Mr. Stein said a copy of the document, which is required by the federal and state governments to be prepared and approved locally at least once every five years, has been placed on file in the Board Office for review.

Mr. Proto, District No. 7 Representative, reported the State Archives and Records Administration held its regional meeting in Tompkins County. One of the items that was discussed was the Civil War Museum that was proposed in Tompkins County. That will be considered with the City and the Fire Department as a possible joint fire museum because they are hoping to acquire the Fall Creek site. He said this program has brought $1 million into the community since it began ten years ago.

Report from the Chair

Ms. Mink reported that an article appeared in today's Ithaca Journal that stated Counties are angered because the Health Care Plus program is going to cost more. She was given estimates today from Assemblyman Luster which indicated that it is not as bad as it could have been or it may have been seen. Mr. Luster informed her that the Family Health Plus program will impact Medicaid payments and will result in an increase of approximately $140,000 for Tompkins County in 2000. That is offset by the continuation of cost-containment measures that were scheduled to expire. Those measures were estimated to save approximately $315,000.

Report from the County Administrator

Mr. Erb said NYSAC is concerned about the Family Health Plus proposal and will be trying to have counties held harmless on this additional cost. He said all Board members should have received a memorandum from him and the Fire Coordinator's Office talking about preparations that have been made in staffing levels. He thanked the Information Technology Services Department and the Information Management Committee for their work in putting together the program that was conducted this year. He said everything that could be tested has been, and all departments are ready to address any emergency that may arise.

Report from the County Attorney

Mr. Theisen had no report.

Report from the Finance Director

Mr. Squires reported that the County sends out the blue tax bill to be received by early January. If people haven't received their tax bill by early January they should contact their town clerk.

Executive Session

It was MOVED by Mr. Lane, seconded by Mr. Stein, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to enter into executive session at 5:50 to discuss TC3 contract negotiations. The meeting returned to open session at 6:06 p.m.

Resolution(s) Added to the Agenda

On motion and duly seconded and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, the following resolution(s) were added to the agenda:

Stagger Terms of County Environmental Management Council Beginning January 2000

Approval of Civil Service Employees Association, Inc. Agreement - Tompkins Cortland Community College

It was MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to add the resolution entitled Increase and Clarify Solid Waste Division Petty Cash Funds to the Consent Agenda.

Resolutions(s) Withdrawn from the Agenda

Chair Mink gave the appropriate committee chair permission to withdraw the following resolution(s) from the agenda:

Appropriation from 2000 Contingent Fund for Youth Programs

Approval of Resolution(s) Under the Consent Agenda

On motion and duly seconded and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, the following resolution(s) were approved under the Consent Agenda:

RESOLUTION NO. 305 - AUTHORIZING 2000 FEDERAL SECTION 5309 GRANT - TCAT

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present under the Consent Agenda.

WHEREAS, the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation is authorized to make grants for mass transportation projects pursuant to Section 5309 of Chapter 53, Title 49 of the United States Code (formerly Section 9, Federal Transit Act of 1964), and

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins is the designated recipient of Section 5309 urban formula transit funds and will apply on behalf of Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) to receive and use said funds, and

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins agrees that TCAT shall function as the Grantee under the Federal Grant Agreement to receive and dispense the Federal assistance funds described in this Grant and that TCAT, as the Grantee, shall assume all responsibilities for fulfilling all federal terms and conditions as set forth in this Grant, and

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins desires to submit a request for a grant of funds to the Federal Transit Administration, in the amount of $2,481,271 to be used for capital projects identified as "TCAT bus technology improvements" (Federal Register, Vol 64, No. 208, October 28, 1999, Tables 9 and 9A) and approved by the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council and included in the 1999-2004 Transportation Improvement Program, as amended, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives authorizes the County Contracts Coordinator to execute and file an application on behalf of the County of Tompkins with the United States Department of Transportation and the New York State Department of Transportation for the 2000 Section 5309 Grant,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Contracts Coordinator is authorized to execute a supplemental grant agreement on behalf of the County of Tompkins with the United States Department of Transportation and TCAT to formally designate TCAT as the Grantee for this grant and that the County is not in any manner subject to or responsible for the terms and conditions of this Grant Agreement and is a party to this Grant Agreement only to assign the right to receive and dispense Federal funds to TCAT as Grantee.

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RESOLUTION NO. 306 - AUTHORIZING 2000 FEDERAL SECTION 5307 GRANT - TCAT

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present under the Consent Agenda.

WHEREAS, the Secretary of the United States Department of Transportation is authorized to make grants for mass transportation projects pursuant to Section 5307 of Chapter 53, Title 49 of the United States Code (formerly Section 9, Federal Transit Act of 1964), and

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins is the designated recipient of Section 5307 urban formula transit funds and will apply on behalf of Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) to receive and use said funds, and

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins agrees that TCAT shall function as the Grantee under the Federal Grant Agreement to receive and dispense the Federal assistance funds described in this Grant and that TCAT, as the Grantee, shall assume all responsibilities for fulfilling all federal terms and conditions as set forth in this Grant, and

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins desires to submit a request for a grant of funds to the Federal Transit Administration, in the amount of $1,115,836 to be used for operating assistance for years 1999 and 2000 and for capital projects as approved by the Ithaca-Tompkins County Transportation Council and are included on the 1999-2004 Transportation Improvement Program, as amended, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives authorizes the County Contracts Coordinator to execute and file an application on behalf of the County of Tompkins with the United States Department of Transportation and the New York State Department of Transportation for the 2000 Section 5307 Grant,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Contracts Coordinator is authorized to execute a supplemental grant agreement on behalf of the County of Tompkins with the United States Department of Transportation and TCAT to formally designate TCAT as the Grantee for this grant and that the County is not in any manner subject to or responsible for the terms and conditions of this Grant Agreement and is a party to this Grant Agreement only to assign the right to receive and dispense Federal funds to TCAT as Grantee.

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WHEREAS, the Department of Social Services and Tompkins Community Action have been awarded a three-year grant renewal from HUD worth $270,380, and

WHEREAS, the Department and the agency intend to enter into a contract for each of the years covered by the grant, and

WHEREAS, it is administratively more cost-effective to enter into a multiple-year agreement, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the County Administrator, or his designee, be authorized to sign an agreement for the supportive housing program Department of Social Services and Tompkins Community Action for the period January 2000 through December 2003.

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RESOLUTION NO. 308 - APPOINTMENT TO THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present under the Consent Agenda.

WHEREAS, Section 856 of the General Municipal Law authorized that the Board of Representatives designate the members of the Industrial Development Agency by resolution, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That Richard Erb, County Administrator, be appointed to the Industrial Development Agency as an ex-officio member to serve at the pleasure of the Board, effective immediately, in the place and stead of Scott Heyman,

RESOLVED, further, That the Clerk of the Board is authorized and directed to file with the Secretary of State a Certificate of Appointment.

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WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Finance Department and Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) system requested bids for a Fare and Passenger Data Collection System, and

WHEREAS, two (2) bids were received and duly opened on July 6, 1999, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the bid be awarded to Wayfarer Transit Systems, LTD of Dorset, UK,* with a bid for $448,600,

RESOLVED, further, That TCAT be authorized to enter into a contract with Wayfarer Transit Systems, LTD, for the purchase and installation of said system, funds to be provided from the capital program,

RESOLVED, further, That funding for the project is as follows:

Federal 5307 Transit Fund $358,880

New York State $ 44,860

Local

City of Ithaca $ 14,953

Cornell University $ 14,953

Tompkins County $ 14,953

WHEREAS, pursuant to State Finance Law Section 89-c, the New York State Legislature authorizes mass transportation grants for capital projects that are funded with ten percent (10%) up to 100 percent (100%) funding, and

WHEREAS, Tompkins County executed a Master Agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation to simplify the process of State reimbursement of expenses for transit capital projects (County Resolution No. 196 of 1999), and

WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation has authorized Supplemental Agreement #1 for $43,211 in state funds to reimburse funds expended by Tompkins County in prior years, and to partially fund current transit capital projects by TCAT, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives authorizes Supplemental Agreement #1 of the Master Agreement for New York State Dedicated Transportation Trust Funds in an amount not to exceed $43,211.

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WHEREAS, pursuant to State Finance Law Section 89-c, the New York State Legislature authorizes mass transportation grants for capital projects that are funded with ten percent (10%) up to 100 percent (100%) funding, and

WHEREAS, Tompkins County executed a Master Agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation to simplify the process of State reimbursement of expenses for transit capital projects (County Resolution No. 196 of 1999), and

WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation has authorized Supplemental Agreement #2 for $26,636 in state funds to reimburse funds expended by Tompkins County in prior years, and to partially fund current transit capital projects by TCAT, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives authorizes Supplemental Agreement #2 of the Master Agreement for New York State Dedicated Transportation Trust Funds in an amount not to exceed $26,636.

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WHEREAS, pursuant to State Finance Law Section 89-c, the New York State Legislature authorizes mass transportation grants for capital projects that are funded with ten percent (10%) up to 100 percent (100%) funding, and

WHEREAS, Tompkins County executed a Master Agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation to simplify the process of State reimbursement of expenses for transit capital projects (County Resolution No. 196 of 1999), and

WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation has authorized Supplemental Agreement #3 for $95,331 in state funds to reimburse funds expended by Tompkins County in prior years, and to partially fund current transit capital projects by TCAT, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives authorizes Supplemental Agreement #3 of the Master Agreement for New York State Dedicated Transportation Trust Funds in an amount not to exceed $95,331.

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WHEREAS, the Department of Social Services and Cayuga Medical Center intend to contract for the preparation of home-delivered meals to enable eligible clients to remain in their own homes, and

WHEREAS, the annual cost for these services is $3,000, and

WHEREAS, it is administratively more cost-effective to enter into a multiple-year agreement, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the County Administrator, or his designee, be authorized to sign an agreement for the preparation of home-delivered meals between the Department of Social Services and Cayuga Medical Center for the period January 2000 through December 2003.

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WHEREAS, on March 20, 1990, Resolution No. 103 established a petty cash fund for the Solid Waste Landfill for $50, which was increased to $100 by Resolution No. 256 of July 10, 1990, and

WHEREAS, on March 5, 1991, Resolution No. 92 established a petty cash fund of $50 to be used for making change for trash coupons, which fund was also posted to the Solid Waste Landfill petty cash account, and

WHEREAS, over time, by Resolution Nos. 375 of 1992 and 249 of 1999, the total of these funds was increased to $400, and

WHEREAS, the Solid Waste Division actually uses a portion of these monies at the Scale House to make change and another portion at the Division Office to make change, and

WHEREAS, the County Finance Department and the Solid Waste Division now wish to clarify the names and purposes of the Solid Waste petty cash account by changing the single Solid Waste Landfill petty cash account to two accounts, to reflect actual practice and need, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the total petty cash funds for Solid Waste be increased to $600 as follows:

Solid Waste Scale House petty cash fund be set at $400

Solid Waste Office petty cash fund be set at $200

and ledger accounts be created accordingly.

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present under the Consent Agenda.

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations and Facilities and Infrastructure Committees, That the Director of Finance be directed to make the following budget adjustments on his books:

GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Assessment (# )

Revenue Acct Title Amt Approp Acct Title(s) ___________

1355 41250 Assessor's Fees $3,712 52206 Computer Equipment

1355 41250 Assessor's Fees $3,288 54442 Professional Services

Explanation: To purchase two new machines for GIS Mapping and to reimburse IS for Kirk Eby's overtime hours spent on GIS Mapping (total expenditure $9,693.43).

County Clerk (#62)

Revenue Acct Title Amt Approp Acct Title(s) ___________

1410 42270 Other Misc. Revenue $ 60 1410 54332 Books

1410 42270 Other Misc. Revenue $825 1410 52214 Office Furnishings

1410 42270 Other Misc. Revenue $400 1410 54442 Professional Services

1410 42270 Other Misc. Revenue $200 1410 54472 Telephone

1410 42270 Other Misc. Revenue $515 1410 54303 Supplies

Explanation: Needed to cover year-end expenditures - revenue was higher than expected.

FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Buildings and Grounds (#56)

Revenue Acct Title Amt Approp Acct Title(s) ___________

1620 42770 Other Misc. Revenue $1,700 1620 54311 Maintenance

Explanation: Due to the increase of costs and square footage, this amount is needed to purchase ice melt for the sidewalks and steps.

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RESOLUTION NO. 316 - APPROVAL OF DESIGNATIONS OF SUCCESSORS

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present under the Consent Agenda.

WHEREAS, the County Charter at Section 31.08 specifies that the County Administrator and specified department heads shall designate in writing, and in order of succession, the deputies (or in the absence of officially designated deputies, the employees of the department) who shall possess the powers and perform the duties of the principal in the event of the latter's absence from the County or inability to perform or exercise the powers of the office, and

WHEREAS, the Charter further requires those designations, except department heads elected on a county-wide basis, to be approved by the Board of Representatives, and

WHEREAS, the County Administrator and certain department heads have updated their designations, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations Committee, That the following designations of successors are hereby approved effective January 1, 2000:

Airport Manager Assistant Airport Manager

Commissioner of Social Services Director of Eligibility

Director of Services

Director of Administrative Services

Legal Unit Administrator

Comptroller Director of Budget and Finance

County Administrator Deputy County Administrator, Kathy West

Deputy County Administrator, William Benjamin

County Attorney Deputy County Attorney

Assistant County Attorney

County Clerk Deputy County Clerk

District Attorney Deputy District Attorney, Gary Surdell

Assistant District Attorney, Laura Barnhill

Assistant District Attorney, Cliff Owens

Fire, Disaster, and

EMS Coordinator Deputy Coordinator, Lee Shurtleff

Deputy Coordinator, Edward Olmstead

Deputy Medical Examiner, William Klepack, M.D.

Deputy Medical Examiner, William Field, M.D.

Commissioner of

Mental Health Medical Director, Anette Brink, M.D.

Director of Mental Health Clinic, Stu Grinnell

Personnel Personnel/Benefits Manager

Public Health Director Public Health Administrator

Public Works Commissioner County Administrator

Senior Civil Engineer

Highway Manager

Buildings and Grounds Manager

Sheriff UnderSheriff, Randy Haus

Captain

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Health Department has contracts for PCAP (Prenatal Care Assistance Program) physician services, contracts with numerous insurance companies to establish a preferred provider relationship, and a contract with Delta Health Systems for maintenance of our previously purchased software, and

WHEREAS, the PCAP physician contract outlines the services to be provided by both parties only, the department no longer handles the billing component for the physicians, and no money is exchanged, and

WHEREAS, the contracts with insurance companies are difficult to negotiate and generally require an automatic renewal clause that they are not willing to remove, and

WHEREAS, all insurance companies have been willing to negotiate rates on an annual basis and the department would propose processing an addendum to accommodate the rate changes, and

WHEREAS, the Delta contract covers maintenance of the billing and statistical software we purchased from them, and rates are set every July and are generally non-negotiable, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Health and Human Services Committee, That the Health Department is authorized to execute multi-year and automatic renewal contracts as necessary for PCAP, insurance companies and Delta Health Systems.

WHEREAS, the County of Tompkins has heretofore entered into an agreement with the nine (9) Towns in Tompkins County pursuant to Section 135a of the State Highway Law relating to removal of snow and ice from County highways in towns and incorporated villages, and

WHEREAS, said agreement provides for an annual review to consider modifications to such snow and ice services, and

WHEREAS, it would be in the best interest of the County to extend said agreements currently set to expire December 31, 1999, as modified and updated, for particular road segments for an additional three-year period, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That an extension of said snow and ice agreement is hereby authorized for a period of three years from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2002, and the County Administrator be and hereby is authorized and directed to execute such extension on behalf of the County.

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WHEREAS, New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has offered a matching grant to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant for a AIP Project No. 3-36-0047-32-99, Rehabilitate Runway 14/32 Edge Lighting (Phase I), accepted by the Board of Representatives through Resolution No. 230 on October 6, 1999, and

WHEREAS, the budget for the Rehabilitate Runway 14/32 Edge Lighting (Phase I) project is as follows:

FAA Share (90.0%) Account No. HT5601.44592 $160,828

NYSDOT Share ( 5.0%) Account No. HT5601.43592 $ 8,935

Local Share ( 5.0%) Account No. HT5601.45031 $ 8,935

TOTAL Account No. HT5601.59239 $178,698

and,

WHEREAS, the NYSDOT share may be increased by up to fifteen (15) percent to a maximum of $10,275 based on approved eligible costs, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the NYSDOT Supplemental Agreement No. 4 be and hereby is accepted and that the County Administrator is authorized to execute the required documents.

WHEREAS, the Highway Division of the Department of Public Works has developed with the City of Ithaca, a Municipal Agreement to jointly purchase a Hydraulic Excavator, and

WHEREAS, this Agreement is intended to establish the respective rights, duties, responsibilities, and guidelines for the purchase, operation, maintenance, and disposal of the Hydraulic Excavator machine to be jointly purchased by Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the Agreement is hereby known as the Municipal Purchase Agreement between the County of Tompkins and the City of Ithaca,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator be authorized to execute the Agreement with the City of Ithaca.

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Approval of Appointment(s) Under the Consent Agenda

On motion and duly seconded an unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, the following appointment(s) were approved under the Consent Agenda:

Personal Emergency Response Service Advisory Board - expires December 31, 2001

Nancy Schuler - Board Member Representative

Marilyn Kinner- Senior Citizen's Council Representative

Joan Murphy - Visiting Nurse's Service Representative

Board of Health

Brooke Greenhouse - At-large Representative - Expires December 31, 2005

Office for the Aging Advisory Board - expires December 3, 2002

Sonya Hicks

David Hardie

Marybelle Gutenmann

Susan Luther Koon

Strategic Tourism Planning Board - terms expire December 31, 2001

Renata Ballard - Retail Representative

Paul Tatar - Recreation/Agriculture Representative

Ralph Janis - University/College Representative

Scott Wiggins - Hotels, Bed and Breakfast Representative

Jon Reis - Arts Representative

Charles Trautmann - Media, Communications, Travel Representative

Environmental Management Council - terms expire December 31, 2001

Jean Foley - Town of Ulysses Representative

Joyce Gerbasi - Town of Dryden Representative

Larry Sharpsteen - Town of Lansing Representative - expires December 31, 2000

Bruce Johnson - Village of Freeville Representative - expires December 31, 2000

Duane T. Randall - Town of Groton Representative

Stephen Nicholson - Town of Caroline Representative

Report and Presentation of Resolution(s) from the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations and Education Committee

Mr. Lane, Chairman, reported the Committee has not met since the last Board meeting. The next meeting will be December 28^th at 9 a.m.

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council (EMC) has been restructured by the Tompkins County Board of Representatives by Resolution No. 295 of 1999, and

WHEREAS, the terms of membership on the EMC are two-year appointments, and

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 295 requires the terms of members be staggered so that roughly half of all seats expire on the last day of one year, and the other half expire on the last day of the following year, and

WHEREAS, for the terms beginning in 2000, half of the membership will be appointed for one year to establish the staggering of terms for the foreseeable future, and

WHEREAS, the staggering shall effect both municipal and at-large appointments, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations and Education Committee, That nominees for at-large positions will serve for terms as follows:

No. 1 2 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Herb Engman

No. 2 2 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Roxana Hewertson

No. 3 2 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Susan Robinson

No. 4 2 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Kristin Rowles

No. 5 2 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC David Weinstein

No. 6 2 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC F. Robert Wesley

No. 7 1 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Roger Yonkin

No. 8 1 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Vacant

No. 9 1 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Vacant

No. 10 1 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Vacant

No. 11 1 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Vacant

No. 12 1 yr. To Be Recommended by EMC Vacant

RESOLVED, further, That the EMC Executive Committee will randomly designate seats to be held by the at-large nominees for terms beginning in 2000,

RESOLVED, further, That the municipal nominees will serve for terms as follows:

V. Dryden 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Walter Groman

V. Groton 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Vacant

T. Caroline 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Edward Cope

T. Danby 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Robert Roe

T. Dryden 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Joyce Gerbasi

T. Groton 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Vacant

T. Newfield 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Donna Jean Darling

T. Ulysses 2 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Jean Foley

V. Cayuga Heights 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Vacant

V. Freeville 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Bruce Johnson

V. Lansing 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Lynn Leopold

V. Trumansburg 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Vacant

T. Enfield 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Vacant

T. Ithaca 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Vacant

T. Lansing 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Larry Sharpsteen

C. Ithaca 1 yr. To Be Recommended by Municipality Barbara Ebert

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WHEREAS, the contractual agreement between Tompkins Cortland Community College and the Civil Service Employees Association expires on December 31, 1999, and

WHEREAS, the College negotiating committee, comprised of representatives of the College administration and the sponsoring counties, met in collective bargaining with representatives of the Civil Service Employees Association, and

WHEREAS, the negotiating teams reached agreement, and

WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Tompkins Cortland Community College accepts the report of the negotiating teams and recommends the proposed agreement to the Cortland and Tompkins County legislative bodies for their approval, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives hereby approves the above said agreement,

RESOLVED, further, That this resolution shall become effective immediately upon the adoption of a concurrent resolution by the Cortland County Legislature.

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Report from the Economic and Workforce Development Committee

Mr. Stein, Chairman, reported a great deal of the business conducted at the last meeting is reflected in the resolutions approved under the Consent Agenda. He reported he attended a meeting of the Workforce Development Board this morning. He said the third proposal for a one-stop center for job development has been submitted to the State. The proposal is for the amount of $150,000 to build the necessary infrastructure for the program. Mr. Stein said they are hopeful it will be approved this time. He said Tompkins County is seen as one of the counties that is moving ahead most rapidly in this area and have been referred to by the State as one of the leaders in this. The Committee reviewed the Economic Development Plan, and a summary of all the proposals should have been received by all Board members. The Department of Social Services also provided the Committee with a report on its budget and alerted them to possible budget problems in the Medicaid area. The Committee discussed the County Historian position vacancy and pointed out to Board members that according to the County's Charter and Code, this appointment is made by the County Administrator with the approval of the County Board. Mr. Stein reported on the Committee's 1999 goals and stated they did well in reaching most of them.

Report from the Health and Human Services Committee

Ms. Davis, Vice Chair, reported the Health and Human Services Committee met on December 9^th. At that meeting the Committee received an introduction to and overview of the private/not for profit Youth Advocate Program by Jeff Bellamy, the new Director of that program. This program is an alternative to institutionalization for youth and has been active in Tompkins County for three years. Case managers from this program work with other departments such as DSS and Probation in helping youth to find their highest potential in their home environment in a way that is both safe for them and the community. The Committee learned there are 80 program sites distributed among 11 states. Rosalie Fontana from the Health Department presented the Committee with information and recommendations on the tobacco settlement from the Tobacco Control Coalition and Alice Cole informed the Committee that the Human Services Cabinet is developing a proposal for a process to present ideas and recommendations on use of tobacco monies. Nancy Zahler updated the Committee on State budget cuts and Recreation Planning. Resolutions approved at that meeting are reflected on the agenda.

WHEREAS, Tompkins County's accounting consultant, Jack Venesky, CPA, has recommended changes in the Certified Home Health Agency fee structure to maximize Medicaid and Medicare revenues, and

WHEREAS, New York State currently promulgates rates on the day the County legislature approves them and it is therefore, desirable for Tompkins County to adopt the 2000 rates in December 1999, and

WHEREAS, all changes proposed were made to align charges with actual costs per unit of service as determined during Mr. Venesky's most recent financial and statistical analysis, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Health and Human Services and Budget and Quality Planning Committees, That the Tompkins County Health Department implement the charge structure below, as recommended by Jack Venesky, CPA, in order to maximize Medicaid and Medicare revenues.

Report from the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee

Ms. Blanchard, Chair, reported the Committee met this morning and discussed resolutions that appear on this evening's agenda or will appear on the agenda for the first meeting in January. She said they are moving forward with the construction materials reuse program with Historic Ithaca for architecturally significant building materials. The goal of this program is to divert the amount of building materials by 1,000 tons per year. She said they also awarded the bid for the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. A discussion was held about the status of capital projects, including the HVAC system in the Board Room. The consultant's recommendation is to install some silencing equipment in the ductwork in the room. The Committee also discussed the Building and Grounds relocation project and feel a great deal of progress will be made on this in January.

Ms. Blanchard provided an overview of 1999 and the goals established by the Committee early in the year. The following is a condensed version of that report:

The City and County have partnered on the purchase of a $150,000 excavator. The Highway Division provided all roadside mowing for the Town of Caroline and the Town of Danby has asked that the County provide their mowing in 2000. Significant changes in snow and ice maintenance have taken place with the Town of Ithaca, Dryden, and Caroline. For 1999, the road program (goal) included pavement improvements and select reconstruction on a total of 16.77 miles. Changes in the program resulted in paving a total of 18.87 miles.

Nearly 29 percent less field time has been spent on equipment repairs. This, in part, is due to more timely replacement of old equipment through aggressive budgeting.

The bridge program continues to reduce deficient bridges. Two bridges were replaced and one rehabilitated with local funding in 1999. Deficient bridges have been reduced from 47 in 1997 to 41 in 1999. Projections show less than 27 deficient bridges by 2001.

The Engineering Division has had a busy year working on the ISTEA and TEA-21 projects including the Renwick Drive Bridget, Trumbull Corners Road Bridges, North Triphammer Road Bridge, Salmon Creek Road Bridge and McLean - Cortland Road. The operating budget bridge program saw the completion of construction for the Harvey Hill Road Bridge and the East Lake Road (Dryden) Bridge.

Solid Waste has done an enormous amount of work on the Household Hazardous Waste Center, applied for and received a $25,000 grant to build a transfer point on the same site as the Recycling and Solid Waste Center. They are working to enhance their public information efforts, and have conducted several studies and evaluation on Caswell Landfill leachate reduction and handling. They have also begun reviewing options for improving staff work allocations for the next five-year planning periods.

It was reported there are 20 solid waste haulers in Tompkins County. If people are interested in seeing a list of these haulers they should contact the Solid Waste Division.

In the Buildings and Grounds area, there was a lot of work done in rolling out the PFQ initiative. Significant projects performed by maintenance staff included creating of a Hearing Examiner's position at the Courthouse, computer network wiring of the Old Jail, Creation of the WIC Server Room at the Health Department, relamping of the Library high ceiling area, painting and carpeting of the Board Offices, electrical installation for highway vehicle lifts, and extensive painting of offices and corridors in the Public Safety Building.

Most of the Airport's goals for 1999 were accomplished. The marketing effort recommended by the Airport Task Force focused attention initially on promotion of the new Washington service and then evolved into a program to educate the traveling public about how good service and fares are from the Tompkins County Airport. Despite a disjointed federal funding program, the first part of construction of the parallel taxiway relocation was completed, and Phase I Master Plan improvements in replacement of the Fixed Base Operator's facility (Taughannock Aviation) is the most important project yet to be completed.

WHEREAS, a Cleaner in the Buildings and Grounds Department was absent from work longer than two months, and

WHEREAS, County Fiscal Policy allows the appropriation of contingency funds for the cost of replacing this employee, and

WHEREAS, the cost of unbudgeted replacement pay in the amount of $9,456 has been incurred by the Buildings and Grounds Department for the period June 28 through November 12, 1999, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the following budget appropriation be made:

FROM: A1990.54400 Contingency Fund $9,456

TO: A1620.51000 Regular Pay $7,565

A1620.58800 Fringes $1,891

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

Report from the Public Safety Committee

Mr. Evans, Chairman, reported the Committee has not met since the last Board meeting. The next meeting will be December 28^th.

Report from the Budget and Quality Planning Committee

Mr. Joseph, Chairman, reported the Committee discussed the budget process at the last meeting. It has been five years since the program-based budgeting system and over-target system was instituted. The end result of the discussion was to keep the current process and continue to look for ways to make the process run more smoothly.

Report from the Government Operations Committee

Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, Chairman, reported the Committee has not met since the last Board meeting. He reported the draft evaluation forms for the County Administrator and Board members have been circulated to the Board. He asked that Board members return comments to him as soon as possible so that process can move forward. He announced the Director of Organizational Development interviews

have begun.

Report from the Library Construction Committee

Ms. Mink, Chair, reported construction has begun in the Woolworth building. She displayed the architect's renderings of what the building will look like upon completion. Ms. Mink also displayed samples of carpeting, counter-tops, paint colors, and other interior fabrics and materials.

Report from the Library Reuse Committee

Mr. Lane, Chairman, reported the Committee's report is being drafted and should be ready in January. He said after having the Committee's charge expanded to include looking at the space needs for the entire downtown campus it became clear that the County will soon need additional space. The Committee will be recommending that the Board consider keeping the Old Library as part of its campus and will present a resolution to approve this. They will also recommend that the Committee or a similar committee work on producing recommendations as to what offices should be located in that building and developed over the next twenty years. Mr. Lane said over the course of the year, the property has been publicly advertised and the Committee has gone to the City, the community, local developers, and several others and there has been no interest expressed by anyone to obtain the building.

Report from the Library Coordination Committee

Mr. Proto, Chairman, reported the Committee has met a couple of times since the last Board meeting. He said the last question the Committee had to address was on the form of delivering library services to the community. Over the last two weeks they broke the report into three pieces: findings, recommendations, and unfinished business. He briefly reported on findings and said this area was broken down into funding (both at the local and State level), services, staffing, planning, and organizational/structure. Under local funding the Committee determined that all libraries receive funding from different funding streams and there are uneven levels of funding among municipalities. The reading centers fill a geographic need but the cost per item is very expensive. Under New York State they identified that there has been a history of decreased funding for the Finger Lakes Library System. They recognized that the Southworth Library in Dryden joined the Finger Lakes Library System in November. Under local services, there appears to be a need for increased convenient geographical access to library services in some areas of the County. There is shared library service at all levels in the County but there continues to be a need for a central library and rural libraries. As a result of the decreased State funding, the Finger Lakes Library System reduced some of its services to rural libraries and the County recognized that and increased its funding for FLLS for 2000.

In the area of organizational/structure, the Committee determined that the use of volunteers at the Library is critical to the function of libraries at all levels, but should not be identified as the best way to deliver service. The Committee concluded that it would cost as much as $250,000 to operate a branch library providing similar services to the TCPL. Based on that, the rural libraries are delivering services at a low cost to the County. Chartered service areas drive all data collection and statistical analysis but do not often match the real service areas, which may be larger.

Mr. Proto reviewed some of the recommendations that will be contained in the report.

1. Because library services are essential in Tompkins County, municipal financial contributions should continue and be increased;
2. The County's commitment to library services should continue and be increased financially;
3. As long as library governance and chartered service areas remain as at present the following funding comments should apply: a municipality in which a library is located should adequately fund its library. There are residents of municipalities and service areas of libraries that benefit from those library services but whose municipality does not contribute to that library and should. Those municipalities for which the TCPL serves as the local library (i.e., the City and Town of Ithaca), should contribute financially to TCPL;
4. The County Board of Representatives, Library Board of Trustees, municipal governments, and Tompkins County residents should press New York State for increased funding for library services and capital projects;
5. Long-range plans need to be created or updated for all libraries and the Finger Lakes Library System and reading centers;
6. The rural libraries, TCPL, and the Finger Lakes Library System should continue to seek joint cooperative projects, shared staffing, grant opportunities;
7. Leave in place, the governance system that presently exists among all libraries and the Finger Lakes Library System;
8. The Committee has found that no other model would work better than the current cooperative association at this time and the County should continue to monitor the work of the Regents Commission on Statewide Library Services;
9. The concept of a universal library card for use at all public libraries in Tompkins County needs more study;
10. The County should review and deal with the items listed as unfinished business. This work should be done by the appropriate standing or special committee of the Board next year;
11. The full Board of Representatives should establish a policy as to whether capital projects in the rural libraries will be funded in any way by the County and if so, in what way.

Mr. Joseph, Chairman, reported the Committee received a report from the consultant on another option. Staff in the Engineering Division has been directed to put together figures and bring the Committee life-cycle costs of different options. The Committee also discussed population projections and Mr. Joseph will be making a presentation at the next meeting on this.

Report from the Communications Capital Project Committee

Ms. Blanchard, Chair, reported the Committee will not meet on December 28^th at 2 p.m.

Report from the Air Service Task Force

Ms. Blanchard, Chair, reported the Committee will meet on January 26^th. At the last meeting they decided to focus the Committee's work in 2000 on trying to get the maximum benefit from the marketing effort, working on creating an avenue where people can become friends of the Airport and make contributions to the Airport, and continuing to work on alternatives for regional arrangements.

Miscellaneous

Mr. Proto thanked Board Clerk Covert for all her work with the Library Coordination Committee. Ms. Mink said the Board passed 325 resolutions this year. Mr. Lane thanked Ms. Mink for her leadership this year.

Approval of Minutes of December 7, 1999

It was MOVED by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Ms. Kiefer, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the minutes of December 7, 1999 as submitted. MINUTES APPROVED.

Adjournment

On motion the meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m.