Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and Roll Call of Members

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

Present: 13 Representatives. Excused - 2 (Representatives Todd and Totman).

Presentation of Proclamation(s)

Chair Mink presented a proclamation declaring the year of 1999 to be International Year of the Older Person in Tompkins County to: Irene Stein, Director of the Office for the Aging; Christine Decker of the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute; Carol Eichler of the Reconstruction Home; and Marilyn Kinner of the Senior Citizens Council.

Privilege of the Floor by the Public

Faye Gougakis, City of Ithaca, restated her concerns surrounding the Cornell University's Lake Source Cooling Project. She said more information will become available in the coming months that will show the negative impacts the project will have. Ms. Gougakis also expressed concern for the Harm Reduction Program and said she feels the community should be able to speak on this subject at an open forum before any decision is made.

Privilege of the Floor by Board Members

Mr. Proto, District No. 7 Representative, spoke of the Harm Reduction Program, and said the County Board is not being asked to do anything at this time. The material that was distributed at the media conference last week will be distributed to Board members and senior staff. Mr. Proto said questions relating to this subject should be directed to George Ferrari of AIDS Work, Alice Cole of the Health Department, or Dr. William Klepeck who is the County Medical Director.

Mr. Lane, District No. 14 Representative, provided the Board an update on the activities of the Intermunicipal Cable Commission. He said most members have joined a consortium for negotiations with Time Warner Cable. They have held two public hearings, surveyed consultants and have sent out surveys, and appointed task forces who have done extensive-in-depth reporting on the Pegasys system. Mr. Lane said the next step will be to issue an RFP to cable systems for the system they are looking for. He commended Pat Vaughan of the City of Ithaca for her leadership with the task forces. He said the Cable Commission has for the first time, sent out due statements to municipalities.

Ms. Davis introduced members of the Human Rights Commission in attendance.

Addition of Resolution(s) to the Agenda

On motion of the appropriate committee chairmen and duly seconded and unanimously adopted by voice vote, the following resolution additions were made to the Consent Agenda:

Audit of Final Payment - Kline Boulevard - Phase II - Economy Paving Company, Inc.

Audit of Final Payment - Runway 14-32 Rehabilitation Phase II, Santaro Industries, Inc.

Chair's Report and Appointment(s)

Ms. Mink asked that those Committees who have adopted goals read them during the committee reports.

Ms. Mink announced United States Senator Charles Schumer will be here tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. to discuss economic development. The format will be a presentation to him about local concerns. Mr. Stein said this meeting will be televised live on Channel 53.

Report from the County Administrator

Mr. Erb reported the impasse at the State Legislature about the Safe Families Act has been resolved. He reported on the Governor's budget and said it calls for centralizing vehicle licensing and renewals. He will work with the County Clerk to see what the impact of this will be. Mr. Erb said he will be attending the NYSAC Conference from February 22 through March 1. He requested an executive session to discuss labor negotiations.

Report from the County Attorney

Mr. Theisen had no report.

Report from the Finance Director

Mr. Squires had no report.

Approval of Resolution(s) and Appointment(s) Under the Consent Agenda

It was MOVED by Mr. Stein, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the following resolution(s) under the Consent Agenda:

RESOLUTION NO. 22 - AMENDING THE RULES OF THE BOARD OF

REPRESENTATIVES

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

WHEREAS, it is desirable the order of business at each session of the Board of Representatives be reordered, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations Committee, That Rule IV, Order of Business, of the Rules of the Board of Representatives is hereby amended as follows:

RULE IV - ORDER OF BUSINESS

The order of business at each session, except at such times as may be set apart for the consideration of special orders of the day, shall be as follows:

1. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag

2. Roll Call of Members

3. Presentation of Petitions, Communications and Notices

4. Announcement of Special Orders of the Day

5. Privilege of the Floor

A. Public

B. Board Members

8. [6.]Resolutions Added to and Withdrawn from the Agenda

6. [7.]Chair’s Report, and Chair’s Appointments

7. [8.]Reports by County Administrator, County Attorney, and Finance Director

9. Consent Agenda

10. Standing Committees:

A. Report

B. Motions and Resolutions

11. Reports of Special Committees

12. Individual Member-Filed Resolutions

13. Unfinished Business

14. Minutes of Previous Meeting

15. Adjournment

8.[(6)] Resolutions Added to and Withdrawn from the Agenda

All resolutions to be acted upon at any regular meeting, exclusive of a resolution brought on by a motion to reconsider, shall be pre-filed in the office of the Clerk of the Board not later than 5 p.m. seven (7) days preceding the date of the next meeting. At all other meetings, resolutions must be pre-filed not later than forty-eight (48) hours preceding the date and time set for the meeting. Within forty-eight (48) hours following the pre-filing deadline the Clerk shall prepare and mail to each member an agenda of the order of business for each meeting listing titles of resolutions to be presented and enclosing copies of pre-filed resolutions. The agenda for special meetings shall be placed upon each member’s desk before the meeting is called to order.

Any resolution not set forth in the order of business shall be tabled by the Chair until the next meeting of the Board, unless upon motion regularly made by a member present, passed by a two-thirds total of the whole Board, authorizes the consideration of the resolution.

Resolutions on the agenda for a meeting may be withdrawn at the request of the sponsoring committee Chair and with the consent of the Chair of the Board.

Any resolution that has been recommended for Board action by more than one Committee of the Board shall appear on the Board agenda in the form approved by the final Committee to vote on it, in a format specifying differences from the wording approved by other Committees.

6.[(7)] Chair’s Report, and Chair’s Appointments

The chair shall report on any items deemed appropriate, shall announce all appointments made by authority of the Chair, and shall present all those appointments required to be nominated by the Chair and approved by the Board.

7.[(8)] Reports of the County Administrator, County Attorney, and Director of Finance

These three officials shall report on any items deemed appropriate.

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RESOLUTION NO. 23 - APPROVAL OF DESIGNATIONS OF SUCCESSORS

MOVED by Mr. Stein, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, 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, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations Committee, That the following designations of successors are hereby approved, and

Deputy County Administrator, William Benjamin

County Attorney: Deputy County Attorney

Assistant County Attorney

Commissioner of Social

Services: Director of Eligibility

Director of Services

Director of Administrative Services

Legal Unit Administrator

Fire, Disaster, and EMS

Coordinator: Assistant County Fire Coordinator, Lee Shurtleff

Deputy Coordinator, Edward Olmstead

Deputy Coordinator, Edward Smith

Deputy Coordinator, Louis Withiam

Deputy Coordinator, Gail Weinstein

Public Health Director: Public Health Administrator

Medical Examiner: Deputy Medical Examiner, Jerome Nosanchuk, M.D.

Deputy Medical Examiner, William Klepack, M.D.

Deputy Medical Examiner, William Field, M.D.

Mental Health Commissioner: Medical Director

Director of Mental Health Clinic

Director of Day Program

Director of Finance: Budget & Finance Manager, Helen Beach

Commissioner of Personnel: Benefits Manager

Commissioner of Public Works: County Administrator

RESOLVED, further, That pursuant to Tompkins County Charter and Code, Article 11, Section 11.02, designations specified for the Commissioner of Public Works be as follows:

County Superintendent of Highways – Highway Manager

County Engineer – Senior Civil Engineer

Code Enforcement Official – Architectural Designer

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RESOLUTION NO. 24 - DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO AUTHORIZE CERTAIN TAX ROLL CORRECTIONS AND TAX REFUNDS UNDER $2500

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

WHEREAS, Section 554 of the Real Property Tax Law authorized a tax levying body to delegate the correction of tax rolls due to a clerical error, an error in essential fact, or an unlawful entry (an unlawful entry is any information on the tax roll that violates the Real Property Tax Law), and

WHEREAS, Section 556 of the Real Property Tax Law authorized a tax levying body to delegate the payment of tax refunds due to a clerical error, an error in essential fact, or an unlawful entry (an unlawful entry is any information on the tax roll that violates the Real Property Tax Law), and

WHEREAS, it is the opinion of the Government Operations Committee, That such delegation would be beneficial to the taxpayer and more efficient in processing said refunds, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations Committee, That the County Director of Assessment shall transmit corrections and/or refund recommendations to the County Administrator,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator is hereby authorized to make tax roll corrections and /or payments of any refunds as if the Board of Representatives had performed this audit in compliance with Paragraph 1-8 of Section 554 and 1-7 of Section 566,

RESOLVED, further, That any Tax Roll correction and/or refund of $2500 or more must be approved by the Board of Representatives pursuant to Paragraph 9(a) and Paragraph 8(a) of Section 556 of the Real Property Tax Law,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator shall transmit on or before the 15th day of each month a report to the Board of Representatives of all the corrections and refunds processed,

RESOLVED, further, That this resolution shall only be in effect during the calendar year 1999.

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RESOLUTION NO. 25 - AUDIT OF FINAL PAYMENT - KLINE BOULEVARD - PHASE II - ECONOMY PAVING CO., INC.

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

WHEREAS, Economy Paving Co., Inc., has completed their construction contract for the Kline Boulevard - Phase II project, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the following claim against the County of Tompkins, be and hereby is audited by the Board of Representatives:

Vendor Payment Request Account No. Amount

Economy Paving Co. Inc. 2 (Final) HT5601.56.13 $3,404.32

RESOLVED, further, That the Finance Director be and hereby is authorized and directed to pay said claim from Account No. HT5601.59239 56.13.

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RESOLUTION NO. 26 - AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL SECTION 5311 RURAL TRANSIT CAPITAL GRANT FOR TCAT-1999

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

WHEREAS, TCAT recommends that the County of Tompkins submit a request for a $264,000 federal grant to the New York State Department of Transportation and the United States Department of Transportation, pursuant to Section 5311 of Title 49, Chapter 53, United States Code as amended, for a project to purchase up to six (6) medium duty transit buses, under 30 ft., in length, for TCAT rural transit serving the City of Ithaca, and Towns of Ithaca, Dryden, Caroline, Danby, and Lansing in Tompkins County, and Towns of Berkshire, Richford, and Newark Valley in Tioga County, to be operated by Tioga Transport, Inc., under contracts with TompkinsCounty and TCAT, and

WHEREAS, the grant budget will be $330,000, with $264,000 from Federal FTA Section 5311, $33,000 from New York State, and $33,000 from Tioga Transport, Inc., now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee, That the Board of Representatives authorizes the Contracts Coordinator to act on behalf of the County of Tompkins to sign the grant application and to progress and complete the above-named project,

RESOLVED, further, That the Contracts Coordinator is authorized to sign any contracts or agreements between the County of Tompkins and any third-party subcontractor necessary to complete the project.

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WHEREAS, Santaro Industries, Inc. has completed their construction contract for the Runway 14-32 Rehabilitation - Phase II project, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the following claim against the County of Tompkins be and hereby is audited by the Board of Representatives:

Vendor Payment Request Account No. Amount

Santaro Industries, Inc. 5 (Final) HT5601.59239 $136,141.00

Project 56.15

RESOLVED, further, That the Finance Director be and hereby is authorized and directed to pay said claim from Account No. HT5601.59239 Project 56.15.

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Report from the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee

Ms. Blanchard, Chair, said the Committee will have their list of goals for 1999 ready for the next meeting. The Committee met this morning and heard a report from the Highway Division on projects they have submitted for funding through the T-21 program. Definitive information should be received in approximately one month on which projects will be included in the Statewide TIP and in the local TIP. She said the Committee also heard an update on the State budget on highway funds and said the CHIPS budget was reduced by $26 million Statewide. This equals a $9 million reduction for counties, and is a possible loss of $110,000 for Tompkins County. She said more information will be available as the budget develops.

The Committee discussed some options with respect to the steps at the Tompkins County Public Library, and have forwarded a resolution to the Budget and Quality Planning Committee to allocate contingency funds in an amount not to exceed $13,500 to do a bandaid-type fix that will get the Library through to the scheduled move in 18 months. Ms. Blanchard said the committee authorized staff to proceed with the Buildings and Grounds relocation project to the extent of selecting an architectural consultant to evaluate several options on the Bostwick Road site. The Committee also authorized bidding of the Harvey Hill Road Bridge construction project, approved the extension of the contract with APCOA for operation of parking facilities at the Airport, and will be putting the parallel taxiway project out to bid.

Ms. Blanchard made the following announcements: the Air Service Task Force will meet on February 19 at 9 a.m. to determine a specific work plan for the next few months and the Northeast Area Subcommittee Transportation Study will hold a public hearing on February 25 at 7 p.m. at Dewitt Middle School. As a result of this public hearing, it is necessary to reschedule the meeting on improvements to North Triphammer Road that was scheduled for the same evening. Representative Todd will be handling that task with town officials.

• Develop mission and vision statement for the Sheriff's Department in conjunction with Sheriff Meskill and staff;
• Better understand the budgetary needs of the Sheriff's Department for both corrections and road patrol, and prepare a realistic budget for the year 2000;
• Resolve all outstanding issues for the implementation of an integrated dispatch center;
• Determine how the proposed public safety wireless communication system will integrate with CISNET and other County communication requirements, decide whether or not to support the wireless system by year end, and involve the Environmental Management Council in discussions concerning tower locations; and
• Develop a recommendation for future public safety space requirements by year-end.

WHEREAS, it is important to charge a reasonable fee that reflects the time needed to process identification and fingerprint cards, and

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department wants to accurately reflect the cost associated with these services, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety and Budget and Quality Planning Committees, That the Sheriff of Tompkins County can increase the amount charged for the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Identification card from a $5.00 fee to a $12.00 fee and charge for fingerprinting non-criminal civilians a $7.00 fee (currently zero).

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RESOLUTION NO. 29 - AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE GENERATORS – TOMPKINS COUNTY FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES

MOVED by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Lane.

Mr. Evans responded to concerns that were previously expressed by Representative Kiefer. He said the request is to purchase eight generators and she has suggested five. The generators that are being replaced are inadequate for the current purpose. When they are put into operation a staff member has to go and unplug some of the equipment and assuming that these were turned on in an emergency, staff members might not be able to get there to do the necessary manipulation to be able to use them.

Mr. Miller has requested eight-20 killowatt generators rather than the originally proposed ten to twelve killowatt ones. He said it is important to note that the 20 killowatt generators are cheaper to buy than the ten to twelve killowatt generators. He said it is his opinion that they will last longer, they will require to have less load on them than the other generators, and doubts they will use any additional fuel than the others.

Mr. Evans said the issue of whether the funds should come from the Contingency Fund or from the Capital funds for the proposed wireless communication system is one he does not have an answer for. From what he has been told there is no restrictions on the funds for the capital project that was approved and he believes something will have to done for the wireless network in the near future.

Ms. Kiefer said she appreciates Mr. Evans addressing some of her concerns. She said since the project has not been approved and since the configuration could be other than what has been presented, there is a strong argument for not taking these funds from the Capital account. Mr. Joseph said since there is a strong possibility that these generators will eventually be part of a capital project, the funds should be taken from the Capital account.

A voice vote resulted as follows: Ayes - 12, Noes - 1 (Representative Kiefer); Excused - 2 (Representatives Todd and Totman). MOTION CARRIED.

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Emergency Communication System provides service to 5 village police departments, the Sheriff’s Department, 16 fire departments, 5 ambulance services, TCAT, Public Health Department, alarm reporting and others, and

WHEREAS, all personal alerting of emergency responders relies on this County-wide network and there are thirteen (13) transmitter sites that are part of the overall system, eight (8) of which do not have any electrical power back-up, and

WHEREAS, if there were to be a large area electric power failure due to storms or other causes, this communication system would not work, and

WHEREAS, as part of the 1999 Capital Program project design, upgrade and installation of 800 MHz trunking radio, paging and microwave system, a sum of $115,804 was appropriated for 1999 to cover possible startup costs, and

WHEREAS, within this design and cost estimate was the purchase of eight (8) 20 kw generators, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety and Budget and Quality Planning Committees, That the Fire/EMS Coordinator is hereby authorized to purchase and install eight (8) 20 kw generators at these sites at the NYS Contract price of $52,724 with the total cost, including installation, not to exceed $65,000, and

RESOLVED, further, That this purchase does not provide the approval to go ahead with the total approved $7,000,000 Capital Project for communication, but only to purchase and install generator units at eight (8) present sites with the understanding that these units may be moved and installed at any future upgrade sites.

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WHEREAS, the County appropriated $120,332 for the Sheriff to use at his discretion for the implementation of the 1999 budget at the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Department, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety and Budget and Quality Planning Committees, That the Sheriff be allowed to spend $68,664 of the $120,332 for the following purposes:

APPROPRIATION

FROM: A3113.54400 Contingent Fund $68,644

TO: A3113.52231 Vehicles $20,000

A3113.52220 Department Equipment 1,500

A3113.51000 Regular Pay 38,264

A3113.54340 Clothing 4,000

A3113.54412 Travel and Training 2,400

A3113.52231 Vehicles 2,500

$68,644

Remaining Balance $51,668

RESOLVED, further, That the fiscal target for the Sheriff’s Department be increased by $68,644,

RESOLVED, further, That the time period covered is from February 16 thru December 31, 1999,

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Report from the Budget and Quality Planning Committee

Mr. Joseph, Chairman, read the following goals that were adopted by the Committee for 1999:

• Develop a better picture of the overall budget situation earlier and share it more effectively with the Board and the public;
• Develop a better understanding of the sources of fund balance surpluses in the past and potential surpluses and revenues in the future. Notable issues include sales tax revenues, early payment of hospital debt, DSS revenue projections, and possible tobacco settlement payments;
• Propose long-range plans for budgeting;
• Better integration of capital spending and operating budget decisions;
• Design/revise a process for program evaluation that can be used by program committees and the Board; and
• Begin a process for examining quality of life indicators.

Report and Presentation of Resolution(s) from the Government Operations Committee

Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, Chairman, reported the Committee met on February 4 and reviewed the bylaws of the Human Rights Commission. He said those bylaws are being amended and the Committee should be reviewing another draft at its next meeting. Mr. Koplinka-Loehr said the Committee received an update from Greg Potter, Interim Information and Technology Services Director, on the flyover for the GIS program. There was also a report from the Assessment Department on the County's first application for a historic property exemption. Katie Borgella, Environmental Management Coordinator, provided the Committee with an update on the first review of the land policy and which properties may be recommended for auction this year.

Mr. Koplinka-Loehr read the following goals that have been approved by the Committee:

• Review and update the Administrative Manual and policy procedures (including policies on hiring of interns, appointment procedure for advisory boards and committees, and parking);
• Review of the County organizational structure; and
• Improving workforce diversity (includes all aspects from recruitment to retention, supporting people in employment and customer service)

RESOLUTION NO. 31 - ENDORSEMENT OF STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION REGARDING PROSECUTION OF HATE CRIMES

MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mr. Penniman, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present.

WHEREAS, we are aware of individual bias-related incidences and of the existence of hate organizations in our state and country, and of a possible intention to organize such a group in our county, and

WHEREAS, in response to this threat over 500 members of our community under the leadership of the Coalition for Community Unity rallied and met December 12, 1998 at the Southside Community Center to express their opposition, and

WHEREAS, over 450 people signed the following Pledge for Community Unity and contributed money to have it printed in the Ithaca Times:

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations Committee, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives supports and urges the New York State Legislators to pass Senate 1038/Assembly 1573 to make bias related violence or intimidation a criminal offense and supports and urges congressional passage of legislation similar to HR3081, from 105^th Congress,

RESOLVED, further, That the Tompkins County Board of Representatives adds its support to those promoting respect for the rights of all our citizens and for community unity against intolerance,

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RESOLUTION NO. 32 - AUTHORIZATION TO CONVEY TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY PROPERTY ACQUIRED BY TAX FORECLOSURE

MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mr. Stein. Mr. Lane said there are times when taking a property off the tax roll is appropriate and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. He said there are times when not having a property on the tax roll is the best use of the property.

A voice vote resulted as follows: Ayes - 13, Noes - 0, Excused - 2 (Representatives Todd and Totman). RESOLUTION ADOPTED.

WHEREAS, by tax foreclosure proceedings, the County acquired Tax Parcel 75.-1-17.42 located in the Town of Dryden, and

WHEREAS, prior to considering any offering on this parcel all procedures of the County Land Policy have been complied with and the acceptance of the purchase offer as amended by the County Attorney is recommended, and

WHEREAS, contingent upon Board approval, said property shall be conveyed by Quitclaim Deed to Cornell University for the sum of $23,300 which covers all back taxes and fees due, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Government Operations Committee, That upon required payment in full, that the County Administration be and hereby is authorized to execute said Quitclaim Deed for said parcel acquired through foreclosure proceedings.

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Report 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 February 23 at 9 a.m. Mr. Lane reviewed the following list of goals. He noted they are in draft form and will be finalized prior to the next meeting.

• Review and update the Planning Department's work plan, and support its implementation;
• Continue facilitation toward the renewal of the Recreation Partnership among the various affected municipalities and the Ithaca City School District. Also explore possible additional coordination of functions between the County and City Youth Bureaus;
• Complete the work of the Economic Development Loan Committee and make recommendations to the Board of Representatives for approval of future applications to the industrial revolving loan fund;
• Complete the work of the Environmental Management Council review committee and make a report to the full committee as to how to improve coordination with that advisory board and whether there should be any modifications of its make-up or structure;
• As done in the past with the towns and villages over the years, make a concerted effort to improve relations with the City of Ithaca by fostering more contracts with the Mayor and members of Common Council. In doing so, we will continue to explore better relations with the other municipalities as well;
• To attract tourists and improve our own economy, continue leadership towards obtaining designation of the highways around Cayuga Lake as a "Scenic By-way" and then pursue grant funding for improvements to the corridor for the enjoyment of its users.
• Continue to aggressively compete for grants for housing and economic development through the HUD Community Development Block Grant Program, both for the County and for its rural municipalities;
• Continue to provide assistance for the Portland Point Project to help the developer obtain necessary funding for that project through the HUD loan program;
• Continue working with the City of Ithaca and other lakefront municipalities for waterfront development;
• Jointly with other municipalities, devise a plan for the relocation of the DOT facility from the lakefront, to a location which will make it available for better intermunicipal use for such things as salt storage and communications. Identify a proposed location and pursue reasonable opportunities for funding of this project; and
• Explore ways to increase the availability of County GIS information for other municipalities.

Report and Presentation of Resolution(s) from the Economic and Workforce Development Committee

Mr. Stein, Chairman, read the following goals the Committee has agreed to for 1999.

• Complete the restructuring of the Strategic Tourism Planning Board (STP) and have it up and running smoothly. Revise the tourism grant program to reflect cultural, educational, and recreational tourism programs and include the celebrations funding in that program;
• Complete the upgrading of the Downtown Visitor's Center;
• Assist the Workforce Development Center to secure stable funding;
• Increase the public's understanding of the budget operations and services of DSS, and make those operations as transparent as possible. See the Neighborhood Project become fully operational.
• Complete the last stage of consolidation so TCAT is a full-scale independent entity.
• Move the Economic Development Strategy Plan to the full Board for consideration and adoption.

Mr. Stein said the Committee met on February 11 and had a report on the Workforce Development Center from Bill Benjamin, Deputy County Administrator. He alerted the Board that the plan for funding for that report has not worked out as had been expected. There is some funding that was received that was not expected and there was funding not received that had been expected. Deborah Giordano, Director of the Workforce Development Center, will be working on restructuring the funding for that.

Mr. Stein reported the Committee were introduced to Gretchen Sasche, County Historian. Ms. Sasche will have an office in the Old Jail and will report to the Committee from time to time.

Mr. Stein reported the Board will consider a transfer of funds into the tourism development grant program. The funds for 1998 from the Room Tax came in at a higher amount than was projected. The amount increased the undesignated Room Tax by approximately $30,000; therefore, the Committee voted to take some of that money and transfer it back into the tourism grant program. Mr. Stein said the Board adopted a significant reduction in the program for 1999 and are now transferring money from the Room Tax to bring it back to the level it was previous at. He said the Committee is now beginning to notify organizations that the grant program is moving ahead and guidelines will be going out. He said in approximately two months they will come back to the Board with recommendations for awarding grants.

Mr. Stein said the Committee also discussed celebrations grant funding. They will take proposals as part of the same guideline process that is used for the tourism grant program. Ms. Mink made the clarification that celebrations will apply for tourism funds based on the criteria that all community groups use. She said rather than seeing this as a celebrations line, this money has just been rolled into the tourism program.

Mr. Lane said he does not understand how under this process, something such as the Ithaca City Festival is going to compete with a production of a video of a fishing derby. He asked how the guidelines are going to be the same. Ms. Blanchard said the method she "parented" last year and was implemented by Mr. Stein's committee last year clearly didn't work. She said the Committee decided the best thing to do was to roll the money back into one pot of money and tell communities to put in their application. She said the criteria no longer requires the attention to an overnight stay.

Ms. Keifer questioned if the new guidelines demonstrate that whatever is being proposed will contribute towards tourism. She also asked if the Committee was making the assumption that any celebration contributes to tourism. Mr. Penniman said his understanding is that the guidelines are broad enough to include celebrations that enrich a tourist's stay here and not just attract tourists. Ms. Kiefer expressed concern that now municipal celebrations will be competing with anyone who wants room tax monies, and this does away with the idea of celebrations. She asked that the Committee reconsider this issue.

Mr. Proto requested a copy of the guidelines. Mr. Stein said he will distribute a copy to all Board members.

Mr. Lane said what precipitated the celebrations issue was that three years ago was the fact that the money was being applied for through the tourism funds and the Advisory Board on Tourism Development recommended against funding celebrations. That was when this Board decided to take money and put it aside for celebrations. He said he does not think those entities competing for celebrations should be competing against other groups competing for tourism funds.

RESOLUTION NO. 33 - APPROPRIATION FROM CONTINGENT FUND – ITHACA HOUSING AUTHORITY

MOVED by Mr. Stein, seconded by Mr. Proto. Chair Mink granted Ms. Davis permission to abstain from voting on this resolution due to her participation in one of these programs. A voice vote resulted as follows: Ayes - 11, Noes - 1 (Representative Kiefer); Abstentions - 1 (Representative Davis); Excused - 2 (Representatives Todd and Totman). RESOLUTION ADOPTED.

WHEREAS, the Alternatives Federal Credit Union has established Individual Development Accounts for Qualifying participants, and

WHEREAS, qualifying participants are able to save funds for home purchase or repair, to start a business, or for education or job training, and

WHEREAS, funds are matched 3:1 by local, regional, and national foundations and organizations to enable participants at the 150-200 percent of poverty level the opportunity to enhance their savings towards future goals, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Economic and Workforce Development and Budget and Quality Planning Committees, That $5,000 be appropriated from the Contingent Fund to the Ithaca Housing Authority to be used as matching funds for Individual Development Accounts at the Alternatives Federal Credit Union,

RESOLVED, further, That these funds be appropriated for 1999 only.

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Report from the Health and Human Services Committee

Mr. Winch, Chairman, reported the Committee met February 11^th and heard a presentation from the Office for the Aging on their new website. The Committee also discussed the proclamation honoring the International Year of the Older Persons that was read this evening by Chair Mink. Sigrid Kerr of the Health Department was in attendance at the meeting and relayed a concern to the Committee about the need for more RN staffing at the emergency shelters. Mr. Winch reported the Health Department has received a "Driving Drowsy" grant in the amount of $10,000. The Department is working with Borg Warner Automotive to develop a pilot program to inform and educate employees who work late shifts and overtime about the effects of long work periods.

Mr. Winch said he is considering holding a second meeting during each month for the purpose of having an informal presentation by departments. He hopes this will help Board members learn more about programs when they are in the planning stages.

Report from the Library Construction Committee

Ms. Mink, Chair, reported the Committee will meet on February 25 at 1:30 p.m.

Report from the Y2K Information Network

Ms. Mink reported the group met this afternoon. Wendy Skinner, Public Information Coordinator, has suggested a plan for dispersing information to the community. She said the Committee will be gathering information and publishing a booklet in the middle of the year.

Report from the Ethics Advisory Board

Ms. Kiefer, Chair, reported the Advisory Board is comprised of five members and has met since last December when the County Attorney received written a complain suggesting a possible violation of the County's Code of Ethics. The County Attorney then referred the issue to the Ethics Advisory Board. Ms. Kiefer said the board met twice in January and between the meetings the County Attorney was asked to gather additional information to clarify the situation. The advisory board concluded that there had been no violation and the "rendering of private services did not create a conflict with the official duties or comprimise the proper discharge of official duties". She said the board also noted that some of the language in the Code was unclear and difficult to interpret. The board has made recommendations to the involved agency and hopes the situation will not arise again. Ms. Kiefer said in consultation with the County Attorney and administrative staff, language has been drafted to improve the Code of Ethics and the Administrative Policy Manual. That proposal will be submitted to the Government Operations Committee next month.

Report from the Electric Power Committee

Mr. Stein, Chairman, reported the Committee is waiting for the Tioga County Legislature to approve its resolution on February 18^th. He said the Consultant and NYSEG Solutions are prepared to send information out to municipalities and individuals to sign up.

Report from the Electronic Future Committee

Mr. Evans, Chairman, reported the Committee met on February 11 and will be applying for an on-line workforce grant.

Report from the Information Management Committee

Mr. Evans, Chairman, reported the Committee met today and said the bids will be in for the County's Y2K project on March 2^nd. Mr. Evans said the Committee discussed the GIS flyover and expects bids to out on that next week.

Report from the Library Coordination Committee

Mr. Proto, Chairman, reported the Committee met on February 9 and will meet again on March 9. He said the Committee is reviewing the various types of library ownerships and other information relating to libraries and what services are available. Ms. Mink requested a copy of the information the Committee has gathered to date.

Report from the Public Safety Building Space Committee

Mr. Joseph had no report.

Approval of Minutes of February 2, 1999

It was MOVED by Mr. Proto, seconded by Mr. Evans, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to approve the minutes of February 2, 1999 as submitted. MINUTES APPROVED.

Withdrawal Resolution from the Agenda

Chair Mink gave Mr. Winch permission to withdraw from the agenda the resolution entitled Appropriation from Contingent Fund - Equipment - Buildings and Grounds.

Recess

Chair Mink declared recess from 7:13 p.m. to 7:2 p.m.

Executive Session

It was MOVED by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to enter into an executive session at 7:20 p.m. to discuss union negotiations. The meeting returned to open session at 8:30 p.m.

Adjournment

On motion the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

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