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: 15 Representatives. Ms. Kiefer arrived at 5:35 p.m.

Presentation Proclamations

Chair Mink presented the following proclamations:

Nursing Home Week in Tompkins County - May 9-15, 1999 to Paula Davis of Lakeside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Tourism Week in Tompkins County - May 2-8, 1999 to Stuart Stein, Chairman of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee

Mental Health Month in Tompkins County - May, 1999 to Beth Jenkins of the Mental Health Association

Older Americans Month in Tompkins County - May, 1999 to Lisa Holmes of the Office for the Aging

Homeownership Week in Tompkins County - June 5-12, 1999 to Stuart Stein

Ms. Kiefer arrived at this time.

Privilege of the Floor by the Public

Molly Adams, Town of Caroline, spoke concerning the design of the Public Library. She said when she saw some recent drawings of the Library she was concerned that a lot of emphasis was being put on glass walls.

Charles Elliott, City of Ithaca, read a section from the Editorial in today's Ithaca Journal. He said there needs to be caution and common sense as the County prepares the Library's new home at the former Woolworth building. He said at least $6.2 million will be spent on something very important that he hopes will last longer than the year 2030 and most importantly, the Library needs to represent all of the people. Mr. Elliott said it is very important that throughout the process that there be an adequate opportunity for public input.

Fay Gougakis, City of Ithaca, spoke concerning how the present Public Library building will be used once the Library moves to the former Woolworth building. Ms. Gougakis asked that the former Library not be made into an office building.

Privilege of the Floor by Board Members

Mr. Penniman, District No. 15 Representative, announced he will be attending a legislative hearing in Albany next week on the subject of property taxation, especially for localities that host institutions of higher education. He said this is a joint legislative hearing with Assemblyman Luster's Committee on Real Property Taxation and also the Committee on Education Chaired by Steve Sanders. Mr. Penniman said he will place a draft copy of his statement on file in the Board Office on May 7^th.

Mr. Stein, District No. 3 Representative, announced at the last meeting that the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) was preparing its TIP (Transportation Improvement Plan). He said a draft of that plan is now available in the Board Office for review by Board members.

Presentation - Library Design

Ms. Mink introduced Eugenia Brevia and Connie Brace of QPK Architects.

Ms. Brace began the presentation on progress that has been made to date in the planning of the Public Library 2020. She said for the last three months they have been meeting frequently with Library employees, County employees, and stakeholders representing library employees, as well as the Library Construction Committee. During the course of these meetings they have worked on program elements to define the Library's needs and the projections for the collection. They have also been working to align the building and the budget with one another.

Ms. Brevia explained the design process and said the first thing they did was to define the goals of the process. She explained the following goals that the Committee set out to accomplish:

1. Transform the existing building into a civic landmark;
2. To make this a cost effective intervention that would work within the allocated budget; and
3. The space had to be tailored to library use.

Mr. Winch said he read the Editorial in today's Ithaca Journal and agrees with many of the statements contained in it. He referred to the north wall along green Street, and said it appears to be a new wall that would cause total rebuild including a new foundation. He asked what the long-term cost would be of heating the building. Ms. Brace said a great part of the structure would be left in place. She said they would be using insulated glass and they are working with the Engineering Division on design of the glass. Mr. Winch said he would like to receive figures on what the annual cost would be of putting in a glass wall versus a more insulated brick wall. Mr. Winch said he was puzzled by the entrance being placed on Cayuga and Green Streets because it is the farthest area away from handicapped parking, and asked if there would be a handicapped entrance at the rear of the building. Ms. Brace said they are looking into having a drop-off location. She said the handicapped parking spaces would be the closest to the building. Ms. Mink stated that part of the agreement being negotiated with the City of Ithaca includes removing the parking meters along Green and Cayuga Streets by the entrance and putting in short-term parking spaces, including handicapped spaces.

Mr. Lane asked if with changes in the wall, the curve, and the side entrance, there would be a net increase or decrease of square footage of the building. Ms. Brace said there would be a slight decrease in the square footage. Mr. Lane also spoke of the potential of the transit center that is being looked at. He asked how changing the entrance would prevent people from walking across Green Street mid-block. Ms. Mink said there is an existing light at the Mental Health Building and another at the corner of Green and Cayuga Streets. Without the lure of an entrance in the middle, the chance that people would cross mid-block is lessened.

Ms. Kiefer said she has tried to attend the Library Construction Committee meetings and was under the impression that there would be a handicapped ramp that would extend from somewhere along Green Street up to the corner. She said that there may be some people who would cross the street mid-block to access that handicapped ramp. Another thing that was not mentioned this evening that she heard at a Committee meeting had to do with the difference in elevation between the Woolworth interior floor and the Cayuga Street sidewalk which is lower. This means an entrance at the corner would require steps to get into the building, and this would not be true if the entrance were to be on the East end of the building where the elevation of the floor and the outside walking height is the same. She said her personal preference would be not to have the entrance at the proposed corner.

Mr. Todd expressed concern about the decrease in square footage. Mr. Evans said the mezzanine is being enlarged somewhat to make up for some of the lost space.

Mr. Joseph said he agrees with placing the entrance in the proposed location. He, however, agrees with some of the other comments that have been made during the presentation. He expressed concern that in order to get a curved wall along the north-side of the building, another wall would be rebuilt that does not need to be rebuilt. He said the interior design with circles and diagonals seems to him to be inefficient space use. He said since the building is not going to be as large as what the Library was looking for, he has serious questions about the utility of the design.

Mr. Koplinka-Loehr said he likes the connectivity and daylight. Ms. Davis thinks the design feels good. Mr. Proto asked about use of solar panels and Ms. Brace said the budget does not support solar panels. Mr. Proto asked about the timetable for the project.

Mr. Kazda said it is the intention to obtain approval for schematic design and move forward with design development where they will develop the ideas that have been presented. The architects will then create the construction packets and bid documents, and they will be ready sometime in September. He said the bids would go out in late September or early October and they would begin construction in November. They are still looking to move in September of 2000.

Recess

Ms. Mink declared recess from 6:31p.m. to 6:37 p.m.

Report from the Chair

Ms. Mink provided the Board with an update from the Y2K Information Network meeting that was held this afternoon. Today they met with a representative of Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca and discussed the Hospital's Y2K compliance and contingency plan. She said they are well underway and the Hospital will continue to work with the Y2K network. The Chamber of Commerce reported that two small-business Y2K seminars presented by the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology for the Southern Tier are tentatively scheduled for the end of June at the Holiday Inn. Ms. Mink reported the Y2K website has been posted, the second Ithaca Journal article will be running soon, as well as an article in the Pennysaver. Ms. Mink announced May is Employee Recognition Month and distributed awards of recognition to the following: Barbara Blanchard, five years of service to Tompkins County; Dooley Kiefer, five years of service to Tompkins County; Michael Lane, five years of service to Tompkins County; and George Totman, five years of service to Tompkins County.

Report from the County Administrator

Mr. Erb reported that both houses of the State Legislature have passed the one percent-sales-tax option for Tompkins County and the bill is in front of the Governor for signature. He reminded the Board that this is worth $6.5 million in revenue to the County.

Report from the County Attorney

Mr. Theisen reported the Nadine Perry case has been dismissed based on suing too late; however, as part of the decision the court did state that there was no evidence of a continuing pattern of discrimination by the County's employees on the basis of sexual orientation. Mr. Theisen reported last week there was a two-week trial on the Perkins condemnation case and the court reserved decision for thirty days. The County Attorney's Association of New York State will be holding its annual meeting on May 26 and 27 in Saratoga, New York. All attorneys from his Office will be attending that meeting. Mr. Theisen gave an update on the tobacco litigation, and said he has copies of the appeal briefs that were filed. He requested an executive session to discuss pending litigation.

Report from the Finance Director

Mr. Squires reported pursuant to the General Municipal Law, the County's Annual Report was filed last week. He said the County financial position is very strong. He said he will be summarizing the results of the annual report at the Budget and Quality Committee meeting on May 6^th. Mr. Squires said the field work for the County's audit has been completed and a report should be received in early June. He said the County's annual auction was held last week and he has distributed copies of the results to all Board members. There were approximately 31 people bidding and of the properties sold, they recovered more than the County's interest in those properties. The largest parcel did not sell and they are looking for a way to market that property. Mr. Squires also distributed the mortgage tax figures,which will be going out to the towns next week.

Addition of Resolution(s) to the Agenda

There were no resolution(s) added to the agenda.

Withdrawal of Resolution(s) from the Agenda

Following the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations and Education Committee report, Chair Mink gave Mr. Lane permission to withdraw the following resolution(s) from the agenda:

Adoption of Economic Development Loan Guidelines for Tompkins County Small Cities Economic Development Loans

Approval of Resolution(s) Under the Consent Agenda

There were no resolutions approved under the Consent Agenda.

Approval of Appointment(s) Under the Consent Agenda

It was MOVED by Mr. Stein, seconded by Mr. Proto, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to waive the Rules of the Board and add the appointment of Cathy Valentino to the TCAT Board of Directors.

It was MOVED by Mr. Proto, seconded by Mr. Todd, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to approve the following appointment(s) under the Consent Agenda:

Environmental Management Council

Susan Kerns Robinson, At-large representative - term expires December 31, 1999

Roger Yonkin, At-large representative - term expires December 31, 1999

Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board

Paul Thorp, Farmer representative - term expires December 31, 2000

Tompkins County Public Library Board of Trustees

Herman Sieverding - term expires December 31, 2000

Kenneth Ivins - term expires December 31, 1999

Planning Advisory Board

Becky Bilderback; Housing representative - term expires December 31, 2001

TCAT Board of Directors

Cathy Valentino; T.C. Labor representative - term expires December 31, 2001

Report by the Government Operations Committee

Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, Chair, announced the next meeting will be May 6^th at noon. At that meeting the Committee will be looking at the administrative structure, workforce diversity, the caseload status of the Human Rights Department, and the County-wide performance evaluation process. Mr. Koplinka-Loehr updated the Board on the diversity training and said it is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, June 13^th. He said the Community Affirmative Action advisory board has been working on developing recommendations on the County's recruitment and hiring process. He said if the recommendations of that board are adopted, a possibility exists that the membership will need to be expanded.

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

Mr. Lane, Chairman, reported the Committee met on April 27^th and met with representatives of the Environmental Management Council. He encouraged members to attend meetings of the EMC. Mr. Lane said the Committee discussed the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board and its relationship with the County. The Committee has decided to call a meeting of Tompkins County's representatives on that Board and also the major recipients of service such as TCAD and the Human Services Coalition to discuss what the County's options are with that Board and how what Tompkins County does will affect them. Mr. Lane said the County's dues for that Board are currently being held in the Contingency Fund. At the last meeting the Committee had a lengthy discussion on the Commercial Revitalization Program. Mr. Lane said small communities are being encouraged to participate. The Planning Federation resolution that was on the Board agenda a couple meetings ago has been forwarded to the Planning Federation for further work; he will keep the Board posted on the status of that resolution. the Committee also heard from Janet Steiner, Tompkins County Public Library Director, Ron Ehrenberg, Trustee, and Marty Shapiro, Chair of the Library Board of Trustees, on the Library 2020 Report, which details how the Tompkins County Public Library compares to other similar libraries nationwide. They want to know Tompkins County's commitment to supporting TCPL's collection and staffing.

Ms. Kiefer expressed concern that the municipalities she represents are left out of some of the programs because they are sometimes considered rural and urban at other times. She asked if the commercial revitalization program would be renewed. Mr. Lane said the program is very popular and has no reason to believe it won't be continued next year.

RESOLUTION NO. 89 - MAKING A NEGATIVE DETERMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE IN RELATION TO RESOLUTION NO. 92 OF 1999, TOWN OF CAROLINE, ELM STREET PEDESTRIAN PATH

MOVED by Mr. Lane, seconded by Mrs. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

Ms. Kiefer asked that in the future, the County not be listed as the applicant and sponsor. She said if the municipality wants to use County staff to fill out the form this can be indicated on the form.

WHEREAS, in Resolution No. 92 of 1999 the County grants funds to the Town of Caroline for the construction of the Elm Street Pedestrian Path, and

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Board of Representatives has reviewed and accepted as adequate the Environmental Assessment Form with respect to that action, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations, and Education Committee, That Resolution No. 92 of 1999, as regards the Elm Street Pedestrian Path, is an unlisted action,

RESOLVED, further, That the Board of Representatives hereby makes a negative determination of environmental significance in regard to Resolution No. 92 of 1999, Elm Street Pedestrian Path.

SEQR ACTION: UNLISTED

(SHORT EAF PREPARED)

RESOLUTION NO. 90 - MAKING A NEGATIVE DETERMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE IN RELATION TO RESOLUTION NO. 92 OF 1999, TOWN OF ULYSSES, TOWN HALL SIDEWALK

MOVED by Mr. Lane, seconded by Mrs. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

WHEREAS, in Resolution No. 92 of 1999 the County grants funds to the Town of Ulysses for the construction of a sidewalk along their Town Hall, and

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Board of Representatives has reviewed and accepted as adequate the Environmental Assessment Form with respect to that action, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations, and Education Committee, That Resolution No. 92 of 1999, as regards the Town Hall Sidewalk, is an unlisted

action,

RESOLVED, further, That the Board of Representatives hereby makes a negative determination of environmental significance in regard to Resolution No. 92 of 1999, Town Hall Sidewalk.

SEQR ACTION: UNLISTED

(SHORT EAF PREPARED)

RESOLUTION NO. 91 - MAKING A NEGATIVE DETERMINATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE IN RELATION TO RESOLUTION NO. 92 OF 1999, VILLAGE OF GROTON, MAIN STREET GARBAGE RECEPTACLES

MOVED by Mr. Lanes, seconded by Mrs. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

WHEREAS, in Resolution No. 92 of 1999 the County grants funds to the Village of Groton for the placement of ten garbage receptacles along Main Street, and

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Board of Representatives has reviewed and accepted as adequate the Environmental Assessment Form with respect to that action, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations, and Education Committee, That Resolution No. 92 of 1999, as regards the Main Street garbage receptacles, is an unlisted action,

RESOLVED, further, That the Board of Representatives hereby makes a negative determination of environmental significance in regard to Resolution No.92 of 1999, Main Street Garbage Receptacles.

SEQR ACTION: UNLISTED

(SHORT EAF PREPARED)

RESOLUTION NO. 92 - APPROVAL OF COMMERCIAL CENTER REVITALIZATION GRANTS

MOVED by Mr. Lane, seconded by Mr. Proto. Mr. Lane said since he serves on the Southworth Library Board, he would like to see that entity separated from the others and he will abstain from voting on that grant. Mr. Proto disclosed that he owns property in Brooktondale that may benefit from the planters. It was not perceived that Mr. Proto had a conflict of interest.

It was MOVED by Mr. Proto, seconded by Mr. Winch, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to separate the Southworth Library grant from the other grants.

A voice vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Ayes - 15, Noes - 0. RESOLUTION ADOPTED.

WHEREAS, the Commercial Center Revitalization Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee)

was assigned responsibility for providing advice on the award of grant funds for the revitalization of rural commercial centers, and

WHEREAS, the Advisory Committee has reviewed the applications for funding and has made recommendations based on the program guidelines of the Commercial Center Revitalization Program, and

WHEREAS, the recommendations of the Advisory Committee are within the budget for the Commercial Center Revitalization program, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations, and Education Committee, That the following projects be approved:

Danby Fire Department (picnic pavilion roof replacement) $1,614.00

Town of Caroline (Elm St. pedestrian path, Brooktondale) $1,620.00

Town of Caroline (flower planters, Brooktondale) $ 920.00

Town of Ulysses (sidewalk construction) $2,750.00

Village of Dryden (facade improvement guidelines) $3,000.00

Village of Groton (Main St. garbage receptacles) $2,500.00

Village of Groton (on behalf of the Groton Hotel) $2,350.00

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator be authorized to execute any contracts related to these projects.

SEQR ACTION:

Danby Fire Department Type II-2

Town of Caroline (pedestrian path) Unlisted

Town of Caroline (flower planters) Type II-10

Town of Ulysses Unlisted

Village of Dryden Type II-21

Village of Groton (garbage receptacles) Unlisted

Village of Groton (Groton Hotel) Type II-1

RESOLUTION NO. 93 - APPROVAL OF COMMERCIAL CENTER REVITALIZATION GRANT - SOUTHWORTH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

MOVED by Mrs. Schuler, seconded by Mr. Totman. A voice vote resulted as follows: Ayes - 14, Noes - 0, Abstentions - 1 (Representative Lane). RESOLUTION ADOPTED.

WHEREAS, the Commercial Center Revitalization Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee)

was assigned responsibility for providing advice on the award of grant funds for the revitalization of rural commercial centers, and

WHEREAS, the Advisory Committee has reviewed the applications for funding and has made recommendations based on the program guidelines of the Commercial Center Revitalization Program, and

WHEREAS, the recommendations of the Advisory Committee are within the budget for the Commercial Center Revitalization program, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Planning, Intergovernmental Relations, and Education Committee, That the following project be approved:

Southworth Library Association (facade repairs) $1,200.00

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator be authorized to execute any contracts related to this project.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-I

Report and Presentation of Resolution(s) from the Public Safety Committee

Mr. Evans, Chairman, reported the Committee met on April 27. It has been requested that assigned counsel be raised to $75 per hour in the hope that they will receive $50 across the board for attorneys. Mr. Evans said the time may soon be approaching to take a look again at having a public defender. The Committee received a report on electronic monitoring; at the present time there is little usage on the program. The Probation Department will be looking at other individuals to participate in that program. Mr. Evans also reported the Committee unanimously approved the mission and vision statement for the Sheriff's Department.

RESOLUTION NO. 94 - AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT A DONATION TO INSTALL D.A.R.E. AND D.W.I. GRAPHICS AND LIGHTING ON PATROL CAR - SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

MOVED by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Totman, and unanimously adopted by voice vote. Ms. Kiefer noted she had requested a copy of the graphics to be used and learned it is not available.

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Sheriff's Department formed a committee of Department employees to design the graphics for the D.A.R.E. and D.W.I. patrol car, and

WHEREAS, the Employees Union of Tompkins County Sheriff's Department agreed to give the County $1,000 to purchase graphics and safety lighting, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety Committee, That the County accept the donation of $1,000 to be used for the purpose of the installation of the graphics and lighting on the D.A.R.E. and D.W.I. patrol car.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

RESOLUTION NO. 95 - ENDORSING STATE LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING INCREASING E-911 SURCHARGE

MOVED by Mr. Evans, seconded by Ms. Blanchard. Ms. Kiefer said she had to request copies of the Laws because she was not provided with them. She reiterated her opinion that when the Board is being asked to endorse legislation, that members be provided with copies of the proposed language. She said she will not support this resolution because there is nothing in these laws that suggests lifting the cap on the number of lines it applies to. Mr. Proto said he cannot support putting another indirect tax on the residents through the telephone bills. He said this is a worthwhile program; however, he thinks part of this capital improvement for further expansion of a new system in a new facility should compete with other worthwhile programs in the County's budget to be paid for by property tax. A voice vote resulted as follows: Ayes - 13, Noes - 2 (Representatives Kiefer and Proto). RESOLUTION ADOPTED.

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Board of Representatives desires to maintain and improve the capabilities of E-911 service, and

WHEREAS, the current E-911 telephone surcharges, paid for by all system users, covers a limited portion of actual system operational expenses, and all other costs related to the system must be raised through property taxes, and

WHEREAS, this Board by Resolution No. 42 of 1999 requested the New York State Legislature to authorize an increase in the Tompkins County 911 Surcharge up to $1.00 per month and they have since introduced A.7108/S.4051 "AN ACT to amend the County law, in relation to authorizing the County of Tompkins to impose a one dollar access line per month surcharge for its enhanced emergency telephone system", now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety Committee, That this Board endorses and requests State approval of legislation known as A.7108/S.4051, and urges its elected representatives in the Senate and the Assembly to support this legislation.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

RESOLUTION NO. 96 - AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT WITH AT&T FOR COMMISSION ON LOCAL AND LONG DISTANCE INMATE TELEPHONE TRAFFIC

MOVED by Mr. Evans, seconded by Ms. Blanchard. Mr. Joseph requested that this resolution be withdrawn because he has not received information he requested in the Public Safety Committee. It was MOVED by Mr. Joseph, seconded by Mrs. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by voice vote to postpone this resolution until the next Board meeting. MOTION CARRIED.

RESOLUTION NO. 97 - AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT WITH THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

MOVED by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Lane, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

WHEREAS, the Social Security Administration is providing the computer program that identifies from our Jail Management System inmates that are receiving Social Security Benefits and/or Insurance (SSI), and

WHEREAS, inmates identified through the Jail Management System as receiving Social Security Benefits and/or Insurance (SSI), the County of Tompkins will be reimbursed $400 per inmate, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety Committee, That the agreement for the Social Security Administration to provide the computer program be awarded,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator be and hereby is authorized to execute an agreement on behalf of the County.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

Report by the Economic and Workforce Development Committee

Mr. Stein, Chairman, reported the Committee has not met since the last Board meeting. The next meeting will be May 13^th. In the past week he has received correspondence from two municipalities requesting funding for their upcoming celebrations. At the next meeting the Committee will discuss how to respond to these requests. Mr. Stein said the new Strategic Planning Advisory Board will meet tomorrow for a full working session at 3:30 p.m. at the Sciencenter.

Report by the Health and Human Services Committee

Mr. Winch, Chairman, reported the Committee has not met since the last Board meeting. The next meeting will be May 13^th at 9:15 a.m.

Mr. Winch reported on a request Chair Mink made of him concerning an article that was written in the New York Times about emissions from electric company generating plants. He said he will be obtaining information from NYSEG and the Department of Environmental Conservation on the Milliken Station Plant. He will keep the Board informed on the information he receives.
 

Report and Presentation of Resolution(s) by the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee

Ms. Blanchard, Chair, thanked Representative Todd for Chairing the Committee meeting while she was out of town. Ms. Blanchard reported the Committee met today at 9 a.m. and authorized equipment purchases and bidding on several items. The Committee also dealt with some Airport business that will be reflected in resolutions that will appear on the next agenda. Ms. Blanchard reported the Committee laid the groundwork for discussion at the next meeting on issues related to engineering services. There is an engineering services quality team that is evaluating how the services are billed with the County structure, how these services are budgeted for, and how the services are delivered. That team will present the Committee with a report on its findings prior to the next meeting on May 18. Ms. Blanchard announced that the Air Service Task Force will meet on May 14^th at 8:30 a.m. at the TC3 Conference Room. At that meeting the group will be doing further work relating to developing a full-scale marketing plan for Airport services with some immediate short-range attention to support for the Washington-Dellas service, and a longer approach for sustained marketing that will expand over a multi-year period. She said this is a very important effort and the Board will hear more about it in the coming months.

RESOLUTION NO. 98 - AWARD OF CONTRACT - BOSTWICK ROAD EXPANSION STUDY

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Todd, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

WHEREAS, the Buildings and Grounds Division needs to move out of its location at Biggs A and Bostwick Road has been identified and approved as the most suitable location for their operations, and

WHEREAS, the Bostwick Road campus is in need of physical improvements, and

WHEREAS, the co-locating of Building and Grounds, Public Works Administration, Highway and Engineering will enhance service delivery to the public, and

WHEREAS, the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to investigate possible solutions for relocating Building and Grounds to Bostwick Road and to identify the scope of a future capital project was sent out, received and three architects were interviewed, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That a contract be executed with Schickel Architecture to complete such services,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator be authorized to execute contracts to implement this contract for $15,000.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

RESOLUTION NO. 99 - CHANGE ORDER - HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mrs. Schuler, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 143 of 1996 authorized Barton and Loguidice to perform engineering services for the design, including site development of the Household Hazardous Waste Management Center (HHW), and

WHEREAS, the selected site opened up the possibility of clustering HHW activities with relocated scrap metal, yard waste, recycling drop-off bays, and a reuse area which requires work that is outside the original scope of work, and

WHEREAS, additional design effort has been added to the HHW project, including expansion of site work, approach road, addition of drop-off bays, facility restroom, year-round heating and structural design of the HHW facility, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the current contract amount be increased from $43,649.90 to $62,168.48 to be funded from HH8168,

RESOLVED, further, That a project contingency of ten percent (10%) or $6,216.48 be established for this phase of the project from fund HH8168,

RESOLVED, further, That the County Administrator be authorized to execute this change on behalf of the County.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20

RESOLUTION NO. 100 - AWARD OF BID - HARVEY HILL ROAD BRIDGE REHABILITATION (BIN 3209930)

MOVED by Ms. Blanchard, seconded by Mr. Winch, and unanimously adopted by voice vote.

WHEREAS, the Tompkins County Finance Department has duly advertised for bids for the rehabilitation of the Harvey Hill Road Bridge over a tributary to Enfield Creek, and

WHEREAS, three (3) bids were received on March 25, 1999, and publicly read, now therefore be it

RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, That the bid be awarded to Silverline Construction, Inc., of Burdett, the lowest, responsible bidder, in the amount of $159,244,

RESOLVED, further, That the Engineering Division be authorized to implement this bid and execute change orders with total values not to exceed ten percent (10%) of the aforementioned bid amount on behalf of the County, funds to be provided from operating expense account D5111.54411.

SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-21

Report by the Budget and Quality Planning Committee

Mr. Joseph, Chairman, had no report.

Report by the Electric Power Committee

Mr. Stein, Chairman, reported the Committee met last week and drew 100 names out of the residential customers who signed up for the aggregation. Each of them will receive a letter saying they have won the lottery for $50 which will be applied to their electric bill. This $5,000 is coming from NYSEG and was built into the original agreement. Mr. Stein reported the bidding documents for natural gas were approved, have been advertised, and are now out to the companies with bids to be returned in approximately three weeks. He stated in Tompkins County the estimated savings for the two-year period is approximately $345,000; the savings to the municipalities will be approximately $280,000. Mr. Stein said the Committee has been discussing preparations for August 1 when deregulation takes place.

Report from the Information Management Committee

Mr. Evans, Chairman, reported the Committee met today and discussed Y2K and said those efforts continue to be on schedule. The Committee approved two requests of the Information Technology Services Department; one for a color printer to come out of the GIS capital funds, and another request for software for the GIS program that will allow the Department to separate portions of the GIS database. This will make it easier to control the release of public and private information. The Committee discussed freedom of information and County data and what will be placed on the World Wide Web. This has been forwarded to the Government Operations Committee for discussion. Mr. Evans said the County also discussed the County's network infrastructure, how it should be paid for, and where control of it should lie.

Report by the Library Coordination Committee

Mr. Proto, Chairman, reported the Committee toured the four rural libraries in Tompkins County. He said there was no doubt that each one of those libraries want to remain independent and want to be treated as separate entities. Mr. Proto said each of these libraries are very reliant on the Tompkins County Public Library and also the Finger Lakes Library System. The next meeting will be May 11 at 9 a.m.

Report from the Public Safety Building Space Committee

Mr. Joseph, Chairman, said one of the things the Committee asked the consultant to do was to take a look at the previous study that was done that led to the construction of the current Jail and see what went wrong since they projected Tompkins County needed a smaller Jail than it really needs. In looking over that report, what it based its projections on primarily was population. They projected a drop and then a flattening out of the population when what happened was a drop and then a rise in population. Mr. Joseph distributed documentation containing a bar graph showing that population at the Jail has risen significantly over the last ten years. Mr. Joseph said there has been an increase in the length of stay of prisoners over the last ten years. This means if the same number of people are coming into the Jail but they stay longer, the population figures will increase. There was also a change in State law that may have taken place in the last ten years that requires inmates convicted of a felony and sentenced to less than a year, must serve that year in the local county jail and not State prison. The number of inmates in this category have doubled. There has also been a problem with the State transporting State-ready inmates in a timely fashion Mr. Joseph said together, these three categories make up thirty percent of the Jail population.

Mr. Joseph said individuals who come into the Jail on drug charges have increased by 180 percent; DWI offenders have not gone up but account for 47 percent of the sentenced felons. He said these are the most important changes that were not anticipated by the previous study.

Another set of documents addresses who is in the Jail and whether or not the Jail is being well-used. One-third to one-quarter of the inmates are in the Jail for committing violent offenses. He said this is better than most other jails. Of those housed at the Jail, 88 percent have a record of prior arrest and 84 percent have a prior incarceration, 76 percent of the population is Tompkins County residents, 10 percent are from contiguous counties, and 65 percent are unemployed.

Mr. Joseph said he has raised a number of issues about the consultant's projections of where the population of the Jail will go. He said the consultant basically has taken the last ten years experience and drawn a line through it. He said his objections are based on logic relating to the particular factors involved and statistical grounds. He said to draw a line like that means one is making assumptions, such as expecting the length of sentences to continue to increase in the next ten years. Mr. Joseph said he feels the projections are unrealistically pessimistic; however, he said there are others who disagree. He briefly outlined some plans and strategies the Committee has discussed.

Ms. Blanchard added that she was impressed that the OAR representative on the Committee made a point about needing to have some cushion that doesn't show up in the projected numbers of people, and that would allow for some stress relief.

Mr. Lane said 20 years ago very few people went to jail because of DWI and feels the penalties and enforcement with that has been a great deterrent. However, there are a lot of hard-core people that will end up in jail because they won't be deterred from crime such as domestic violence.

Ms. Kiefer asked if there is a summary available of the consultant's survey of County Board members beliefs about who should be housed in the County Jail. Mr. Joseph said this will be discussed at the next meeting.

Mr. Proto commented on a statement made by Mr. Joseph regarding the number of unemployed individuals in the Jail. He said he does not believe the figures at this time justify a broad-based statement that Tompkins County is disproportionately jailing poor people. Mr. Joseph responded that almost every inmate at the Jail qualifies for the Assigned Counsel Program.

Mr. Lane stated Tompkins County does not jail people because they are poor. People are placed in the Jail because they have violated the law and they have not been bailed. He said the County provides, through the OAR program, an opportunity for even poor people to be bailed.

Mr. Evans said some very important things have come out of the study. Tompkins County has some extremely rich programming to help keep people out of the Jail and the number of people incarcerated when compared to the population of the County is very low. Mr. Evans said after this study is over, the data should be analyzed on a yearly basis to determine if the figures are changing before trouble begins.

Approval of Minutes of April 20, 1999

It was MOVED by Mr. Evans, seconded by Mr. Proto, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to approve the minutes of April 20, 1999 as submitted.

Executive Session

It was MOVED by Mr. Lane, seconded by Ms. Blanchard, and unanimously adopted by voice vote, to enter into executive session at 8:17 p.m. to discuss pending litigation.

Chair Mink was excused at 8:17 p.m.

The meeting returned to open session at 8:26 p.m.

Adjournment

On motion the meeting adjourned at 8:26 p.m.

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