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About Tompkins County Government |
| History Through an act of the state legislature on April 7, 1817, Tompkins County was formed from parts of Cayuga and Seneca counties, with Ithaca as the county seat. The county was named for Daniel D. Tompkins, New York’s governor from 1807-1817. The new county consisted of the Towns of Ithaca, Lansing, Dryden, Ulysses, Hector, Covert, and Division (renamed Groton a year later). The supervisors of the towns met together to form the first countywide government, known as the Board of Supervisors. Tompkins County’s first Board of Supervisors Samuel Crittenden (Division) Richard Smith (Hector) John Sutton (Ulysses) Richard Townley (Lansing), Chairman Levi Wheeler (Covert) Parley Whitmore (Dryden), Clerk Rev. William Wisner (Ithaca) The 1817 act also described how the county’s court system would be structured, and one of the first actions of the Board of Supervisors was to raise money for a courthouse. Residents were asked for voluntary pledges amounting to $7,000 for a wood -frame court building, which was erected in 1818 at 127 East Court Street. The original courthouse was replaced by a more substantial building on the same spot in 1854. Now known as “The Old Courthouse,” it still stands. The present County Courthouse, at 320 North Tioga Street, was built in 1932-33. The first Sheriff was Hermon Camp of Trumansburg, who had been appointed in anticipation of the formation of the county. He was succeeded in 1818 by Henry Bloom. The borders of the county changed somewhat as pieces of land were annexed or ceded, but by 1854, it had reached a footprint very similar to the present boundaries. Caring for the poor was a major concern of the Board of Supervisors, which established the County Home, a large wooden building built on Perry City Road in Ulysses in 1827. The Home was a residence for the impoverished and included a 100-acre farm. It was closed in 1987. The Board established the County Highway Department in 1909, the Public Health Department in 1947, and the Welfare Department (later to become the Department of Social Services) in 1949. The Board of Supervisors was replaced by a Board of Representatives, with one member elected from each of 15 districts of equal population, in 1970. That same year, Tompkins became a charter county, which by state law allows it to exercise more home rule over its structure and operations than non-charter counties. The charter is reviewed and revised every ten years. The size and number of election districts are also reviewed every ten years, following the release of census figures. The districts were most recently redrawn in 2001. In 2003, the Board of Representatives officially changed its name to County Legislature, to be more in line with other counties in the state.
Government Structure Tompkins County, located in the Finger Lakes region of Central New York, has a land area of 476 square miles and a population of 96,501 residents, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The local government structure consists of 16 municipal (city, town, and village) governments and one county government. The municipal governments are independent taxing bodies that are responsible for local planning and development, code enforcement, road maintenance, and other government functions within their boundaries. The primary services of county government concern the health, safety, well-being, and enrichment of all county residents, and other countywide concerns. The County Legislature (formerly Board of Representatives) is made up of 15 legislators, elected from 15 districts. Each County legislator represents approximately 6,433 residents within his or her district. Legislators are elected to four-year terms. Most legislative policy decisions are first discussed and approved by standing program committees, which oversee activities and budgets for departments, agencies, and programs. Committee membership is determined by the Chair of the Legislature, who is nominated and elected every year by the members. Most decisions are made by resolution, passed by a majority of at least one and often more than one standing committee, and then by the full Legislature. Proposed local laws and other major decisions, including approval of the annual budget, are preceded by public hearings. The chief executive for Tompkins County government is the County Administrator, an appointed official. The Administrator and Deputy Administrator oversee the activities of most County departments. The Administrator is responsible for recommending an annual budget to the Legislature. County service areas and programs are overseen by commissioners, managers, or directors, collectively called Department Heads. Each department head is responsible for managing the budget for his or her service or program area. Tompkins County government provides many services directly to residents. Others services are provided through contracts with local not-for-profit agencies and organizations. Tompkins is a “charter county,” which means that it is granted, through a provision in the New York State constitution, certain powers of self-government, such as flexibility in writing local laws. Of the state’s 57 counties (excluding boroughs), 19 are charter counties. The County’s Charter and Code may be accessed online and is also available for public viewing in hard copy at the Office of the County Legislature, 320 North Tioga Street, Ithaca. Most staff positions within County government carry Civil Service requirements and protections. Almost two-thirds of County employees belong to the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) white collar or blue collar units, which represent them in labor negotiations. Sheriff’s deputies and corrections officers have their own bargaining units. Tompkins County also provides space for County, Family, Supreme, Surrogate, and Drug Treatment courts, all of which are operated by the New York State Unified Court System, 6th Judicial District. |
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