Highlights of the May 21, 2002 meeting of the
Tompkins County Board of Representatives
BOARD BEGINS SCRUTINY OF 20% BUDGET CUT SCENARIOS
Financial concerns are likely to be a continuing theme at Board meetings from now through November, when the legislators must approve a 2003 budget for Tompkins County. The County needs to reduce its budget by more than $6 million to avoid a steep property tax increase. An added difficulty in making a reduction of that proportion is that, although the County’s total budget tops $103 million, more then two-thirds of that amount consists of state and federal funding or local spending for legally mandated services. The portion that can be targeted for reductions is only about $30 million. Earlier today, three Board committees took their first look at scenarios for trimming 20 percent from local spending in 2003. Board Chairman Tim Joseph said that he has charged the committees to gain information and attempt to develop consensus on what is possible and what is not possible to cut from operating budgets. Joseph also noted that he anticipates a measure coming to the Budget and Capital Committee soon that will ask County Administrator Steve Whicher to identify areas of this year’s budget that could be reduced. Joseph said the budget committee will also scrutinize the capital program to look for ways to reduce spending on infrastructure and capital projects. Contacts: Board Chair Tim Joseph, 277-2519; Budget Committee Chair Peter Penniman, 387-5897; County Administrator Stephen Whicher, 274-5551

BOARD APPROVES NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR AQUIFER STUDY
By a vote of 13 to 2, the Board approved $5,250 of spending from the existing Planning Department budget to do a preliminary assessment of aquifers in Tompkins County. Board members debated the project because it foreshadows greater spending in the future. By approving the spending, the Board is assured of 30 percent matching funding from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for the duration of the project. Contact: Dooley Kiefer, Planning Committee Chair, 257-7453.

JAIL PLANNING MOVES FORWARD
Tim Joseph, as chair of the Public Safety Building Space Planning Committee, reported that the committee is preparing a Request for Proposals for design of a new or reconstructed jail. The County is proceeding with information it gained from an earlier report, said Joseph, and is looking for design proposals that meet goals the committee has set. The existing Public Safety Building on Warren Road is over-capacity for inmates, and the New York State Commission of Corrections has told the County it must provide more cells soon or board out the overflow population to other jails. Contact: Tim Joseph, 277- 2519.
 

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