Tompkins County weights and measures director says one-person office will hold to fee-based model despite small cuts

Heather Chappell, Tompkins County’s weights and measures director, told the Expanded Budget Committee on Sept. 11 that her office is a state-mandated, fees-based unit that currently operates with one inspector and inspects commercial weighing and measuring devices, packaged commodities and responds to consumer complaints. Chappell said New York State mandates weights and measures services and set the fee schedule the office uses; she said her office is small but that recent equipment purchases — a new truck and a new prover for fuel testing — reduced near-term equipment needs. She told the committee she plans to buy additional safety equipment for the prover this year and does not anticipate adding staff in 2026. Chappell said inspection-fee revenue historically was budgeted at $23,000, but based on current year collections and an accounting of outstanding inspections she estimated roughly $19,000 for the remainder of this year and intends to review the fee and establishment list before next year’s budget. She also noted that the highway department provides fuel for her vehicle and that some budget lines (telephone, computer equipment) reflect historical averages or prior director arrangements; budget staff noted average telephone charges were about $1,000 historically and computer-equipment averages were small. Committee members asked about enforcement work in cannabis shops and whether the office inspects scales used by cultivators and dispensaries; Chappell said state rules allow package checks and scale inspections for those businesses and that the state fee chart defines standard inspection charges (for example, $20 for common retail scales, higher for platform scales). She also said New York State is training weights and measures inspectors to inspect electric-vehicle charging units, and that municipal participation in that program could expand local workload in future years. Ending: Chappell’s presentation described a small, fee-funded office with modest line-item reductions and a plan to sustain operations without additional staff in 2026; legislators asked the department to confirm fee schedules and to monitor revenue performance against historic averages.