Cortland council rejects Lakeshore consulting contract after heated public comments on hiring and emergency purchasing

The Cortland City Council on Aug. 18 rejected an emergency ordinance to hire Lakeshore Strategic Consulting LLC to assist with creation of a tax-increment financing (TIF) district and brownfield environmental coordination for the former school building at 264 Park Avenue.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment criticizing repeated emergency contracting, payments to two consultants and the mayor’s handling of hiring for the interim service director role. Several residents urged council to investigate whether the city bypassed procurement rules and to refer potential tax- or procurement-related misconduct to outside authorities.

Why it matters: The ordinance would have hired Lakeshore Strategic Consulting for work tied to a city-owned former school property and to provide economic development assistance. Opponents said the proposal was part of a broader pattern of piecemeal emergency purchases and private contracts that channel city funds to two repeat consultants; supporters said the work was time-sensitive and tied to a possible redevelopment strategy.

Council business and vote: Council first voted to take the Lakeshore item off the agenda table so it could be considered. After debate and public comment, council voted on the ordinance’s emergency designation and the ordinance itself. The roll call on the emergency failed; the ordinance therefore did not advance.

Public comment and allegations: Multiple residents used the meeting’s public-comment period to describe a multi-year sequence of city contracts, staffing changes and consulting agreements. Speakers…