Carol Cameron, the county historian, told the Expanded Budget Committee she is seeking an $8,500 project allocation for the Tompkins County Historical Commission, and asked legislators to correct a budgeting classification that shifted stipend funding into program expense.

Cameron said, “I am looking for you to approve the $8,500 as project money for the historical commission,” and described the commission’s ongoing work producing pamphlets and signage. (Carol Cameron, county historian)

The budget materials published online showed a complicated mix of salary, stipend and program expense lines. Legislators and staff traced the apparent discrepancy to a past reclassification: when a prior county historian position became salaried and then left, the budget line that had paid that position was shifted from salary to program expense. County budgeting staff said that created a case where the historical commission’s project money and the historian stipend appeared in different places in the published book.

County staff told legislators that the stipend itself had previously been $10,000 and that when a prior historian was brought on as an employee the cost increased because of fringe benefits; the intent now is to return to a contracted stipend approach. County staff said the ledger should be corrected so the commission project will be shown at the intended $8,500 figure and the historian stipend restored to $10,000 as appropriate after conversations with the historian and budget office.

Why it matters: The historical commission uses small project dollars for publications and signage; accurate coding matters for transparency and to ensure an appropriate fiscal target and public record. Legislators emphasized the need for clearer line‑item presentation in the online budget materials and proposed a follow‑up meeting between the historian and administration to reconcile line items before voting.

Next steps: Staff agreed to work with the historian on a corrected project budget and to return with an amendment or clearer documentation showing the correct 2026 request and where the stipend will appear in the budget book. Cameron offered to meet with administration to clarify uses and amounts.

Ending: Legislators thanked Cameron for the presentation and scheduled follow‑up to correct the budget presentation and confirm the final amount for the commission’s project allocation.