Tompkins County’s Downtown Facility Special Committee voted June 3 to advance a resolution recommending that the full legislature approve up to $50 million in funding for a proposed Center of Government on the 300 block of North Tioga Street, and outlined a series of community engagement meetings and temporary relocation plans while historic‑preservation approvals and funding details are finalized.

The committee action — moved by Legislator Ann Korman and seconded by Legislator Mike Lane and approved by the committee — also directs the county administrator or designee to establish an internal relocation team to identify temporary “swing” space for departments now in the buildings slated for deconstruction at 303–308 North Tioga Street and 128 East Buffalo Street. County staff member Corso told the committee, “we have put together a committee internally to work on the relocation,” listing assessment, facilities, information technology, human resources, the county attorney’s office and the Board of Elections as participants.

Project consultants presented the project goals and timeline. Staff member Quay summarized the intent: “This project is about consolidating government services into a single campus,” and described a three‑phase approach that includes deconstruction of the old structures, construction of a new building, and later renovation of the old jail and courthouse for backfill space. Quay said schematic design has begun and that construction is currently scheduled to start in January 2027 and finish in late 2028, with renovation work to follow.

The committee and project team emphasized that historic‑preservation approvals remain outstanding. Quay said the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has provided a draft of the written approval but the project needs a lead agent — potentially NYSERDA or Empire State Development — to sign off so funding applications can proceed. “We just need a lead agent to sign off on it,” Quay told the committee.

Committee members pressed for clarity on budget details and how the $50 million figure was compiled. Quay and other staff described the total as a complete project estimate that includes design, deconstruction and abatement, construction, soft costs and specific line items cited in the meeting: roughly $2 million for furniture, about $500,000 for audiovisual equipment and about $500,000 for IT infrastructure. Staff also confirmed that $9 million has already been reserved in the capital budget toward the project.

Legislator Mike Lane framed the decision as continuation of an earlier commitment: “The train left the station on this 2 years ago,” he said, noting prior votes and long‑running discussions about consolidating county facilities. Still, several legislators requested a formal memo or amendment to clarify the potential capital stack — i.e., how much would come from county reserves, bonding or state and federal grants — before the full legislature takes up the resolution.

The committee detailed a community engagement plan that will include five in‑person kickoff meetings across the county and one virtual session. The consultant described a 21‑question survey that will be available by QR code, paper and on the county project website; the kickoff meetings are intended as listening sessions to collect needs, stories about access to county services, and suggested success metrics. The project communications lead, Monika, is preparing postcards, posters and multilingual materials (English, Spanish and Chinese) for outreach.

Operational questions that arose during discussion included how customer parking would be addressed and whether opening site lots to the public would change accessibility requirements. Quay clarified that public access to a parking lot would trigger Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for accessible spaces and that the ongoing parking and traffic study will examine options for balancing public and staff parking.

On temporary moves, Corso said county administration and human resources are expected to relocate to Green Street (the county mental‑health building) this month to free space for IT to occupy parts of the old jail during the schedule. The county is seeking temporary or swing space for the Board of Elections and assessment functions; a permanent home for those offices would require additional engineering and review.

The committee vote forwarded the resolution to the full Tompkins County Legislature; staff and several legislators said subsequent contractual approvals and specific funding decisions will return to the legislature for review. The committee also instructed staff to provide regular updates to the Downtown Facility Special Committee on substantive programmatic or financial changes as they arise.

ACTIONS AND NEXT STEPS: The committee advanced a resolution recommending approval of up to $50 million for the Center of Government and authorized county administration to create and lead an internal relocation team. Project staff will proceed with community engagement meetings, continue schematic design and pursue assignment of a SHPO lead agent and potential funding partners. Staff promised to provide a written budget breakdown and supporting memo before the full legislature review.