Ways and Means committee approves resolutions on settlements, contracts, personnel and grants; several items bundled or referred

At its meeting, the Cayuga County Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee approved multiple resolutions covering a property-tax settlement, land conveyance, contract extensions, grant acceptances, personnel changes and equipment purchases. Committee members bundled several items for single votes where noted and took separate action when conflicts were disclosed.

Key outcomes

• WM1 — Settlement in Wheat Street Housing Development Fund Corp. v. Assessor (Aurelius): The committee authorized settlement and execution of a stipulation. Staff said the settlement valuation aligns with expected range and that the final taxable value will be determined by an income approach once the housing development operates. Motion moved and seconded; committee vote recorded as approved.

• WM2 — Accept jurisdictional abandonment and conveyance from New York State Department of Transportation: The committee accepted conveyance steps so the parcel can ultimately be transferred to the town of Brutus for a municipal building project; approved.

• WM3 — First extension of contract with Auctions International for real property auction services: Committee approved the first of up to four annual extensions; the contract splits buyer's premium (6% Auctions International / 4% county) and is renewed annually; approved.

• Health & Human Services (HH1, HH3, HH5 bundled; HH3 later separated for abstention): The committee approved contracts for public-health hearing officers (HH1) and a three-bed respite contract (HH5). HH3 (Play Space scholarships contract) was separated after a member disclosed a relative employed by the Play Space; the committee approved HH3 with the abstention noted. Committee asked for periodic utilization updates for the respite beds (total cited cost was about $344,000).

• HH2 — Acceptance of $23,286 from New York State for Article 6 performance incentive activities: Approved.

• HH4 — Acceptance of a community-living grant to enhance adult protective services: The item was amended in committee to specify the funding period through June 2025 and then approved.

• HH6 — Acceptance of funds from the New York State Office of Mental Health to support court-based mental-health navigators: Approved.

• HH7 — Creation and filling of one full-time, grant-funded coordinator of substance-use initiatives position (reclassification of a previous project role): Approved.

• Government Operations — Contract with Robust Elections Inc. for e-poll books and an amendment to the 2025 budget to accept unbudgeted funds for the purchase: Approved.

• Planning — Multiple agreements to implement watershed and lake monitoring programs with Community Science Institute and Finger Lakes Institute were approved; PL3 was referred to the full Legislature to follow a scheduled presentation. The committee set a public hearing under New York General Municipal Law (PL5) to appropriate Emerson Park pavilion repair funds.

• Parks / Seasonal staffing and vegetation control — Seasonal hiring and a contract with True Green for vegetation control at Emerson Park were approved.

• Judicial & Public Safety — Bundled personnel authorizations (JP1, JP2, JP4, JP5) for emergency services, coroner office and marine patrol were approved; vehicle purchases for sheriff’s patrol and custody units (JP7, JP8, JP9) were approved; JP6 was tabled to the March JPS meeting; JP10, an agreement with Farnham Family Services for an alcoholism and substance abuse counselor in the county jail, was approved. During discussion, the sheriff explained a possible future loss of revenue from telephone commissions due to a Federal Communications Commission rule change; the revenue was described as budgeted separately from the contract at issue.

A motion to adjourn followed the approvals.