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Resident tells committee she experienced denied services at Department of Social Services and urges county review
Summary
Amanda Kirchgeschner of Ulysses told the Budget, Capital, and Personnel Committee she has witnessed alleged denials of service at the county Department of Social Services and urged stronger leadership and county attorney involvement.
Amanda Kirchgeschner of Ulysses used the committee’s public comment time on Jan. 9 to raise concerns about service denials at the Tompkins County Department of Social Services (DSS).
“Please don't use our tax dollars for state sanctioned violence,” Kirchgeschner said, and added that she has met with individuals whose requests for help were refused and that one person she knew was later hospitalized after being denied shelter.
She told the committee she has been interacting with many county departments and that DSS was the only one she criticized, describing what she characterized as supervision problems and potential understaffing leading to service denials. Kirchgeschner urged the county attorney to “help us get to the bottom of this.”
Committee members acknowledged the comment and noted that two Social Services resolutions on the agenda (items C and D) were withdrawn and will be returned next month. Chair Mike Lane offered the committee’s thanks for her remarks.
No formal action resulted from the public comment period; the transcript records Kirchgeschner’s comments during the privilege-of-the-floor public comment segment.
