Ithaca's Common Council on Nov. 19 moved a series of administrative and policy measures alongside the South Side rezoning ordinance, adopting changes on energy‑code timing, Youth Bureau staffing, finance policies, and several home‑rule requests to the New York State legislature.

Energy code: Director Evans told council that the city had planned to implement a 2023 net‑zero energy code on Jan. 1 but recommended delaying implementation to June 2026 after the state governor paused the All‑Electric Buildings Act and related litigation continues. "Instead of trying to... rewrite everything on the fly," Evans said, staff recommended delaying and monitoring state action. Council approved the date‑change resolution unanimously.

Youth Bureau roster and RISE program: Council approved an amendment to the youth program personnel roster to replace a youth program coordinator with a youth program leader as part of a consolidation into the RISE (Resilience, Identity, Support, Empowerment) program. Director Hauck said the RISE program currently enrolls 26 students across ICSD in 8‑week cohorts and could potentially add about 25 more students; Hauck said the coordinator salary is typically in the ~$70,000 range while the new youth program leader would be in the low $50,000s. The roster amendment passed 9–1; council members requested a fuller presentation on RISE at a future meeting.

Administrative and financial measures: The council adopted a preliminary general‑fund balance policy setting a 15% target to guide a permanent policy prior to the FY‑2027 budget, a resolution prohibiting use of bond‑anticipation notes (BANs) to finance vehicles or physical assets with useful life under 10 years, a resolution requiring monthly financial reporting (controller to submit a template by Jan. 7, 2026), and an interim short‑term debt policy limiting obligations for FY 2027. All carried unanimously.

Sign and site plan ordinances: Council consolidated sign approvals under the Planning Board by amending the city sign ordinance and adopted an update to the site‑plan review chapter (Ithaca Municipal Code ch. 276) to simplify review of mid‑size housing projects; both passed unanimously after brief discussion and public comment supporting streamlined reviews.

Home‑rule requests and parking: The council authorized sending home‑rule requests to the New York State legislature to allow local installation of school‑zone speed safety cameras, red‑light cameras, and to expand residential parking‑permit authority citywide. Speakers and councilors discussed privacy, data handling and practical concerns, particularly with the Bell Sherman permit area, but the resolutions to seek legislative authority carried unanimously.

Reparations working group and TCAT funding: Council established a reparations working group to develop an RFP for a reparations study, allocating up to $50,000 from restricted contingency; the study scope will include historical analysis and comparative municipal models. The mayor also announced that negotiations with Cornell and other partners increased Cornell's underwriting proposal for TCAT support — mayoral remarks referenced "up to 280" while Aldersperson Letterman later said the number discussed was $263,000 — and said the arrangement would avert service cuts for 2026. Councilors noted the payment would come from fund balance and is not a sustainable long‑term fix.

Most measures on the Nov. 19 consent package passed unanimously; the Youth Bureau roster amendment and South Side zoning were the only items with recorded opposing votes. Council adjourned after the votes and left an advice‑to‑council session on the calendar.