The Cayuga County Legislature used its Dec. 11 session to advance multiple budget amendments, committee bundles and personnel authorizations alongside separate policy resolutions.

Museum funding: After public testimony from museum director Tim Quill and other supporters about program cuts, the legislature voted to transfer $30,000 from the contingency account to restore part‑time salary funding for the agricultural museum. Lawmakers debated whether contingency was the appropriate source and whether alternatives could be found; the motion passed on the floor.

Ways & Means and departmental bundles: The Ways & Means chair brought forward a set of committee recommendations and several bundled resolutions (WM 1–11, various HH, JP, PW and planning items), most of which the body approved with limited debate. Items included technical adjustments to the sheriff’s SRO position (to reflect revenue and salary), Department of Social Services professional‑services reinstatement offset by salary savings, district attorney revenue recognition and appointing/reinstating positions in several departments.

Sewer district and referendum funding: The legislature moved forward a resolution to form a sewer district and to place district formation before a mandatory referendum of affected voters. County counsel reported that the county and the Water & Sewer Authority negotiated reimbursement of up to $15,000 for referendum expenses; members amended the resolution to set the referendum timing no earlier than April 2026 and reserved the power to rescind the referendum authorization if a key $15 million grant is delayed or denied.

Personnel and other amendments: The body considered dozens of smaller amendments: restoring a youth bureau director from 0.8 to full‑time funded from projected cannabis sales revenue, proposals to restore or add planning or GIS positions (some successful, some defeated), and authorization to fill various county positions (e.g., part‑time emergency dispatcher, DMV cashier) across committee bundles.

What happens next: Several items change the tentative 2026 budget and are now part of the legislature’s final discussions before adoption. Staff will follow up with codification, contract changes where required, and scheduling of public hearings (several were set for Dec. 11 in the record or for early 2026 as noted).