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County warns Code Blue budget will be sharply reduced by state allocation
Summary
County administration told legislators New York State notified Tompkins County of a Code Blue allocation of $841,000 for 2026–27 — a reduction the county said is nearly $1.2 million from the prior year — and promised a committee report in September detailing impacts for the winter Code Blue season.
County administration reported an unexpected cut to Code Blue funding for the 2026–27 season, saying New York State OTDA notified the Department of Social Services of an allocation of "$841,000" for the coming year and that it "represents a nearly 1,200,000 reduction in prior year's allocation." Administrators said the reduction will materially affect county Code Blue plans and pledged to present a detailed plan to the Health & Human Services committee in September.
Deputy County Administrator Bridget Nugent said the notification arrived immediately after a round‑table discussion on homelessness and that the county administrator has reached out to OTDA for clarification. Legislators asked whether the state had provided a reason for the reduction and whether local contracts with VOA or other service partners for Code Blue would be affected; staff said they would follow up and bring a plan to the legislature for committee review. "This is really very recent news," Nugent said, and county administration signaled that preparations for the coming winter's Code Blue program will require adjustments based on the reduced state allocation.
County staff and several legislators recommended contacting state representatives (Assemblymember Hannah Kellis and Senator Leah Webb were specifically named during the meeting) to seek answers and possible remedies; administration said it would reach out to those offices.
