October Session Update
Leader Brian May speaks during the October 6, 2000 Session.
October is a rare month, with two separate Sessions being held. The first was relatively fast and bi-partisan, with all resolutions being adopted 15-0 (two Legislators were absent).
Legislators confirmed the appointment of Dr. Kathryn Anderson. She’ll officially be the Commissioner of Health for Onondaga County when she starts her new role on November 7. Dr. Anderson has worked at Upstate Medical University since 2019 and was instrumental in the county’s planning and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Legislators Colleen Gunnip and Debra Cody met Dr. Anderson at the press conference where County Executive Ryan McMahon officially nominated her for the position.
“Dr. Kathryn Anderson is the right choice at the right time to lead the county’s health department and take on the difficult challenges we face in our community like COVID-19, lead poisoning, opioid addition and other health concerns” says Legislator Gunnip (4th District).
Dr. Anderson’s appointment will expire December 31, 2025.
Dr. Kathryn Anderson with Legislators Debra Cody and Colleen Gunnip and County Executive Ryan McMahon.
Legislators also adopted a resolution designating Visit Syracuse as the agency authorized to submit an application to the New York State Department of Economic Development in hopes of receiving funds from the New York State Tourist Promotion Act. They also authorized Onondaga County to enter into certain utility work agreements with the New York State Department of Transportation.
Legislators also adopted a resolution expressing support for Onondaga County’s application for Restore New York funding for a restoration project on Syracuse’s south side. This support was a necessary part of the application process.
South Presbyterian Church, also known as The Castle, is located at 2110-12 South Salina Street and in the many years since its construction in 1905 served as a sanctuary for Black people escaping segregation and became known for its interracial advocacy and interdenominational alliances before being closed in the early 2000s. The facility, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was purchased by local developers Chino and Evelyn Ingram who intend to rehabilitate the original structure for use as a conference center and banquet and event space, which would include a newly constructed outdoor terrace and related site improvements. The Restore New York funding is made available to help encourage neighborhood growth and revitalization in areas considered economically distressed.
Legislator Julie Abbott listens to developers Chino and Evelyn Ingram during a recent tour of ‘The Castle.’
The Legislature also approved the live streaming of committee meetings and public hearings. Prior to this only Sessions were live streamed. This is just another way everyone in the community can attend, listen, and observe the performance of their elected public officials as they deliberate and make policy decisions.
“With live-streaming seemingly becoming the norm and not the exception in public forums, the Onondaga County Legislature has committed to this technology in a comprehensive manner” says the Legislature’s Chairman, James Rowley (2nd District). “The Legislature has stepped up in a big way to deliver transparency and accessibility to all residents of the County. I am proud the Legislature unanimously passed this bi-partisan effort to deliver for the people of Onondaga County.”
Legislators also approved $50,000 in funds to help with the purchase and installation of the new live streaming equipment that’s needed.
Onondaga County seeks to be one of the counties in New York going above and beyond by leading in the endeavor of providing live streaming for both committee meetings and public hearings. The move comes in the spirit of transparency and improving access.
The month’s second Session was also mostly bi-partisan, with two big votes. The first, and the reason for a second Session this month, was on the final 2023 Onondaga County budget as amended by the Legislature’s Ways and Means Report.
The 2023 budget totals $1.4 billion dollars and is the fifth straight year the county didn’t have to dip into the general fund to balance the budget. Perhaps the biggest items in it are an 11% property tax cut and a lowering of the county tax levy by $1,000,000.
“We started with a great budget from the administration that truly addressed the needs of the community - the emerging and current needs of the community - so it was easy from our standpoint to pick up where the County Executive left off and then through the Ways & Means process integrate or add things that we deemed to be legislative priorities” says Legislator Brian May (1st District), who chairs the Ways & Means Committee.
One of the biggest priorities was the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. The County Executive’s proposed 2023 budget already included $325,000 for the purchase of 8 new patrol vehicles, but members of the Republican Caucus more than doubled that proposed amount. Now approved, the department has enough funding to purchase 19 new patrol vehicles and the equipment to go in them.
An additional $100,000 was also added to the proposed budget to help in the fight against water chestnuts, an invasive species causing many problems for boaters, swimmers, homeowners and the ecosystem in general. The money will allow the county to double the resources to address the problem. Currently, staffers are working to remove more than 60 acres of water chestnuts on waterways across the county.
“It’s a major, major issue in our waterways and the county this year stepped up with this budget to add some additional funding to attack that problem, because it’s going to be with us for years and I’m sure our residents appreciate it” says Legislator Ken Bush, Jr. (13th District), whose district includes parts of the Seneca River.
Legislator Cody Kelly of the 14th District is especially happy to see a 20% increase in funding for preschool services for children with special needs, including occupational therapy and speech therapy. It’s something he’s pushed for since 2021. “This will reduce the number of kids waiting for services and reduce the amount of time children spend waiting for services, so I think it’s a major impact for our community” Legislator Kelly said while speaking during the Session. He also thanked the administration for their collaboration.
Onondaga County Legislators vote on the 2023 Onondaga County budget on October 11, 2022.
Among the other budget highlights:
$5.5 million allocated for more mental health services in our schools (in ALL school districts within the county)
Additional funding to increase staffing levels in several key departments with 12 new funded positions
$5 million to continue the Main Street improvement program, helping revitalize our communities
$5 million to help with remediation of lead, including funding to train contractors, do additional testing on children, and get a mobile lead testing van operational
$2 million for the new John Diaz Community Center in Nedrow (with additional funding from the NFL’s Latavius Murray, who graduated from Onondaga Central Schools)
$1 million in funding for capital projects to improve senior centers, plus money for the Senior Shape Up program helping with certain home revitalization projects
One-time initiatives supporting an employment program for refugees at Syracuse’s Northeast Community Center and the Syracuse Police Athletic/Activities League
$25,000 in additional funding for first responder fire/EMS recruitment and retention
A $30,000 increase in funding for Cornell Cooperative Extension to help with 4-H youth development programs and deer & tick data collection
When the official vote was tallied, the results were overwhelmingly in favor of adopting the amended budget. The final numbers: 16-1.
“It was a bi-partisan result for sure” adds Legislator May. “The baseline budgeting approach was not new this year but I think it was better understood by the non-financial people involved in the process. I think it’s easy for everyone to fall in lockstep when they’re getting what they want in the county’s budget in the way it prioritizes itself.”
At the second Session Legislators also approved several other resolutions. Perhaps the one with the biggest impact was releasing $25 million dollars in ARPA (American Rescue Plan) funding to be used in connection to the White Pine Commerce Park in Clay. That’s where Micron Technology has agreed to invest up to $100 billion dollars to create the largest semiconductor fabrication facility in the United States.
Some of the money will be used for site preparation work and some will be used for workforce development.
“Never in my life would I have imagined that I would be at the Legislature when something so historic took place here in Onondaga County” says Legislator Timothy Burtis (3rd District), who chairs the Legislature’s Planning & Economic Development Committee. “Today is an exciting day. We get to start out at White Pine and I’d like to congratulate everyone in the administration and everyone involved and I think we should be excited.”
Legislator Kelly’s district includes the area where the White Pine Commerce Park will be. “Supporting this funding indicates that we are local partners here” he says. “We’re ready to take our responsibilities seriously. We’re not going to kick the can down the road and let New York State give us 200 million dollars in state infrastructure funding and not hold up our end of the bargain.”
Legislators voted 15-2 in favor of this resolution. As usual, the two no votes came from the other side of the aisle.
Micron Technology, Inc. says site preparation work at White Pine Commerce Park will start in 2023, with construction beginning the following year.