December Committee & December 17th Session Update
Each year in December, committee meetings are held earlier than usual so a second December Session can be held. This allows any unfinished county business to be completed before the end of the year.
The County Facilities Committee, which Legislator Debra Cody (5th District) is Chair of, discussed three resolutions at its December meeting. All were from the Onondaga County Department of Transportation.
The first two were related to the county’s agreement with New York State for snow and ice control – simply put, the plowing and sanding of state roads by the county DOT. One resolution allows for a five-year extension of an existing agreement and the second raises the amount of money the state will reimburse the county for the 2024-2025 winter season.
“We actually charge them back an actual rate” the DOT’s Commissioner, Martin Voss, told the committee. “So, we actually keep track of labor, materials, fuel, et cetera, which we are then able to get reimbursed directly for from the state.”
The estimated annual base amount of the contract for snow and ice control during each of the 2024-2029 seasons is $4,717,185.
The committee’s Vice Chair, Legislator David Knapp (12th District) asked Voss, “Is the contract basically the same with every county?”
Commissioner Voss answered, “Yes. We don’t have a lot of latitude to change it. There’s 62 counties, so it is what is whether we like it or not, and frankly, the five year is good because then we’re locked in and the modifications we have to make are just budgetary.”
Chairman Burtis, Facilities Chair Cody, and committee members Kelly and Knapp during a visit to a Department of Transportation facility. They are pictured with DOT Commissioner Martin Voss and Deputy Commissioner Oden Dyer.
Legislator Cody Kelly (14th District), a committee member, asked Commissioner Voss whether the amount of state roadways plowed by the county is fairly comparable to the amount of roadways the state plows within Onondaga County.
Commissioner Voss replied by saying “Because of the way it works out, and the mileage, it actually works out to be a little bit better than break even for us.” He added the county plows a little over 200 miles for the state, including routes 31, 11, 80 and 20, while the state plows interstates 690, 81 and 481, while the Thruway Authority is responsible for the Thruway.
Onondaga County remains the largest plowing operation in the region. During a storm, when the county DOT is fully-staffed, they have about sixty trucks out on the roads, while the state has around 25. Onondaga County does pay plow drivers more than their state counterparts receive.
The second resolution increases the county’s labor and material cost expectation for the current 2024-2025 winter, given higher costs. The higher amount sets a new maximum for what New York State would reimburse the county.
The sale of county property was the third resolution discussed. Onondaga County would like to sell a portion of Kinne Street in the Town of Dewitt to the owner of adjacent properties. The property is a dead-end and rather isolated section of surplus roadway which the new owner would use to expand the parking lot of his existing business.
All three resolutions were advanced to the Ways & Means Committee.
Members of the Health & Human Services Committee, which is led by Dr. Kelly, discussed $12,250,000 in state funding which Onondaga County has received for its Child Poverty Reduction Initiative (CPRI) Program. The grant specifies that households within the City of Syracuse who receive or are eligible for Family Assistance are to be served with this funding, and the county’s Department Of Social Services-Economic Security proposes using it in the following ways:
Expanding the 2Gen Onondaga Generational Poverty Reduction initiative, a comprehensive program to break the cycle of poverty in Onondaga County. This program focuses on helping young parents on temporary assistance achieve long-term self-sufficiency through comprehensive, multigenerational support.
Housing Assistance and Network for Community Engagement - DSS-ES will contract with the Homeless and Housing Coalition to operate a landlord incentive and retention service and a tenant navigation service. Landlords who rent to Temporary Assistance clients will have a "one stop/one call" support system to address any tenant issues. Tenants will be able to access Tenant Navigators who will provide information on rights and responsibilities and assist with landlord issues.
Attendance project focused on school absenteeism – the Department of Children and Family Services will lead this program and will work in partnership with the Syracuse City School District. To combat chronic absenteeism, the project will embed a full-time Attendance Liaison within 7 schools who will partner with the principal, vice principal, social worker, psychologist, and other school personnel to identify and support students struggling with consistent attendance issues.
Diaper distribution for Temporary Assistance Families - DSS-ES will work with the Diaper Bank of Central New York to procure diapers and the Early Childhood Alliance to distribute them. Households with children ages 0 to 3 will receive free diapers.
The committee voted to advance this resolution to the Ways & Means Committee later in the month. They then received an informational update on the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Program. It provides access to nutritional supplements, nutrition education and breast feeding support to women who are pregnant, post-partum, and those with infants up to age 5. Onondaga County’s program stands out in the state – as the county’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Kathryn Anderson, told the committee.
"Consistently, we are one of the few, if not the only, county that is over 100% of our target to population served” she said. “We are at 105%. So, this team is really remarkable at continuing to go out and actively raise awareness of WIC and facilitate enrollment into WIC. They go to farmers markets, they are out and about a lot, and not compromising the service that they provide at all despite the fact that we kind of continue to go past the target that was set for us."
The WIC Program is run from permanent locations in Syracuse and Liverpool, several temporary sites around the county, and also does pop-up sites to connect with more people. Legislator Ken Bush Jr. (13th District) expressed concerns that people in rural parts of the county, such as in his district, are still struggling due to transportation issues getting to sites. WIC does offer virtual appointments, and the vast majority of their clients seem to prefer that option.
The Environmental Protection Committee had several resolutions to discuss at their December meeting. The longest discussion was related to the county’s Department of Water Environment Protection, or WEP. It would allow for an internal transfer of $1 million dollars, from WEP’s Regular Salaries account to their All Other Expenses account. The funds would help cover supplementary costs associated with unpredicted sludge/biosolid disposal. Disposal costs have increased due to delays in getting the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant sludge dryer (see photos below, courtesy of WEP) fully operational which has resulted in unbudgeted expenses. The dryer, when operational, removes significant amounts of water from the waste biosolids reducing the tonnage of material to be disposed at a landfill. While it was planned to be fully functional by the end of first quarter of 2024, several issues have developed which is preventing that.
Committee Chair Julie Abbott (6th District) asked how sure WEP is that budget overruns related to this project won’t happen again. WEP Deputy Commissioner Eric Schuler responded by saying it’s been a difficult process. “We’ve had some hiccups getting it to a point where it can just run consistently and meet the parameters of the contract for quality, et cetera, in order to get to the point that we can close that construction contract out” he shared. “We are committed to having this thing fully operational in 2025.”
Another resolution discussed allows the county to accept $1 million dollars in New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Environmental Benefit Project (EBP) funding. It stems from a settlement with BP Products North America Inc. and Buckeye Pipe Line Company, LP related to a parcel of land along the Seneca River which used to have oil silos. The funding must be used for EBP projects and activities that benefit the environment and natural resources and Onondaga County will have three years to determine how to use the funding. The settlement includes an additional $500,000 which will be used by the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District for water chestnut invasive species removals.
Both resolutions were advanced as were several appointments to the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency and the Onondaga County Soil and Water Conservation District Board.
The final item was a local law allowing for the extension of a lease of space at the WEP facility on Hiawatha Boulevard West. Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems LLC, doing business as Verizon Wireless, uses approximately 602 square feet of interior and rooftop space at said building for the installation, operation and maintenance of radio communication facilities.
The above resolutions which came before the Ways & Means Committee in December were all advanced to Session, as was a resolution appointing Kevin Ryan as the Republican Commissioner of the Board of Elections. Many annual resolutions were also advanced, including setting 2025 town tax rates and the apportionment of two water districts.
Discussing the $12+ million dollars in state funding which Onondaga County has received for its Child Poverty Reduction Initiative (CPRI) Program, Committee Chair Colleen Gunnip (4th District) asked the Commissioner of the Department Of Social Services-Economic Security, Sarah Merrick, whether her department has made any adjustments based on the successes they’ve seen already with the 2GEN initiative.
Commissioner Merrick answered, “I think it’s giving us a sense that we are going to have to train our eligibility workers a little differently and we haven’t completely arrived there, but I do think that it’s doable and I think that they can be more than just entering data and calculating budget. I do think there is more of an interactive role for our workforce.”
Committee Vice Chair Brian May (1st District) shared he likes the 2Gen initiative and asked the Commissioner if what is funded now with the grant money can be funded conventionally in the future and budgeted for. She replied saying she can’t guarantee that but that is what they are working towards.
The committee also discussed two local laws:
To waive the residency requirement for Deputy and Assistant County Attorneys for a short period of time, to allow them to work for the county while giving them an opportunity to search for a new home in the county
Adopting a Domestic Partnership Registry in Onondaga County
The first advanced to Session but the second will remain at the committee level for now to allow for further discussion.
In December, the Legislature holds two Session. All of the above came before them at the December 17th Session. Click here to read about what happened at the December 3rd Session.
Everything you just read about was approved by the full Legislature, including these two local laws:
Allowing for the extension of a lease of space at the WEP facility on Hiawatha Boulevard West by Bell Atlantic Mobile Systems LLC, doing business as Verizon Wireless
Waiving the residency requirement for Deputy and Assistant County Attorneys for a short period of time, to allow them to work for the county while giving them an opportunity to search for a new home in the county
Congratulations to Kevin Ryan, who was officially appointed as the Republican Commissioner of the Board of Elections.
A resolution providing for an $11 million dollar ‘loan’ to itself, the county, to help cover rising costs of the aquarium project until sponsor money is received was pulled from the agenda by the Caucus just prior to the meeting. Legislature Chairman Timothy Burtis (3rd District) addressed it at the start of Session:
Our intent today was to pass an accounting resolution allowing the aquarium project to move forward while at the same time clearly indicating that no more than the already allocated $85 million dollars in county funding would be used. The leadership was working on the details of this resolution right up until the last possible minute, but in the end it was decided that more time is necessary. We live in a system of checks and balances but it became clear that moving forward with this resolution was not the right decision. While it’s important to keep the momentum going for significant projects, we must also respect our colleagues and the public and to allow for more time for all questions and concerns to be answered.
The Legislature also presented two Gold Seals – its highest honor. The late Andrew Branch was honored for his community leadership and for teaching thousands to drive as the owner of Branch’s Driving School.
Legislator Abbott honored the Marcellus Girls Varsity Soccer team, which won the New York State Class B Championship last month. The entire team and Head Coach Laurie Updike joined Legislator Abbott at the front of the chambers for the presentation.
“This is super exciting” Legislator Abbott said. “Their offense is absolutely fierce and this defense was a brick wall. Not one goal went through in the last eight games. So, it takes everybody and these young ladies are a shining example of hard work, camaraderie, and doing us proud!”
At the end of Session, the entire Legislature and staff honored Minority Leader Chris Ryan, who is leaving for a new elected post in Albany. Chairman Burtis called him a good legislator who has proven “that you can disagree without being disagreeable.”