February 2023 Committee Update
February’s committee meetings were full of informative discussions regarding a number of important issues and funding requests.
The first one held was Public Safety, whose members welcomed the Director of the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management, Gerald Payne. He shared details of several initiatives which the department is seeking funding for. One of them is a $175,000 investment in mobile vehicle barriers to help stop vehicles from driving into crowds of people.
“The trailers that have the barriers on them are portable and will be allowed to be deployed throughout the county, county facilities, county events as well as being loaned out to various different jurisdictions” Director Payne told committee members. “If you look at news around the country, there are various different vehicle ramming incidents both accidental and purposely, and these trailers will assist us in safety for all the different events.”
The Director of the Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management, Gerald Payne (far right) speaks at the Public Safety committee. Also pictured are Committee Chairman Mark Olson, Legislator David Knapp and Deputy Clerk Tammy Barber.
Committee Chairman Mark Olson also serves as the Mayor of Fayetteville, and says in his village, their fleet of DPW trucks are used to block roads during major events such as the Memorial Day parade. That requires the village to pay DPW workers, often at overtime or holiday rates. By having access to the county’s vehicle barriers, communities such as Fayetteville will be able to save money while still ensuring the safety of the public.
Director Payne says his department already loans camera trailers, lighting, radios and more to the towns and villages of Onondaga County. Other items funding is being requested for include replacing the Fire Investigation Unit's portable X-ray machine, an enhancement of the currently used incident software, and new personal protective equipment for fire investigators and deputy coordinators.
The committee also welcomed Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick for an informational-only discussion. His office has 22 vacancies at this time and it is his desire to eliminate 8 or 9 positions and use the money from them to increase the salaries of all the Assistant District Attorneys who remain working.
Watch the video to see Legislator David Knapp talk about this request with D.A. Fitzpatrick:
The Commissioner of the Onondaga County Department of Probation, Phil Galuppi, also spoke at the meeting. He said his department is doing well at the moment in terms of staffing and shared that each general probation officer is working 70 to 75 cases. Chairman Olson called that “good news.”
Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelly made surprise visit to the meeting and was given time to speak. One big topic was the need to replace the Air 1 helicopter as it is 25 years old. Around $4,000,000 in funding for a replacement one is expected to be on the agenda in coming months.
The Deputy Commissioner of the Onondaga County Health Department spoke at this month’s Health & Human Services committee. Michelle Mignano provided specifics about several funding requests as committee members listened intently.
The largest - $655,000 for the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office. Mignano said they need to replace their X-ray machine as it is 25 to 30 years old and simply cannot be properly repaired any longer. The department is looking to purchase a Lodox machine (see below) which Mignano says is brand-new and now the standard for Medical Examiner’s offices.
Deputy Commissioner Mignano also explained other, smaller items needing funding at the Medical Examiner’s Office, including floor replacements, autopsy room infrastructure, and digital fingerprint equipment.
Legislator Cody Kelly asked if all the needed new equipment is readily available and Mignano confirmed it is.
She also explained the $33,700 request to replace the county’s two pesticide sprayers, which help in the fight against mosquitos which can carry West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis. The sprayers are truck mounted. “These are twenty-five plus years old and we have a tech that comes out and they literally no longer can get parts” Mignano told committee members. “It’s time to be able to replace them both.”
Here’s a look at the new sprayers:
Commissioner Sarah Merrick from the Department of Social Services - Economic Security also spoke at the Health & Human Services committee. She spoke about their funding request which if approved would allow the department to fully convert their phone system to one which Merrick says is superior to what they currently use. The new system would allow DSS to expand the number of employees able to take calls, allow for the transfer of calls, and allow supervisors to listen in to calls and if necessary, get on the call themselves. The new system would save the county an estimated $160,000 a year.
Commissioner Merrick also discussed the need for new computers at DSS-ES. She says they have 250 computers which must be replaced by May 2023 to be in compliance with NYS ITS. Employees in her department use their computers to perform almost all of their job duties.
Legislator Ken Bush Jr. asked Merrick if the department has considered satellite offices around the county so people don’t have to come downtown - or may not be able to.
“I think that would be a county expense that we would have to really entertain whether it’s worth it” she replied. “Right now it’s very helpful to have all the staff centralized. Unless technology changes, it would be very hard to create a satellite office.”
Merrick says part of the problem is that DSS is required to operate on the state network, and fiber optics to connect to the network are no longer being installed.
Committee Chairwoman Colleen Gunnip – who worked at DSS some years ago - added, “To just wait on people without the technology is not the best because you can’t give them the answers that they needed at that time. Ultimately, you can take paperwork in, but you’d have to go back to the office to process it and then call them back.”
The woman who has been selected as Onondaga County’s new Director of the Office of Environment spoke at this month’s Environmental Protection committee meeting, led by Committee Chairwoman Julie Abbott.
“In my nearly 15 year career, I’ve spanned the environmental professional spectrum which you all know is quite vast” McMahon said during the committee meeting. “From large scale project management, energy, greenhouse gas, renewables, permitting, remediation, sustainability, you name it, we have a lot of that here at the county going on so I’m very excited to be part of it moving forward and really keeping my finger on the pulse of the ever-changing environmental arena because it is changing a lot right now.”
Legislator Debra Cody says, “It was a pleasure to meet Jesse McMahon and hear her vision for the County Office of Environment. Her impressive credentials and understanding of the needs of our County make her a perfect fit - I am looking forward to working with her.”
McMahon, who is no relation to the County Executive, grew up in Baldwinsville and graduated from Baker High School. She now needs to be confirmed by the full Legislature, which is expected to happen at the March Session. Legislators will also likely vote on a new local law in relation to residency requirements for McMahon and all new Commissioners, requiring them to live in Onondaga County. McMahon currently lives in Oswego County but has already put in a purchase offer for a home in Onondaga County.
Committee Chairwoman Julie Abbott and Legislator Debra Cody listen as Jesse McMahon speaks.
At Planning & Economic Development, committee members discussed accepting grant funds from Syracuse Onondaga Food Systems Alliance/Syracuse Grows. The $149,800 will be used to support the Onondaga County Agriculture Council’s “Buy Local – Onondaga Grown” marketing campaign.
Legislator Knapp, who is not part of the committee but is a member of the Onondaga County Agriculture Council, shared details about how the money will be used. “It lets us grow our program” he says. “Part of this is so that we can charter buses from the city, from the schools, and bring kids or families out to the farms so they can get out, see where their food comes from and have some fun.”
The money will be used over a two year period, and Legislator Knapp said there are a multitude of other ways money will be used as well, all with a goal of teaching people about the importance of agriculture in Onondaga County and why it’s important for everyone to support our local farms.
Click here to learn more about the Onondaga Grown program.
Planning & Economic Development Committee Chairman Timothy Burtis led this meeting. as usual. The committee also discussed accepting grant funds from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) for updates to the Onondaga County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, and allocating money to the Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency to assist with local planning needs.
The Ways & Means Committee also discussed that Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency (SOCPA) request: $1,000,000 to assist the agency with planning work related to the Micron project in Clay.
SOCPA Planning Director Dan Kwasnowski spoke to the committee, sharing some of the money will go to provide planning services and/or funding to towns and villages in preparation for future growth, local planning needs and preparing for and accommodating growth in the northern part of Onondaga County.
Director Kwasnowski told the committee it’s important for SOCPA to work “with towns up there to make sure we have the planning in place so that we can make sure our infrastructure goes in the right place and our housing is there and supplied for workers coming into the area and making sure we’re creating really high quality communities.”
“Micron is a big deal and I think this Legislature has proven it’s behind the effort that we’re giving and supporting it in every way that we can” said Committee Chairman Brian May, who also asked the administration to come up with a blueprint of sort to help see what’s been done already in relation to the Micron project and what’s still to come. “I think it would be pretty advantageous for this body to have a better long-term understanding of what the county’s commitment is more from a planning standpoint and to prepare us for future conversations and considerations.“