AUGUST 2022 COMMITTEE UPDATE
August was a busy months for the committees of the Onondaga County Legislature, as they learned about and discussed a number of resolutions and proposed projects throughout Onondaga County.
PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Planning & Economic Development committee discussed a resolution allowing Onondaga County to file the 2022 Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant, Home Grant and Emergency Solutions Grant programs.
Director of the Division of Community Development Martin Skahen spoke to Legislators about the grants. "It was a little down in Block Grant and it was a little up in the Home Grant and pretty even in the Emergency Solutions Grant and so the plan for the spending didn’t fluctuate all that much from previous years” he said.
Skahen reinforced that all the grant money is from the federal government, and not Onondaga County. But it’s a requirement of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development that this local resolution is approved by the Legislature. He adds that since the Town of Clay is large enough, they get their own grant and the county gets 10% of it for managing it.
Capital projects associated with the Community Development grant will happen all around Onondaga County.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
At the Health & Human Services committee meeting, members learned about a new poverty reduction program now happening in Onondaga County called 2Gen Onondaga. Sarah Merrick with the Department of Social Services explained the program and how it works.
2Gen stands for two-generations, meaning that work is done with multiple members of a family at the same time - for example, a mom and child. The program is specifically for parents under the age of 25 that are on temporary assistance, with the overall goal to help families achieve economic mobility and finally break out of poverty.
The 2Gen Onondaga team works to integrate services, remove barriers for families, provide coaching, partner with community agencies, commit to racial equity and will measure outcomes. “This is a county-wide approach” Merrick told Legislators.
Legislator Deb Cody asked Merrick if Onondaga County is the only county in New York State with this type of program. Merrick responded with a resounding yes, adding “other counties will be watching to see how this works.”
Click here to learn more about 2Gen Onondaga.
Also at the meeting, Legislators heard from Damian Pratt, the Director of Hillbrook Juvenile Detention Center. He spoke about a $155,000 transfer request to cover resident meal costs at Hillbrook which are higher than what was budgeted for. Pratt said one reason for that is that the center has had more older teens at it in recent months and they tend to eat more than younger residents. The increased costs will be factored into Hillbrook’s next budget so this shouldn’t be a problem next year.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Water Environment Protection (WEP) Commissioner Shannon Harty presented at August’s Environmental Protection committee meeting, hoping for a budget transfer of just more than $5,000,000 to help cover increased costs for things such as supplies, utilities, rent, fuel and other commodities. Legislator Julie Abbott, who chairs the committee, asked Harty if inflation is to blame for the higher costs, and she said yes. Legislators okayed the moving the money from one account to another.
Click here to visit WEP’s website to learn more about what they do and how their work impacts you.
Legislators also had a presentation from Travis Glazier, Director of Onondaga County’s Office of Environment. He spoke about Ash Tree removal in the county, the plans to remove more in the year ahead, and the reason why: the Emerald Ash Borer (a small bug causing big problems).
Some facts from the Office Environment’s website:
The prospect of the loss of all ash trees in the county (approximately 1 out of every 9 trees) carries with it potentially significant ecological, recreational, economic, public safety and quality of life implications.
The goal of managing ash trees on county-owned land includes cost-effectively: 1) ensuring public safety; and 2) retaining some of the ecological and social benefits that the ash trees currently provide.
Glazier also updated Legislators on several other issues of environmental concern. The Deer and Tick Management program is progressing nicely. Since 2016, the county has removed 1,452 white tailed deer, 326 of them in the past year alone. Click here to learn more.
FAST FACT: Onondaga County's Deer and Tick Management Program resulted in 31, 925 pounds of venison being donated to local food pantries.
The department also continues the fight against water chestnuts, an invasive species taking over area waterways. Glazier says so far in 2022, over 500,000 pounds have been removed in the county. Click here to learn more.
Glazier also mentioned a new invasive species in New York that the Department of Conversation is closely monitoring: the Spotted Lanternfly (see photo below). The bug has caused havoc on farmlands across the country, so raising awareness about it is critical at this time. Learn more and report sightings by clicking here.
COUNTY FACILITIES
August’s County Facilities committee meeting was held at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, where attending Legislators learned about recent improvements at the zoo and toured the 20,000-square-foot facility which officially opened in April.
The Center can treat animals of all sizes and species, from before birth until their senior years. Large windows allow zoo-goers the chance to look directly into treatment rooms, a surgical suite and the nursery to observe animals being cared for. People can also see how meals are prepared for animals and medical research being done.
The project took almost 10 years to complete, with the Legislature approving $8 million dollars in funding for the Center. The Animal Health Center is now the largest zoological medical center in all of New York State outside of New York City, and it also serves as a teaching hospital for Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, giving students the chance to gain valuable, real-world experience.
PUBLIC SAFETY
At the Public Safety committee meeting, Legislators advanced several resolutions. One, authorizing Onondaga County to work with the Liverpool Fire Department for mutual aid services. Currently, some county emergency management response vehicles are based in Jamesville, but will be moved to Electronics Parkway in Liverpool when the new Emergency Operations Center opens there.
“Since the Center’s inception, this will be the first time all agencies will be under one roof” says Legislator Mark Olson, who chairs the committee. “This will certainly make it more efficient and a better service for all of Onondaga County. We expect to see improved response times, plus, it will help with critical training for all emergency agencies within the county.”
Legislator David Knapp asked about timing to get the move completed – and Commissioner Daniel Wears with the Department of Emergency Management said it should be done within a year.
WAYS & MEANS
Legislators discussed several resolutions authorizing improvements at Onondaga Community College, including the construction of a Workforce Career Lab and expansion of the School of Health. Combined, the resolutions add up to about $30 million dollars. OCC’s Chief Financial Officer Mark Manning answered Legislator’s questions on each of the 5 proposed projects.
Following their approval of the resolutions, Manning said to Legislators “On behalf of the college, I want to extend my extreme gratitude. We really appreciate all the support that you have provided to us and really think that these are going to be some great projects and much needed improvements to the campus.”
There was also some discussion surrounding a resolution raising the amount kept in the county's General Fund to 15% of net revenue - from the current 10% level. Think of this fund as the County's savings account, with the money being saved so there's some in reserve should an economic situation present itself. The New York State Comptroller has said he'd like to see this number at 20%, but Committee Chairman Brian May thinks 15% is a good number for Onondaga County, at least for now. He believes the Legislature should review that number on an annual basis. “I think it's good fiscal stewardship to evaluate where that threshold is set on an annual basis” Chairman May says.
Winter was also up for discussion – specifically, executing a two-year term agreements with Cayuga County and with towns and villages in Onondaga County to provide snow and ice removal services on County roads for the winters of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.
“We are doing a two year agreement at 3% a year so we will have to revisit this again in 2024” says Marty Voss, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation. The agreements allow for some county roads to be plowed by town and village plows. It's a great partnership between Onondaga County and municipalities and helps ensure all roads in the county are properly plowed during the winter.
Voss also spoke about hiring challenges, saying the county DOT is down 5 or 6 drivers at each of their locations across the county. That’s about 25% of staff at each of the locations. Click here to see the available jobs.
“I’m very concerned about how winter is going to present itself and how we’re going to respond but we will do everything humanly possible to manage the snow and ice that we get” added Voss. “But remember, there are rules and laws that govern how hard we can work these folks in the winter.”
Legislator Tim Burtis says, “In wintertime when I see town and county trucks, I’m thankful that they’re there and I’m thankful that blades are down.”
Onondaga County Department of Transportation