May Committee Update
May was a busy month for committee meetings. Legislators discussed important issues, heard from several guest speakers – and even took a field trip!
At the Public Safety committee meeting, Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway brought Legislators up to speed on a variety of issues. He commended OCC President Dr. Casey Crabill (who is retiring) for her continued support of the police academy and training programs, which have really developed and improved in the past decade. The Sheriff also spoke about two programs which are now in place at the Onondaga County Justice Center and Jamesville Correctional Facility. Body scanners have been in use since August 2021 and have already located items traditional X-ray machines didn’t. Inmates at both facilities are also given tablets to use during their stay. Each device is provided by the vendor at no cost, and they allow inmates the ability to do things like send and receive emails and participate in virtual lifestyle and career training programs. Chairman Olson asked about the cost of paid content, such as watching movies, and the Sheriff said the inmate is responsible for paying for that type of content.
Sheriff Conway also spoke about the Sheriff Office’s recent CALEA (The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.) accreditation. It’s considered a “premier accreditation” and the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office is one of only 91 Sheriff’s Departments nationwide that have received the CALEA accreditation and one of only 8 law enforcement agencies in New York State. An accreditation is an outside review of a law enforcement agency’s policies and procedures and looks into whether officers act within professional standards.
The Sheriff ended speaking about body cameras. 25 were delivered in March and are now in use, with another 65 scheduled to arrive soon, bringing the total number of cameras to 250. They also have 75 car cameras with license plate readers. The current cost of the camera program is $504,000. Sheriff Conway says that cost is just for the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department, and he hopes additional funding can be provided in the near-future, so cameras can be purchased for members of the Custody, Corrections and Civil Divisions.
At the Health and Human Services committee meeting, Legislators heard from Monika Taylor with Crouse Health’s Addiction Treatment Services. She spoke on the opioid epidemic in Central New York, sharing that at the time of her presentation, there were 1,290 local cases involving opioids. 78% of those are from Onondaga County (outside the City of Syracuse), with the rest being from within the City of Syracuse and from other locations outside Onondaga County. Taylor says that Crouse has a variety of services available, including both in-patient and out-patient.
Taylor shared that one of the biggest problems currently is that patients coming to the emergency room with drug withdrawal symptoms often don’t meet the criteria for ER/hospital services or admittance, meaning they are sent away without being helped or with just a referral to a program that can help. She added “we have a lot to do here in our community” and shared a personal story of her son, who dealt with an opioid addiction and had difficulty finding services locally. Taylor also stressed the importance of providing these patients with mental health treatment and life skills training (such as how to do laundry and resume writing) and also mentioned a new treatment called TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). After sharing some concerns over how the money would be allocated, the committee approved a resolution to amend the 2022 Onondaga County budget to accept Opioid settlement funds totaling $3,771,991.
Executive Director Kevin Spillane from the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency spoke to the Environmental Protection committee. He shared that OCRRA is much more than the blue bin recycling program and calls it “one of the most robust programs in the country.” They also handle trash disposal and organics management, and partner with local municipalities and private businesses. Spillane also shared OCRRA’s strategic plan (which focuses on transfer capacity, disposal capacity and recycling/waste reduction) and changes coming to the Ley Creek Transfer Station, where their current structure is beyond its useful life. Spillane ended his presentation talking about the blue bin program, which is ending as OCRRA phases them out in the next 2-3 years. Cart-style recycling bins will be used instead, improving collection, reducing litter from blown items, and helping keep recyclables clean and dry, which allows more of them to actually be recycled. The cart program has already proven successful in some communities, such as Camillus. Click here to visit OCRRA’s website.
Chairwoman Deb Cody and Legislator Cody Kelly toured the Carnegie Building as part of the County Facilities meeting. It’s located on Montgomery Street in Syracuse. Commissioner Archie Wixson of the Department of Facilities Management led the tour. Contractors are actively working on the project, with wall framing and electrical work being done at this time. The building was constructed in 1905 and this project restores much of its original beauty. Work is scheduled to be completed later in 2022, and the departments which will eventually be housed there include Economic Development, Community Development, and SOCPA.
The County Facilities committee also authorized resolutions accepting donated land in the Town of Clay for highway purposes, amending the 2022 Onondaga County budget to accept Extreme Winter Recovery Funding and additional Chips Funding, and to make funds available for certain paving and pothole projects.
At the Planning & Economic Development committee, members confirmed the reappointments of Maria Mahar and Anthony Emmi to the Central New York Regional Market Authority. Mr. Rowley sponsored these reappointments. They also approved the calling of two public hearings: one, for the renewal of Agricultural District No. 3, Towns of Camillus, Cicero, Clay, Elbridge, Lysander, Manlius and Van Buren; and another on the proposed inclusion of viable agricultural lands within certified agricultural districts. The also approved a resolution authorizing the County Executive Ryan McMahon to enter into agreements with the City of Syracuse, the Towns, and the Villages in Onondaga County for the purpose of waiving Onondaga County Planning Board referrals for projects where there is no inter-community or county-wide impact.
Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency Director Dan Kwasnowski joined Megan Costa, Assistant Director for County Planning, to update Legislators about Onondaga County’s Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan. Over two-thirds of Onondaga County’s land area is actively farmed land, forests and open space, with over 150,000 acres in farms alone. The agriculture industry in Onondaga County also contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy and creates rural job opportunities. The plan helps protect all of that. In response to a question from Legislator Gunnip, Dan and Megan said that the plan does help Onondaga County get additional funding from New York State and the federal government.
Legislators are busy working for the people of Onondaga County, and are thankful for the support you have and continue to show as they work to move the county forward.