September Committee & October Session Update (Plus an update on the 2025 Onondaga County Budget)
The Health & Human Services Committee met in September and discussed a proposed lease agreement with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for the use of 3,600 square feet of office space on the third floor of the Bishop Curley Building at 425 South Warren Street in Syracuse. It would become home to the Health Department’s Substance Use Initiatives (SUI) programs. Health Commissioner Dr. Kathryn Anderson says in their current space in the Civic Center, the team working on these programs does not have a dedicated space. Following a discussion, this was advanced to Session.
Dr. Anderson also spoke about the problem with opioids in Onondaga County and if funding is proving to help combat the issue. She shared the below data, which shows that since 2021, the number of deaths related to fentanyl has decreased somewhat.
Dr. Anderson says this data, provided by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s office indicates that the Health Department’s community based programs do seem to be having a positive effect. She added that they will be expanding their substance abuse programs in 2025.
Committee Chair Cody Kelly (14th District), said, “Opioid addiction and substance use are issues that continue to ravage our community. With the benefit of opioid settlement money, Onondaga County is taking a multi-pronged approach towards combatting addiction. With our new space, individuals will have access to a variety of resources and harm reduction services that will meet them where they are on their road to recovery.”
The County Facilities Committee met in September for an informational update from the Onondaga County Department of County Facilities. Commissioner Archie Wixson spoke to the committee about current and upcoming projects. One project discussed was the STEAM school renovation in Syracuse, which is expected to be operational by Fall 2025.
“Work is underway and progressing” the Commissioner told the committee. “We’re lucky to have good contractors on the project and I have to speak highly of all four prime contractors on the job. They’re all local. They’re all involved. They’re all reliable and respectable. They do quality work. It’s going to be a fight to the finish to maintain the budget and a fight to the finish to maintain the schedule. It’s a huge project.”
Another project discussed during the meeting was improvements to the marina at Onondaga Lake Park. Commissioner Wixson explained that new docking will be added to give boaters a place to tie up and enjoy the restaurants and retail offerings of the Village of Liverpool. The project is currently in the design stage.
Other projects Commissioner Wixson spoke about included:
Renovating office space in the Civic Center (as some departments move around)
Mechanical work at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo
Seating and sound system improvements at the Onondaga County War Memorial
Work at Onondaga County Parks, including Hopkins Road and Beaver Lake Nature Center
The aquarium, where the work of putting pilings into the ground is underway
Hillbrook Detention Center (creating space for vocational instructional programs)
Committee Chair Debra Cody (5th District) said, “The meeting was a great opportunity to hear directly from our Facilities Commissioner about the many projects we have going on in Onondaga County and where they stand. I think it’s fantastic that we have such a great Facilities Department which can accomplish so much with our great county workforce.”
Click here to watch Commissioner Wixson’s presentation to the committee.
September’s Public Safety Committee had two items, both related to the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. Chief of the Civil Department Lisa Dell explained both.
One is a lease agreement with the Town of Salina for nearly 1,800 square feet of office space within their Town Hall. It is space the department has used for over 30 years with no formal agreement. The lease will be for $1.00 a year. Chief Dell told the committee the space will house the OCSO’s School Resource Officers, Community Relations Division and Project LifeSaver Division. She said it’s ideal because they are limited on space at their downtown headquarters and parking is a challenge.
Committee Chair Mark Olson (10th District) said, “This lease continues to allow the Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Salina to continue providing excellent services to the residents of Salina while saving money and providing enhanced services to the residents of Salina. This is a good showcase of what can happen when two government agencies work together for the betterment of their communities.”
The second is an Intermunicipal Agreement with the Syracuse City School District for Librarian Services at the Onondaga County Justice Center. It provides for the services of a part-time Librarian at the Justice Center.
“Basically what the part-time Librarian does is teach the high school equivalency program, does Law library research for incarcerated individuals when they need books or certain documents not available at the Justice Center, and they maintain a regular Library and rotate books” Chief Dell explained.
Both resolutions were advanced to Session. Neither of the two Democratic Legislators on the committee attended the meeting.
The Planning & Economic Development Committee received an update on the Plan Onondaga County Comprehensive Plan. Adopted by the Legislature in July 2023, it defines a vision and goals for community success in the years ahead and includes the shared needs, goals and challenges of each of the county’s municipalities. It also facilitates a pathway to implement positive growth and change. The plan includes five main themes.
Onondaga County’s Planning Director, Troy Waffner, spoke on each of the themes. One is Housing and Neighborhoods which helps address the need for more places for people to call home. “From the start of when Micron was announced to today, there’s over 15,000 housing units either in development or in the process and that’s a good number to start out with” Director Waffner told the committee. “It’s a solid base to move forward on.”
Committee Chair David Knapp (12th District) asked, “So 15,000, is that based on applications to towns and villages and the city planning departments? How did that number come up?”
Waffner responded, “Yes, it’s based on that. It’s based on as we go along we collect information from developers and municipalities and along the line we’re just putting all that into a database and keeping track.”
Progress is being made on the other four themes (Strong Centers, Community Mobility, Greenways & Blueways and Agriculture). Director Waffner says it’s key his department makes sure municipalities have the tools they need to move forward with this plan and their own comprehensive plans.
Director Waffner also spoke about a study underway looking at the CNY Regional Market. The market has received negative attention in recent months due to operational and managerial failings. The study is looking at finances and operation and will help create a vision of what the market will look like in the future. It will take some time to complete but some results of the study are expected to be available by the end of 2024.
There were only three items on the agenda for September’s Ways & Means Committee, all of which were advanced to Session.
Creating additional job titles in Onondaga County under the New York State Department of Civil Service’s Hiring Emergency Limited Placement Program (HELP Program) which allows participating municipalities to hire employees on a non-competitive basis into positions that are presently competitive for a period of one year
Potentially refunding all or portion of 2015 GO (General Obligation) issuance, allowing Onondaga County to issue bonds at lower rate, pay off existing bonds at higher rate, and spin up annual savings related to the transaction
A settlement of action discussed in Executive Session
At the October 3rd Session, all of the above were presented and adopted by the full Legislature. Legislator Cody also presented a Gold Seal – the Legislature’s highest honor – in celebration of Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month. It read, in part: Throughout our history, Hispanic and Latino Americans have enriched the American way of life, and we recognize the millions of Hispanic and Latino Americans whose love of family, leadership and wisdom have helped to shape our national character and strengthen our communities.
COUNTY BUDGET UPDATE
A second Session was held October 8th specifically to consider the 2025 Onondaga County budget. It followed three weeks of intensive review of the County Executive’s proposed budget and hearing from nearly 20 department heads about the needs and wants of their department. The process is led by the Ways & Means Committee.
Public safety is always top of mind, and this year, the Caucus added more than $400,000 to the budget to allow the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office to replace more of their aging vehicle fleet. They also added nearly $50,000 for a specialized Jiu Jitsu training program which teaches law enforcement safer methods of dealing with uncooperative individuals in our community.
Responding to obvious needs, the budget allows for 15 new positions in the Department of Children and Family Services to better handle serious cases with higher levels of oversight and help ensure all individuals receive the attention they need. The Caucus also providing four new positions for the Board of Elections to provide the best voting experience possible to our community.
“One thing we look at closely each year during our budget review is if any county departments could benefit from adding positions” said Legislature Chairman Timothy Burtis (3rd District). It’s important to us that they have what they need to best serve the people of Onondaga County and this year, some of those needs were quite obvious. Our people are our most important asset and so creating these positions was the right thing to do.”
The $1.5 billion dollar spending plan also specifically calls for strategic investments in the county’s greatest areas of need – our children, poverty and infrastructure. A highlight is a 9% rate reduction that homeowners will see in their property taxes. This is a direct result of good financial stewardship which allows for the property tax levy to remain flat, or unchanged, from the previous budget. The sewer rate will remain the same from last year, meaning homeowners should expect no increase there, and the overall budget is fully balanced without the use of fund balance for the 7th year in a row.
Other notable items in the now approved budget include substantial investments in foster care and daycare programs, increased funding for lead initiatives (on top of the County's $14 million dollar ‘war chest’ for lead remediation), an update to the county’s personnel roster which will better public interaction, continued investments in housing initiatives and mental health programs in county schools.
The budget was unanimously approved by the full Legislature. Several members of the minority party did propose budget amendments at the last minute (totaling nearly $100 million dollars) but provided no specific information or details for any of the requests, so they were referred back to committee.
"I'm very pleased with the Republican Caucus' effort and diligence with this budget” said Majority Leader Brain May (1st District). “We made meaningful enhancements in strategic areas while ensuring property taxes account for the lowest portion of the general fund budget in more than a decade."
Legislator Colleen Gunnip (4th District) is Chair of the Ways & Means Committee. “I’m so happy that after our thorough review and discussion, we had a unanimous vote and support for this budget” she said. “That’s something that hasn’t happened in many years and is especially meaningful to me as it’s my first year as Chair of the committee.”
The 2025 Onondaga County budget goes into effect January 1st.
Click here if you’re interested in reading through the budget document.