Welcome
Our County Legislature’s most important function is to allocate County resources in ways that meet the needs and values of our residents. Not surprisingly, when our needs are many and our resources are relatively few, our values tend to get short shrift.
Tompkins County now face increasingly scarce resources under a Federal government that shows little interest in our natural, social, and cultural environments, and a State government that sometimes seems determined to bankrupt our counties. We had to use 68% of last year’s county property tax levy to pay for unfunded mandates. Because of New York State’s “system” for funding Medicaid, we used fully 24% of last year’s property tax levy to pay for Medicaid services provided in Tompkins County. If Congressional Republicans succeed in implementing block grant funding for Medicaid, our county share of Medicaid funding could increase even more. What will we do then? We cannot increase property taxes by any substantial amount: our citizens are already burdened with very high property taxes, and that burden was effectively increased by the limitation on SALT deductions imposed by Federal tax legislation passed in 2017. At the same time, we cannot deny health care services to our residents who need them.
How we overcome the challenge of resource scarcity while maintaining the quality of life we all value will set our County’s course for years to come. I believe the key to meeting these challenges is to build a strong, sustainable, independent economy here in Tompkins County. That means not only increasing our tax base, but also using every means at our disposal to create jobs that pay a living wage or better, to promote our flagging retail sector, to underwrite construction of affordable and work force housing, and to expand public transit services throughout Tompkins County. When everyone in Tompkins County thrives, everyone contributes to growing county revenues.
We have a LOT of work to do!
Deborah’s recent Facebook posts are shared, below.
Deborah Dawson - TC Legislator for District 10
Last month, California-based Proterra delivered seven of their fifth-generation 40-foot ZX5+ buses to TCAT. The buses (estimated at about $1 million each) were funded by several sources to include federal, state and local funders, to include the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County and Cornell University. (At the event, TCAT will provide more details about funding sources and publicly recognize the many agencies and organizations that made the purchase of the buses possible.)
“Earth Day is a fitting day for us to celebrate this important TCAT milestone and marks our community’s long-standing commitment toward lowering carbon emissions, and we have many people to thank for that,” Vanderpool said. “TCAT’s aim is to transform what is now a mostly diesel-powered fleet to all electric by 2035 and this day represents our first steps toward meeting that goal, thanks to the help of many of our stakeholders and supporters.”
COVID-19 vaccine for the week of March 15. 1,170 doses are designated for individuals with
comorbidities and 800 doses are designated for phase 1a and 1b essential workers. The
Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) has used the COVID-19 vaccine registry to
communicate appointment links directly with a random selection of eligible individuals from the
registry.
TCHD continues to urge everyone who is eligible to sign up for the Tompkins County COVID19 Vaccine Registry.
tompkinscountyny.gov/health/covid19vaccineform
COVID19 Vaccine Registry Form | www.tompkinscountyny.gov
tompkinscountyny.gov
THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING of our community is our top priority. Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) is working closely with community partners to prevent and respond to the evolving novel Coronav...
eligible for vaccination!
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