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
Just multiply the enormity of this poor animal's suffering by hundreds of millions - for all of the wildlife that was left orphaned and alone by the fires in Australia. The heartbreak is almost too much to imagine, much less to bear. This is what we are doing to our planet and the species with which we share it. We MUST change our ways.
Jimmy escaped the fires, but not the grief
www.abc.net.au
When people talk about the fires that have ravaged Australia this summer, they often speak of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the devastation. We don’t really have the capacity to grasp this mu...Thanks to fellow TCAT Board member Dan Klein for this excellent explanation of our choice of location for a new TCAT faciity.
Letter to the Editor: 'Relocation is a critical step for TCAT'
ithacavoice.com
On behalf of the TCAT Board of Directors, TCAT General Manager Scot Vanderpool and his staff, I am responding to the Ithaca Voice letter to the editor “$52 million TCAT proposal too costly” (Jan. ...A must-read. This can happen anywhere, including here in Tompkins County.
Opinion | Who Killed the Knapp Family?
www.nytimes.com
Across America, working-class people — including many of our friends — are dying of despair. And we’re still blaming the wrong people.We are experiencing a severe shortage of skilled tradespeople in Tompkins County. This article emphasizes that such shortages are frequently the result of parents who don’t provide their children with any option other than college.
Teens Need to Know They Can Make Money in Trade Careers
www.familycircle.com
High-paying jobs are available for students who choose trade school or vocational or technical education instead of bachelor’s degree programs.If, like me, you're looking for a way to help people in Australia, you can make an international donation through the Australian Red Cross at this website.
Disaster relief and recovery - New Year's Eve
www.redcross.org.au
Right now we’re supporting thousands of people in evacuation centres in Victoria and New South Wales. Since July, we’ve been there for more than 13,500 Australians when disasters strike – thanks...Thanks deb
