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
New York State's single use plastic bag ban goes into effect in March. The State law allows counties to impose a 5 cent fee on paper bags, and Tompkins County will be considering such a law at tomorrow night's Legislature meeting. The purpose of the fee is to avoid exchanging one waste problem (plastic bags) for another (paper bags), and to create an incentive to use REUSABLE BAGS!! Please feel free to make your voice heard at the public hearing tomorrow night at 5:30 in the Legislative Chambers.
Aldi Replacing 12.5 Million Single-use Plastic Bags With Compostable Bags
www.intelligentliving.co
Starting in January 2020, all Aldi reusable shopping bags and bags for loose fruits and vegetables in 139 Irish stores will be 100% compostable.It looks like we will be spared a heavy snowfall, but not the extreme cold. Stay warm and protect your pets and plants.
Winter storm to bring a wide range of snow amounts, near record cold to CNY
t.co
Get set for a storm system to give us a WIDE RANGE of total snowfall amounts by Tuesday morning. In short, the further north , northwest and west you go and the closer you get to Lake Ontario, the HIG...
Tompkins legislators approve 2020 budget
ithacavoice.com
TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. — The county’s $193 million budget is set for 2020 with approval Thursday night from Tompkins County legislators. They also approved the 2020-24 Capital Program. Legisla…FYI!
State DEC asks New Yorkers to watch for Spotted Lanternfly egg masses this winter
cnycentral.com
Albany, N. Y. – The State DEC is asking residents to be on the lookout this winter for Spotted Lanternflies and their eggs. DEC officials say there have been no documented reports of Spotted Lantern...