Tompkins County urges Congress to preserve Inflation Reduction Act local tax credits and accepts related credits pending federal approval

The Tompkins County Legislature on Feb. 4 passed a member-file resolution calling on Congress to preserve the local‑government clean‑energy tax credits created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and, separately, approved a resolution to accept pending IRA clean‑energy tax credits that the county has applied for.

Former legislature chair Martha Robertson and Climate and Sustainable Energy Advisory Board Chair Irene Weiser urged support for the resolution, noting the county has projects that could receive roughly $1.8 million in pending IRA tax credits and that some of these credits are time‑sensitive. Weiser described nearly $2 million in nondiscretionary credits earmarked for boiler replacements at the Human Services Building and another facility, and warned that losing the credits would increase taxpayer costs for those projects.

County staff explained the mechanics: the program functions as a tax credit (a rebate‑style payment) made available to tax‑exempt governmental entities through tax‑credit monetization and related processes; staff said the county submitted applications in mid‑November 2024 and is approaching the typical 60–90 day window for award notification but that federal funding uncertainty makes timing unclear.

The legislature approved the member-file resolution (Resolution J) urging preservation of the IRA credits by a recorded vote (12–2) and separately moved and approved the county acceptance/resolution for the IRA tax‑credit application (Resolution A, ID 13026). Officials said the county can proceed with projects without the full expected rebate if needed but that the credits would ease the county’s capital budget needs for boiler and solar projects.

Next steps: county finance staff will monitor award notices and, if credits are awarded, apply rebate proceeds to the green‑facilities and green‑fleet programs; if awards do not materialize, staff said projects can continue using other existing funds but may require adjustments.