Public comment at Tompkins County meeting: taxes, rats, encampments and the CJC

Several residents addressed the legislature during the public-comment period on Sept. 1. Jim Meehan, a retiree and homeowner in the town of Ithaca, said large property-tax increases would be unaffordable for fixed-income homeowners and said he could not support levy increases around 12%: "I cannot support a property tax assessment of 12% or more," he said. The comment framed later floor discussion of fund-balance use and the proposed levy.

Zach Quinn raised public-health and safety concerns, reporting ongoing rat issues near the downtown library and expressing concern about an encampment he described as unpermitted behind a retail site; he asked that the administration, county attorney and health commissioner respond in writing. Quinn also recommended tabling the Community Justice Center contract extension until the budget work was further along. Amanda Kirch Gessner supported county participation in the CJC but asked that funding be contingent on a formal memorandum of understanding between the Tompkins County Sheriff's Office and the Ithaca Police Department to codify jurisdiction, mutual aid, information sharing and dispute resolution. "If we're committing county dollars to a joint vision of public safety, let's also commit ourselves to the formal relationships necessary to sustain that vision safely and beyond any particular administration," she said.

Administration responded to welfare and facilities questions: facilities staff said rat remediation is complicated by the location of nests under a transformer and work with NYSEG is required; budget staff said detailed written answers to public questions would be posted to the county budget website.