Highlights of the 8/19/25 Tompkins County Legislature Meeting

County administration addresses the 2026 budget gap 

County administrator, Korsah Akumfi, updated the legislature on the status of the 2026 budget process. Through careful line-by-line review of revenues and expenditures and consideration of actual expenditures in previous years, the budget gap has been reduced from the county's initially estimated $11 million to roughly $4 million. Many enhancement and maintenance-of-effort requests could not be recommended, and reductions were initiated across departments and agencies. County administration continues to review departmental budgets and will present the recommended budget to the legislature on September 2, limiting the property tax levy increase to between 4 and 6%. The budget team extends its sincere thanks to all departments for their collaboration, flexibility, and understanding in anticipation of this challenging budget year. 

Relocation of several county departments was finalized 

A resolution introduced by the Chair of the Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, Lee Shurtleff (R-Groton, Dryden, Lansing), and approved by the legislature in a 13:1 vote, outlined the temporary relocation of the county’s Department of Assessment and Office for the Aging to the recently purchased 31 Dutch Mill Road property in the Town of Lansing. The Board of Elections will temporarily occupy the current Office for the Aging space at 214 West State Street in Ithaca. Both locations will be prepared for occupancy by the respective departments for the duration of the Center of Government project. A timeline of when departments will be operational in their new locations will be announced in the near future.  

Legislator Shurtleff was motivated by the economics of purchasing versus leasing the Lansing property for needed department space and the estimated $250,000 in annual savings the county could realize. 

Legislator Shawna Black (D-Ithaca) stated her opposition due to her “very strong beliefs that forward-facing departments need to be on the bus line and accessible to everyone.” 

$29,900 in housing affordability grant funds were approved for municipal projects 

Chair of the Housing and Economic Development Committee, Greg Mezey (D-Dryden), presented the committee recommendation to add $9,900 to the Department of Planning and Sustainability’s 2025 Housing Affordability and Supportive Infrastructure Grant (HASIG) Program budget ($20,000) to support three proposed municipal projects in the Towns of Danby (sewer district consultant) and Dryden (feasibility study development) and the City of Ithaca (accessory dwelling unit consultant). The legislature approved all resolutions unanimously. 

Legislator Mezey explained that “this is the county’s way to leverage county dollars with local investment by municipalities as they engage with planning experts around increasing housing stock and improving infrastructure.” 

Other business 

The contracted auditing firm presented the 2024 audited financial report, which was unanimously accepted by the legislature. Auditors did not identify any deficiencies in internal controls, and no issues or concerns were noted in the attached management letter. 

The Legislature recognized the Sciencecenter for its decades of commitment to public service, professional standards, excellence in education, and the Sciencenter’s once again achievement of receiving the accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums.