Highlights of the 9/22/26 Expanded Budget Committee meeting

Published on September 24, 2026

Watch the video recording

The meeting included presentations from SPCA, County Historian, Tompkins Center for History and Culture, Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County & Community Agencies, Tompkins-Cortland Community College (TC3), and Department of Social Services.

The table below provides a snapshot of the budgets presented during the meeting, followed by summaries of the presentations and key discussion. “Local share” is the portion of a department or agency budget supported by county dollars after outside revenues such as state and federal aid are applied. Comparing local share helps show how each budget affects the county’s overall funding needs and property tax levy.

Approximately $569,000 in additional local share is equivalent to a 1% increase in the county’s property tax levy. Budget figures shown below are rounded.

Animal Control/SPCA

The SPCA described its countywide animal welfare work, including spay and neuter services, vaccinations, humane investigations, assistance for residents who cannot afford veterinary care, and efforts to reduce feral and free-roaming cat populations. In 2025, the organization administered approximately 1,400 rabies vaccinations, including vaccinations for more than 500 feral or free-roaming cats. It also spayed or neutered 119 animals surrendered to the shelter before adoption.

The organization’s county contribution is $32,663, compared with a total organizational budget of a little more than $1.7 million.

Legislator Mezey (D-Dryden) asked what services would be affected without the county contribution. The SPCA said the funding provides flexibility to respond to community needs and that reductions would most likely affect activities such as trap-neuter-release efforts, public assistance, temporary animal housing and other outreach services.

The committee also clarified the distinction between the SPCA’s general mission and municipal animal-control contracts. The organization contracts with seven municipalities for stray-dog control, while services such as care for injured stray cats, animal cruelty investigations, pet surrenders, spay/neuter programs and other assistance are part of its broader mission.

Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) also raised questions about emergency animal sheltering capacity following a recent large housing displacement. The SPCA said it does not have the physical capacity or formal plan to accommodate a sudden large-scale influx of animals, although it can access outside disaster resources and provide services such as food, supplies, and veterinary assistance.

County Historian

County Historian Charlie Githler described his work promoting and preserving local history, coordinating with municipal historians, answering public inquiries, and working with the Tompkins County Historical Commission on publications and other projects. He said he generally works approximately 12 to 15 hours per week.

The budget remains $18,500: $10,000 for the historian stipend and $8,500 for Historical Commission projects, including local history publications. The program received a separate state tourism award of a little more than $3,000 for an America 250-related project involving a white pine planting and interpretive plaque in Stewart Park.

The Historical Commission generally aims to publish two to three books per year. Proceeds from sales at the Tompkins Center for History and Culture and Historic Ithaca benefit those organizations rather than returning to the Historical Commission.

Tompkins Center for History and Culture

History Center Executive Director Ben Sandberg returned to EBC in a separate role as building manager for the Tompkins Center for History and Culture, the county-owned building on the Commons. The county has contracted with the History Center for the past five years to manage the facility, which houses approximately a dozen nonprofit tenants as well as community, cultural, and visitor services.

The county’s building-management allocation is $51,240, which accounts for slightly more than half of the facility’s operating income; tenant rents make up most of the remainder. The county budget also contains other building-related expenses, including an approximately $30,000 annual contribution to a building reserve and insurance costs.

Sandberg said the current building-management agreement expires Dec. 31, 2026, while tenant leases generally extend through 2030.

A $10,000 utility OTR that appears in the budget materials is no longer being requested*. Sandberg explained that it was submitted earlier because of concern about rising utility costs, but the building has since moved to a different utility rate, and he is more confident the existing allocation is sufficient.

A larger issue is the condition of the building. Sandberg described aging HVAC equipment, plumbing problems, water intrusion, and other infrastructure concerns. A recent building-envelope study identified approximately $3 million to $3.5 million in potential improvements. The study may help support applications for outside capital grants, including grants available specifically to arts and cultural organizations.

The discussion also clarified an important accounting point: a figure initially described during the meeting as approximately $2.9 million in building reserves was not cash available for improvements. Finance later clarified that the fund balance figure largely reflects the value of the building itself ($2.8 million); approximately $120,000 was identified as cash.

Legislator Black suggested that the county examine whether some county offices could eventually use the space or whether the current rental arrangement should otherwise be revisited. Legislator Mezey questioned whether functions such as cleaning and building management could be absorbed by County Facilities. Administration said it had discussed that possibility with Facilities and believed the current arrangement was more cost-efficient.

Sandberg said building management can take approximately 15 to 20 hours of his work week and noted that the History Center board has concerns about the amount of time the responsibility takes away from his primary role.

Chair Dawson concluded that the lengthy discussion identified broader questions about the county-owned building, rental structure, and management model that would be better examined by the appropriate program committee rather than resolved during the limited EBC budget review period.

Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County & Community Agencies

Human Services Coalition

Human Services Coalition Executive Director Cindy Wilcox, Finance Director Taylor Fellman, and Deputy Director John Mazzello presented HSC’s operating support request. HSC described its work at three levels: direct services such as 211 and health insurance enrollment; organizational support including training and technical assistance; and system-level work including community planning, convening and coordination. Recent examples include the SNAP working group and Medicaid task force.

HSC reported that 211 contacts are up approximately 13% compared with the same point last year. The organization said it continues to see significant demand related to housing, utilities, transportation, and health insurance.

County Administration recommends the amount HSC requested, which represents no change from 2026. County support represents approximately 20% of HSC’s overall budget.

During discussion, HSC explained that it maintains a board-required reserve equal to at least three months of operating expenses (approximately $460,000 in 2026) and has additional reserves that it anticipates drawing down over time as it improves employee benefits and addresses recruitment and retention.

Community agencies

Human Services Coalition representatives separately presented funding for community agencies supported through the county’s human services allocation. HSC explained that Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca jointly support the program, with city funding provided through the sales-tax agreement. The county’s portion of target funding has decreased by approximately $429,000, or 35%, since 2024.

OTR requests include two existing multi-year enhancements that are entering the third year of their three-year commitments and a one-time funding request:

• $25,000 for the Community Food Coalition, supporting local food purchases and coordination among food pantries.
• $45,000 for OAR’s Sunflower House, supporting transitional housing and reentry services.
• $55,000 for the Groton Health Care Center (one-time funding)

No enhancements are included in the County Administrator’s Recommended Budget.

Discussion focused in part on what happens after the third year of an enhancement. Representatives explained that the Community Food Coalition used the three-year county investment to establish and strengthen its local food-purchasing model, while OAR’s Sunflower House continues to address an ongoing service need.

Legislators also discussed the broader challenge of distributing a limited community agency funding pool among organizations facing increased costs and demand.

Tompkins-Cortland Community College (TC3)

TC3 President Amy Kremenek introduced the college’s capital request by emphasizing student outcomes and the role the college plays in preparing students for employment in the region. TC3 reported continued enrollment growth from approximately 2,752 in 2023-24 to 2,860 in 2024-25 and 2,972 in 2025-26. The college noted that FTE is different from student headcount because many students attend part-time, meaning several individual students may collectively equal one FTE.

Kremenek described an approximately $810,000 capital package that would support classroom and learning-environment technology, soundproofing, repairs related to skylight leaks, elevator modernization, flooring, interior wayfinding, and other campus improvements. Kremenek identified learning-environment improvements, soundproofing, and water-intrusion/skylight work among its highest priorities.

Under the community college capital funding structure, the state provides a 50% match, while Tompkins and Cortland counties share the local sponsor portion. Cortland County has already committed approximately $153,100. TC3 is requesting approximately $251,000 from Tompkins County. The County Administrator did not include the request in the Recommended Budget and noted that the county supported the college’s $258,000 capital request last year.

Legislators discussed whether the request could be supported without adding the full amount to the 2027 property tax levy. Legislator Mezey (D-Dryden) indicated an intention to bring forward a member-filed amendment to fully fund the county share using another available funding source rather than increasing the levy.

Administration also noted that community-college capital projects require agreement between both sponsoring counties, making coordination with Cortland County an important part of the process.

Department of Social Services

DSS Commissioner Brittanie Earle opened by outlining the breadth of the department’s responsibilities. DSS determines eligibility for public assistance, SNAP and Medicaid; connects residents with food, housing, heating, health care, childcare and employment services; protects children and vulnerable adults; supports foster care and adoption; and provides services intended to help families remain stable. Much of that work is driven by federal and state requirements rather than local discretion.

DSS said approximately $39.4 million, or 61% of its requested expenditures, is tied to mandated services. Those programs account for approximately $20.3 million, or 71%, of the proposed local share. Mandated programs include temporary assistance, SNAP, HEAP, Medicaid, child and adult protective services, child support and childcare subsidies.

The department identified several major 2027 budget drivers. Beginning in October 2026, the federal reimbursement rate for SNAP administration is expected to decline from 50% to 25%, increasing the county’s 2027 local cost by approximately $740,000. DSS had also initially projected approximately $646,000 in additional childcare costs, but new state funding offset most of that increase, leaving a required local maintenance-of-effort amount of $70,752. State funding for Code Blue sheltering was reduced by approximately $1.16 million to $841,000; DSS adjusted its spending accordingly, with no additional local share associated with that change.

Before bringing forward its staffing requests, DSS made a series of budget reductions and organizational changes.

• Eliminated three vacant positions ($181,000 local share)
• Reduced Code Blue shelter spending to match the new state allocation and reduced shelter overtime ($273,000 local share)
• Eliminated the underused SafeCare contract shared with Whole Health ($17,000 local share)
• Reduced the Youth Advocate contract ceiling ($80,000 local share)

Together, those changes reduced the proposed budget by approximately $1.92 million, including about $552,000 in local share.

Earle also described the scale of the department behind those numbers. DSS has more than 180 employees across six divisions and more than 30 units. In 2025, the Eligibility Division served more than 20,000 unduplicated individuals; Children’s Services received approximately 1,200 Child Protective Services hotline reports; Adult Protective Services received more than 150 referrals; and fiscal staff processed more than 11,000 financial transactions.

The department is also preparing for significant leadership turnover. Three key leaders in administration, Eligibility and Children’s Services are expected to retire by early 2027, representing more than 60 years of combined departmental experience. Rather than simply replacing those positions one-for-one, Earle said it is using the transition to reconsider how the department is structured, particularly around fiscal oversight, legal and compliance responsibilities, supervision in Children’s Services, and training and quality assurance in Eligibility.

Earle initially submitted four OTR positions but withdrew the welfare investigator request for now. The department is proceeding with three proposed positions:

• An Assistant Director of Administrative Services to strengthen fiscal oversight, budgeting, reimbursement, and continuity.
• A Case Supervisor Grade A in Children’s Services to provide additional supervision and quality assurance for a division with more than 60 employees.
• A Division Eligibility Coordinator to support training, quality assurance, and program compliance in the department’s largest division.

The three requested positions have a combined local cost of approximately $228,000. DSS has already removed three vacant positions representing approximately $181,000 in local share, reducing the net cost of the new positions to $47,176. The department then proposed eliminating an additional vacant eligibility caseworker position, representing approximately $66,788 in local share, if the three new positions are approved.

Taken together, Earle said the restructuring would result in approximately $20,000 in net local savings rather than an increase.

The Administrator’s Recommended Budget had originally listed the new positions as unsupported because of fiscal constraints. During the Sept. 22 discussion, administration explained that the proposal had evolved since the budget was assembled and that the revised restructuring can now be accommodated with funds already in the budget. The necessary revenue and expense corrections are expected to appear as administrative amendments during the voting process, while position classifications and organizational changes continue through HR and committee review.

Legislator Mezey specifically asked why the budget book identified the positions as unsupported when the revised proposal saves local dollars. Administration explained that the current proposal reflects subsequent discussions and reductions that were not part of the original submission.

DSS also noted that, with the three OTR positions, its 2027 staffing would be 184 FTEs, well below staffing in each of the prior three years.

What’s next?

The Expanded Budget Committee will continue its review of the County Administrator’s Recommended Budget on:

• September 24 with presentations from the Sheriff’s Office/Jail, Probation, County Attorney, and County Administration/Human Rights.

Public Forum

On October 1, County Administration will hold a Public Forum at 5 p.m. in the Legislature Chambers. Residents are invited to comment on the Recommended Budget either in person or via Zoom.

Voting meetings

With department and agency presentations nearing completion, the EBC will move into budget deliberations on October 5 and 8. During these meetings, legislators may propose amendments to the Recommended Budget. The EBC will vote on those amendments, and any that pass will be forwarded as recommendations for consideration by the full legislature.