Highlights of the 9/25/25 Expanded Budget Committee (EBC) meeting
Published on September 26, 2025
The following final department and agency budgets were presented during this 6th EBC meeting:
Commissioner Brittanie Earle described how the department administers federal and state entitlement programs that help recipients meet their basic food, clothing, shelter, heating, and utilities needs. Earle shared that 61% of the provided services are mandated, and increased workload due to changes in HEAP, SNAP, and Medicaid, childcare funding uncertainty, shelter provider contracts, and placement challenges add to next year’s budget pressures. Legislator Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca Town) asked about the increased workload for eligibility verifications expected to start in October 2026 due to changes in the federal requirements. Earle stated that no additional positions have been budgeted for this work and that she is exploring potential AI use cases for assistance.
The Administrator’s Recommended Budget includes increases in local shares for childcare ($680,000), safety net ($609,218), contract increases ($102,682), and childcare services ($41,417), as well as three additional positions. Not supported was the request for securing a youth detention bed ($250,025), for which the county would be 50% reimbursed by the state when in use, but would have to bear 100% of the cost when not in use.
The Recommended Budget includes reductions of $3,073,192 in shelter staffing salary and fringe (in anticipation of hiring a shelter provider), $205,241 in professional services, telephone, program expense cost for shelter, and $225,420 in security budget (security will be handled internally through the county’s security division). Earle noted that the department has received no guidance yet from the state on this season’s Code Blue allocation.
Commissioner Jennie Sutcliffe was joined by Deputy Commissioner of Operations Jeremy Porter to present the department’s delivery of mental, physical, and environmental health services, as well as accessible health information. Sutcliffe made several adjustments to reduce their budget by $313,000. Factors include a 48% increase in mental health service revenue since 2020 due to increased fee rates, number of services provided, and service hours.
The Recommended Budget includes 4.33 new FTEs (therapists, psychiatric social worker), $16,400 for Suicide Prevention Coalition support (coordinator role), and funding for an epidemiologist ($7,223 from tax levy and $22,425 recommended opioid settlement funds). Not recommended were $62,789 for an environmental health specialist and $127,947 for two certified peer positions requested by a Tompkins County non-profit. Recommended reductions total $90,275 in printing, travel and training, and professional services costs. Legislators discussed contract lines (Legislator Champion, D-Ithaca Town), water sampling procedures (Legislator Shurtleff, R-Groton, Dryden, Lansing), and the peer position RFP process (Legislator Dawson, D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights).
Director Jay Franklin described how the department annually assesses properties at 100% of fair market value to equitably distribute the tax burden among the taxable properties, to administer real property tax exemptions, and to educate the public about real property assessment administration. The maintenance-of-effort budget includes $324,000 in grant revenue to support software investment, one-time software funding ($180,000), annual licensing fees ($6,924), a user conference on new assessment software ($10,000), and $11,100 in reductions for computer equipment, office furnishings, and travel training.
Interim Director Susan Currie described the manifold services TCPL provides. In addition to the main library in downtown Ithaca, TCPL serves as the Central Library of the Finger Lakes Library System, supporting 33 libraries in the five counties served by the system. Currie shared that TCPL receives 79% of its revenue from the county, and per NYS Education Law, its budget cannot fall below 95% of the average of the previous two years. Currie reduced the original request for $212,234 in additional staffing, which was not included in the Recommended Budget, to $96,570 for two clerks for collection processing.
President Amy Kremenek returned for an adjusted budget presentation after the college’s budget was approved in July. TC3 is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is primarily supported by tuition, New York State operating assistance, and support from its local sponsors, Tompkins and Cortland counties. Kremenek reported that fall enrollment is up 11%, and there is a need for additional teaching resources. The requested enhancements were not included in the Recommended Budget: $151,369 for a 5% increase for operations (workforce), $94,500 for the capital project: enterprise resource planning and student information system, and $164,377 for the capital project: deferred maintenance for the main building.
Legislators sought clarification about the timing of this request (Legislator Dawson, D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights), which is outside of the college’s regular budget cycle, and how the college would prioritize these requests (Legislator Black, D-Ithaca Town). Kremenek noted that earlier in the year, Cortland County did not support these requests, but is now supporting the capital projects. TC3 would prioritize the capital projects and is requesting Tompkins County’s support.
General Manager Matthew Rosenbloom described the joint venture of Cornell University, the City of Ithaca, and Tompkins County to provide public transit service to Tompkins County and a portion of Tioga County. The Recommended Budget supported the initial budget proposal and the $803,691 county share.
Rosenbloom explained that increased operational expenses, fixed revenue (ridership is down since COVID), the phasing out of COVID-era funding, and underwriter funding that has been lagging behind expenses created a larger budget deficit for 2026 ($1.6 million). TCAT is requesting an additional $500,000 from each underwriter to preserve services. Rosenbloom shared that no additional funding would lead to the elimination of routes and weekend/nighttime service. He is hopeful that TCAT will be able to increase and stabilize ridership to support financial sustainability, and the state will take action and adjust the funding formula to address the structural issues with transportation sustainability.
Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) stated that “service cuts would be devastating for residents/businesses/students who depend on it” and has “confidence that TCAT can turn it around.” Legislator Sigler (R-Lansing) questioned how this deficit could be made up by increasing ridership.
County Attorney Maury Josephson presented the budget for this department that provides a wide range of legal opinions and guidance to the county legislature, county departments, and staff. It represents the county as a government entity in civil litigation, bankruptcy, foreclosure, solid waste and health department matters, mental health cases, election matters, capital projects and County property transactions, FOIL, and acts as a Presentment Agency in juvenile cases in Family Court. The Recommended Budget included a one-time furniture purchase ($3,800); additional personnel expenses for grade adjustment for deputy county attorney, paralegal/secretary, and county attorney positions ($84,484) were not included in the Recommended Budget.
County Administrator Korsah Akumfi presented the budget proposal for the TCOHR, which is charged with supporting individuals who experience discrimination and providing human rights education and outreach programming opportunities for County residents. Akumfi summarized that the director position has not been filled since the end of 2024, and county administration has engaged the human rights commission in restructuring and reimaging TCOHR. The Recommended Budget included $89,723 to add an education and outreach coordinator to bring department staffing back to three, as it was several years ago. A reduction of $11,000 for professional services, education, and promotion was recommended as well. Legislators Black, Champion, and Dawson questioned adding a position to a department that currently lacks leadership, and why this plan was not discussed at the legislative sub-committee.
County Administrator Korsah Akumfi also presented the budget for county administration, which, under his leadership, oversees and coordinates all operational aspects of Tompkins County government to successfully carry out the policies of the county legislature. Among its responsibilities, county administration prepares preliminary and final budget documents, provides information to Legislators and departments to support decision-making, runs the county's compliance program, performs contract and risk management, and ensures that the public, staff, and media are well-informed on County issues.
Akumfi noted contractual cost increases for software and service contracts ($64,000), a reduction in program supplies ($3,000), and shared program expenses for the Community Justice Center ($90,000) that will be housed with the City of Ithaca. Enhancement requests that were not included in the Recommended Budget were $27,000 for an AI chatbot for improved website search functionality and constituent engagement, and $18,000 for a media monitoring service to capture county media coverage and public sentiment on digital platforms. A $15,000 climate survey was supported, which studies employees' perceptions and perspectives of the county and addresses attitudes and concerns that help the county work with employees to instill positive changes.
This concludes department and agency presentations. The next EBC meeting is scheduled for October 2 at 5 pm and will be livestreamed; it is the first of three voting sessions, during which legislators can propose and vote on changes to the Administrator’s Recommended Budget. Changes made at EBC meetings are recommendations that will have to be approved by the full legislature to take effect.
2026 Budget Forum on September 30
The Tompkins County Legislature invites members of the community to a public forum regarding the 2026 budget. The forum will include a brief update on the budget’s development and the opportunity for community members from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to comment on and ask questions about the budget. The county values the community’s input.
The forum will take place at the Tompkins County Legislature Chambers, 121 East Court Street, Ithaca, on Tuesday, September 30 at 5:30 pm. Members of the public are invited to attend in person or virtually; if attending virtually, pre-register to get the Zoom link. Each attendee will have up to three minutes to provide a comment.