Highlights of the 9/3/26 Expanded Budget Committee meeting

Published on September 10, 2026

Watch the video recording

The Expanded Budget Committee continued its review of the County Administrator’s Recommended Budget, hearing from Information Technology Services, Human Resources, The History Center in Tompkins County, and Facilities.

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.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Information Technology Services Director Loren Cottrell described ITS’ budget as a maintenance-of-effort budget supporting technology and infrastructure across county facilities, including cybersecurity, networks, cloud services, procurement, regulatory compliance, GIS, and shared services for municipalities and public safety. ITS is also supporting significant county facility transitions, including the Center of Government project and departmental relocations.

The most significant discussion centered on how existing IT infrastructure costs are displayed in the budget. Administration explained that a longstanding IT capital program can no longer continue as an open-ended capital account, so $395,000 that previously appeared in the capital plan has been moved into the ITS operating budget. Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) raised concerns that the resulting large increase could look like new spending without additional explanation.

Another portion of the apparent increase reflects the end of temporary ARPA support for Microsoft software licensing ($187,838). The discussion ultimately identified approximately $127,000 as the actual increase in ITS operating costs from 2026 to 2027, with about 75% attributable to salaries, benefits, and fringe costs, and the remainder largely associated with rising service-contract costs.

Legislator Weiser (D-Caroline, Danby) asked whether ITS has sufficient funding to keep staff current on rapidly changing cybersecurity and technical requirements. ITS said highly specialized training can cost $6,000-$8,000 per employee, meaning the available training budget can be consumed quickly, and the department sometimes alternates staff training between years. The department also takes advantage of state partnerships, pilot programs, and tools that otherwise might be unaffordable.

Human Resources (HR)

Human Resources Commissioner Ruby Pulliam presented a 2027 budget of approximately $1.688 million, an increase of just $3,919 over the 2026 budget. She attributed the change primarily to a contract increase and fringe costs. Staffing will decrease by 0.5 FTE to 11 FTEs.

Pulliam identified rising health care costs, technology needs, compliance requirements, and an increasing employee-relations workload as major pressures for 2027. Because of existing staff capacity, HR is postponing some planned improvements, including a separate benefits orientation intended to give new employees more time to understand available benefits.

Legislator Mezey (D-Dryden) suggested that some HR technology and program improvements may ultimately warrant additional investment, including tools for performance-management tracking and sufficient capacity for employee relations.

The committee also discussed HR’s countywide training funds. A $20,000 addition to the existing $55,000 training budget has been made available to departments with $5,000 or less in their own training accounts. HR has increasingly pooled resources for countywide programs such as customer service, de-escalation, ergonomics and leadership training. Some current-year expenditures have not yet appeared because fall training invoices remain outstanding.

The History Center in Tompkins County

Executive Director Ben Sandberg presented on behalf of The History Center as a county-supported agency, distinguishing its operating role from his separate responsibility managing the Tompkins Center for History and Culture building. The History Center stewards approximately 500,000 archival and historic items, operates the exhibit hall and research library, conducts school programs including the Eight Square Schoolhouse experience, offers public programming and maintains the HistoryForge digital history platform.

County general operating support has remained essentially flat at approximately $46,500 from 2025 through the proposed 2027 budget. Sandberg emphasized that unrestricted county support is particularly valuable because many other grants and donations are restricted to specific purposes.

The History Center is working to diversify revenue rather than relying solely on government and foundation support. Sandberg cited expanded walking tours, new fundraising events and the annual treasure hunt, which raised nearly $30,000 the previous year.

Facilities

Facilities Director Arel LeMaro reported that the department is now responsible for 18 county buildings following the addition of the Dutch Mill Road location. Staffing remains at 34 FTEs. The department’s 2027 operating budget is maintenance of effort, with increases primarily associated with salaries and service contracts.

LeMaro described staffing capacity as a significant operational challenge. Two important employees were out on extended medical leave at the time of the meeting, and the department has been unable for more than a year to recruit an HVAC systems technician. He said the county appears unable to compete with private-sector compensation for experienced HVAC technicians and that the department currently has no available in-house employee performing that work. LeMaro expressed interest in developing an entry-level training pathway in which existing or newly hired employees could build HVAC skills under the mentorship of an experienced technician.

Service contracts increase by approximately $66,000. LeMaro explained that this does not reflect new services. Some HVAC and other equipment maintenance had been included for several years within capital-project contracts; those periods have now expired, moving the ongoing costs back into the operating budget.

LeMaro also discussed the continuing balance between planned preventive maintenance and emergency repairs. A $20,000 increase in building repairs is intended for smaller, unanticipated needs; major work such as roofs is addressed through the capital program. Facilities continues to pursue energy conservation and building-efficiency improvements, although many remaining projects require significant upfront capital investment.

Facilities capital plan

LeMaro separately reviewed the longer-term facilities capital plan. The county currently has approximately $35.5 million in planned improvements to existing county facilities, including about $15 million anticipated between 2027 and 2031 and approximately $20 million from 2032 through 2045. Major categories include roofs, HVAC, plumbing, generators, elevators, fire alarms, building envelopes, windows, and site work.

In addition, major facility projects, including the Center of Government, renovations to the former Old Jail and Legislature building, and the Public Safety Building, represent more than $94 million in projected capital work. LeMaro said the County is continuing to look for ways to reduce the scope and cost of some projects; for example, changes to the planned Old Jail renovation could bring the combined Center of Government-related work closer to $50 million.

One theme running through the Facilities discussion was the cost of deferring maintenance. Legislators emphasized the importance of keeping county buildings from deteriorating, while LeMaro described the need to prioritize critical building systems and address larger repairs through the capital program rather than the operating budget.

The Expanded Budget Committee will continue its review of the County Administrator’s Recommended Budget on September 8, hearing from the Soil & Water Conservation District, Recycling & Materials Management, Board of Elections, County Clerk/DMV, and Department of Emergency Response.