Expanded Budget Committee recommends 3.31% tax levy increase for 2026
Published on October 10, 2025
Highlights of the 10/8/25 Expanded Budget Committee (EBC) meeting
Public hearing scheduled for October 28
The Expanded Budget Committee unanimously voted for a 2026 tax levy totaling $56,713,511, an increase of 3.31%. This estimates a $20.08 tax increase on a median-priced home. The full County Legislature will vote on the recommendation at its 10/21 meeting. A public hearing on the Tentative Budget is scheduled for 10/28 at 5:30 pm in the Legislature Chamber. It will be livestreamed and recorded.
Below is a list of amendments that were voted on during the October 8 meeting.
Amendment 44 – Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3)
Legislator Pillar (D-Ithaca City) proposed to add $94,500 as a one-time use of fund balance for a software replacement capital project, which passed unanimously.
Amendment 45 – Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3)
Legislator Pillar (D-Ithaca City) proposed to add $164,377, a one-time use of fund balance for a deferred maintenance capital project, which passed unanimously.
Amendment 43 – Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3)
Legislator Pillar (D-Ithaca City) proposed to add $151,369 to fund a 5% increase for operations. Legislators discussed the timing of this request and future coordination with the second funding partner, Cortland County. The amendment passed 10-4, with Legislators Sigler (R-Lansing), Brooks (D-Ithaca City), Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights), and Shurtleff (R-Groton, Dryden, Lansing) opposed.
Amendment 5 – Human Services Coalition
Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) moved to add $30,000 for a housing specialist position to support the Continuum of Care (CoC) data coordination requirements, which was approved 11-3, with Legislators Champion (D-Ithaca Town), Sigler (R-Lansing), and Lane (D-Dryden) opposed.
Amendment 6 – Human Services Coalition
Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) moved to add $20,000 for a data specialist position to support the 2-1-1 referral line, which failed in a 7-7 vote. Legislator Mezey (D-Dryden) moved to add $19,999 for a data specialist position to support the 2-1-1 referral line, which was approved 8-6, with Legislators Lane (D-Dryden), John (D-Ithaca City), Shurtleff (R-Groton, Dryden, Lansing), Sigler (R-Lansing), Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights), and Nolan (D-Ithaca City) opposed.
Amendment 49 – Ultimate Re-entry Opportunity
Legislator Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca) proposed to add $46,942 in on-time funding for the Ultimate Re-entry Opportunity Beyond the Box program that supports and certifies employers who are interested in employing formerly incarcerated individuals. The amendment failed 2-12, with Legislators Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca) and Pillar (D-Ithaca City) in favor.
Amendment 47 – LawNY Re-Entry Project
Legislator Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca) proposed to add $25,000 to partially fund an attorney who represents previously incarcerated individuals, which failed 6-8, with Legislators Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca), Pillar (D-Ithaca City), Koreman, Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield), Brooks (D-Ithaca City),and Black (D-Ithaca Town) in favor.
New Amendment - Human Services Coalition Agencies
Legislator Pillar (D-Ithaca City) moved to restore $278,537 in budget cuts to the Human Services Coalition agency requests (16 agencies) included in the Recommended Budget. Legislator Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca) proposed to amend the amount to restore $100,000, which failed 6-8, with Legislators Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca), Pillar (D-Ithaca City), Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca), Black (D-Ithaca Town), Brooks (D-Ithaca City), and Champion in favor.
Amendment 23 – Weights and Measures
Legislator Champion (D-Ithaca Town) proposed to remove $2,200 from the telephone and computer equipment lines, which passed unanimously.
Amendment 46 – Information Technology Services
Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) moved to add $112,124 for an additional systems analyst position to reduce cybersecurity risks and improve system maintenance capacity across the county and municipalities, which was approved 9-5, with Legislators Lane (D-Dryden), John (D-Ithaca City), Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca), Shurtleff (R-Groton, Dryden, Lansing), and Sigler (R-Lansing) opposed.
Amendment 52 – Rural Libraries
Legislator Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield) proposed to increase funding by $20,000 to be split evenly among five rural libraries and thereby restore 2025 funding, which passed 10-4, with Legislators Black (D-Ithaca Town), Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights), John (D-Ithaca City), and Lane (D-Dryden) opposed.
Amendment 50 – Soil and Water Conservation District
Legislator Pillar (D-Ithaca City) moved to add $13,109 to partially restore the local share for the implementation of conservation programs and to leverage grant funding, which passed 9-4, with Legislators Black (D-Ithaca Town), Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights), John (D-Ithaca City), and Lane (D-Dryden) opposed.
Amendment 36 – Youth Services
Legislator Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca) moved to restore the proposed 3% increase to municipal youth services ($15,171), which passed 10-3, with Legislators John (D-Ithaca City), Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights), and Lane (D-Dryden) opposed.
Amendment 37 – Office for the Aging (COFA)
Legislator Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca) moved to use $50,000 for three years from the Capital Reserve Fund for COFA or any department that moves to Dutch Mill Road to accommodate the increased cost of providing programs from this new office as a result of the Center of Government project. The Finance Director cautioned that the Capital Reserve Fund is designated for capital purchases, not increased program and operating costs. Legislator Klein (D-Danby, Caroline, Ithaca) withdrew the amendment.
Amendment 28 – Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources (OAR)
Legislator Brooks (D-Ithaca City) proposed to restore $45,000 in funding for the Sun Flower House, with the expectation that this housing program will become self-sustaining after 2026, which was passed unanimously.
Amendment 56 – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County (CCE)
Legislator Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield) moved to reinstate core funding of $72,123 to support programming and leverage grant funds, which was later amended to $36,000 and approved 12-1, with Legislator Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights) opposed.
New Amendment – Cannabis tax revenue
Legislator Mezey (D-Dryden) proposed to budget $65,000 in cannabis tax revenue. Year-to-date revenue is roughly $60,000. Currently, there is no revenue allocated to this line for 2026. This amendment was approved unanimously.
Amendment 42 – Social Services (DSS)
Legislator Black (D-Ithaca Town) moved to restore and put into the Contingent Fund $106,000 in local share costs for a contracted armed security officer for the DSS building, pending submission and approval of a final security plan. There are currently three unarmed and one armed security officer posted at the building. After some discussion, the amendment was withdrawn.
Amendment 54 – Interest income
Legislator Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield) proposed to reduce the projected interest income by $700,000 to $2.5 million for 2026, which was approved 12-1, with Legislator Lane (D-Dryden) opposed.
Amendment 55 – Sales tax revenue
Legislator Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield) moved to increase the projected sales tax revenue by $1,250,000 for 2026, which was later amended to $700,000 and passed 13-1, with Legislator Brown (R-Newfield, Enfield) opposed.
Amendment 53 – Fund balance
Legislator Dawson (D-Lansing, Cayuga Heights) proposed to use fund balance, rather than the tax levy, for the $1.75 million Mandate Contingent Fund. Legislators discussed the need to raise taxes to reflect cost increases while balancing concerns about a high tax levy and adding programs back into the budget to address increased needs. The amendment passed 13-1, with Legislator Koreman (D-Ulysses, Enfield, Ithaca) opposed.
Understanding the 2026 budget process
In the Recommended Budget, the county administrator delineates for each department which enhancement requests could be supported and which ones could not due to fiscal constraints. Departments and agencies can detail these requests during presentations to the Expanded Budget Committee (EBC), and they are for the legislature to consider when voting on the budget. Any increases to the recommended budget, if not offset by reductions in other areas, will result in a tax levy increase. Highlights of the EBC meetings, especially the voting sessions, focus on enhancement requests or significant changes proposed by departments, agencies, and legislators during the budget process. In addition to these discussions, the legislature can also add or reduce programs that are not included in the county administrator’s recommendation. For more information on the budget process and how to share public comment, visit the county’s budget web page and review previous highlights of the Expanded Budget Committee meetings.
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