September 2023 Update

September is always a busy month at the Onondaga County Legislature, with committees being held earlier than usual so that members could then focus their attention on the proposed county budget.

The agenda for Session was light this month, and each resolution was approved, including:

The calling of a public hearing for two items: the proposed inclusion of viable agricultural lands within certified agricultural districts, and the proposed adoption of an amended schedule of sewer rents for the Onondaga County Sanitary District
Amending the 2023 County budget to make surplus Room Occupancy Funding available for use in support of a public arts program
Authorizing an Intermunicipal Agreement with the County of Oswego to provide disaster assistance
Amending the 2023 Onondaga County Budget to accept grant funds from the New York State Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program

September’s Public Safety meeting was held on 9/11 and so Committee Chairman Mark Olson (10th District) called for a moment of silence at the start to honor and remember all those killed and the work of so many first responders 22 years ago.

The Commissioner of Onondaga County’s Probation Department then spoke about 2022 and how they are doing so far in 2023.

“2022, we were very successful in staying within our budget and successful in our operations” Commissioner Philip Galuppi shared with the committee. “It was challenging, but we did it with the help of a great staff that I had and more importantly, you know, we were out in the community the whole time and we did so without any major injuries to staff or any major injuries in the community as well with all the home visits and community work that we do out there. So, 2022 in my book was very successful.”

The Commissioner said 2023 is turning out the same way and he anticipates the department will stay within their allocated budget. He says staffing levels are good at this time. He also highlighted the department’s food distribution program, saying it helps those in need so they don’t go out and get into trouble.

***Commissioner Philip Galuppi from Onondaga County’s Probation Department speaks with Legislators at this month’s Public Safety committee meeting.***

Mr. Galuppi also looked ahead to 2024, and mentioned two specific initiatives they’ll be starting:

Moral Reconation Therapy: an evidence-based cognitive behavior program for 12 to 18 years olds
Pre-dispositional Supervision: will allow Probation to better supervise the juveniles that have cases pending in family court while they're still in the community

Committee Vice Chairperson Rich McCarron (11th District) served as a Deputy Sheriff for over 20 years with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. “ I'd have to work with you on the street level and I think you're doing a great job” he shared with the Commissioner. “Everybody I talked to in Probation is happy. Your staff’s always done a great job and so have you, Phil.”

Commissioner Galuppi credited the hard-working officers and staff in his office for all they do for our community.

The committee also advanced a resolution to provide funds to the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office to cover travel and training, which they say is back to Pre-COVID levels and as a result, funds are needed to cover the additional expenses.

The Health & Human Services committee heard from two department heads. First up was Anne-Marie Mancilla, Director of Onondaga County’s Veterans Service Agency.

“In 2022, we had 2,205 interactions regarding Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) claims and assisted with 277 burials” the Director shared. “In 2023, we already have 2,923 Interactions and 152 burials.”

Director Mancilla spoke about the recent passing of The PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins) at the federal level, which expands eligibility for veterans exposed to harmful toxins while in service, and how it has generated an increase in inquiries to her office. She shared there is a need for more Veterans Service Officers and also detailed her department’s partnership with the Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery and how they work with families and funeral directors.

Legislator Cody Kelly (14th District), who serves on the committee, asked a question about burials.

Legislator Kelly: “With regards to burials. I've spoken to some folks that have concerns about the scheduling aspect of it. It’s very limited availability. I imagine that's a staffing issue partly but has been any progress made on that?”

Director Mancilla: “From our standpoint and with working with the funeral homes, it is more effective. I understand the inconvenience of, you know, just Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I don't think it necessarily just comes down to staffing. I think it's just the most effective way to do it to maintain the grounds and ensure proper respectful burials.”

Legislator Ken Bush Jr. (13th District) serves on the committee and is a funeral director. He says many times, families don’t want a mid-week burial and that given the limited scheduling availability, they sometimes have to wait an additional week to bury their loved one.

Commissioner JoAnne Spoto Decker and Deputy Commissioner Maria Mahar from Onondaga County’s Department of Adult & Long Term Care Services also came to the table to speak about their department.

“An interesting thing about Onondaga County, we're aging and that is a good thing” the Commissioner said. So, as of the 2021 Census, we had 473, 236 residents and an amazing 26% of those people are 60 years of age in older and I must say, I'm very proud to say, that I am one of those people.”

The department curates direct services, programs, and local resources to provide support to individuals aged 18 years of age and older and consists of four units: Office for Aging, NY Connects, Adult Protective Services and Long Term Care Resource Center.

Programs and services offered include:

HIICAP (Health Insurance Information, Counseling & Assistance)
EISEP (Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program)
Food, Meals, & Nutrition Assistance Nutrition program
Caregiver support & education
Community Services Programs, including HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program), transportation services and shopping services
Adult protective services
Guardianships
Long Term Care assistance

Committee Chairperson Colleen Gunnip (4th District) asked whether any significant changes or increases are being requested by the department in the 2024 budget, and the answer was no.

Commissioner Spoto Decker also shared the good news that thanks to the Legislature approving $1,000,000 in funding earlier this year, combined with some of the department’s available funding, senior centers and senior serving organizations countywide have seen improvements.

Here’s a look at the projects:

A great discussion was had at this month’s Environmental Protection Committee, as the Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection (WEP) and the Onondaga County Water Authority presented.

WEP had two items on the agenda, the biggest being a transfer of funds within WEP’s budget in the amount of $2,270,000.

“We've had a couple pretty sizable unbudgeted expenditures that came up in 2023 and there was no way to anticipate that these were going to happen and so we need to make some adjustments to those two accounts” Commissioner Shannon Harty explained. “The good news is that we've also got some surpluses, unbudgeted surpluses, so we're going to be able to cover this without any net change to the overall budget.”

The money that is being moved internally comes from WEP’s Regular Salaries and Maintenance, Utilities and Rents account. That prompted Committee Chairperson Julie Abbott (6th District) to ask if the surplus money comes from funded but vacant positions at WEP. Commissioner Harty responded that while it does, she doesn’t want to eliminate those positions from her roster moving forward as the positions are very much needed at WEP.

WEP’s other item was authorizing the county to enter into a utility work agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation for the first part of the I-81 project, something which is required anytime New York State does work on county infrastructure. Both items were advanced.

OCWA’s Executive Director Jeff Brown joined Legislators at the table for an informational-only discussion. It was an opportunity for Legislators to learn more about OCWA and their water systems.

“Our mission is to provide safe, reliable, and affordable water to the residents, businesses and industries here in a manner that's protective of water resources and the environment” Mr. Brown said. “We started operations in 1955 with just 134 miles of mains. Now we have 2, 213 miles. We're one of the 125 largest public water systems in the country.”

OCWAs vision is as follows:

Be the safest water utility in the United States.
Be the 1st choice of employment for Central New York utility workers.
95% + positive engagement with customers and other stakeholders.

Mr. Brown also stated OCWA is working with Micron to make sure their water needs are met and the company understands there is a cost associated with that, and he calls them a great partner.

Click here to visit OCWA’s website.

Several items were on the agenda at this month’s Planning & Economic Development committee meeting, chaired by Legislator Timothy Burtis (3rd District). The first, several requests from Onondaga County landowners for inclusion of predominantly viable agricultural land within certified agricultural districts. 5 properties in total are being considered: in Tully, 114.76 acres all owned by Dutch Hill Maple and a 6.2 acre cannabis farm in Elbridge.

The next discussion focused on a property Onondaga County acquired at 3309 Howlett Hill Road. Following the acquisition, unanticipated costs were incurred and due to expected future expenses, the County would like to sell the home to the highest responsible bidder after public advertisement.

Commissioner Martin Skahen from Onondaga County Community Development spoke about this with Legislators, before giving a general overview of his department during 2023.

“In 2023, Community Development expended 1.7 million dollars in housing rehab assistance which resulted in a 119 households receiving projects that were completed” Commissioner Skahen shared. “Obviously our biggest one is lead-based paint hazards. We identified and addressed lead paint hazards in 76 homes, 51 in the City and 25 in the towns and villages.”

Commissioner Skahen says his department works together with the City of Syracuse on lead remediation. He also spoke about the need for contractors and the requirements for them to become certified in this type of work. He also went into details about some of the department’s other programs and reports they are all very successful.

One program the Commissioner is proud of is SHAPE-UP for Veterans. It’s a home repair program in which honorably discharged individuals who served in the U.S. military can apply for help to cover the costs of necessary home repairs. Grants up to $15,000 are provided and repairs can include work to a home’s mechanical systems, its roof and foundation, and the installation of safety and energy related items. Lead Hazard reduction as required by HUD Lead-Based Paint Regulations is also completed when necessary. Commissioner Skahen said that of the $1 million dollars approved, so far $392,000 has been awarded to 30 homes. He added that 35 veterans are currently in the application process, and that 10 homes have already been completed with another six in the pipeline.

“Thank you for all that you’re doing and I hope we can do even more because these programs that you’re doing are helping the people that need it the most” Legislator Olson, a committee member, said.

***Commissioner Martin Skahen from Onondaga County Community Development speaks with Legislators at this month’s Planning & Economic Development committee meeting.***

Commissioners Harty and Skahen returned for the Ways & Means committee and answered questions about the resolutions mentioned above.

The committee was also briefed on a tentative labor agreement with the CSEA union. About 2,000 county employees are in this union. Commissioner Carlton Hummel of Onondaga County’s Personnel Department shared that the agreement covers four years (2023-2026) and that it includes overall wage increases and grade increases for 19 titles. Also seeing increases are the shift deferential premium and the on-call premium. The agreement also includes a drug and alcohol testing policy, but will be based on suspicion only and not random. The exception is for those employees who are required to undergo testing randomly due to state or federal laws.

Legislator David Knapp (12th District), who sits on the committee, asked the Commissioner if the agreement was voted on by members. Commissioner Hummel said it was and that it was approved by a vote in the 60% to 40% range.

Many of the provisions of the agreement go into effect upon ratification and wages are retroactive to the first full pay period of 2023.

The remainder of September was a time for Legislators to focus on the 2024 proposed Onondaga County budget, which the County Executive presented to them on September 15th.

The highlight of the nearly $1.5 billion dollar budget is a 15% property tax rate cut, made possible under the strong leadership of the County Executive and the hard work of our Caucus. That equates to $100+ savings for homes assessed at $200k. There is also a 9 million dollar cut to the levy as well as significant investments in infrastructure, neighborhoods, the fight against lead, and our kids & veterans.

The county’s Chief Fiscal Officer, Steven Morgan, started things off during budget review week, which had nearly 100% attendance by Republicans (only one missed one day due to work commitments). Then, for four days, Commissioners and Directors from several county departments came in to explain their needs in more detail, and it was a full schedule.

WEDNESDAY 9/20: Comptroller, Personnel, District Attorney, Sheriff

THURSDAY 9/21: Water Environment Protection, Economic Development, Transportation, Parks & Recreation, Planning

FRIDAY 9/22: Children & Family Services, Health, Assigned Counsel, Hiscock Legal Aid

The Caucus met each day following the presentations, and also held an evening meeting to talk about what they heard and to comprehensively review the budget line-by-line. It was a good process with involvement from all members of the Caucus. Some great in-depth conversations were had about the true needs of the county and how to best move us forward in 2024. The proposed budget was considered good overall, with only some minor changes (under $1 million worth) being made.

On Thursday, September 28th, the Ways & Means Committee gathered to vote on their final report.

“This is where this committee concludes its review of the budget and hands it off to the general Legislature for consideration” Chairman Brian May (1st District) said at the start of the meeting. “Today is merely a step in the process. This committee is wrapping up its work but the negotiations and the work continue.”

The committee approved each change individually and then approved the entire report. Changes can still be made in the form of amendments and they’d be presented when the full Legislature gathers to vote on the budget on October 10th. Watch this blog for more about the final vote.