Tompkins County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tompkins County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Solar panels on county roofs
A 156-kilowatt solar canopy at the county's Whole Health building is finally moving forward after a lease negotiation with Cornell — expected to cost the county essentially nothing thanks to grants and tax credits, with power flowing by August.
Finger Lakes Reuse funding crisis
Finger Lakes ReUse says it diverts 1,500-2,000 tons from the landfill yearly but is financially strained; its request for an extra $400,000 per year was denied. Committee members signaled support for finding a funding path through the solid waste fee.
Spotted lanternfly invasion
Legislator Hubbard reported spotted lanternflies are far more numerous this year, threatening apple orchards and vineyards central to the regional farm economy. The committee discussed which agencies — Soil and Water, CCE, DEC, the Environmental Management Council — should coordinate a response and public education.
Countywide Resilience Implementation Strategy grant application
The county is applying for up to $250,000 in state funding to review its existing plans and get resilience projects — like flood mitigation and resilience hubs — to shovel-ready 30% designs. This fills the funding gap between planning money and construction money that often stalls projects.
Biosolids gasification and PFAS destruction
The Solid Waste Working Group is exploring whether a pyrolysis plant could gasify biosolids, destroy PFAS, cut waste volume by 90%+, and generate energy — with a report expected in a couple of months.
2027 Recycling and Solid Waste Fee Structure
The annual fee is proposed to jump from $85 to $95 per unit, and there's a proposed amendment to raise the hauler license fee from $100 to $1,000. Recycling staff warned the hauler hike could push out small haulers and raise costs for residents, and members debated whether uncovered-load fines are too harsh or too lenient.
Rabies post-exposure treatment costs
Possible rabies exposures jumped this year — 171 in August alone — blowing past the county's biologicals budget; the committee recommends $47,000 from contingency to cover it.
2026 Tax Foreclosure Auction and Land Disposition
The county sold 16 foreclosed parcels at auction and will execute quitclaim deeds. One small Ithaca parcel sold for so little the county took a loss, and the county attorney said there's no direct way to recover it from the former owner — an Albany problem, members agreed.
Climate Action Plan 2026 update
Staff are updating the county's climate plan, noting faster-than-expected EV and solar growth and ongoing challenges in waste and building heating. A new community outreach effort will ask residents about their lived experience with climate change and the barriers they face.
Water Resources Council bylaws update
The WRC modernized its bylaws: dropping rarely-filled federal and state ex officio seats, lengthening associate member terms, and cutting an inactive committee. A legislator floated adding youth seats, which the WRC may consider later.
Biosolids Working Group
The Biosolids Working Group believes county wastewater solids are being shipped to landfills and explored whether pyrolysis could destroy PFAS instead — costly, but potentially better than burying 'forever chemicals.'
Recycling commodity revenue decline and solid waste law updates
The county's recycling, trash tag, hauler licensing, and dumping laws are over 30 years old and being rewritten with outside counsel. Changes will come to this committee for approval later this year.
Farmland protection grant support for Oechsner Farms
The committee recommended $2,500 to help the New York Agricultural Land Trust apply for a state grant to permanently protect 131 acres of Oechsner Farms — a top-ranked regenerative wheat farm supplying local flour. Farmers get paid for development rights; the land stays farmland forever.
District Geothermal for County Buildings
The geothermal system at the Highway Department has had struggles, and Chair Shurtleff wants a report on those lessons before the county commits to a possible $3-5 million district-wide geothermal expansion for the downtown Center of Government project.
Food insecurity and federal cuts
New federal work requirements under HR 1 will affect about 1,700 Tompkins County SNAP recipients starting around June 2026, and the county's share of SNAP administrative costs jumps from 50% to 75% in October. The state's high error rate could also pass billions in penalties down to counties.
Chaffee Creek Road Land Acquisition Delayed
A plan to spend $82,000 from the Natural Infrastructure fund to buy 37 acres next to county land in Newfield was pulled after two old gas leases turned up during title research. It should come back once the leases are released and the county attorney signs off.
Cayuga Lake water withdrawal permit for TeraWulf data center site
The Water Resources Council presented its 2025 report, including a phosphorus TMDL fact sheet for Cayuga Lake. The committee agreed to schedule a Cayuga Lake information session for all legislators.
Induction Cooktop Pilot Program
The county has handed out 163 of 250 free induction cooktops through the Healthy Neighborhoods Program, and early surveys are glowing. The case study will be sent to the state to argue for expanding the program statewide — though the state budget briefly cut the program's fifth year before restoring it.
Environmental Management Council 2025 Report and UNA Protection
The volunteer EMC updated its Unique Natural Areas maps and is now figuring out how to actually protect those lands — some of which face redevelopment pressure in Dryden — including possibly buying key parcels or working with the land trust.
Cornell Contamination Remediation at the Airport
Cornell University will keep monitoring groundwater contamination from its old chemical disposal and radiation burial sites next to the airport under a renewed five-year license. Members pressed for current public reports — the latest online annual report dates to 2020 — before the full Legislature votes.
Cayuga-Seneca Canal Watershed Recognition
A resolution formally recognizes the canal's hydrologic connection to Cayuga Lake, supporting regional collaboration on water quality and harmful algal blooms.
Business Energy Advisors Program Funding
The county re-appropriates $105,615 in leftover grant money to keep paying energy consultants who help businesses and nonprofits cut emissions in construction and renovation projects. Only two projects used the program last year, so members asked about outreach and publicizing success stories.
2024 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory
The county's first inventory under the new state methodology shows 1.64 million metric tons of community emissions, with transportation, agriculture, and industry leading. Early signs of electrification are visible, and the data will feed a Climate Action Plan with community outreach later this year.
Harmful Algal Blooms in the Finger Lakes
The first harmful algal bloom of the season showed up April 23 — more than two months earlier than last year. Legislator Hubbard urged action beyond awareness and recruited volunteers for the Community Science Institute's monitoring program.
Solar canopy at Health Department
A lease amendment with Cornell unlocks the long-delayed solar canopy at 55 Brown Road, preserving clean energy tax credits. Construction could start in May with power flowing by early fall.
Curbside food scrap pilot
A curbside food scraps collection pilot starts April 1 for about 1,000 homes in the City of Ithaca, with the county hoping a municipality will take it over and expand it — landfill costs keep climbing.
Cayuga Lake and Cayuga Inlet Dredging
DEC noticed a Cayuga Inlet dredging project with only about two weeks for public comment and no public information meeting. A resident raised concerns about sediment disposal volumes exceeding dewatering capacity and truck traffic; the committee will seek an extension and information session.
Biosolids Pyrolysis Exploration
The chair wants to revisit a county ordinance restricting biosolids spreading due to PFAS 'forever chemicals,' after a prior legal obstacle appears to have stalled. Legislators Hubbard and Vinson will work with the county attorney, coordinating with a new biosolids working group.
Closed Landfill Environmental Monitoring
The county keeps monitoring groundwater and neighborhood wells around its two closed landfills, paid entirely from the solid waste annual fee — no county tax dollars.
State Climate and Affordability Legislative Agenda
A CaSE advisory board resolution urged the state to implement cap-and-invest, fund the Sustainable Futures Fund, repeal fossil fuel tax breaks, and pause data center siting. Members found the language too charged and pulled it for edits rather than voting.
EV Fast Charging at the Airport
Two fast chargers are coming to the airport under a contract with Greenspot, but NYSEG insists its easement for the electrical infrastructure run in perpetuity — a sticking point that split the committee 3-1.
County Employee Commute Patterns
A first-ever survey found 95% of county employees drive to work, mostly alone, producing about 751 metric tons of CO2 a year. Staff are exploring EV incentives, carpooling perks, and transit benefits.