News Details - Public Safety, Human Services Among Topics of Continued Budget Review

County legislators, acting as an expanded budget committee, tonight heard from leaders of a dozen more County departments and agencies, in the second of three presentation sessions concerning the County’s 2008 tentative budget. Three-quarters of tonight’s presentations related to either human services programs or public safety, as the legislators continued to gather information, before recommending revisions to the $72 million proposal presented by County Administrator Steve Whicher.

Sheriff Peter Meskill asked legislators to consider funding a criminal investigator’s position and a deputy sheriff for the Sheriff’s Office, at a total cost of nearly $200,000, and an additional corrections officer for the Jail, at a cost of nearly $67,000. None of the positions were recommended by Administrator Whicher, who indicated that he could not consider target funding in light of the Legislature’s 2 percent tax levy goal. The administrator also indicated that the corrections position, which the Sheriff proposed to enable the department to deal with additional in-house programming such as the community reentry program, could not be justified by target funding until objective program measurements are developed and achieved.

District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson and other criminal justice officials have expressed support for the criminal investigator’s position, whose responsibilities would focus on investigation of allegations of violent crime and sexual assault. The Sheriff characterized his department’s expenses as “pared to the bone” and the positions as badly needed, with a minimum staffing level compounded by two long-term disabilities which makes operations difficult. While some legislators suggested the possibility of one-time funding, as had been recommended by the administrator for some other positions, the Sheriff said he is not interested in that approach to addressing his department’s needs.

Also related to the community reentry initiative, Offender Aid and Restoration Director Deborah Dietrich described her agency’s request for $65,000 in one-time funding, endorsed by the administrator, to support a reentry program staff position and to adjust salaries of other OAR employees.

As part of her budget presentation, long-time County Probation Director Kathy Leinthall, who has served for more than two decades, announced her intent to retire this November. Among 13 of her department’s over-target requests, was one to replace a reduction in state aid with nearly $38,000 in county target funding. While supporting the allocation, County Administrator Whicher maintains that the reduction in estimated aid should be resisted by the County and the state pressured to restore an adequate level of assistance.

For the Department of Emergency Response, Administrator Whicher has recommended that a separate program budget be created for maintenance of the new Public Safety Communications System, and that revenue from co-location and other income be dedicated to that account. While director Lee Shurtleff had requested more than $126,000 for maintenance, the administrator projects a 2008 expense of about $42,000 according to the approach he recommends.

Among county agency representatives appearing before the committee was Tompkins County SPCA Director Abigail Smith, justifying a more than $28,000 over-target request which, if granted, would double the County’s support of the SPCA . The county administrator has called for only $5,000 in additional target funding, an 18 percent increase which would return the agency to nearly the 2003 target level. Smith called her agency’s animal control budget “severely under-funded,” with expenses nearly double the amount of contract revenue that the County and other municipalities are providing and, in response to legislators’ questions, indicated that the SPCA’s no-kill policy is not to blame.

Administrator Whicher has recommended $36,000 in funding – $10,000 more than the agency had advanced as an over-target request – to assist the financially ailing Drop-In Children’s Center, one of the agencies included in requests submitted by the county’s Human Services Coalition. The $10,000 in one-time funding would assist in reducing the center’s debt, which the administrator says is undermining the program’s mission. $26,000 in target funding would support the sliding fee scaling for low-income families needing child care.

County Youth Services asked legislators to consider support for an over-target request for a half-time staff position to support the Bridges Runaway Program for Youth and Families, at a cost of more than $22,000. Administrator Whicher indicated the position could not be supported within the Legislature’s 2 percent guideline, but indicated he would be open to the possibility of support through one-time funding.

The Expanded Budget Committee has adjourned deliberations until Thursday, October 4, beginning at 5:00 p.m. at Legislature Chambers at the County Courthouse, 320 N. Tioga Street, Ithaca. Before that time, the Legislature will conduct a Community Budget Forum on Monday, October 1, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Boynton Middle School cafeteria, 1601 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca.

09-25-2007