Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tompkins County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
27 issues in environment
County Investment in Waste Diversion
Judith Hubbard laid out three places the county could invest more in waste diversion: growing the food scrap collection pilot, enforcing recycling rules for businesses and apartment buildings, and building the reuse economy. The question now is how big a priority the legislature wants to make it.
Peak Electricity Demand Management Outreach
A new flyer will tell local businesses about NYSEG programs that pay them to cut electricity use during peak demand periods, when the grid runs dirtier and more expensive power. County buildings don't participate yet, but battery storage is being studied for the airport and public works facility.
Countywide Skip the Stuff Local Law
A proposed law would stop restaurants from automatically including disposable utensils, straws, napkins and condiment cups with orders, cutting an estimated 174–347 tons of waste and up to $820,000 in business purchasing costs per year. Zero Waste Ithaca has pushed the idea since 2023 and expected a vote, but the committee says enforcement, staffing and jurisdictional questions must be settled first.
Tompkins Food Future Food System Finding Funds proposal
A resident urged the county to fund the Tompkins Food Future food system plan through the budget. The proposal seeks county financial support for local food system work.
Recycling and waste reduction budget amendment
Legislator Randy Brown proposed adding $500,000 to the 2027 recycling enterprise fund to support more aggressive waste reduction, funded partly by a $5 annual solid waste fee increase. Former Legislator Martha Robertson spoke strongly in support.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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's annual foreclosure auction is set for August 4. The committee approved stream-protecting deed restrictions on four auction parcels, held the Newfield stormwater parcels in limbo, and put off a decision on the Enfield Falls Road parcel with two derelict trailers near Treman State Park until July.
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.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Recognizing the canal as part of the Cayuga Lake watershed could unlock state water-quality grants for Seneca County towns around the canal, aiding efforts against harmful algal blooms on Cayuga Lake.
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.