Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Tompkins County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
18 issues in taxes budget with low priority
Employee training program's first full year
HR's new training program ran 52 sessions with 559 participants, most taught by county employees themselves. Plans for 2027 include more leadership development and supervisor training aimed at reducing workplace conflicts.
Employee appreciation event logistics
HR Commissioner Pulliam said county events like the appreciation picnic treat employees inconsistently — some offices close, some can't — and she plans to work with county administration to fix it before next year's event.
Room tax delinquencies
The county is suing TFI Enterprises LLC for $194,129 in unpaid room taxes from its lodge, and the County Attorney outlined options including liens, directory removal, and possible public delinquency registries.
Finance Department leadership and operations
The county is still without a permanent Finance Director, and members discussed centralizing Finance Department operations. The HR commissioner also flagged work on performance evaluation software.
Employee Performance Evaluation Policy Review
HR looked at two vendors for performance review software. NeoGov was too pricey at $45,000; UKG would run about $1,900 a year plus a $2,500-$7,000 setup fee, but the county first needs to define its competencies and workflow.
Foreclosure Property Sales and Loss Recovery
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.
Growing Burden of FOIL Requests
The County Attorney warned that FOIL requests are ballooning in breadth — partly because people use AI to generate sweeping litigation-style requests — crowding out other legal work. State law gives the county little room to limit them, though AI search tools may eventually help.
Paper-heavy vendor payments
Chair Brown highlighted how Soil and Water and other agencies exchange dozens of small paper checks with county Finance, costing staff time. The push is toward ACH electronic payments, which Finance says it's already moving toward.
New veterans disability exemption
A rewritten state law would make 100% service-connected disabled veterans fully exempt from county property taxes on their homes. Members weren't convinced property tax exemptions are the right funding vehicle, and no action was taken.
Local vs. Amazon Purchasing
The county increasingly buys supplies through Amazon, and Hubbard wants more dollars staying with local businesses. Staff will produce a list of vendors so the committee can spot bulk purchases worth shifting to local suppliers.
County-city bridge cost split
Hubbard pointed out city residents pay county taxes for county bridges outside the city while the city repairs its own bridges — a fairness point she wants folded into county-city sales tax and cost-sharing discussions.
District Attorney Salary Increase
State law automatically ties the DA's pay to County Court Judge salaries, so the 2% judicial raise flows through — about $225,534 a year.
Professional Development Funding Constraints
CEDO Leon Holden warned his $4,000 professional development budget limits attendance at the Facing Race conference to seven people and blocks bringing a $10,000 'Factuality' training to the county. Members discussed whether travel and training budgets should be increased.
Natural gas contract locked in
The county locked in a three-year natural gas contract below $5 per decatherm, down from $6.50, dodging volatile open-market rates that hit $8.
Proposed Sales Tax Exemption for Heating
Fact-finding showed exempting home heating from county sales tax would cost about $3 million a year and complicate the tax cap — likely a non-starter, but more analysis may come.
Financial disclosure requirements for county officials
The annual resolution lists which county officials and employees in policy-making jobs must file financial disclosure forms — a routine but important transparency measure covering everyone from the County Administrator to legislators and the Sheriff.
County Workforce Recruitment and Retention
HR reported 810 county staff as of February, 73 open postings, and a new recruitment video. Legislators asked for trend data on leave usage and turnover, but the county's outdated application system can't easily produce it — a new HR system is in the works.
2026 Legislative Calendar and Committee Structure
The legislature set its 2026 meeting schedule (dropping July 7) and heard committee reports — most committees reconvene in February with new members, and the Community Recovery Fund Advisory Committee sunsets this year.