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Good evening and welcome to the Tompkins County Legislature. Today is Tuesday, January 20, 20, 26 and the time is 532.

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If you would please join me for the pledge of allegiance.

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We could have a roll call of members, please.

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Randy Brown, Deborah Dawson, here, Judith Hubbard, here, John Hunt, here, Greg Mezzy,

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here, Rachel Oslin, here, Iris Pacman, here, Veronica Pillar,

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Lee Schertle,

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Mike

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Thank you.

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Adam Vincent.

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Dan Wakeman.

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I read Wiser.

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Christie B. and Connie.

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Travis Brooks.

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Donna Black.

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Thank you.

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At this point we do not have any presentations or

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proclamations, petitions, communications or notices.

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We will also not have an executive session this evening.

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I would like to do some reordering of business.

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Kayla Montos is going to join us from the city of Ethica and she just walked in the door

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perfect timing Kayla and feel free to get comfortable a little bit and she is going to give us a quick update from the city of Ethica

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and then we can ask questions if we have those.

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Sorry to put you on the spot. Yeah, that's great.

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Is

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it on?

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Good evening, everyone.

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As legislative, like I said, I am K. Lamontos, a council member for award

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1.

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And so this month in January was a pretty simple month for us, as, sorry, I'm catching

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my breath.

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As we had five new council members join us, so there's a lot of council orientation.

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in a lot of simple procedural items like our bond resolutions.

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We also passed two resolutions at our first council meeting, one to support CMC nurses.

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And unionizing in the other one was a resolution relating to the events in Venezuela.

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We also, tomorrow, will be receiving an update on our audits, so we will have a presentation

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on that.

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And we will also be discussing a resolution for our roots program, which is our unarmed

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responder program.

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And then additionally, our mayor appointed our seven advisory groups, which are housing,

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economic and community development, public works and operations, finance and administration,

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public safety, sustainability, adaptability and resilience, and human services and quality of life.

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And if you have any questions as to which council members are on which of the advisory groups, please feel free to reach out either to myself or the mayor and I can provide that.

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We can provide that information to you guys.

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And that's our update.

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Thank you very much.

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Are there any questions from legislators?

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Great.

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Well, Councilmember Mottis, we do thank you for coming in.

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It's always a courtesy whenever our municipalities decide to come to our meetings and update us

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and explain to us what's going on so we appreciate your time tonight.

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And one more thing, my counterpart, who would also be joining me for the county legislature

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of date is Councilmember Fabrizio.

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She is sick tonight, so she cannot join me, but she will also be joining me in future meetings.

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That's great.

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Thank you so much.

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We appreciate your time.

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Next, we are going to move on. I'm going to pass the floor to our County Administrator,

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Corsa Cumpi. He has an announcement to make.

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Thank you. I believe Elia on mid 2025. We did inform you of a possibility of retirement

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the county historian, we did a search, we invited interested in the visuals, several applicants

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responded, and I'm happy to introduce the candidates, all the parents and being recommended

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to you for an appointment to the position of county historian. His name is Charles Gaffler, and we

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would need a motion to effect that appointment.

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Can I have a motion, please?

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Move by Greg Massey, seconded by Veronica Pillar.

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And are there any questions, comments?

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Do we need an option to go into executive session?

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Please raise your hand.

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OK, we're going to do raising of hands, all those in favor.

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Please raise your hand.

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that is unanimous with a 16 O vote and would Mr. Gutler like to come up and say a few words as our new county historian.

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Okay.

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I'm very honored and pleased that that was a unanimous vote and there was no discussion.

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These are big shoes that I have to fill. Carol Kemin is a titan in the local history world.

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She's written textbooks, I hope I don't embarrass her in the next three years, or you guys.

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We live in an amazing county we really do.

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We've got urban and rural, a very diverse population.

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We've got all kinds of natural beauty.

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We've got the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi.

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We've got the largest wildlife management area in the state.

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We've got three colleges, and we're on KU Geleic, which is the ecological and environmental

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heart of this region, and needs to be

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protected, and we have a tradition in this county

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and in this region of taking great care of our resources, and I'm very pleased to see.

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I assume that this isn't the crowd you usually get in meetings, but it actually is now okay.

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Please to see people coming out on that behalf.

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In any event, thank you very much, and I hope I do your proud.

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Thank you.

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So as I mentioned before, we are going to have some reordering of business.

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We're going to have a public comment going first.

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Then we are actually going to move our member file resolution, which I'm assuming is the resolution

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that many of you are here for tonight.

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the Resolution Requesting New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC, to reject the modified water withdrawal permit application from Cuba operating company.

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And so that way, if you hang around a little bit longer, you'll be able to see how we vote and I'm sure we'll debate it for a while.

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And the one thing that I would ask, because we do have many people that are going to speak this evening, is that we do not applaud after each speaker

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that we keep comments to the three-minute time limit and that we're courteous both of our public speakers and then whenever we start debating of legislators whenever they want to add comment as well.

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So, we're going to start off and I'm actually going to let Martha Robertson skip the line. I know she's tuning in via Zoom.

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It's only appropriate for someone that's served this legislature for so many years to be able to skip to the front. So, Martha Robertson.

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Sean, thank you so much, that's very sweet.

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I mean, first of all, thank congratulations to all of you for being elected or re-elected

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and Sean for being endeavor for being elected to leadership.

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It's a big responsibility and I hope you all enjoyed as much as I did.

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I'm speaking in favor of resolution D,

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I want to thank the legislators who sent a very detailed and thorough letter to the DEC on January 12th

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in support of basically this resolution, the content that's on this resolution, that was

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Veronica Pilar, Iris Pachman, Adam Vincent, Judith Hubbard, Deborah Dawson, John Hunt,

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Irene Wieser, Christy Bionconey, and Rachel Aslan, excellent that you folks were willing

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to put that work together and putting that letter in.

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I just really, this is common sense, it seems to me, this is a totally new use of the land

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of the site in Lansing.

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It's not a water withdrawal permit for a coal fire power plant.

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It's only common sense that this should be re-evaluated fully and given due diligence that's

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really required to preserve, as the new historian said, sort of the jewel of our region,

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to the lake, hundreds of thousands of people and countless animals and plants depend on

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queue the lake. The dees seem to be prudent and careful and allow the public also to be aware

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of what's going on and how they're evaluating this new use of queue the lake's water.

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Thank you very much, and I hope you get a strong vote for this resolution.

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I think it's really important for everybody to weigh in on behalf of Cugula Lake and all of our residents.

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Thanks so much.

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Great.

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Thank you, Martha.

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For those of you that are at the door, it would be great if a few of you might want to move over here so that we can get as many people as we can without breaking fire.

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We're at capacity.

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Oh, we are at capacity.

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and then we'll be yeah.

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Thank you.

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If anybody that's done speaking the wants to, they could,

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then we can make sure people, if they want to speak, they'll get their chance.

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Perfect.

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Thank you, Jamie.

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So let me just also read the rules for speaking on privilege

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of the floor real quick.

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I agree to a three minute time limit.

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I agree not to raise my voice.

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I agree not to use Lude of seeing profane slander

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as our libelous language or speaker act in a manner

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that would tend to incite a breach of the peace.

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I agree not to speak about county personnel matters,

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percentile matters include comments about the job performance of name county employees other

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than elected officials. I after three minutes I agreed to leave the microphone and yield

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the floor transferring time to another person is not permitted. I agreed to be courteous

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and not make comments, gestures, outbursts or other disruptions. Well other members of the

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public or legislators are speaking. I agreed that if I call as a disruption and amass to leave,

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I will leave the chambers.

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Okay. We are also having some difficulties with the stopwatch

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And so whenever your time is up, we will let you know.

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Our first speaker this evening, and I'm going to read out a few at a time so that we could start lining up. We have two microphones, one's over here, and one is over here. If you're here and you would like to speak, make sure to fill out a blue card. They're looking at the back table there. And you could send it to any legislator, and they'll send it up. So our first speaker is Zach Win. Second is Amanda Kirchgaesner. Is Frank Simke.

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Good

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to go. Thank you. My name is Zach Wynn and I live here in the city. In July of last year,

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following a fire at the Asteri, representatives of the casino group attended a meeting of the

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Tompens County Industrial Development Agency and made a number of assurances about how they would

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better manage the property, specifically mentioning the replacement of the front double doors with a new

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entrance. On December 23, I was walking by and noticed the new door,

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propped open with a pneumatic mechanism for closing a broken. I went by this afternoon just before

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meeting and the doors still wide open. There have been a number of incidents at the

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Assyri recently from a woman being held against her will to warn service for thefts and

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another overdose. I would like to make the new members of this legislature aware of the ongoing

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issues at the Assyri and Conference Center with the last with the July meeting of the

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IDA serving as a primer for these issues. I afforded this to you along with pictures of the

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broken front door. I'm curious if the legislature, including board members of the IDA, DevDOS and

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Greg Mezzie with Rich John being replaced by another member of the Legislature.

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Believe the Sino has made good on their commitments from July to better manage the property.

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I believe the door being continually broken all this time speaks to this Sino's

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fundamental inability to manage the property effectively.

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The June meeting of the IDEA, included mention of the ongoing security issues at the

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building and the multitude of issues that are rooted in the unfettered access the

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esteri provides.

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I would like to know if you believe the Sino is making good on the commitments they made

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last year has anything Vesino done since last June given you the impression the building

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is under better control.

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If the answer is no, I invite the members of the IDEA to consider exercising the board's

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authority to club back the building's tax evadement regardless of the fallout or consequences

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for Vesino.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Amanda Kurtzgesner.

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Good evening.

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Amanda Kurtzgesner.

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I live in the town of Elisis, life long resident of Tompkins County.

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In tonight, I want to speak against the center of government building.

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I want to begin big by welcoming all of the new newly-seated legislators as well as those returning to the table.

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You stepped in or back into office at a time when public service is anything but quiet.

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I want to ask you plainly, are you ready for the real work to begin?

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Because the real work isn't simply passing budgets, it's making hard choices about what government is for, what it funds and what it postpones,

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especially when we are operating under real financial constraints.

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Tonight, I want to speak directly about one of those choices.

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I strongly oppose any further development of a new center of government building at the

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juncture.

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In a period of economic uncertainty, expanding and administrative infrastructure is not our

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highest priority.

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If we're going to fiscally bond capital improvements to our local tax base, those improvements

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should be directed towards existing, essential, safety, critical facilities, most urgently

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are public safety building.

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I never thought I would be in front of you asking for a jail.

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Let me be clear, this is not wanting a bigger jail, this is about something far more sobering.

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The county jail has become the backstop for unmet need in our county.

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Over the last decade, at minimum, this county has invested heavily at great expense and

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with good intention, mind you, into the continuum of care, mental health support, housing

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initiatives, diversion, treatment programs, crisis response, and yet what we are seeing now is

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not reduced to demand.

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We are seeing more desperate people seeking services in a system with extreme capacity limits,

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and when people cannot access help in time,

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when instability escalates into crisis,

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guess where they wind up, they wind up in jail.

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Okay, again, I don't want this, not of us want this,

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but it's that we're living in a reality where the jail

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functions as overflow for systemic collapse,

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and that requires you as legislators who meet

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our most basic obligations.

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Counties are legally required to ensure

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humane safe conditions for incarcerated individuals,

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As well as the people who work there, mind you, those are county employees and safe working

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conditions for all of these individuals needs to be at the forefront of our decision-making.

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Counties are legally, let's see, it is a state mandated responsibility folks and it's

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also a moral one.

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So if we're talking about bonding anything, if we're talking about capital investment, I'm

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asking you to be disappointed and honest about our priorities.

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Councilor Paws, the development of the cog, redirect capital planning and outfitting resources

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towards the public safety building, fund the infrastructure that the county is legally

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required to operate safely, because whether we like it or not, it's where a growing number

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of our most vulnerable community members are ending up. This is not, this is governance,

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this is compliance, this is fiscal responsibility, and ultimately it is human dignity. I thank

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you for your time, this evening. I know you're going to hear a lot about something else tonight.

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I yield the rest of my time.

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Thank you.

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Frank Zemkick, Paul Kimball, Sam Pool, and Robert Hicks.

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Hi, Frank Zemkick.

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I'm a recent Lansing move.

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I just moved up here two years ago from New Jersey.

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Can you hear me now?

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Yes.

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So, a recent resident just moved here two years ago with my wife.

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The new jersey for 49 years, happy to be a lancing resident and really enjoying the finger leaks.

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So, I mean, my main concern is the leak.

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We haven't been up here for too long, but we do like to drive around the lake and go to the lake almost every weekend.

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My main concern is really if lake water is pulled in and then released back into the lake at a higher temperature,

237
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we're going to have more HABs and we don't want that.

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We don't know how it's going to affect the existing energy infrastructure.

239
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We don't know how it's going to affect our energy prices.

240
00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,420
Honestly, we don't know enough about AI to begin with.

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I'm a data manager.

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I'm managed data on a daily basis for ECO company.

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And we don't even know what AI is doing.

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You know, my main concern really is what is AI going to do.

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Is it going to do basically what it did to

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If it's going to affect white collar workers like it's like it affected blue collar workers for globalization, you know, a lot of my family lost factory jobs and everything

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So I didn't want to get into that and I got into data and and data still scares me to this day and I've been using it for a good 25 years

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I'm trying to keep my energy prices low and and I would like everyone else to keep prices low as well. So thank you

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Thank you Paul Campbell. Yes, my name is Paul Campbell. I am a resident homeowner business owner and taxpayer

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00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:19,080
living in the city of Ithaca and I'm here to speak in favor of the resolution 1384.

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I have I actually have a couple of degrees in engineering and so what I heard that there was a 60 mega watt,

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maybe 400 megawatt, drain on the energy to compute things for people.

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I said to myself, well, is this a good idea or not, you know, I'm willing to be convinced.

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I have spent 40 years of my life installing, designing, managing, and teaching people

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how to program computer systems, I'm a fan of AI, I use it in my work, but it is an awful

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lot of energy. So, falling back on my nice bike bills over the last couple of years, I did

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a few back at the envelope calculations and realized that my home uses a less than one

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kilowatt,

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24-7, of course. So that means that in a year I use something like 7,000 kilowatt

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hours. Sounds like a lot but compared to 60 million kilowatt hours. That's very tiny. This

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plan will be using the equivalent of about 75,000 homes the size of mine.

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And I said, that's a lot, how big is that?

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It's actually more than the dwelling units in Tomkins County and Portland County combined

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00:23:38,900 --> 00:23:40,060
according to the census.

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00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:47,460
Therefore, this plan will be using more power than all of the residential properties in

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Dump County's combined.

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Now, that's a lot, if you care about nice egg and your nice egg bills, it's certainly a competition for your energy.

268
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But that's not why we're here.

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We're here because the other thing that has not been characterized as the water utilization.

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00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:08,140
Carol Wolfe has said that they will use a closed circuit to cool the plant.

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And of course, they will because the water inside such a plant has to be very pure.

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You cannot run lake water to cool expensive CPUs.

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They're sensitive to the breed, they're sensitive to oxidation, they're sensitive to mineralization in the water, corrosion.

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And, of course, you use a closed loop system within the plant.

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But the heat associated with 60 megawatts has to be dissipated somehow.

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And I do not think that Terrell Wolf has done a decent job of characterizing how they intend to use the lake water.

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If they're going to be drawing it in, a million gallons a day, the question is, where do they

278
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put it after that?

279
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Does it come back into the lake and if it does, at what temperature, at what depth, we already

280
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:02,120
have algal blooms in the lake during the summer, will we have them all year round?

281
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:07,960
Now, we have a precedent for this in Cornell Lake source cooling, but we thought about that

282
00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:10,600
for a long time before it got implemented.

283
00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:16,020
And I would like to think at least that long about this.

284
00:25:22,810 --> 00:25:23,250
Thank you, Paul.

285
00:25:23,490 --> 00:25:27,970
I am going to have to remind everyone that please not clap because we probably have around 30

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00:25:27,970 --> 00:25:28,850
speakers right now.

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00:25:29,890 --> 00:25:33,550
And we want to be able to have a nice robust debate and vote on this this evening.

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00:25:34,910 --> 00:25:38,030
Next we have Sam Full and then Robert Kicks.

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00:25:39,190 --> 00:25:39,710
Yes, hi.

290
00:25:39,950 --> 00:25:40,810
Good afternoon, legislators.

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00:25:40,810 --> 00:25:45,270
My name is Sam Pool. I'm a resident of Anthica and Tomkins County and a member of Sunrise

292
00:25:45,270 --> 00:25:49,350
Anthica and the Anthica Democratic Socialists of America. I'm here today to talk about

293
00:25:49,350 --> 00:25:54,070
the resolution introduced by Legislator Dawson regarding withdrawal permit for KU the operating

294
00:25:54,070 --> 00:25:59,050
company. First, let's lay some facts on the table. KU the operating company is a subsidiary

295
00:25:59,050 --> 00:26:03,790
of Carol Wolf. The company currently seeking a permit to construct data center in Lansing. Carol

296
00:26:03,790 --> 00:26:08,790
has repeatedly claimed in public statements and communications to the town board of Lansing that

297
00:26:08,790 --> 00:26:12,850
Other data center will utilize closed source cooling that minimal or no water will be drawn

298
00:26:12,850 --> 00:26:16,690
from or released into the lake in the data center's cooling systems.

299
00:26:17,290 --> 00:26:21,170
Trouille for a percentage of explicitly claimed the cave operating company would surrender

300
00:26:21,170 --> 00:26:24,810
their water withdrawal permits at the application of the data center was approved.

301
00:26:25,690 --> 00:26:29,750
Now, cave operating company is applied for water withdrawal permit anyway and their framing

302
00:26:29,750 --> 00:26:34,430
is a modification, a decrease in the approved water usage by the coal-fired power plant

303
00:26:34,430 --> 00:26:35,230
in the same site.

304
00:26:35,230 --> 00:26:46,050
The permanent application claims the facility currently withdraws 1.44 million gallons per day of water from the KG Lake site through cooling water intake structure and used the water's non-contact cooling equipment.

305
00:26:46,750 --> 00:26:49,190
There's substantial basis to believe this is completely false.

306
00:26:49,770 --> 00:26:59,830
As the power plant sees the operation in 2019, seven years ago, all of the actual all of the facilities that were used for generating power have been removed and we are now growing on the site.

307
00:26:59,830 --> 00:27:04,730
So I'm not clear on how they, how they can have any justification to claim that it is currently

308
00:27:04,730 --> 00:27:09,170
using more than a million gallons of water every day on a site that is currently in operational.

309
00:27:09,650 --> 00:27:15,070
The DEC says that if a new site is being built, it is substantially different from the one that is

310
00:27:15,070 --> 00:27:18,450
current, the current use, then they have to do a new approval process.

311
00:27:18,650 --> 00:27:24,810
They cannot be used, they cannot use the modification, they cannot evade this actual full environmental

312
00:27:24,810 --> 00:27:25,490
review.

313
00:27:26,130 --> 00:27:27,390
None of this should be in dispute.

314
00:27:27,390 --> 00:27:34,070
It's from Terrible's own statements to the operating company filings and the material reality on the ground.

315
00:27:34,670 --> 00:27:36,210
So what conclusions can we draw from this?

316
00:27:36,490 --> 00:27:42,610
The Terrible is deliberately misleading the town board of Lansing, that their site will not require water usage when it will.

317
00:27:42,970 --> 00:27:46,410
While their own subsidiary applies for a permit to withdraw water,

318
00:27:47,030 --> 00:27:50,050
that the Kaga operating company is attempting to mislead the water board,

319
00:27:50,350 --> 00:27:55,090
claiming that the modification of existing permit for a site that has not been operational for years.

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In light of these facts, it is essential that we urge that the legislature urge the Department of Environment and Conservation to perform a comprehensive review of the water withdrawal permit request and treated as a new permit, because it is consistent with the facts and the current reality of the site.

321
00:28:09,590 --> 00:28:13,190
Everyone should be in support of this regardless of your feelings on the data center itself.

322
00:28:13,710 --> 00:28:24,750
Even if you believe the data center will be ultimately beneficial, which I do not, having an informed understanding of the costs and the effect on the lake is essential for informed decision making and won't happen without a real review.

323
00:28:24,750 --> 00:28:29,590
I urge the legislature to listen to the dozens of environmental advocates who sent in comments

324
00:28:29,590 --> 00:28:34,710
the DEC and the dozens who are here today packing this chamber, giving testimony, support

325
00:28:34,710 --> 00:28:38,630
the local government doing its due diligence and pass this resolution today.

326
00:28:39,050 --> 00:28:39,550
Thank you.

327
00:28:40,490 --> 00:28:40,910
Thank you.

328
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:56,500
City school district teacher and was a resident, financing for certain

329
00:29:10,860 --> 00:29:11,760
friend over here.

330
00:29:24,460 --> 00:29:27,940
This was the number of chemical pollutants that are going to be regulated.

331
00:29:27,940 --> 00:29:32,500
However, I did not see any mention of heat nor noise pollution.

332
00:29:32,940 --> 00:29:37,980
Perhaps a state does not value these and making it to the termination, but with a significant rise

333
00:29:37,980 --> 00:29:40,720
in global temperature, despite the temperatures outside.

334
00:29:42,500 --> 00:29:46,720
Any amount of ambient noise all around us, I certainly do.

335
00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:50,200
If any study has been done on the impact on the temperature,

336
00:29:50,340 --> 00:29:54,060
if you go away from Cornell's light source cooling over the last few years,

337
00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:59,980
How does the volume of water appear in these two cases from the AIS error have it closed?

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00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:29,980
I have no idea how much noise an A.I. Senate makes, but a 1981 EPA report showed that consistent sound pollution is a significant deterrent to human health by raising cortisol, significant noise, also harm our wildlife friends, because it's something that should be considered with judging weather to continue with this crisis.

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00:30:29,980 --> 00:30:34,720
and I included the reference to this study in my written review.

340
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:35,860
Thank you for your service.

341
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:37,740
Thank you.

342
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:47,840
Next we're going to have Naomi Grayson, Alison Desario, Rebecca Fry, and Shelby of Ethic Acity.

343
00:30:56,380 --> 00:31:00,760
And I'm going to present an

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00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,380
artist and conservationist.

345
00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:21,140
And I hope that you're right then, and take terrible steps to re-submit their application.

346
00:31:22,260 --> 00:31:23,360
Do another permit.

347
00:31:23,780 --> 00:31:27,580
There needs to be a full environmental impact statement for this approach.

348
00:31:31,390 --> 00:31:31,970
Okay?

349
00:31:32,610 --> 00:31:32,910
Better?

350
00:31:42,930 --> 00:31:48,250
There needs to be a full environmental impact statement for this data center.

351
00:31:49,110 --> 00:31:53,190
Obviously, there will be chemicals going into the water.

352
00:31:53,870 --> 00:31:56,910
They have lied repeatedly to get what they want.

353
00:31:57,830 --> 00:32:00,070
Whatever they do, it's going to harm the lake.

354
00:32:00,690 --> 00:32:03,110
The water is not theirs for the taking.

355
00:32:03,430 --> 00:32:05,050
The water does not belong to them.

356
00:32:05,050 --> 00:32:11,670
it doesn't belong to Lansing. It doesn't belong to any one entity. It's not with

357
00:32:12,250 --> 00:32:18,950
will all be affected by this. Most likely negatively, including the animals, if the fish are

358
00:32:18,950 --> 00:32:28,190
harmed, then birds like the ospreys will be harmed, eagles, and all up the chain. So it's actually

359
00:32:28,190 --> 00:32:37,430
pretty serious. I'd really like to know who is in support of this. What kind of

360
00:32:37,430 --> 00:32:42,550
corruption is going on that there isn't already an environmental impact statement

361
00:32:42,550 --> 00:32:52,410
being demanded. What's going on here? This is our water, too. And I'm just here to

362
00:32:55,450 --> 00:33:05,910
to do the right thing and make sure that a new new permit has to be applied for.

363
00:33:06,390 --> 00:33:07,350
Thank you for your time.

364
00:33:08,170 --> 00:33:08,710
Thank you.

365
00:33:09,010 --> 00:33:09,870
Allison Desario.

366
00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:14,320
Hello, my name is Allison Desario.

367
00:33:14,980 --> 00:33:17,460
I have been in Tomkins County for eight years.

368
00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:21,380
I recreate on the lake daily in the summertime.

369
00:33:21,380 --> 00:33:26,200
care about the environment. I'm an environmental biologist and I'm here to support you

370
00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:32,940
passing the resolution 13804. There is a huge material change happening at the

371
00:33:32,940 --> 00:33:39,980
site from the coal power plant to 400 megawatt data center and because of that

372
00:33:39,980 --> 00:33:47,560
change that should necessitate an environmental review to happen by the EC. This is

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00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:57,680
not just renewal of something, even in their application they say that there's a new purpose

374
00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:02,720
for the facility such property has not yet been determined. The ones through water cooling

375
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:09,600
system with which withdraws and returns water to from K the lake remains in place for a potential

376
00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:15,740
future use. So they don't even have an idea of what it's going to use for. I don't feel that

377
00:34:15,740 --> 00:34:20,880
can trust that there's not going to be hot water going back in, like other people have said.

378
00:34:21,580 --> 00:34:25,960
And yeah, I think you should support you and I urge you to pass this resolution.

379
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:29,220
Thank you. We're back a fry.

380
00:34:33,660 --> 00:34:38,780
My name is Rebecca Fry and I'm a farmer, lake regulator, and nice egg customer.

381
00:34:39,540 --> 00:34:43,860
I'd like to thank you for taking public comments on the important issue of the water with

382
00:34:43,860 --> 00:34:49,820
the withdrawal permit renewal for Kayaena operating company subsidiary of Tara Wolff.

383
00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:56,000
I support the legislature passing the resolution to ask the DEC to reject the water withdrawal

384
00:34:56,000 --> 00:35:02,040
renewal application in question. I enjoy using the lake for recreational purposes, especially

385
00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:06,900
swimming and boating. The lake is a critical part of the natural resources of this region,

386
00:35:06,980 --> 00:35:12,540
as home for fish, birds, and other wildlife. The entire plant and animal ecosystem surrounding

387
00:35:12,540 --> 00:35:16,520
the lake depends on the quality of lake water and peaceful quiet living atmosphere.

388
00:35:17,300 --> 00:35:21,400
The humans surrounding the lake benefit equally from an unpolinity ecosystem.

389
00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:27,260
Beyond its environmental benefits, the lake is a central part of the tourism industry of

390
00:35:27,260 --> 00:35:32,600
this area, including local wineries, farms, colleges and universities, trail systems, and

391
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,900
the eateries, lodging, and other establishment that exist to support tourists.

392
00:35:36,900 --> 00:35:42,620
A change to the lake ecosystem would also affect commerce, jobs, and the overall

393
00:35:42,620 --> 00:35:44,440
desirability of the area.

394
00:35:45,460 --> 00:35:50,620
Seeing how lake quality is central first to environmental ecosystems which directly affect

395
00:35:50,620 --> 00:35:57,620
human-created systems, I believe that a full environmental review should be conducted to ensure

396
00:35:57,620 --> 00:36:02,880
that the activities propose that the AI data center would not cause unnecessary harm to

397
00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:03,360
the lake.

398
00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:09,940
An AI data center is a significantly different use than a cold power electricity plant and the water

399
00:36:09,940 --> 00:36:13,240
withdrawal permit should be denied on those grounds alone.

400
00:36:14,220 --> 00:36:18,780
Unfortunately, the applicant has given us many reasons to question the validity of the data

401
00:36:18,780 --> 00:36:20,280
included in the application.

402
00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:26,800
We found numerous inaccuracies including usage data reporting issues with withdrawal infrastructure

403
00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:31,940
issues and confusing and conflicting information presented to the community by the applicant.

404
00:36:31,940 --> 00:36:41,820
It is impossible to make an informed decision with skewed incorrect and unfounded data that's presented to you from an applicant.

405
00:36:42,500 --> 00:36:49,760
In any case, Tara Wolf has already agreed on the record to surrender their water withdrawal permit.

406
00:36:49,760 --> 00:37:02,200
Additionally, I support the resolution to require the Cayuga Operating Company reports to the DEC regularly with a comprehensive review of the impacts from water withdrawal.

407
00:37:03,180 --> 00:37:05,960
One additional note, I'm a farmer.

408
00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:15,340
My electricity bills between 2024 and 2025 show a decrease in my energy consumption.

409
00:37:16,240 --> 00:37:19,460
Why did my bill go up $4,000?

410
00:37:20,420 --> 00:37:21,960
Thank you for your time.

411
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:23,780
Thank you.

412
00:37:24,420 --> 00:37:29,720
We have, from Ethica City and Rhodes,

413
00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,960
Almer Ewing and Evan Alvarez.

414
00:37:34,700 --> 00:37:38,980
I'll also remind for those of you that have just joined us.

415
00:37:39,020 --> 00:37:42,180
If you would like to speak, we have blue cards on the back table there.

416
00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:43,680
Please fill them out.

417
00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:46,200
and you could send them forward to get in line.

418
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:51,780
So I'll be quite brief.

419
00:37:51,820 --> 00:37:52,540
My name is Shelby.

420
00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,060
I've made Efec on my home for the past 10 years

421
00:37:55,060 --> 00:37:56,640
since graduating from Efec College.

422
00:37:57,260 --> 00:37:58,740
I'm very proud to call this place my home.

423
00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:00,560
I'm very proud of the environment.

424
00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:05,300
The farmers who work here, and I want to say that I 100%

425
00:38:05,300 --> 00:38:11,000
support the resolution put forth by members, Irene and Deb.

426
00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,760
I could not have said anything better than my neighbor

427
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,000
who just spoke, said all of that.

428
00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:26,220
and in particular her concern about ongoing reports by the DEC for the State of Processing

429
00:38:26,220 --> 00:38:26,540
Center.

430
00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:30,880
I don't think our community needs the State of Processing Center, and I think it's very

431
00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:34,660
clear that it would be a net detriment to our community.

432
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:35,440
Thanks.

433
00:38:35,900 --> 00:38:36,960
Thank you.

434
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:37,620
I'm

435
00:38:40,270 --> 00:38:50,970
Anne Rhodes, I live in Freeville, first I want to thank you for your service, each of you.

436
00:38:51,130 --> 00:38:56,430
I really appreciate that you're here, and listening to us, it means a lot.

437
00:38:57,190 --> 00:39:01,510
I'm appreciative of having real democracy in Tommy's County.

438
00:39:03,970 --> 00:39:11,750
First of all, the lake is critical, as you've already heard, but also the lake is sacred.

439
00:39:14,580 --> 00:39:24,340
We live on land that supports us, and all of life is interdependent, and we can't ignore

440
00:39:24,340 --> 00:39:30,640
this fact by allowing this, and then that, and then allowing this, and then allowing that.

441
00:39:31,580 --> 00:39:37,580
Life is sacred, you have a chance here to approve this resolution, you've heard all the reasons.

442
00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:44,780
Personally, I don't trust the network of interconnected corporations that is terrible.

443
00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:47,680
I feel they've been deceptive.

444
00:39:48,620 --> 00:39:51,680
I feel they've tried to strong arm the people in Lansing.

445
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:57,100
I feel like they have attacked individuals in Lansing.

446
00:39:58,440 --> 00:40:06,280
I think that they think that we're country-bomkins and that they can just walk over us.

447
00:40:07,260 --> 00:40:12,520
So stand up, do democracy, and remember that the lake is sacred.

448
00:40:13,180 --> 00:40:13,920
Thank you.

449
00:40:14,060 --> 00:40:14,400
Thank you.

450
00:40:17,230 --> 00:40:20,830
Next is Elmer Ewing, from the town of Ethon.

451
00:40:23,130 --> 00:40:24,910
This is my name is Elmer Ewing.

452
00:40:24,910 --> 00:40:34,450
My life and I live at 1620 State of El Rose ever since it became available from Bolton

453
00:40:34,450 --> 00:40:34,990
Point.

454
00:40:35,630 --> 00:40:37,870
We've been drinking water from Cue Glake.

455
00:40:40,390 --> 00:40:44,330
How we realize data centers are the wave of the future.

456
00:40:48,250 --> 00:40:55,070
We hope that they will not turn in the wave will not turn into a tsunami.

457
00:40:56,350 --> 00:41:00,950
The data centers are noisy, a devouring electricity,

458
00:41:03,050 --> 00:41:05,170
a thirsty for water.

459
00:41:07,910 --> 00:41:14,970
The corporations pushing data centers, and to do everything in their power to overwhelm

460
00:41:14,970 --> 00:41:15,570
opposition.

461
00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:25,080
We do not want this pattern to continue in Tom Cruise County.

462
00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:33,280
Thus, we support the resolution to require the pay of the operating company report to the

463
00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:41,100
DEC. We need a full environmental review of key operating plans for water withdrawal

464
00:41:41,100 --> 00:41:52,930
from our link. The DEC should require one. By path this resolution, you will help remind the

465
00:41:52,930 --> 00:42:02,810
Department of Environmental Conservation of Kegug, Kibule, is part of the environment, which

466
00:42:02,810 --> 00:42:06,790
it is their duty to conserve and protect.

467
00:42:07,730 --> 00:42:08,930
Thank you.

468
00:42:09,170 --> 00:42:09,610
Thank you.

469
00:42:11,450 --> 00:42:12,330
An Alvarez?

470
00:42:13,790 --> 00:42:14,850
Good evening.

471
00:42:17,180 --> 00:42:18,300
My name is Evan Alvarez.

472
00:42:18,340 --> 00:42:19,900
I'm a resident of Tomkins County.

473
00:42:19,900 --> 00:42:25,540
I speak to you today in support of Resolution D, Doc ID 13804.

474
00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:30,320
The proposed use of the site in Lansing's IR district absolutely involves a material change

475
00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:31,840
in the existing permit conditions.

476
00:42:32,900 --> 00:42:37,440
He development from a now closed coal-fired plant to a 400 megawatt proposed data center.

477
00:42:37,940 --> 00:42:42,120
With many logistical questions still looming around the cooling, potential Bitcoin mining,

478
00:42:42,620 --> 00:42:46,380
local stress on electric grid, affects the surrounding natural environments and many more,

479
00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:48,560
present a significant material change.

480
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:54,100
And one that warns that the applicant supply for a new water withdrawal permit, instead of being able to modify

481
00:42:54,100 --> 00:42:55,900
slash renew the current withdrawal permit.

482
00:42:56,980 --> 00:43:00,080
What I want to talk about today is why I support this resolution fundamentally.

483
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:05,520
At its core, this resolution is about the long forgotten concept of community accountability.

484
00:43:06,580 --> 00:43:11,280
The residents and leaders of Topkins County must demand accountability from our industry collaborators.

485
00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:17,820
We must demand that kayak operating company slash lake Hawkeye slash hair wolf codified their decision

486
00:43:17,820 --> 00:43:20,860
for maintaining, modifying, renewing these water permits,

487
00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:24,380
instead of continuing to only vocalize the rationale behind these decisions.

488
00:43:25,060 --> 00:43:27,960
As the verbal explanations change depending on who asks,

489
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:32,040
we must demand accountability when they claim the Lansing Planning Board is no

490
00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:35,400
right to make adjustments to the site's use agreement involving Bitcoin mining.

491
00:43:36,220 --> 00:43:38,960
We must demand accountability when the site's owner's file erroneous

492
00:43:38,960 --> 00:43:41,560
foil requests to overwhelm Lansing's government staff.

493
00:43:42,300 --> 00:43:46,800
We must hold the county, the company accountable when it's Brooklyn-based CSO,

494
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,920
demands to be a part of Lansing's neighborhood community list serve.

495
00:43:50,420 --> 00:43:52,180
We must demand accountability when this company

496
00:43:52,180 --> 00:43:54,460
alleges, baseless claims, of improper communications

497
00:43:54,460 --> 00:43:57,340
between Lansing's elected officials and threatened legal action.

498
00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:00,480
We must demand accountability when the company

499
00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:02,260
emboldens their most aggressive supporters,

500
00:44:02,580 --> 00:44:07,180
some of which have intimidated us, and even sexually harassed

501
00:44:07,180 --> 00:44:07,940
our women allies.

502
00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:11,420
I want us to demand accountability for Vernon, California,

503
00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:14,860
the town that their subsidiary, Bison Power

504
00:44:14,860 --> 00:44:20,100
launched a lawsuit against in collaboration with the town for the power company by St.

505
00:44:20,100 --> 00:44:20,640
Power.

506
00:44:20,860 --> 00:44:24,300
The lawsuit was filed and led by Paul Prager and Kerry Langliss.

507
00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:27,440
But they were, instead, found guilty of over-billing the town of Ritten

508
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:34,200
County, California to the tune of 9,400,000, 521 dollars and 68 cents.

509
00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:38,160
Members of the Tompkins County legislature, I ask that you please pass this resolution.

510
00:44:38,540 --> 00:44:39,680
Accountability starts here.

511
00:44:39,900 --> 00:44:40,780
Thank you.

512
00:44:41,220 --> 00:44:41,940
Thank you.

513
00:44:41,940 --> 00:44:48,920
Brian Eden, Michael Hayes, Carrie Kuplinkalera, and Diane Cohen.

514
00:44:55,150 --> 00:44:57,770
Good evening, Chair of Black members of the County Board.

515
00:44:58,370 --> 00:44:59,930
Appreciate your taking this up.

516
00:45:00,210 --> 00:45:06,490
I appreciate your passing 1, 3, 8, 0, 4 with its amendments.

517
00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:20,400
Terrowof has agreed to surrender the water permit or water use, at least on some capacity.

518
00:45:20,820 --> 00:45:32,640
And yet, Terrowof is not the applicant for this permit. One of its many nested LLCs, which are somewhat obscure in the relationship, is the requester for the water.

519
00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:39,680
and Tara Wolf is not in this present context being held linked to that and held responsible

520
00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:46,420
to that. So, any version of this amendment ultimately is going to need to list every single

521
00:45:46,420 --> 00:45:53,640
LLC and associated corporation in the consideration of the water that environmental impact

522
00:45:53,640 --> 00:46:01,460
in the rafts, in my opinion, but I do stand in support of this resolution, whether it's

523
00:46:01,460 --> 00:46:05,680
amendments, I think it's a good first step for the county, but I think it ultimately will

524
00:46:05,680 --> 00:46:11,420
need to be more comprehensive and include all of the many hidden nested corporate dolls

525
00:46:11,420 --> 00:46:19,820
that knit this together in our present leave-skir. Carol Wolf and his group are not a collaborative

526
00:46:19,820 --> 00:46:27,320
public partner in this. As has been mentioned in publicized, they are a party that threatens lawsuits,

527
00:46:28,100 --> 00:46:35,640
intimidates people and seeks what they want, and in that frame of mind they need to be treated

528
00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:42,100
in the same manner, not in a collaborative, they're going to help us out, because I don't

529
00:46:42,100 --> 00:46:43,600
think that's their purpose.

530
00:46:47,270 --> 00:46:51,110
Interestingly, they have a facility that's further along in this

531
00:46:51,710 --> 00:46:58,490
process on Lake Ontario, and in that facility, they made the same promises as here. They don't

532
00:46:58,490 --> 00:47:04,810
need the water, they'd get back the permit, ultimately no one held them to account and they're

533
00:47:04,810 --> 00:47:10,330
using a very large amount of water, contrary to their assertions and are operating with

534
00:47:10,330 --> 00:47:16,350
very little oversight because it was not structured, not all of their little corporations and

535
00:47:16,350 --> 00:47:21,970
hidden feces were not included in a final agreement, so you've got a mouthpiece and so are

536
00:47:21,970 --> 00:47:29,730
back door way into things that needs to be addressed here in my opinion at the beginning.

537
00:47:30,510 --> 00:47:37,370
I would also ask and certainly I appreciate the County Board's thinking and effort

538
00:47:38,850 --> 00:47:46,090
that there's no tax abatements provided to this organization by anyone, not an industrial

539
00:47:46,090 --> 00:47:52,190
board not anyone that they pay full trade and they pay their own higher electric rates so

540
00:47:52,190 --> 00:47:57,550
that all the rest of us, like me, who has retired with the disabled's wife, aren't paying

541
00:47:57,550 --> 00:48:00,150
more for electricity to subsidize their profits.

542
00:48:00,330 --> 00:48:01,270
Thank you very much.

543
00:48:01,810 --> 00:48:02,070
Thank you.

544
00:48:03,270 --> 00:48:04,870
Next is right me, Eden.

545
00:48:06,730 --> 00:48:11,240
Over the decades, I have brought several resolutions before the legislature for protection of

546
00:48:11,240 --> 00:48:16,960
water quality. For the benefit of the newer members, I'll provide some context for my support

547
00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:22,040
of the water withdrawal resolution. My attention was drawn to the lake by the 1994

548
00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:26,180
work collapse of the rest of Saltman and Livingston County. There were only two Saltmines

549
00:48:26,180 --> 00:48:30,580
in New York State, and there was concern by local residents for the safety of the other one,

550
00:48:30,720 --> 00:48:37,660
the Kyugus Saltmine. Our then assembly member, Marty Lesser, requested a legislative hearing

551
00:48:37,660 --> 00:48:43,400
in Albany to identify the cause of the collapse and de-risk, the potential for Kyuga.

552
00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:48,380
Marty Broker in agreement where the DC would require that an EIS be conducted for the

553
00:48:48,380 --> 00:48:52,360
first time when a permit room was requested for the case of assault mine.

554
00:48:52,700 --> 00:48:59,440
In 2000, the DC reneged on that agreement and an EIS has never been conducted for the

555
00:48:59,440 --> 00:48:59,660
mine.

556
00:49:00,300 --> 00:49:05,560
There are now many local water-based organizations interested in preserving water quality

557
00:49:05,560 --> 00:49:08,940
of Kivgolake. Kivgolake watershed network, water resources,

558
00:49:09,300 --> 00:49:13,460
consult Kivgolake in a municipal organization and clean.

559
00:49:13,860 --> 00:49:16,940
We all have at a fraught relationship with the DEC in our attempt

560
00:49:16,940 --> 00:49:18,540
to protect the lake's water quality.

561
00:49:18,860 --> 00:49:20,960
The county legislature has, by resolution,

562
00:49:21,860 --> 00:49:24,760
support us on many occasions over the past 10 years

563
00:49:24,760 --> 00:49:27,960
without much noticeable positive response from the DEC.

564
00:49:28,580 --> 00:49:31,680
Clean, and there before that, the M.C., have commented

565
00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:33,920
on previous speedies and water withdrawal permits

566
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:39,340
for the acute operating company, we believe that the site, which has an industrial one for

567
00:49:39,340 --> 00:49:45,180
64 years, should be assessed as a potential brownfield prior to being a proof for a new

568
00:49:45,180 --> 00:49:45,720
use.

569
00:49:45,960 --> 00:49:51,400
Toxic chemical spills in the vicinity of plant as well as the adjacent coal ash residue

570
00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:51,960
landfill.

571
00:49:52,900 --> 00:49:57,520
So our comments on the water withdrawal permit at Pokeston are opposition to the ones through

572
00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:03,260
cooling system, such cooling systems do kill and harm fast amounts of aquatic like effective

573
00:50:03,260 --> 00:50:09,100
the mass rating or grinding smaller organisms and impending larger ones against screens leading

574
00:50:09,100 --> 00:50:14,420
to billions of deaths in the way through the impingement and entrainment of fish.

575
00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:20,900
A fact sheet distributed by Lake Hawkeye assured us that they intended responsible

576
00:50:20,900 --> 00:50:21,620
development.

577
00:50:21,940 --> 00:50:27,940
No lake water use, although the site retains the legacy water intake from its cold plant days,

578
00:50:28,420 --> 00:50:31,320
the new data's campus will not draw from the lake for cooling.

579
00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:38,060
It will use a closed loop system requiring only few gallons of utility water quality water daily.

580
00:50:38,640 --> 00:50:42,820
Almost simultaneously they applied for the modified renewable for their water withdrawal

581
00:50:42,820 --> 00:50:44,920
improvement for the supplier.

582
00:50:44,920 --> 00:50:48,440
For the supplier suppression they have access to the bottom point pipeline.

583
00:50:48,920 --> 00:50:52,500
On their side are they requesting from the DC, a hypothetical permit.

584
00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:56,900
We might decide to use a water-based cooling system someday, so it would be good to have

585
00:50:56,900 --> 00:50:58,260
it that option in our pocket.

586
00:50:58,660 --> 00:50:59,280
Thank you so much.

587
00:51:00,180 --> 00:51:00,440
Thank you.

588
00:51:04,290 --> 00:51:15,110
Thank you, I'm Carrey Coplink-Alear and I just want to start by thanking all of the legislators and their families and the staff of TomCons County for their service.

589
00:51:15,230 --> 00:51:17,690
I'm very much appreciated and this venue.

590
00:51:18,870 --> 00:51:23,570
I live several miles from the area that we're talking about, former Millikon station.

591
00:51:24,330 --> 00:51:30,110
I've lived there for 16 years and in TomCons County for 44, and my profession has been as a science writer.

592
00:51:30,110 --> 00:51:38,590
I very much 100% support the resolution of legislators Dawson and Wieser, 13804.

593
00:51:39,330 --> 00:51:42,890
It doesn't go quite far enough, but it is fabulous.

594
00:51:43,690 --> 00:51:51,410
And if the DEC is not receptive, I recommend a plan B, because the resource is too precious

595
00:51:51,410 --> 00:51:52,210
to threaten.

596
00:51:52,430 --> 00:51:53,330
Thank you.

597
00:51:53,610 --> 00:51:54,710
Thank you.

598
00:51:54,710 --> 00:52:06,050
Diane Cohen, then we have Hannah Thomas, Harold Mills, Sarah Eichel, and Lisa Martin.

599
00:52:07,970 --> 00:52:13,050
Great. Well, good evening, everyone. My name is Diane Cohen. I'm the CEO of Finger Lakes

600
00:52:13,050 --> 00:52:18,930
Reuse, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing community economy and environment

601
00:52:18,930 --> 00:52:24,290
through Reuse. I'm also a 42-year resident of Tomkins County and for the last 25 years

602
00:52:24,290 --> 00:52:26,070
I've lived in the town of Ulysses.

603
00:52:26,350 --> 00:52:29,030
Personally, I'm very supportive and thrilled to see

604
00:52:29,030 --> 00:52:33,010
the community engagement on this resolution tonight.

605
00:52:33,490 --> 00:52:36,150
I'm here tonight to welcome the eight new legislators,

606
00:52:36,550 --> 00:52:37,850
and thank you for your service,

607
00:52:38,190 --> 00:52:39,510
and the returning eight legislators,

608
00:52:40,470 --> 00:52:44,550
and also the dedicated county staff for your service

609
00:52:44,550 --> 00:52:47,030
and for your long-time partnership with our organization.

610
00:52:47,550 --> 00:52:51,070
We were incorporated in 2007 on the request of,

611
00:52:51,070 --> 00:52:53,330
and with guidance from Tomkins County's,

612
00:52:53,330 --> 00:52:58,170
recycling and materials management department and over the last year and a half we worked

613
00:52:58,170 --> 00:53:02,010
on our three-year strategic plan and really been lifted up by the community's support

614
00:53:02,010 --> 00:53:06,330
and enthusiasm to expand reuse services in Tompkins County.

615
00:53:06,750 --> 00:53:11,050
I'm going to truncate my remarks in the interest of letting more people come but I'll

616
00:53:11,050 --> 00:53:16,430
be coming hopefully to at least one or two committees to talk more about the opportunities

617
00:53:16,430 --> 00:53:21,510
we see the goals in the county strategic plan that we think reuse can help.

618
00:53:21,510 --> 00:53:27,510
There are some challenges and some opportunities really happy to be in partnership with you glad to see you tonight

619
00:53:27,510 --> 00:53:34,070
But I'm gonna leave the rest of my time for the rest of this concern here. So thank you. Thank you. Hannah tombs.

620
00:53:34,850 --> 00:53:38,910
All right. Hi everyone. I'm Hannah tombs. I'm a Tompkins County resident. I live in Ithaca

621
00:53:38,910 --> 00:53:41,170
I'm also a librarian. So I have a lot of

622
00:53:41,670 --> 00:53:46,330
Ethical and intellectual concerns about AI, but I'm just gonna comment on the environmental concerns tonight

623
00:53:46,330 --> 00:53:50,150
I'd actually like to bring up some findings from a recent study from

624
00:53:50,150 --> 00:53:52,310
the journal Nature Sustainability.

625
00:53:52,370 --> 00:53:54,010
It was conducted by some Cornell researchers

626
00:53:54,010 --> 00:53:56,930
from the Department of Environmental Engineering

627
00:53:56,930 --> 00:53:57,850
back in November.

628
00:53:58,510 --> 00:54:01,650
The results of this study, which was a state-by-state data analysis

629
00:54:01,650 --> 00:54:04,330
of environmental impacts from AI data centers,

630
00:54:04,930 --> 00:54:06,950
the study revealed that if the current growth rate

631
00:54:06,950 --> 00:54:09,090
of AI continues as it is right now,

632
00:54:09,450 --> 00:54:12,890
this will result in 24 to 44 million metric tons

633
00:54:12,890 --> 00:54:15,270
of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere

634
00:54:15,270 --> 00:54:16,230
by the year 2030.

635
00:54:16,590 --> 00:54:18,770
So literally less than 40 years from now,

636
00:54:18,770 --> 00:54:25,970
as well as draining up to 1,125 million cubic meters of water per year to put that in perspective,

637
00:54:26,290 --> 00:54:31,490
that water usage compared to, you know, that's from a few AI data centers that's the equivalent

638
00:54:31,490 --> 00:54:37,450
to the annual household water use for about 6 to 10 million U.S. households. So that's pretty insane.

639
00:54:38,250 --> 00:54:42,670
Over the last several months, terrible excuse and workaround for concerns about environmental

640
00:54:42,670 --> 00:54:46,890
impacts from the proposed data center is to claim that they're a clean energy company

641
00:54:46,890 --> 00:54:49,550
that they're using a closed-weather cooling system,

642
00:54:49,990 --> 00:54:51,990
which is technically more environmentally sound,

643
00:54:52,250 --> 00:54:54,110
but even if those conditions were true,

644
00:54:54,250 --> 00:54:55,510
which there's very little evidence

645
00:54:55,510 --> 00:54:57,050
to support that any of those promises

646
00:54:57,050 --> 00:54:58,810
that they've made are backed up.

647
00:54:59,210 --> 00:55:00,530
That would actually do very little

648
00:55:00,530 --> 00:55:03,030
to reduce carbon emissions over the long term

649
00:55:03,030 --> 00:55:04,110
from AI data centers.

650
00:55:04,350 --> 00:55:07,050
So they're the impact of those sustainable methods

651
00:55:07,050 --> 00:55:10,130
would be really minimal in terms of the environmental concerns.

652
00:55:10,910 --> 00:55:11,870
As it stands right now,

653
00:55:11,950 --> 00:55:15,210
there's currently no way to really mitigate

654
00:55:15,210 --> 00:55:19,850
or fully control the environmental impacts that come from AI data centers, and that's not my opinion,

655
00:55:20,050 --> 00:55:25,070
that's not a hot take. I'm trying to make that as a fact full stop. So for these reasons,

656
00:55:25,170 --> 00:55:29,770
for these real concerns, real risks that would come from this AI data center, I fully support

657
00:55:29,770 --> 00:55:33,550
the resolution to reject animals, water withdrawal, application. I think it's common sense.

658
00:55:33,590 --> 00:55:37,810
I think it's the right thing to do, and I would encourage the members of the board here, too.

659
00:55:38,150 --> 00:55:40,490
Yeah, act accordingly, so thank you so much. Thank you.

660
00:55:50,030 --> 00:55:58,070
Good evening. I'm Harold Mills. I want to start by thanking you all for your service and welcome the new legislators.

661
00:55:59,830 --> 00:56:05,350
I live in Lansing, a little less than two miles south of the yoga operating company site.

662
00:56:06,190 --> 00:56:12,490
I want to voice my support for Resolution D since I agree that the proposed use of the site as a data center.

663
00:56:12,490 --> 00:56:19,270
Instead of a power plant, we'll greatly alter the potential needs for Kiyuga Lake water withdrawal.

664
00:56:20,090 --> 00:56:25,970
The existing Lake water withdrawal permit should not simply be renewed, but rather a new permit should be required.

665
00:56:26,790 --> 00:56:37,690
To protect Kiyuga Lake and the human and other life that depend on it, a fresh evaluation of the needs at potential impacts of the proposed site activity is in order.

666
00:56:38,090 --> 00:56:38,730
Thank you.

667
00:56:38,730 --> 00:56:41,370
Thank you. Sarah Eichel?

668
00:56:41,630 --> 00:56:42,150
Eichel?

669
00:56:44,640 --> 00:56:46,080
Hi, my name Sarah Eichel.

670
00:56:46,500 --> 00:56:49,640
I am here representing Kaggle Lake Watershed Network.

671
00:56:50,700 --> 00:56:53,580
I just want to say thank you for hearing our comments today.

672
00:56:53,700 --> 00:56:55,300
I'm putting this resolution forward.

673
00:56:56,400 --> 00:57:01,400
Kaggle Lake Watershed Network submitted comments during the DEC's public comment period.

674
00:57:03,100 --> 00:57:10,560
Supporting withdrawing this permit and requiring the DEC to do a new permit for water use.

675
00:57:11,240 --> 00:57:17,940
the original permit that how you go operating a few power plant is we're operating under

676
00:57:17,940 --> 00:57:23,720
is because they were a coal fire power plant this is saying it's just for like water cooling.

677
00:57:24,960 --> 00:57:31,100
Currently the site is just kind of holding space. We don't know why they need this water.

678
00:57:31,640 --> 00:57:37,540
We don't know what it's being used for or why they would have to have a million gallons of water a day.

679
00:57:37,540 --> 00:57:43,280
And that's why we would like the DEC to require the company to

680
00:57:43,280 --> 00:57:47,720
residmit their application and to make them go through that process to

681
00:57:47,720 --> 00:57:49,700
indicate why this water is necessary.

682
00:57:50,740 --> 00:57:55,540
We also recognize that this could be, you know,

683
00:57:56,340 --> 00:58:00,820
setting up the infrastructure for other uses for the power plant.

684
00:58:01,060 --> 00:58:05,540
They indicate that in their application, they said that we're

685
00:58:05,540 --> 00:58:15,580
We're holding the space, we don't know how we're going to use it, so that's why we think it's important for them to reconsider that use and reconsider how this water is being used and how it's being discharged.

686
00:58:17,680 --> 00:58:24,840
And I'll just leave it at that and let other people speak, but thank you for your time and thank you for letting us come out today and support this resolution.

687
00:58:24,840 --> 00:58:26,440
Thank you.

688
00:58:26,900 --> 00:58:34,880
Lisa Martin, Adam Law, Ainsley, Fernando de Argonne, and Ed Pressman.

689
00:58:38,110 --> 00:58:41,130
I'm Lisa Martin, I'm a resident of the town of Lansing.

690
00:58:41,930 --> 00:58:46,250
My home is located a few miles from the site of the proposed data center, and I frequently

691
00:58:46,250 --> 00:58:50,830
hike in paddleboard around the Cugula Lakefront Natural Areas to the south of Milliconsdation.

692
00:58:51,750 --> 00:58:55,250
I would like to voice my support for the resolution drafted by the legislature.

693
00:58:55,250 --> 00:59:00,790
Because the owner's intended use for the site has changed dramatically since the last permits were issued,

694
00:59:01,250 --> 00:59:05,390
a new evaluation of potential impacts on local water resources should be completed.

695
00:59:06,250 --> 00:59:08,070
Additionally, as noted in the resolution,

696
00:59:08,730 --> 00:59:14,110
KUGA operating company Angela Herowulf have made inconsistent and conflicting public statements,

697
00:59:14,570 --> 00:59:17,590
regarding their water use plans for the site.

698
00:59:18,130 --> 00:59:21,310
Raising questions about their intentions in pursuing this permit renewal,

699
00:59:21,310 --> 00:59:23,390
which would allow, as people have mentioned,

700
00:59:23,850 --> 00:59:26,170
withdraw all of 1 million gallons of water per day.

701
00:59:27,410 --> 00:59:30,590
The DEC should be asked to process this as a new permit application

702
00:59:30,590 --> 00:59:33,230
subject to comprehensive environmental review.

703
00:59:33,750 --> 00:59:36,010
Please protect the health of the water and natural resources

704
00:59:36,010 --> 00:59:38,990
that so many Lansing and Hopkins County residents enjoy

705
00:59:38,990 --> 00:59:41,310
and past this resolution. Thank you.

706
00:59:42,710 --> 00:59:46,550
Adam Law. Good evening. My name is Adam Law.

707
00:59:47,050 --> 00:59:50,910
I'm a resident of Hopkins County living in the town of Ithaca

708
00:59:50,910 --> 00:59:57,290
for 36 years. I'm a co-founder and current board president of physicians, scientists and engineers

709
00:59:57,290 --> 00:59:59,750
for healthy energy and organization.

710
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:10,820
That brings science to energy policy. I am here to support the resolution to reject the water withdrawal permit application from

711
01:00:10,820 --> 01:00:24,880
QUG operating company. This is not a continuation of a power plant. It's a fundamentally different industrial use that requires a new permit and full environmental impact review.

712
01:00:24,880 --> 01:00:42,140
I want to review three key points first, the proposed 400 megawatt data center would involve continuous large scale water withdrawals under operating conditions that were never evaluated under the existing permit.

713
01:00:42,900 --> 01:00:51,260
Treating this as a grandfathered use would bypass the scientific review needed to assess new risks.

714
01:00:51,260 --> 01:00:59,440
Second, Cugula Lake is a sensitive ecological system and a shared public resource.

715
01:01:00,380 --> 01:01:06,260
There is insufficient evidence in the current record to determine how this level in

716
01:01:06,260 --> 01:01:12,320
patent of water use could affect lake temperature water quality aquatic life or downstream

717
01:01:12,320 --> 01:01:13,160
users.

718
01:01:13,160 --> 01:01:23,340
A new permit and environmental review are necessary to evaluate these potential impacts using current data.

719
01:01:24,320 --> 01:01:33,620
Third, if risks or harms emerge, the costs of monitoring prevention and mitigation must not be shifted to local taxpayers.

720
01:01:33,620 --> 01:01:41,040
Without a new permitting process, the county lacks a clear and enforceable framework to ensure that

721
01:01:41,040 --> 01:01:48,000
terror wolf not the public bears the financial responsibility for oversight and any required

722
01:01:48,000 --> 01:01:54,260
remediation. For these reasons I urge you to pass this resolution rejecting the water

723
01:01:54,260 --> 01:02:00,980
withdrawal permit application and require a new permit allowing for an evidence-based environmental

724
01:02:00,980 --> 01:02:09,340
impact review for citing this massive data center on KUGA Lake. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak.

725
01:02:09,880 --> 01:02:11,020
Thank you.

726
01:02:11,320 --> 01:02:11,980
Anzly?

727
01:02:19,290 --> 01:02:19,930
Anzly here?

728
01:02:26,060 --> 01:02:26,420
Okay.

729
01:02:28,160 --> 01:02:33,600
I'm going to put their card at the end, and if they end up coming back, then we can try it again.

730
01:02:34,580 --> 01:02:35,580
Fernando de Argon.

731
01:02:37,600 --> 01:02:43,500
Good evening, Fernando de Aragon, 28-year resident of city of Ithaca.

732
01:02:46,260 --> 01:02:53,020
It's pretty clear that the lake is probably the most important significant environmental

733
01:02:53,020 --> 01:03:00,920
resource that we have in our county after 25 years with the Kiwi Lixing Byway, not profit,

734
01:03:01,660 --> 01:03:06,380
I can also confidently say that it's the most significant resource for our neighboring counties

735
01:03:08,540 --> 01:03:19,700
As a planner in the county, over the years, I noticed that Home Rule is very strong in New York.

736
01:03:20,260 --> 01:03:30,960
There are very few ways for the public to reach the decision makers on regional projects,

737
01:03:30,960 --> 01:03:36,200
and regional impact projects such as the one we're considering here.

738
01:03:36,960 --> 01:03:38,580
So, you are all that's very important.

739
01:03:39,380 --> 01:03:41,960
I'm very happy that you have this resolution before you.

740
01:03:42,900 --> 01:03:45,140
And I hope that you pass it.

741
01:03:45,140 --> 01:03:47,940
And I urge you to keep vigilant on this topic.

742
01:03:48,580 --> 01:03:52,400
There will be other opportunities and we need you to be our voice

743
01:03:52,400 --> 01:03:56,940
to reach all the needs.

744
01:03:56,940 --> 01:04:02,180
because we don't have regional environmental groups doing this work.

745
01:04:03,380 --> 01:04:05,880
It seems like we go from the local to Albany,

746
01:04:06,740 --> 01:04:07,800
and that is a big leap,

747
01:04:08,660 --> 01:04:10,840
and the role of the counties is a very important one,

748
01:04:11,500 --> 01:04:13,460
and I thank you for your time.

749
01:04:14,160 --> 01:04:14,800
Thank you.

750
01:04:15,040 --> 01:04:18,320
Just to note, Fernando was a long time employee of Tompkins County

751
01:04:18,320 --> 01:04:19,700
and his recent rule retired,

752
01:04:20,000 --> 01:04:21,920
so we're glad to see you back in the chambers.

753
01:04:27,330 --> 01:04:34,390
My name is Abe Presman, I live in Ithaca, and I'm here to speak in support of the water

754
01:04:34,390 --> 01:04:35,470
thingy,

755
01:04:37,520 --> 01:04:42,240
not great with names. I moved to Ithaca, a little over a year ago to build a tech

756
01:04:42,240 --> 01:04:48,400
company here. My first month in Ithaca, my electricity bill was $150. Most months it's

757
01:04:48,400 --> 01:04:53,580
more than that. I have never lived in any place where the cost of electricity is remotely

758
01:04:53,580 --> 01:04:54,720
as high as it is here.

759
01:04:54,940 --> 01:04:57,420
There are months when I spend more on electricity than I do on food.

760
01:04:58,200 --> 01:05:01,800
It's not just me, you can go on the ethicists subreddit, one out of every five posts.

761
01:05:02,320 --> 01:05:05,120
The number one topic is, how is my electric bill so high?

762
01:05:06,400 --> 01:05:09,260
We have some of the most expensive electricity in the country.

763
01:05:09,400 --> 01:05:10,100
You can look it up.

764
01:05:10,220 --> 01:05:12,320
Some of the most expensive electricity in the world.

765
01:05:12,860 --> 01:05:16,860
It does not make economic sense to build a data center here unless you're getting some kind

766
01:05:16,860 --> 01:05:17,420
of kickback.

767
01:05:17,420 --> 01:05:19,740
And if you look, you can look at the numbers.

768
01:05:20,620 --> 01:05:25,200
It's I am paying, I think, 25 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity.

769
01:05:26,080 --> 01:05:30,120
Terrellf has an agreement to, I believe, pay five cents a kilowatt hour for that electricity

770
01:05:30,120 --> 01:05:30,980
they're going to use.

771
01:05:31,480 --> 01:05:36,000
Other people have already walked you through the math on how much electricity the site is

772
01:05:36,000 --> 01:05:38,360
going to produce versus how much it can use.

773
01:05:38,420 --> 01:05:39,240
It's going to use.

774
01:05:39,780 --> 01:05:43,900
I don't need to repeat that, but there is no way you can figure it in which this data

775
01:05:43,900 --> 01:05:47,200
is not going to massively spike the amount of electricity we consume here.

776
01:05:48,020 --> 01:05:52,260
We are in the middle of a hard time for affordability, right here in Tomkins County,

777
01:05:53,080 --> 01:05:57,660
not just in ethic of it everywhere in the county, and in a time when a lot of people are

778
01:05:57,660 --> 01:06:02,540
really struggling to pay their electric bills, their other bills, the best thing this council

779
01:06:02,540 --> 01:06:07,720
could do for affordable ability right now is really anything that can slow down construction

780
01:06:07,720 --> 01:06:09,160
of this proposed data center.

781
01:06:09,600 --> 01:06:13,520
I know we're just supposed to be talking about what are you here, but I urge this council to

782
01:06:13,520 --> 01:06:18,960
about making sure they're checking every box, making sure anything we can do to make sure

783
01:06:18,960 --> 01:06:23,720
that this data center is actually staying above the line is going to be important and

784
01:06:23,720 --> 01:06:26,880
is going to help everybody who lives here with our costs.

785
01:06:27,500 --> 01:06:27,780
Thank you.

786
01:06:28,300 --> 01:06:28,820
Thank you.

787
01:06:29,480 --> 01:06:32,100
I have George A. Kelly do little.

788
01:06:32,560 --> 01:06:33,320
John Closer.

789
01:06:34,120 --> 01:06:34,920
In Madeleine Reed.

790
01:06:35,420 --> 01:06:40,760
Also, if there's anyone here that would like to speak on privilege of the floor, we do have blue cards

791
01:06:40,760 --> 01:06:42,260
located at the back table.

792
01:06:42,260 --> 01:06:42,780
Good

793
01:06:53,220 --> 01:07:00,600
evening. My name is George and I've lived in Tomkins County for a couple of years now, and I'll be brief

794
01:07:01,500 --> 01:07:09,300
decisions made in rooms like this are important. My family is from Cass County, Texas, and

795
01:07:09,300 --> 01:07:12,160
in a room just like this about 70 years ago

796
01:07:13,040 --> 01:07:18,920
a paper mill was given permission to be built in the county, and

797
01:07:18,920 --> 01:07:30,940
Since I was born and to my most recent visit in 2022, everybody there drinks bottled water because the ground water has been poisoned from industrial runoff.

798
01:07:32,920 --> 01:07:37,100
The environmental study is just paramount to this.

799
01:07:37,260 --> 01:07:41,240
What kind of corrosion inhibitors will live using? What sort of biosides?

800
01:07:41,240 --> 01:07:44,200
you know, nitrates, you know, the thermal pollution,

801
01:07:45,940 --> 01:07:47,780
all of this needs to be looked at.

802
01:07:48,380 --> 01:07:52,080
And yeah, I want to yield my time

803
01:07:52,080 --> 01:07:54,980
because there's a lot of people here with a lot to say,

804
01:07:55,560 --> 01:07:56,960
but thank you for the time.

805
01:07:57,640 --> 01:07:58,480
Thank you.

806
01:07:58,940 --> 01:07:59,940
Kelly, do little?

807
01:08:04,820 --> 01:08:05,060
Hi there.

808
01:08:05,200 --> 01:08:06,400
My name is Kelly, do little.

809
01:08:08,480 --> 01:08:11,400
I'm gonna make mine a little shorter than original two

810
01:08:11,400 --> 01:08:13,160
because a lot of these points have been made,

811
01:08:13,160 --> 01:08:17,980
But I do want to say that in a public meeting last fall, I did hear the CEO of Tera

812
01:08:17,980 --> 01:08:22,120
will say that their data center would not withdraw, lake water for cooling.

813
01:08:23,300 --> 01:08:28,420
And given that the CEO of Tera will have his told Lansing officials, that the KU

814
01:08:28,420 --> 01:08:33,480
Gopberating Company has formally agreed to surrender their water withdrawal permit, that

815
01:08:33,480 --> 01:08:38,120
permit having been developed originally in the context of a power generating facility.

816
01:08:38,120 --> 01:08:42,300
But in terrible case, it will actually be a power sucking facility.

817
01:08:43,140 --> 01:08:48,960
The DEC should not process a new request from the COC as a renewal, but rather as a new

818
01:08:48,960 --> 01:08:54,640
permit altogether requiring appropriate environmental review for an energy sucking AI data

819
01:08:54,640 --> 01:08:55,060
center.

820
01:08:55,960 --> 01:08:59,980
Also, I'd like to share with you all some of the information from an Ithaca voice article by

821
01:08:59,980 --> 01:09:07,640
Fernando Figuerole from October 30th of last year about extremely dangerous HABs being reported

822
01:09:07,640 --> 01:09:14,540
in K. Eugolake is early as June 3 to his late as October 27th, H.A.B. has been reported in the

823
01:09:14,540 --> 01:09:19,980
aftermath of natural phenomena like sluggish water circulation, unusually high water temperatures,

824
01:09:20,680 --> 01:09:26,700
and extreme weather events such as floods and drought caused by climate change. However, overfeeding

825
01:09:26,700 --> 01:09:32,680
mainly the addition of phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon from farm and lawn runoff is already a

826
01:09:32,680 --> 01:09:37,620
huge negative factor in the health of our lake. It's an issue with regards to the data

827
01:09:37,620 --> 01:09:44,340
center because the 183 acre site proposed for the AI data center in the phase 1 area is located

828
01:09:44,340 --> 01:09:52,600
on a 10 to 15 percent slope of which currently 55 percent is forest and 12 percent wetlands

829
01:09:52,600 --> 01:09:58,280
that serve to absorb and contain some of that toxic runoff. All that protective acreage

830
01:09:58,280 --> 01:10:05,540
will be stripped away and replaced by an enormous permeable footprint of the data center.

831
01:10:05,540 --> 01:10:11,080
So, considering the negative effects already degrading our lake, does it not stand to

832
01:10:11,080 --> 01:10:15,360
reason that the utmost care over the deliberations of environmental considerations should

833
01:10:15,360 --> 01:10:20,720
be taken by those who are tasked for regulating behemoth construction projects such as

834
01:10:20,720 --> 01:10:22,380
Terrible AI data center.

835
01:10:23,020 --> 01:10:27,480
These are just some of the issues which make me support the legislature passing the resolution

836
01:10:27,900 --> 01:10:32,000
to ask the DEC to reject this water withdrawal renewal application.

837
01:10:32,000 --> 01:10:35,860
And thank you for your service here to all the legislators.

838
01:10:38,560 --> 01:10:39,480
John Glosser?

839
01:10:41,240 --> 01:10:41,400
Hi.

840
01:10:41,540 --> 01:10:42,510
My name is John Glosser.

841
01:10:43,040 --> 01:10:44,760
I'm a resident of Newfield, New York.

842
01:10:44,980 --> 01:10:48,620
I've lived in the Ithaca area for most of the decade, and I'm a New York resident

843
01:10:48,620 --> 01:10:50,360
for the entirety of my life.

844
01:10:50,480 --> 01:10:51,720
I support the legislature.

845
01:10:52,380 --> 01:10:57,060
Passing a resolution to ask the DEC to reject this water withdrawal renewal application.

846
01:10:57,680 --> 01:11:01,500
The nature of operations at this location is going to fundamentally change

847
01:11:01,500 --> 01:11:08,660
And this should pump a full review of the proposed operations by the DEC to ensure these changes are properly managed.

848
01:11:09,400 --> 01:11:13,300
I think producing power to consuming power.

849
01:11:13,900 --> 01:11:18,760
By seeking the renewal of existing permits in both water with drawn speedies,

850
01:11:18,960 --> 01:11:23,400
tarwolf appears to be looking to take advantage of provisions within these existing permits.

851
01:11:23,840 --> 01:11:28,780
Most concerning is the lack of heavy metal testing required under existing speedies permits.

852
01:11:28,780 --> 01:11:33,320
The reason to have the metals caused by combustion of coal power on surrounding communities is

853
01:11:33,320 --> 01:11:37,520
while studied in numerous studies points to the negative health effects of this type of exposure.

854
01:11:38,180 --> 01:11:44,960
Given this information, I'm concerned at the possibility of large site disturbances associated with constructions of facilities of this magnitude.

855
01:11:45,820 --> 01:11:52,360
I think excavation, bulldozers, small silt, sacks around the outside of the property, protecting the way.

856
01:11:52,500 --> 01:11:54,600
We ask ourselves, is that really going forward?

857
01:11:55,200 --> 01:12:01,020
In my opinion, Terrible's unwillingness to act in good faith will make land or people in

858
01:12:01,020 --> 01:12:05,540
the surrounding communities, a good steward of the land will approach this with full transparency.

859
01:12:06,160 --> 01:12:11,100
They would seek a new permit of their own accord and not be forced to, by concerned citizens

860
01:12:11,620 --> 01:12:13,700
coming out like on the evening site.

861
01:12:14,460 --> 01:12:19,920
And lastly, the existing permit allows for the discharge of water into Cugulaic at 98 degrees

862
01:12:19,920 --> 01:12:20,440
Fahrenheit.

863
01:12:20,440 --> 01:12:25,500
This should concern everyone in the room as Cornell University's own system can cool

864
01:12:25,500 --> 01:12:31,240
approximately 900 structures using their own version of a system like this, and release

865
01:12:31,240 --> 01:12:35,620
water to the lake at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more in tune with

866
01:12:35,620 --> 01:12:41,940
the net lake's natural gradient. To say the importance of the proposed data center would

867
01:12:41,940 --> 01:12:46,200
be more impactful in the world than what the university can do as laughable, and yet they

868
01:12:46,200 --> 01:12:51,120
to be allowed to exceed this system designed by over 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

869
01:12:52,260 --> 01:12:56,300
And so this, when determining the next actions to take is they relate to what oversight is

870
01:12:56,300 --> 01:12:58,740
given to tarwolf in the future plans in the community.

871
01:12:58,960 --> 01:13:00,560
Again, I fully support the legislation.

872
01:13:01,660 --> 01:13:04,500
Passing the resolution to ask the DEC to reject this water,

873
01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:05,840
we'll throw all room in the application.

874
01:13:06,160 --> 01:13:06,760
Thank you very much.

875
01:13:08,040 --> 01:13:12,020
Madeline Reed, Solomon, Caleb Harnt,

876
01:13:14,600 --> 01:13:15,580
my name is Madeline Reed.

877
01:13:15,580 --> 01:13:18,880
I've lived in Ethica for about two years now.

878
01:13:19,740 --> 01:13:21,760
I moved here for the environment.

879
01:13:22,520 --> 01:13:24,560
The lake, the trails, the falls.

880
01:13:26,100 --> 01:13:30,680
It's been a really important part of me kind of coming into my own adult life.

881
01:13:31,340 --> 01:13:33,980
And I decided Ethica is where I wanted to stay.

882
01:13:34,340 --> 01:13:38,700
And I recently purchased my very first home here in the city of Ethica.

883
01:13:39,900 --> 01:13:41,940
I have extreme concerns about the data center.

884
01:13:42,340 --> 01:13:43,800
And I honestly feel dupped.

885
01:13:43,800 --> 01:13:50,740
feel I never would have purchased a home if the data center were a possibility. I didn't think

886
01:13:50,740 --> 01:13:54,920
that Tomkins County would agree to something like that or allow something like that to happen

887
01:13:54,920 --> 01:14:01,420
here. And I can't imagine how long-term residents feel somewhere as I think of this betrayal.

888
01:14:03,980 --> 01:14:11,820
I am concerned about the environmental impacts on the lake wildlife and human beings in the area.

889
01:14:13,020 --> 01:14:18,720
I'm also very concerned about the electric prices as somebody who just purchased a home.

890
01:14:19,460 --> 01:14:27,280
It's a fixer upper, I'm not there yet, but I've lived in an apartment the last two years and my bills have increased significantly.

891
01:14:28,520 --> 01:14:38,160
And I'm honestly afraid that the prices that are expected if the data center becomes a reality will make my new home unaffordable.

892
01:14:39,060 --> 01:14:45,800
I think that I may not be able to afford my mortgage and my electric bills at the same time.

893
01:14:46,880 --> 01:14:51,000
I also question terrible transparency.

894
01:14:51,360 --> 01:14:54,960
It's something that they label themselves as.

895
01:14:54,980 --> 01:14:56,880
They have it in their Instagram bio.

896
01:14:57,760 --> 01:14:59,980
Yet when I commented on their social media posts.

897
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:08,720
I'm asking for pretty simple questions. I was immediately blocked. They refused to answer questions. They didn't

898
01:15:08,720 --> 01:15:14,280
even give me a chance to understand what they're trying to do here and how it could be positive for the residents.

899
01:15:16,080 --> 01:15:26,140
So I don't trust that anything they do will be honest. They have a history of manipulating data and straight up lying.

900
01:15:26,140 --> 01:15:35,680
And so I feel like if the resolution is not past, we can't trust what they'll be doing with this permit and therefore I support the resolution.

901
01:15:36,480 --> 01:15:38,160
Thank you. Solomon.

902
01:15:44,780 --> 01:15:49,140
Yeah, dear members of the Tomkins County Legislature.

903
01:15:49,860 --> 01:15:53,640
I'm my name is Solomon Blacker and I'm a resident of Ithaca.

904
01:15:53,640 --> 01:15:58,040
Terrell should not be allowed to build the data center in Lansing.

905
01:15:58,380 --> 01:16:04,700
It will take water from Cugulae and significant electricity, which will strain the grid.

906
01:16:05,120 --> 01:16:10,360
From what many others who have spoken here have said the data center could drop to 400 megawatts,

907
01:16:10,820 --> 01:16:12,760
which is a massive amount of power.

908
01:16:13,400 --> 01:16:19,100
And while Terrell claims they can generate 138 megawatts of clean electricity by this year,

909
01:16:19,280 --> 01:16:21,120
they have not been honest doing their application.

910
01:16:21,120 --> 01:16:27,920
And even if they are correct, even if their possibility still manages to come and choose

911
01:16:27,920 --> 01:16:35,760
by some magic, it will still not cover even 35% of what they want to consume potentially,

912
01:16:36,860 --> 01:16:41,680
which means that the West has to be drawn from an already strained grid.

913
01:16:42,480 --> 01:16:47,760
In addition, it will increase carbon emissions, which is very bad at a time when we need to

914
01:16:47,760 --> 01:16:53,040
mitigating climate change, and Terrell has no plans about where they would put the water after

915
01:16:53,040 --> 01:17:00,500
they withdraw it and use it. Therefore, request that you pass the resolution to deny Terrell's

916
01:17:00,500 --> 01:17:07,820
water withdrawal application. Thank you. Thank you. Caleb Harnes, and then I have Noah Shapiro

917
01:17:07,820 --> 01:17:16,740
Tamir and Vanessa Wood. Hello, my name is Caleb Harned. Thank you very much for your time. Thank

918
01:17:16,740 --> 01:17:18,840
to you, everybody who came out tonight to speak,

919
01:17:19,120 --> 01:17:20,980
such a cold night, you made it all the way here,

920
01:17:21,200 --> 01:17:22,360
really a very impressed.

921
01:17:22,940 --> 01:17:24,860
This is my first time at one of these meetings

922
01:17:24,860 --> 01:17:28,980
and that will speak to you of the importance of this matter.

923
01:17:29,780 --> 01:17:32,500
I'm a 30-year Ithaca and Lansing resident,

924
01:17:33,020 --> 01:17:35,860
a taxpayer, and a nice and customer,

925
01:17:36,500 --> 01:17:38,000
like the rest of you.

926
01:17:39,400 --> 01:17:41,840
The lake has been essential for my life

927
01:17:41,840 --> 01:17:45,060
for many years, from swimming to fishing, to education,

928
01:17:45,060 --> 01:17:47,940
the science boat, if you've never been on the science boat, please.

929
01:17:48,560 --> 01:17:51,520
This is a unique place, an amazing place.

930
01:17:52,720 --> 01:17:56,140
I'd like to voice my support for the resolution presented tonight.

931
01:17:56,700 --> 01:18:00,400
I share the numerous concerns of my community members about this project.

932
01:18:00,900 --> 01:18:05,480
In particular, the environmental and the economic impacts of this AI data center.

933
01:18:06,260 --> 01:18:12,440
I also stand in favor of a new water withdrawal permit and a full environmental review of this data center.

934
01:18:12,440 --> 01:18:15,700
Thank you again for letting us make our voices heard.

935
01:18:16,160 --> 01:18:19,240
I hope you will listen to what we have to say on this extremely important matter.

936
01:18:19,620 --> 01:18:20,680
Thank you.

937
01:18:20,900 --> 01:18:21,440
Thank you.

938
01:18:22,020 --> 01:18:23,260
Noah Shapiro, Tamir.

939
01:18:25,200 --> 01:18:25,960
Good evening, everybody.

940
01:18:26,160 --> 01:18:27,680
Thank you for listening to our comments.

941
01:18:27,800 --> 01:18:28,560
My name is Noah.

942
01:18:28,720 --> 01:18:31,940
I'm a long time full-life resident of the town of Elisis.

943
01:18:32,000 --> 01:18:34,860
Tomkins County student of the school district.

944
01:18:36,280 --> 01:18:40,400
I don't have the facts and figures that all of my community members have.

945
01:18:40,400 --> 01:18:45,080
I won't try to say them, but I will tell a story that about two months ago, I had the privilege

946
01:18:45,080 --> 01:18:49,720
to be journeying through what is known as America's Cancer Alley, or chemical corridor

947
01:18:49,720 --> 01:18:55,980
by Boat and Southern Louisiana, and got to witness firsthand the trauma held in land

948
01:18:55,980 --> 01:19:02,120
water and people of the public health crises that have been compounded by multiple centuries

949
01:19:03,240 --> 01:19:06,120
of extractive economies on the same plots of land.

950
01:19:06,120 --> 01:19:20,220
If you look at the maps, you can see the property lines that were formerly plantations that are today housing some of our nation's largest petrochemical manufacturing facilities, oil refineries and herbicide and pesticide manufacturing facilities.

951
01:19:21,560 --> 01:19:30,060
So standing on that land and standing in that water, you can feel it, right? You know what happens when those kind of crises have compounded for so long.

952
01:19:30,060 --> 01:19:39,900
I have swam at North Point to Gannick for most of my life and there to cost the lake to the power plant that was formerly coal and now stands to turn into an AI data center and

953
01:19:39,900 --> 01:19:46,320
pollute our land, our water, and our bodies. So I ask you to vote positively on this resolution tonight. Thank you.

954
01:19:46,600 --> 01:19:48,120
Thank you. Vanessa Wood.

955
01:19:52,670 --> 01:19:55,910
Hello, my name is Vanessa. Thank you for listening to our comments.

956
01:19:55,910 --> 01:20:03,050
I work in education and water works, I've lived in Tomkins County for 22 years and I am

957
01:20:03,050 --> 01:20:09,570
in dried and I get my drinking water from the lake, I guess what I can add is just knowing

958
01:20:09,570 --> 01:20:16,570
a little bit about algae blooms, there have been watershed, efforts recently, monitoring

959
01:20:16,570 --> 01:20:22,070
harmful algae blooms in the lake and they are starting to pop up like they are increasing

960
01:20:22,070 --> 01:20:24,050
a little bit over time recently.

961
01:20:24,050 --> 01:20:31,490
And the two things that feed them and increase them would be more nutrients or more

962
01:20:31,490 --> 01:20:32,670
temperature in the lake.

963
01:20:34,130 --> 01:20:41,270
So the current, I support the resolution to reject the renewal of this whole plant.

964
01:20:42,090 --> 01:20:48,910
Because first of all, the temperature of the water discharge is almost double at the temperature

965
01:20:48,910 --> 01:20:58,450
of the lake and I also wanted to just point out that it seems clear to me that there's a very strong

966
01:20:58,450 --> 01:21:09,170
consensus of people who are just against the AI Center in general. Also with the general behavior

967
01:21:09,170 --> 01:21:18,050
of the process so far, there's a lot of reason to please be skeptical of any claims about like

968
01:21:18,050 --> 01:21:23,050
not using the water in this lake even though there's an intake structure right there and just

969
01:21:23,050 --> 01:21:29,590
look at the other patterns of AI centers so far and I hope that we can think critically

970
01:21:30,450 --> 01:21:37,310
and have a democratic process that reflects the people of this area who live here in

971
01:21:37,310 --> 01:21:45,010
pay energy bills and use lake. And lastly, just algae harmful algae can hurt wildlife and also

972
01:21:45,670 --> 01:21:50,510
like if people have dogs playing in the lake or whatever they like we've had like

973
01:21:50,510 --> 01:21:55,990
dots of pets from harmful or a little bloom so that's just some one of many

974
01:21:55,990 --> 01:22:01,330
possible environmental impacts that could happen with a higher temperature so

975
01:22:01,910 --> 01:22:07,210
yeah and if the environment was affected negatively it would be nice to have

976
01:22:07,210 --> 01:22:10,870
an environmental review and be able to track you know how things would be

977
01:22:10,870 --> 01:22:16,070
it if the AIS Center went through so that's something to think about as well. Thank you.

978
01:22:17,250 --> 01:22:22,990
Thank you. And just one more time is instantly available. We're in the room here.

979
01:22:24,310 --> 01:22:27,970
Okay. Is there anyone else that would like to speak on privilege of the floor that hasn't

980
01:22:27,970 --> 01:22:28,850
filled out a blue card?

981
01:22:32,460 --> 01:22:36,020
Okay. I want to thank everyone for attending tonight. We're going to go ahead

982
01:22:36,020 --> 01:22:41,640
and put the resolution on the floor and start our, start our debate and start our evening.

983
01:22:41,640 --> 01:22:45,420
I would like to ask Legislator Dawson to move forward.

984
01:22:46,540 --> 01:22:47,800
Yes, thank you, Chair Black.

985
01:22:47,980 --> 01:23:05,680
I would like to move resolution D requesting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to reject the modified weather withdrawals permit application from Kyuva operating company LLC and instead require a new application and environmental review process.

986
01:23:05,680 --> 01:23:06,660
Okay.

987
01:23:07,840 --> 01:23:10,160
Seconded by Legislator Vincent.

988
01:23:11,220 --> 01:23:16,780
And I would like to also turn it over to Legislator Wakeman right now.

989
01:23:17,660 --> 01:23:18,220
Thank you.

990
01:23:18,960 --> 01:23:21,980
I'm going to request to be excused.

991
01:23:22,340 --> 01:23:25,900
Recused from this debate by a reason of my employment.

992
01:23:26,720 --> 01:23:27,740
Thank you.

993
01:23:29,580 --> 01:23:35,560
I've presented to Chapter 32 Section 32 B of the Topkins County Code.

994
01:23:35,560 --> 01:23:38,860
that is inappropriate, request for refusal,

995
01:23:39,540 --> 01:23:40,720
and I recommend that it be granted.

996
01:23:41,180 --> 01:23:42,120
Thank you.

997
01:23:42,380 --> 01:23:44,740
Here it's Houston, which is their right name.

998
01:23:45,620 --> 01:23:48,020
And Deborah, would you like to introduce the resolution?

999
01:23:48,720 --> 01:23:51,340
Yes, first of all, I'd like to thank everyone

1000
01:23:51,340 --> 01:23:53,540
who came in support of this resolution.

1001
01:23:54,140 --> 01:23:58,020
I introduced this at the request of one of my constituents.

1002
01:23:59,240 --> 01:24:02,720
And I have to say, honestly, that I am not as well

1003
01:24:02,720 --> 01:24:09,360
on these matters as is legislative advisor, for example, who was instrumental in drafting

1004
01:24:09,360 --> 01:24:16,660
this as was legislative Vincent. So I can't take credit for a lot of the technical aspects

1005
01:24:16,660 --> 01:24:30,760
of this resolution. But I do want to say that my motivation was nicely articulated by the gentleman

1006
01:24:30,760 --> 01:24:40,240
who talked about accountability. I think that this resolution is about urging the

1007
01:24:40,240 --> 01:24:45,960
nice deck to be accountable for the action it takes with regard to the permits that

1008
01:24:45,960 --> 01:24:53,460
it issues and that the request that we've made would also require that the terrible

1009
01:24:53,460 --> 01:24:59,780
family of entities would be held to account as to what exactly they want to use this

1010
01:25:02,040 --> 01:25:13,920
And beyond that, I would see the floor to a legislators' wiser in Vincent because they had a lot more to do with the meat of this resolution.

1011
01:25:14,880 --> 01:25:27,160
Before I shut up, I just want to say that we need to separate this resolution from the question of the Terrible Data Center.

1012
01:25:27,160 --> 01:25:29,860
I agree with many of you.

1013
01:25:30,120 --> 01:25:34,700
I live in the village of Lansing, which is part of the town of Lansing, and I don't want

1014
01:25:34,700 --> 01:25:42,780
a data center in my town, but I acknowledge that the county government has no land use

1015
01:25:42,780 --> 01:25:44,100
regulatory authority.

1016
01:25:44,940 --> 01:25:52,920
So the best we can do is make our feelings known on how the Department of Environmental

1017
01:25:52,920 --> 01:26:00,660
conservation does its job and how transparent and accurate the representations are that the

1018
01:26:00,660 --> 01:26:07,700
terrible affiliates in subsidiaries and terrible if itself make in support of their application

1019
01:26:07,700 --> 01:26:09,360
for a permit.

1020
01:26:09,820 --> 01:26:10,680
Thank you.

1021
01:26:12,040 --> 01:26:15,200
Deborah, did you want to move the amendments as well?

1022
01:26:15,440 --> 01:26:15,520
Yeah.

1023
01:26:16,360 --> 01:26:22,900
I was contacted by yet another constituent who serves on one of the Lansing town boards, who

1024
01:26:22,900 --> 01:26:31,280
made some corrections as to the relationships among the various companies specifically,

1025
01:26:31,520 --> 01:26:37,800
Kyuga operating company, which is an affiliate, apparently not a subsidiary of TerraWulf,

1026
01:26:38,440 --> 01:26:45,080
and the fact that the LSE here is this Lake Hawkeye LLC, which as far as I can determine

1027
01:26:45,080 --> 01:26:52,500
is a subsidiary of Terrell Wolfe. They are the Lessie, and Terrell Wolfe is the developer,

1028
01:26:53,360 --> 01:26:58,300
and I've tried to make that clear in these amendments which are in your red folders.

1029
01:26:59,960 --> 01:27:06,920
Is that friendly to the seconder? Yes. Okay. Is there anyone that the amended changes are not

1030
01:27:06,920 --> 01:27:13,920
friendly to? Okay. So we will now be working off of the amended resolution in your folders.

1031
01:27:13,920 --> 01:27:15,240
Thank you.

1032
01:27:15,400 --> 01:27:15,920
Thank you.

1033
01:27:17,100 --> 01:27:17,600
Adam Benson?

1034
01:27:18,460 --> 01:27:18,480
Yeah.

1035
01:27:18,660 --> 01:27:20,640
I do have a prepared statement I'd like to make.

1036
01:27:22,140 --> 01:27:23,420
I call Lisa to start.

1037
01:27:23,680 --> 01:27:28,080
I want to thank everyone who came to speak on this resolution before us today, especially

1038
01:27:28,080 --> 01:27:30,100
those who are attending their first legislature meeting.

1039
01:27:30,720 --> 01:27:34,500
I'm very proud that so many of our community members came here to speak, especially

1040
01:27:34,500 --> 01:27:35,640
in these weather conditions.

1041
01:27:36,520 --> 01:27:38,040
Now let's review the facts.

1042
01:27:38,580 --> 01:27:43,480
In 2021, how you go operating company applied for a permit to withdraw over 1 million gallons

1043
01:27:43,480 --> 01:27:45,360
of water per day from Kyugilik.

1044
01:27:45,940 --> 01:27:49,800
That application was evaluated in the context of the coal-fired power plant.

1045
01:27:50,380 --> 01:27:52,540
That plant has not operated since 2019.

1046
01:27:53,500 --> 01:27:58,220
Today, part of the site is being proposed for a 400-megawatt high-performance data center

1047
01:27:58,220 --> 01:28:04,600
an entirely different type of facility with entirely different water demands, risks, and operational

1048
01:28:04,600 --> 01:28:05,200
realities.

1049
01:28:06,280 --> 01:28:09,920
Residents of Lansing and the broader Tomkins County community are worried about the impacts

1050
01:28:09,920 --> 01:28:11,500
the data center will have on Kyugilik.

1051
01:28:11,500 --> 01:28:17,180
Today, in public comment, we've heard from them about many potential risks to the environment

1052
01:28:17,180 --> 01:28:22,120
that this project poses, including but not limited to industrial pollution, changes in water

1053
01:28:22,120 --> 01:28:26,700
temperature, and carbon emissions. Additionally, there's a great deal of confusion about what

1054
01:28:26,700 --> 01:28:31,520
the permits and question are even for, seeing as cooling for the data center was will supposedly

1055
01:28:31,520 --> 01:28:36,300
be a closed-loop system and withdrawal for fire suppression is exempt from permitting.

1056
01:28:36,300 --> 01:28:43,440
Section 6, Subsection 621.11, Part H of the state code, says that in agency, in this case,

1057
01:28:43,580 --> 01:28:48,200
the Department of Environmental Conservation, may treat a renewal of a permit as an application

1058
01:28:48,200 --> 01:28:52,540
for a new permit if there has been a material change to the permanent conditions.

1059
01:28:53,760 --> 01:28:58,380
I assume, since a data center is not a power plant, there has been a material change.

1060
01:28:59,140 --> 01:29:04,080
As a county, we do not have control over water withdrawal permits, but we have the power to make recommendations

1061
01:29:04,080 --> 01:29:09,980
to those that do do. As an issue that impacts Kugelake in the our entire community, I believe

1062
01:29:09,980 --> 01:29:14,240
that we are justified as a body and having an opinion on this project and its permits.

1063
01:29:14,900 --> 01:29:20,580
This impacts state property, the waters of Kugelake, our lake, and we have every right to weigh in

1064
01:29:20,580 --> 01:29:26,220
as a county on one state decisions affect its future. This is why I sign the letter with

1065
01:29:26,220 --> 01:29:30,320
preceded this resolution and why I will be voting yes on this resolution. Thank you.

1066
01:29:30,320 --> 01:29:31,840
Thank you Adam.

1067
01:29:33,680 --> 01:29:34,060
I read.

1068
01:29:34,540 --> 01:29:34,860
Weiser.

1069
01:29:35,400 --> 01:29:35,440
Yeah.

1070
01:29:36,060 --> 01:29:50,900
I want to join with my colleagues in thanking everybody who came out tonight and spoke so passionately about this beautiful lake that is literally the center of our county and so much of our lives.

1071
01:29:53,240 --> 01:29:59,900
Some of you I've known and worked with for years, fighting to close the cold burning.

1072
01:30:02,240 --> 01:30:09,500
And here we are, again, for I don't even know how many rounds we've gone with this site now, have kind of lost count.

1073
01:30:11,280 --> 01:30:21,160
As I was reviewing, and I will say to, I share the concerns I remember who it was, who said, I might have been you, Kerry, who said, you know, we need to be doing more.

1074
01:30:21,160 --> 01:30:28,000
wish we could, I wish that we had more teeth than what we have as a county to fight this.

1075
01:30:28,300 --> 01:30:32,600
Because as my colleague, Deborah Dawson said, we don't have land use control.

1076
01:30:33,260 --> 01:30:36,660
That's something that's the purview of the town of Lansing.

1077
01:30:38,220 --> 01:30:46,680
But we do have as my colleague Adam just pointed out we have a voice to use in speaking to the DEC

1078
01:30:46,680 --> 01:30:51,980
and holding them to account to their own regulatory authority.

1079
01:30:53,080 --> 01:30:59,780
One of the most stunning things when I started reviewing the permit, you know, I think

1080
01:30:59,780 --> 01:31:03,640
we all know that the requested permit modification should be rejected, could you operate

1081
01:31:03,640 --> 01:31:08,660
and could system company instead should be required to submit a new water withdrawal permit?

1082
01:31:09,420 --> 01:31:12,120
Here's the really stunning thing I found when I was reviewing.

1083
01:31:12,120 --> 01:31:17,860
the existing permit dates back to 1955.

1084
01:31:20,660 --> 01:31:25,400
It's been renewed and renewed since 1955.

1085
01:31:26,700 --> 01:31:30,160
And it was issued obviously for a fundamentally different purpose,

1086
01:31:30,540 --> 01:31:32,560
operation of a fossil fuel power plant.

1087
01:31:33,300 --> 01:31:39,480
Since that time, not only have the function of this site proposed being changed,

1088
01:31:39,480 --> 01:31:50,160
But regulatory standards have changed, environmental expectations and best practices for water resource management have evolved substantially.

1089
01:31:51,100 --> 01:31:59,920
Yet this permit lacks even the most basic modern safeguards, including there is a page page 13 of their original permit application.

1090
01:32:01,340 --> 01:32:13,780
When it talked about how they were withdrawing the water and measuring the water, they don't measure the water with draw they just make an assumption based on the capacity of the pumps that they use.

1091
01:32:13,980 --> 01:32:19,120
They don't have a meter to accurately measure the water withdrawal volumes.

1092
01:32:20,440 --> 01:32:26,760
That kind of omission would be absolutely unacceptable in a new application today.

1093
01:32:26,760 --> 01:32:37,520
And that's why we so much need this application to be taken under a new review with new environmental standards.

1094
01:32:37,700 --> 01:32:38,600
I mean, come on.

1095
01:32:38,980 --> 01:32:43,540
They don't even have a meter to measure how much water they're withdrawing.

1096
01:32:45,120 --> 01:32:46,620
So it's true.

1097
01:32:46,900 --> 01:32:50,540
They say that in its true that back when it was a power plant,

1098
01:32:50,960 --> 01:32:54,680
they withdrew about 250 million gallons of water a day.

1099
01:32:54,680 --> 01:33:02,600
Now, they're saying that they need to withdraw only 100, sorry, a million gallons per day.

1100
01:33:03,540 --> 01:33:06,900
But this doesn't eliminate the need for a full review.

1101
01:33:07,580 --> 01:33:13,540
Quite to the contrary, it underscores that the facility's operational profile has materially changed.

1102
01:33:14,220 --> 01:33:24,160
They no longer function as a power plant, and its future water use is tied to uncertain and potentially different industrial purposes that have not been fully defined or approved.

1103
01:33:24,160 --> 01:33:34,780
Given the age of the permit, the absence of modern monitoring requirements, the lack of reliable historical withdrawal data and the material change in use,

1104
01:33:35,240 --> 01:33:40,780
there is no regulatory or environmental justification for treating this as a mere modification.

1105
01:33:41,600 --> 01:33:52,140
A new application supported by a contemporary environmental review is both reasonable and necessary to ensure protection of kugelake and compliance with current standards.

1106
01:33:55,040 --> 01:33:55,840
Thank you.

1107
01:33:58,020 --> 01:33:58,500
Mike Sikler?

1108
01:33:59,660 --> 01:34:03,400
So I'll be a little bit. I didn't expect to be a little bit, but there was a lot of things to

1109
01:34:03,400 --> 01:34:04,460
answer that people had said.

1110
01:34:07,120 --> 01:34:10,960
For me, if the data center does go in there, I would like

1111
01:34:10,960 --> 01:34:16,840
a data center that does not use the lake at all. That doesn't withdraw any water, that doesn't.

1112
01:34:16,840 --> 01:34:21,600
It basically leaves the lake alone. We'll actually open the water front to the public,

1113
01:34:21,660 --> 01:34:25,920
which it is not open to now. That is what Tara will so far has suggested.

1114
01:34:26,420 --> 01:34:34,580
Now, they will be going in front of the town planning board shortly, I believe, within the next month, and you will see their plan.

1115
01:34:35,400 --> 01:34:36,980
I'll get to a little bit of that in a second.

1116
01:34:38,620 --> 01:34:43,820
The problem I have with this resolution is I believe it does exactly the opposite of what you'd like it to do.

1117
01:34:44,620 --> 01:34:53,700
It is my understanding that the permit that is in place right now is limited to power generation, whether that be coal, natural gas, nuclear, or deep ground source.

1118
01:34:54,360 --> 01:34:58,360
under the permit that is in place right now, that they are looking for a renewal of.

1119
01:34:58,660 --> 01:35:01,480
Water withdrawal cannot be used for the cooling of a data center.

1120
01:35:02,860 --> 01:35:06,760
It's also a cooling system that terrible, anyway, does not use.

1121
01:35:07,100 --> 01:35:09,560
And we'll talk a little bit about that because somebody had mentioned that too.

1122
01:35:10,440 --> 01:35:15,120
But I think that by asking the DC to weigh in on that permit, as it pertains to data centers,

1123
01:35:15,240 --> 01:35:19,900
you are actually opening the door to the DC to expand the permit to other uses.

1124
01:35:20,680 --> 01:35:27,760
The state may not do, as you're asking, and they may just say, yes, we believe that the data center is a permitted use.

1125
01:35:28,360 --> 01:35:35,940
And yes, within a certain size, we'll let that permit go through, which it currently is not, and I don't think that is what you want to do.

1126
01:35:37,540 --> 01:35:41,500
But if you want to roll the dice on that, I mean, I guess you can.

1127
01:35:42,900 --> 01:35:52,680
There's a lot of information about things, I've lived in Lansing 25 years and I lived with the power plant for 15 years as it operated.

1128
01:35:54,780 --> 01:36:02,500
You know, the water released from the power plant was 16 degrees higher than when it was taken in.

1129
01:36:03,740 --> 01:36:08,540
Habs are a problem today. The power plant's been closed for six years and yet we've seen

1130
01:36:08,540 --> 01:36:14,680
Habs increase. So while I understand that heat may be a factor, that's a hard case to

1131
01:36:14,680 --> 01:36:20,420
make considering we have actual evidence. Somebody had mentioned Cornell Lakeshore's cooling

1132
01:36:20,420 --> 01:36:24,580
and if there are studies. Yeah, they study that quite a bit. I mean, I don't have those numbers,

1133
01:36:24,880 --> 01:36:30,460
but you can more than, you can certainly go to Cornell and ask about that.

1134
01:36:35,280 --> 01:36:42,080
I just see this, listen, I believe that if this does, people are asking, why do you want

1135
01:36:42,080 --> 01:36:44,180
to keep this open?

1136
01:36:45,800 --> 01:36:49,060
Because I don't believe the company actually has not been transparent.

1137
01:36:49,580 --> 01:36:55,140
They've had two public meetings that the CEO actually came to and answered questions for

1138
01:36:55,140 --> 01:36:56,340
three hours of peace.

1139
01:36:56,780 --> 01:37:01,740
There have been multiple public hearings in front of the town board, and I've been to every

1140
01:37:01,740 --> 01:37:02,660
single one of those.

1141
01:37:02,660 --> 01:37:06,180
I mean, I've spent days on this.

1142
01:37:06,900 --> 01:37:10,500
So when I hear people come in and kind of throw out information that I just don't think

1143
01:37:10,500 --> 01:37:13,000
is true, I just have a problem with that.

1144
01:37:13,000 --> 01:37:16,100
I'm not here to defend terrible, but it's a publicly traded company.

1145
01:37:16,100 --> 01:37:20,080
If you want to know something about terrible, it's all there, quarterly reports.

1146
01:37:21,140 --> 01:37:26,560
And yes, Paul Prager owns the Q-operating company, and he is the CEO of a publicly traded

1147
01:37:26,560 --> 01:37:27,280
company terrible.

1148
01:37:27,500 --> 01:37:30,860
Yes, they are linked, but they are not the same thing.

1149
01:37:31,580 --> 01:37:39,920
So if you have a problem with terror wolf, then yes, it's a publicly traded company, you can find out an awful lot of information about them.

1150
01:37:40,360 --> 01:37:43,260
A lot of people talked about energy costs, I should touch on that.

1151
01:37:43,520 --> 01:37:50,180
But my big concerns going in when I pro-kond all of this out was the lake being protected and I believe that it will be,

1152
01:37:50,180 --> 01:37:54,160
I believe this actually threatens it and doesn't protect it.

1153
01:37:54,160 --> 01:38:00,060
And energy costs, someone had mentioned they're paying 25 cents per kilowatt hour, you need to call a nice egg.

1154
01:38:00,320 --> 01:38:03,040
That's simply not what the supply charge is in the city of Edega.

1155
01:38:03,320 --> 01:38:08,060
The supply charge last month for my rental property here was 10 cents a kilowatt hour.

1156
01:38:08,440 --> 01:38:11,600
So if you're paying 25 cents, that's what the supply is.

1157
01:38:12,240 --> 01:38:15,740
And every single, hey, I listen to all of you very patiently.

1158
01:38:16,840 --> 01:38:21,040
It's 10 cents a kilowatt hour, the delivery charge is eating you alive.

1159
01:38:21,480 --> 01:38:22,640
That's what's going on.

1160
01:38:22,640 --> 01:38:27,160
And if you don't believe me, you can go ask Josh Riley or Congressman, you can go ask your

1161
01:38:27,160 --> 01:38:28,200
state center to leave web.

1162
01:38:28,340 --> 01:38:31,760
They'll tell you the same thing and they're not in my party, so you can ask them.

1163
01:38:31,980 --> 01:38:33,660
But that's what's going on.

1164
01:38:34,380 --> 01:38:38,580
They are not seeking tax abatements to my knowledge, also when it comes to power.

1165
01:38:40,040 --> 01:38:44,880
Listen, we have an excess supply of power and upstate New York that we cannot send to New

1166
01:38:44,880 --> 01:38:48,000
York City, which is powered mostly by fossil fuels.

1167
01:38:48,800 --> 01:38:52,020
I don't know why we're building all of this solar upstate, but we are.

1168
01:38:52,020 --> 01:38:57,600
Lansing the York is building 160 megawatts of solar in the town of Lansing and the town

1169
01:38:57,600 --> 01:38:59,260
I'm Grotten.

1170
01:38:59,400 --> 01:39:03,860
The town of Scipio is putting in 99 megawatts of wind, they are putting in 80 megawatts

1171
01:39:03,860 --> 01:39:04,400
of solar.

1172
01:39:04,960 --> 01:39:08,580
The Kigro operating company Solomon said they're putting in 130 megawatts.

1173
01:39:08,600 --> 01:39:12,080
I thought it was 70 megawatts, but go with whichever number you like.

1174
01:39:12,400 --> 01:39:14,360
Coral in is putting in 80 megawatts of solar.

1175
01:39:14,900 --> 01:39:20,860
Right there you have about 500 megawatts of new energy coming in all within 20 miles

1176
01:39:20,860 --> 01:39:22,360
of this data center.

1177
01:39:24,080 --> 01:39:25,280
So I don't know what to tell you.

1178
01:39:25,780 --> 01:39:28,820
The state clearly is building power for something.

1179
01:39:30,080 --> 01:39:31,760
And this should not affect your rates,

1180
01:39:31,820 --> 01:39:34,320
which is the bottom one and the thing I'm most worried about.

1181
01:39:35,420 --> 01:39:35,860
Anyway,

1182
01:39:38,250 --> 01:39:40,350
listen, I am more than happy to have

1183
01:39:40,350 --> 01:39:42,790
a rose day of the day, but I hear just so much

1184
01:39:42,790 --> 01:39:45,950
factual inaccuracy from folks that come forward.

1185
01:39:46,410 --> 01:39:48,770
And I've been dealing with that for about three months now.

1186
01:39:49,290 --> 01:39:50,530
All I have to tell you is, you're right,

1187
01:39:50,570 --> 01:39:51,730
we don't have land use authority.

1188
01:39:51,730 --> 01:39:58,430
This is going to go in front of the Lansing town planning board and when they see it, they could make a lot of requirements.

1189
01:39:58,890 --> 01:40:05,010
They can make the requirement that you will not be pulling water from the lake and terrible will have to abide by that.

1190
01:40:05,350 --> 01:40:08,470
And I'm absolutely sure that's what the town of Lansing will require.

1191
01:40:09,510 --> 01:40:11,030
And they will require other things.

1192
01:40:12,670 --> 01:40:20,890
The town of Lansing could have a guy or a woman right on site, 24 hours a day if they would like to see what's going on on site.

1193
01:40:21,390 --> 01:40:23,870
We'll see what the town of Lansing chooses to do.

1194
01:40:24,970 --> 01:40:31,510
But to act as if somehow this is somebody said there was corruption in the process.

1195
01:40:31,890 --> 01:40:32,530
There's no corruption.

1196
01:40:32,750 --> 01:40:34,070
Everybody's been pretty transparent.

1197
01:40:34,770 --> 01:40:37,930
And if you have any questions, they are taking those questions.

1198
01:40:38,310 --> 01:40:39,370
So thank you very much.

1199
01:40:40,830 --> 01:40:41,170
Thank you.

1200
01:40:41,490 --> 01:40:45,450
We have Veronica Pillard, Iris Pakman, Judith Hubbard, and Randy Brown.

1201
01:40:46,450 --> 01:40:47,230
Thank you.

1202
01:40:48,170 --> 01:40:51,450
I'd like to go back to the community involvement in the lake itself.

1203
01:40:51,650 --> 01:40:52,570
Thank you all for coming.

1204
01:40:52,770 --> 01:40:57,170
As other people said, whether you spoke or not, it really makes a difference.

1205
01:40:58,950 --> 01:41:00,750
One public commenter said it was their first time

1206
01:41:00,750 --> 01:41:02,030
at a later stage meeting.

1207
01:41:02,670 --> 01:41:04,930
But that same person has sold me many green star stacks

1208
01:41:04,930 --> 01:41:05,910
that get me through this meeting.

1209
01:41:06,130 --> 01:41:06,750
So you make a difference.

1210
01:41:07,010 --> 01:41:08,450
Thank you.

1211
01:41:10,190 --> 01:41:15,290
The Kayuga Lake has been here since long before any humans were here since long before

1212
01:41:15,290 --> 01:41:19,170
Ithaca and Toppins County, and it will hopefully be here long after we are gone.

1213
01:41:20,030 --> 01:41:28,190
It is, as other people said, a precious, important vital, vital in the sense of like life

1214
01:41:28,190 --> 01:41:37,270
sustaining, life-giving resource, and it does make sense to protect it, and it's clearly important

1215
01:41:37,270 --> 01:41:38,230
to our resources.

1216
01:41:40,190 --> 01:41:45,110
My dear friend Anne Rhodes, who was here earlier and left, said at some point, we need to make

1217
01:41:45,110 --> 01:41:47,370
it normal that we protect our water.

1218
01:41:48,550 --> 01:41:49,270
She didn't say it today.

1219
01:41:49,350 --> 01:41:50,110
She said it.

1220
01:41:50,110 --> 01:41:56,210
I looked this up a couple years ago when a different company was seeking a different industrial

1221
01:41:56,210 --> 01:42:05,070
project connected to the lake and looking poised to, again, bypass, or end up getting to bypass

1222
01:42:05,070 --> 01:42:11,450
that a DEEC review process that probably should have been gone through, because this is a pattern.

1223
01:42:12,110 --> 01:42:13,490
I didn't Brian Eden mentioned it.

1224
01:42:13,550 --> 01:42:16,090
It was the Salt Mine and Environmental Impact Statement.

1225
01:42:17,450 --> 01:42:25,610
So, the same story different day, it is, the lake is so important to all of us into the region.

1226
01:42:25,710 --> 01:42:29,670
And it does not heal easily when harmed, unfortunately.

1227
01:42:30,270 --> 01:42:41,670
And so I do think it is a good use of government resources to communicate to gather here tonight and talk about it and communicate that

1228
01:42:43,010 --> 01:42:49,970
importance to the DEC. It is a good use of the state resources at the DEC to really

1229
01:42:49,970 --> 01:42:58,370
Dread down, do the appropriate reviews, take the guideline seriously if a use has changed,

1230
01:42:58,450 --> 01:42:59,310
make a new permit.

1231
01:42:59,550 --> 01:43:06,710
If standards have changed in the last couple generations since the original permit, review

1232
01:43:06,710 --> 01:43:17,050
it again, it's worth putting a lot in to ensuring that something that will affect the

1233
01:43:17,050 --> 01:43:26,910
is not going to harm it in meaningful ways, and we can debate all of the facts and predictions

1234
01:43:26,910 --> 01:43:32,850
and evidence here, but we're not the body to do this. It should be the DEC, and that's

1235
01:43:32,850 --> 01:43:36,570
what the resolution asks. So I hope folks will vote. Yes.

1236
01:43:37,750 --> 01:43:39,210
Thank you, Iris Patman.

1237
01:43:40,890 --> 01:43:45,350
Thank you. Thank you to those who worked on this resolution. I think it's important for us

1238
01:43:45,350 --> 01:43:51,290
do what we can. I think what we're hearing the room is collective frustration about decision

1239
01:43:51,290 --> 01:43:57,290
being made by an entity elsewhere that affects a resource that we all use and feeling a

1240
01:43:57,290 --> 01:44:01,690
little bit voiceless. So here we're trying our best to say, you know, this is what we hope

1241
01:44:01,690 --> 01:44:07,630
you the state will do. And I think what we're asking for is pretty simple is just to follow the

1242
01:44:07,630 --> 01:44:14,950
state mandated process, you know, dot your eyes across your teeth. It's nothing outlandish to say

1243
01:44:14,950 --> 01:44:21,050
just please explain what you're planning to do with this water. It should be sort of minimal cost

1244
01:44:21,050 --> 01:44:25,950
to comply with this, just to put it together, but we don't know what the cost would be to

1245
01:44:25,950 --> 01:44:31,930
all of us if we bypass that process. I just wanted to put this in context, so they're seeing

1246
01:44:31,930 --> 01:44:39,430
it's about a million gallons a day, a little bit more for the permit, which is an American football

1247
01:44:39,430 --> 01:44:47,670
field, if you can picture 300 feet, like 160 feet, and then about 2.7 feet deep, a day.

1248
01:44:48,390 --> 01:44:52,570
If that gives you a sense of how much water we're talking about, and so there's really

1249
01:44:52,570 --> 01:44:54,490
two options for what they would do with this water.

1250
01:44:54,490 --> 01:44:59,970
it would either be through evaporative cooling, which therefore means it's lost to a

1251
01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:10,180
Apparation, every single day. So 365 plus million gallons a year of those football fields. Or it's

1252
01:45:10,180 --> 01:45:16,180
going to be released back into the lake. And so then we need to know how it will be returned to the

1253
01:45:16,180 --> 01:45:20,720
lake, what temperature, what will be in the water at that point, what depth will be at

1254
01:45:20,720 --> 01:45:26,280
released all of that. So I think those are questions that we don't have answers to in order

1255
01:45:26,280 --> 01:45:30,660
for the state to approve this, those answers need to be forthcoming.

1256
01:45:31,560 --> 01:45:33,140
So I definitely support this resolution.

1257
01:45:33,540 --> 01:45:34,720
Thank you.

1258
01:45:35,020 --> 01:45:35,560
Thank you.

1259
01:45:36,060 --> 01:45:36,680
Judith Hubbard.

1260
01:45:38,000 --> 01:45:38,740
Thank you.

1261
01:45:39,480 --> 01:45:40,480
I have some comments.

1262
01:45:40,660 --> 01:45:43,920
But first I wanted to respond to some of Mike's comments.

1263
01:45:45,400 --> 01:45:49,640
I think it's important that we work with the same facts, right?

1264
01:45:49,640 --> 01:45:51,340
And that we have a shared understanding.

1265
01:45:51,340 --> 01:46:01,960
One of the comments you made was that the current permit that they're applying for would only apply to a cold power plant.

1266
01:46:02,380 --> 01:46:11,540
But I have their permit application in front of me. It was written in 2021. So they did not at that point know what the purpose of the permit was.

1267
01:46:12,100 --> 01:46:18,160
But they are not applying for a permit for a cold power plant. It reads the purpose of the proposed project.

1268
01:46:18,980 --> 01:46:21,840
The facility is a retired coal power plant.

1269
01:46:22,320 --> 01:46:26,360
A new purpose for the facility slash property has not yet been determined.

1270
01:46:27,080 --> 01:46:30,140
So they're applying for a permit for an undetermined use,

1271
01:46:30,460 --> 01:46:32,780
which could include a data center.

1272
01:46:33,260 --> 01:46:35,240
It could include a coal power plant.

1273
01:46:35,440 --> 01:46:36,440
It could include anything.

1274
01:46:37,020 --> 01:46:38,240
But if they get the permit,

1275
01:46:38,580 --> 01:46:41,540
it does not restrict them for use only for a coal power plant.

1276
01:46:41,620 --> 01:46:45,040
It is a broadly applicable permit for an undetermined purpose.

1277
01:46:45,040 --> 01:46:53,900
And I think what's important that we share that understanding that this is not pushing them or pushing the DEC to provide a new premise specifically for an AI data center.

1278
01:46:54,460 --> 01:47:00,500
It's asking for an environmental review of the process as a whole.

1279
01:47:01,040 --> 01:47:03,820
All right, that's all. I have to say about that. But I still have other comments.

1280
01:47:04,400 --> 01:47:10,300
I'm hearing your frustration. I think we all feel your frustration, right? We're all pretty frustrated here.

1281
01:47:10,300 --> 01:47:15,160
and I think a lot of people in frustrated over the last several months, as they watch this process,

1282
01:47:15,180 --> 01:47:16,000
go forward.

1283
01:47:16,560 --> 01:47:20,480
And I've been trying to figure out why do we all feel so frustrated, right?

1284
01:47:21,880 --> 01:47:24,360
I've lived here a long time, like many of you.

1285
01:47:24,540 --> 01:47:25,310
I'm an earth scientist.

1286
01:47:26,020 --> 01:47:27,460
I like to know how things work.

1287
01:47:27,940 --> 01:47:32,120
And I feel like what's happening is we've given up as a society in New York state.

1288
01:47:32,440 --> 01:47:36,380
We've given up our right to make these decisions to the state.

1289
01:47:36,380 --> 01:47:40,860
with the understanding that the state will make responsible decisions on our behalf.

1290
01:47:41,420 --> 01:47:45,380
We have a department, and it's called the Department of Environmental Conservancy.

1291
01:47:46,040 --> 01:47:50,460
It's supposed to, in its name, conserve the environment on our behalf.

1292
01:47:52,400 --> 01:47:58,720
And it feels like in this situation that it's not doing that. That's not making these requests

1293
01:47:58,720 --> 01:48:03,340
for full environmental review. We're not hearing the environmental review about

1294
01:48:03,340 --> 01:48:08,720
electricity use. We're not hearing the environmental review about noise pollution. We're not hearing

1295
01:48:08,720 --> 01:48:14,560
the environmental review in this case about water usage. We're not hearing that. We're not getting

1296
01:48:14,560 --> 01:48:19,700
that information. And why do we give up our right to the state? New York State. We're not talking

1297
01:48:19,700 --> 01:48:26,320
about the federal government here. This is our own state. We're supposed to have some control in

1298
01:48:26,320 --> 01:48:29,560
our own state about how these processes go forward.

1299
01:48:30,660 --> 01:48:32,220
The process here is not robust.

1300
01:48:33,400 --> 01:48:37,520
The DEC may choose to ask for a new permit application.

1301
01:48:37,660 --> 01:48:42,200
They do not have to require a new permit application.

1302
01:48:42,440 --> 01:48:43,360
Why not?

1303
01:48:44,520 --> 01:48:46,440
But because they may choose, we're

1304
01:48:46,440 --> 01:48:48,360
left writing these resolutions, asking them

1305
01:48:48,360 --> 01:48:50,080
to please do the thing that they may do.

1306
01:48:50,320 --> 01:48:52,140
And that's extremely frustrating for us.

1307
01:48:52,240 --> 01:48:53,740
It's the best we can do right now.

1308
01:48:54,220 --> 01:48:55,220
And of course, we'll do that.

1309
01:48:55,220 --> 01:48:59,480
anybody has any creative ideas about things that we can do to try to get our department of environmental

1310
01:48:59,480 --> 01:49:03,820
conservation to do a little more conservation, please do send them my way.

1311
01:49:06,220 --> 01:49:07,040
Judith Hubbard,

1312
01:49:07,700 --> 01:49:15,860
who knew? Wow, incredible. Randy Brown. Yeah, thank you everyone for coming. This is by far the

1313
01:49:15,860 --> 01:49:21,100
biggest crowd that I've seen in the five years that I've been here, so it's good to see everybody. I live in

1314
01:49:21,100 --> 01:49:24,900
fields up on the hill, so I don't really deal with the late much.

1315
01:49:27,080 --> 01:49:32,420
I don't know much about this business, and I can't speak, so I choose the various

1316
01:49:32,420 --> 01:49:36,840
warehouses, but I would like to read the resolves in two records, because there's two

1317
01:49:36,840 --> 01:49:40,480
resolves there that I want people to know what we're voting on, because the warehouses

1318
01:49:40,480 --> 01:49:45,620
are, can be interpreted in different ways.

1319
01:49:45,620 --> 01:49:52,460
So, to resolve that the Trump state legislature request that the DEC determined that the pending submission

1320
01:49:52,460 --> 01:49:57,560
should not be processed as a routine, renewal, modification, instead require processing

1321
01:49:57,560 --> 01:50:03,160
as a new permit application with a project appropriate environmental review suitable to a data center,

1322
01:50:03,620 --> 01:50:05,240
high-intensity computing operation.

1323
01:50:05,600 --> 01:50:12,780
Resolve further with this new application, the DEC should require a transparent, technically supported

1324
01:50:12,780 --> 01:50:18,900
accounting of the maximum expected withdrawals by end use, seasonal peak operational scenarios,

1325
01:50:19,700 --> 01:50:23,000
it tightens charge configuration in operation controls.

1326
01:50:23,420 --> 01:50:28,080
The potential impacts of water quantity, water quality, and water dependent natural resources,

1327
01:50:28,520 --> 01:50:33,500
including cumulative impacts of the other results just about where we send this.

1328
01:50:33,860 --> 01:50:38,700
You know, I think this is the third resolution we've done where we've sent this, something

1329
01:50:38,700 --> 01:50:42,580
to the DC, and they've ignored the prior two, if memory serves.

1330
01:50:43,920 --> 01:50:51,600
So as far as, and we can't demand that the DC does anything, but Annacellus and Leah Webb,

1331
01:50:51,800 --> 01:50:55,460
I would imagine, probably support the majority of what you're feeling.

1332
01:50:55,880 --> 01:50:57,040
I would call them.

1333
01:50:57,180 --> 01:51:03,700
I would send them emails, because they're the ones closest to the two-near state, and

1334
01:51:03,700 --> 01:51:09,400
And I'm sure that they would both be very vocal about it.

1335
01:51:09,740 --> 01:51:11,920
Regarding, and I will vote for this, by the way.

1336
01:51:12,520 --> 01:51:16,420
Regarding the cost to be electric, it's out of control.

1337
01:51:17,300 --> 01:51:27,020
And I think that we need a forensic audit of NYSEC to show exactly

1338
01:51:27,020 --> 01:51:30,240
what they're buying, where they're buying it, and where they're selling it.

1339
01:51:30,420 --> 01:51:32,340
We met with NYSEC about a year ago.

1340
01:51:32,340 --> 01:51:39,220
And they told us that they are buying 70% of their electric by contract every year, but 30%

1341
01:51:39,220 --> 01:51:42,560
they buy an open market, whatever the market may be.

1342
01:51:44,380 --> 01:51:49,380
And they buy it from outside the states, sometimes sometimes from themselves, from some

1343
01:51:49,380 --> 01:51:50,280
subsidiary.

1344
01:51:50,760 --> 01:51:53,580
And then it is the delivery charge is Mike Siggler mentioned.

1345
01:51:53,800 --> 01:51:54,620
That's a big issue.

1346
01:51:55,000 --> 01:51:59,300
I think the reason they want to be in this data center where it is, because the power lines

1347
01:51:59,300 --> 01:52:03,860
there. I mean, the big power line, it would be required there. The infrastructure is not needed.

1348
01:52:05,040 --> 01:52:12,000
I do think that we should be looking hard at a electric cost. I don't know what's flowing

1349
01:52:12,000 --> 01:52:17,940
on. My life is the same thing. We're down 12 percent far. We turn everything off. We employ things

1350
01:52:17,940 --> 01:52:28,800
and all of it. And our costs have gone up like 30 to 40 bucks a month. And we're in an

1351
01:52:28,800 --> 01:52:30,500
I'd board with this.

1352
01:52:30,520 --> 01:52:31,160
Thank you.

1353
01:52:31,440 --> 01:52:32,300
Lisa Liff.

1354
01:52:34,310 --> 01:52:36,110
Thank you.

1355
01:52:36,190 --> 01:52:38,330
Judith, they appreciate the clarification.

1356
01:52:38,810 --> 01:52:40,270
You just made a Bapie application.

1357
01:52:40,670 --> 01:52:43,190
And it'd like to ask those that have submitted the resolution.

1358
01:52:43,750 --> 01:52:51,270
Maybe you can give me just a little bit more detail or clarification to this.

1359
01:52:51,830 --> 01:52:54,810
If I can ask a couple questions regarding the resolution.

1360
01:52:56,930 --> 01:53:07,670
2021, a QGAC rating filed, the permit, is this, has there been any approval or has this

1361
01:53:07,670 --> 01:53:09,910
pended since 2021?

1362
01:53:11,330 --> 01:53:13,350
I think it's been pended since 2021.

1363
01:53:13,930 --> 01:53:13,990
Yeah.

1364
01:53:14,450 --> 01:53:21,750
It was just recently an October given a notice of completion by the DEC, meaning that it was

1365
01:53:21,750 --> 01:53:33,610
subject to their review and public comment first. Okay, and did the permit prior to 2021

1366
01:53:33,610 --> 01:53:44,790
expire or is this still in place requiring a renewal? It didn't expire. It's sort of grandfathered

1367
01:53:44,790 --> 01:53:53,410
extended its expiration date was in 2021. They filed their original renewal application in 2020.

1368
01:53:54,830 --> 01:54:00,450
DEC then notified them that it was in complete had some questions. They answered the questions in

1369
01:54:00,450 --> 01:54:10,190
2021 and it wasn't until now or October of 2025 that DEC issued a notice of completion. I have no

1370
01:54:10,190 --> 01:54:19,230
what happened between 2021 and October of 25? No idea. Okay, and then the

1371
01:54:19,230 --> 01:54:22,450
where as at the top of the second page,

1372
01:54:26,120 --> 01:54:29,100
Tara Wolff, excuse me,

1373
01:54:30,120 --> 01:54:37,100
Cugud operating has formally agreed to surrender its water withdrawal permit in

1374
01:54:37,100 --> 01:54:43,120
the event. The Cugud data campus receives requisite permits and approvals.

1375
01:54:43,120 --> 01:55:00,260
And my question is, who would they surrender that, too, is that surrender their involvement or does this imply a transfer or a assumption to or by another party?

1376
01:55:00,700 --> 01:55:02,400
Yeah, none of that is clear.

1377
01:55:03,380 --> 01:55:05,560
It's not just that I don't know the answer.

1378
01:55:07,180 --> 01:55:09,500
It's that there nothing, none of that has been specified.

1379
01:55:09,500 --> 01:55:21,580
I would say the intended implication of terroof saying that to the town of Lansing is that they would give up the permit and not withdraw the water.

1380
01:55:21,820 --> 01:55:27,380
But we have no way of knowing exactly what that would look like or even if it would happen.

1381
01:55:28,180 --> 01:55:37,580
Or which subsidiary they might transfer it to or how they would go about surrendering it.

1382
01:55:37,580 --> 01:55:40,520
So we don't know the answer to any of that, like-

1383
01:55:40,520 --> 01:55:42,980
And that was the question I had under this paragraph.

1384
01:55:43,120 --> 01:55:44,140
What does this mean?

1385
01:55:45,300 --> 01:55:45,460
Yeah.

1386
01:55:46,680 --> 01:55:48,320
You'd have to ask them.

1387
01:55:50,720 --> 01:55:51,040
Okay.

1388
01:55:51,520 --> 01:55:52,160
Well,

1389
01:55:54,780 --> 01:55:57,880
I think Deborah touched on it when she spoke.

1390
01:55:58,320 --> 01:56:00,660
This isn't a discussion about land use.

1391
01:56:00,860 --> 01:56:11,680
This is about water resources and the proper application for what the intended use of the property may be.

1392
01:56:11,680 --> 01:56:22,440
I've wrestled with this for months, Mike referenced the solar project that is planned

1393
01:56:22,440 --> 01:56:35,340
for our districts, and just as tonight there's a very strong, very strong opinions on both

1394
01:56:35,340 --> 01:56:43,140
side of that, there have been, and I've been hesitant to weigh in from the county standpoint

1395
01:56:43,140 --> 01:56:53,000
because I believe that it is a home rule issue that you've got your local review processes

1396
01:56:53,000 --> 01:57:00,200
in boards in place that are properly assigned to land use.

1397
01:57:00,200 --> 01:57:06,780
And at the same time, that project being driven by state regulations,

1398
01:57:07,040 --> 01:57:11,800
there's a limit to what the local government can or can't do.

1399
01:57:13,260 --> 01:57:18,720
But despite that, it's not typically really a county

1400
01:57:18,720 --> 01:57:21,020
peragative to weigh in there.

1401
01:57:21,260 --> 01:57:24,820
But under this resolution, that's put forward

1402
01:57:24,820 --> 01:57:33,960
tonight and understanding the ambiguity here or just plain set of questions, I'll support

1403
01:57:33,960 --> 01:57:42,280
this resolution but that doesn't please don't take that as a judgment on my behalf, whether

1404
01:57:42,280 --> 01:57:50,840
I favor or pose the proposal for the reuse of a Q-gooperative.

1405
01:57:51,380 --> 01:57:54,920
And you know, sort of emphasized what Judith said earlier.

1406
01:57:55,400 --> 01:57:57,780
This is about holding DEC accountable, right?

1407
01:57:58,220 --> 01:58:01,700
This is about holding them accountable to protecting our like.

1408
01:58:03,840 --> 01:58:04,880
Okay, any other comments?

1409
01:58:05,800 --> 01:58:06,280
Mike Siggler.

1410
01:58:06,740 --> 01:58:09,660
Why just up to be quick, because about what Judith said,

1411
01:58:10,400 --> 01:58:11,880
I mean, I appreciate what she said.

1412
01:58:12,000 --> 01:58:13,540
I mean, I definitely listen to it.

1413
01:58:13,540 --> 01:58:15,760
I just, I think it's pretty clear in the application.

1414
01:58:16,020 --> 01:58:20,860
I mean, it's right there in page one that submits the enclosed application

1415
01:58:20,860 --> 01:58:26,060
for a water withdrawal permit renewal for the Cugophacility.

1416
01:58:27,000 --> 01:58:33,120
Okay, so we know that it's renewal, and then if you go to page six,

1417
01:58:33,860 --> 01:58:35,940
not page six, page five,

1418
01:58:38,500 --> 01:58:42,920
it talks about what is the modification.

1419
01:58:43,580 --> 01:58:47,220
And the modification is request decrease and approve withdrawal quantity.

1420
01:58:47,840 --> 01:58:51,780
It doesn't say we're modifying this for a different news or anything like that.

1421
01:58:51,780 --> 01:59:00,100
And then in little part 16, it says new water service areas, public water supply only, so this wouldn't be that.

1422
01:59:01,460 --> 01:59:03,560
But the answer to that was no as well.

1423
01:59:04,000 --> 01:59:04,080
So

1424
01:59:06,390 --> 01:59:08,390
I understand what you're saying.

1425
01:59:08,750 --> 01:59:10,510
I still think you're rolling the dice on this.

1426
01:59:10,530 --> 01:59:14,110
I think you're opening this to a new use by the DEC.

1427
01:59:14,490 --> 01:59:18,290
And the DEC could rule a way that you don't want it to rule.

1428
01:59:19,250 --> 01:59:21,730
So anyway, we'll see what happens.

1429
01:59:22,690 --> 01:59:29,230
Okay, if there are no other questions or comments, do we want to do a roll call?

1430
01:59:29,550 --> 01:59:30,450
Yes, please.

1431
01:59:30,790 --> 01:59:31,010
Okay.

1432
01:59:35,730 --> 01:59:36,330
Randy Brown?

1433
01:59:36,370 --> 01:59:37,010
Yes.

1434
01:59:37,330 --> 01:59:37,950
Deborah Dawson?

1435
01:59:38,430 --> 01:59:38,510
Yes.

1436
01:59:39,130 --> 01:59:39,850
Judith Hubbard?

1437
01:59:40,190 --> 01:59:40,330
Yes.

1438
01:59:40,750 --> 01:59:41,390
John Hunt?

1439
01:59:41,510 --> 01:59:41,910
Yes.

1440
01:59:42,370 --> 01:59:42,950
Greg Mezzi?

1441
01:59:43,150 --> 01:59:43,550
Yes.

1442
01:59:44,070 --> 01:59:44,830
Rachel Oslin?

1443
01:59:45,050 --> 01:59:45,490
Yes.

1444
01:59:45,810 --> 01:59:46,710
I was Pacman?

1445
01:59:46,850 --> 01:59:47,230
Yes.

1446
01:59:47,670 --> 01:59:48,410
Veronica Pillar?

1447
01:59:48,790 --> 01:59:49,070
Yes.

1448
01:59:49,470 --> 01:59:50,270
Lisa Liff?

1449
01:59:50,510 --> 01:59:50,810
Yes.

1450
01:59:50,810 --> 01:59:57,650
Mike Siggler? No. Adam Vincent? Yes. I read Wiser. Yes. Christy being

1451
01:59:57,650 --> 01:59:59,970
Coney? Yes. Travis Brooks?

1452
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:02,040
Yes. Shana Black? Yes.

1453
02:00:05,780 --> 02:00:09,840
12-ise, 1-0 and 1-recusal, that passes.

1454
02:00:30,910 --> 02:00:35,950
I don't we take a 10-minute break and we will meet back in chambers at 7-40.

1455
02:13:45,090 --> 02:13:51,870
Okay, legislators were back in session and why don't we move to legislator privilege of the floor?

1456
02:13:57,380 --> 02:14:02,340
Not everyone at once. Anyone that would like to share anything?

1457
02:14:05,310 --> 02:14:06,230
This is never happened.

1458
02:14:13,660 --> 02:14:15,020
I think

1459
02:14:18,540 --> 02:14:28,280
these meetings are hilarious. Literally we have water wall people and then we excuse and there's not a single

1460
02:14:28,280 --> 02:14:34,720
Oh, who is that, back there? Oh, no, it's morning. She has to be here.

1461
02:14:36,320 --> 02:14:37,760
Okay, go ahead, Mike.

1462
02:14:38,140 --> 02:14:45,140
I just wanted to, I would just say this, I just wanted to tell everyone about the passing

1463
02:14:45,840 --> 02:14:47,740
of Sandra Lacko.

1464
02:14:48,260 --> 02:14:53,820
She, Lansing resident for a long time, and she also worked at the Fratomkins County for

1465
02:14:53,820 --> 02:14:59,700
I believe a couple decades, it's not a discounted DMV as a clerk, so.

1466
02:15:00,000 --> 02:15:09,100
I just wanted to tell her, apparently, that there are definitely in my prayers, and I just wanted to let everybody know about her passing.

1467
02:15:09,860 --> 02:15:10,440
Thank you very much.

1468
02:15:10,680 --> 02:15:11,440
Thank you, Mike.

1469
02:15:12,280 --> 02:15:13,380
Next is Travis Brooks.

1470
02:15:14,020 --> 02:15:19,740
I just wanted to thank my colleagues and the community that came out for M.O.K. celebration on Saturday.

1471
02:15:20,760 --> 02:15:24,300
I've just been a few weeks. We have our Black History Month Challenge Show this year.

1472
02:15:24,300 --> 02:15:30,060
It is at the theater, over here, by Cass Park.

1473
02:15:30,080 --> 02:15:30,980
What is that theater, co?

1474
02:15:31,540 --> 02:15:31,900
Thank you.

1475
02:15:32,040 --> 02:15:32,180
Thank you.

1476
02:15:32,180 --> 02:15:33,680
My God, it's our favorite theater.

1477
02:15:33,840 --> 02:15:36,140
Yeah, it's the hang of the theater, which is cool.

1478
02:15:36,200 --> 02:15:38,000
It's the first time we've ever been here.

1479
02:15:38,140 --> 02:15:41,560
So we've been doing the talent show for, I don't know, 35, 40 years.

1480
02:15:41,700 --> 02:15:43,560
And it'll be the first time at the theater.

1481
02:15:43,920 --> 02:15:45,740
It's on February 5th.

1482
02:15:45,980 --> 02:15:47,800
So if you are free that evening, come on down.

1483
02:15:49,480 --> 02:15:50,220
Thank you.

1484
02:15:51,800 --> 02:15:52,600
Anyone else?

1485
02:15:53,100 --> 02:15:53,800
Irene Wieser?

1486
02:15:54,800 --> 02:16:15,820
Yeah, I'll just let people know that for Caroline residents, there's actually kind of a cool thing inside their tax bill, which is an option to sign up for driving fiber, which is fiber optic broadband coming to the town of Caroline, thanks to the town of dragon.

1487
02:16:17,700 --> 02:16:22,400
It's nice to have options, Veronica Pillar and the Greg Mussey.

1488
02:16:23,900 --> 02:16:30,620
It's still silly to say with now zero audience, but I did want to acknowledge the killing

1489
02:16:30,620 --> 02:16:38,740
of Renee Nicole Good since our last legislature meeting by some ice agents who are supposed

1490
02:16:38,740 --> 02:16:43,960
to be enforcing federal laws, and instead are essentially

1491
02:16:45,160 --> 02:16:48,740
to stay sanctioned, goons terrorizing, at the moment,

1492
02:16:48,900 --> 02:16:50,960
mostly the people of the Minneapolis area.

1493
02:16:52,480 --> 02:16:54,640
But it gets a lot broader than that.

1494
02:16:54,640 --> 02:16:59,160
I was listening to some stories of interactions

1495
02:16:59,160 --> 02:17:02,600
with them before this meeting, and it was not a pleasant use

1496
02:17:02,600 --> 02:17:04,040
of my time, but probably valuable.

1497
02:17:07,850 --> 02:17:10,110
And I wish I had looked up the number for the Ithaca

1498
02:17:10,110 --> 02:17:16,190
rapid response network, which I don't have on me, but it does exist for to alert

1499
02:17:16,190 --> 02:17:24,090
community if ice presence is here in Tompkins County. We've had luckily very

1500
02:17:24,090 --> 02:17:31,890
little of that so far. I'm not going on wood, but it is a scary time.

1501
02:17:34,300 --> 02:17:35,320
That's all.

1502
02:17:36,340 --> 02:17:39,560
Thank you, Veronica, for mentioning that.

1503
02:17:39,740 --> 02:17:41,180
Greg Massey, and then Lee Shirtloaf?

1504
02:17:41,600 --> 02:17:45,600
In honor of Mike Lane, which I think we should try to invoke Mike's name.

1505
02:17:46,100 --> 02:17:47,480
Each meeting we have, moving forward.

1506
02:17:48,160 --> 02:17:51,480
We refer to Dryden as a crown jewel of the county.

1507
02:17:51,640 --> 02:17:53,760
I read just so that we're all the same.

1508
02:17:54,100 --> 02:17:54,580
I don't want to say thank you.

1509
02:17:58,260 --> 02:17:59,140
Lee Shirtloaf?

1510
02:18:01,060 --> 02:18:02,740
I shouldn't be checking messages.

1511
02:18:03,220 --> 02:18:08,260
Well, I'm sitting here, but kind of similar to Mike.

1512
02:18:08,260 --> 02:18:21,700
I just was informed that, over the weekend, Kathy West, who was our past deputy county administrator for many, many years passed away.

1513
02:18:22,580 --> 02:18:29,660
And Kathy had a couple of times served in an interim administrator role for the county.

1514
02:18:29,660 --> 02:18:34,660
And took the lead for many of her years

1515
02:18:34,660 --> 02:18:38,080
as the Budget Officer or Acting Budget Officer

1516
02:18:38,080 --> 02:18:41,580
and really played a key role in a lot of the projects.

1517
02:18:42,200 --> 02:18:46,560
And the 90s and early 2000s, and very sad to hear that.

1518
02:18:46,740 --> 02:18:50,640
She was a dedicated timekins county, the boy and administrator.

1519
02:18:52,160 --> 02:18:55,160
And certainly, you want to send our condolences out to the family.

1520
02:18:57,140 --> 02:18:57,680
Thank you, Lee.

1521
02:18:58,880 --> 02:19:01,760
Anyone else this evening, Randy Brown?

1522
02:19:02,780 --> 02:19:08,010
Yeah, since I've had mouth nice earlier, I would like to say that they responded well to

1523
02:19:08,920 --> 02:19:10,840
Newfield regarding the Flair Project.

1524
02:19:10,840 --> 02:19:19,600
They're putting in new huge 90-foot metal poles from kind and road all the way to Monterey Falls.

1525
02:19:20,000 --> 02:19:25,600
And it goes through and field line all the way through Newfield.

1526
02:19:25,600 --> 02:19:31,080
There's about a dozen residents that are being affected by this, and nice said came to a

1527
02:19:31,080 --> 02:19:36,240
Newfield Town Board meeting for nice said employees came to engineers and they explained

1528
02:19:36,240 --> 02:19:43,620
everything, but still it didn't really calm any residents down that are going to have the

1529
02:19:43,620 --> 02:19:46,800
huge poles in their backyards, which they will.

1530
02:19:48,100 --> 02:19:55,000
And part of the problem is that the wires that they're putting in are much larger, and they

1531
02:19:55,000 --> 02:20:00,980
will droop, I guess, as the right word, about 30 feet, and then they can move about 30 feet

1532
02:20:00,980 --> 02:20:06,400
because of the wind. So it does come a fairly close to some of the people's houses. So nice

1533
02:20:06,400 --> 02:20:12,460
I get agreed to go visit with each of the residents, which I appreciate, and they're trying

1534
02:20:12,460 --> 02:20:18,720
to position those poles to have the least impact on some of these people. Two people just

1535
02:20:18,720 --> 02:20:24,300
built brand new houses. They're going to be impacted by this. But they're very responsive and I

1536
02:20:24,300 --> 02:20:27,580
Thank you for coming to the meeting and following up.

1537
02:20:28,020 --> 02:20:28,080
Great.

1538
02:20:28,580 --> 02:20:29,300
Thank you, Randy.

1539
02:20:30,200 --> 02:20:30,900
Anyone else?

1540
02:20:33,520 --> 02:20:33,840
Okay.

1541
02:20:35,140 --> 02:20:35,320
Great.

1542
02:20:35,840 --> 02:20:40,600
We are going to move on to the chair's report.

1543
02:20:41,280 --> 02:20:47,160
I do have one appointment this evening for the workforce development board, and that's

1544
02:20:47,160 --> 02:20:47,940
William Foreman.

1545
02:20:49,640 --> 02:20:54,020
And I would now like to move on to the state of the county.

1546
02:20:56,450 --> 02:20:59,170
Good evening and thank you for being here.

1547
02:20:59,410 --> 02:21:03,870
Tonight I'm honored to share the state of Tomkins County, where we are what we've accomplished

1548
02:21:03,870 --> 02:21:08,410
in 2025 and how our shared priorities are shaping the year ahead.

1549
02:21:08,990 --> 02:21:13,470
I'm confident in saying the state of this county is strong, resilient, and determined.

1550
02:21:14,550 --> 02:21:19,590
Strong because the strength of this county comes not from one single person but from

1551
02:21:19,590 --> 02:21:24,190
our collective commitment, especially the commitment of this legislature and the dedicated

1552
02:21:24,190 --> 02:21:29,070
County staff, if you turn policy into real-world impact every single day.

1553
02:21:29,310 --> 02:21:34,230
Resilient, because even when right with rising costs, housing pressures, federal

1554
02:21:34,230 --> 02:21:39,170
uncertainties, and growing service demands, Tomkins County continues to deliver.

1555
02:21:39,910 --> 02:21:44,090
The story of this past year is one of dedicated public servants, strong partnerships,

1556
02:21:44,430 --> 02:21:47,510
and a clear commitment to serve all of our community members.

1557
02:21:48,290 --> 02:21:53,470
Determined, because we stand by our values of respect, accountability, integrity,

1558
02:21:53,470 --> 02:21:58,870
equity and stewardship. A few weeks ago, we welcomed eight new legislators to the spotty alongside

1559
02:21:58,870 --> 02:22:04,110
eight returning members. That infusion of fresh perspectives, energy, and lived experience

1560
02:22:04,110 --> 02:22:09,190
has already deepened our deliberations, sharpened our questions, and strengthened our ability

1561
02:22:09,190 --> 02:22:14,590
to make difficult decisions with integrity and care. I'm proud that in this legislature,

1562
02:22:15,130 --> 02:22:20,030
new voices are not just present, they are heard. They ask hard questions and they help lead

1563
02:22:20,030 --> 02:22:21,270
through thoughtful debate.

1564
02:22:21,910 --> 02:22:24,210
Our government work benefits from it.

1565
02:22:24,610 --> 02:22:26,910
To the entire legislature, returning members,

1566
02:22:27,070 --> 02:22:28,490
he brings institutional memory,

1567
02:22:28,930 --> 02:22:30,530
and new members who bring a new vision.

1568
02:22:30,970 --> 02:22:31,990
Thank you.

1569
02:22:32,450 --> 02:22:34,830
And to our county staff, I echo what has been said

1570
02:22:34,830 --> 02:22:36,210
in this chamber and beyond.

1571
02:22:36,590 --> 02:22:38,930
You are the mission of Tomkins County government.

1572
02:22:39,850 --> 02:22:42,490
You serve with compassion, professionalism, and skill,

1573
02:22:43,010 --> 02:22:45,090
and this community is better because of your work.

1574
02:22:46,070 --> 02:22:48,030
Tonight I'd like to reflect on where we've been

1575
02:22:48,030 --> 02:22:49,890
and share how that foundation guides

1576
02:22:49,890 --> 02:22:54,890
focus this year, especially in how we support our staff, strengthen our community, and deliver

1577
02:22:54,890 --> 02:22:57,490
services with equity, excellence, and accountability.

1578
02:22:58,510 --> 02:23:02,370
Our work is guided by the county strategic plan, and I'd like to highlight our progress

1579
02:23:02,370 --> 02:23:06,250
through those shared priorities, organizational excellence.

1580
02:23:06,830 --> 02:23:11,870
We know that strong government depends on strong systems, and on a workplace where employees

1581
02:23:11,870 --> 02:23:13,790
feel valued, supported, and empowered.

1582
02:23:14,470 --> 02:23:17,430
I'm proud that we are currently in contract with all of our unions.

1583
02:23:17,430 --> 02:23:24,030
When I was sure a few years ago, a priority was undergoing a salary study that would set the standard for our employees.

1584
02:23:24,470 --> 02:23:31,770
I'm happy to report that we have conducted that study and have made adjustments to many of our employees' salaries so that they are more competitive.

1585
02:23:32,710 --> 02:23:37,290
We value our employees and are always looking for ways to provide a better working environment and stay competitive.

1586
02:23:37,290 --> 02:23:45,230
In 2025, we held 145 committee and legislature meetings, adopted four local laws and tackled

1587
02:23:45,230 --> 02:23:50,210
more than 300 resolutions, all with transparency, courtesy, and civic engagement.

1588
02:23:51,010 --> 02:23:56,670
Over 170 public meetings were live-streamed, expanding public access and connection to local

1589
02:23:56,670 --> 02:23:57,190
government.

1590
02:23:58,030 --> 02:24:03,010
We've made real progress modernizing how we measure performance, with a launch of county-wide

1591
02:24:03,010 --> 02:24:06,910
keep performance and equity indicators that help us track meaningful outcomes.

1592
02:24:07,510 --> 02:24:12,670
We expanded leadership training and staff support and strengthened IT systems to keep vital

1593
02:24:12,670 --> 02:24:14,690
county services secure and reliable.

1594
02:24:15,830 --> 02:24:21,050
The county strengthened its fiscal stewardship and partnerships by successfully securing and

1595
02:24:21,050 --> 02:24:26,610
managing competitive grant funding, including 1 million in additional state supported for

1596
02:24:26,610 --> 02:24:35,250
A signed council, a $324,000 assessment system, modernization grant, a five-year OCFS grant

1597
02:24:35,250 --> 02:24:40,010
supporting young parents, expanded gift funding for public safety and probation initiatives,

1598
02:24:40,630 --> 02:24:45,570
federal funding for the airport, and USDA support for food waste reduction and composting

1599
02:24:45,570 --> 02:24:51,010
efforts, bringing outside resources back to the community while reducing local cost burden.

1600
02:24:51,990 --> 02:24:56,930
Across Tomkins County Government, departments helped residents navigate change by guiding

1601
02:24:56,930 --> 02:24:58,930
people through new requirements and systems.

1602
02:24:59,450 --> 02:25:05,170
From emergency communication around SNAP benefits in November, 2025, to assisting the real

1603
02:25:05,170 --> 02:25:10,310
ID and passport applications, department relocations, redistricting voters and updating

1604
02:25:10,310 --> 02:25:15,770
election maps, hosting our first online foreclosure auction, which is obviously not a great

1605
02:25:15,770 --> 02:25:20,910
thing, implementing a short-term rental registry and providing clear hands-on

1606
02:25:20,910 --> 02:25:25,350
support, so community members could adapt confidently to new rules and technology.

1607
02:25:27,030 --> 02:25:31,950
Equitable service delivery, delivery, equity isn't a buzzword, it's a daily commitment

1608
02:25:31,950 --> 02:25:33,850
to fairness, access, and dignity.

1609
02:25:34,750 --> 02:25:39,290
Last year, a whole health engaged more than 1,200 residents in the community needs assessment,

1610
02:25:39,730 --> 02:25:41,690
ensuring that real voices guide our policies.

1611
02:25:42,270 --> 02:25:46,390
We expanded community basement to health services and to schools, support of housing, and

1612
02:25:46,390 --> 02:25:49,950
outreach settings, making care more accessible where people live and learn.

1613
02:25:49,950 --> 02:25:54,670
While we are very proud of the work we have done in this area, we also realize the need

1614
02:25:54,670 --> 02:25:57,430
is great in our community for expansive mental health services.

1615
02:25:58,110 --> 02:26:01,650
We will continue to grow this area and focus on meeting our community demand.

1616
02:26:02,990 --> 02:26:08,050
Our Department of Social Services has helped 25 families transition from shelter to permanent

1617
02:26:08,050 --> 02:26:14,330
housing and is exceeded federal benchmarks in child welfare by prioritizing family-based care

1618
02:26:14,330 --> 02:26:18,910
and reducing institutional placements, which is better for kids and better for community

1619
02:26:18,910 --> 02:26:24,850
stability. When we talk about changing situations and changing lives, this is a perfect example

1620
02:26:24,850 --> 02:26:30,190
of what is working. Providing stability through housing for families is essential first to grow

1621
02:26:30,190 --> 02:26:35,370
and move forward as a community. We expanded services for older adults veterans in youth

1622
02:26:35,370 --> 02:26:40,730
from new mill sites and embootsmen support to hosting the county's first veterans expo,

1623
02:26:40,990 --> 02:26:44,730
shining light on homeless and runaway youth and supporting municipal youth services.

1624
02:26:44,730 --> 02:26:55,150
We also celebrated belonging through naturalization, ceremonies, monies, welcoming new US citizens, a powerful reminder of who we are as a county.

1625
02:26:56,290 --> 02:26:58,690
Economic opportunity and quality of life.

1626
02:26:59,070 --> 02:27:03,010
A thriving community is one where we can live, work, and learn, and grow.

1627
02:27:03,490 --> 02:27:08,250
We coordinated the renovation and opening of 227 Cherry Street Code Blue Shelter.

1628
02:27:09,190 --> 02:27:13,910
Providing warmth and safety to neighbors, experiencing homelessness during our coldest months.

1629
02:27:13,910 --> 02:27:19,330
Volunteers of America, our service shelter provider, treats our visitors with kindness and provides

1630
02:27:19,330 --> 02:27:20,890
care management on site is needed.

1631
02:27:21,770 --> 02:27:24,150
We continue to see positive results in feedback.

1632
02:27:24,670 --> 02:27:28,710
We also know that care management services added to sheltering that provide additional

1633
02:27:28,710 --> 02:27:31,730
supports and referrals can achieve better outcomes.

1634
02:27:32,910 --> 02:27:38,410
Our planning is a state ability department awarded 1.35 million for the community housing

1635
02:27:38,410 --> 02:27:45,150
development fund for housing projects that resulted in 123 units, including affordable and attainable

1636
02:27:45,150 --> 02:27:45,730
homes.

1637
02:27:46,270 --> 02:27:50,710
Youth employment programs connected hundreds of young people with jobs and training, equipping

1638
02:27:50,710 --> 02:27:53,910
the next generation for economic participation and leadership.

1639
02:27:54,690 --> 02:28:00,570
And for structure projects advanced across the county, our highway, crews paved, treated,

1640
02:28:00,810 --> 02:28:05,610
and stripped hundreds of miles of road, our IT and facilities team supported the relocation

1641
02:28:05,610 --> 02:28:11,150
multiple departments and at Ethica Tompkins International Airport we restored direct service to

1642
02:28:11,150 --> 02:28:18,350
Washington Dullis. Climate change mitigation and resiliency are strategic plan reflects our

1643
02:28:18,350 --> 02:28:24,150
recognition that climate action must be part of everything we do. Departments across the county

1644
02:28:24,150 --> 02:28:29,890
continue to embed sustainability and to daily operations and long-term planning from advancing

1645
02:28:29,890 --> 02:28:35,070
green facilities and infrastructure projects to integrating climate considerations into transportation

1646
02:28:35,070 --> 02:28:39,990
and airport planning, and finalizing the county's Solid Waste Management Plan.

1647
02:28:41,470 --> 02:28:46,410
Health and Safety, keeping our community safe and supported remains central to our work.

1648
02:28:46,890 --> 02:28:51,770
Emergency response and dispatch teams answered over 126,000 calls last year.

1649
02:28:52,430 --> 02:28:58,750
While we completed renovations to the primary 911 Center to ensure reliability and critical moments,

1650
02:28:59,190 --> 02:29:03,690
we expanded peer support and critical incident stress programs for first responders,

1651
02:29:03,690 --> 02:29:11,010
recognizing the caring for those who serve as part of caring for our community well-being.

1652
02:29:11,790 --> 02:29:17,890
Our Sheriff's Office expanded care team, providing crisis-focused response and reducing

1653
02:29:17,890 --> 02:29:23,670
reliance on traditional enforcement models where more people-centered interventions are appropriate.

1654
02:29:24,310 --> 02:29:28,830
Public safety and community well-being were advanced through coordinated justice efforts

1655
02:29:28,830 --> 02:29:31,130
with a district attorney's office,

1656
02:29:31,150 --> 02:29:33,830
prosecuting serious violent cases while expanding

1657
02:29:33,830 --> 02:29:35,310
alternatives to incarceration.

1658
02:29:36,230 --> 02:29:37,730
The county attorney's office providing

1659
02:29:37,730 --> 02:29:39,910
county-wide legal support and enforcement,

1660
02:29:40,530 --> 02:29:42,770
while protecting the county's interest in probation

1661
02:29:42,770 --> 02:29:44,070
and community justice,

1662
02:29:44,770 --> 02:29:46,930
strengthening trauma informed procedural

1663
02:29:46,930 --> 02:29:50,230
justice practices to promote safer and fair outcomes.

1664
02:29:51,410 --> 02:29:52,730
Across county operations,

1665
02:29:52,990 --> 02:29:55,710
we strengthen security by standing up a new county-wide

1666
02:29:55,710 --> 02:29:56,730
security program,

1667
02:29:56,730 --> 02:29:59,970
improving coordination and incident response in public building.

1668
02:30:00,000 --> 02:30:05,240
And we are providing some meetings and prioritizing the safety of both employees and people that we serve.

1669
02:30:06,840 --> 02:30:12,440
Looking ahead, as we move through this year, our focus remains on strengthening staff support,

1670
02:30:12,920 --> 02:30:20,320
expanding community well-being and ensuring that government delivers with equity and effectiveness in every corner of Tompkins County.

1671
02:30:20,800 --> 02:30:26,840
We know the challenges ahead from federal and certainties to emergency services challenges and cost of living pressures.

1672
02:30:26,840 --> 02:30:34,240
But we also know that our collective marked by curiosity, courage, and collaboration equips us to meet them.

1673
02:30:34,480 --> 02:30:38,720
To our staff, our partners, and our residents, thank you for your trust in partnerships.

1674
02:30:39,780 --> 02:30:46,020
And to my colleagues in this legislature, thank you for your service, your questions, and your commitment to this community.

1675
02:30:46,960 --> 02:30:50,820
Together, we are building a government that works for everyone every single day.

1676
02:30:50,820 --> 02:30:57,340
The State of New York, the State of Tomkins County is strong, resilient and determined, and

1677
02:30:57,340 --> 02:30:58,660
our best few years are still ahead.

1678
02:30:59,140 --> 02:30:59,440
Thank you.

1679
02:31:06,900 --> 02:31:12,320
I would also like to take a moment to thank Assemblywoman Anna Callis and State Senator

1680
02:31:12,320 --> 02:31:15,020
Leah Webb for making stop to our chambers last Friday.

1681
02:31:16,180 --> 02:31:21,420
Legislators were able to meet with our state representatives and received a very thorough update

1682
02:31:21,420 --> 02:31:22,920
on what's going on at the state level.

1683
02:31:22,920 --> 02:31:29,700
The collaboration between our state and federal representatives continues to be crucial during these pivotal times.

1684
02:31:30,940 --> 02:31:38,540
And now I'm going to announce our 26 committees and a few chairs, chair's appointments.

1685
02:31:41,330 --> 02:31:44,230
Okay. Budget Capital and Personnel Committee.

1686
02:31:44,990 --> 02:31:47,510
Chair Deborah Dawson, Vice Chair Veronica Piller.

1687
02:31:49,030 --> 02:31:51,590
Members, Brown, Muzzy, Shirtlive.

1688
02:31:51,590 --> 02:31:58,950
Be in Coney. Oh my god. Okay, be in Coney. Sorry. Wiser. Facilities and infrastructure.

1689
02:32:00,150 --> 02:32:06,650
Chair, shirt lift. Vice chair, wakeman. Brown, Hubbard, and Hunt. Government operations.

1690
02:32:07,990 --> 02:32:16,050
Chair, Brown, Vice chair, Hubbard. Members, Mezzy, Vincent, and Wakeman. Health and Human Services.

1691
02:32:16,050 --> 02:32:26,070
Brooks Chair, Bianconi, Vice Chair, Siggler, Pillar, and Oslin, members, Housing and Economic

1692
02:32:26,070 --> 02:32:35,510
Development, Chair, Mezzy, Vice Chair, Pactman, Siggler, Hunt and Vison, Members, Planning and

1693
02:32:35,510 --> 02:32:43,530
Energy and Environmental Quality, Chair, Wiser, Vice Chair, Benson, the Encouny, Hubbard,

1694
02:32:43,530 --> 02:32:45,810
Hunt, Oslin, and Pacman.

1695
02:32:46,610 --> 02:32:51,230
Public safety, Brooks, chair, Oslin, vice chair,

1696
02:32:51,750 --> 02:32:54,210
pillar, shirt lift, and wiser.

1697
02:32:55,550 --> 02:32:57,470
Charger review committee, special committee,

1698
02:32:57,770 --> 02:33:00,430
and this is going to begin in June of 2026.

1699
02:33:01,130 --> 02:33:02,690
Greg Massey is going to chair that.

1700
02:33:02,910 --> 02:33:04,270
Deborah Dawson, vice chair.

1701
02:33:05,230 --> 02:33:07,770
Rachel Oslin, member, Mike Stigler, member,

1702
02:33:08,010 --> 02:33:09,150
and Dan Wakeman member.

1703
02:33:09,910 --> 02:33:12,510
Work first, diversity, and inclusion committee.

1704
02:33:12,510 --> 02:33:17,330
advisory committee and Veronica Pillar will share that.

1705
02:33:18,410 --> 02:33:20,650
And there are a few things that we've done a little bit different this year.

1706
02:33:20,770 --> 02:33:26,590
There was a really high demand for a few committees and we wanted everyone to be able to participate.

1707
02:33:26,950 --> 02:33:32,650
So we did increase the number of members in budget capital and personnel to seven members.

1708
02:33:33,670 --> 02:33:39,630
And we also increased the planning energy and environmental quality to seven members as well.

1709
02:33:41,230 --> 02:33:45,430
And I have a few chairs appointments for 2026.

1710
02:33:47,190 --> 02:33:52,290
The Tomkins Center for History and Culture, Rachel Oslin will be our representative.

1711
02:33:53,010 --> 02:33:57,950
I.A.E.D. Board of Directors, Legislative Greg Mesie, T.C.

1712
02:33:57,970 --> 02:34:03,410
Chair and Vice Chair, myself and Dougherm will be on that.

1713
02:34:03,750 --> 02:34:09,190
I.A.E.D. Executive Committee that will be Greg Mesie and Deborah Dawson.

1714
02:34:09,190 --> 02:34:16,790
I, A, E, D, Board of Directors, Greg Massey and Deborah Dawson.

1715
02:34:18,010 --> 02:34:22,410
Chamber of Commerce, Mike Siggler, and then the alternate will be Greg Massey.

1716
02:34:23,350 --> 02:34:27,150
C, C, E, we're actually going to have two representatives this year.

1717
02:34:27,230 --> 02:34:30,450
I think it's very important, Randy Brown and Judith Hubbard.

1718
02:34:31,350 --> 02:34:33,570
Ethics Advisory Board, Iris Pakman.

1719
02:34:35,800 --> 02:34:38,000
She will be the chair of that.

1720
02:34:38,000 --> 02:34:43,280
ITC-TC Policy Committee, Legislator John Hunt, and the alternate will be

1721
02:34:43,280 --> 02:34:44,040
Lee Shirtliff.

1722
02:34:44,800 --> 02:34:49,260
Municipal Electric and Gas, that will be our staff member, Terry Carroll.

1723
02:34:49,960 --> 02:34:55,460
Kugelike Watershed, Interim Municipal Organization, Legislator Adam Benson, and Alternate

1724
02:34:55,460 --> 02:34:56,380
Iris Pactman.

1725
02:34:57,320 --> 02:35:01,680
TC3 Liaison, Legislator Dan Wakeman, that's in his district as well.

1726
02:35:02,320 --> 02:35:07,960
Chair Workforce Diversity and Inclusion, Chair Veronica Pillar, Criminal Justice

1727
02:35:07,960 --> 02:35:14,920
Advisory Board, Public Safety Chair, Travis Brooks, Special Negotiating Committees, Corrections

1728
02:35:14,920 --> 02:35:22,320
Union, that will be myself in Deborah Dawson, Road Patrol, that will be myself in Ivers

1729
02:35:22,320 --> 02:35:30,120
Pakman, CSEA, Blue Colour, that will be myself in Ivers Pakman, CSEA, Blue Colour, that

1730
02:35:30,120 --> 02:35:35,140
will be myself in Greg Mezzi, I'm sorry, White Colour, thank you.

1731
02:35:35,720 --> 02:35:41,580
We're also going to have an assessment working group, which we have not had in years past,

1732
02:35:41,740 --> 02:35:46,200
but we've had a lot of questions about how our assessment works, who gets assessed what,

1733
02:35:47,060 --> 02:35:52,400
and it is the tasks for this group to take a deeper dive and to work with our staff on that.

1734
02:35:53,380 --> 02:35:59,540
And so administration is going to appoint some staff to that.

1735
02:35:59,720 --> 02:36:04,560
I can assume it would probably be someone from assessment, and they will head that up and

1736
02:36:04,560 --> 02:36:18,540
I did want to appoint three legislators to that who has shown interest in assessment that's going to be Judith Hubbard, Greg Massey, Mike Siggler, and our friend Paul Rossi, who joins us for many of our meetings who we love dearly, has agreed to be on that.

1737
02:36:19,420 --> 02:36:27,400
And we were also going to try and be joined by a commercial someone representing commercial real estate in someone representing residential real estate.

1738
02:36:27,800 --> 02:36:32,580
We're pretty open to that membership if anyone can think of any one else that might need to join us at the table there.

1739
02:36:33,840 --> 02:36:51,000
The city of Ethica sells tax distribution working group and this will meet monthly and I definitely, there is a special place in my heart for the three people that have volunteered for this and that is Judith Hubbard, Deborah Dawson and Randy Brown.

1740
02:36:53,160 --> 02:36:57,140
Again, you are very special people and this is God's work here.

1741
02:36:57,140 --> 02:36:57,940
So, nice way.

1742
02:36:58,120 --> 02:36:58,480
Thank you, everyone.

1743
02:36:59,320 --> 02:36:59,800
You're idiots.

1744
02:37:00,980 --> 02:37:01,800
I'm just joking.

1745
02:37:02,200 --> 02:37:04,340
Thank you for volunteering to do that.

1746
02:37:05,380 --> 02:37:07,880
And then we are going to have a city county working group.

1747
02:37:07,900 --> 02:37:16,180
I spoke with Mayor of Contomo just a few days ago and it's going to be himself and two other members of the common council.

1748
02:37:16,960 --> 02:37:21,600
We're also going to be joined with staff from the city as well as staff from the county.

1749
02:37:21,900 --> 02:37:23,880
To meet on a monthly basis.

1750
02:37:23,880 --> 02:37:31,540
legislators will be Travis Brooks, Adam Benson, and myself, and then the Cornell Working Group.

1751
02:37:33,000 --> 02:37:39,400
We really tried to make it individuals who had districts that surround or interact with Cornell.

1752
02:37:40,200 --> 02:37:45,280
Judith Hubbard, Adam Benson, Iris Pacman, Deborah Dawson, myself, and Greg Mezzy.

1753
02:37:45,600 --> 02:37:51,440
If I forgot anyone who's district surrounds Cornell, let me know when we can add you.

1754
02:37:52,640 --> 02:37:55,880
And then we'll also have staff join us as needed.

1755
02:37:56,880 --> 02:38:01,920
And then the Ethica College Working Group is going to be myself,

1756
02:38:02,120 --> 02:38:07,460
Travis Brooks, Iris Pacman, Chrissy, Bianconi, and John Hunt.

1757
02:38:07,960 --> 02:38:11,220
And again, if there's anyone that I left off that's close to Ethica College

1758
02:38:11,220 --> 02:38:15,320
or your district surrounds or is close by, just let me know when we can add you.

1759
02:38:15,580 --> 02:38:15,960
Next meeting.

1760
02:38:17,720 --> 02:38:19,920
Thank you all for meeting with Deborah myself.

1761
02:38:20,160 --> 02:38:23,520
I know it was, it's been a long two weeks,

1762
02:38:23,720 --> 02:38:25,340
but I wanted to thank you all for your patience,

1763
02:38:27,220 --> 02:38:29,660
and almost every person that walked in came in

1764
02:38:29,660 --> 02:38:32,600
with a very open heart open mind said put me where you need me

1765
02:38:32,600 --> 02:38:34,700
and that made our jobs very easy.

1766
02:38:35,080 --> 02:38:37,060
So thank you for your flexibility and your openness

1767
02:38:37,060 --> 02:38:38,300
to try new things.

1768
02:38:41,000 --> 02:38:43,500
So let's move on in our meeting.

1769
02:38:44,620 --> 02:38:52,020
And if, uh, I don't even know where my agenda is, if we could have a report, um, from

1770
02:38:52,020 --> 02:38:54,100
uh, county administration, and of course, a company.

1771
02:38:56,470 --> 02:38:57,030
Thank you.

1772
02:38:57,290 --> 02:39:04,190
Um, we have the department achievement for 2025 that went to go through and I'm happy that you

1773
02:39:04,190 --> 02:39:08,930
too deleted because you've touched on most of the points that we also laid out in the achievement,

1774
02:39:08,930 --> 02:39:13,130
as included in your agenda material.

1775
02:39:13,130 --> 02:39:25,190
So just to highlight some few things, one of the critical things we're able to achieve is to fill the two key positions in the county as the department has, as Department of Social Services and Whole Health.

1776
02:39:25,350 --> 02:39:33,790
We've got Brittany and Jin who did an amazing work for both those two key departments.

1777
02:39:33,790 --> 02:39:43,710
And we are also able to fill in internally highways with a very excited about what Nick doing

1778
02:39:43,710 --> 02:39:46,370
really wonderful job with the crew over there.

1779
02:39:46,570 --> 02:39:52,450
Also, the prize, as soon as the previous director announced his retirement, we have several

1780
02:39:52,450 --> 02:39:57,570
people from the community coming to the current administration and asking how the process

1781
02:39:57,570 --> 02:39:58,310
is going to be.

1782
02:39:58,310 --> 02:40:05,190
I want you to add your voice to the process and I will be very excited about the outcome that we all achieve.

1783
02:40:05,870 --> 02:40:12,410
So in your folder, we have various departments and the goals that the achievement that the partner leadership share with us,

1784
02:40:13,510 --> 02:40:18,470
and how that also linked up to our strategic objective and plans as well.

1785
02:40:18,470 --> 02:40:29,290
So moving forward into 2020, what we will be doing is to how those goals or those achievements individually meet specific aspects of our strategic objective,

1786
02:40:29,730 --> 02:40:40,730
as well as linking that to the equity plan that we have also said for ourselves through the county administration as well.

1787
02:40:40,730 --> 02:40:52,730
So under the office of the county administration and in addition to the highlighted point by Chair Black and also the hiring of those two key departments.

1788
02:40:53,790 --> 02:41:02,170
Under the oversight of Jayce who is a contract and risk administrator were able to execute over 900 plus contracts in county administration.

1789
02:41:02,430 --> 02:41:07,750
We also initiated the county equity indicator process for all county department.

1790
02:41:08,670 --> 02:41:15,610
Under the Office of Aging, we launched the H-Friendly Business Initiative and 13 businesses

1791
02:41:15,610 --> 02:41:17,870
were certified under that initiative.

1792
02:41:18,550 --> 02:41:23,910
Co-Friendly newspaper also reached more than 3,000 people, caregivers, new

1793
02:41:23,910 --> 02:41:28,970
level also reached over 2,600 individuals in the county as well.

1794
02:41:31,160 --> 02:41:37,780
Under the airport, we initiated the new Ethica Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan

1795
02:41:37,780 --> 02:41:40,900
and comprehensive energy assessment as well.

1796
02:41:41,780 --> 02:41:45,880
And the aspect of that process is also ongoing, which was approved.

1797
02:41:47,280 --> 02:41:55,020
And we also completed the strategy business plan that was approved by the legislatures in 2025.

1798
02:41:56,800 --> 02:42:02,620
As many of you know, we also launched a third flight to DC.

1799
02:42:02,620 --> 02:42:12,820
And there's it's been performing wonders and we are hopeful that we will be able to sustain it after the initial period that was agreed for this several

1800
02:42:13,400 --> 02:42:22,880
Conversation ongoing right now to be able to make the flight permanent the 10 flight to this appointment and also working with other airlines to see how we can improve an increase

1801
02:42:22,880 --> 02:42:26,880
the services to Etica Airport.

1802
02:42:28,200 --> 02:42:33,820
Last year, I took a trip with the airport team to two different conferences.

1803
02:42:34,560 --> 02:42:42,640
And there's some degree of commitment from several airlines to work with us in 2026 and 2027.

1804
02:42:43,140 --> 02:42:47,120
So I'm really excited about what lies ahead of us.

1805
02:42:47,120 --> 02:42:50,100
Those are working very closely with Cornell.

1806
02:42:51,020 --> 02:42:55,300
They want to see a flight to Detroit or Chicago,

1807
02:42:55,920 --> 02:42:57,120
and we're working closely with them

1808
02:42:57,120 --> 02:43:01,940
to see how we can make that possible in the next year or two.

1809
02:43:03,580 --> 02:43:06,320
The airport website is being revamped,

1810
02:43:07,220 --> 02:43:13,100
and very soon you'll see a new look at the airport website.

1811
02:43:13,100 --> 02:43:20,380
And assessment, we are successful in getting a grant from the state's LLG to support

1812
02:43:20,380 --> 02:43:25,340
converting our systems now to Tyler Technology.

1813
02:43:25,740 --> 02:43:28,100
We received a grant of $324,000.

1814
02:43:29,140 --> 02:43:35,400
I just want to say thank you to Jay and his amazing team for the work they do.

1815
02:43:35,400 --> 02:43:43,180
and special times to his deputy who came back from retirement to support us,

1816
02:43:43,180 --> 02:43:49,860
get the data conversion process, then I'm excited about the outcome of it in the next year or two.

1817
02:43:51,570 --> 02:43:59,930
Another science council program, we use support services and training to produce significant

1818
02:43:59,930 --> 02:44:06,090
and positive legal results for program client and both criminal and from the call representation.

1819
02:44:07,090 --> 02:44:14,990
We also able to attain several grants that will reduce the local cost to the Indigenous

1820
02:44:14,990 --> 02:44:16,170
Defense representation.

1821
02:44:16,170 --> 02:44:21,570
We are very excited with Lance and his team and the work that they are doing in that department.

1822
02:44:21,570 --> 02:44:29,490
The Board of Relations replaced 125 e-publes, and I put print parts using one funding.

1823
02:44:30,410 --> 02:44:38,570
One of the things that I cite me about this county is the iVotestica context that we involve the community in,

1824
02:44:40,470 --> 02:44:48,670
and I saw in this room, I believe, early on the meeting, representative, ready, dedicated.

1825
02:44:48,670 --> 02:44:55,710
this may be one of the largest meeting attended, but I can say that is on par to the number

1826
02:44:55,710 --> 02:44:59,970
of people that I show up during the award of the contest. So very excited.

1827
02:45:00,000 --> 02:45:06,620
I would like to see that being here and involving the community and being engaged in the civic process.

1828
02:45:07,940 --> 02:45:13,920
So, the Board of Elections was able to launch a sticker contest and successfully selected the

1829
02:45:13,920 --> 02:45:21,640
sticker designed by a resident of the county and a student as well. So, that was a wonderful achievement that we indicated.

1830
02:45:23,420 --> 02:45:29,880
Also, the Clerk of the Legislature, the Legislature and the Office of the Clerk held

1831
02:45:29,880 --> 02:45:42,500
155 public meetings, 10 public hearings, considered the rendered resolution for adoption, and also considered five local law five adoption and adopted for local laws as well.

1832
02:45:45,610 --> 02:45:56,650
And also the county attending represented the county in transnational matters central to the counties immediate need and long time objectives such as homeless services.

1833
02:45:56,650 --> 02:46:03,750
government and contracting processes and procurement. So, we're able to implement, or we are

1834
02:46:03,750 --> 02:46:10,990
ongoing, there's an ongoing implementation of our soil software and also the process of

1835
02:46:10,990 --> 02:46:16,450
a contract execution in the county to bring in some degree of efficiency and effectiveness

1836
02:46:16,450 --> 02:46:22,790
on how we administer our programs and provide services across the county.

1837
02:46:22,790 --> 02:46:27,850
How we invite Bridget to continue, uh, from the moment?

1838
02:46:30,870 --> 02:46:31,430
It's teamwork.

1839
02:46:42,350 --> 02:46:46,330
It's just really to keep you from having to hear the same voice over and over again.

1840
02:46:47,950 --> 02:46:50,290
So, yeah, the next one we're at County Clerk.

1841
02:46:50,970 --> 02:46:57,550
So, County Clerk continued advancing forward a fully paperless office through expanded e-biling

1842
02:46:57,550 --> 02:47:04,930
electronic recording, thank you to the Civil and Residential Services by hosting three naturalization

1843
02:47:04,930 --> 02:47:13,210
ceremonies, welcoming 77 new citizens, processing 900 plus passport applications, assisting with

1844
02:47:13,210 --> 02:47:19,970
real ID and enhanced driver's licenses and maintaining 95 to 100 percent customer satisfaction

1845
02:47:19,970 --> 02:47:23,750
in at the DMB. DMB is like the best in the state.

1846
02:47:24,970 --> 02:47:30,350
So for emergency response, they completed the final year

1847
02:47:30,350 --> 02:47:33,490
of the pilot rapid medical response program.

1848
02:47:33,990 --> 02:47:40,930
They handled 111,118 calls, held over 36,000 emergency calls,

1849
02:47:41,130 --> 02:47:44,430
and nearly 90,000 non-emergency calls,

1850
02:47:44,810 --> 02:47:48,390
increased cyber and participation by nearly 3,000 individuals.

1851
02:47:48,390 --> 02:47:56,030
They completed the first full year of the peer support program, responding to 84 requests

1852
02:47:56,030 --> 02:48:01,350
and critical incident stress management with eight activations.

1853
02:48:02,250 --> 02:48:08,730
They implemented a comprehensive county security program, as Shana mentioned, supporting mental

1854
02:48:08,730 --> 02:48:11,590
health facilities and the legislature committee meetings.

1855
02:48:12,150 --> 02:48:15,870
They expanded public safety outreach by I've already said that, sorry.

1856
02:48:15,870 --> 02:48:30,210
And they responded to the growing information demands by processing 989 discovery recording request in 14-foil request, busy office.

1857
02:48:30,970 --> 02:48:43,590
For the district attorney, the district attorney's office successfully prosecuted multiple jury trials, including cases involving controlled substances, rape and DWI,

1858
02:48:43,590 --> 02:48:48,350
while strengthening public safety through collaboration with local and state law enforcement

1859
02:48:48,350 --> 02:48:55,030
to implement the give program, contributing to a notable reduction in gun violence.

1860
02:48:55,890 --> 02:49:01,970
The office improved court efficiency by supporting after-hours arrangements actively participated

1861
02:49:01,970 --> 02:49:07,950
in reimagining public safety working groups and continue to prioritize alternatives to

1862
02:49:07,950 --> 02:49:13,210
incarceration through programs such as lead, treatment court, and mental health court.

1863
02:49:14,930 --> 02:49:19,010
facilities, hired a new deputy facilities director,

1864
02:49:19,550 --> 02:49:23,370
yeah, quickly completed improvements to the code shelter,

1865
02:49:24,070 --> 02:49:26,830
I'm sorry, code blue shelter on Cherry Street,

1866
02:49:27,390 --> 02:49:31,830
completed a shipow application, space program and schematic design

1867
02:49:31,830 --> 02:49:35,430
for the Center of Government Project, and finalize the design

1868
02:49:35,430 --> 02:49:41,630
to commence abatement and deconstruction of that same location on the

1869
02:49:41,630 --> 02:49:43,430
site of the 300 block.

1870
02:49:44,450 --> 02:49:48,030
For finance, I'm trying to go through these quickly.

1871
02:49:48,170 --> 02:49:49,170
I know it's getting late.

1872
02:49:49,910 --> 02:49:52,170
For finance, the treasury and finance functions,

1873
02:49:52,630 --> 02:49:55,850
strengthened fiscal stewardship and operational efficiency

1874
02:49:55,850 --> 02:49:56,930
across the county.

1875
02:49:57,530 --> 02:50:00,810
The treasury division expanded for closure outreach,

1876
02:50:01,210 --> 02:50:03,310
launched the first online public option,

1877
02:50:03,990 --> 02:50:06,810
implemented an online short-term rental registration

1878
02:50:06,810 --> 02:50:09,090
system and improved interest earnings.

1879
02:50:09,090 --> 02:50:22,070
payroll and accounts payable, reliably supported county operations by processing over 31,000 payroll checks, while advancing system improvements and enhancing the reporting.

1880
02:50:22,930 --> 02:50:35,430
They process 31,000 accounts payable items. Accounting unit modernized financial management through new debt, lease, and subscription-based information, technology arrangements,

1881
02:50:35,430 --> 02:50:59,790
A.K.A. Spita, tracking software, faster financial reporting, updated administrative policies and supported a clean 2024 audit while the purchase division significantly increased procurement activity, processing 1,861 purchase orders and strengthened collaboration with the departments.

1882
02:51:00,990 --> 02:51:09,230
In the highway, the improved transportation infrastructure and safety by paving 22.35 miles,

1883
02:51:09,630 --> 02:51:17,790
resurfacing 68.42 miles, and striping 131.32 miles of county rolls, roads while maintaining

1884
02:51:17,790 --> 02:51:25,010
highway and county fleet vehicles, equipment, and enhancing road safety with 38 crosswalks

1885
02:51:25,010 --> 02:51:35,630
93 stop bars painted and then weights and measures which is a department that's managed by the highway

1886
02:51:35,630 --> 02:51:42,710
department. They conducted inspections and compliance activities by visiting 183 local establishments

1887
02:51:42,710 --> 02:51:51,630
inspecting and sealing 1483 devices such as gas pumps, pharmacy scales and produce scales collected

1888
02:51:51,630 --> 02:51:58,030
50A petroleum samples to state quality analysis and completed 12 non-commercial inspections for

1889
02:51:58,030 --> 02:52:04,090
law enforcement schools and local municipalities, and the petroleum samples just for those folks

1890
02:52:04,090 --> 02:52:09,710
who are relatively new to the board to legislature, that is something that just started last

1891
02:52:09,710 --> 02:52:17,450
year, so that's really a test of it to that department. For human resources, civil service

1892
02:52:17,450 --> 02:52:23,250
and human resources of advanced recruitment, training, and employee support, through continued

1893
02:52:23,250 --> 02:52:28,770
participation in the New York State Civil Service Health Initiative, approving 64 titles

1894
02:52:28,770 --> 02:52:37,250
making 194 appointments and reviewing 5,619 applications, and offering 70 civil service exams

1895
02:52:37,250 --> 02:52:41,050
while upgrading Neo-Gov systems for the greater efficiency.

1896
02:52:41,690 --> 02:52:46,290
The Department of Strength and Workforce Development by adding key staff, launching the county's

1897
02:52:46,290 --> 02:52:51,430
First leadership's development series providing training to 87 employees and managers and

1898
02:52:51,430 --> 02:52:57,370
expanding outreach to job fairs, school engagements and onboarding 119 new employees.

1899
02:52:58,110 --> 02:53:02,850
Employing engagement and retention were reinforced through recognition events, milestone awards and

1900
02:53:02,850 --> 02:53:09,610
expanded benefits, including new health and dental options, retiree savings from Medicare,

1901
02:53:09,610 --> 02:53:16,750
advantage and automated 24-7 employment verification further modernizing the system.

1902
02:53:17,770 --> 02:53:23,410
And information technology services provided critical support to the Center of Government

1903
02:53:23,410 --> 02:53:26,950
Project by migrating multiple department worth spaces.

1904
02:53:27,910 --> 02:53:28,850
Quite the feet.

1905
02:53:29,230 --> 02:53:35,010
It's obviously new network connectivity and advancing the relocation of the downtown data center.

1906
02:53:35,010 --> 02:53:41,050
Core IT operations remains strong with 2,500 plus health test tickets resolved,

1907
02:53:41,390 --> 02:53:47,850
major server upgrades, and software migrations completed and expanded use of the laser

1908
02:53:47,850 --> 02:53:50,010
fees to improve county-wide processes.

1909
02:53:51,150 --> 02:53:55,610
The Department's strength and cybersecurity through new tools, configurations, near-state

1910
02:53:55,610 --> 02:54:01,790
shared services, initiatives, and ongoing staff engagement, while GIS supported, essentially

1911
02:54:01,790 --> 02:54:06,730
an essential 911 election and FEMA mapping needs.

1912
02:54:07,110 --> 02:54:13,690
ITLs also enhanced governance by updating IT policies and proactively monitored emergency

1913
02:54:13,690 --> 02:54:17,030
artificial intelligence technologies to inform operations.

1914
02:54:19,600 --> 02:54:20,220
Go, let's begin.

1915
02:54:20,840 --> 02:54:21,620
Thank you, Norma.

1916
02:54:22,580 --> 02:54:26,920
So moving into our Department of Planning and Sustainability, that department updated the

1917
02:54:26,920 --> 02:54:31,540
biennual housing snapshot, including the department's first equity indicator, to provide information

1918
02:54:31,540 --> 02:54:34,500
on factors influencing housing and cost burden on residents.

1919
02:54:35,420 --> 02:54:39,600
The Department also hosted a three-day statewide conference of nearly 30 municipal sustainability

1920
02:54:39,600 --> 02:54:44,940
staff from around the state to foster connection shared purpose in ways to be more effective.

1921
02:54:46,000 --> 02:54:50,900
They also launched the significant refresh of the IthacaTrails.org website by rebranding,

1922
02:54:51,000 --> 02:54:54,960
rebuilding, and optimizing the site for mobile users, among other accomplishments.

1923
02:54:56,160 --> 02:55:02,160
The Department of Probation and Community Justice, their entire staff received training on

1924
02:55:02,160 --> 02:55:07,640
the Community Resiliency Model, embedding principles of procedural justice into the practices

1925
02:55:07,640 --> 02:55:12,540
of the department by removing factors that identify individuals by name or demographic

1926
02:55:12,540 --> 02:55:13,180
information.

1927
02:55:14,260 --> 02:55:19,040
The department continues to engage in collaborations with ultimate reentry opportunity, college

1928
02:55:19,040 --> 02:55:23,680
initiative of state, TST BoC's Cornell Cooperative Extension and other local service providers

1929
02:55:23,680 --> 02:55:27,560
to enhance accessibility to community resources for their clients.

1930
02:55:28,720 --> 02:55:35,900
And the Department has also begun a data analysis study into the long-standing trend of disproportionate negative outcomes for people of cover,

1931
02:55:36,080 --> 02:55:38,580
who are placed on criminal court probation supervision.

1932
02:55:39,500 --> 02:55:47,160
Funding from the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services will be available for this study, and will be conducted by partners from SUNY Albany.

1933
02:55:49,060 --> 02:55:51,620
Within the Department of Recycling and Materials Management,

1934
02:55:51,620 --> 02:55:56,860
As was noted in the state of the county comments, they've finalized the department's local

1935
02:55:56,860 --> 02:56:02,340
solid waste management plan, they've initiated a back-to-basic social media campaign

1936
02:56:02,340 --> 02:56:09,020
to introduce residents to the 4Rs, reduced reuse, recycle, and rethink, and they've also conducted

1937
02:56:09,020 --> 02:56:14,280
significant work on a USDA-funded project, feeding people and feeding soils in Tompkins County

1938
02:56:14,280 --> 02:56:20,100
to support whole hierarchy management of food waste, to include coordinating an on-farm composting

1939
02:56:20,100 --> 02:56:25,680
workshop, supporting prepared food donation, and developing resources for businesses who are managing

1940
02:56:25,680 --> 02:56:26,580
food scraps.

1941
02:56:29,230 --> 02:56:34,190
Within our share of support, they were successful in instituting the second crisis alternative

1942
02:56:34,190 --> 02:56:41,430
response and engagement or care team, as well as obtaining recognition from the state DCJS,

1943
02:56:41,430 --> 02:56:46,090
along with funding to study the care team model and partnership with RIT.

1944
02:56:46,570 --> 02:56:50,490
They successfully negotiated and settled the new bargaining agreement with the corrections

1945
02:56:50,490 --> 02:56:55,110
union and continues to maintain and update their transparency hub.

1946
02:56:57,080 --> 02:57:02,260
The Department of Social Services, as was noted, hired a senior case worker through

1947
02:57:02,260 --> 02:57:08,340
New York State and that case worker has been able to help 25 families transition from shelter

1948
02:57:08,340 --> 02:57:13,480
to permanent housing. The department has exceeded their federal child welfare benchmarks

1949
02:57:13,480 --> 02:57:19,640
under the Family First Prevention Services Act, noting that 67% of children in foster care

1950
02:57:19,640 --> 02:57:25,500
our place in Kinship Care, which is above the target of 50 percent, and 7.9 percent of children

1951
02:57:25,500 --> 02:57:30,620
in foster care are placed in institutional settings, which is below the state target of 12 percent.

1952
02:57:31,980 --> 02:57:35,820
We know that the department's been a significant amount of time, coordinating the opening of a

1953
02:57:35,820 --> 02:57:41,640
code Blue Shelter and Warming Center at Cherry Street, and partnership with the Provider Volunteers of America,

1954
02:57:42,260 --> 02:57:47,080
providing hold mother shelter to as many as 55 individuals per night this season.

1955
02:57:48,740 --> 02:57:56,360
Our Veteran Services Department has celebrated staff expansion with the hiring of the department's first dedicated Veteran Service Officer.

1956
02:57:56,980 --> 02:58:06,500
They've expanded their traditional Veterans Resource Fair into the Department's first Veterans Expo, co-sponsored with New York State Senators Lea Web's Office.

1957
02:58:07,080 --> 02:58:17,560
And they continue to engage in activities through Veterans Week, as well as other various opportunities funded by the Joseph P. Dwyer Veteran's peer support project.

1958
02:58:19,070 --> 02:58:23,690
In our Department of Whole Health, within the Division of Community Health, they have increased

1959
02:58:23,690 --> 02:58:28,150
support for pregnant people and families by co-hosting the first-ever community baby shower

1960
02:58:28,150 --> 02:58:33,190
and launching free childbirth education classes within the Mental Health Clinic.

1961
02:58:34,050 --> 02:58:37,990
The Department has focused on meeting people where they are increasing services.

1962
02:58:38,730 --> 02:58:42,950
Mental health nurses have also partnered with public health nurses to host a vaccine clinic

1963
02:58:42,950 --> 02:58:45,570
at an areas supportive housing site.

1964
02:58:45,570 --> 02:58:50,810
Within their division of health promotion, they completed the 2025 whole health community

1965
02:58:50,810 --> 02:58:54,690
needs assessment and partnership with Cornell students and local agencies.

1966
02:58:55,310 --> 02:59:00,070
This process engaged over 1,200 residents and included surveys, focus groups, and stakeholder

1967
02:59:00,070 --> 02:59:00,910
interviews.

1968
02:59:02,310 --> 02:59:06,010
Further from the department, within the division of children with special care needs, they

1969
02:59:06,010 --> 02:59:11,410
continued to address the provider shortage in early intervention by hiring a special instruction

1970
02:59:11,410 --> 02:59:12,050
teacher.

1971
02:59:12,050 --> 02:59:18,490
And then within the Division of Environmental Health, they've issued 30-boiled water orders, rapidly

1972
02:59:18,490 --> 02:59:22,970
addressing a report of e-book, e-coli, and a private water system, collaborating with

1973
02:59:22,970 --> 02:59:27,890
finger-like grass roots to ensure safe and successful mass gathering, and with no enforcement

1974
02:59:27,890 --> 02:59:31,870
action required, as well as conducting lead and copper oversight and education.

1975
02:59:32,610 --> 02:59:37,270
And then within their proposed program, they hosted an art show with art from proposed participants,

1976
02:59:37,270 --> 02:59:42,090
which was well attended, not only by participants but also by community members.

1977
02:59:43,310 --> 02:59:47,370
Within the Department of Workforce Development, they continue to partner with Ithaca

1978
02:59:47,370 --> 02:59:54,370
Area Economic Development to co-develop the Tompkins Build Program, playing a key role in

1979
02:59:54,370 --> 02:59:59,890
their workforce opportunity for rural communities, work grant, and celebrating two cohort graduations.

1980
03:00:00,000 --> 03:00:09,880
From that program. They also, as was noted, employed 137 youth through their summer youth employment program across 49 work sites.

1981
03:00:10,660 --> 03:00:23,260
And they've also, this year, we're successful in sharing the ninth biennial healthcare careers expo with 400 plus registered students from 16 schools, connecting with 35 healthcare exhibitors and career pathway experts.

1982
03:00:24,240 --> 03:00:28,780
And then within the Department of Youth Services, they continue to strengthen the homeless

1983
03:00:28,780 --> 03:00:33,920
and run away youth service continuum, holding community listening sessions with stakeholders

1984
03:00:33,920 --> 03:00:38,480
to gather data to inform emergency and crisis housing for youth.

1985
03:00:38,880 --> 03:00:43,160
They continue to develop recommendations for incorporating a youth shelter and young adult

1986
03:00:43,160 --> 03:00:45,560
section into the county's broader shelter plan.

1987
03:00:46,280 --> 03:00:50,900
And they continue to explore across the departmental collaborations to address this issue

1988
03:00:50,900 --> 03:00:52,740
with other county departments.

1989
03:00:54,740 --> 03:01:04,960
Beyond that work, they've also continued to improve access to their website, as well as supporting youth programming across the county through the municipal use services system.

1990
03:01:06,560 --> 03:01:08,560
And that brings us home.

1991
03:01:09,340 --> 03:01:17,160
Thank you, county administration, for that little glimpse of everything that has happened over the past year.

1992
03:01:17,160 --> 03:01:24,360
Are there any questions for Bridget, Norma or Corsa on the presentation of

1993
03:01:27,340 --> 03:01:29,380
Veronica Pillar and then Greg Massey?

1994
03:01:30,440 --> 03:01:35,960
Not a question, but just thank you to all the many many staff who actually did those things.

1995
03:01:37,140 --> 03:01:42,200
You make this county run and it's very impressive seeing a lot of highlights in one place.

1996
03:01:44,370 --> 03:01:44,810
Greg Massey?

1997
03:01:46,950 --> 03:01:49,070
Veronica, so what I was going to say,

1998
03:01:49,070 --> 03:01:52,290
And just echo, you know, you sort of look back

1999
03:01:52,290 --> 03:01:53,870
and the year seems like a blur.

2000
03:01:54,810 --> 03:01:56,610
And then when you put it in this context,

2001
03:01:58,510 --> 03:01:59,770
we didn't really have to do much

2002
03:01:59,770 --> 03:02:01,090
if any of that work.

2003
03:02:01,590 --> 03:02:04,130
We just said this sort of set by and make sure

2004
03:02:04,130 --> 03:02:05,410
that I was supported and resource.

2005
03:02:06,090 --> 03:02:08,090
And it's really amazing.

2006
03:02:08,290 --> 03:02:11,790
I do think we have probably the best county government

2007
03:02:11,790 --> 03:02:14,830
in New York State, hands down.

2008
03:02:15,590 --> 03:02:17,590
And I would challenge anybody to tell us otherwise.

2009
03:02:17,590 --> 03:02:21,670
And we have incredible staff and that's what makes us special.

2010
03:02:23,330 --> 03:02:27,590
This was fascinating to see the breadth of work that we're able to accomplish.

2011
03:02:28,910 --> 03:02:30,270
I hope the list continues to grow.

2012
03:02:30,770 --> 03:02:32,510
So thanks for everybody who contributed.

2013
03:02:33,870 --> 03:02:34,650
Thank you.

2014
03:02:34,890 --> 03:02:35,590
I respect him.

2015
03:02:37,170 --> 03:02:42,650
One to thank you, the staff who did all this work and note that it really feels very

2016
03:02:42,650 --> 03:02:46,490
mission-driven and very much in alignment with our mission.

2017
03:02:47,030 --> 03:02:57,570
I think it's rare sometimes to hear about a ton of work from an organization and feel like every single item that you're listening is like that is what we want to be doing for people so

2018
03:02:57,570 --> 03:03:01,410
I'm really proud of the work and just thank you for it.

2019
03:03:03,320 --> 03:03:05,500
Thank you. Anyone else?

2020
03:03:06,800 --> 03:03:07,140
Okay.

2021
03:03:07,140 --> 03:03:13,240
Okay, thank you, Corsa and staff, we definitely appreciate the work you do and the work

2022
03:03:13,240 --> 03:03:17,220
that all of our staff does that makes us look really good.

2023
03:03:19,440 --> 03:03:22,080
Okay, more Josephson, County Attorney.

2024
03:03:25,080 --> 03:03:34,100
Well, good evening, that really isn't impressive list and so I've been making a list of items

2025
03:03:34,100 --> 03:03:42,760
that have come my office as well just since the beginning of the year to give you a sense of

2026
03:03:42,760 --> 03:03:50,260
what we're working on and they start with procurement policies relating to procurement that's

2027
03:03:50,260 --> 03:03:55,620
governed by the federal transit administration, namely smoothing things that are on procurement

2028
03:03:55,620 --> 03:04:04,300
with T-CAT, service animals, DSS issue, various open items with Cornell real estate, open

2029
03:04:04,300 --> 03:04:10,900
meetings, law issues, including one's raised recently by legislators and the Yon-Dong

2030
03:04:11,460 --> 03:04:19,460
Sago with T-Cog, issues relating to installment agreements and closing some loopholes

2031
03:04:19,460 --> 03:04:27,000
of installment agreements for pay off of property taxes that have enabled certain persons

2032
03:04:27,000 --> 03:04:30,320
and companies to take advantage of the county.

2033
03:04:31,220 --> 03:04:40,400
Data day interactions with HR on employment matters, things like accommodation requests

2034
03:04:40,400 --> 03:04:43,740
and the like that have significantly go implications.

2035
03:04:44,040 --> 03:04:46,580
Public safety issues and related grant funding.

2036
03:04:46,580 --> 03:04:53,360
The foil ability of certain 9-1-1 records, planning for collective bargaining negotiations,

2037
03:04:54,980 --> 03:05:05,060
addressing health care costs through potential legal means, and the development of comprehensive

2038
03:05:05,060 --> 03:05:10,740
proposal with administration for the Office of Human Rights and the Human Rights Commission.

2039
03:05:10,740 --> 03:05:17,880
in addition, in our litigation area, since the beginning of the year, we filed two motions

2040
03:05:17,880 --> 03:05:25,240
to dismiss new litigation against the county and have responded in full to one state division

2041
03:05:25,240 --> 03:05:31,440
of human rights complaint, alleging that the county denied an individual, a public accommodation

2042
03:05:31,440 --> 03:05:33,800
and at one of the county's facilities.

2043
03:05:35,640 --> 03:05:38,580
So I look forward to continuing those

2044
03:05:38,580 --> 03:05:44,960
and to continuing working on the numerous interesting issues

2045
03:05:44,960 --> 03:05:50,080
that are presented to us by individual legislators

2046
03:05:50,080 --> 03:05:52,240
and our departments.

2047
03:05:53,920 --> 03:05:54,820
Any questions?

2048
03:05:55,260 --> 03:05:55,820
Happy to answer.

2049
03:05:57,200 --> 03:05:57,880
Randy Brown?

2050
03:05:58,520 --> 03:06:05,320
Yeah, I was at a meeting and fought came up from the sheriff's recent decision to not

2051
03:06:06,920 --> 03:06:13,460
share that data with any other public safety entity or anybody else.

2052
03:06:14,020 --> 03:06:18,140
I told him that I think we have the right to say that, but I was a bunch of your thoughts

2053
03:06:18,140 --> 03:06:20,920
to that that we don't have to share if we don't want to.

2054
03:06:20,920 --> 03:06:30,500
That is correct, and that is, we have adopted that position also in terms of, well,

2055
03:06:30,660 --> 03:06:36,860
without going too deep into the weeds, we have adopted that position as well with respect

2056
03:06:38,720 --> 03:06:42,560
to request for public disclosure or flocking information.

2057
03:06:43,580 --> 03:06:44,720
Thank you.

2058
03:06:44,720 --> 03:06:47,880
Any other questions or comments for Mori?

2059
03:06:50,330 --> 03:06:51,130
Thank you, Mori.

2060
03:06:51,670 --> 03:06:55,090
Next, we have Darrell Tuttle from Finance Department.

2061
03:06:57,170 --> 03:06:57,750
Good evening.

2062
03:06:58,550 --> 03:07:01,630
In addition to the normal operations of my department,

2063
03:07:02,430 --> 03:07:06,530
my staff's getting ready to distribute approximately 2,000,

2064
03:07:06,530 --> 03:07:08,990
1099s when it comes to vendors we've used,

2065
03:07:10,210 --> 03:07:13,170
and W2s for the employees that work here at the county.

2066
03:07:13,170 --> 03:07:19,270
all to stay in compliance with IRS, this also includes this smitting the information itself to the IRS.

2067
03:07:20,530 --> 03:07:37,110
Also, we're getting ready to put the finishing touches on a mandated annual report that I have to do for the New York State Controller for the estates that the director of finance or the deputies are appointed as public administrator throughout the year.

2068
03:07:37,110 --> 03:07:46,750
And lastly, I'm getting very close to wrapping up the county's official statement for the 26 that issuance and that should come out shortly.

2069
03:07:48,030 --> 03:07:50,370
If you have it, I also have any questions.

2070
03:07:53,270 --> 03:07:54,590
Any questions for Darrell?

2071
03:07:56,370 --> 03:07:57,550
Okay, thank you Darrell.

2072
03:07:57,790 --> 03:07:58,970
Appreciate it.

2073
03:07:59,450 --> 03:08:03,250
Are there any resolutions to be added to or withdrawn from our agenda?

2074
03:08:05,570 --> 03:08:08,310
Okay, we're going to move on to the consent agenda.

2075
03:08:08,310 --> 03:08:13,530
resolutions and appointments to be voted on as a group unless any member of the legislature

2076
03:08:13,530 --> 03:08:19,330
requests that a resolution or appointment be instead included separately and individually

2077
03:08:19,330 --> 03:08:24,670
as part of the business of standing or special committees. So just to walk everyone

2078
03:08:24,670 --> 03:08:29,690
through this is essentially a clump of resolutions that we're going to pass through

2079
03:08:29,690 --> 03:08:34,150
all at once. If for some reason you don't feel comfortable or don't want to vote

2080
03:08:34,150 --> 03:08:40,450
any one of these resolutions you could do what's called pulling it off. We'll pull it off and then the

2081
03:08:40,450 --> 03:08:45,650
chair of the committee will bring it forward separately. Let me know if there are any questions as we move

2082
03:08:45,650 --> 03:08:52,450
through this because I don't think we've done consent to agendas yet. Okay. Advisory Board appointments

2083
03:08:52,450 --> 03:09:01,450
ID 13790. We have a few HED appointments. Strategic tourism planning board, Michelle Courtney

2084
03:09:01,450 --> 03:09:09,430
important honor at large member, term expires December 31, 2028, Megan Omohundro, arts and

2085
03:09:09,430 --> 03:09:13,950
culture representative, term expires December 31, 2028,

2086
03:09:16,640 --> 03:09:17,820
housing and economic development

2087
03:09:17,820 --> 03:09:27,900
committee, resolution A, budget adjustment plan, okay? Just like Randy Brown did. Thank you

2088
03:09:27,900 --> 03:09:33,220
for being the example, Randy. Resolution B, budget adjustment planning and sustainability,

2089
03:09:33,220 --> 03:09:48,900
Community Development Block Grant, CDBG Award Healthy Homes, ID 13796, and I wonder I haven't been able to see the whole nightmare. I forget I have glasses.

2090
03:09:50,360 --> 03:10:01,120
Resolution C, Budget Adjustment, Planning and Sustainability Department, Acceptance of New York State Homes and Community Renewals Office of Community Renewal Community Development Block Grant,

2091
03:10:01,720 --> 03:10:05,060
CDBG housing strategy ID137-97.

2092
03:10:06,300 --> 03:10:08,640
Can I have a mover for our consent agenda?

2093
03:10:09,380 --> 03:10:13,120
Move by Travis Brooks and seconded by Christy B. and Cloney.

2094
03:10:15,280 --> 03:10:20,660
And all those in favor of voting for our consent agenda, please raise your hand.

2095
03:10:23,130 --> 03:10:25,390
And that is unanimous. Thank you all.

2096
03:10:26,550 --> 03:10:30,030
Next we're going to move to the standing and special committees reports.

2097
03:10:30,030 --> 03:10:36,090
And we'll move to the Community Recovery Fund Advisory Committee, Deborah Dawson Vice Chair.

2098
03:10:37,430 --> 03:10:46,750
The Community Recovery Fund Advisory Committee has not met, and most of what it might

2099
03:10:46,750 --> 03:10:50,850
still have to do, will be moved to budget capital and personnel.

2100
03:10:52,530 --> 03:10:52,970
Thank you.

2101
03:10:53,090 --> 03:10:54,450
Any questions for Deborah Dawson?

2102
03:10:56,530 --> 03:10:57,090
Thanks, Doug.

2103
03:10:57,710 --> 03:11:01,930
Next is the Downtown Facilities Special Committee, Randy Brown chair.

2104
03:11:03,130 --> 03:11:05,790
We have a vet and we're not planning to meet in the near future.

2105
03:11:06,850 --> 03:11:07,130
Thank you.

2106
03:11:07,770 --> 03:11:12,410
Just reminder too, we are going to go ahead and have our special meeting.

2107
03:11:13,270 --> 03:11:16,150
This coming up Monday, January 26th at 5.30.

2108
03:11:16,330 --> 03:11:18,670
Thank you all for doing the doodle poll.

2109
03:11:19,690 --> 03:11:24,410
And I know that we have some people that might be out of town, feel free to tune in.

2110
03:11:24,410 --> 03:11:29,410
and join us via the Zoom link that will be provided by the clerk's office.

2111
03:11:31,730 --> 03:11:34,170
Next, are there any questions for Randy Brown?

2112
03:11:35,670 --> 03:11:40,390
Or comments? Thank you, Randy. Next, we have facilities in infrastructure committee.

2113
03:11:40,430 --> 03:11:45,810
Please share it with chair. I think I get the same report everyone else has. We have not met,

2114
03:11:46,270 --> 03:11:51,030
but we'll be in the future and welcome to the new committee members. Look forward to your

2115
03:11:51,030 --> 03:11:54,730
It looks like we'll have a busy agenda this next year.

2116
03:11:55,150 --> 03:11:55,650
Thank you, Lee.

2117
03:11:55,970 --> 03:11:58,530
Any questions or comments for Lee?

2118
03:11:59,410 --> 03:11:59,470
Okay.

2119
03:11:59,850 --> 03:12:01,630
Next, government operations committee.

2120
03:12:01,950 --> 03:12:03,190
Greg Muzzie chair.

2121
03:12:04,590 --> 03:12:07,430
As the designated survivor of this committee, I look forward to

2122
03:12:07,430 --> 03:12:13,390
reconstituting it with more members and meeting to do all the wonderful things that we do in

2123
03:12:14,950 --> 03:12:21,570
And hopefully it can remain its place at the top of the committee list in honor of Manachampion.

2124
03:12:22,090 --> 03:12:25,690
Oh, health and human services or any questions for Greg.

2125
03:12:27,070 --> 03:12:27,490
Thank you, Greg.

2126
03:12:28,250 --> 03:12:30,510
Health and human services committee Travis Brooks chair.

2127
03:12:31,210 --> 03:12:38,250
We don't meet until February 18th, but I'm very excited about getting the band back together and bringing in new members.

2128
03:12:39,410 --> 03:12:43,290
You're seeing what kind of trouble we can get into and what kind of difficulties we can give.

2129
03:12:43,610 --> 03:12:45,290
Of course, over the next year.

2130
03:12:45,470 --> 03:12:46,390
It's good.

2131
03:12:46,490 --> 03:12:47,530
That was good trouble, right?

2132
03:12:47,650 --> 03:12:48,250
We are ready.

2133
03:12:48,630 --> 03:12:48,910
That's a good trouble.

2134
03:12:49,270 --> 03:12:50,030
Very good trouble.

2135
03:12:50,590 --> 03:12:52,830
As long as you don't give me any, I'm very happy.

2136
03:12:52,830 --> 03:12:53,350
You're good, more.

2137
03:12:53,450 --> 03:12:54,490
Yeah, yes.

2138
03:12:57,170 --> 03:12:59,250
Any questions or comments for Travis Brooks?

2139
03:13:01,730 --> 03:13:04,430
Next we're going to move on to housing and economic development committee.

2140
03:13:04,650 --> 03:13:05,550
Greg Mesichir.

2141
03:13:06,070 --> 03:13:07,490
Well, unlike my Slack or colleagues,

2142
03:13:07,490 --> 03:13:13,890
we didn't have a new day, just get it, just get it, come on friends, I'm fresh tonight.

2143
03:13:15,630 --> 03:13:20,150
We met on Wednesday, January 7th, we had a number of items from our planning and sustainability

2144
03:13:20,150 --> 03:13:25,930
department. Most notably we got to see the 2024 housing snapshot, would encourage everybody

2145
03:13:25,930 --> 03:13:30,990
to take a look at that watchset meeting or take a look at the snapshot, which I believe

2146
03:13:30,990 --> 03:13:39,930
who is already posted on the department's website should be accessible there, looking over

2147
03:13:39,930 --> 03:13:41,630
on my friend's system, make sure.

2148
03:13:43,950 --> 03:13:50,310
Other than that, I also would encourage you, as somebody who is not an avatrails person,

2149
03:13:51,270 --> 03:13:59,030
theethicotrails.org was inspiring to take a look at, there's really highlights the natural

2150
03:13:59,030 --> 03:14:06,970
and some of the recreation ways and multimodal transportation trails that we have throughout our community.

2151
03:14:07,870 --> 03:14:15,190
Our team and the advisory steering group that worked on that with Nick and our planning department did an incredible job.

2152
03:14:15,450 --> 03:14:17,670
It's a great website. It'sethicattrails.org.

2153
03:14:18,190 --> 03:14:22,330
But highly, highly, highly, highly recommend everybody takes a look at that.

2154
03:14:22,790 --> 03:14:27,610
And even in the cold weather, get out there and try to move a little bit and experience our region.

2155
03:14:28,370 --> 03:14:35,290
I do have a resolution pulled from the consent agenda, so if I may, I'd like to move resolution

2156
03:14:35,290 --> 03:14:42,290
A. Doc ID 13794, budget adjustment planning and sustainability, community housing development

2157
03:14:42,290 --> 03:14:45,270
fund and CHDF for around 24 and around 25 awards.

2158
03:14:46,010 --> 03:14:46,990
Can I have a second or please?

2159
03:14:47,530 --> 03:14:49,070
Seconded by Randy Brown?

2160
03:14:52,470 --> 03:14:59,930
Yeah, I had a question, it was really just a bad question, so as I'm looking at the various

2161
03:15:00,080 --> 03:15:07,920
I guess you'd call these grants from the housing trust. So, an example, round 25 project,

2162
03:15:08,140 --> 03:15:17,020
Varna, CHTA, and it says, original funding approval, and then remaining counting portion

2163
03:15:17,020 --> 03:15:21,560
of awards. So, is that 440 altogether, or a 320 total?

2164
03:15:22,200 --> 03:15:27,340
I want to look today, but I want to take a stab at, I'm guessing, we awarded 300, and we have

2165
03:15:27,340 --> 03:15:30,660
to pay out which is remaining, is that correct?

2166
03:15:37,130 --> 03:15:41,810
So this is a project that's funded by multiple partners.

2167
03:15:43,250 --> 03:15:46,030
So the total award isn't all county money.

2168
03:15:46,270 --> 03:15:50,160
The town of Dryden has a piece of, I think this one,

2169
03:15:50,710 --> 03:15:52,930
I could pull up which partners are involved.

2170
03:15:54,070 --> 03:15:57,250
But the remaining county portion is just the part that's coming

2171
03:15:57,250 --> 03:15:59,130
from this budget adjustment.

2172
03:15:59,150 --> 03:16:02,590
And in this particular case, it's not actually the county's money

2173
03:16:02,590 --> 03:16:07,550
that we put into the CHC, it's the funds that come from the IDEA for projects that are

2174
03:16:07,550 --> 03:16:08,390
receiving pilots.

2175
03:16:10,330 --> 03:16:18,930
So what happens here then, so is for new for sale module homes, and total grant was $3,000,

2176
03:16:19,510 --> 03:16:26,550
so we're giving, we're donating $80,000 per housing unit to make it affordable for

2177
03:16:26,550 --> 03:16:27,190
some of you to buy.

2178
03:16:27,950 --> 03:16:33,670
Okay, so I was just trying to do the math of what we're actually trying to achieve here.

2179
03:16:34,230 --> 03:16:37,370
So what are these houses self-for? What's the goal for them to self-for?

2180
03:16:37,730 --> 03:16:41,630
They'll sell based on the income of the people who buy them.

2181
03:16:42,310 --> 03:16:48,350
So they'll be affordable. They'll be spending no more than 30% of their income on the mortgage taxes and insurance.

2182
03:16:48,890 --> 03:16:51,670
Okay. Thank you.

2183
03:16:51,670 --> 03:16:58,710
Also, sorry, David. I wouldn't have wanted you to stay this whole meeting. I should have moved you up, so sorry about that.

2184
03:16:58,850 --> 03:16:59,610
Happy to be here.

2185
03:17:00,990 --> 03:17:01,710
Good liar.

2186
03:17:05,070 --> 03:17:05,890
Just vote for it.

2187
03:17:07,790 --> 03:17:12,750
Any other questions or comments on resolution A?

2188
03:17:14,660 --> 03:17:17,380
Okay. All those in favor, please raise your hand.

2189
03:17:18,560 --> 03:17:21,240
And that is unanimous. Thank you.

2190
03:17:23,800 --> 03:17:27,780
Okay, anything else for Greg and any questions or comments?

2191
03:17:29,620 --> 03:17:35,140
Thank you, planning, energy and environmental quality commitment committee, Veronica Pillar

2192
03:17:35,140 --> 03:17:36,560
Vice Chair.

2193
03:17:37,940 --> 03:17:43,380
Back to the rhythm of not having met peak has not met since our last meeting, and the next meeting will be

2194
03:17:43,380 --> 03:17:45,860
sometime determined by the new peak members.

2195
03:17:47,140 --> 03:17:49,220
Thank you Veronica, any questions for Veronica?

2196
03:17:49,220 --> 03:17:56,780
comments? Okay, I have the next two and I will say the same as Veronica. We have not met

2197
03:17:59,140 --> 03:18:06,180
and again, as far as the intergovernmental relations, it was great to see our state reps.

2198
03:18:07,180 --> 03:18:12,100
Join us last Friday and I'm working on getting some of our federal reps to come in and meet

2199
03:18:12,100 --> 03:18:17,420
with the legislators. So just want to give you all the heads up. When I write receive notification,

2200
03:18:17,420 --> 03:18:25,700
I will let you all know and hopefully we can talk about what's coming forward with some of our

2201
03:18:27,300 --> 03:18:33,440
benefits and entitlements that we receive here on the local level. Workforce diversity and

2202
03:18:33,440 --> 03:18:39,960
inclusion committee Veronica Pillow chair. We have not met since the last legislature meeting

2203
03:18:39,960 --> 03:18:46,220
and we are also not meeting in January after all because that did not work out with the

2204
03:18:46,220 --> 03:18:53,520
I'm combined with the appointment process, but we will meet in February at an unknown time

2205
03:18:54,120 --> 03:18:59,100
because our wonderful members, I'm so happy to have, don't like the original time,

2206
03:18:59,220 --> 03:19:00,220
but we'll figure it out offline.

2207
03:19:02,200 --> 03:19:07,600
Thank you, Veronica. Just to point out one thing too that WDIC worked on last year

2208
03:19:07,600 --> 03:19:13,360
that I definitely hope someone takes the reins and continues to move forward is they

2209
03:19:14,040 --> 03:19:19,620
and I hope someone that is on that committee continues to work on that and bring that forward

2210
03:19:19,620 --> 03:19:22,520
hopefully to the budget committee.

2211
03:19:24,320 --> 03:19:27,260
Because there was definitely motivation, and it seemed like something that our employees

2212
03:19:27,260 --> 03:19:29,820
would really be interested in.

2213
03:19:30,220 --> 03:19:33,320
Budget capital and personnel committee, Deborah Dawson, Vice Chair.

2214
03:19:34,320 --> 03:19:35,860
Yes, we're slackers.

2215
03:19:37,560 --> 03:19:39,000
We have not met this month.

2216
03:19:39,000 --> 03:19:44,720
We will meet next month, we have five members carrying over from last year and two new ones,

2217
03:19:44,860 --> 03:19:47,140
which I'm looking forward to.

2218
03:19:47,240 --> 03:19:52,700
I think one of the things we want to do this coming year is work a little more closely

2219
03:19:52,700 --> 03:20:01,400
and collaboratively with WDIC to take more recommendations from that committee and try to

2220
03:20:01,400 --> 03:20:04,000
turn them into policies and initiatives.

2221
03:20:04,520 --> 03:20:06,140
Thank you.

2222
03:20:06,140 --> 03:20:08,980
Thank you, Deborah. Any questions for Deborah Dawson?

2223
03:20:11,400 --> 03:20:22,300
Okay, next we are going to move on to number 13 individual member filed resolutions and Travis Brooks has some appointments. He would like to move for us.

2224
03:20:22,300 --> 03:20:45,860
That's a few appointments office for the aging advisory committee to buy a esteemed at large member, term expires December 31st, 2021, community mental health service board, do Bergman at large member, term expires December 31st, 2021, and community mental health service board substance use subcommittee,

2225
03:20:45,860 --> 03:20:52,860
Student Bergman Community Mental Health Services Board representative term expires December 31st,

2226
03:20:55,360 --> 03:20:57,120
Can I have a seconder please?

2227
03:20:57,780 --> 03:20:59,540
Seconded by Chris Christie.

2228
03:20:59,860 --> 03:21:00,860
My God.

2229
03:21:02,320 --> 03:21:02,940
On me.

2230
03:21:03,580 --> 03:21:03,720
Yes.

2231
03:21:03,780 --> 03:21:05,600
Imagine a bean sitting on a nice girl.

2232
03:21:06,800 --> 03:21:07,900
The Bianca.

2233
03:21:08,000 --> 03:21:08,780
Thank you.

2234
03:21:09,080 --> 03:21:09,780
You were doing so well.

2235
03:21:09,780 --> 03:21:10,860
I was doing so well then.

2236
03:21:10,940 --> 03:21:11,880
I just wanted to, you know.

2237
03:21:12,260 --> 03:21:12,660
Okay.

2238
03:21:13,920 --> 03:21:19,100
Are there any comments and we can also go to executive session if we need to talk about these appointments?

2239
03:21:20,440 --> 03:21:22,780
Okay, all those in favor, please raise your hand.

2240
03:21:24,460 --> 03:21:25,520
Okay, that's unanimous.

2241
03:21:25,640 --> 03:21:26,360
Thank you.

2242
03:21:27,760 --> 03:21:32,280
And we have two sets of minutes, January 6th and January 13th.

2243
03:21:33,920 --> 03:21:35,360
Can I have a mover please?

2244
03:21:35,960 --> 03:21:38,400
Move by Travis Brooks, seconded by Dan Wakeman.

2245
03:21:38,400 --> 03:21:42,720
And are there any corrections, comments, questions about the minutes?

2246
03:21:43,920 --> 03:21:44,400
I see none.

2247
03:21:44,900 --> 03:21:46,520
All those in favor, please raise your hand.

2248
03:21:48,020 --> 03:21:48,140
Great.

2249
03:21:50,620 --> 03:21:57,280
And just to announce, again, our special meeting that's going to occur Monday, January 26th at 530.

2250
03:21:58,340 --> 03:21:59,820
And can I have a mover?

2251
03:22:00,340 --> 03:22:01,560
Is there any unfinished business?

2252
03:22:01,560 --> 03:22:07,780
This reminder that everyone right at your calendar is we need to schedule our committees for

2253
03:22:07,780 --> 03:22:08,840
this year.

2254
03:22:10,900 --> 03:22:13,440
And can I have a mover to adjourn?

2255
03:22:13,520 --> 03:22:20,580
Move by Rachel Aslan, seconded by Judith Hubbard, all those in favor please raise your hand.

2256
03:22:21,720 --> 03:22:22,360
That's unanimous.

2257
03:22:22,520 --> 03:22:23,000
Thank you.