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Home My WebLink About2021-12 Newsletter Town of Ithaca Newsletter December 2021 Town Offices Holiday Schedule Closed: December 23rd at noon through Monday, December 27th (Public Works open the 27th) December 30th at noon through Friday, December 31st Town Hall will be breaking out our Ugly Sweaters for a fun and festive Friday! Feel free to stop by and join in! Face mask required - Ugly sweater not required Short Term Rental Legislation The Town Board held a public hearing on Monday, December 13th to hear comments on the proposed STR legislation which would establish certain regulations and restrictions on rentals of less than 30 days. More than 50 people attended the meeting, with approximately 30 speaking and others submitting written comments. After the public hearing, the Board discussed the draft legislation and recommended changes; move the effective and implementation dates out 3 months; clarify that “grandfathering” will not be permitted under Article 25, “Non-conforming Use” as the law provides for the possibility of the amortization of investment. Due to these changes, a second public hearing will be held on the revised legislation at the year end meeting held on Wednesday, December 29th at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom and YouTubeLive. 2021 Holiday Tree Pickup The Town of Ithaca Public Works Department will be picking up discarded holiday trees after the Christmas holiday and will continue throughout the Town through Tuesday, January 18th, as our schedule allows. The intention of the Town’s tree collection service is for residents of the Town of Ithaca (outside the Village of Cayuga Heights) to discard their holiday trees by putting them out at the roadside for pick up by the Town’s crews. The crews will not be picking up any brush or yard debris during this collection. This collection is specific to discarded holiday trees only. Trees need to remain out of the rights-of-way; this will assure your safety and that of your neighbors. Errant trees can wreak havoc on the storm water systems and can create a hazard for walkers and cyclists. You may also drop your discarded holiday tree(s) off at the Public Works Facility at 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. any time of the year. Recreation Partnership Winter 2022 Explore the wide variety of youth winter programs and scholarships the Recreation Partnership has to offer at https://www.iybrec.org/ or contact their office at 607-273-8364. Town & County Tax Bills Tax Bills will be mailed no later than December 28th Under New York State law, a property owner is responsible for paying the tax bill on time regardless of whether a paper bill makes it to them via the USPS. Tax bills are uploaded to our website under “How Do I” – “Pay Bills Online” and “Taxes” although we cannot accept payments until the warrant is signed. You can print your bill from there or simply make a notation on your check in the memo section indicating the bill # or the address. PAYMENT OPTIONS FOR TAX AND WATER BILLS In Person, Drop Box, Online Portal, “Bill Pay” or USPS Mail You may view and pay both types of bill(s) online at Online Portal . You will need your Water/Sewer account number to access those. Online payments are serviced by a third-party who charge a fee for the transaction. These are listed once you access your account. Town Hall Offices are open to the public, M-F 8-4 for in-person payments and there is a drop box located to the left of the Buffalo Street entrance door. Although the drop box is locked, we do not recommend depositing cash. USPS postmarks are considered the payment date, regardless of when the envelope is delivered to us. When using a financial institution’s “bill pay” option, please be mindful that this type of payment is often delayed by 3-5 days and therefore the postmark will be later than your request to process. The postmark on their payment is the payment date used. Questions: Debby Kelley, Receiver of Taxes: 607-273-1721 Ext 114 dkelley@town.ithaca.ny.us For name or address changes: Water/sewer accounts - Bolton Point at 607-277-0660 Ext 230 wfisher@boltonpoint.org Property taxes – Tompkins County Assessment at 607-274-5517 assessment@tompkins.co-org Water/Sewer eBilling is now available! Bolton Point is now offering free eBilling. You can opt out of receiving the mailed paper bill or, decide to have both types of billing notification. Go to boltonpoint.org/ebilling to register; if you have multiple accounts, each will need to be registered and you can change your preference(s) at any time. Remember, not receiving a bill does not mean you can pay late without penalty; keep your email contact information up to date, and we suggest a calendar notification to ensure you know to be on the lookout for whatever type of billing you prefer, and to remind you to check online if you haven’t received it by the end of the first week of each billing period. Code’s Corner This holiday season, it is important to remember that some trees, garland, wreaths and other decorations are, or will become, combustible. As live trees and similar items dry out, they can become a hazard; make sure to keep your trees watered. For more safety tips on fresh cut trees, please see the NFPA’s Fresh Cut Tree Safety link. Lights and other electric-powered decorations can deteriorate and become hazardous too; please remember to inspect these seasonal decorations periodically to ensure they continue to be safe to use or operate. In addition, if you have a wood, pellet, or coal stove or a fireplace, please check to make sure the chimney is clear and clean and other parts are in safe operating order. Yearly cleaning and maintenance prior to the heating season is strongly recommended for your safety and will enhance their efficiency. As always, please remember to have properly functioning and placed smoke and carbon monoxide detectors/alarms in your home. In the event of a fire or the presence of high levels of carbon monoxide, these alarms are the most effective early warning systems you can have to exit the home when every minute counts. Have a safe and happy holiday season. If you have any questions on this or any other building related questions, or if you are unsure what may require a building permit, please feel free to email us at codes@town.ithaca.ny.us or call us at 607-273-1783 extension #2. Marty Moseley, Director The Town has joined the Tompkins County Swift911™ mass notification system. This will allow us to send emergency or community alert messages such as facility closures or water main breaks to our residents who are participating in the platform. You can choose either Community Alerts, Emergency Alerts, or both. Sign up here. http://tompkinscountyny.gov/doer/swift911ALERTS Tompkins County Microenterprise Assistance Program Tompkins County Administration and the Tompkins Chamber Foundation have announced a $300,000 grant award to Tompkins County from the New York State Office of Community Renewal’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program assistance for economic development, and specifically, to support microenterprise development. The program seeks to support startup microenterprises with fifty percent or more of the allocated grant funds, and will focus on rural areas in Tompkins County, as well as development of childcare businesses, agricultural and tourism businesses, and minority- and woman- owned businesses. Program objectives include serving low- and moderate-income microenterprise business owners directly or supporting the creation of new jobs made available to low-moderate income residents of Tompkins County. More information can be found here: https://www.tompkinschamber.org/microgrant NYS Ban on Foam Begins Jan. 1ic Effective January 1st, disposable foam “to-go” containers and loose fill packing, aka “peanuts” are banned for sale, use or distribution in New York State. Outreach materials are available at the DEC’s website https://on.ny.gov/FoamFreeNY. Tonight – Cayuga Lake Watershed Network presents: Email Programs@cayugalake.org for more information and a link.