HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-01 Newsletter
2021 Town & County Tax Reminder
2021 Town & County Taxes are due by Monday, February 1st without penalty. On February 2nd
the installment payment option is no longer available.
Payments may be made in person at Town Hall, Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm; online at
www.town.ithaca.ny.us (fee assessed by third party provider); in the drop box to the left of our
Buffalo Street entrance, or by mail post marked on or before February 1st .
Please see the sample bill below. A 1% penalty on the principal amount is applied on February
2nd. Please note that once the penalty is applied, you have until March 1st to pay the new full
amount before the next penalty is applied. Given these difficult times, that may be useful
information to have.
For billing/payment questions contact Debby Kelley at 607-273-1721 ext. 114.
For changes to billing address or contact information, contact TC Assessment at 607-274-5517.
Town Webpage Issues
You may have noticed some issues downloading or viewing documents on our current site. This
is due to google framework and you must be logged in to a google account, such as your gmail,
to be able to access some documents. Please email me at townclerk@town.ithaca.ny.us and I can
forward any document you are trying to access. Thank you for your patience. Perfect segue for:
Request for Proposals
Website Design and Development
The Town is looking to update its website and move from the old google hosted model currently
used. We are looking for an attractive, easily navigated, intuitive and informational redesign with
increased functionality. Please see the full RFP here
Town of Ithaca Bicentennial Proclamation
1821 – 2021
The Ithaca Town Board adopted TB Resolution 2021– 012: Town of Ithaca 2021 Bicentennial
Proclamation. It is a wonderful summary of the Town, please take a moment to read it here.
We are still hoping to get ideas on a 2021 bicentennial logo from amateurs to professionals alike
that may be used in a variety of ways. Please send your design electronically by February 10,
2021 to Paulette Rosa at PRosa@town.ithaca.ny.us. Please be sure to include your contact
information. By submitting, you are implicitly granting us permission to use your design in some
capacity if we so choose, e.g. we may want to post some entries in our lobby.
Town Board Topics
Short Term Rental Legislation – The Short-Term Rental Committee (STR)
has been drafting legislation to regulate short term rentals for three years.
The primary topics being discussed involve requiring permits and
inspections for STR of a primary residence, limits on the number of days a
primary residence can be rented unhosted and regulating STRs in the
Lakefront Residential Zone along Taughannock Blvd. (Rt 89) and East Shore
Dr. (Rt 34B). The STR Committee generally meets at 4pm on the 2nd
Monday of the month, just prior to the Town Board’s regular meeting. Zoom
Link is https://zoom.us/j/99991875443 or go to the Town calendar at www.town.ithaca.ny.us
Parks, Trails, Preserves & Recreation Resident Survey Extended
Town of Ithaca Parks, Trails, Preserves & Recreation Resident Survey
The Town continues to welcome your input! Please consider taking a moment to submit your
valuable input regarding Town of Ithaca Parks, Preserves & Recreation. We will be reviewing and
updating our Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan, including exploring what recreational
amenities to develop over the next several years.
We encourage all area residents to complete the on-line survey linked above before February 10th.
Let us know how you use our current amenities and what you hope might be available in the future.
Your responses could better position the Town when we are applying for grant funding to
implement key plan initiatives.
The Town is committed to enhancing the quality of life for all residents through an array of
wholesome recreational activities that promote health and fitness and encourages connections to
land and nature.
Are you interested in Historic Preservation in the Town of Ithaca and have
time to devote to committee work? If so, read on.
The Town of Ithaca is partnering with the City of Ithaca to explore opportunities to enact a
Landmarks Preservation Law that aligns with that of the City’s and that might lead to the
establishment of a joint City and Town of Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission. The
Town’s interest in protecting its historic resources is outlined in the Town of Ithaca
Comprehensive Plan.
To that end, we seek two Town of Ithaca residents that would be willing to work on exploring this
collaboration as provisional members of the City’s Landmarks Preservation Committee for 2021.
Candidates for the Commission should have a demonstrated professional or personal interest in
historic preservation. Individuals working in the fields of historic preservation, history,
architecture, architectural history, city planning, landscape architecture, building construction or
traditional building trades are ideally suited to serve. Additionally, residents and owners of
historic properties, and individuals with a background in some commercial activities, including
real estate, banking or law, also provide a valuable perspective.
The time commitment will be attending a monthly meeting with some “homework” in between
meetings. Depending on the outcome of this work, it is possible that provisional members may
continue as full Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission members.
If you are interested, please send an e-mail to Rod Howe at RHowe@town.ithaca.ny.us by
February 10th with a statement of interest and qualifications. Qualified candidates will be
interviewed during the second half of February.
Richard B. Fischer Environmental Conservation Award nominations sought
The Conservation Board invites nominations for their 18th annual Richard B. Fischer
Environmental Conservation Award. This award honors the late Dr. Fischer for improving Ithaca's
natural environment. A Cornell professor, nature lover, and member of our Conservation Board,
he erected many bluebird houses and helped establish New York's bottle law to reduce waste and
litter.
Individuals or organizations who have taken the initiative to improve Ithaca's natural environment
are eligible for nomination. Selected awardees will have their names added to a plaque in Town
Hall and attached to a tree planted at a celebration in their honor in a Town park or trail.
Please nominate a person or a group you feel have contributed to improving and conserving our
environment. Nominations for the 2020 award must be received no later than February 28, 2021.
For submission guidelines, including news and photos of recent awardees, see the Town’s
website www.town.ithaca.ny.us/richard-fischer-award or you can contact Michael Smith at
msmith@town.ithaca.ny.us or 607-273-1747.
Town Clerks’ Corner
Questions of the month!
Are you open? Are you a notary? Can I get a marriage license? Can I pay my taxes in person?
I didn’t get my tax bill, can you get me one?
The answer is YES, to all of the above. Town Hall and the Clerks’ Office is open Monday
through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm and no appointment is needed.
As always, please feel free to call us at (607) 273-1721 option 3 anytime or via email at
townclerk@town.ithaca.ny.us
Paulette and Becky