Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02 Newsletter Important Wintertime Message from Public Works A major issue during snow removal operations are trash and recycling bins being placed in the rights-of-way (ROW) during and immediately following snow events. Road crews work hard to clear our roads as quickly as possible and clean up after the event. Please help them by considering skipping a scheduled pick-up of trash and/or recycling during snow events and directly afterwards to allow time for the crews, and if you must, please put them in your driveway, in far enough not to hinder road clearing efforts. Containers become a hazard for our drivers when they are placed in the ROW or blow into the street or are pushed into the culverts by snow clearing operations. And of course, the parking message sent previously is still timely… Please think ahead and when at all possible, park off the roads to allow our crews the space and safety to clear the roads. This protects us, and your car. If your car is inhibiting snow removal, it may be towed at your expense. These plows pick up snow and move snow; parking on the street and any damage that could occur from that moving snow is your liability. Why risk it?! Work with your neighbors, share driveways for a day, decide on one side of the street to park on when it is absolutely necessary. We want to get the roads clear for your safe travel. Please help us help you. Thank you in advance - Town Public Works Crews Remembering the 57th Town Supervisor – Noel Desch It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of former Town Supervisor, Noel Desch on January 27th. Mr. Desch served as Town Supervisor for 12 years, from 1978-1989 and was a key force in establishing the Southern Cayuga Lake Intermunicipal Water Commission aka Bolton Point. Mr. Desch served on many community boards and committees and was recognized with the David Morehouse Award, among others, for his efforts in protecting and restoring the Cayuga Lake Watershed. Reflections and Memories from our Elder Residents Sought. As we have previously shared, 2021 is the Town’s Bicentennial. At the last Bicentennial Committee meeting we discussed highlighting some of our elder residents. To get us started, we ask for your assistance in identifying Town residents who are over 95 (feel free to self-identify). It may be that we share information about our elder residents in a future website or over time highlight them via the Town’s social media. Ideally, send us their name (or your name if self- identifying), preferred contact, a couple of narrative sentences, and a photo. By submitting, we assume authorization to share the information in some manner. Income Tax Preparation I know I put it somewhere…… Paid Receipts for 2020 Town & County and School Taxes are here: Town and County Taxes School Taxes Property Taxes As of February 2, 2021, Town and County tax bills are assessed with a 1% penalty. On March 1, 2021 there will be a 2% penalty applied to the beginning amount with a final deadline to pay at the Town of Ithaca through March 31st. The installment option is no longer available. After March 1st, payments are made to Tompkins County Finance and you will have to contact them for an accurate payment amount. Ithaca Energy Code Supplement (IECS) The City of Ithaca and the Town of Ithaca have been working since 2017 on the Ithaca Energy Code Supplement (IECS), which contains code requirements for new buildings, additions, and major renovations that will substantially reduce GHG emissions while emphasizing affordability. Adoption of the law is expected this spring. Visit www.ithacagreenbuilding.com to download the IECS and learn more. Get your Green Back – Still Going Strong Energy Navigators - Help people reduce energy use & transition to renewable energy! Become an Energy Navigator! The next training session begins April 14th. Navigators learn about programs and incentives that can help homeowners and renters reduce their energy use and costs and ways to switch from fossil fuels to renewables and reduce their carbon footprint. The training covers such topics as; understanding energy bills, home energy efficiency, renewable heating, solar energy, transportation alternatives, and more. Applications are due Friday, March 19th at https://www.getyourgreenbacktompkins.org/energy- navigators, or you can contact Emily at eb773@cornell.edu or 272-2292 x262 with questions. BICENTENNIAL EVENTS View live or anytime afterwards on the Town of Ithaca YouTube Link Honoring the Land's Indigenous Past and Present: The Ancestors and The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' March 9, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. Presenters: Sachem Sam George and Dr. Kurt Jordan The presentation will focus on the pre-European settlement of this area and the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people past and present. Learn about the land’s indigenous past as we celebrate the Town’s Bicentennial. Dramatic Reading of NYS Legislation Creating Town of Ithaca on March 16, 1821 March 16, 2021 at 12:00 Noon Watch as the Town Crier reads the (short) Law adopted by the New York State Legislature that created the Towns of Ithaca and Enfield out of parts of the Town of Ulysses. A Narrator will explain some of the details that might not be obvious to the modern viewer (e.g., what do the Town’s Overseers of the Poor actually do?) Dramatic Re-enactment of the First Meeting of the Town of Ithaca on April 3, 1821 Date TBD Watch as the first Town Supervisor Nathan Herrick and the first Town Clerk Isaac Beers conduct the First Meeting of the Town of Ithaca, at which various Town officials were elected (mostly members of the Bucktail party) and Resolutions were passed regulating swine, mares and the invasive species, Canada Thistle. A Narrator will explain some of the details that might not be obvious to the modern viewer (e.g., what was the Bucktail party? And why did the Town need Trustees of the School Lot and the Gospel Lot?) Town of Ithaca Departments – Get to know us We would like to introduce Town residents to the staff and departments that serve them. We will be highlighting a different department and its staff each month. Town Clerks Office Paulette Rosa, Town Clerk Becky Jordan, Deputy Town Clerk Paulette started at the Town almost 15 years ago as a Deputy Town Clerk, transitioned to the Code Enforcement Department as the Administration Assistant for a few years, and then was appointed Town Clerk in 2010. Paulette attended the Cornell Municipal Clerk Institute and received her Municipal Clerk certification in 2012. The Town Clerk’s Office is an important arm of local government and has statutory roles as part of a checks and balances system for Town functions and processes. Most Town Clerks are elected but in the 1960’s the Town passed legislation to make the position appointed and added other duties and responsibilities. The position did retain a residency requirement that the Town Clerk be a resident of the Town. Becky Jordan joined the department in April and is a wonderful and very customer service-oriented partner. Many of you may have spoken with her this past year as our office has been open to the public for most of the NYS Pause and associated closures and shutdowns. The Town Clerks’ office is like the concierge of the town and its public front line. It seems to be the place people call to ask a wide range of questions both about town functions and everything else under the sun. We assist many residents, contractors and visitors to the area with information on where to find what they need even if that it doesn’t actually involve the Town. One of the most important duties of the Office of Town Clerk is records management. The Town Clerk is the Records Management Officer for the Town and is custodian of all records. We are responsible for the accurate and timely filing of all records and fulfilling requests for information both informally by a simple request or more formally through a Freedom of Information request form. The Town is extremely transparent and open and has begun a transition to digitizing all records and making them available through a web platform initiated by Tompkins County Clerk Maureen Reynolds and her Deputy Alanna Congdon called the Tompkins Shared Services Electronic Repository or TSSER for short. We have scanned thousands of documents and they are available here for your viewing and research. TSSER Town of Ithaca Records It literally is a treasure trove of information available at your convenience with access unconstrained by office hours. More documents will be available as records are scanned, verified and uploaded. Our office also: • Issues Marriage Licenses, Domestic Partnership Registry, Handicap Permits and Dog Licenses • Assists the Receiver of Taxes with collection of tax and water bill payments • Attends, records, and transcribes Town Board, Zoning Board and Planning Board meetings as well as other committee meetings • Files Easements and Deeds with the County Clerk • Files Local Laws with New York State • Publishes Public Hearing Notices and Website Updates As an outreach effort to our residents, the Town Clerks Office also compiles, edits and distributes a monthly newsletter which has received a positive response. If there is something you would like to see covered, please, email townclerk@town.ithaca.ny.us. In summary, Becky and Paulette are ready, willing, and able to answer any questions you may have, no matter how big or how small, and if they do not know the answer, they will find out who does and get you to them.