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Home My WebLink About2022-12 Newsletter TOWN OFFICES’ HOLIDAY CLOSINGS Town Hall closed December 23rd at noon, reopening Wednesday, December 28th Public Works closed December 23rd at 10:30 a.m., reopening Tuesday, December 27th Town Hall closed December 30th at noon, reopening Tuesday, January 3rd Public Works closed December 30th at 10:30 a.m., reopening Tuesday, January 3rd HOLIDAY FIRE SAFETY REMINDERS Please remember that some trees, garlands, wreaths, and other decorations are, or will become, combustible as they dry out. It is important to keep your trees watered and monitor other live decorations for dryness. Lights and other electric-powered decorations can deteriorate and also become hazardous, and they should be inspected periodically. For more safety tips on fresh cut trees, please see NFPA’s Fresh Cut Tree Safety In addition to holiday decorations, if you use a wood, pellet, or coal stove, please remember to clear and clean the chimney and other working parts. Yearly maintenance prior to the heating season is important for your safety and will enhance their efficiency. 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. Marty Moseley, Director WEATHER EVENT IN THE FORCAST! Tompkins County SIREN will alert you of emergencies, road closures and more, sign up today. When at all possible, please do not park on the road or put garbage/recycling out during an event to help road crews prep, clear and maintain roads. HOLIDAY TREE PICKUP The Public Works Department will pick up discarded holiday trees beginning December 27th through mid-January as staffing and weather impacts allows. This collection is specific to discarded holiday trees only and Crews will not pick up brush or yard debris. Town residents can also choose to drop their trees off at the Public Works Facility, 114 Seven Mile Drive, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. ALL THINGS EQUAL In the latest edition of WHCU radio’s All Things Equal, Gary Stewart chats with Nick Goldsmith, Sustainability Planner for the Town of Ithaca. Listen to the podcast here Podcast The Town of Ithaca’s Energy Code Supplement was recently featured in a report commissioned by Natural Resources Canada to support development of a Canadian net-zero emissions code by 2024. The report, Scan of Code Requirements to Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions, examines building and energy codes in over 20 jurisdictions in North America and internationally. Click here to view the report. TOWN & COUNTY TAX BILLS Tax Bills will be mailed by the last business day of December Under New York State law, a property owner is responsible for paying the tax bill on time regardless of whether or not a paper bill is received. Tax bills are uploaded to our website under “Welcome & FAQS” 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, by Mail, Online Portal, Bill Pay of ACH You may view, pay, and print receipts for water and tax bills online via our website. Online payments are serviced by a third-party which charges a transaction fee that will be calculated and displayed prior to submitting payment. Click here for Town and County Property Taxes online Click here for Water/sewer online Town Hall Offices are open M-F 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. for in-person payments and there is a drop box located to the left of the Buffalo Street entrance. Although the drop box is locked, we do not recommend depositing cash. USPS postmarks are considered the payment date, regardless of the date it is received by us. When using a financial institution’s “bill pay” option, please be mindful that these types of payments are often delayed by 3-5 days from the day you request payment, and some institutions do not have a postmark on the mailing. In that case, the date received is the payment date. For water account payments, we now offer ACH option directly from your bank between the 10th and 15th of the billing month. There is no fee, and you will continue to get the green billing card as usual. Questions: Debby Kelley 607-273-1721 ext. 114 or 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 INLET VALLEY OVERLAY DISTRICT The Town began looking at the Inlet Valley with an eye for economic development opportunities around 2016 and commissioned a feasibility study in 2018. That study informed and shaped the draft legislation for overlay districts which will be previewed at the Town Board’s year end meeting on December 28th at 11:00am. Our website has a lot more information, history, and links to the study for those interested in learning more: Inlet Valley Overlay District Groundbreaking Announced for the Southworks (formerly Chainworks) Project Press Release Southworks has been in the planning stages for almost 10 years and the Development Team sent a press release full of details, links, and history. The Town was very involved in this project as it went through the various processes and approvals, and it is exciting to see a groundbreaking being planned and the mixed-use project begin to come to fruition. COUNTY AND INTERMUNICIPAL NEWS The Learning Web serves any youth between ages 11 and 21 who reside in Tompkins County. The best part–the town funds these services so that anyone in the community can access them completely for FREE. Please email kellie@learning-web.org or call 607-275-0122 to sign up/get more information! Tompkins County Broadband Assessment To help address internet access issues in our area, Tompkins County has partnered with ECC Technologies to develop an assessment. Their goal is to understand internet availability in the county and how well existing services support residents and businesses. Please help by taking their survey online at https://www.tompkinsbroadband.com/ or by paper at any public library in Tompkins County. The online survey is set up to allow folks with internet help neighbors without internet access to submit responses. Do you know a young person who is unsure about what they would like to do after high school? Or is looking for hands-on experience in a particular area? Sign them up for The Learning Web’s Youth Exploration Program for opportunities to chat with professionals in the fields they are interested in, get job experience through an apprenticeship, and/or gain volunteer experience! This program is a great way for young people to get work experience for their resume, make connections for professional references, and gain important skills that will serve them well on whichever path they may take after high school. Tompkins County Committed to Keeping Curbside Recycling Contamination Rate Low Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management wants to thank our community for keeping contaminates out of curbside recycling and keeping Tompkins County’s curbside recycling contamination rate low. Disciplined adherence to the Curbside Recycling Guidelines continues to keep the county’s curbside recycling contamination rate under 5%. Keep up the good work! ➢ Stay up to date on events and programs offered through the Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management by signing up for our quarterly newsletter. A new issue will be out soon! https://recycletompkins.org/about/newsletter/ ➢ Freshen up your recycling knowledge by reviewing Tompkins County's Curbside Guidelines. https://recycletompkins.org/recycling-and-composting/curbside-recycling/ Youth Programming Learn more about youth program offerings in your town! https://ccetompkins.org/4-h-youth Your local Youth Commission/Community Council is currently welcoming new members to join. In partnership with the Tompkins County Municipal Youth Services each community’s council meets once per month to help guide the Cooperative Extension Tompkins County 4-H Rural Youth Services to provide opportunities to strengthen and support youth. To learn more contact Rick Alvord, ralvord@tompkins-co.org