July 8, 2015
Tompkins County approves TC3 share
ITHACA — The Tompkins County Legislature unanimously approved Tuesday night a 2 percent increase in the county’s contribution to Tompkins Cortland Community College, raising last year’s contribution by $57,000.
This move is in agreement with a vote last month by the Cortland County Legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee to raise the counties contributions by 2 percent, but the Cortland County Legislature rejected the plan June 25.
The Legislature at that time voted down the resolution for the 2 percent increase because some legislators claimed it would be a financial strain on the county. Legislators also withdrew a second resolution that would have released another 2 percent from TC3’s reserve fund.
TC3 requested a 4 percent increase from both Tompkins and Cortland counties to make up the local contribution for the 2015-16 college budget.
The Cortland County Legislature will have a special session at 6 p.m. Thursday to take another vote on the matter. Both resolutions will be reconsidered.
A public hearing will also be held at 6 p.m. on these two resolutions.
Tompkins County Legislator Jim Dennis said this morning that the Tompkins County Legislature passed the resolution to increase its contribution by 2 percent with the understanding that the college will take the other 2 percent out of its reserve fund to make up a total 4 percent contribution.
“Our county does not believe ... that we have to do two resolutions,” Dennis said. He noted the way the Cortland County Legislature was voting on two resolutions. He said once the college has a budget, it can move money from its reserve account.
Dennis added that if Cortland County does not agree to its share, then TC3 President Carl Haynes would have to find a way to try again to get the Legislature to pass it. Failing that, the college will have to come up with another way to make up the difference. TC3 must submit its budget for the State University of New York board of trustees to vote on in September.
“Clearly we hope that at the July 9 meeting, the county achieves the goal that we did because it will complicate the process for the college considerably,” Dennis said.
The Cortland County Legislature last month defeated the cash contribution with eight legislators in favor and seven opposed. The measure needed the votes of nine legislators to pass. Two legislators were absent.
The TC3 board of trustees adopted a $39,359,321 budget June 18 for the 2015-16 academic year. The budget is 0.54 percent higher than this year’s and considers a 2 percent increase in total taxpayer dollars provided by Cortland and Tompkins counties, the sponsor counties.
The sponsor counties’ contribution makes up 12 percent of the total budget.
The Cortland County increase would be $37,737, which brings the county’s total annual contribution to $1.7 million, according to county Budget and Finance Director Peggy Mousaw.
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