The Tompkins County Shared Services Panel, convened by County Administrator Jason Molino, took public comment regarding shared services to be included in the County’s 2020 Shared Services Plan. The session is the first of three public hearings to be held on the topic.
City of Ithaca resident William Bryant addressed the hearing, urging the Panel to look at governmental consolidations to achieve economies of scale, examining what he called “the balkanization of our county into jurisdictions.” Consolidated government would be more efficient and effective, he said, identifying highway maintenance and construction as one place where services could be consolidated. One initiative he suggested was County takeover of all bridges in the county not on state highways, including bridges in the City of Ithaca. Financial services and taxation, as well as insurance services, are other areas where consolidation should be considered, he said.
Future public hearings on the Shared Services Plan are scheduled on June 27 and July 25, 2019, 5:00 p.m., at County Legislature Chambers, 121 E. Court Street, Ithaca.