YATES COUNTY--Yates County Administrator Nonie Flynn provided the following update on several programs currently in development or underway in the county.
Finance Committee
-Planning:
• Planning Board – There is an opening for a representative from Middlesex.
• Household Hazardous Waste Day – The date has been set for Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to Noon at the Yates County Fairgrounds to collect electronic and hazardous waste. PaintCare will be part of this to accept paint cans at no cost.
-Real Property:
• Board of Assessment Review – There is still one vacancy in the town of Potter. However, there is a minimum number of three for a quorum.
-County Administrator/Budget Officer:
• Broadband ReConnect 1 Grant – First Light continues construction with the buried cable. The county is at 64 percent completion with buried and will soon start with hanging cable for Phase 1A. The plan then moves to construction of Phase 1B, which is the beginning of connecting the premises to the internet, this summer.
• Broadband ReConnect 4 Grant – The county submitted the application on Nov. 2. Because more funding is available for the grant, there is not a 25 percent match requirement. This is for service to 680 households for $9,087,389. Officials are waiting on the grant award notification.
• Supplemental Funding – The USDA allowed requests for additional funding for recipients of ReConnect 1. The county submitted for this on Dec. 5 for $3.8 million. The USDA field representative reports that $3.2 million has been obligated for Yates. The county is now waiting for the offer letter. The total award from the USDA is $13.6 million, plus the $3.6 million county match for a total of $17.2 million to serve 1,635 premises.
• Governor’s Proposed Budget – The New York state Senate and Assembly did not approve the proposal to no longer share federal Medicaid funds with counties. This would have cost Yates an additional $543,000 per year. The final budget has not yet been approved. The In Rem Foreclosure that would have required counties to return proceeds from foreclosure sales to owners was also rejected by both houses of the legislature. However, this is still a live issue in the budget.
Government Operations Committee
-Historian/Records Management:
• Bicentennial Year – Bicentennial shirts are for sale at the history center for $15.
• Historic Markers – An online link to all of the markers in the county, along with a photo of the marker and information about it is now on the Yates County website, under the historian department.
-County Administrator:
• Juneteenth Holiday – Because CSEA employees will have Juneteenth off as part of their union negotiations, some of the county offices may be closed. However, the building will still be open and non-union department heads and employees will still be working. The offices that will be closed are Public Health, IT, Clerk’s, DMV and DSS. The offices that will remain open are Real Property, Finance and Buildings and Grounds, plus the remaining offices that do not have CSEA employees.
Human Services Committee
-Veteran’s Services:
• Flags – Beginning with the Army’s birthday, the county will begin to recognize each branch of the military by flying that branch’s flag on the birthday of the branch. It will be flown below the county flag.
• Memorial Day – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney will be speaking at the celebration in the courtyard following the annual parade in Penn Yan.
Public Works
-Highway:
• Building Project – The county is waiting for the contracts to come back to us on the awarded bids (sitework, demo/abatement, general construction, mechanical, plumbing/fire protection and electrical) for the project to build a new Emergency Services/Highway/Public Health building in Benton.
• NYSEG Service to Benton – The public information meeting for this potential service is May 3 at 7 p.m. at the Benton Firehouse.
• Horse and Buggy Safety Study – The engineering firm that the NYS Department of Transportation contracted with has completed the five-year crash history review. They will be reaching out to others in the community before they issue the final report.
Finance Committee
-Planning:
• Planning Board – There is an opening for a representative from Middlesex.
• Household Hazardous Waste Day – The date has been set for Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to Noon at the Yates County Fairgrounds to collect electronic and hazardous waste. PaintCare will be part of this to accept paint cans at no cost.
-Real Property:
• Board of Assessment Review – There is still one vacancy in the town of Potter. However, there is a minimum number of three for a quorum.
-County Administrator/Budget Officer:
• Broadband ReConnect 1 Grant – First Light continues construction with the buried cable. The county is at 64 percent completion with buried and will soon start with hanging cable for Phase 1A. The plan then moves to construction of Phase 1B, which is the beginning of connecting the premises to the internet, this summer.
• Broadband ReConnect 4 Grant – The county submitted the application on Nov. 2. Because more funding is available for the grant, there is not a 25 percent match requirement. This is for service to 680 households for $9,087,389. Officials are waiting on the grant award notification.
• Supplemental Funding – The USDA allowed requests for additional funding for recipients of ReConnect 1. The county submitted for this on Dec. 5 for $3.8 million. The USDA field representative reports that $3.2 million has been obligated for Yates. The county is now waiting for the offer letter. The total award from the USDA is $13.6 million, plus the $3.6 million county match for a total of $17.2 million to serve 1,635 premises.
• Governor’s Proposed Budget – The New York state Senate and Assembly did not approve the proposal to no longer share federal Medicaid funds with counties. This would have cost Yates an additional $543,000 per year. The final budget has not yet been approved. The In Rem Foreclosure that would have required counties to return proceeds from foreclosure sales to owners was also rejected by both houses of the legislature. However, this is still a live issue in the budget.
Government Operations Committee
-Historian/Records Management:
• Bicentennial Year – Bicentennial shirts are for sale at the history center for $15.
• Historic Markers – An online link to all of the markers in the county, along with a photo of the marker and information about it is now on the Yates County website, under the historian department.
-County Administrator:
• Juneteenth Holiday – Because CSEA employees will have Juneteenth off as part of their union negotiations, some of the county offices may be closed. However, the building will still be open and non-union department heads and employees will still be working. The offices that will be closed are Public Health, IT, Clerk’s, DMV and DSS. The offices that will remain open are Real Property, Finance and Buildings and Grounds, plus the remaining offices that do not have CSEA employees.
Human Services Committee
-Veteran’s Services:
• Flags – Beginning with the Army’s birthday, the county will begin to recognize each branch of the military by flying that branch’s flag on the birthday of the branch. It will be flown below the county flag.
• Memorial Day – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney will be speaking at the celebration in the courtyard following the annual parade in Penn Yan.
Public Works
-Highway:
• Building Project – The county is waiting for the contracts to come back to us on the awarded bids (sitework, demo/abatement, general construction, mechanical, plumbing/fire protection and electrical) for the project to build a new Emergency Services/Highway/Public Health building in Benton.
• NYSEG Service to Benton – The public information meeting for this potential service is May 3 at 7 p.m. at the Benton Firehouse.
• Horse and Buggy Safety Study – The engineering firm that the NYS Department of Transportation contracted with has completed the five-year crash history review. They will be reaching out to others in the community before they issue the final report.
