After lengthy negotiations and an overwhelmingly-approved strike authorization vote, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) workers and management have reached a tentative agreement and have made a commitment to maintain "uninterrupted service.”

Ithaca School District Proposes “Rollover” Tax Cap Budget

The Tompkins County IDA has transferred a $5.3 million tax abatement for Library Place to the building’s new ownership.

Developers previously struck a deal with the IDA by acquiring an “additional investment,” which now seems to have likely referred to the building’s sale.

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Cornell University has instituted a four-month hiring freeze during a time of “significant financial uncertainty,” citing potential cuts to research funding and anticipated shifts in tax legislation under the Trump administration.

In Ithaca - Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) workers represented by @uaw.org Region 9 have been negotiating for a fair contract for three weeks without reaching an agreement with management.

One worker tells me a strike is “very feasible” at this point.

@ithacatimes.bsky.social

ITHACA, NY - At today’s rally on the commons, local leaders @rgc.bsky.social, Assemblywoman Anna Kelles and more called for action to stand up for democracy and support working class families.

Reporting for @ithacatimes.bsky.social

The Advocacy Center, the only local resource for domestic violence victims in Tompkins County, is paring down their services after hitting financial roadblocks that placed all staff on temporary furlough last week.

The center is maintaining "limited crisis services."

Amid broader moves from the U.S. Department of Education to eliminate “harmful” DEI initiatives, the dept.’s Office for Civil Rights has launched an investigation into the Ithaca City School District for hosting annual events which allegedly intentionally excluded white students.

Following the sharp increase in property assessments last year, Tompkins County’s Office of Assessment is expected to halt reassessments on most homes in 2025 as the local real estate market faces its weakest sales in over a decade.

My latest for @ithacatimes.bsky.social

Rent at Library Place currently ranges from $2,545 for a 1bed apartment to $5,935 a month for a 3bed, 2bath unit.
Even with the rent reduction, tenants will still need to make $91,620 annually ($7,635 per month) to ensure that no more than 30% of their income goes toward rent.

Previously, developers defended the rent prices at Library Place, which has a 10-year tax abatement, attributing the high price tag to rising costs during the project’s multi-year delayed construction and unexpected increases in debt service payments.

After the Tompkins County IDA denied Travis Hyde’s proposal to open up Library Place to younger tenants last month, developers have acquired an investment, permitting 10% lower rents for two years, on the condition that the 55+ age restriction for tenants be removed

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The Industrial Development Agency has just denied the developer’s request to lower the age requirement for Library Place, a tax-abated luxury senior housing project.

A motion that would require 20% of the units to become affordable housing also failed.

Story to come for
@ithacatimes.bsky.social

After years of delays, NYS Parks has officially bought former Boy Scouts Camp Barton in Seneca County for $5 million. The former property owner, the Baden-Powell Council, owes a $1.4 mil. share of the Boy Scouts of America’s multi-billion sexual abuse settlement.
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