[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6092367,"mediaKeyId","2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a","parentId",2854280,"title","Council approves license agreement to sublease downtown office to Reach Medical for outreach program","audioSeconds",1657,"startMs",2953000,"endMs",4610000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a&start=2953&end=4610","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a/thumbnail_2953000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6092367/New-York/Council-approves-license-agreement-to-sublease-downtown-office-to-Reach-Medical-for-outreach-program","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092367-7d9bd843a909b28f887308d879982245/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158848&Signature=Dae0JkQJWV1QktvlkBrOx4S25ffTNlU8ckHx8ZkyNlMNAjYGLVSsq0dQZNwfJGbqWotyEEQu5ZpqlHU4p7h~xDDkSISXX7-tgxaq41gK8SG61KDQ5mx-tL71VrsLXwDfoF3rIRj01ARR77ZWMKAZuOCZ4rLC9JB5rAvfoJ0hVN~Wq3ZC9kSYQRNeyn1Ef3SD8DXzkg-O7eIUUL2nAbuCQSOaQ6jpVl91BpQxaZvo0M9zg~uchQ7whdVhY8-avQZdbU-dNJeiG8lU2zMpR7HCX9inQaofAS0GCEwbxCH1dgarxk5SzGdAvSetv9RDMysxx7j3EKeI3XiByC8zmHs~Ug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Ithaca City","date","2025-04-02T21:59:35Z","article","The Common Council on April 2 approved a license agreement authorizing Reach Medical to use subleased office and storage space adjacent to City Hall for a community outreach worker program. The resolution passed 8–1, with Alderperson Brown opposed.

Staff explained the space is a sublease of roughly 1,670 square feet that the city had secured earlier; the city and Tompkins County jointly fund the outreach worker program through a county RFP. Councilmembers noted the agreement waives the license fee for Reach Medical and that the package documents the allowable activities and liability protection for city property.

Councilmembers asked whether other contracted organizations receive similar access to city resources; staff said the city sometimes provides downtown space to contracted providers and that the exact arrangements vary by program. The council approved the agreement by roll-call of votes recorded as 8 in favor and 1 opposed.

Ending: Staff will finalize the license agreement and continue conversations about access to city resources for other contracted providers where appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","4-2-2025 Common Council Regular Voting Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The council approved a license agreement allowing Reach Medical to use 1,670 square feet of city-leased space downtown to operate an outreach worker program. The city and county are jointly funding the outreach contract; city waived the license fee. Vote 8–1 (Brown opposed).","taxTitle","Ithaca City, Tompkins County, New York","taxId",52738,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092372,"Council authorizes purchase of Bowladrome parcel for potential public‑safety site; vote 9–0",207,2746000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a&start=2746&end=2953","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a/thumbnail_2746000.jpg","/articles/6092372/New-York/Council-authorizes-purchase-of-Bowladrome-parcel-for-potential-publicsafety-site-vote-90","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092372-6ed5d087c0973219922444b0d25fe39a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158848&Signature=RUkLJbz9IOkuFqvTlW7rVYPfnWwA8ecYw7cOtmXQB0LEjg4OQbWx1eAsmVmWFIrX5V8pbI08ZVcfQHoCqJAx4kQ2PwdN8MPATjsj~qaerVioKCmPWcX8~xXlZqZmkJC7Q1pqndpR8ahlws1uuy0HYSET0~g2hCVj42wFXxC280VltPeJvS0aR1N7rnVmMRiFyPwRgb7lydM-BdsYMCQ9B~NZwOJgOvi6BNvRZJpvmdfpHJFsEwPTcp9YkSWkbDPdiOrVAWpS7sbJMB7yQ--J~dnRw8lI~YlAlX0E0nC90suymmpby15nSce-CPMBhIqmB-SCB5-NMC6tIEnOquxobw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ithaca Common Council on April 2 authorized acquisition of the former Bowladrome property (referred to in the packet as the 'Bullardrome' parcel) as possible site for a future public‑safety facility. The resolution passed by roll call vote 9–0.

City staff clarified the vote authorizes only property acquisition; no construction funding or final commitment to locate the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) or other specific use on the site was approved. Staff noted the city would use an existing capital project allocation to complete the purchase; the purchase price mentioned during discussion was $1,370,000.

When Alderson Brown asked whether the acquisition specifically committed the city to build an IPD facility there, staff and the city attorney explained the council was being asked only to authorize the purchase. The city manager and staff reiterated the location could be used for several municipal purposes and that future decisions about use, design and funding would return to council.

The council conducted a roll‑call vote with members recorded as voting yes; the mayor cast a yes vote as well.

Ending: Council approved the acquisition authorization and instructed staff to proceed with the purchase process; councilmembers noted that site selection and any subsequent design or construction funding would require separate future votes.","The council authorized acquisition of the former Bowladrome property for potential siting of a public‑safety facility; the action authorized use of an existing capital project to purchase the property and passed by roll call 9–0, though council emphasized no construction funds were allocated and final use remains undecided.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092377,"Council approves authority to cover year‑end budget shortfalls with new reporting requirement",1125,3017000,4142000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a&start=3017&end=4142","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a/thumbnail_3017000.jpg","/articles/6092377/New-York/Council-approves-authority-to-cover-yearend-budget-shortfalls-with-new-reporting-requirement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092377-47be4649d17bfdccbc66fa7ca9462731/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158848&Signature=UYm26dRTM2joRP0yIxJPxbSwP~OFOg2aTDaXWuf5xQHAedQtMdgcNTDbOhlLOfpdhVbysHWXn3OZ7PY9QVS~ftLabIN-MsFhWe141aYlIpgK3knZIHNDQtkwI32KcGD~T4JUEpIpcO7DHKu8vGLHILUa~tECVRDU2wabbotIFFbZ4LuQMx0iRxPdRp9s2UmVjRup59mKXVVfWVU~bMA9K73kbRFUli8rc71XH-Rqs3HVCYIniMm5TW6gzWUW9wMhmeinhz-x0QXUXVVSacmHNEApOyEcw9ZduNWIsXpF1GpJgr9WWYTu8x~j6zRedSENz2Bf7yokidpbJOHUKeT8Pw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Common Council on April 2 approved a resolution authorizing the city controller to make transfers within 2024 budget appropriations to cover accounts that closed in deficit, but only after the council added an amendment requiring the controller to report all transfers to council within one month.

The item drew the meeting's longest debate as councilmembers pressed for more fiscal transparency and data before approving staff authority. Several members said they had asked staff for detailed lists of the 'red' accounts and transfers ahead of time and had not received them; others said the transfer authorization is a routine procedural step to balance year‑end accounts and clear deficits so auditing and closeout can proceed.

City Manager and staff explained the administrative background: closing municipal books and rebalancing departmental line items is a manual, year‑end process and the controller's office had been short staffed; the typical procedural measure would have been completed in December, staff said, but it was overlooked. The manager said the finance staff is migrating to a new system that will reduce manual work and permit more real‑time reporting in the future.

Councilmember Kiel offered an amendment requiring that any transfers made under the authorization be reported to council within one month; the amendment passed 7–2. After further debate the amended main motion passed 6–3.

Councilmembers said they expect more structured fiscal policies and better pre-vote reporting in the future, including thresholds for transfers that would require council notification. The city manager suggested a small working group to recommend formal fiscal guardrails (reserve policy, reporting thresholds) moving forward.

Ending: The council adopted the authorization as amended and asked staff to return with more granular balancing information when available and with proposals for formal policy guardrails to improve transparency.","After extended debate about transparency, the council approved a resolution authorizing the city controller to cover 2024 'red' accounts within the budget and to rebalance line items; the motion was amended to require a report to council within one month and passed 6–3.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092382,"Council adopts College Town zoning changes after debate over additional parcel amendments",734,1690000,2424000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a&start=1690&end=2424","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a/thumbnail_1690000.jpg","/articles/6092382/New-York/Council-adopts-College-Town-zoning-changes-after-debate-over-additional-parcel-amendments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092382-ab8fc356beefa88a739f3a9ba5eb18de/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158848&Signature=icG7l73bkwiRVG0kFqz4lOvGqSxwgkG18iqrKXEfi9UniUXTDM-h-Dk3ucCRI9L7BLBs7bByEhAEHYPThVedHeAb~4AdpAyoDQSL7599PAANsZgxCK~YGQK53CpWsJqUaSONHEhhT85NRjqHsMSKC8-eYrNanFso~nrwO2dzlQz0AlFH6HSvvG2O6SnOxZY0f19P0IR~13eJg47n0PVeuDWFuLv2WEJbh6Tz1agtpZd-tG~EdBlHgryIlb~SuMc5HpxD3V626eSHJUzDlCRVKDND72Xne4b3-690gr2nJ0Ylo8yWx2iJsTsBJVc6h9qUI6zh6PlxHS25LUD7wWNKAw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ithaca Common Council on April 2 adopted an ordinance amending parts of the College Town area form district, including changes to height and district designations for sections of Collegetown, after a period of discussion among council members and staff.

Alderperson Kiel summarized the ordinance on the floor as changes intended to align parcels with the neighborhood plan's intent and improve development consistency. Kiel then proposed a separate amendment to upzone six additional parcels (239 Linden Ave, 308 Bryant Ave, 233 Linden Ave from CR‑3 to CR‑4; and 228, 224 and 214 Dryden Road from CR‑4 to MU‑2), arguing those changes would close holes in the map and help equitable development in Collegetown.

City zoning administrator Megan Wilson told council the proposed parcel changes could not be made that night because state law requires relisting and additional circulation when map boundaries change materially. Wilson also cautioned that some of the parcels Kiel named already have area variances or nonconforming conditions and would need further analysis; staff recommended more outreach and analysis before formal amendment.

Kiel moved the amendment and Alderson Shapiro seconded it; council members debated the timing and potential impacts on development projects. Several councilmembers, including Shapiro and Brown, said they would support taking more time for public comment. After discussion, Kiel withdrew the amendment rather than proceed with a relisting that would delay adoption by an uncertain number of months.

With the amendment withdrawn, council proceeded to a vote on the main ordinance and adopted it by voice vote (recorded as 9 to 0). Council also declared itself lead agency for the relevant SEQRA review and issued a negative declaration on environmental impact during the meeting.

Ending: Staff said the comprehensive zoning rewrite will examine College Town and other neighborhoods more broadly; councilmembers agreed to continue neighborhood-level conversations and staff outreach as the city moves toward a larger zoning update.","The Common Council adopted an ordinance updating the College Town area form district and related zoning text; an alderperson proposed additional up‑zonings for several parcels but withdrew the amendment after staff said changes would require relisting and additional outreach.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":92,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6092387,"Ithaca council approves $50,000 from stormwater fund to pursue FEMA map revisions",3010,7152000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a&start=4142&end=7152","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2854280-2e8406959663e3be037d07bbee47c42a/thumbnail_4142000.jpg","/articles/6092387/New-York/Ithaca-council-approves-50000-from-stormwater-fund-to-pursue-FEMA-map-revisions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6092387-7e431ab50ee5f15498eeee8f521407e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771158848&Signature=M7eBl2sn5Y856uSI6H4saynX4ul5B67zmjP1hoIuwjH1Awgy6aqRKQw74~YxZyX2~-sseEiv4bQJNHbhyURO~o25cMDmxYRQ81UJMkSPVomMIxz24zAiQNNFc5WNuqBZ876kmD54yKqYaaGOKj~DyTAp7e23NMrgGmxQhPM7-CsIA4bFkZtmNW1uYYOiFGW2BUPJrIEIlgxxkuMxrnoqalkSZCA-uaF0yZjfb8VnrXAig4UKN~WWVaUfnLmZ5z6ykPZm-YT4DEKx-dJDdAkLB9ux3-oeE6~payJnSeMVAe1dkLPsTBMwgqW405vIJWityDsltiPTSWuCVSPYyyGJ7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Ithaca Common Council on April 2 voted unanimously to transfer $50,000 from the city's stormwater fund to pay consultants working to revise federal flood-mapping models that officials say overstate local flood risk.

City officials said the work will support a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The move is part of a broader response after FEMA issued preliminary flood maps that, city consultants have said, are more conservative than University of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) modeling the city commissioned.

The council's authorization came after a detailed briefing from Mike Thorne, superintendent of public works, and Tim Logue, director of engineering, who described a multiyear sequence of studies, FEMA draft maps and grant work. Thorne traced the history: Ithaca began a local flood-hazard analysis in 2015, hired USGS for field-based modeling, then contracted engineering firm Barton & Loguidice to analyze mitigation options. FEMA issued draft maps in 2022 and preliminary maps in 2023; Barton & Loguidice later identified several technical differences between FEMA's models and the city's that, officials say, make FEMA's estimates overly conservative.

Thorne said the consultant work will examine five technical issues in FEMA's modeling, including available surveyed channel geometry, peak-flow estimations and the assumptions FEMA used for lake level during a storm. \"We have very strong arguments\" on several of those items, Thorne told council, adding that the firm will model each issue separately and then submit the work to FEMA.

City staff and consultants stressed urgency because the FEMA maps are slated to become regulatory in mid-June 2025. Under FEMA policy, properties newly placed in the regulated floodplain may become eligible for mandatory federal flood insurance purchase for federally backed mortgages; staff cited wide potential variability in individual insurance costs. Councilmembers and staff discussed how the city's planned mitigation measures ' dredging by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and locally built channel improvements and flood walls ' would interact with FEMA's rules and with grant funding the city has received for design work under Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) awards.

Thorne told council the city applied earlier for $12 million under FEMA HMGP and received a phased award (about $800,000 for design/analysis to date). He said FEMA requires the city to demonstrate that a mitigation design based on FEMA's models will work before releasing later-phase construction funds; the city is seeking to show that the FEMA models can be refined so the mitigation work is feasible and that grant funds can be used efficiently.

Councilmember questions addressed the expected scope of properties affected by the maps, timing and whether federal representatives could help. Thorne and city staff said the earlier 1981 FEMA maps affected roughly 80 properties; the new FEMA and USGS maps cover more than 1,200 properties in some scenarios. Thorne said a combination of dredging and structural mitigation in channels could substantially reduce the number of properties in mapped floodplains, but the technical modeling and FEMA review are necessary to confirm that.

The council approved the $50,000 transfer from the stormwater fund balance (staff said the fund's unaudited balance is approximately $1.4 million) and asked staff to continue briefings. Councilmembers also discussed outreach and the need to explain timing and insurance consequences to residents.

The city manager and staff said they will share additional documentation with council members and pursue expedited FEMA review if possible; staff noted FEMA indicated it would try to expedite a technical review if a formal LOMR is submitted.

Ending: City staff said Barton & Loguidice will refine technical analyses over the coming months and submit a LOMR package to FEMA; councilmembers asked for continued updates and for planning-department information about insurance implications and the community rating system at a future meeting.","The council voted unanimously to allocate $50,000 from the city's stormwater fund to pay consultants analyzing FEMA flood models and preparing a Letter of Map Revision; officials said the work is needed to avoid an overly conservative federal flood map that could expand the city's regulated floodplain to about 1,200 properties.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves license agreement to sublease downtown office to Reach Medical for outreach program

Council authorizes purchase of Bowladrome parcel for potential public‑safety site; vote 9–0

Council approves authority to cover year‑end budget shortfalls with new reporting requirement

Council adopts College Town zoning changes after debate over additional parcel amendments

Ithaca council approves $50,000 from stormwater fund to pursue FEMA map revisions