Credit to Krisy Gashler in the Ithaca Journal (also see Cornell Daily Sun):
ITHACA — Common Council voted Wednesday to support a federal carbon tax, to build a new dock at Stewart Park, to revise the city’s comprehensive plan and to exempt a proposed Lakeview Mental Health residence from property taxes for 16 years. Council passed a resolution urging state and federal officials to pursue a federal carbon tax rather than emissions trading to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The resolution passed 9-0, with Alderwoman Nancy Schuler, D-4th, abstaining.Schuler said some clauses of the resolution were “really just too emphatic because we really don’t know.”
“I certainly support the concept but I had trouble with the 25 ‘whereases’ as a statement,” she said.
Sylvester Johnson, who is a member of the Climate Change Action Group of Central New York and largely wrote the resolution passed by Council, urged individuals who favor a carbon tax to visit his Web site: federalcarbontax.org.
Johnson argues that an emissions cap and trade system, supported by presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain, acts as a hidden tax but is less effective, more expensive and easier to abuse than a straightforward tax.
Johnson said he hopes Ithaca can serve as an example to other municipalities. With enough grassroots support, federal legislators will see a carbon tax as politically viable, he said.
Stewart Park
Council passed a resolution 9-1 to more than double funding to build a dock at Stewart Park.
In the 2007 budget, Council approved $40,000 for the dock, which is planned to be open to the public, available to children in summer programs, and handicap accessible.
Wednesday they voted to appropriate an additional $56,000 for a total project cost of $96,000.
Alderman Joel Zumoff, D-3rd, cast the lone vote against.
“I simply can’t approve adding more than 100 percent to a project,” he said.
The city sent out bids on the dock with a cost of $40,000. The lowest bid came in at $70,000.
Alderman Dan Cogan, D-5th, quoted a New York Times article on how increased construction costs are impacting many municipal budgets and said it may be wise for municipalities to do construction projects sooner rather than later because costs will likely continue to rise.
Comprehensive plan
Council voted 9-1 to appropriate $200,000 to revise the city’s 1971 comprehensive plan.
Zumoff again was the only vote against.
“I think that doing it with high-paid consultants rather than our own city staff is greatly inflating it,” he said.
Alderwoman Mary Tomlan, D-3rd and chair of the planning committee, said the 1971 plan was written to last 20 years and is very outdated.
Lakeview exemption
Council voted 8-2 to exempt a proposed residential facility for mental health patients from city, county, and school property taxes for 16 years.
Aldermen J.R. Clairborne, D-2nd, and Svante Myrick, D-4th, voted against.
Although Lakeview is a not-for-profit agency, the facility is being built by private developers with a variety of government funding and tax abatements.
Myrick said he didn’t support the resolution because there is already so much tax exempt property in the city, which creates a burden on the rest of the tax base.
[...] by Daniel Rosenblum Ithaca Common Council Endorses Carbon Tax (Sustainable Ithaca) Filed under [...]