Yates County lawmakers approved a five-year capital plan, sought more time to complete the county’s broadband buildout and called for relief from potentially costly federal SNAP changes Monday, but some of the night’s sharpest debate came from residents demanding answers about the proposed public safety facility and the transformation of Greenidge Generation into an artificial intelligence data center.
The Aug. 10 Legislature meeting drew repeated public comments about two major projects with potentially long-term implications for the county: plans for a new jail and public safety facility, and Vulcan Elements’ plans for the Greenidge site in Dresden. Residents pressed lawmakers for greater transparency, an independent assessment of the county’s jail needs and consideration of local action on data centers.
Lawmakers did not take direct action on either controversy during the meeting. They did, however, approve dozens of resolutions involving broadband, emergency services staffing, cybersecurity, infrastructure and county finances, including a $40.4 million capital improvement plan covering 2027 through 2031.
The Legislature also marked a transition at the Board of Elections, recognizing Democratic Commissioner Robert Brechko as he prepares to retire after 19 years and unanimously appointing John Christensen as his successor.
Residents keep pressure on county over jail project
The proposed public safety facility dominated much of the public comment period, with several residents arguing the county has not adequately demonstrated the need for a facility of the size currently under consideration.
Gene Mitchell questioned why a 2021 report by Bergmann Associates has not played a larger public role in the process and argued the county should pursue a smaller, standalone jail while continuing to use the existing Public Safety Building for administrative functions and holding cells.
Mitchell also challenged comparisons between the Yates County proposal and a jail project in Greene County, saying outside grants significantly affected the cost of the Greene County facility.
Barbara Craig focused on the county’s practice of housing federal inmates.
She argued that the financial arrangement with the U.S. Marshals Service should be scrutinized before the county builds capacity partly around prisoners it is not legally required to house.
Craig told lawmakers the county receives about $110 per day for each federal inmate while she estimated the actual cost of incarceration at between $180 and $240 per day. She contended the arrangement could be costing county taxpayers roughly $400,000 annually and suggested the county consider a 32-cell facility rather than maintaining capacity for federal inmates.
Those figures were presented by Craig during public comment; the meeting minutes do not show county officials confirming them during the session.
Allison Stewart similarly argued the proposed roughly 70,000-square-foot facility is too large and called for an independent needs assessment. She urged lawmakers to examine alternatives, including continued use of agreements with neighboring counties, particularly in light of declining local inmate populations.
Jack Ossent circulated a petition seeking an independent assessment and criticized the county for advancing into design work before obtaining what he described as an unbiased determination of its actual jail needs.
Ossent also cited national research showing substantial growth in rural jails renting beds to outside agencies and questioned whether Yates County was following a broader pattern of building capacity around inmates from other jurisdictions.
The questions continued later in the meeting.
Stewart again asked what concrete steps the county was taking toward an independent assessment, saying residents want a review conducted outside the government entities already involved in the project.
Legislator Doug Paddock said consultants continue working on the schematic design following a July 22 special meeting where members of the public were able to ask questions. He said there was no additional project information to report Monday.
Other speakers demanded a more formal public forum.
Denise Hopkins said repeated questions about the facility’s size, reliance on federal inmates and overall cost have not received sufficient answers. Craig said she has sought another public hearing since March, while another comment suggested the question of continuing to house federal prisoners could potentially be put before voters.
Greenidge AI plans trigger calls for local action
The conversion of the Greenidge Generation site in Dresden into an AI-focused data center emerged as the meeting’s other major flashpoint.
Peter Salva urged the county to consider a local moratorium on AI data centers, citing concerns about electricity demand, grid infrastructure, noise, pollution and thermal discharges into Seneca Lake.
Salva specifically raised concerns about a proposed 260-megawatt expansion.
Later, Jim Brobreski questioned what county officials knew about Greenidge’s transition to Vulcan and what authority local government has over future expansion.
He expressed concern about the scale of potential electricity demand and argued that residents understand the implications of data centers differently today than they did when earlier Greenidge proposals were being considered.
The discussion also produced a defense of the project.
John Prendergast, who described a 40-year career in the semiconductor industry, argued that AI infrastructure represents an economic opportunity the region should not reject.
Prendergast said the Dresden facility provides jobs and tax revenue and argued that artificial intelligence is an expanding technology in which the United States needs to remain competitive. Blocking that infrastructure, he said, risks pushing younger, educated workers and future investment elsewhere.
Brobreski responded that the long-term employment effects of AI could be negative, arguing that data centers may create substantial construction work but require relatively few permanent employees once operating. He also warned more broadly about AI replacing jobs in other sectors.
Denise Hopkins also warned lawmakers against accepting corporate promises about the environmental impacts of large data centers without scrutiny, particularly when it comes to water and other natural resources.
No resolution concerning Greenidge, Vulcan or an AI data center moratorium was considered during the meeting.
Broadband project gets another year as Phase 3 approaches
While residents raised concerns about one form of technology infrastructure, lawmakers moved ahead with another: the county’s long-running effort to extend high-speed internet into underserved areas.
The Legislature unanimously authorized a request to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a one-year extension of the ReConnect broadband project.
Officials said delays were partly tied to the federal process.
Legislator Bill Holgate said Yates County was the first county to receive its particular USDA grant and that federal handling of change orders took substantially longer than expected.
The extension does not require additional county funding.
The county reported 71 broadband connections so far.
Legislator Ed Bronson said construction on Phase 3, which includes Himrod, is expected to begin by the end of August and should be completed by the end of the year. Once construction is finished, Empire Access is expected to begin going door-to-door to connect customers.
That update came after Carol Clendenin told lawmakers during public comment that some residents have been waiting three to five years for fiber service and need clearer information about when it will arrive.
Lawmakers also unanimously approved an agreement allowing Empire Access to use the county-owned ReConnect network to serve customers immediately outside the areas funded by the federal grant.
Under that arrangement, Empire will pay all costs associated with installing, maintaining and operating those network extensions. Yates County will have no financial obligation and will receive $5 for each customer served in those non-funded areas.
Southern Tier Network CEO Jeff Gasper also presented a semiannual update on the broader fiber network.
Presentation materials showed the STN network connecting county facilities and other major sites, including public safety towers, cell towers, hospital and clinical locations, libraries and engineering facilities. The presentation also detailed network monitoring, outage response, underground utility marking and maintenance procedures.
County warns of potentially significant SNAP cost shift
Lawmakers unanimously adopted a resolution asking Congress to delay major changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for two years.
The county says changes contained in the federal H.R. 1 legislation could shift significant costs from Washington to state and county governments.
Beginning Oct. 1, the federal share of SNAP administrative expenses is scheduled to fall from 50% to 25%. Because New York requires counties to administer the program and share administrative costs, Yates County estimates its annual additional expense at about $140,000.
A potentially much larger change would arrive in October 2027.
The legislation establishes state cost-sharing for SNAP benefits based on payment error rates. The county resolution says New York’s current error rate exceeds 10%, which would place the state in the highest federal penalty tier and create an estimated $1.1 billion in additional annual exposure.
The resolution stresses that payment errors are not necessarily fraud, noting they can result from paperwork problems, changes in income or delays in reporting information.
Legislator Terry Button raised concern about New York’s error rate, while Sarah Purdy said lawmakers had previously heard that the statewide figure was heavily influenced by New York City.
The Legislature called on Congress to delay both the administrative and benefit cost shifts for two years. If Washington does not act, lawmakers want New York state government to absorb the additional costs rather than passing them to counties.
County officials warned that without relief, local governments could ultimately face a choice between higher property taxes and reductions in services.
$40 million capital plan approved with one dissenting vote
One of the meeting’s most consequential financial actions was approval of Yates County’s capital improvement plan for 2027 through 2031.
The plan includes approximately $40.37 million in projects over five years. Federal and state aid, equipment sales and reserves are projected to cover about $26.32 million, leaving a net tax levy impact of roughly $14.05 million over the period.
Projects include extensive work at Penn Yan Airport, road and bridge reconstruction, highway equipment, information technology upgrades, emergency services vehicles and equipment, sheriff’s vehicles and technology, and building improvements.
The plan also contains placeholders for architectural and engineering, construction management and construction associated with the proposed Public Safety Facility, but the capital plan presented in the minutes does not assign dollar amounts to those entries.
For 2027 alone, the plan calls for about $8.03 million in projects, with approximately $5.22 million expected from aid, revenue and reserves. The projected net tax levy is $2.81 million.
Button cast the only vote against the five-year plan.
He said he was concerned about the 2027 tax levy impact and estimated growth in assessed property values would offset only about $281,000 of the $2.81 million. That would leave roughly $2.53 million that would need to be offset if lawmakers hope to hold the levy steady.
Holgate said the initial gap had been around $3.4 million before department heads were asked to find reductions and came back with roughly $600,000 in cuts.
The plan passed 13-1.
Among the largest categories over five years are nearly $15 million for highway road projects, $12.1 million for airport work, $4.34 million for highway machinery and $3.42 million for Sheriff’s Office capital expenses.
Emergency services transition, elections and cybersecurity move forward
The Legislature also took several personnel and administrative actions.
Lawmakers unanimously appointed John Christensen as Democratic election commissioner following Brechko’s retirement.
Christensen will take office Sept. 1 and complete the current term through Dec. 31 before beginning a subsequent two-year term running through the end of 2028, subject to applicable state law.
The county is also preparing for a leadership change in the Office of Emergency Services.
Lawmakers authorized creation of a part-time emergency management coordinator position through the end of 2027 at a wage of $47 per hour. The estimated cost, including benefits, is capped at $38,070.
The position is intended to provide continuity, transfer institutional knowledge and assist with onboarding during the transition.
The Legislature separately authorized the county administrator to fill the director of emergency services position after the current director retires Sept. 25. The estimated cost of the position, including benefits, is not to exceed $135,547.
Cybersecurity also received attention.
The county approved a $12,908 agreement with ePlus Group for Varonis data lifecycle automation software. Officials described the software as necessary to improve cybersecurity, storage management and compliance tracking across county networks.
Residents separately raised concerns about cybersecurity involving broadband data and municipal water infrastructure, although those comments did not result in legislative action Monday.
Torrey landfill, Penn Yan planning and other actions
The Legislature authorized an engineering study to determine whether the closed Torrey Landfill will be subject to New York’s new greenhouse gas reporting requirements.
Barton & Loguidice will conduct an initial emissions screening and determine whether the landfill meets thresholds requiring annual emissions reports or monitoring plans. The work will cost no more than $2,100.
Lawmakers also ratified a letter supporting Penn Yan’s application to the state Smart Growth Community Planning Program to update its comprehensive plan.
The village’s current plan dates to 2016, before much of the investment associated with the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. County officials said a new plan could address housing shortages, aging infrastructure and future development while encouraging walkable neighborhoods and a broader mix of housing.
Other unanimous actions included renewing snow and ice removal agreements with towns, approving Constellation Energy as the county’s electric supplier through October 2030, continuing Penn Yan Airport’s aircraft fee collection agreement, appropriating settlement and grant money for public health and community services, and distributing second-quarter cannabis tax revenue.
The county received $18,180.52 in cannabis tax revenue during the second quarter. Seventy-five percent will be divided evenly between the town of Milo and village of Penn Yan, while Yates County will retain $4,545.12.
The meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m., nearly two hours after it began. By then, lawmakers had completed a lengthy list of routine and long-term actions, but the two issues drawing the strongest public reaction — the future of the county jail and the potential transformation of the Greenidge site into a major AI data center — remained unresolved and headed for further debate.
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