Cayuga County lawmakers advanced a slate of operational and infrastructure measures Tuesday while receiving updates on the county’s DMV relocation, emergency communications overhaul, highway staffing and efforts to coordinate economic development more closely across the county.
The Government Operations and Planning and Public Works committees met back-to-back at the Ward O’Hara Agricultural Museum. Much of the evening focused on projects already underway, but lawmakers also moved several resolutions toward consideration by the full Legislature, including funding transfers, courthouse work, highway vacancies and long-term agreements supporting county parks.
One of the most immediate updates involved the county DMV office’s planned move to Dill Street Commons.
County officials said contractors are working through several final items, including frosting glass for a secure room, correcting an issue with the front door and installing cameras. Equipment needed for credit card transactions and other customer-facing functions is also expected to be installed, while New York State networking equipment arrived Tuesday and is expected to be connected this week.
Officials said they are making progress toward opening the new location, but the discussion did not establish a firm opening date.
The county is also preparing to add commercial cleaning at the new DMV office. The Planning and Public Works Committee advanced a resolution that would add the location to Cayuga County’s existing contract with Cleantec at a cost of $364 per month, plus consumable supplies. The agreement would run with the existing contract through April 30, 2028.
Major 911 system overhaul moving ahead
Information technology officials also provided a detailed update on Cayuga County’s transition to a Motorola VESTA 911 phone system.
The county formally kicked off the project with Motorola Solutions and Oswego County on Aug. 27. The planned system will include seven positions at the primary E911 center on County House Road and five at the Auburn Fire Department backup site.
The arrangement with Oswego County is designed to provide additional redundancy. If Cayuga County’s primary system experiences a serious failure, calls could be transferred to Oswego, and officials said the new setup could eventually allow Cayuga dispatchers to operate from the Oswego center during a major emergency.
Officials said Oswego offers more space and infrastructure than the county’s current backup arrangement with Seneca County.
Motorola’s preliminary schedule calls for infrastructure and hardware work this fall, followed by configuration, testing and training later this year. The system is expected to go live in 2027, depending on completion of network connectivity and other site work.
The county is separately developing a longer-term capital plan for emergency communications, including radio infrastructure, equipment replacement, Next Generation 911 readiness and future grant opportunities.
County looks to consolidate payroll and timekeeping
Another technology project discussed Tuesday could eventually change the way county employees record their time.
Cayuga County is preparing to seek proposals for an enterprise resource planning system aimed initially at consolidating time and attendance functions.
Officials said departments currently use several different methods to track employee time, including separate systems, spreadsheets and other standalone processes. The goal is to move toward a more centralized system that can integrate payroll, human resources, purchasing and other functions.
IT officials told lawmakers that streamlining the process could eventually save staff time because the current system requires significant manual processing, approval work and paperwork.
The request for proposals is expected to move forward next. Once a vendor is selected, officials estimated implementation could take three to six months.
County attorney seeks $50,000 shift for outside legal help
The Government Operations Committee advanced a $50,000 budget transfer within the County Attorney’s Office to cover outside attorneys and other professional services through the end of the year.
The resolution says staffing shortages have required the office to rely more heavily on outside legal services than originally anticipated.
The money would move from an unneeded full-time salary account into professional services. It would not increase the County Attorney’s overall 2026 budget.
County Attorney professional services were budgeted at $175,000, and officials said roughly $106,000 had been spent by mid-August. The additional $50,000 is expected to cover anticipated needs through the remainder of the year.
Highway positions advanced as road work continues
The Planning and Public Works Committee also advanced authorization to fill two vacant automotive mechanic positions and a sign maintenance position in the Highway Department.
County documents describe the positions as important to snow and ice operations and maintaining safe roads. The positions are already funded in the 2026 budget.
Highway Superintendent Brian Soper also reported that Turnpike Road has reopened following bridge work. The bridge is being posted at a 20-ton limit to extend its usable life until a replacement can be completed, currently anticipated in late 2027 or early 2028.
The State Route 34 bridge, meanwhile, is expected to reopen Nov. 1 based on the county’s latest discussions with the state Department of Transportation.
Harriet Tubman Byway enters next phase
Tourism officials said the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad New York Scenic Byway project is continuing to move through its second phase after the town of Aurelius selected a route that changes the path through Cayuga County.
The selected route uses Route 326 into Fleming before connecting through Springport to Route 90. That means both towns must now approve resolutions supporting the route.
Fleming and Springport are scheduled to consider those resolutions Monday, Sept. 14, with meetings at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.
New York State has given the project until the end of September to obtain the remaining approvals. If they aren’t secured, county officials said the next opportunity could move into a later legislative phase.
Tour Cayuga also reported that the first phase of the byway is complete. A public welcome event is scheduled Thursday, Sept. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Melody’s in downtown Auburn.
The committee also advanced the annual designation of the Cayuga County Convention and Visitors Bureau as the county’s tourism promotion agency, allowing it to apply for state tourism grant funding in 2027.
New economic development system proposed
Planning officials gave lawmakers an early look at another proposal expected to come before them next month.
The county is considering using additional economic development funding for a shared customer relationship management system and a new landing-page website that could be used by organizations involved in business recruitment and expansion.
The idea is to create a more coordinated system for tracking which agencies are working with prospective businesses and what assistance those businesses are receiving.
Officials said entrepreneurs and companies currently may need to work with multiple organizations when starting or expanding in Cayuga County. A shared system could reduce duplication and make it easier for those agencies to exchange information.
A formal resolution is expected in October.
The county’s strategic planning process is also moving toward another round of public meetings. Sessions are scheduled for Sept. 29 at the Locke Fire Hall, Sept. 30 at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES and Oct. 1 at the Ira Fire Hall, all beginning at 6 p.m. Officials said the meetings will help finalize a long-term vision for Cayuga County.
Other measures advanced Tuesday included $58,800 in state-reimbursed courthouse and Historic Post Office improvements, a $37,000 internal transfer to cover higher-than-budgeted utility, building maintenance and cleaning costs, and new five-year agreements with the Friends of Emerson Park and Friends of the Sterling Nature Center.
Those agreements would run from 2027 through 2031 and allow the volunteer organizations to continue supporting programming, fundraising and improvements at the county facilities.
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