The Ontario County Board of Supervisors voted last week to ask state lawmakers for authority to expand the county’s room tax and approved a four-year labor agreement with its CSEA unit. They also approved a $610,000 transfer from unrestricted opioid settlement funds to the county’s liability self-insurance reserve.
The board passed the 52 resolutions in its public agenda packet and an additional measure authorizing legal help with Freedom of Information Law requests. A separate, late resolution concerning the name of Lake Ontario was laid over without a final vote.
Room tax changes need state approval
The board wants the state Legislature to let Ontario County remove a room tax exemption for lodging properties with three or fewer rentable units and raise the maximum permitted tax rate from 3% to 6%. The proposal would also broaden the permitted uses of room tax revenue to include tourism-related infrastructure, parks, water resources and environmental conservation.
The vote did not change the tax rate or impose the tax on smaller properties. Those steps would require state authorization and subsequent county action. The board’s resolution asks lawmakers to consider the changes in the 2027 legislative session.
Supervisors also designated Finger Lakes Visitors Connection as the county’s official tourist promotion agency for 2027, allowing it to apply for state tourism grants on the county’s behalf.
Labor, staffing and county finances
The board approved a collective bargaining agreement with the county’s CSEA unit covering Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2030. The agreement had been ratified by the union, according to the agenda packet, but its pay terms were not included in the public resolution. Supervisors also approved 2027 pay schedules for several other employee groups.
In community mental health, the board created four Community Mental Health Professional II positions at a higher salary grade. Three current employees meet the qualifications for the new title, and the corresponding former positions will be abolished as the new ones are filled. The packet says the changes can be covered within the department’s existing budget.
Supervisors moved $610,000 from the unrestricted portion of the county’s opioid settlement fund balance into its liability self-insurance reserve. The resolution says the reserve was below the level supported by a recent actuarial study. The board also approved a contract of up to $24,000 with Locality Studio LLC to redesign the county seal and logo and develop branding standards.
Grants, services and public works
The board accepted two state election grants totaling about $53,200 for general election and mail ballot costs, including supplies, postage and other eligible expenses. It also accepted a $10,000 Wilmot Cancer Institute grant for cancer screening outreach and self-management programs.
Other approvals included a therapy contract of up to $31,200 for child crime victims, funding for emergency plans and an agreement allowing Steuben County to place radio equipment at the Hunt Hollow tower site. Supervisors authorized $23,000 from a reserve for sewer line repairs in the Honeoye Lake districts.
The board extended deadlines for several American Rescue Plan Act grant recipients, including arts, child care and workforce development projects. Under the resolution, their work must be substantially complete by Sept. 30, with final payment requests due Nov. 1.
Supervisors also scheduled Oct. 15 public hearings on a proposed county sewer rents law and changes to charges in the Route 332 County Sewer District.
Arts funding request and unresolved resolution
During public comment, Ontario County Arts Council President Judi Cermak asked the county to consider $14,400 in operating support in a future budget. She described the council’s exhibits, grants, public art and annual scholarship for a Finger Lakes Community College student. The board took no action on her request at the meeting.
Near the end of the meeting, supervisors considered a resolution titled “A Resolution Rejecting the Renaming of Lake Ontario by the Federal Government.” Supervisor Nancy Yacci spoke in support, while another supervisor urged the board to wait until members had more time to review it. After a point of order, Chairman William Wellman said the resolution had been laid over and would be taken up the following month.
The board also adopted a resolution of sympathy for Karen Northrup, a longtime county Department of Social Services supervisor who recently died.
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