The Seneca County Board of Supervisors will consider a four-year, $2.84 million federal award for mobile crisis services and a $189,718 airport taxilane project during committee and special board meetings Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Seneca County Office Building in Waterloo. The agenda also includes sewer-rate changes, health grants, school mental health contracts, aging services and several staffing proposals.
The documents are proposals for a future meeting, and the actions described in the packet have not yet been taken. The airport and psychiatric nurse practitioner resolutions are listed for possible action at the special board meeting after committee review.
Mobile crisis team could receive four years of support
The Contracts, Procurement and Negotiations Committee will consider accepting a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration award for the Seneca County Mobile Crisis Partnership.
The award provides $750,000 for the first budget year, running from Sept. 30, 2026, through Sept. 29, 2027. Recommended federal support over four years totals $2,838,910, with annual amounts of $731,557, $671,702 and $685,651 after the first year.
According to the proposed resolution, the money would expand the county’s existing round-the-clock mobile crisis team. The plan calls for more workforce and clinical capacity, peer support, specialized training, community education, crisis-system partnerships, data work and continuous quality improvement, with services intended for people and families across the lifespan.
The same committee will review $190,259 in contracts with the Seneca Falls, Waterloo and South Seneca school districts for school-based mental health and substance-use prevention services during the 2026-27 school year. The proposed district payments are $24,750 from Seneca Falls, $89,500 from Waterloo and $76,009 from South Seneca, with no county match required. The county would use the money to reimburse salary costs for staff delivering the services.
Another proposal would accept Regional Heating & Cooling/Plumbing & Electrical’s bid for on-demand electrical, heating, cooling and plumbing work through the county Weatherization Program. The Waterloo company bid $120 per hour with a 25% materials markup and was the only bidder identified in the packet.
Airport project would redirect federal recovery money
The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee will consider moving $189,718.30 in American Rescue Plan Act money from the Willard redevelopment allocation to a new taxilane at Finger Lakes Regional Airport.
The county previously set aside $500,000 for Willard redevelopment, but the packet says New York state has not provided a timeline for transferring the state-owned campus. Federal rules require the recovery money to be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
The proposed airport work is tied to a 6,000-square-foot conventional hangar that received its certificate of occupancy in December 2025. County officials say a jet management company has expressed interest in basing a corporate jet at the airport and leasing the entire hangar if access can be improved quickly enough for the aircraft.
The resolution would authorize a change order of up to $175,768.30 with City Hill Excavating for construction and up to $13,950 with McFarland Johnson for design and construction observation. Both firms are already involved in paving and drainage work around the hangar.
Supervisors are also being asked to let the county serve as a pass-through funding administrator for a $1,227,336 Bridge NY culvert project on McDuffie Town Line Road in Varick. The town would remain responsible for the project and any local match or costs above the award, while the county would advance the money and seek reimbursement.
Sewer rates and utility budgets are on the agenda
Public Works will review changes to rates for county Sewer Districts 3 and 4. The proposal would leave the first two usage tiers unchanged, raise the rate for 30,001 to 100,000 cubic feet from 5.4 cents to 5.52 cents per cubic foot, and increase the rate above 100,001 cubic feet from 0.75 cents to 5.52 cents.
The packet also recommends raising annual operations and maintenance costs from $99,037 to $177,337 in District 3 and from $62,559 to $74,023 in District 4. Customer operations and maintenance charges are calculated quarterly based on each customer’s share of total billed flow.
A public hearing on the sewer proposal is listed for 6 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Papa Bear building in the Three Bears Complex, 7175 Main St. in Ovid. Final approval would require action by the full Board of Supervisors.
The Ways and Means Committee will review budget amendments affecting the county’s water district and Sewer Districts 1, 3 and 4. The adjustments include higher revenue projections for water and sewer use and offsetting increases for purchased water, utilities, maintenance, professional services, insurance and contracts.
Public health, aging and youth programs face votes
The Health and Human Services Committee will receive an update on the county’s measles response, including a planned shift from press releases to a public-facing dashboard. That item is listed for information and discussion only.
The committee will also review three Public Health grants: $5,800 for car seats, training and supplies for eligible families; $37,600 for childhood lead-poisoning prevention, hazard remediation assistance and enforcement; and $28,158 to help administer early intervention services for young children with developmental delays or disabilities and their families. Each grant would run from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.
The Office for the Aging’s annual plan update includes seven vendor agreements totaling $490,976 for home-delivered meals, emergency monitoring, recreation, transportation, in-home aides and legal assistance. The plan covers April 2027 through March 2028 and remains subject to review of the 2027 county budget.
Health and Human Services will also consider the 2026 update to the county’s Child and Family Services Plan and a $90,825 state-aid allocation for youth development, runaway and homeless youth services, sports and education opportunities, and youth team sports.
Staffing proposals include mental health and probation posts
The Human Resources Committee will consider creating a full-time psychiatric nurse practitioner position in the Mental Health Department. The packet says additional psychiatric service hours are needed for a growing client population and anticipates that service revenue would fund the Grade 10 management position. The proposal is also listed on the special board agenda for possible immediate action.
Other staffing items include refilling two social welfare examiner jobs, two part-time airport maintenance mechanic posts and two Facilities Department jobs. Those vacancy requests require committee approval only.
The committee will also review reclassifying a staff resources assistant as a probation assistant at $26.074 per hour, a $1.04 hourly increase. The new duties would include pretrial and predisposition work, community service, financial records, case transfers, drug and alcohol screenings and DNA collection.
A separate proposal would create a part-time clerk position shared by the County Clerk’s Office and Real Property Tax Office beginning in January 2027. The packet lists a Grade 2 salary range of $19,050 to $38,101, depending on workload and schedule.
Agriculture, public safety and historic marker items round out packet
The Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Committee will review adding a 30.3-acre parcel at 1020 Hecker Road in Waterloo to Agricultural District 6. Jerry and Joanne Brubaker own the parcel, which is identified as tax map number 21-2-03.2. The packet anticipates a public hearing Oct. 13 before final action.
The Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee will consider directing the Sheriff’s Office to seek proposals for a new electronic health record system at the county correctional facility. The current vendor contract expires Dec. 31, and the county intends to engage a new vendor in 2027.
Government Operations and Administration will review a $2,100 William G. Pomeroy Foundation grant for a historical marker about the 1890 Seneca Falls fire, which the packet says destroyed more than 40 homes and businesses. The grant requires no local match.
The committee meetings and special board session are expected to determine which proposals advance and whether the two special-meeting items receive final approval.
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