The Orleans Digital Literacy initiative has partnered with all the local libraries in Orleans County as meeting space for members of the community to meet tech mentors and receive tech help, according to Kathryn Leach from Cornell Cooperative Extension, who is coordinating the Digital Literacy program.

Members of the public can stop by with any tech questions, meet mentors and schedule tech mentoring. There will also be information guides which people can take home. An example includes tips on what to do if a cell phone or computer isn’t working well, and tips on how families can monitor their children’s technology use and keep their kids safe.

Participating are our tech mentors from Community Action of Orleans and Genesee, Orleans County Career Center, Orleans County Adult Learning Services, Orleans County Office of the Aging and Hoag Library.

The tech mentoring educational program is administered by the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension and Leach will be at all the events. The program is funded by a grant obtained by United Way of Orleans County and executive director Dean Bellack will also attend.

The schedule of tech help events is as follows for January:

• Saturday, Jan. 8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Yates Community Library in Lyndonville.
• Monday, Jan. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Yates Community Library in Lyndonville.
• Thursday, Jan. 13 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hoag Library in Albion.
• Saturday, Jan. 15 from 10 a.m. to noon at Hoag Library in Albion.
• Tuesday, Jan. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.
• Saturday, Jan. 22 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.
• Wednesday, Jan. 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Community Free Library in Holley.
• Saturday, Jan. 29 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Community Free Library in Holley.

In February, dates are:

• Saturday, Feb. 5 from 5 to 11 a.m. at Yates Community Library.
• Monday Feb. 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Yates Community Library.
• Tuesday, Feb. 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Lee Whedon-Memorial Library in Medina.
• Saturday, Feb. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library in Medina.
• Thursday, Feb. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Hoag Library in Albion.
• Saturday, Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. to noon at Hoag Library in Albion.
• Wednesday, Feb. 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Community Free Library in Holley.
• Saturday, Feb. 26 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Community Free Library in Holley.

These events at local libraries will be a chance to meet people and spread the word about the tech mentoring services being provided through Cornell Cooperative Extension and United Way of Orleans County.

Photo and information courtesy of Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association

ALBION – During the month of November deputies from the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office participated in “No Shave November,” which allows for the deputies to bend department policy and grow facial hair in lieu of charitable donation.

This year the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association donated $500 to Orleans County Child and Family Services. The donation will be used to purchase Christmas presents for local children. The Deputy Sheriff’s Association would like to thank Sheriff Christopher Bourke, Undersheriff Jeffrey Gifaldi and Chief Deputy Rob Riemer for allowing the deputies to participate.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Orleans County Courthouse is decorated for the holidays with wreaths up on the dome and Christmas trees on the top steps facing East State Street.

The moon looms in the sky above the courthouse this evening. The site recently was upgraded with new steps, a sidewalk and exterior lighting. The courthouse was built in 1858 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Christmas trees are new addition to the courthouse this holiday season.

Legislator Allport opposes 1.9% tax increase, saying growth in sales tax gives county a cushion

Photos by Tom Rivers: Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson said the budget keeps the county moving forward, addressing many needs while maintaining services. She worries about possible state cuts in the future that would strain the county budget. Jack Welch, left, is the chief administrative officer.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has passed a $78 million budget that takes on more capital projects and restores some previously eliminated positions while staying under the tax cap.

The budget increases taxes by 1.9 percent and increases the tax rate from $9.98 to $10.09 per $1,000 of assessed property.

County Legislator Don Allport

One legislator, Don Allport of Gaines, opposed the spending plan because he said the county has collected about $1 million more than expected in sales tax this year and that increase could easily wipe out the $347,503 tax levy increase.

He said residents are feeling a financial pinch from inflation. That is particularly difficult for people on fixed incomes who are paying more for gas, fuel and other services.

He said the “astronomical” housing sales in the past year will likely result in higher property assessments – and tax bills.

“I think it’s critical we have a 0 percent increase,” Allport said during the budget vote on Dec. 2. “That’s why I’m voting against this.”

Other legislators said they are concerned the state could cut back reimbursements to the county. During the height of the pandemic the state cut counties by 20 percent, a reduction that later adjusted to a 5 percent cut.

The state is facing big increases in Medicaid and education funding that will strain the state budget, said County Legislator Ken DeRoller. He worries the state will try to balance its budget by cutting reimbursements to local governments.

Legislator John DeFilipps said county leaders cut about $9 million from the budget as part of the process in putting the spending plan together.

“This is a fair budget,” he said. “It addresses put-off projects. We stepped up in repairs.”

Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson praised Jack Welch, the county budget officer, and Kim DeFrank, the county treasurer, for their work with the budget.

“You put forth an amazing budget and I’m proud to support it,” Johnson said.

Although sales tax is up, Johnson said some other revenue is down or uncertain.

She also commended the department heads for their budget proposals.

“You didn’t come in with a Dear Santa letter,” she said. “You came to us with your actual needs.”

Welch went over the budget during a hearing last week. He highlighted the county will add five positions that will be funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act money including a public safety dispatcher, criminal investigator, building maintenance worker, deputy director of computer services and senior computer specialist.

About $2.20 of the $10.09 rate is support for towns and villages in the county, including prosecution of vehicle and traffic offenses, AIM-related payments, a sales tax distribution of $1,366,671 and $2,050,000 in community college chargebacks.

SALES TAX DIVERSION – Even though the sales tax is up significantly, mainly due to taxes collected on line sales, some of that is diverted by the state. The state last year started requiring the county to pay $290,000 of its sales tax in AIM payments to towns and villages that was paid by state. The state also takes $190,274 in the county sales tax and diverts it to “financially distressed health facilities” with no guarantee it will be used for that purpose, Welch said.

CAPITAL PROJECTS – The county is planning $4,470,000 in capital projects, which is up about $2 million from the $2,577,000 in 2021. Some of the projects for 2022 will be paid from federal ARPA including $630,000 in work on deferred maintenance projects, $325,000 for a fiber loop to increase connectivity among county’s computer/IT network, and $170,000 for work on the county’s fuel farm on West Academy Street by the DPW.

State CHIPS funding will pay $1,285,000 for highway reconstruction with $125,000 in local funds going to culvert and bridge repairs, $125,000 to patch and seal county roads, and $200,000 in local funds for general repairs to the 50-year-old county jail. Federal and state funds will also pay $1.6 million for preventive maintenance on three bridges.

AGENCY FUNDING – For the third year the budget keeps the same level of funding for several agencies that provide services in the community: Cornell Cooperative Extension, $240,000; Orleans Economic Development Agency, $190,000; Soil & Water Conservation District, $92,500; four public libraries, $10,000 combined; Sportsmen’s Federation, $4,000; and Geneses-Orleans Regional Arts Council, $3,000. The Cobblestone Museum is in the budget as a line item but gets no county support.

MANDATES – The county is getting some relief in the nine mandated programs from the state, which consume 86 percent of the tax levy. The county’s Medicaid cost is down from $8,121,776 to $7,311,550 with the federal government picking up more of the cost. The county’s pension contribution also is down due to a better-performing stock market. The county’s contribution will go from $3,054,489 to $2,475,335.

Other mandated expenses with the 2021 budget numbers in parentheses include: Public Assistance/Safety Net, $1,787,937 ($1,802,337); Child Welfare/Protection, $1,528,322 ($1,336,399); Special Education, $983,529 ($971,931); Probation, $982,115 ($759,299); Indigent Defense, $511,307 ($536,053); Youth Detention, $302,650 ($302,650); and Early Intervention, $243,833 ($204,688).

Photos and information courtesy of Orleans County Sheriff’s Office

ALBION – Orleans County Undersheriff Jeff Gifaldi, left, and deputy James White join in “Shop with a Cop” at Walmart in Albion.

The Sheriff’s Office and the Albion and Lyndonville Police Departments joined with the Orleans County Office of Child and Family Services in the outing.

Investigator Shannon Brett and corrections officer Dawn Basinait were part of the Sheriff’s Office that escorted kids through the Walmart store, assisting them with picking out items that they would like to help their families or be that could be used a gift for a family member.

Law enforcement encouraged the kids to think of others when picking out the items to buy. Walmart provided a $300 gift card to each of the ten families and some law enforcement members contributed their own money if they were a little short so all family members could receive a gift.

Walmart also provided an additional $1,000 in $50 gift cards to the law enforcement members to offer to shoppers in the store to make the holiday season a little better, said Sheriff Chris Bourke.

“I would personally like to thank Walmart on behalf of all law enforcement members,  Orleans County Child and Family Services and the families that took part in this year’s event,” Bourke said.

Photo by Tom Rivers: This pile of about 6,000 tires is next to the Orleans County DPW on West Academy Street in Albion. About 3,000 more will soon to be delivered to the site.

ALBION – Orleans County is paying $25,000 to have about 9,000 tires removed this month that have been collected by the local towns and villages.

There are currently about 6,000 of those tires piled up at the Orleans County Department of Public Works on West Academy Street. They have come from other municipalities that have picked them up from ditches, roadways and in the community.

About 3,000 more tires are expected to be delivered to the DPW on West Academy Street.

They should all be gone by the end of December.

The County Legislature approved paying $25,000 to Modern Disposal Services on Thursday for the one-time service of removing the tires and property disposing of them. The county uses $2 from the annual $216 solid waste collection bill to residents to deal with disposing of tires.

The county also will continue to accept tires during the household hazardous waste collection in August. More than 1,000 tires have been collected at those events the past two years.

The Legislature said it wants to be good stewards of the environment and assist the towns and villages which accumulated big piles of tires.

Through October sales tax increased by $2.3 million compared to first 10 months last year

Orleans County’s sales tax revenue through the first 10 months of 2021 is well ahead of the pace in 2020.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli reported Orleans is up 14.9 percent in sales tax revenue through October, going from $15.5 million in the first 10 months of 2020 to $17.8 million so far this year.

Last year was a big sales tax year for the county, when Orleans saw a 9.2 percent increase for the whole year, going from $17.7 million in 2019 to $19.4 million for the entire 2020.

Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, attributed a big portion of the increase to sales tax on purchases through the internet.

Higher gas prices also are a factor in the higher sales tax revenue.

DiNapoli said October was up 12.9 percent statewide with Orleans increasing 16.9 percent, from $1.3 million to $1.5 million.

Statewide each month beginning in April this year has exceeded the sales tax from 2020.

“Sales tax collections came in strong in October, boosting local revenues,” DiNapoli said. “The consistent growth over the last few months is a positive sign of our economic recovery and life moving forward as we deal with the ongoing reality of Covid-19.”

Nearly every county saw year-over-year collections for October grow by double digits, with Monroe County having the largest growth at 37 percent, DiNapoli said.

Among the GLOW counties here are the sales tax numbers for the first 10 months:

• Genesee up 20.9 percent from $33.7 million to $40.7 million
• Livingston up 17.9 percent from $29.2 million to $34.5 million
• Orleans up 14.9 percent from $15.5 million to $17.8 million
• Wyoming up 17.3 percent from $16.0 million to $18.8 million

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Orleans County Legislator Don Allport, rights, presents a proclamation to leaders of Supportive Care of Orleans in recognition of the organization’s 30^thanniversary and also for National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

Dave Schubel, back right, is chairman of the board of directors for Supportive Care. He is joined by, from left: Elisa Chambery, chief executive officer; Pat Eick, secretary of the board; and Maura Pierce, a member of the board of directors.

Supportive Care of Orleans provides care for all those living with life-limiting illness in Orleans County, as well as support for their caregivers and loved ones. The organization provides patients and their families with personalized medical treatment, counseling, spiritual support and bereavement coordination.

Village of Albion proposes regulations for solar energy

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board voted in support of several projects, including a bakery in Gaines, an auto repair shop in Ridgeway and farmworker housing in Gaines.

• Planners last Thursday recommended the Town of Gaines approve the site plan and issue a permit for Brian Ettinger to operate a bakery from his home at 3009 Brown Rd. There won’t be on-site consumption or serving. Sales will be through pickup or delivery.

• In Ridgeway, planners recommended approval for a permit for Kyle Morgan to operate a motor vehicle repair shop at 3925 Salt Works Rd. The 2,760-square-foot building includes a 3-bay garage. It has been used as an auto repair shop for more than 50 years. Morgan plans to run the business, KJM Kustoms, on a part-time basis.

• In Gaines, Haylett Farm Enterprises is proposing to build a 30-person labor house at 3147 Kenyonville Rd. for seasonal farmworkers. County planners recommended the Town of Gaines approve the site plan and issue a permit for the project.

• The Planning Board also backed the Village of Albion’s proposed regulations for solar projects in the village. The village will allow roof-mounted and ground-mounted solar projects.

For large-scale projects (bigger than 25 kW), the village establishes regulations for setbacks and lot sizes, as well as a decommissioning plan. Applications for solar projects also will require blueprints, proposed changes to landscape, description of the solar farm facility and an operation and maintenance plan.

The large-scale projects that are ground-mounted shall not exceed 12 feet in height, and need to maintain a front setback of at least 75 feet in a retail business/airport/commercial and/or recreational area with rear and side setbacks at least 25 feet in those areas.

The front setback should be at least 100 feet for residential and light industrial areas, and rear and side setbacks at least 200 feet when abutting residential property and 100 feet when abutting business and commercial zones.

The large-scale projects need to be on a minimum lot size of 10 acres, with the ground-mounted solar energy system not exceeding more than 80 percent of the lot size. The systems also will need to be enclosed by fencing.

Orleans and Genesee counties have no intention of following Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz with a mask mandate in all indoor, public facilities. That mandate, announced Monday, took effect today.

Poloncarz took the action in response to a surge in Covid cases in Erie County.

Orleans and Genesee have among the highest positivity rates for Covid in the state. In the Erie County the percentage of Covid tests that have been positive the past seven days is 9.4 percent. It’s 10.0 in Genesee and 10.6 in Orleans.

Orleans and Genesee aren’t moving forward with an indoor mask mandate for public places.

“While we remain committed to the health and safety of our communities, Genesee and Orleans County will not be creating or implementing any new mask or vaccine mandates at this time,” according to a statement from Rochelle Stein, Chair of the Genesee County Legislature; Lynne Johnson, Chair of the Orleans County Legislature; Matthew Landers, Genesee County Manager; Jack Welch, Orleans County Chief Administrative Officer; and Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans counties.

“We believe new mandates will only push residents into private settings where spread will still continue but local businesses will suffer. For almost two years, businesses across the region have taken various measures to protect their workplaces and we trust them to do the same at this time.”

The joint statement from the Genesee and Orleans officials continues:

“We recognize and are concerned about rising infection and hospitalization rates, which is why we continue to strongly encourage our businesses and residents to continue to follow CDC recommendations and mitigation strategies such as practicing social distancing, wearing masks, and getting vaccinated, including booster shots. It is also important to note that those who become infected and those who are symptomatic should immediately isolate.”

“Finally, the state needs to provide greater testing resources for our schools and community as a whole, both for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. This is important as those we can identify as Covid-19 positive can be quickly isolated to help prevent spread. Local governments alone cannot be expected to find and procure all of the test kits needed between the school and community needs.”

United Way will screen and identify households for grant in towns of Albion, Gaines and Shelby, as well as villages of Albion, Holley and Medina

ALBION – State and federal funds for about $600,000 will pay the expense of hooking low-to-moderate income households to a new wireless internet system that soon will be installed by RTO Wireless of Wellesley, Mass.

The grant will pay for the household equipment to connect to the system. That wireless internet service receiver equipment is about $650 per household. That grant will pay the costs for 920 households that are in the villages of Albion, Holley and Medina, as well as the towns of Albion, Gaines and Shelby. Those communities were eligible because at least 51 percent of households met the criteria for being low to moderate income.

The grant is part of funding package for $1,999,833 from the state Housing Trust Fund Corporation, the state Office of Community Renewal and the state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) funds. Those funds will pay for the wireless internet expansion for the low to moderate income municipalities, covering the household equipment and also part of the expense from RTO for installing the system on towers.

County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson praised County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch for modifying the county’s grant application, which increased the number of households eligible for the funding from about 500 to 920.

The Legislature last week also awarded a $92,902 contract that is covered with the grant to the United Way of Orleans County. That agency will coordinate a screening process for the low to moderate income households.

The United Way already is leading a digital literacy initiative in the county and will be assisting many of the eligible households in learning how to use the technology.

Work should start soon from RTO Wireless, which will co-locate equipment on existing county-owned communication towers and also build three new towers for the equipment. The county-owned towers include the Emergency Management Office on West County House Road in Albion, Route 31A in Clarendon, Maple Ridge Road in Medina, Route 31 in Albion next to Public Safety Building, West Avenue in Lyndonville, Route 237 in Kendall, Route 237 in Holley by the water tank.

The Legislature on July 28 voted to accept a $3,608,435 bid from ROT to make high-speed internet available for the current 1,351 address points that can’t connect to the service.

County officials say the project will be done by this time next year, and could be complete in as soon as seven months.

The system will gradually be turned on tower by tower, Welch said.

The total of unserved addresses in the county includes 74 in Albion, 302 in Barre, 35 in Carlton, 57 in Clarendon, 39 in Gaines, 16 in Kendall, 41 in Murray, 287 in Ridgeway, 206 in Shelby, and 294 in Yates for 1,351 total.

The county is using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds as well as the state grant for the project.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Brian Marsceill, an Orleans County deputy sheriff, is congratulated by Justin Niederhofer (right), the county’s deputy emergency management director on Wednesday during the County Legislature meeting. Legislator Bill Eick is at left. He presented Marsceill with a “Special Recognition Award” from the Legislature.

“The Orleans County Legislature does hereby commend you for your commitment to serving the communities in Orleans County,” the citation states.

Marsceill won the Jack Meehan Photography award for photo on April 3 from fire in Murray. Marsceill won in the “Accidental Cause” for the NYS Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators, Chapter 23.

Marsceill is a nationally certified arson investigator. He has worked 15 years in law enforcement, starting with the Attica Police Department, then Medina PD and the past four years with the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

The electrical fire in Murray was on Ridge Road. It wasn’t an arson.

Marsceill was able to determine a nail was driven through the metal siding into wire and that put a hole through the wire.

Photos courtesy of Orleans County Emergency Management Office: The picture with the zip-ties shows the nail, and the hole that was put through the wire. Marsceill was commended for “a very rare find” in determining the cause.

This picture shows the hole through the middle of the wire caused by the nail, before the zip-ties were placed.

Photo by Tom Rivers

Firefighters prevented the electrical fire from turning into a big blaze. Firefighters were dispatched to 16576 Ridge Rd., across from the Murray Superette at about 10 p.m.

The building, a former video store, has two apartments. One that is vacant was full of smoke and the tenants in the other apartment called 911 to report the smoke coming out of the apartment.

Firefighters discovered electrical wiring had melted and the insulation and studs were charred and smoking. They sprayed some water to keep it from becoming a bigger fire.

Press Release, Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office participated in the 21st Annual National Prescription Take-Back Day on Oct. 23.

This event was held at the Orleans County Public Safety Building with personnel from the Criminal Division and the Corrections Division of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

The collection site took in 570.2 pounds of unused prescription medications and 319 pounds of sharps for a total combined weight of 890 pounds.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office has participated in the National Prescription Take-Back Day since 2012 and has collected a total weight of 10,695.5 pounds (5.3 tons) of prescription medications and sharps. This event is very successful for Orleans County with an average of 563 pounds of unused medications and sharps collected for each event.

New York State had 116 law enforcement agencies participate and they took in over 28,947 pounds of unused medications during the October event. On a national level, 744,082 pounds (372 tons) were collected. The combined total weight for all events since the start of this program is over 15 million pounds of unused medications collected nationally.

The National Prescription Take-Back Day is a very important community service that allows the residents of Orleans County the means to safely, dispose of unused medication and sharps. This event helps prevent groundwater contamination due to improper disposal and assists with preventing illegal diversion of medications.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all of the community partners that assisted with coordinating the event. The Orleans and Erie County Public Health Departments, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (GCASA) and Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Control Unit all played important roles in making this program a success in Orleans County.

ALBION – Orleans County’s tentative budget for 2022 would increase spending by $5.4 million and raise taxes by 1.9 percent in a spending plan that tackles infrastructure projects and maintains local services.

Federal and state aid, including funding in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, will offset some of the spending increase.

Jack Welch, the county’s chief administrative officer, submitted the tentative budget on Monday that stays below the state’s property tax cap.

There will be a public hearing on the budget at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 in Orleans County Legislative Chambers, 14016 Route 31 West, Suite 200, Albion. The County Legislature then plans to meet the next day at 4:30 in the Legislative Chambers at 4:30 to vote on the budget, with the fiscal year starting Jan. 1.

“This year’s $78 million budget recommendation is influenced by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the employment challenges of retaining and hiring new employees,” Welch said in budget message to the Legislature. “The challenges we have experienced has altered our historical way of delivering services to the public.”

The budget will increase the tax rate from $9.98 to $10.09 per $1,000 of assessed property. About $2.20 of that rate is support for towns and villages in the county, including prosecution of vehicle and traffic offenses, AIM-related payments, a sales tax distribution of $1,366,671 and $2,050,000 in community college chargebacks.

The budget also keeps the solid waste and recycling fee at $216 for the year, maintains e-waste sites at three locations in the county, and will continue the annual household hazardous waste collection event which includes residential tires.

The county has benefitted from sales tax revenues that are up over $1 million this year, driven by a significant increase in sales tax from sales over the internet.

The county’s contributions to the pension system also will be decreased by about 20 percent due to a stronger Stock Market on March 31, 2021, compared to a year earlier. However, health insurance premiums are projected to increase 37.1 percent, fueled by a hike in pharmaceutical costs, Welch said.

The county is reducing two positions overall from a workforce of 439. But that is due to eliminating some part-time positions and making full-time jobs in an effort to fill vacant positions. The county, like the private sector, has struggled to fill some jobs. There are currently 17 positions open in the county government.

“In the past we have been able to utilize part-time positions to supplement our operations,” Welch said. “However, part-time positions are now harder to fill than full-time positions.”

The county is planning to use $1.6 million of its American Rescue Plan Act for over $800,000 in deferred maintenance to its buildings and properties, as well as fiber-loop project to improve the computer network between our buildings. The county also will invest in the computer services department for mobile technology for employees and also to improve security to protect against ransomware attacks.

The federal ARPA money will also fund five full-time positions, Welch said.