LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Response to Tax Exemption for Volunteer First Responders

They're certainly no longer volunteers now that they're essentially being compensated with taxpayer money. ey're also incentivized to buy as much property as possible just like Cornell and IC do, since real property in and near Ithaca tends to appreciate, and these re ghters and EMTs can just sell it later in order to pro t from capital gains without ever having to pay any property tax along the way. What prompted this move? Was there a shortage of volunteers? I thought there existed other perks to being a volunteer like you could essentially live at the re station rent free.

Richard Ballantyne

Response to Tax Exemption for Volunteer First Responders

Congratulations is in order! is one of the better ideas I have seen come from a local government body. ese volunteers spend countless hours and training just to be prepared to serve , protect, and even save our lives. is will also provide a small incentive to help maintain sta ng. If these volunteers were being paid the going rates it would equate to way more than the 10% of what they will save in property taxes.

John Butler

Response to Cornell Tax Exempt Article

Margherita Fabrizio’s excellent February 15 article about Cornell’s nancial contribution to Ithaca hints at another key driver of the City’s high tax rate: our geography is simply too limited to warrant being a municipality distinct from the Town. Over a decade ago a working group chaired by the late Tom Niederkorn was tasked with examining opportunities for municipal cooperation, consolidation, and shared services. at Tompkins County consists of 16 municipalities is an historical artifact that handicaps good governance. e working group’s conclusion was that sharing services in public safety, public works, parks and recreation, and youth programs could save substantial resources. Formal mergers were seen as politically impractical in light of municipalities’ natural reluctance to give up identity and autonomy, even if consolidation would improve service delivery and tax rates in the long run. A boost in Cornell’s contribution is important but not a panacea. And the City can’t grow its way out of its nancial woes. Despite a surge in commercial development and number of apartment units, costs and taxes in the City have only continued their inexorable increases. Perhaps its time for County, City, and Town o cials to revisit the consolidation/shared services idea?

Ellen McCollister

Response to “Downtown Ithaca 25 Years Later”

I've lived in Ithaca for the last 45 years. e Commons was new, and Center Ithaca was still a dream. I enjoy seeing downtown grow up. e leadership of the DIA, the City of Ithaca, Cornell, banks, and developers are to be commended for encouraging and enabling the growth of downtown. e whole is greater than the sum of its parts. ank you Gary & Joe for your work over many decades.

Dwight Mengel

Response to Possible Renovations of Public Safety Building

Justice becomes injustice if it isn't blind to things like race or gender. Hypothetically, if 100% of crimes were committed by white women then only white women should be in jail. e same is true for any race or gender combination. If you start giving individuals special privileges or mercy based on their race, then you incite racism. Even children can understand this basic principle.

Richard Ballantyne

Plans for Mirabito/Burger King Service Station

The planned Mirabito gas station/ convenience store/Burger King ts a corporate template. But does it t our community? Convenience stores, by siphoning o sales of high-margin items, have undermined the viability of neighborhood grocery stores across the country and created food deserts. e locally-owned East Hill P&C provides an important service in a location that no corporate grocery store chain would

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