Local News: September 7, 2023

- Ithaca Negotiations For New Host Payments With Cornell Breakdown -

Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis issued a statement on September 7 saying that negotiations with Cornell University for a new voluntary payment agreement had failed. Lewis says negotiations ended on August 11. In her statement, Lewis says Cornell owns almost half of Ithaca’s assessed property that would be worth $33 million in property taxes if the university was not tax-exempt. The City asked the Ivy League school to increase their payments to 25% of that or about $8 million. The mayor says negotiations took place between April and August but ended when Cornell said they would pay no more than $3.15 million. The university’s payment this year was $1.6 million.

Cornell is not alone in making voluntary payment agreements with its host city. In 2021, Yale University agreed to pay the city of New Haven $135 million over six years. This year, Princeton University announced an agreement with the City of Princeton that included paying $14.5 million over five years to the city’s public school district.

- Masks Are Mandatory at Cayuga Health Facilities Again -

Cayuga Health Systems is again requiring all patients, staff, and visitors to wear masks in all of its facilities. The policy goes into effect on September 7. The health provider says they’ve made the change for three reasons: the increased presence of the coronavirus in community wastewater, the rise in cases locally, and the recent increase in cases among staff.