“It's Cheaper”: fact sheet on moving county social services out of downtown

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"It's Cheaper”

On 2/18/86 a motion to reconsider moving Department of Social Services
offices out of downtown Ithaca was defeated by the newly elected County
Board of Representatives. The ostensible reason given by most representatives
was based on financial data alleging that hospital space could be converted
into office space for $7.00 a square foot. Later meetings revealed that the
way the County intends to maintain that low cost is to undercut prevailing
wage laws. The County intends to work on this public project utilizing public
funds by hiring workers to do painting and fix up under the civil services
classification of cleaner at an annual salary of $10,156. Further, the
conversion plan does not provide for compliance with New York State Building
and Fire Code Regulations. The move is vehemently opposed by CSEA, that
maintains that the plan does not meet County space needs responsibly. The
County intends to hide total cost of the project by stringing -it:out over
years and expecting the workers to shoulder the burdens and inconvenience of
such a move with the tax payer ultimately picking up the tax.

A coalition (including CSEA) entitled RESCIND can be reached at the
local CSEA office, 273-8353. They aré asking people to contact their

Representatives asking for a vote to RESCIND resolutions to move county
offices to the old hospital building.

In a year when the County is already discussing a 20% tax increase
allegedly because of loss of revenue sharing, they found over $90,000 to

convert the hospital to office space. The hospital should be sold, returned
to tax roles and rehabilitated by local labor!

The following Representatives voted to move county offices:

Watros -- 844-8100
Proto -— 539-6499
Surtliff -—- 898-3601
Winch -—- 564-7813
Mason -- 387-9048
Tillapaugh -- 272-5958
True == 272-4706
‘Howell -- 533-4306