Onondaga County legislators vote Tuesday on their version of the $1.7 billion county budget. While they didn’t add any spending, some residents called on the new Democratic majority to take bolder action at last week's public hearing.
Many wanted the county to do more to minimize Micron’s environmental impacts. Long-time activist Aggie Lane urged lawmakers to prevent Lake Ontario from becoming another Onondaga Lake by properly upgrading the Oak Orchard treatment plant in Clay.
“The budget for the upgrade must ensure that it includes processes that prevents Micron’s toxic chemicals from flowing into the receiving waters," she said. "And whatever the cost, it must be passed on to Micron.”
Syracuse resident Maria Revelles agreed. She's an organizer at Jobs to Move America.
“I encourage the county to be transparent about all funding and decisions surrounding Micron and related projects and pursue enforceable commitment that will hold Micron accountable to be a good neighbor," she said.
Registered nurse and community doula Sequoia Kemp wanted more funding set aside for community health care organizations.
“We use a community health model where the participants are the center of our needs. And so why not use a two-pronged approach?" she said. "While the county health department has their initiatives, we have shown that our community trusts us. We are trusted messengers, and we've also helped to improve the outcomes in our community over the past decade.”
Others are more satisfied. Shamika Drummond said she’s pleased the legislature allocated funding for six new child welfare case workers. She’s an advocate at Restoreforlife, a youth social services organization.
“Please publicly report whether this investment reduces caseloads and leads to early, more effective support for children and families, and include families with lived experience when evaluating those results," she said.
It’s not clear if legislators will make any last-minute changes before they vote.
