State tax collections through the first three quarters of the fiscal year are down, According to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The decline was 2.2% or around $1.2 billion, which is about $30 million lower than mid-year projections. DiNapoli’s report showed that there was Significant increases in spending for Medicaid and other public health programs.
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New regulations will be issued by the New York State Department of State, requiring structural inspections of above-ground parking garages. The State does not currently have laws or regulations requiring public or private parking garages to undergo structural inspections, only fire and general safety rules. The regulations follow the collapse of a parking ramp at Wilson Memorial Hospital in Johnson City in July 2015, and the November 2015 closure of the Collier Street parking ramp in Binghamton, due to safety concerns. The State Department of State will soon begin drafting the regulations.
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The head of New York State’s Public Service Commission is stepping down to take a job in Australia. Audrey Zibelman announced her departure Monday, she will stay on until the end of March before going to work for the Australian Energy Market Operator, which oversees electricity and natural gas markets and networks.
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Governor Cuomo announced the state would invest up to $20 million for major upgrades at Whiteface and Gore Mountains to attract more visitors to the upstate region in the winter time. The investments will enhance the current facilities at Gore and Whiteface Mountains and create state-of-the art skiing, lodging, dining and retail opportunities and year-round activities. The project will be the first major upgrade at both Whiteface and Gore in 30 years.
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The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School will hold an information session in conjunction with the regular Board of Education Meeting tonight, which starts at 6:30 PM with the business portion of the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. A special Board Meeting will be held tonight for Board members to vote on SEQRA and the Capital Project, which will likely go before the public for a vote in March.

Chenango County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Matthew Maclaury of Oxford for aggravated driving while intoxicated and DWI after a report of a 2-car accident on County Road 32 in the Town of Norwich it was found that Maclaury went off the roadway and struck a parked vehicle & that Maclaury was driving with a blood alcohol content of .18 or higher. Maclaury will appear in the Town of Norwich Court at a later date.
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Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the guilty plea of 44 year old Darin Cox of Johnson City, who is the owner and operator of Broome Taxi, for his fraudulent actions in obtaining over $3,000 from the Medicaid system by operating his business without the licensing necessary to operate a taxicab in Broome County. Cox pleaded guilty to 1 count of Grand Larceny, he faces a sentence of up to 7 years in prison.
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Governor Cuomo today announced the opening of the $12.3 million “Binghamton Gateway,” which is a 37-unit affordable housing development located on Front Street, for low-income New Yorkers, six of which are designed to support people who have physical disabilities. The project rehabilitated 11 buildings and constructed a new mixed-use building with 2 commercial storefronts and 10 residential units on the site of the former Lincoln Hotel that was destroyed by fire.
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The State DEC announced the renewal of 2 general permits for technical programs designed to reduce the potential for water pollution on large livestock farms. The permits provide new requirements for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations to ensure proper management of nutrients while increasing water quality protection. Governor Cuomo’s proposal for the $2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 will also invest resources for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and other water quality protection across the state, including funds for ensuring proper management and storage of nutrients such as manure on farms.
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Gwen Wright, of the State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence will deliver Governor Cuomo’s Regional Budget Briefing today in Delhi. The presentation will begin at 1:00 PM at SUNY Delhi.
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The Otsego County IDA will hold a public hearing this morning on the State Eminent Domain Procedure Law at 11:00 AM at their offices at 189 Main Street, Oneonta. The purpose of the hearing is to outline and/or describe the proposed acquisition by the Agency of the parcels commonly known as the Ford Block at Market Street in Oneonta.
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