[Call to Order]
[a. 2024-0527 – PLANNING RE: AUTHORIZATION FOR ONEIDA COUNTY TO APPLY TO EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT’S CONNECTALL OFFICE, MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM PHASE 3 GRANT OF UP TO $2,420,047 TO INSTALL BROADBAND INTERNET SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT ONEIDA COUNTY]
[00:00:23]
I MEAN, IT NEEDED TO COME TO YOU GUYS AFTER WE HAD APPLIED BECAUSE THE WINDOW WAS TOO SHORT TO GET IT HERE. AND THEN, ON TOP OF THAT, CONNECT ALL, REQUIRES THAT KIND OF APPROVAL. NOT EVERY GRANT DOES, BUT THIS ONE DOES. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S COMING NOW, IT'S 2.4 MILLION. IF WE GET IT, THAT WILL AUGMENT THE 2 MILLION WE'RE ALREADY DOING, AND SHOULD GET US A PRETTY FAR WAY ALONG OF COMPLETING EVERY HOME WITHIN KIND OF A 20 AND UP CLUSTER. CAN WE BUILD ANY RADIO TOWERS WITH THAT MONEY? I WAS JUST ASKING. NO, DEFINITELY MORE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU CAN'T ASK ME ABOUT IT, QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE. LORI QUESTION, TURN THIS ON. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY.
I CAN. YES. GOOD, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA YET AS TO WHERE IT'S, GOING TO BE PLACED THROUGHOUT THE ONEIDA COUNTY? YEAH, BECAUSE WE'RE ALREADY DOING IT. SO WE'VE ALREADY WE'VE ALREADY HAD A $2 MILLION PROGRAM OF COUNTY FUNDS. WE'VE ALREADY MAPPED THOSE MISSING KIND OF PIECES AND CLUSTERED THOSE INTO, WHAT WE WOULD CALL POLYGONS OF CLUSTERS OF HOMES WHERE THERE'S NO BROADBAND AND SO WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT. YEAH. SO WE HAVE A GOOD SCOPE OF THAT TO KNOW. AND EVERYBODY'S GOING TO END UP HAVING IT SUPPOSEDLY. WELL, NOT EVERYBODY BUT BUT A BIG CHUNK OF, OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE IT IF YOU'RE IF YOU'RE IN SOME PLACE AND YOU'RE THE ONLY HOUSE IN FIVE MILES, YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE OUT OF LUCK. BUT CLUSTERS OF 20 AND UP. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. ALL SET. LORI? YES. FURTHER QUESTIONS. COMMITTEE RICK. THIS CLOSE? NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY. IT'S BASICALLY ABOUT HOW MUCH BANG FOR OUR BUCK SO FAR. YOU SAID WE'VE SPENT ALMOST 2 MILLION. WE HAVEN'T SPENT 2 MILLION. WE'VE ALLOCATED 2 MILLION. WE'VE SPENT A LOT LESS THAN THAT. BUT IT'S STARTING TO COME RAPIDLY. WE'VE PASSED. WE'VE PASSED 300 HOMES ALREADY BY THE KIND OF THE, I WOULD SAY THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025, IT'LL BE UP AROUND 700 HOMES. IT'S ABOUT 2.3 PEOPLE PER HOME IN ONEIDA COUNTY. THAT'S THE AVERAGE. SO IF YOU DO THE MATH, IT'S YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO BE UP AROUND, IF WE'RE LUCKY, OVER 1500. PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS BEFORE THAT WILL HAVE ACCESS NOW, AND SOME OTHER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED KIND OF ORGANICALLY FROM THAT THAT HAS ADDED MORE PLACES. PLACES, YOU KNOW, LIKE VIENNA THAT HAS, ADDED SOME OF THEIR OWN MONEY INTO THAT AND THEN IS ALSO SPENT MONEY WITH THE COMPANY THAT IS DOING DID THE WORK OUT THERE TO EXPAND EVEN MORE? I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER OF HOMES, BUT IT'S ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER MANY. BUT, SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE CASE THERE. SO. SO YOU SAID VIENNA.
WHAT OTHER. YEAH. SO IT'S I DON'T HAVE THEM ALL IN FRONT OF ME, BUT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
VIENNA. FORESTPORT. AVA BOONVILLE, AUGUSTA. I WANT TO SAY, LEE. I WANT TO SAY LEE.
PART OF ROME. THERE'S A COUPLE MORE. I GOTTA, I GOTTA, I GOTTA GO LOOK. BUT THE. BUT MOSTLY IN THE NORTHERN GOING WEST AND SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTIES, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE DON'T HAVE BROADBAND INTERNET. IRONICALLY, THOSE ARE THE AREAS WE HAVE PROBLEMS WITH INTEROPERABILITY IN OUR RADIOS. SO YEAH, THEY'RE NOT I MEAN, IT'S THEY'RE UNRELATED KIND OF EFFORTS. THE BUT YEAH, BECAUSE THIS IS THIS IS ABOUT THIS IS WE'RE LAYING FIBER WIRE, RIGHT? SO WE'RE LAYING, FIBER OPTIC OPTIC CABLE BASICALLY TO GIVE PEOPLE ACCESS TO BROADBAND. NOW, THE HOMES WE PASSED VERSUS THE HOMES THAT DECIDE TO SIGN UP ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT THE RATE OF SIGNUPS HAS BEEN GOOD. SOME PEOPLE IN THOSE AREAS HAVE LIKE A HUGHESNET, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH COMES WITH A TWO YEAR UNBREAKABLE CONTRACT. SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE, WE'RE IN AS SOON AS I CAN GET RID OF THIS CONTRACT. RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHAT THE COMPANY THAT'S DOING THAT THEY'RE WORKING THOSE THINGS OUT, BUT THEY'VE HAD GREAT RESPONSE. THE SPEED IS 100 UP AND 100 DOWN. JUST VERY GOOD, THERE IS A PRICE IN WHICH THEY CAN CHARGE THAT THEY CAN'T GO OVER. IT'S A MARKET VALUE. I THINK IT'S 30 SOMETHING DOLLARS A MONTH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THE AND IT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL AS FAR AS THAT GOES IN THE PROJECTS HAVE MOVED FAST. WE RAN INTO A LITTLE BIT OF AN ISSUE IN BOONVILLE AND REMSEN, WHICH IS SOLVED NOW, I THINK OR ON ITS WAY TO BEING SOLVED ANYWAY, ABOUT RIGHT OF WAY ACCESS THAT HELD THEM UP THERE A LITTLE BIT. AUGUSTA HAS THE BIGGEST CHUNK IN ONE CLUSTER IS 300. THAT'S, THAT'LL BE DONE
[00:05:02]
SHORTLY. I DON'T WANT TO SAY SHORTLY, BUT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. WHO WAS THAT IN AUGUSTA? AUGUSTA? YEAH I'LL SAY IT RIGHT. I GUESS A FOLLOW UP. NOT TO YOU, BUT FELLOW LEGISLATORS, VIENNA AND NORTHERN COUNTRIES, STEVE. AND OBVIOUSLY COLLIN DOWN IN THE SOUTHERN TIER, MAYBE AT WAYS AND MEANS. I'LL ASK YOU GUYS SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE YOU'RE PART OF WAYS AND MEANS. WHAT KIND OF BENEFIT HAVE YOU SEEN? HAVE YOU SEEN ANY POSITIVE FEEDBACK? YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S A QUESTION I'LL ASK. YEAH. NORM'S YOUR GUY FOR THAT. THE. YEAH. WE'VE HEARD, WE'VE HEARD, WE'VE HEARD LOTS OF GOOD THINGS. I MEAN, FROM PEOPLE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WE ALSO SPOT CHECK THE SERVICE. RIGHT? SO WE'RE REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED UP, HAVE THE SERVICE FROM ADIRONDACK TEXT, WHICH IS THE COMPANY. NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS. IT'S WORKING. THEY'RE RESPONSIVE BECAUSE THEY'RE A FULL SERVICE PROVIDER, ISP PROVIDER. THEY'RE DOING THE YOU KNOW, YOU'LL SEE THEIR TRUCKS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND, YOU KNOW, TO DO THE REST OF THE SETUP. SO GREAT. THANKS, JAMES. NO PROBLEM. GOOD THING STEVE. I JUST WANT TO SAY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR SURE. I SERVE ON THE SUPPORT TO THE COUNCIL TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THAT TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT. THAT'S WHY. YEAH. THAT'S WHY BOONVILLE AND REMSEN WOULD BE YOU KNOW, WAS A WAS A BIG PIECE OF IT BECAUSE ADIRONDACK SCHOOL DISTRICT YOU KNOW SPENDS THE PANDEMIC REMOTE AND 90% OF THE KIDS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO BROADBAND INTERNET. SO THEY WERE LIKE, YOU KNOW, OUT IN FRONT OF A LIBRARY, CATCHING A WI-FI TO GO TO GO TO CLASS.THESE ARE THE THINGS WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO AVOID. SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO FINISH THIS AND DO THAT. SO JEFF, SO JAMES, BEFORE YOU GO WITH A FOLLOW UP WITH RICK SAYING, OUR COLLEAGUES AND KNOWING I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN PROVIDE EITHER A MAP OF SOME OF IT BREAKOUT OR SOME DATA HOMES JUST FOR COLLEAGUES TO TAKE, MAYBE BACK TO THEIR LOCAL. SO YEAH, MAYBE IF YOU GOT THAT AT WAYS AND MEANS, THEY MIGHT REQUEST AND REMEMBER THE AREAS I GAVE YOU, THE AREAS WERE WERE DOING, HAVE DONE DOING OR ARE ABOUT TO DO. SO JUST REMEMBER, THEY'RE NOT ALL DONE YET. FAIR ENOUGH. YES, WE CAN DO THAT. THANK YOU. JAMES, SEEING NO OTHER QUESTIONS, WE'LL PROCEED TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? SAY
[b. 2024-0603 – WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT RE: APPROVAL OF REVENUE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY, THROUGH ITS OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE]
NO. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ON TO DOCKET TWO IS 2024 0603. AND WE HAVE WITH US TONIGHT THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT IN PERSON IN THE HOUSE. EVEN ON A DAY.THAT IS A NICE DAY IN DISCUSSION BEFORE US, SAID, WHY AM I ACTUALLY HERE ON SUCH A NICE DAY? BUT, IN THIS DOCKET IS APPROVAL OF REVENUE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ONEIDA COUNTY THROUGH OFFICE OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND MVCC. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, DAVE, I ASKED YOU MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF OVERVIEW ON SOME OF THOSE GRANTS. YEAH. WELL PROCESS AND SOME OF THE MONEY, ESPECIALLY FOR COLLEAGUES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN HERE LONG. YEAH, I WILL DO THAT. I'M ALSO WEARING A TIE THIS EVENING. CHECK THAT AND NOTE THAT, PLEASE. YES PLEASE NOTE THAT BECAUSE I NOTICED EVERYBODY ELSE IS WELL DRESSED. YES. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME, MY NAME IS DAVE MATHIS. I'VE BEEN WITH ONEIDA COUNTY AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, 44 YEARS. I WAS HIRED INITIALLY BY THE LATE SHERWOOD BOEHLERT, WHO WAS OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE, AND SIX YEARS LATER, I WAS APPOINTED TO THIS JOB IN 86. BY THE LATE JACK PLUMLEY. SO JUST A LITTLE HISTORY, MY OFFICE RUNS THE WORKFORCE INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITY ACT, WHICH IS FEDERALLY FUNDED, AND WE WORK WITH DISADVANTAGED ADULTS, TO HELP THEM GET INTO EMPLOYMENT. ADULTS WHO ARE TRANSITIONING FROM ONE JOB TO THE OTHER OR INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO UPGRADE THEIR SKILLS, WE HELP THEM, WITH FUNDING TO GO TO MVCC OR SUNY POLY OR UTICA COLLEGE OR BOCES. WE DO A LOT WITH THEM ALSO. THIS PARTICULAR, GRANT THAT WE WORK WITH MOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK I THOUGHT MAYBE TEN YEARS, BUT IT COULD BE LONGER. IT'S REALLY A SHARED AGREEMENT. MVCC. PICKS UP ABOUT $33,000 IN MY GRANT WRITERS. FUNDING. AND IN TURN, HE WRITES GRANTS FOR MVCC. AND I WAS SAYING EARLIER, PROBABLY OVER THE LAST 10 OR 12 YEARS, ENVY HAS PROBABLY BEEN AWARDED ABOUT $75 MILLION IN GRANT FUNDS. AND SO IT'S BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR BOTH THE COLLEGE AND ALSO FOR, FOR ME, BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO BE INVOLVED WITH ENVY AND KIND OF
[00:10:01]
LOVE ENVY, JUST LIKE I LOVE ONEIDA COUNTY. SO IT'S A GOOD PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO AND, ENVY BUDGETS. EVERY YEAR THEY COME TO US, DOCTOR VAN WAGNER AND SEE IF, WE WOULD BE WILLING TO CONTINUE THE RELATIONSHIP. SO WE DO, JUST TO ADD A LITTLE BIT, ALSO, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH MADISON COUNTY AND ALSO HERKIMER. WE HAVE A CONSORTIUM THAT WAS STARTED WITH HERKIMER COUNTY IN 83, AND MADISON COUNTY JOINED IN 84, WHERE WE WORK TOGETHER ALONG WITH THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD, WHICH OVERSEES US, JUST A SIDE. MY OFFICE ALSO ADMINISTERS THE SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM. WANT TO THANK THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT, THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE COMPTROLLER'S OFFICE, BECAUSE WE PUT THIS SUMMER, WE PUT ABOUT 440 YOUTH TO WORK. AND WE HAVE TO DO THAT IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AND I HAVE ABOUT A STAFF OF ABOUT 25 HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. AND IF YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS, THEY DON'T ALWAYS LISTEN. SO WE DO A LOT OF CORRECTIONS DURING THE SUMMER.AND BUT THE PROGRAM I THINK HAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL. AND WE ALSO ADMINISTER THE ONEIDA COUNTY COLLEGE CORE THAT'S FUNDED ENTIRELY BY, ONEIDA COUNTY. AND THIS SUMMER, IT LOOKS LIKE WE SERVED ABOUT 150, COLLEGE INTERNS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. AND IT'S PROVED TO PROBABLY BE ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS. WHEN YOU SAY RICH, IT HAS IT'S IMPROVED TREMENDOUSLY. YES. THANK YOU. I'LL SEE YOU THERE. WE HAVE HISTORY. WE HAVE? YEAH, WE HAVE HISTORY. BUT YOU IMPROVED ON IT. AND THERE WERE SOME. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. THERE WERE SOME HICCUPS ALONG THE WAY, BUT WHEN YOU TOOK IT OVER. YEAH, QUITE HONESTLY, WE GOT SOME GOOD REPORTING, AND, IT'S GONE WELL. AND I THINK OVER THE, OVER THE YEARS, IT REALLY HAS GOTTEN BETTER AND BETTER. AND WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY GOOD EMPLOYERS. AND PROBABLY SOMETIME EITHER IN OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER, I'D LIKE TO COME BACK AND GIVE THIS COMMITTEE A REAL OVERVIEW OF ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE RAN THIS SUMMER, BECAUSE I THINK WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, IN BOTH THE COLLEGE STUDENTS WE SERVE, BUT ALSO THE DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS THAT WE WORK WITH. VERY GOOD.
AND SO I TAKE THAT AS FULLY ENDORSED. YOUR POSITION ON US APPROVING THIS. CORRECT? YES, KEN, I KNOW YOU'RE NEW TO IT, BUT DAVE ON THE SIDE MIGHT REVIEW RESUMES. IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES AND STUFF YOU WANT TO GET THEM INFORMATION THERE, BUT ANY QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE? I DO HAVE ONE. I KNEW THAT YOU, RUSS DAVIS, HE'S BEEN A GRANT WRITER FOR A LITTLE OVER 20 YEARS. YEAH PRETTY GOOD BANG FOR OH, YOU'VE GOTTEN I HATE TO SAY, BECAUSE HE'S BEEN UTILIZED BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUT I'M GOING TO PUT IT UP SOMEWHERE AROUND MAYBE 150, $160 MILLION THAT HAS COME INTO ONEIDA COUNTY FROM HIS EFFORTS. IF I'M RECALLING CORRECTLY, HE USED TO WORK FOR THE OLD. YES, GOT DISMISSED. AND THANK YOU. COUNTY PICKED UP RICK. YES ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMITTEE? SEEING NONE WILL PROCEED TO VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. ALL OPPOSED? SAY NO. MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY. ANY FURTHER? NEW BUSINESS. MARY. MOTION TO ADJOURN. THANK YOU.
SECONDED BY STEVE. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.