BATH - Implementation of the state’s complex Raise The Age (RTA) legislation tops the list of Steuben County events during 2018. Other notable events in 2018 included opening the long-awaited County Office Building Annex, the September rain storm and road damage, and significant strides in public health.
➢ Public Health also completed the next step towards national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board through a site visit from board reviewers. The reviewers met with Steuben legislators, community partners, and Public Health employees. Public Health expects to be awarded national accreditation status in 2019.
- • Raise The Age legislation The county Legislature approved their annual budget in November with $1.5 million in estimated costs to carry out the first phase of RTA, which will prevent children 16 years of age from being jailed with adults. The state has pledged to reimburse for all such costs, providing the county remains compliant each year with the property tax cap. In October 2019, 17-year-olds will be covered by the law. What complicates the issue for Steuben and many counties is the need to provide a remedial response to teens whose actions pose a threat to the community, their loved ones and themselves. The cost to the county of transporting the troubled teens to the nearest available detention facilities in Albany or Rochester would be steep and impose a hardship county operations and staffing and on families, according to county Manager Jack Wheeler. More central locations for a facility are being considered by Steuben and nearby counties but no site has been selected.
- • The Annex Long seen as an answer to crowded conditions at the County Office Building, and due to increasing demands by the state court system, the three-story Annex opened Oct. 11. The Annex, located on East Morris Street now houses the county Board of Elections offices and electronic voting machines, and a current records storage area on the first floor. Cornell Cooperative Extension Steuben County, a demonstration kitchen and multi-purpose conference center are located on the second floor with the third floor vacant to allow for expansion as needed. Construction of the annex and a long-term records storage facility on Mount Washington overseen by the county Legislature’s special Space Committee, with the $8.7 million cost paid for through a low-interest bond and county reserves.
- • September Storm County roads were closed after an unexpectedly severe thunderstorm dropped 2-4 inches of rain in an hour around 8 p.m. in the southern regions of the county. The sheer power of the falling rain, which raged over river banks to cross roadways and fields, carved roads into rubble, downed trees and flattened homes. County Road 127 in the Town of Woodhull and CR 85 in the town of Tuscarora sustained the most damage, with the Woodhull to Osceola, Pa. route opened to local traffic within a couple of days. Repair work on CR 85 took more than a month to complete. The $189,000 cost of repairs did not rise to the level required for assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and was paid for by changing the county Public Works’ fall road work schedule.
- • Public Health The Steuben Public Health Department celebrated its 100th Anniversary of serving residents and set into motion two major steps toward improving services in the future:
➢ Public Health also completed the next step towards national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board through a site visit from board reviewers. The reviewers met with Steuben legislators, community partners, and Public Health employees. Public Health expects to be awarded national accreditation status in 2019.
