# Chemung County Legislature — Clarification of Resolution 15-114 (2015 shared services)

**Meeting date:** ~2025-10-02 (Chemung County Legislature regular session)
**Source:** citizenportal.ai article 5897123, published 2025-10-05
**URL:** https://citizenportal.ai/articles/5897123 (also article 6427059)
**Nature of source:** AI-generated summary of the public meeting video by citizenportal.ai.
Treat specifics (names, exact figures) as needing confirmation against the official
meeting minutes / video; archived here as a research lead, not an audited primary source.

## Key facts established

- **Resolution 15-114** is the 2015 Chemung County resolution that authorized the
  City–County shared-service agreements. (Confirms the "15-114" reference.)
- At this meeting the Legislature **adopted a clarifying amendment to 15-114**:
  any termination of agreements entered under that 2015 resolution now **requires the
  Legislature's expressed consent** (mover: legislator "John"; second: "Marty"; approved).
  Driven in part by concern that the buildings-and-grounds transition had earlier been
  handled without a clear legislative vote.

## Services bundled under the 2015 (15-114) arrangement (per city presentation)

Presented by Mike Collins (Elmira City Manager) and Charmaine Cartan (Elmira City Chamberlain):
1. Shared **health insurance**
2. **DPW (streets)**
3. **Buildings and grounds**
4. **Chamberlain services**  ← not previously identified
5. **IT**

## City's financial figures (as presented by Elmira officials)

- City **sales-tax share fell from 12.33% (2014)** to as low as **7.87%**, currently ~**8.167%**.
  (NOTE: this is the city's *percentage share of county sales tax* — a different framing
  than the "50/50 -> 66/34" characterization in some news coverage. Prefer the city's
  own 12.33% -> 8.167% figures, but reconcile both before publishing.)
- Cumulative **lost sales-tax receipts since 2015 ≈ $22.8 million** (city's figure).
- **38.55% of city property parcels are tax-exempt** (e.g., NYS, Chemung County,
  Arnot-Ogden Medical Center, Elmira College, Elmira City School District).
- **Buildings & grounds:** returned to the city; city repaying ~**$900,000 over 5 years**
  (~$181,000/yr) for previously incurred county costs.
- **IT:** county did not bill promptly, then charged the city in later years, causing
  lumpy cost increases in **2022–2024**.

## County position (Exec. Chris Moss)

- Offered gradual transition of **DPW back to the city over 4 years** with county continuing
  to cover fringe; estimated fully-restored city cost at **~$2,000,000/yr** all-in.
- Says he will keep negotiating; any change must preserve county fiscal stability.

## Still needed (primary sources)

- The actual text of **Resolution 15-114** and the **Feb 15, 2015 Public Works Shared
  Service Agreement** (county legislative clerk / FOIL; city clerk for countersigned copy).
- Official **meeting minutes / video** for this Oct 2025 session to confirm the above.
- City's **2026 budget materials** documenting the $22.8M and the sales-tax-share figures.