City of Cortland Ward Walks
Meet the Mayor and your Council Member and have your voice heard!
Cortland Mayor Scott Steve and members of City Council will be coming to your neighborhood soon as part of a new outreach effort called Ward Walks. Over the next ten-weeks, starting at 5 p.m., city officials will walk the neighborhood and then gather in a community location for a forum. All residents are encouraged to participate! Check out the schedule and walking path on the City website.
Kudos to the mayor and City Council for making themselves available to the residents of Cortland.
Don’t know what to ask? Here’s some suggestions:
Housing. Housing - or lack of affordable housing - is a huge issue for Cortland. If you support affordable housing, let them know! If you support affordable housing builds in your neighborhood, even better - let them know! We saw a small group of residents kill the housing project proposed by INHS at the Parker School because most people who DO support housing, are not as vocal. Unsure if you support affordable housing? Ask what the income levels would be on typical projects (knowing that they can change depending on the source of funding). Break that down to an hourly wage. You may be surprised to find out that those who would qualify for affordable housing are your child care provider, an aide in a nursing home, a direct support professional working with the disabled population, your barista, or your cashier at the grocery store.
Housing - Do Cortland zoning policies allow for accessory dwelling units (ADUs)? If not, why not? Accessory dwelling units are smaller housing units attached to a larger, primary residence. Picture any kind of addition to your single-family house that you may be able to house an aging parent (a ‘granny flat’) — a tiny house in your backyard, an apartment over your garage, conversion of your basement. ADUs can help aging parents but also young people, small families, or anyone in need of affordable housing. ADUs are one option to address housing shortages and build density in a city. Learn more about ADUs.
Cuts in Federal Spending and Economic Uncertainty. How have the cuts in federal spending and staff affected Cortland? Any projects put on hold due to economic uncertainty? Any positions not filled? What proposed cuts are you most worried about impacting our area?
Proposed Cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. How many people in Cortland rely on Medicaid and Medicare for healthcare? (I presume a lot.) If the federal cuts go through, many people are worried about the impact on rural areas. Are we at risk of losing doctors and healthcare facilities?
Our Roads. Our roads look like a patchwork of filled (and not filled) potholes. What roads are slated for repaving?
Homelessness. With the closing of Grace Space and Salvation Army warming center on April 30, the unhoused population will not have a dedicated space to have their needs met (shelter, showers, power to recharge phones) until the fall. How is the City working to ensure we have year-round services? Where are the unhoused legally allowed to sleep at night?
I’m sure you’ll come up with more!