AUBURN - Cayuga County Legislators have been unable to agree on a solution for the Community Mental Health Center's problems for more than a year.

Given that history, the unanimous vote that the Legislature offered Tuesday under the threat of state sanctions may be a positive step.

The county is considering a move of mental health services from offices at 157 W. Genesee St. and 146 North St. to vacant space at Auburn Memorial Hospital. The unanimous embracing of that option might give it more traction than a $3 million renovation plan that never made it to the Legislature floor.

The state Office of Mental Health is prepared to withhold $750,000 in annual aid if the county doesn't act to solve problems cited in March 2006 that include inadequate space in the basement of the Historic Post Office, lack of privacy and incomplete records. Some of the issues, particularly those with the facilities, date back to 1999.

“It's something we've not dragged our feet on,” said Legislator Peter Tortorici, who cosponsored the AMH resolution presented Tuesday. “We were working on things that would take care of the problem, but we couldn't get together on spending the money at the Historic Post Office.

“I think the leadership that was pushing the Historic Post Office went down that path and didn't want to deviate from that,” he said.

Plans to renovate the Community Mental Health Clinic in the basement of the Historic Post Office made it as far as the Ways and Means Committee as recently as August, when three resolutions to proceed were pulled.

Legislature Chairman George Fearon believes part of the problem lies in the vacancy of two Legislature seats.

“I think that the fact that the legislative body hasn't had a full complement has made it difficult to move forward on this and other issues,” Fearon said.

Both solutions to the mental health sanctions require a two-thirds majority to get started. When weighted voting is considered, a proposal might be defeated by opposition from just three legislators, Fearon said, noting that the move to AMH may have a better chance at success because it will likely cost less.

“It's going to be driven by the numbers, if the other option is better for the taxpayer, that's the direction we'll take,” Fearon said.

Moving mental health services makes sense now because of recent consolidation and new administration at the hospital, Tortorici said. The taller and more immediate hurdle may be improving communications between the Legislature, overseeing Community Services Board and the mental health services director.

“I think part of problem has been communication between all of the bodies involved,” Fearon said. “There are three entities that need to be working together.”

The Community Services Board meets today and is expected to discuss the state's actions. Fearon anticipates more legislative action on mental health services either at or before the November meeting.

Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net