Onondaga County lawmakers hold first committee hearing on youth services

Families worried about youth mental health, lead exposure and the county’s child safety net will get a first test of Onondaga County’s new political order this week, as lawmakers open committee hearings that can shape policy before a vote is locked in. The Health & Human Services Committee is taking testimony on services for children and teens, a shift that comes after Democrats won control of the Legislature in 2025 and used their new majority to loosen the chamber’s long-standing rules on public input.

The hearing is the first held under an April 2026 change that lets each of the Legislature’s six standing committees hold its own public hearings. For decades, residents generally could speak only at the start of a legislative session, just before lawmakers voted. Democrats said the new process gives residents a chance to weigh in earlier, while Republicans raised concerns about the new format, the venue and the amount of authority given to committee chairs.

The committee has scheduled two chances for testimony: May 13 at 12 p.m. in Legislature Chambers at the Onondaga County Courthouse, and May 14 at 6 p.m. in the Salt City Market Community Room, 484 S. Salina St. in Syracuse. County lawmakers said the noon session is meant to make room for people who work during the day, and residents can also send written comments to legislature@onondaga.gov.

Dan Romeo, who chairs the committee, said the goal is to hear from as many people as possible because the problems affecting children and families are wide-ranging and complicated. The committee oversees the County Health Department and Child and Family Services, including youth mental health, lead poison prevention, maternal and child health, and access to food and care. County budget documents also show support for Medicaid, Temporary Assistance, Special Children’s Services, Child Welfare, daycare and lead funding.

The hearing comes against a familiar backdrop in Syracuse and across Onondaga County, where chronic absenteeism and educational neglect have already forced lawmakers to look hard at child welfare. In 2024, Romeo and Charles Garland publicly questioned Children and Family Services about those problems, after Syracuse City School District data showed about 49.6% of middle and high school students were chronically absent in the 2023-24 school year, with 586 students missing more than 100 days of class.

Nicole Watts has described the committee-hearing system as a limited trial for the rest of 2026, with hearings not expected to be frequent or lengthy. For families waiting on services that touch a child’s health, safety and ability to stay in school, the question now is whether this new power structure will lead to faster answers.