City Council

~AD HOC REPORT~ Budget Ad Hoc: Health & Human Services and Public Safety Tuesday, April 11, 2023 Chairman DiGilio called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Present were Committee Members Michael Esposito, Paul Rotello, Fred Visconti; absent was Michael Masi. From the City were Dan Garrick, Finance Director; Dean Esposito, Mayor; John Kleinhans, Mayor’s Office. Ex Officio Members present: Duane Perkins, and Ben Chianese. Representatives from the departments/entities were: Kara Prunty & Fernanda Carvalho, Health & Human Services; Tom Nicholas, Weights & Measures/Consumer Protection; Patrick Ridenhour, Police Chief; Michael Sturdevant, Deputy Police Chief; Richard Thode, Fire Chief; William Loundsbury, Deputy Fire Chief; Daniel Hayes, Veterans Affairs Director; Jim Schullery, Building Department; Susan Tomanio, Elderly Services Director; Matthew Cassavechia, Emergency Management Director & Ambulance Representative; Michael Safranek, Airport Administrator; Shawn Stillman, U.N.I.T. Director; and Rick Schreiner, HART Transportation; . Absent were representatives from: Registrar of Voters, Fair Rent Commission and Long Ridge Library. Present from the public were 3 unidentified individuals and Tom Brown, Resident. Mr. Safranek provided a brief overview of the following: Airport budget, saving and upgrades and addressed staffing and cross training with Mr. Rotello. Mr. Stillman provided a brief overview of the following: U.N.I.T. budget, service requests and operations outside of regular business hours, and weekend staffing challenges. He thanked the Mayor for allocating funds towards the U.N.I.T. budget and addressed Mr. Perkins’ questions about staffing. Mr. Hayes provided a brief overview of the following: Veterans Affairs budget, and community support and services for veterans. Ms. Tomanio provided a brief overview of the following: Elderly Services budget, and staffing needs. She thanked the Mayor and Mr. Garrick for funding the Program Coordinator position. Mr. Garrick clarified the budget summary with Mr. Chianese and Mr. Rotello. Mr. Schreiner provided a brief overview of the following: HART budget, program operations, staffing challenges, insurance challenges, and State funding. He clarified the budget with Mr. Rotello, and discussed bus stop shelters/weather stations & signage improvements with Mr. Chianese and Mr. Perkins. Ms. Prunty provided a brief overview of the following: Health & Human Services budget, staffing challenges due to a high demand of services. She discussed training needs and department operations with Mr. Rotello and Mr. Chianese. Mr. Nicohls provided a brief overview of the following: Weights & Measures/Consumer Protection budget, operations, and revenue growth. Mr. Schullery provided a brief overview of the following: Building budget, reorganization of the department, and staffing needs. He clarified the new Plumbing & Heating Inspector position with Mr. Visconti and addressed the hiring timeline with Mr. Chianese. Mr. Rotello suggested hiring more inspectors to help manage the rapid development growth in the City. Mr. Ridenhour provided a brief overview of the following: Animal Control budget, staffing costs, and facility maintenance. Mr. Cassavechia provided a brief overview of the following: Emergency Management (Civil Preparedness) & Ambulance Fund, community engagement and partnerships, vehicle replacement costs, recruitment efforts, and increased service requests. Mr. Ridenhour provided a brief overview of the following: Police Budget, increased staffing, and community support. He thanked the Mayor and City Council for funding the budget. He clarified the training timelines for entry-level officers vs. certified officers and transfer expectations with Mr. DiGilio and Mr. Visconti. He discussed additional hiring expectations with Mr. Rotello, and noted that the Police Department plans on continuing bicycle patrol in the City. Mr. Garrick clarified the equipment funding decrease with Mr. Chianese. Mr. Ridenhour confirmed the budget supports mental health initiatives with Mr. Perkins. Mr. Thode provided a brief overview of the following: Fire Department & Emergency Services Dispatch budget, mental health collaborations between the Fire, Police and Emergency Service departments and inflation challenges. He discussed staffing for open positions including; the TAC Unit, and Captain and Lieutenant positions with Mr. DiGilio, and addressed Mr. Visconti’s questions about the volunteer battalions and consolidation and funding. Furthermore, he discussed the development plans for the new headquarters and Fire Station 27 with Mr. Chianese. A motion made by Councilman Visconti, and seconded by Councilman Esposito, to move this Health & Human Services & Public Safety budget, proposed by the Mayor for the 2023-2024 year, $51,474,680.00, forward to the City Council. The motion carries unanimously. Mr. Garrick confirmed multiple variables will affect taxes with Mr. Rotello. Mr. DiGilio commented the topic could be addressed at the next Ad Hoc meeting with the Tax Assessor. A motion made by Councilman Rotello, and seconded by Councilman Visconti, to adjourn. The motion carries unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Vinny DiGilio, Chair Michael Esposito Paul Rotello Fred Visconti