Charter Commission

June 14, 2016 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Charter Review Commission City Council Room 7:00 PM 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL SALUTE TO FLAG 1. Introductory Remarks by Mayor Yepsen 2. Commission Members – Mayor Yepsen • Time Frames and Expectations • nd th Meeting Schedule – Proposed 2 and 4 Tuesdays • Open Meeting Law – Tony Izzo 3. Signing of Oath and Disclosure Forms – Tony Izzo 4. Charter Handbooks and Overview 5. Appointment of Officers 6. Proposed Budget 7. Next Meeting • Date/Agenda • Next Meeting will be on 6/28 at 7:00pm in City Council Room • nd th From then on the 2 and 4 Tuesday of each Month ADJOURN City Charters Commission 6/14/16 June 14, 2016 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Charter Review Commission City Council Room 7:00 PM PRESENT: Ann Casey Bullock Gordon Boyd Laura Chodos Elio DelSette Matt Jones Pat Kane BK Kermati Robert Kuczynski Mike Los Minita Sanghvi Barbara Thomas Robert Turner Beth Wurtmann STAFF: Tony Izzo EXCUSED: Jeff Altamari RECORDING OF PROCEEDING The proceedings of this meeting were taped for the benefit of the secretary. Because the minutes are not a verbatim record of the proceedings, the minutes are not a word-for-word transcript. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Yepsen called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY MAYOR YEPSEN Mayor Yepsen stated this is the only meeting she will be attending. She thanked the Commission for serving. We are required to review and update the City Charter at least every 10 years. The last official review was done in 2006. We are required to have a committee of 9 to 15 people. She chose to have the maximum. The current charter has been in place since 2001. The charter members are all city residents. She stated she has not personal agenda but ask them to put together a list of people they plan to interview. The goal tonight is to set some guidelines and meeting times. This will be a big commitment and she will be appointing a chair person tonight. Page 2 of 5 City Charters Commission 6/14/16 COMMISSION MEMBERS – MAYOR YEPSEN Time Frames and Expectations Mayor Yepsen stated time frames are going to depend upon how much depth and change they feel is necessary to the Charter. She knows one of the things the Commissioner is going to need to come to agreement on is if the Commission form of government should remain or if it should be one of the other 3 options allowed in state law. The New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) is a good tool and she would recommend them as a tool. Meeting Schedule – Proposed 2nd and 4th Tuesdays Mayor Yepsen stated the expectation at this point is to meet twice a month. They have scheduled this nd th room for the 2 and 4 Tuesday of each month. Open Meeting Law – Tony Izzo Tony Izzo stated there are different types of law. This meeting will be subject to open meetings law and freedom of information law. The public does not have to have an opportunity to speak but they may. Because you are not purely advisory, you will need to come up with a financial rational as to what financial impact there will be on the City and a rational for changes or lack thereof. (Everyone was provided a copy of the current Charter for their own review.) Barbara Thomas asked if small groups of the committee meet, do they need to notify the public? Tony Izzo advised if a quorum meets and discusses public business, they are subject to the Open Meetings Law. Mayor Yepsen suggested the Committee interview the commissioners and staff that work with the Charter on a daily basis. SIGNING OF OATH AND DISCLOSURE FORMS – Tony Izzo Tony Izzo stated the Oath of Office is the same form used for every official in the City. Barbara Thomas asked if this needs to be finalized by the end of 2016. Tony Izzo stated the time frame is completely up to the Commission. Elio DelSette stated they need to decide if they wish to change the form of government or leave as is. They should make that decision sooner rather than later. Gordon Boyd suggested they do the opposite. It would take longer to tweak the existing Charter than to take either proposal that has already been on the ballot. We can give the people a choice of which they want; the existing structure of the government or if they want to change that. Mr. DelSette asked when he would suggest having this ready. Mr. Boyd advised you get more voters in a presidential election year. Tony Izzo stated this disclosure must be signed and returned as soon as possible. It should be back in the City Attorney’s Office before the next meeting. Page 3 of 5 City Charters Commission 6/14/16 CHARTER HANDBOOKS AND OVERVIEW Review of Handbooks and References Mayor Yepsen provided each member with a copy of the document “Revising City Charters In New York State” and pointed out that page 13 outlines the different forms of government. The Oaths of Office is filed with the City Clerk. Pat Kane stated that elected officials are elected every two years. Tony Izzo advised the members they should read the City Charter (Tony handed out binders to each member which contained a copy of the City Charter). BK Kermati stated he knows very little about the current Charter. He wanted to know if there is a class or someone who can provide some guidance on how to approach the document. APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS Mayor Yepsen will appoint the officers by the next meeting; including chair, vice-chair, and secretary of this Commission. th The next meeting will be June 28 at 7 p.m. in the City Council Room. PROPOSED BUDGET Mayor Yepsen stated the budget is being put together. There will be money for legal counsel and mailings to the residents. At this time she has $8,000 budgeted for Tony Izzo; $5,000 for Lisa Ribis and Margaret LoPresti for City clerk; $2,000 for legal counsel; $1,000 for printing; and $500 for postage. Those figures are not going to include a mailing to the residents. Tony Izzo stated an extra charge may be required to webcast each meeting. NEXT MEETING Date/Agenda nd The next meeting will be June 28th at 7:00 pm in the City Council Room. From then on it will be the 2 and th 4 Tuesday of each month. Mayor Yepsen stated that the Commission might want a comprehensive review. Robert Turner stated he would like to know what the role is of the City Charter, what things can be in it, and what things can be changed? Mayor Yepsen said that NYCOM would be a very helpful reference with that. Mr. Kane stated that the National Civic League is a good resource. Mayor Yepsen stated a page could probably be created for this to keep people informed. Beth Wurtmann stated a Facebook page too would be a good idea for communication then everything is public. Page 4 of 5 City Charters Commission 6/14/16 Tony Izzo stated just keep in mind this is all public. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Yepsen adjourned the meeting at 8:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Margaret LoPresti Clerk Approved: 6/28/16 Vote: 14 - 0 Page 5 of 5