City Council

CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2002 6:30 P.M PRESENT: Commissioner Thomas Curley, DPS Kenneth Klotz, Mayor Commissioner Michael Lenz, Finance Commissioner Thomas McTygue, DPW Commissioner Stephen E. Towne, Accounts ALSO PRESENT: Anthony Scirocco, Supervisor Phil Klein, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT: Bruce Brown, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Christine Gillmett-Brown, Deputy Commissioner Finance Debbie Harper, Deputy Commissioner Accounts Bob King, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Hank Kuczynski, Deputy Mayor (arrived 8:00 p.m.) Jeff Wait, City Attorney PUBLIC HEARING Budget Hearing Commissioner Michael Lenz reminded everyone that this was the second public hearing on the proposed budget. He informed Council members that he received information today from the County on the mortgage tax. He said the City budgeted total mortgage tax receipts of $600,000, however, will be receiving an additional $566,100. He said this was an unusual year. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he had distributed a proposed budget to the Council on November 14 after meeting with Council members and Department heads. He said it was his recommendation to not vote this evening on this proposal. He also noted that because the general and capital budgets are somewhat connected for tax rate increase/decrease purposes, he proposed that the Council not vote on the capital budget this evening. He said he believed there were some items included in the capital budget that should be in the general budget. He said it was his proposal to review the budget this evening, listen to the public and then take a few days to analyze it. He suggested a special meeting be held later this week to adopt the budgets. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he would like to present the water and sewer budgets this evening for adoption. He said there was no reason to hold them up. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would prefer to adopt the budgets all at once. Commissioner Michael Lenz then opened the public hearing. Jim Brophy, Senior Citizens Center, said at the last Council meeting there was a proposal from the Senior Citizens Center for long range (four years) funding for their budget. He said they have since discovered that legally that cannot be done. He said the seniors had requested that the Council adopt a budget with a revenue line item for the Senior Center at $47,000. He pointed out that Commissioner Michael Lenz had not included that number in the budget and had placed $37,000 in the budget. He commended Mayor Kenneth Klotz for stating that he would not vote for a budget with anything less than $47,000 in the Senior Citizens line item. He asked the Council to reconsider the $37,000 and included the figure of $47,000. Page 1 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Bob Spratt, Recreation Commission, reminded Council members that he had appeared before the Council before on their budget. He said the initial proposal from the Recreation Commission was nearly $300,000 more than what is being proposed now. He reminded Council members that there was an over projection on revenues this year of $70,000, however, they have almost made up that shortfall by bringing in $50,000. He said late last week he was informed that their budget was only $19,000 more than 2002 and that was simply not enough. He said they need an additional $113,000 for Camp Saradac counselors. He reminded Council members that there was a mandate from DOH that reduced the ratio of counselors to campers from 12:1 to 7:1. He said Camp Saradac has 250 participants and at the current proposed funding level the participants would need to be cut to 175. He said if the participants are cut, the revenue line for Camp Saradac needs to be reduced accordingly. He said training is also an issue and there needs to be adequate funding to appropriately train staff. He said they could live with the administrative cuts (loss of a copier, paper, etc.) but could not live without adequate funding for the programs. He also noted that the revenue in the rental lines has been going down because of the competition with surrounding communities. He said with these cuts it was obvious that maintenance would suffer. He said their budget was cut last year and again this year and they simply cannot run the programs without adequate funding. He urged the Council to look at the Recreation budget again. John Witt, Saratoga Builders Association, said there is again a lengthy time delay in getting a building permit. He said that builders are willing to pay more if another building inspector position is funded. He said that currently it takes 6 weeks to get a building permit and that could increase upwards to 16 weeks. He said there was a part time person hired during the summer and the waiting time for a building permit was reduced significantly, however, it has increased dramatically over the last few months. He urged the Council to take a serious look at this issue. Pete Looker, 45 Jackson Street, said he was concerned with the water budget. He said small users are paying four times as much as the average user simply because they use less water. He said larger users are given a break after a certain level is reached, therefore, there is no incentive for them to monitor their usage. He said the small homeowner who is careful pays full price and it just seemed backwards. He suggested that a flat rate be considered. He urged the Council to look at this issue again. Greer Mirling said he was concerned about the cut in funding for the skate park. He said this is the ideal time to expand the park rather than cut the budget. He said he understood there are financial issues, however, this park brings in kids from other communities whole parents drop them off and then go downtown to shop. He said there is an economic benefit to the community from those parents. He said there are many positive things coming from the skate park and pointed out that some of its former members are now running skate board companies. He said the skate park generates revenue to the City through its fees and in 2001 it made $8,000 and in 2002 it made $2,000. He said the Council should not be reducing funding to a program that generates revenue. He said at one point other communities used Saratoga Springs as a model for their skate parks, but now other communities are surpassing Saratoga Springs. Jackie Pardon, Media Center Project, said she recently spoke to the Council on the cable franchise renewal process. She said George Preston also recently made a presentation to members of the community on the same topic. She said she has met with members of the high school and the Southern Adirondack Library System on the I-net program. She said they have discussed the possibility of performing arts, governmental meeting and a tourism channel on cable television. She urged the Council to consider funding this project for $20,000. She said $9,000 would be for organization and $11,000 to begin the process. She noted that the cost could be reduced if other communities chose to join in. She said she had spoken to the Saratoga County Board of supervisors and they agree that if Saratoga Springs gets the ball rolling, it was likely that other communities would join. Nancy Ingersoll, Saratoga Center for the Family, thanked the Council for supporting them in the past and for including them in the 2003 budget. She said they have worked for 25 years to make a difference in the lives Page 2 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 of abused children. She pointed out that the children who need this type of funding cannot advocate for themselves and that was why she was there this evening. She said this organization provides programs and counseling that are critical to the well being of these children. She said recently they purchased and renovated 359 Ballston Avenue. She said in the past children had to be interviewed up to seven times by various agencies and now through this renovation, they only need to be interviewed once while the agency personnel sits behind a two way mirror. She said this not only is better for the child but also helps to preserve the integrity of the evidence. She said the Council does make a difference in this lives of these children and she thanked them for their support. Linda Terricola, Recreation Director, thanked Mayor Kenneth Klotz for including funding in the capital budget for the multi-purpose facility. She then read two letters into the record one from Chuck Waterstrom and another from Rose Zacek encouraging the Council to fully support the recreation programs with adequate funding. She noted that Chuck Waterstrom was concerned about the need of quality programs for the children and Rose Zacek was concerned about the possible loss of the wading pool on the west side and the decrease in baseball programs. They both urged the Council to not cut the Recreation Department budget. William Fluorsica, Lake George Opera, 480 Broadway, said this is an organization that is part of this community since 1998 and they have an office at 480 Broadway. He said they employ nearly 100 people each summer for their productions and they also travel into the school for programs. He said this is a very small community to have such a wonderful opera program. He urged the Council to support their program. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked why they were not called the Saratoga Opera. William Fluorsica said they keep their name of Lake George Opera because it is identifiable in their industry. Joy King asked that the Recreation Department budget not be cut. She said last year the Recreation Department brought in nearly $837,000 in revenue. She said that raising the user fees causes a great hardship on local residents. She said the City should be expanding the programs and not cutting. Dave Bonner said New York State has the highest local and state taxes in the nation. He pointed out that even though Saratoga Springs taxes may be low in comparison to surrounding communities we are still higher than communities in other states. He said he did not understand why the taxes needed to be increased so much when there was so much building going on. He said it may be true that the City needs to replace a fire truck at a cost of $800,000, but there needs to be more planning. He said the Council needs to carefully consider the new positions and perhaps not hire new people this year. He said that user fees should be increased. He said if there is a mandate from DOH on the ratio of counselors it needs to be met or the Council needs to consider whether they can afford to meet that mandate. He said the City did not need any new initiatives at this time and the land preservation bond that just recently passed should be thought about carefully. He said the Council should not be entertaining any proposals for land purchases this year. He suggested that capital expenditures be deferred and the cuts that did not affect public safety should be seriously considered. Lew Benton said the County has a dynamic economy. He said he reviewed the proposed budget and was surprised to see that the mortgage tax revenue had increased significantly. He said the City had projected $600,000 in mortgage tax revenue and will end up receiving $1,163,686. He said the 2002 property tax revenue was projected at a total of $8,377,500 (capital and general) and we will end up with $8,833,787. He said those combined increases are significant. He said the taxable value in the City had increased from $1.453 billion to $1.495. He said if there was no tax increase at all, next years property tax receipts would increase by about $260,000, approximately 3 percent. Lew Benton said the City=s original budget was at $24.7 million and the Finance Department projected expenditures at $25.7 million. He said that the City will collect more than that with and estimated 2002 revenues at $26.4 million. Lew Benton said the City has received nothing from the County for OTB revenue and asked why not. He said OTB sends a check to the County every month. Lew Benton said the City has projected $8.3 million in sales tax revenue next year which will be $800,000 more than we received from the County in 2001. He asked if the $8.3 million included old money and the Page 3 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 $400,000 supplemental money. He said if it didn=t the City has significantly underbudgeted. Commissioner Michael Lenz said it was included in that $8.3 million. Lew Benton pointed out that the City just received a check for $220,000 for old sales tax money. He said this is not a one time revenue and it will continue to come for years. He said the Council needs to invest in its social infrastructure as well as the hard infrastructure. He said the City of Saratoga Springs is very fortunate to have one of the most recession proof economies in the county. He pointed out that Saratoga County has a $19 million fund balance it will likely go over $20 million next year. He said Skippy Scirocco, County Board of Supervisors representative, has suggested that the County taxes be raised even though there is a surplus. He said much of that County surplus is generated by the City. He said the Council needs to develop a revenue stream to finance capital projects and the City needs to work on getting the OTB revenue. He said there was a time on the Council when partisanship could be set aside and he reminded Council members there was an agreement by Council members at one time that the City should go after the OTB revenue. He urged the Council to rethink the proposed budget. He said the DPS fleet needs to be updated and this is the best time to finance a project. Bill Batalila, 128 Ruggles Road, said he had boys in the summer Lacrosse League. He said the proposed Recreation Department budget is underfunded. He said the children of this community need alternatives and the recreation programs provide that alternative. He said there is a need to upgrade and create an indoor recreation facility. He said this was an investment that the Council could not afford to not make. Joan Winchell said she was opposed to a 10 percent property tax increase. She asked what the City was doing with a $1.7 million fund balance. She said with a balance that high it appeared that the citizens were being overtaxed. She asked the Council to reconsider the budget and to offer an explanation for the large fund balance. Rick Dahlstrom said the soccer programs should not be reduced. He said the City needs to invest in the recreation programs and cannot continue the band-aid approach. He said there needs to be better long range planning. He pointed out that the soccer program has grown from 1,200 participants to 2,400 participants. He said this is a program that generates revenue for the City. He said they also depend on the maintenance of the fields and he did not want to see that diminished. He said sometimes the fields are in poor condition. He said the Town of Wilton has top notch facilities for soccer players and part of that was due to the lack of use. He said the Council needs to find a long term fix and not the continue the band aid approach. George Parker, Biddy Basketball program, said there are between 350 and 400 kids in the biddy basketball program. He asked why the City was sending kids to Ballston Spa and Wilton to play. He said the City needs to invest in the programs. He also said the Camp Saradac program is a good program for the children and it should not be cut. He asked that the Council review the budget and not decrease the funding. Commissioner Michael Lenz thanked everyone for coming this evening. He said the Council would debate this issue later this evening. He reminded everyone that the Council must adopt a budget by November 30. He said he would not request a vote this evening on the budget and hoped to have a meeting later this week. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked that any changes to the budget between now and the next meeting be outlined on a separate sheet of paper. Commissioner Michael Lenz said that could be done. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Kenneth Klotz called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. MAYOR=S OFFICE Page 4 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Street Naming and Numbering B Set Public Hearing Mayor Kenneth Klotz said they have been working on some minor amendments to the Street Naming and Numbering ordinance. He said these amendments are largely housekeeping. He said they would allow the official streets within the City to be presented in alphabetical order instead of being separated and presented in five different zones. He said another amendment would allow the City Council to make certain amendments to the ordinance without holding a public hearing. He said a copy of these amendment will be distributed this week. He then requested a public hearing on these amendments be set for December 3, 3002 at 6:55 p.m. Council members agreed. Water=s Edge/Woodlands PUD Amendment B Appearance Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he had received a petition from the developer of the Water=s Edge/Woodlands Planned Unit Development District for a zone text amendment that would allow for a recreation area (instead of a horse bard) to be established within the PUD along Arrowhead Road. He said the Council needs to determine if it will accept this petition for study. He said an advisory opinion from the City Planning Board is required for this zoning petition Chris Carski, attorney representing the PUD sponsor, said last year both the sponsor and the HOA had worked out an agreement whereby the HOA agreed that they did not want a horse barn and trails but rather would agree to a recreational facility consisting of a pavilion and baseball fields. She said the developer was simply requesting to be referred to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion on this proposed text amendment. She pointed out that the HOA agreed to this proposal with more than an 80 percent margin. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this was a routine process to forward this to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion. He noted that this application would return to the City Council for a public hearing. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to accept the zoning amendment petition for study and to send it to the City Planning Board for an advisory opinion. Geoff Bornemann said the Planning Board would allow a public comment period and the Council would hold a public hearing when it returned. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he would rather postpone this until the next meeting. He said because of the amount of time spent on the budget and he had not had an opportunity to fully review this application. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this was a routine matter. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there was no reason to table or withdraw this motion because it was a routine matter. He said there was no reason to delay this matter and in fact the HOA appeared to have almost unanimous agreement. Bob Pasciullo, President of the Water=s Edge HOA, said they have been discussing this matter for many months. He said out the 235 families that reside in Water=s Edge, 94 percent approved this proposal to substitute the barn area with a recreation area. He said they need a recreation area. He noted that there are 44 single family homes being constructed in this PUD and they will likely want a recreation area. He asked the Council not delay this matter. Commissioner Thomas McTygue pointed out that the Council was not voting on this issue this evening other than to simply forward it on the Planning Board. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he had Deputy Commissioner Debbie Harper call Deputy Mayor Hank Kuczynski to ask for clarification on what this was about and the response was somewhat vague. Mayor Kenneth Klotz agreed that it should have been more clear on his agenda that he was requesting a vote. Commissioner Stephen Towne said this was his first time he had seen this issue and there is much to review. He said he did not believe that two weeks was excessive. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said this was not a controversial issue and should not be tabled. Page 5 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to table the motion until the next meeting. Ayes: three (Commissioners Stephen Towne, Michael Lenz and Thomas Curley); Nays: two (Mayor Kenneth Klotz and Commissioner Thomas McTygue). Motion carried. Capital Budget B Approve Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he came prepared this evening to vote on all of the City budgets. He said it was his intention to introduce a motion to approve the capital budget. Commissioner Michael Lenz asked if the Mayor would be willing to discuss both the capital and general budgets at the same time under the Finance agenda. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he would prefer to discuss them both now. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he distributed the proposed capital budget previous to this meeting. He pointed out that the Council is required to adopt a 2003 capital budget and as well as long range planning. Therefore, he had a proposed capital budget which went until 2008. He said his proposed budget has slightly more than $1 million in old debt service and with the proposed new debt service of $154,100 the total debt would be $1.16 million. Mayor Kenneth Klotz then reviewed the proposal noting that the $25,000 from the school was a wash for field maintenance. He said he had included $60,000 for Station Lane, $111,000 for Recreation Department (which included paving of tennis & basketball courts and upgrading the wading pool on the west side); DPW equipment at $265,000; DPW projects at $145,000; DPS aerial ladder truck (it will replace a vehicle that is nearly 30 years old) at $800,000; DPS building repairs to both Lake Avenue and West Avenue $100,000; DPS other (misc. projects bundled together) $100,000; Recreation facility land for multi-purpose facility at $600,000; Recreation Facility Design at $35,000; Recreation Facility Construction B Phase I $200,000. He reminded Council members that the Recreation Department is currently renting space from nearby communities. He said it is becoming increasingly difficult to rent space and with the loss of the armory. He said the total new capital expenditures equaled $2,416,000 and the total capital expenditures equaled $3,602,880. Mayor Kenneth Klotz then reviewed the revenue streams. He said the property tax revenue (5 percent rate increase) would be $1,020,516, other was at $166,364; capital reserve was at $375,000; Excelsior Rink Site Sale was at $500,000 (left from the sale of the ice rink); and Bonds were are at $1,541,000 for a total of $3,602,880. He then reviewed the capital budget for 2004-2008. He pointed out that if we were to add up the total requested expenditures, the City certainly did not have that kind of money; however, averaged out over the years the requests it was more reasonable. He agreed that perhaps other sources of funding should be sought. He said though that the tax increase for these capital expenditures was nominal and they were investments that the City could not afford to ignore. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to adopt the capital budget as presented. Commissioner Thomas Curley said there was some direction by the Council last year that the aerial fire truck should be added to the next capital budget, therefore, his office has been working on the specs. He said there has been concern expressed by the Fire Department on the height of the new buildings being constructed, i.e., Wise building, Congress Park Center, Franklin Square, etc. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked how high the existing aerial ladder went. Chief John Kirkpatrick, from the audience, said to about 100 feet. It was noted that was equal to about eight floors. Geoff Bornemann said that building height in the City is limited to 70 feet. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there needs to be some long term plans and this proposed capital budget was a good way to start. He said he just recently received two large dump trucks that were ordered Page 6 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 eight months ago. He said an aerial ladder truck could take as long as 12 to 14 months. He said these are large pieces of equipment and they are quite expensive but equipment such as this was costly. He said his department has a tandem truck that is more than 20 years old that they continue to maintain. He pointed out that his department is constantly picking up new roads to maintain with all of the new development. He said that under the capital budget program he now has a well equipped department. He said it is important to maintain these departments. He said he did not want to see the capital budget program frozen as it was a few years ago. He said that if it was frozen we would not have projects such as the work on the Washington Street drainage. He urged the Council to move ahead with these budget. Commissioner Michael Lenz said there could always be a case made for capital expenditures. He said that three years ago he requested a moratorium on capital expenditures because we were near our debt limit. He said he needed time to review the capital budget to determine if all of the projects were eligible. He said if the proposed capital budget was adopted as is along with the proposed general budget, the tax increase would be 12.6 percent. He said his proposed budget and tax increase was based on a moratorium on capital spending in 2003. He said with a moratorium and adoption of the general budget as presented the combined tax rate increase would be 9.9 percent. He said the capital budget, as presented, would add 2.5 percent to the tax increase. He said this is a difficult issue but the Council had an obligation to keep the tax rate low. He reminded Council members that the starting point with the budget was a 57 percent increase. Mayor Kenneth Klotz then distributed a graph showing the impact. Commissioner Thomas Curley informed Council members that the existing aerial fire truck requires repairs that amount to $18,000. Commissioner Michael Lenz noted that the City is obligated to the Station Lane improvements of $60,000 because the Council had previously authorized this expenditure. He said upon review of the capital budget in connection with the new capital expenditure policy, it appeared there were some items that were not eligible. He said under Recreation it appears that only $61,000 would be eligible, DPW equipment only $20,000 would be eligible; and DPW projects only $75,000 would be eligible. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked for clarification on what was eligible. Commissioner Michael Lenz said it was somewhat difficult to break it out because there was no explanation in the capital budget of what the projects were but he compared that proposal to the requests previously made. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said under the new capitalization policy the useful life must be at least six years and the cost must be more than $50,000. She said the item must meet both of these tests. Therefore, some of the requested items under the capital budget do not appear to be eligible. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked who established this policy. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said it was developed by the Finance Department with information from various governmental agencies. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked if there were major changes due to this policy. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett- Brown said no. She said that generally, the City has somewhat already met this criteria under capital expenses. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said under the Recreation Department the wading pool at $40,000 and the netting at $10,000 did not meet the criteria. Commissioner Thomas McTygue suggested that because the City did not know what it would really cost to do a wading pool, it could be a capital expense if it came in at $10,000 more. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown agreed but moved that it would be an expense one way or the other. She then noted that under the DPW budget it appeared that the tub grinder and roller did not meet the criteria. She said the tandem dump truck at $110,000 and the back hoe at $90,000 did meet the criteria. She said the Congress Park restoration at $30,000 did not qualify nor did the improvements to the facade of City Hall but the Village Brook at $75,000 and Caroline Street improvements at $75,000 did. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he had projected a $30,000 expense for the City Hall work but he knew full well that the cost for additional work would be more. He said it was his intention to spread the work out over a few years rather than request the whole amount all at once. He said he could simply increase that request to his projected amount of $85,000 and include the whole amount in the capital budget. Page 7 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 He said often the total cost of a project is greater but it is spread out over the years. Bill McTygue said there is $50,000 in the budget for City Hall improvements and he proposed to add another $40,000 to that amount to allow for the brick to be repointed and other miscellaneous work. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked what was the rationale for the $50,000 minimum amount. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said initially they had a much higher threshold but through review of various governmental documents they made the determination to reduce it to $50,000. She said it was clear in their review though that routine purchases should be funded from the general fund. She also noted that much of the reference material clearly stated that a useful life of less than five years was a routine purchase. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked if there had been any issues with auditors on capital expenses. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said she did not believe so. She said generally the City has been somewhat following this guideline and this was just an attempt to formalize it. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said that he was concerned that if a policy was adopted and then not followed it would be a red flag for the auditors. Commissioner Michael Lenz said it was important to have a dollar amount included. Commissioner Thomas Curley asked what was the lowest figure that they came across in their research. Commissioner Michael Lenz agreed the dollar amount was a difficult issue and said it could be argued to a lower number, however, there needed to be a number established. Commissioner Thomas Curley agreed with Commissioner Thomas McTygue in that the fire houses have been in need of repairs but rather than requesting the entire amount, he has been spreading it over the years. He said they have been successful in spreading the cost out and the Lake Avenue Fire House is now in good shape. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said because he believed the dollar amount was a debatable figure, it should be a decision made by the Council. Commissioner Michael Lenz said a policy needed to be established and although the Council has not formally adopted it, it was a good policy that meets the City=s needs. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said there needs to be more discussion on this policy. Commissioner Michael Lenz said the fire truck would qualify as well as the building repairs. He said the items under Aother@ for DPS do not appear to qualify because individually they do not meet the threshold. He said if the Recreation Facility design and construction was combined, it would qualify. Commissioner Michael Lenz said under the revenues for the Excelsior Rink Site sale listed as $500,000, it had been previously reduced by $350,000 for the Spring Run Trail. He said he believed the amount available was closer to $392,000 rather than $500,000. Commissioner Stephen Towne said it was obvious that his department did not have the same capital needs as DPW and DPS but he asked what was the criteria for the Mayor to select which items were included in the capital budget. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he had talked to the Finance Department on what an appropriate expenditure under the capital budget might be and he believed that none of the requests by the Accounts Department were appropriate capital expenditures. He said they were not eliminated due to the $50,000 minimum expenditure because when he was developing the capital budget that figure was not available. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he would like to revisit this issue in connection with his proposed capital expenditures. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked about the $600,000 proposed for the Recreation Facility land and reminded the Council that a grant for the maximum amount allowable had been submitted. He said an appraisal had been done on the Gilbert Road parcel and it came in closer to $400,000. He asked why the Mayor included $600,000. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said that number came from Bob Spratt, Recreation Commission, and the Recreation Department task force and he suggested that this be discussed in executive session. Commissioner Stephen Towne suggested that the land acquisition for the Recreation facility be placed under the new Community Land Preservation group. He said it appeared a purchase such as this would meet the criteria. Mayor Kenneth Klotz agreed. Commissioner Stephen Towne said the newly formed committee should look at this issue. Page 8 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Commissioner Stephen Towne asked was included in the Aother@ revenue line. Commissioner Michael Lenz said it was a number of small items and he would distribute that information to Council members. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he also would like to know if any of the funds under the Aother@ line item have restricted use. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked what was the remaining bonding capacity. Commissioner Michael Lenz said about $3.2 million. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said at the end of each year it is recalculated. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked about the obligation of the long term capital budget between the years 2004 and 2008. He asked if there was any formal commitment to that expenditure. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said 2004-2008 were just projected expenses. Commissioner Stephen Towne agreed that revenue funding sources needed to be identified as well as a time table for purchasing large items. Commissioner Michael Lenz said the capital reserve fund has some restrictions but there is about $750,000 which is available. Bill McTygue, Director, Utilities, said that the pavement roller is estimated at $35,000. He said it is a judgement call on whether to purchase an item or not. He said the tub grinder would be a retrofit. He pointed out that the initial purchase of the tub grinder was a couple hundred thousand dollars. He said the tub grinder generates revenue and it is an essential piece of equipment. He said both are modest requests. He said there are arguments to be made for a policy such as this, but it needs to be revisited. Mayor Kenneth Klotz questioned the tax rate that Commissioner Michael Lenz projected for the capital budget. He said if these projected capital expenditures were small amounts that could be included. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said three years ago the moratorium on capital expenses was not due to the debt limit. He said it was an austerity budget and the City ended up with a $4 million surplus. He said the City has not come near its debt limit. He pointed out that there has been plenty of discussion on the need for public safety facilities on the east side. He said he did not believe that $375,000 had been removed from the sale of the old ice rink funds. He said that was simply not correct. He said there was a commitment from Niagara Mohawk for an amount over and above the $750,000. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said there is a designated cash payment of $253,000. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would review those numbers again. Commissioner Michael Lenz said three years ago the City was very close to its debt limit and that was a freeze on capital expenditures was proposed. Mayor Kenneth Klotz suggested that there be further discussion on capitalization policy. He said though that he did not believe that discussion should be tied to this budget discussions though. He also noted that the Council has the ability at any time to amend the budget. He said he would like the Council to vote on the capital budget as presented. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would rather see this tabled until the general budget is adopted. Commissioner Thomas Curley said he was not prepared to vote on any budget this evening. Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to table the motion to adopt the capital budget. Ayes: three (Commissioners Stephen Towne, Michael Lenz and Thomas Curley); Nays: two (Mayor Kenneth Klotz and Commissioner Thomas McTygue). Motion to table carried. Building Fee Increase Mayor Kenneth Klotz withdrew this item from discussion. Page 9 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Immediate Hire of Building Inspector B Approve Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the funding for this position could be done at no cost to the City simply by increasing the building fees. He said the issuance of building permits has been a major problem which has plagued the City. He then distributed a list of building permits issued which showed the length of time it takes to get a building permit. He noted that over the last two years it has continued to fluctuate and the City has not succeeded in getting it under control. He said they are now back to an extremely long period before a building permit is issued. He said the builders in the City have said they are willing to pay a higher fee in order to hire another individual to decrease the time delay. He said he is committed to raising the fees in order to hire an individual. He said he wanted Council approval to go ahead with the immediate hiring of this individual and would come back at a later time with the proposed fee increases. He noted that there are excess funds in the building permit line item and that amount would likely go down if another inspector was not hired. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded for the immediate hiring of another building inspector. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City needs a plan. He reminded everyone that they just had a problem in the water department with the death of Jim Linn. He said it was a similar situation to Mike Biffer who has an extensive, detailed knowledge of the City and where would the City be if he suddenly retired. He said the City needs to get some other people in here to allow them appropriate training. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said if the City found in the future that there wasn=t enough work for another building inspector there was a mechanism for layoffs. He said it could also be achieved through retirements. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would rather incorporate this into the budget discussions. He said this has an effect on revenues. He said this should be voted on in context of the entire budget. Commissioner Thomas Curley said he would like to see supportive information. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the estimated salary would be $32,000 plus benefits ($12,000). Commissioner Thomas Curley said he would like to see revenue projections. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the builders have stated they are willing to pay whatever it takes to get the building permits. He said the fees would be increased to cover this expense. Commissioner Stephen Towne said there needs to be a funding plan in place to ensure that the expense is covered. He said as a practical matter, the City does not hire individuals to lay them off. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this is a problem that has existed for several years and it is not only the large developer that is affected, but the small homeowner who is trying to do renovations to their homes. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he wanted to be sure that the City was not looking at only the peak periods. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he would look at several years. He also noted that at the last Council meeting there were items approved contingent upon the budget being adopted and this was no different. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said it could take a number of weeks to hire someone and there was no reason to delay. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the building community is waiting for a signal from the Council. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would like to see the Council wait for the budget discussions. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the existing building inspectors have a number of vacation, personal and sick days. He said he has heard from developers and this needs to be addressed. Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to table the motion to immediately hire a building inspector. Ayes: three (Commissioner Stephen Towne, Michael Lenz and Thomas Curley); Nays: two (Mayor Kenneth Klotz and Commissioner Thomas McTygue). Motion to table carried. United Way Page 10 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Mayor Kenneth Klotz informed Council members that the United Way campaign is under way and Florence Lis and Linda Benton are co-chairing this campaign. He encouraged staff to participate. He said the campaign would last to December 3. Community Land Preservation Advisory Committee (02-250) Mayor Kenneth Klotz said as stated in the referendum on this issue the Mayor has authority to appoint members to this committee. He then announced the appointments as follows: Sally Hart Brown, Chair, Theresa Capozzola, Jim Gold, Jenny Mirling, Jeff Olson, Margaret Roohan and Janine Stuchin. He said he believed this committee was a broad representation of the community. Commissioner Stephen Towne agreed that the law gave the Mayor sole authority to make appointments to this committee, but the Mayor failed to recognize that there was a large public relations campaign stating that the advisory committee would be appointed by the Mayor with input from the Council. He said the community at large believed this would be done. He said he was disappointed that the public was lead to believe one thing while another happened. He said he had some names that he wanted to submit and he was aware that Commissioner Michael Lenz may have also wanted to submit names. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he was surprised that the Mayor sought no solicitation from Council members even though the community was expecting that there would be input. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would have liked to have submitted names for consideration to this committee and he thought it would have been gone about in a more democratic way. Commissioner Thomas Curley said he had no concerns with the individuals who were appointed, however, in the past Council members had the opportunity to submit names. He agreed the entire Council should have had some input. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said there were quite a few inquiries from interested individuals and one factor he considered was whether these individuals would be acceptable to Council members. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said this was a good committee. He said there have been many occasions when Commissioners Stephen Towne and Michael Lenz have appointed committees without input from other Council members. He said the Mayor made a fine selection and he had no problem with these individuals. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he had asked Council members for names for committees he has appointed. Capital Region Summit on High-Tech Growth Mayor Kenneth Klotz announced that there would be an upcoming conference on high-tech growth in this area and both Brad Birge and Hank Kuczynski would attend. He said there would also be an e-government conference scheduled on December 10. He said Deputy Mayor Hank Kuczynski would report to the Council on these conferences. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Approval of City Council Minutes of October 15 Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the October 15 meeting minutes with the corrections as so noted by the Mayor. Ayes all. Approval of City Council Minutes of October 29 Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to approve the October 29 meeting minutes. Ayes all. Approval of City Council Minutes of November 4 Page 11 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the November 4 meeting minutes. Ayes all. Award of RFP B Fire Department Exhaust System Upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Safety, Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to award the RFP for the Fire Department Exhaust System to Air Cleaning Systems of Latham in the amount of $61,990. He noted that this bid had been reviewed by the Purchasing Department and is in compliance with the Purchasing Guidelines. Commissioner Thomas Curley said they have been working for quite some time to update the exhaust system because it had fallen below OSHA standards. He said they have $50,000 line item grant from Senator Bruno to cover a portion of this cost. Ayes all. Award of Bid B Various Hand Tools Upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Works, Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to award the bid for various hand tools to W.W. Grainger for various amounts (lowest overall bidder). He noted this bid had been reviewed by the Purchasing Department and is in compliance with the Purchasing Guidelines. Ayes all. WEB Site Commissioner Stephen Towne said he had previously discussed the WEB site with Council members noting that his department had been working on expanding their presence on the WEB page. He thanked Brad Birge for his work on this expansion. He said due to the expansion of our presence on the City=s WEB site, WEB users will now have greater accessibility to not only his department but Saratoga County for archival purposes, Department of Health for marriage license information and/or genealogy research, Department of Environmental Conservation for hunting/fishing license information, NYS Office of Real Property Services for STAR form applications, as well as links to staff of the Account Department which will allow potential bidders the ability to review bids, obtain requirements for marriage, dog and hunting/fishing licenses, assessed valuation rates and a variety of other types of Accounts Department information. He said further refinement and expansion of the Accounts Department WEB page will allow the citizens of Saratoga Springs the opportunity to review pertinent information about this department at their leisure. He said within the next few weeks, the Accounts Department and all of its links will be available on the WEB page. He then suggested to Council members that at the next meeting a picture be taken of the five Council members and that picture be placed on the City Hall WEB page. There was no disagreement with that suggestion. Cost Control Associates B Discussion & Vote Commissioner Stephen Towne said his office had been working with Cost Control Associates of Glens Falls regarding various cost reduction services that they offer. He said their fees are based on a percentage of the documented and verified savings realized by the City. He said he had circulated a memo with a copy of their agreement which shows the areas in which they could offer cost savings opportunities. He said a copy of the agreement was also forwarded to Jeff Wait, City Attorney, for his review. He noted that they were referred by Salerni & Boyd specifically to further help control our energy costs. He said upon review by Cost Control Associates it maybe worthwhile to have our telephone bills reviewed again with the addition of cell phones which were not previously reviewed. Page 12 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Jeff Wait said he had some concerns and questions on the contract and in particular the clause about the savings gained by the City for up to three years of completion of the contract. He said he was also somewhat concerned with the clause that if the City chose not to implement the recommendations of Cost Control Associates we could be held liable for payment to Cost Control Associates based on if the recommendations were implemented. Leo Quinn, Cost Control Associates, said some of the clauses would not be pertinent to the City. He said they would ask for copies of the bills and then verify the accounts and track the bills for an additional three years to assure continued savings. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked if his company worked on cable franchise fee audits. Leo Quinn said no. Commissioner Stephen Towne suggested that the telephone and cell phone bills be reviewed. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he wondered whether the City was asking this company to do something it could do itself. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he believed that the City was attending to the obvious cost savings measures but there were others that required a certain level of expertise. It was agreed the contract would be more defined and brought back to the Council at the next meeting. Risk Management Plan Progress B Update Commissioner Stephen Towne said at the last City Council meeting, the Council adopted recommendations from the Risk Management Review Committee. He said one of those recommends was to establish a revised safety policy statement that reflects a strong commitment to a Safety City Program. He said the safety policy would be distributed shortly to all departments. He informed Council members that he would like to establish an organization meeting of the Safety Committee. He said that committee will be charged with establishing preliminary goals for 2003, reviewing the City=s safety policies and guidelines, reviewing their role as an Accident Review Board and discussing a Safety Incentive Program. He asked that Council members confirm whether their deputy or another individual from their office would be appointed to the committee. He said it was unlikely the Risk Manager position would be filled before spring and he did not want to wait to get started. He also informed Council members that he would appoint an interim chair for this committee. He said a meeting with NYMIR would be set up to discuss the organization for the Safety Committee and to prioritize recommendations. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he was also working with Civil Service on combining the Insurance and Assets Coordinator position and the independent contract Risk Manger position. FINANCE Approve of Payrolls Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to adopt the following payrolls: November 8, 2002 B $324,619.09 and November 15 -- $345,179.22. Ayes all. Warrants B Approve Commissioner Mike Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the following warrants: 2NOV02 - Warrant 2-42 General Fund $240,589.78 City Center Authority 10,161.85 Water Fund 18,114.38 Page 13 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Sewer Fund 6,858.15 Capital Project 17,457.21 Special Assessment District 200.00 West Avenue SAD -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development 2,413.00 $ 295,794.37 MC021113 - Warrant 2-5 General Fund $ 11,277.43 City Center Authority 366.74 Water Fund 6,670.62 Sewer Fund 114.54 Capital Project -0- Special Assessment District -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development 16.01 $ 18,445.34 Ayes all. Approval B Budget Transfers Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the budget transfers as presented (Attachment A). Ayes all. Approval Budget Amendments Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the budget amendments as presented (Attachment B). Ayes all. 2003 B Discussion and Vote Commissioner Michael Lenz said he would not propose a vote this evening on the general budget. He said this has been a very detailed process and reminded Council members that the initial budget projections called for a tax rate increase of 57 percent. He said he had since met with Council members and Department heads and those numbers were trimmed. He said though it was still at 30 percent for a tax rate increase. He said the budget proposed this evening has a $1.86 million increase with approximately $1.2 million coming from surplus. He said he also proposed a moratorium on capital expenditures. He said noting the above, the tax rate increase would be 9.92 percent. He said the unappropriated fund balance would then be at $1.3 million which is what is recommended. He said it was his plan to not vote this evening and to give the public and Council members more time to digest this information. He proposed a special Council meeting for Thursday or Friday. Commissioner Michael Lenz said these are difficult times and he believed the expenditures needed to be reduced. He said he understood the criticism and he was willing to look again at the request and recommendations. He pointed out, though, that the information that Lew Benton had distributed had some errors. He said the mortgage tax revenue line did see an increase this year, however, he believed that was an anomaly. He said over a four year average the mortgage tax received was $517,0000. He said they did increase the projection for next year to $674,000. He said the numbers given by Lew Benton on the property revenue were not correct and in fact the with Lew Benton=s projections the City could have a negative impact of $500,000. Page 14 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked for clarification on the $3 million unappropriated fund balance at the end of 2001. He said he thought that the Council previously approved dipping into that money. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said the City did have $3 million at the beginning of the year. She said $70,000 was taken for the recreation and health insurance related matters as well as additional amounts to balance the 2003 budget. She said that unappropriated amount now sits at $3 million. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he was nearly sure that more was taken. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said there were numerous conversations on taking funds from that line, however, in some cases such as the health insurance it was found elsewhere. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked if the $3 million included any additional revenues from this year such as the mortgage tax. Commissioner Michael Lenz said the $3 million was carried over from last year. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he believed the City was generating a considerable amount of additional revenue. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said the mortgage tax revenue line was up, however, there were other revenue lines which were not. She also noted that the sales tax line was considerably below what was projected. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City would make that up next year. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said that might be true, however, she must work on a calendar year and not the sales tax fiscal year. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked whether she could state that all revenue lines were up. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said she could not do that. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said his department had the least amount of proposed increase to its budget and those requests were cut by 50 percent. He said the equipment for the Music Hall will generate revenue, the cost of city sidewalks was minimal compared to a lawsuits and the cost for Congress Park and High Rock Park improvements were also minimal. He said the carousel generates funds as does the compost facility. He said the City needs to purchase trees. He said of the $200,000 increase in his budget more than half was for salaries. He said he would not support this proposed budget. Commissioner Michael Lenz asked if Commissioner Thomas McTygue had any recommendations other than raising taxes to cover these expenditures. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the Council sits here and gives away salary increases and then does not want so step up and approve a budget with increases. He said the proposed reductions to the recreation budget will not allow that department to run adequately. He said his budget proposal was cut by 50 percent. He said his proposed increase was only 3.3 percent while both the Finance Department and the Accounts Department had significant increases to their budget. He said it seemed that they were simply playing games with the numbers. Commissioner Michael Lenz assured Commissioner Thomas McTygue that he was not playing games with the numbers. He said he chose to submit a budget that went back to the 2002 levels. Commissioner Michael Lenz said this is a difficult budget but the proposed increases need to be addressed. Commissioner Thomas McTygue reminded Commissioner Michael Lenz that last year Commissioner Michael Lenz said there were problems and then we ended up that a rather large surplus at the end of the year. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City needs to provide these services to the residents. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said in some areas expenditures were limited with no thought given to the revenue. He said there are a number of minor increases that could go a long way. He said the City has a role in providing for not-for-profit agencies. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said his department has continued to look at ways to generate revenues and other departments should be doing so to. He said the skating rinks, compost facility transfer bags, carousel are all examples of revenue generating projects. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he brought the numbers back to the 2002 levels except for the contractual obligations. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said Commissioner Michael Lenz recently supported the motion to hire additional firefighters. Commissioner Michael Lenz agreed but said he agreed to that proposal because it was a public safety issue. Page 15 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Commissioner Stephen Towne said revenue streams are a good way to assist in developing a budget, however, he noted that in his department it was difficult to increase fees that would make a significant difference. He informed Council members that his department had undertaken a comprehensive review of surrounding communities and the fees they charge for their services and it appears that Saratoga Springs is near the top. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he supported the increase for the Senior Citizens. He said they make up 25 percent of the City=s population and the City is not subsidizing the Seniors to the extent of surrounding communities. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he did not believe that the Mayor had budgeted for the salary study. He said he also believed that the Water and Sewer funds should bear the cost of liability insurance proportionately in the amount of $46,676 to the water fund and $30,370 to the sewer fund. He said that would decrease the general fund by approximately $77,000 Council members tentatively agreed to meet on Thursday or Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. to further discuss and vote on the budgets. Vacancy Review Committee Commissioner Michael Lenz said at some point he would bring forth a proposal to appoint a vacancy review committee. He said this committee would be charged to establishing a policy. He suggested that perhaps each deputy could sit on this committee. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Provisional Appointment B Announcement (02-251) Commissioner Thomas McTygue announced the provisional appointment of Kelly Gliosco Clark to the position of water meter service worker effective November 11, 2002. He said she was appointed at grade 6 step1 of the City Hall salary schedule. Water Budget Amendment (02-252) Commissioner Thomas McTygue proposed taking $100,000 for the water budget contingency in 2003 and placing it in a line item for new meters. He said the purpose of this is to introduce a new material program called ARadio-Read@. He said they start out by putting different meters into the new development and the meter readers would then be capable of sitting in the car, rather than entering the homes, to read the meters. He said advantages to this program include worker safety, efficiency, and ease to transfer the data into the computer system. He said he has a meeting scheduled with a representative for our supplier, E.J. Prescott, on December 3 to discuss this program in more detail. He said it could take up to ten years to fully implement this program. Bonacio Proposal for Underground Utilities B Discussion & Vote Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he circulated to the Council a proposal from Bonacio Construction outlining a plan to relocate Niagara Mohawk overhead electrical facilities in the Franklin Square area along Railroad Place underground. He said he supported working with Bonacio Construction on what could be considered as a significant neighborhood improvement and benefit to the City. Page 16 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to enter into an agreement with Bonacio Construction to complete this work as presented in the proposal dated November 14, 2002, and that the City pay 25 percent of the cost with monies coming from the street light rebate we received from Niagara Mohawk. Ayes all. Permission for Mayor to Sign Agreement with Trapper (02-253) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to confirm the previous approval by memo to enter into an agreement with James Woodruff from Greenfield Center to trap wildlife around the City=s water supply. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he believed there were still some insurance issues that needed to be worked out to ensure that there was appropriate coverage. Ayes all. Executive Session Commissioner Thomas McTygue requested an executive session to discuss the City=s Emergency Response Plan update. Council members agreed. Fourth Quarter Water & Sewer Bills B Discussion Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he was pleased to announce that the water and sewer bills for the fourth quarter had been sent out and are due on December 11. He said with the death of Jim Linn, Water Meter Account Supervisor, it had been a long haul to find a substitute for him and have the new person be trained in the City=s computer system. He said because the due date had been extended, there were no penalties. Church Street Parking Lot Agreement (02-254) Commissioner Thomas McTygue said last month the City entered into an agreement with the Adirondack Trust Company to lease for $1, the lot next to the old Hub on Church Street for more downtown parking. He said a small piece of that lot was owned by a private individual necessitating us to make two agreements. However, the Adirondack Trust Company has now purchased that lot, so a slight revision to the agreement needs to be made naming them the owner of the entire lot. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded that the Mayor be authorized to sign the agreement with Adirondack Trust Company naming them the owner of the entire lot. Ayes all DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Fire Department Exhaust System Previously discussed. State Grant and Capital Fund Commissioner Thomas Curley reported that Senator Bruno=s Office has committed to a grant in the amount of $50,000 to cover a portion of the exhaust system work to be done at the fire houses. Page 17 of 18 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to transfer $12,000 from H346952-52105-1057 to the grant line item which will cover the entire cost. Ayes all. EXECUTIVE SESSION Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to adjourn to executive session at 10:45 p.m. Ayes all. Council members returned at 10:55 p.m. Emergency Response Plan Update (02-255) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to hire Barton & Loguidice for development of an Emergency Water Response Plan at a cost not to exceed $12,000. Ayes all. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to adjourn the meeting at 11:00 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Kenneth Klotz adjourned the meeting at 11:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Approved: Clerk Page 18 of 18