City Council

CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2003 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: Phil Klein, Supervisor Anthony Scirocco, 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 Jeff Wait, City Attorney PUBLIC COMMENT Jackie Pardon, Media Center Project, said that she would shortly provide Council members with updated information on cable franchise renewal. She said she would also like to be placed on the next City Council agenda for further discussion on this topic. She informed Council members that on June 2 the Federal Communications Commission would review the cable franchise renewal material and the possibility existed that there could be some dramatic changes resulting in the potential loss of local news coverage. She said this was an important issue that the Council needed to think about. Lew Benton, Chair of the City Planning Board, said the City=s fiscal health is directly related to planning and infrastructure issues. He said while the Council continues to discuss sales tax distribution he reminded them that the City recently received $772,000 which was the first distribution from state. He also noted that the City was entitled to Aold@ money from the county. He rhetorically asked what the City might have gotten if the City had stayed in the County formula and said that it would have been $143,000 less than what was received by the state. He said the sales tax issue needs to be discussed on an intellectual plane. He reviewed with Council members the time line of opting out of the County formula on June 1, 2002. He said that the City still received $7.6 million in sales tax revenue after opting out. He said during the first five months of 2002 when the City was still in the County formula, the City received $2.1 million. He said the City budgeted $8.3 million for sales tax revenue this year, but it could potentially be more. He noted that if the City is projecting $8.3 million in sales tax revenue, the City would be generating $16.5 million in sales tax. He noted that in September 2001, Supervisor Anthony Scirocco stated that the City would lose $4 million in sales tax revenue which meant that presumably the City=s sales tax revenue would have dropped from $7 million to $3 million. He said we are now 9 months into the new formula and have received $7.5 million. He said again that there needs to be some intellectual honesty when discussing this issue. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Kenneth Klotz called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Page 1 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Retirement of Deputy Commissioner Robert King Commissioner Thomas Curley informed Council members that tonight was Bob King=s last City Council meeting noting that he would retire on May 17. He said he came to the Commissioner=s Office 8 years ago and it had been an honor and a privilege to work with Bob King during those 8 years. He said Bob King=s diplomatic style complimented his style and they worked well together. He said much of the work within the Department happens because of Robert King. He said he appreciated his work and would certainly miss him. He said that Bob King is also remembered as the coach winning the most basketball games at St. Clement=s School. He informed everyone that there would be a luncheon on May 16 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the Music Hall. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said it had been an honor and a privilege to work with Bob King over the past many years. He said Bob King was a true gentleman with no political agenda. He noted that his department had worked well with Bob King and they all would miss him. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the City runs well because of its employees but equally important were the City deputies and Bob King was one of the best. He said he too would miss him. Commissioner Michael Lenz said that he had a different perspective on Bob King in that Bob King was his basketball coach. He said he was known as a fierce competitor and very dedicated to the basketball program. He said coming to City Hall and having Bob King as a peer was quite an adjustment. He too said that Bob King was a perfect gentleman and wished him the best. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he probably knew Bob King better than other Commissioners. He said Bob King was his basketball coach many years ago and then became a lifelong friend. He said he remembered Bob King as a coach taking students to A St., Bonaventure games and to the NIT finals in New York City. He said Bob King instilled many good values in the students he coached. He said in particular one of the values he instilled was that no matter what you do, do it with class. He said he had not lost track of those words and lessons that he had learned from Bob King. He said he was pleased that Bob King was a friend and he was a better person for knowing him. MAYOR =S OFFICE Recreation Department B Coke & Gillette Creamery Vending Machines Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to confirm the recent approval by memo for the Coke & Gillette Creamery Vending Machines. Ayes all. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked if the City Attorney had reviewed this and all of the following contracts. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said yes. Commissioner Stephen Towne announced that Marilyn Rivers, Risk Manager, had also reviewed this contract as well as all of the other Recreation Department contracts on this evening=s agenda. Recreation Department B School Bus Camp Saradac Program Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract for the School Bus/Camp Saradac Program. Ayes all Recreation Department B Myers Fun Services Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with Myers Fun Services. Page 2 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Linda Terricola explained that the Youth Day would be funded by the County Board of Supervisors through the Youth Bureau. She said this day would be held on the second Friday in July and was open to youth ages 5 through 18. Ayes all. Recreation Department B Ice Rink Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the Contract for revisions to the fee schedule for the ice rinks for the months of September and April. Linda Terricola explained that they are trying to market those months and believed that a modification to the contract could increase the usage. Ayes all. Recreation Department B Equine Sports Center Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with the Equine Sports Center for use of their facility. Linda Terricola noted that the fee for this usage was $1/per year. She said DPW had agreed to mow the fields, mark the fields and pick up the trash. Ayes all. Recreation Department B St. Clement=s School Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with St. Clement =s School. Linda Terricola explained that this was for the use of their facility during inclement weather. She said the rent went up slightly on this contract. Commissioner Stephen Towne requested that Marilyn Rivers be included in any meetings with the school representatives and members of the Camp Saradac staff. Linda Terricola agreed to that request. Ayes all. Recreation Department B Camp Saradac 2003 Field Trip & Program Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the Camp Saradac 2003 Field Trip & Program schedule. He noted that it had been requested by the auditors that these fees be approved by the Council each year. Ayes all. Medical Laboratory Week B Proclamation (03-072) Mayor Kenneth Klotz announced that he had signed a proclamation designating the week of April 27 through May 3 as Medical Laboratory Week. Korean War Commemoration Event Page 3 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the Korean War Commemoration Committee had been working on holding an event to be held on June 21commemorating those veterans. He said they had asked the City Center for a reduced rate which they had received but it was still $1,000. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to take $1,000 from contingency to cover this cost for this event. Ayes all. Gideon Putnam Burial Ground to be added to the National Register of Historical Places (03-073) Mayor Kenneth Klotz informed Council members that the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation had prepared a nomination of the Gideon Putnam Cemetery on Franklin Street to the National Register of Historic Places. He said a summary of the nomination was previously circulated to the Council. He noted that being nominated to the National Register gives recognition to the historical importance of this site and also made the site eligible for certain grants for its rehabilitation and maintenance. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said New York State is asking the City to do three things. He said because we are the owner of the cemetery, the State is asking the Council as the property owner to sign a statement of support for the nomination. He said they are asking for the Council to support the nomination because it is consistent with the overall historic preservation planning effort in the City. He said the last thing they are asking is for a waiver of a notice requirement. He said the nomination is scheduled for review by the state in early June and because of the City=s participation in the state=s historic preservation planning program (CLG program), the state is required to give the City a 60-day notice of the pending decision. He said since the SSPF is anxious to get this nomination the state is asking the Council to waive the 60-day notice requirement. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to authorize the Mayor to submit a statement of owner =s support, a statement of general support for the nomination and a waiver of the 60-day notice requirement. Ayes all. CLG Grant DRC Public Outreach Program (03-074) Geoff Bornemann, City Planner, said the City had recently received notification that the Design Review Commission would receive a grant from the NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation to conduct a public outreach program. He said the aim of this program is to make sure that owners of historic properties are aware of the requirements to seek DRC approval before making exterior changes to their buildings. He said one of the tasks will be to develop and distributed a brochure describing the review requirements for properties within the City=s historic district. He said the local match for this grant will be provided by in kind services so there will be no cash match required. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign a contract with the state for this grant of $4,470. Ayes all. The Inn at Saratoga B Quit Claim Deed (03-075) Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the City Attorney had distributed a memo on this matter. Jeff Wait said during a title search for the Inn at Saratoga it was discovered the City acquired a portion of the land in 1968. He said the title search company is asking for a quit claim deed stating that the City holds no rights to that small parcel. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded for the Council to approve the quit claim deed for the Inn at Saratoga. Ayes all. Heritage Area Reserve Account (03-076) Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the Urban Heritage Area has proposed to establish a capital reserve account. He said the revenues for that account would be through the rental of the Urban Heritage Area. He said that 75 percent of the fees charged would go to the capital account and the remaining 25 percent to the operating account. Page 4 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to approve the establishment of the UHA capital reserve account. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he had not received any information on this matter. Mayor Kenneth Klotz apologized saying that he thought it had been distributed to all Council members. Denise McDonald, Urban Heritage Area Director, said they are looking at the possibility of renting out their facility for various small functions. She said the revenue from these rentals would be used to make improvements to the building. She said they have been getting quite a few referrals from other facilities such as the Casino and the Holiday Inn on renting the UHA for smaller events. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he would be willing to delay the vote if Council members wanted. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked what was the split of the revenue. Denise McDonald said it was 75 percent for the capital reserve account and 25 percent to operating expenses. Council members said they felt comfortable with voting on this matter. Ayes all. Charter Transition Mayor Kenneth Klotz reported that at the recent workshop on the charter transition, it was agreed that departments would make a report on their progress related to the charter transition. He said his department had begun working on the inventory, instituted the public comment period and added the supervisors to the agenda. He said it was his plan to accelerate the capital budget process and follow that time table this year. He also noted that there were three new positions called for in the charter (Human Resources, Director of Parks, Opens Lands and Recreation and a Director of Planning and Economic Development). He said he was currently working with the Civil Service Commission on how these new positions would fit into City Hall. He said it was not clear whether they would be new hires. Urban Heritage Area Donation Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to accept the $200 donation from the Downtown Business Association for the concert in the park summer program. Ayes all. Street Name Changes Mayor Kenneth Klotz withdrew this item from discussion. 2003 CDBG Entitlement Action Plan B Vote (03-077) Mayor Kenneth Klotz said much of this proposal had already been reviewed at previous meetings and tonight a formal vote to adopt the recommendations was required. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to adopt the recommendations of the Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee . Commissioner Stephen Towne said he had several conversations with Brad Birge on this matter and appreciated his accessibility. He said he wanted to point out to Council members that not all of the funding requests were approved nor were all approved for the level for which they applied. He said that through the explanations from Brad Birge he understood the process and the circumstances for these recommendations, however, he asked Brad Birge to explain the process to Council members. Brad Birge said that specifically there was one funding request from the Shelters of Saratoga for emergency Page 5 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 home repair for the seniors where it was recommended by the committee to give them more than they requested. He said they requested $30,000 in funding. He explained though that the $30,000 would be used to leverage additional funds from DHCR. He further explained that this type of program addresses one the highest priorities listed in their five year consolidated plan. He said due to the severity of this past winter, there would be a greater need for this program. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this program operates under the Shelters of Saratoga capacity as the Neighborhood Development Company. He said that company is used as a conduit for funding such as this. He said this was a mechanism for the community to keep its housing stock up to standards. Commissioner Stephen Towne said he understood that this type of program was listed in the five year consolidated plan, it meets the highest priority and deserves more consideration. He said he remembered this past winter when SOS could not accommodate the needs of the community. Ayes all. Kentucky Derby Results Mayor Kenneth Klotz said it was his intention to welcome back the winners from the Kentucky Derby with a special event to be held on May 12. He said the details would be announced at a later date. He said this was certainly good publicity for the City. Wage & Salary Study B Executive Session Mayor Kenneth Klotz requested an executive session to discuss the wage & salary study. Personnel B Executive Session Mayor Kenneth Klotz requested an executive session to discuss personnel matters. Land Purchase for Recreational Facility Mayor Kenneth Klotz requested an executive session to discuss land purchase for the recreational facility. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT City Council Minutes --April 15, 2003 Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the April 15, 2003, meeting minutes. Ayes all. Authorization for Mayor to sign July 4 Fireworks Contract with Alonzo Commissioner Stephen Towne said it was again that time of year to make preparations for the July 4th celebration. He said in that regard he had made arrangements with Alonzo Fireworks for a fireworks display to be held in Congress Park on July 4th. He said the contract is the same as in previous years. He said his staff had worked with DPS, DPW and the Engineering Department on mapping out the specified area for this display. Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement between the City and Alonzo Fireworks in the amount of $6,000. Ayes all. School District Agreement for Voting Machines Commissioner Stephen Towne said at the April 1 Council meeting, the contract between the City and the Page 6 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Saratoga Springs School District for the purpose of lending voting machines to the school for the May 20 vote was adopted. He said since that time, he had received a letter from the school indicating that they will change the date of their vote to June 3. He said because the previous agreement mentions a specific date of May 20 the Council needs to be aware of this change. Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded that the terms of the prior agreement shall remain in effect noting the new date of June 3, 2003. Ayes all. Bates & Brown Zoning Map Amendment -- Set Public Hearing Commissioner Stephen Towne said the Council had received a favorable advisory opinion from the City Planning Board on the proposed rezoning of the Bates & Brown property at 11 Park Alley. He said that it should be noted that the Planning Board has recommended that the zoning be changed from UR-1 (single family) to UR-2 (single Family) instead of to UR-3 (two family). The applicant has agreed with this revision. He then proposed to set a public hearing for this rezoning on June 3 at 6:55 p.m. Siano/Ethier/Fusco Zoning Map Amendment B Set Public Hearing Commissioner Stephen Towne said the Council had received a favorable advisory opinion from the City Planning Board on the proposed rezoning of the Siano/Ethier/Fusco property at 3 East Broadway. He proposed to set the public hearing for this rezoning on June 3 at 6:50 p.m. Empire Zone Resolution (03-071) Commissioner Stephen Towne said the City had recently gone through three phases of endorsing applicants for the empire Zone Boundary Amendments (July 2, September 17 and October 1). The City received notification from the Saratoga County Empire Zone Administrative Board and adopted a resolution on September 17 supporting and concurring with the Saratoga County application for Empire Zone Boundary revision for phase one. He said phases two and three were approved by the Council on September 17 and October 1. He said the City received notification from Saratoga County Empire Zone Administrative Board on December 2 that those applicants in phases two and three were approved. Commissioner Stephen Towne said tonight=s resolution is a formal resolution which includes all of the properties previously endorsed by the City for a total of nearly 90 acres. He noted that at the last Council meeting there had been some questions concerning the City=s obligation if this resolution was adopted. He said he had asked Ken Green to talk to each Council member before this meeting to discuss their concerns. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said there had been some concern expressed by members of the Council on the recent press coverage stating the cost of this program could be shifted to local municipalities. Ken Green said that was in the Governor=s budget, however, because of the outcry from the local municipalities, the Governor had since withdrawn that proposal. He said the cost for the incentives of this program will be borne by the state. He noted that more than 1,000 communities would have been effected by the proposal. Commissioner Stephen Towne reminded Council members that this information had been distributed to Council members previously. Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to adopt the resolution as previously distributed (Attachment A) supporting and concurring with the Saratoga County Application for Empire Zone Boundary revision and previously adopted unanimously at the Council =s October 1, 2002 meeting. This resolution was sent to the City Attorney =s Office for review. Ayes all. Cost Control Associates Commissioner Stephen Towne said he had asked David Sadlocha and Diane Simonik, Cost Control Associates, to come to the Council this evening to report on their findings. He reminded Council members that several months ago, the Council engaged this firm to review inaccuracies, over billings, errors, etc. on specific Page 7 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 accounts. He noted that Cost Control Associates would be paid based on the savings to the City. He said a byproduct of this research is that Cost Control Associates would now like to expand its services to the City to review the telecom area. He said because the information on this matter was received only very recently, he would not ask the Council for a vote this evening. David Sadlocha said heir initial review of bills is substantially complete. He said there are a few remaining open lines, however, he did not anticipate a significant difference in the dollar amounts found. He said that they have found slightly less than $20,000 that is due to the City in refunds. He said this small dollar amount was a testament to City personnel for their diligence in monitoring and controlling expenses. Commissioner Stephen Towne said while $20,000 did not seem like a lot of savings, the fact that costs are being managed is significant. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked about the possibility of over billing in connection with rate adjustments. David Sadlocha said a thorough research had been done of all available bills, however, if bills before 1997 could be located, their could potentially be an additional $50,000 in savings. He said they believe that the Water Treatment Plant may have been placed in the wrong category at that time. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he could have his staff take a look in their department to see if they have any old information and/or bills for that account. David Sadlocha said they could move forward with this anticipated savings without bills if there were sufficient logs kept. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said David Sadlocha should work with Bill McTygue on this matter. Diane Simonik, Cost Control Associates, said as part of their review of those bills, they are now proposing to review the City=s telecom bills. He said there exists the possibility of reduction in the rates being charged by companies such as Verizon and Nextel. She explained that there are hundreds of rates being offered to customers and perhaps each individual department had not selected the best rate plan. She said they believed that with a more thorough analysis they could find a savings to the City. She said Verizon has the biggest share of the City=s telecom program. She noted though that there are many types of programs with varying degrees of pooling/sharing of minutes. She said it was not their plan to recommend one phone company for all City users, but rather to find the best rate within the existing plans. She said there could be opportunities to group callers in varying ways. She further explained that this is a very labor intensive project and before doing this review they would like the City=s approval to continue. She said the cost to the City for this program would be based on the projected savings between the existing plan the new plan. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked if the fluctuating costs of the plans would be taken into account. Diane Simonik said yes. Commissioner Thomas Curley said sometimes the cheapest plan is not the best. He noted that with the nature of the business in the police and fire departments they need to have the most effective and reliable coverage as possible. Diane Simonik said their first approach in reviewing these plans was to find the best price plan within the existing contracts. She said it was not their intent to propose plan changes in plans. She also noted that there are early termination fees to consider. Mayor Kenneth Klotz clarified that the fee they would be paid would be realized through the anticipated savings to the City. Diane Simonik said yes. She also explained that the City was not obligated to accept the recommendations of Cost Control Associates. David Sadlocha thanked Council members for allowing him to make this presentation. He said he would follow up with Bill McTygue on the old billing issue. Commissioner Stephen Towne thanked David Sadlocha and Diane Simonik for making this report this evening. There seemed to be agreement that the review of these telecom bills was appropriate. Charter Update Commissioner Stephen Towne said he too was reviewing the possibility of accelerating some of the items in Page 8 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 the new charter. He said one of the matters was the transfer of the Vital Records information from Public Safety to the Accounts Department. He said that transition has lead to a series of other opportunities for this department to explore. Debbie Harper, Deputy Commissioner of Accounts, then reviewed the status of the Accounts Department progress on the transition to the new charter. She pointed out that the majority of the staff had completed their procedure manuals and invited other departments to review those manuals. She said she had been working with the Department of Public Safety on the assimilation of the Vital Records information to the Accounts Department. She noted that the physical relocation had been determined and she was working with both Civil Service and the Union on position modifications/scenarios. She said that at this time, they are awaiting information from the NYS Civil Service Commission on some of the matters. Debbie Harper said the Accounts Department is also researching various software packages for the City Clerk/Vital Records offices and site visits have been made to surrounding communities. She said the local vendor will come to City Hall in the near future for a presentation. Debbie Harper said the Department had recently undergone the updating of all forms and processes for applying for various licenses. She said it was her plan to place as many of these forms on the WEB page as possible. Commissioner Stephen Towne said this department, because of the nature of having five subdepartments, had a high degree of contact without people outside of City Hall. He thanked Debbie Harper for her many hours of work in these areas. Insurance Renewal (03-078) Commissioner Stephen Towne said at the Council=s April 15, the renewal of our insurance with NYMIR was discussed. He said because the information concerning the renewal was received only shortly before that meeting, he did not request that Council members vote on it that evening. He said ultimately, a memo was sent on April 24 requesting the Council to approve the renew the City=s insurance coverage with NYMIR. Commissioner Stephen Towne said as it was noted in that memo, the proposed overall increase is slightly less than the 20 percent that was budgeted. He said it did not reflect the allocation of approximately $77,000 to the water & sewer fund or unanticipated changes in City owned assets that may occur during this year. He said he would return to the Council for approval of additional funding, if necessary, to cover any increase in premiums. He said the increase in cost is due to a number of factors such as September 11, prolonged poor return on investments from the stock market and increases in insurable assets. Commissioner Stephen Towne said that NYMIR is an A- rated insurance company which according to A.M. Best, a firm that provides this industry rating service, is considered AExcellent@. Also NYMIR has approximately 500 subscribers making it the leading writer of insurance for municipalities in New York. He said they had 117 new subscribers this year and have a 98 percent retention rate. Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to confirm the previous approval by memo to renew the City =s property and casualty insurance for the May 1, 2003, to April 30, 2004, insurance year at the coverage and premium levels indicated in the information previously distributed. Ayes all. Safety Committee Commissioner Stephen Towne said Marilyn Rivers, Risk Manager, had been with the City for approximately one month now and had done an admirable job in contacting all departments to review their existing practices/policies. He said he was pleased with the assistance and guidance given to Marilyn Rivers by the departments. Marilyn Rivers thanked everyone for their support and guidance over the last few weeks. She said to date she had worked on reviewing workers compensation matters, i.e., tracking historical trends in order to develop a loss prevention training program and other related areas. She said over the next few weeks she would work Page 9 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 with both DPW and the City Engineer=s Office in developing a flag safety program. She said a uniform safety handbook will also be developed. Marilyn Rivers said that last week she walked the City=s playground/recreational fields and had found items that need to be addressed in those areas. She said additional surveys will be conducted as the year progresses. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he would be very interested in the playground matters since it directly impacts his department. He said the Recreation Department works hard to maintain safety but suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Commissioner Thomas McTygue pointed out that much of the equipment that was not up to safety standards at the playgrounds had been removed and replaced. He reminded everyone that it was a continuous process. Marilyn Rivers agreed. Commissioner Stephen Towne said since Marilyn River=s arrival at City Hall, she had done a good job at reviewing, tracking and developing procedures for areas in need. He again said he greatly appreciated the assistance offered to Marilyn Rivers in this review process. He also noted that the Safety Committee had been reestablished and was now meeting monthly. He said each of the City=s departments was represented on this committee. He thanked Marilyn Rivers for her presentation. FINANCE OFFICE Payroll -- Approval Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the following payrolls: April 18, 2003 -- $338,616.63; April 25, 2003 B $356,618.46 and May 2, 2003 -- $334,569.32. Ayes all. Warrants -- Approval Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the following warrants: 1 MAY03- -- Warrant 2-38 General Fund $ 238,007.52 City Center Authority 20,575.78 Water Fund 36,442.87 Sewer Fund 25,122.59 Capital Project 32,702.52 Special Assessment District -0- West Avenue SAD 4,341.00 Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development 17,857.02 $ 375,049.30 MC030430 - Warrant 2-8 General Fund $ 106,564.09 City Center Authority 11,980.04 Water Fund 18,253.75 Sewer Fund 2,608.97 Capital Project -0- Special Assessment District -0- West Avenue SAD -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development -0- $ 139,406.85 Ayes all. Page 10 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Budget Transfers Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the budget amendments as presented (Attachment B). Ayes all. Budget Amendments Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the budget amendments as presented (Attachment C). Ayes all. AFLAC (03-079) Commissioner Michael Lenz said AFLAC had previously made a presentation to the Council on this supplemental insurance program. Roseanne Curran, AFLAC representative, said she had already made a presentation to the Council at a previous meeting and was here this evening to answer any questions. Mayor Kenneth Klotz clarified this program would simply add another choice for benefits to City employees and it was at no cost to the City. Roseanne Curran said yes. She said this would enhance the existing benefits package and would be of no cost to the City. She said it was also a tax savings program for employees. She said this program was completely voluntary and was portable. Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to adopt the AFLAC supplemental insurance program. Ayes all. December 31, 2002, Preliminary Financial Report Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown reviewed the December 31, 2002, Preliminary Financial Report (Attachment D). She explained that the bottom line for the City was a general fund balance as of December 31, 2002, of $6,894,000 of which $2,890,000 is unreserved and unappropriated. She said it also indicates the general fund had an operating deficiency for 2002 of $133,000. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said the reserved fund balance was comprised of the following items: B $856,000 reserved for encumbrances B $5,000 reserved for inventory B $894,000 held in the capital reserve for the purpose of acquiring real property and improving existing municipal facilities B $379,000 reserved in various special accounts including the Nimo refund,engineeringservices, veteran=s walk of honor, parking solutions fund, and the carousel maintenance account. The spit-n-spat reserve was closed in 2002 B $1,870,000 of the fund balance is appropriated to balance the 2003 budget Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said the City began 2002 with $3,970,247 (beginning appropriated) $3,057,045 (beginning unappropriated), -$132,914 (excess deficiency) $4,004,519 (ending appropriated) and $2,889,860 (ending unappropriated). She said the following items contributed to the 2002 financial position in fiscal year 2002: B $279,000 decease in sales tax from 2001 to 2002 B $7,267,000 actual sales tax did not exceed budgeted sales tax of $8,100,000 resulting in an $833,000 deficiency B Cash balance in the general fund as of 12/31/02 decreased $836,000 from 2001 to 2002 B Health insurance expenses increased $295,000 in 2002 from 2001 B Property and casualty insurance expenses increased by $118,000 from 2001 to 2002 B Actual property tax collections were $142,000 higher than budgeted due to an increase in Page 11 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 payment on delinquent taxes B The sale of real property revenue increased in 2001 to 2002 by $223,000 as a result of a property auction that included foreclosed property as well as city-owned property B Mortgage tax revenue increased in 2002 by $485,00 from fiscal year 2001 B Actual total expenditures plus encumbrances in the general fund were $1,466,000 less than budgeted in 2002. She noted that $103,000 from the Engineering Department and $25,000 from the Department of Public Works Department were not property encumbered, requiring budget amendments n 2003 to allocate funds from surplus B Street lighting expenses decreased in 2002 from 2001 by $69,000 Other funds 2002: B All other funds ended the year with an excess of revenues over expenses and a positive fund balance B The capital project fund deficit was eliminate din 2002 with issuance of various purposes serial bonds B Total long-term debt, comprised of future anticipated expenditures for accumulated compensatory time, sick time, and debt service payments on bonds, increased by $2,461,000 in 2002 from 2001. This is due primarily to an increasing bonds payable for $1,499,000. The future liability for compensatory time and sick time increased $962,000 B The City created a new fund, the West Avenue Special Assessment District in 2002 which ended with a $500.00 fund comprised of accumulated interest. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett- Brown said the city=s self-imposed debt limit was $14,039,00 as of December 31, 2002; there were outstanding bonds of $10,814,000 leaving $3,225,000 available for future bonding; the City=s 2002 bond issue received a fixed interest rate of 3.9 percent; for the fourth year in a row the City did not need to borrow to meet short-term cash flow obligations; and the City continues to enforce delinquent taxes, deterring perpetual delinquencies. She said in fiscal year 2002 the city had a 97 percent collection rate on all City, County and delinquent school property taxes. Commissioner Michael Lenz said that with respect to the City=s debt limit it had gone up with the City=s assessed value. He said it was also a good sign that the short term debt had been eliminated. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the short term debt was eliminated as a direct result of the surplus. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said some of the long term debt was reduced with the county distribution of surplus that was used to pay for capital projects. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked that even with a cash balance of $1 million and lower interest rates would the City expect to increase borrowing. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said she did not expect short term borrowing in 2002 but pointed out that the cash balance accounts were not earning as much interest. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said in 2002 there was a choice made by the Council to use a portion of the fund balance of $1.3 million as restricted funds. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown agreed. She said when the books are closed for 2002, the fund balance reserve amount will be $1.8 million restricted for the 2003 budget. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said had we used the full amount, the current unreserved fund balance amount would be $2.2 million lower. Commissioner Michael Lenz said the key item in this budget was that the sales tax revenue was not at the level which was budgeted, but there was a substantial savings on the expenditure side and excellent mortgage tax revenue which assisted with that decreasing the shortfall. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said it was not a shortfall but rather a planned use of the fund balance. He said there was not shortfall. He said the planned use of the fund balance was agreed upon by the Council. Commissioner Michael Lenz said there was a deficiency in the budget of $133,000. He said that dollar amount Page 12 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 is reported under general accounting standards and we must adhere to that reporting system. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said it was important to note that there was no deficit. He said there was a $6.9 million fund balance of which $2.9 is unrestricted. He said the City is in good shape. Commissioner Michael Lenz said when he presented this report he particularly noted that there was a fund balance of appropriated and unappropriated funds. He said he also reported on deficiencies. He said he had noted that there was a $2.9 million unappropriated, unreserved fund balance, however, from an accounting standpoint there is a deficiency even though there was a $2.9 million unappropriated fund balance. Commissioner Stephen Towne noted that while there was an increase in the Accounts Department expenditures of $547,000, 95 percent of that was due to insurance. He said in reality the Accounts Department expended $32,000 more in 2002 and 2001 and two thirds of that $32,000 was for contractual increases. He said it appears there was a large increase in expenditures, however, that was not the case. Commissioner Michael Lenz agreed noting that some of that increase was due to shifting some of the expenditures from his department to the Accounts Department. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked about the monthly expenditure reports. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said they had not been done recently, however, she would do so. Commissioner Michael Lenz thanked Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown for all of her work in closing the books and reporting to the Council. He said this was a lengthy process for her and his staff. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Yard Debris Commissioner Thomas McTygue said because of the severity of this past winter, there is more yard debris than normal. He said reminded everyone that yard debris must be placed in containers in order to be picked up. He said the debris is taken to the composting facility and is then used as compost. He said this was a good program for residents and for the City in maintaining a clean community. Carousel Commissioner Thomas McTygue reported that the national carousel convention would be held in Binghamton in September. He said Saratoga Springs is on their list for a visit. He said it was encouraging that they would come to Saratoga Springs to look at our carousel. He said he hoped that one day their convention would be held here. Commissioner Thomas McTygue informed everyone that the carousel would open on May 17. Rental Equipment for Paving Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to rent paving equipment from Pallette as follows: pavement profiler with operator for $3,900/day; trim machine with operator for $1,500/day; paver with operator for $1,800/day; roller no operator for $550/day. He said this had been discussed with the Purchasing Department. Ayes all. Snow Storm Reimbursement Commissioner Thomas McTygue reported that the City had recently received approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the amount of $48,637 which represents the City=s share of reimbursement aid for the heavy winter snow storm of December 25 & 26, 2002. He said his department compiled the costs and submitted the necessary documents for this period. He said this was good news considering the heavy storm related costs that were incurred and identified by the DPW during the height of the storm and the cleanup period thereafter. He said the eligible program costs identified by the City during this Page 13 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 period totaled $62,355 including labor, equipment and material. Hazardous Waste Day Commissioner Thomas McTygue said his department was in the process of notifying taxpayers that the City=s hazardous waste day would be held on June 7 at the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink parking lot. He said since the notification began more than 400 appointments had been made. He said they can accommodate up to 550 appointments. He said residents may bring hazardous materials such as paints, swimming pool chemicals, batteries, etc. He said they are scheduling 22 appointments for every 20 minutes and they anticipated filling all of the slots. He said they are required by the DEC to run another full page ad, but they were going to request that a full page ad be waived. He said because there are only 150 slots remaining, he believed they could be filled without having another full page ad expense. Geyser Road Recreational Field Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he recently received a letter from Gene Corsale requesting that the City consider renaming the Geyser Road Recreation Field as the Veteran=s Memorial field. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he believed there could be some confusion in identifying this field without the text Geyser in it so he suggested that it be renamed the Geyser Veterans Memorial Field. Gene Corsale said this would be a nice gesture to the veterans of the community. He said he would prefer that it be renamed as the Veteran=s Memorial Sports Complex at the Geyser. He said at this time there is no monument to honor the veterans of this City and this would be a great gesture by the Council. Mayor Kenneth Klotz pointed out that each year the Geyser Road elementary students hold a special day with events for the veterans of the community. Commissioner Michael Lenz said this was a good concept and perhaps it might be appropriate to hold a ceremony. It was agreed there would be more discussion between Gene Corsale and Commissioner Thomas McTygue on the exact name for the field. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Child Safety Seat Program B May 17 Commissioner Thomas Curley announced that a child safety seat check program would be held on May 17 at the Allstar Chevrolet dealership on Route 50 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. He encouraged community members with child seats to stop by to have them checked. Permit Process Update Commissioner Thomas Curley said he had previously brought up this topic because of the recent demonstrations held in the City. He said he had talked to Assistant City Attorney Tony Izzo on his concerns about safety for the individuals participating in such demonstrations as well as the onlookers. He said he believed that some changes to the public assemblage ordnance were in order. He said the ordinance needs to be strengthened. He requested that a public hearing be set on May 20 at 6:55 p.m. Veteran=s Recognition Previously discussed. Grant Applications Page 14 of 15 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 6, 2003 Commissioner Thomas Curley reported that the Fire Department would submit a grant to FEMA for funds for additional staff, equipment, personal safety equipment, station to station of moving of equipment. He said if this grant is approved by FEMA, the City could be eligible to receive $125,000. He said a 10 percent match would be required and that match would come from his budget. SUPERVISORS Veterans Phil Klein announced that there would be a music event scheduled at SPAC as part of the Korean War commemoration event. He said there would be a concert on May 31 at 7:00 p.m. He said more than 11,000 invitations to veterans were distributed and there were tickets available at City Hall and at the local Stewarts Shops. He said they are expecting a large crowd and encouraged everyone to attend. EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to adjourn to executive session at 9:25 p.m. Ayes all. Council members returned at 10:10 p.m. Mayor Kenneth Klotz reported there was no action taken. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to adjourn the meeting at 10:10 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Kenneth Klotz adjourned the meeting at 10:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Approved: Clerk Page 15 of 15