City Council

CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 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 : Anthony Scirocco, Supervisor Phil Klein, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT : Bruce Brown, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Erin Dreyer, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Christine Gillmett-Brown, Deputy Commissioner Finance Debbie Harper, Deputy Commissioner Accounts Jeff Wait, City Attorney (arrived 6:55 p.m.) PUBLIC HEARING B Proposed 2004 Budget Commissioner Michael Lenz said the budget, as presented, was a compilation of requests from the various departments. He said the total budget, if adopted, would equate to a 70 percent tax rate increase. He said he did not believe that any Council member wanted that kind of a tax rate increase. He proposed that another budget workshop be held later this week. He informed Council members that $87,000 equates to a one percent change in the tax rate. Commissioner Michael Lenz said there is $6.8 million available to bond which included the fire truck and a dump truck. Commissioner Michael Lenz said one of the significant increases was the $1.3 million payment for the retirement system. He said last year the payment was $870,000. He said other increases include health insurance by 20 percent, liability insurance and CSEA contractual obligations. He said they have also placed $150,000 in the contingency fund for emergency purposes and estimated potential police and fire contractual increases. He said he would take the initial budget requests and the comments from the public this evening and develop a preliminary budget. He said there would be a workshop later the week, a public hearing next week and adoption of the budget at that time. Commissioner Michael Lenz then opened the public hearing. Bill Davis, Senior Citizens Center, said he submitted their application for funding to the Mayor=s Office and hoped that all Council members had reviewed the information. He said they had submitted a five year proposal to the Council last year which included incremental increases. He said with the exception of one item, their request remained the same. He explained that the Senior Citizens Center will no longer be part of the United Way and they will not receive funding from that organization, therefore, there is a $14,000 gap. He said they are proposing that the Senior Citizens Center would come up with $7,000 and requested that the Council fund an additional $7,000 above and beyond their initial request. Bill Davis said the Senior Citizens Center did encumber $100,000 to be used for a possible expansion of the building. He said they are nearly at their breaking point for space. He informed Council members that the City of Saratoga Springs has two percent more seniors than the national average. He said people are getting older and older people are moving to this City. He said they did increase their annual dues to raise some additional funds. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked why they would no longer be part of the United Way. Bill Davis explained that the United Way had been decreasing their allocations over the years. He said that in order to obtain funding from the United Way this year, the Senior Center would need to become a member of the Page 1 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 United Way which then would give the Albany Chapter of the United Way the power to review, approve or deny their budgets. He said because of the minimal funding they receive from the United Way, they did not believe it was prudent to let them have the power to veto their budget. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked if that was in writing. Bill Davis said most of this was verbal, however, he did believe there was correspondence from the United Way and he would forward that information to Council members. He also noted that if the Senior Center is a member of the United Way, they cannot do any fundraising of their own during United Way campaign time. Therefore, they would be prohibited from holding their biggest fundraiser during the fall months. Commissioner Stephen Towne stated that the funding from the United Way over the recent years had been relatively flat. Bill Davis agreed and further stated that the United Way has begun to focus more on families and children at risk and residential programs. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked for clarification on the demographics in the City. Bill Davis said the national average of seniors is 24 percent and the City has 26 percent. He noted that last year the Rotary Club donated funds to enable them to purchase a van that can be used to transport seniors. He said they are reaching out to the community and the community is supporting them. Carrie Woerner, Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, said their organization is 27 years old and was begun in 1977 through a public/private partnership. He said their organization does a number of things to support the City. She said they preserve the historical documentation on buildings, do outreach programs, assist in the City=s design review process, and assist homeowners in renovation/construction of homes. She said individuals are able to come to their office and look at historical data on various homes which gives them the ability to construct or renovate homes to make them more compatible to the surrounding neighborhood. She said they offer assistance on items such as what materials might be appropriate for new construction or renovation, guidance on where those materials can be purchased and assistance in identifying architects. She said they recently held an Aask the architect program@ for the public. She said that program was meant to assist homeowners in finding ways to make the homes compatible to the neighborhood. She said they also assist the Design Review Commission in the review and approval process. She noted that they have recently launched a new WEB site to assist the public with their projects. She informed Council members that they also provide education programs to local teachers who then use that training to teach their students. She asked the Council to maintain the $12,000 funding for their program. Linda Terricola, Recreation Department, said she was asking the Council to maintain their budget as submitted. She also asked, if the Council saw fit, they requested additional funding for the wading pool and skate park renovations. She said her staff has been working hard on maintaining their budget. She reminded Council members that earlier in the year, they projected a shortfall, however, they have since made up that shortfall. She asked the Council to maintain their modest 4 percent increase. On another note, she agreed with Bill Davis that funding from the United Way was decreasing and becoming more competitive. She said other organizations have told her the same thing concerning the veto power that the Albany United Way chapter holds over an organization=s budget. She said the Recreation Department budget does include some funding for the senior center, however, it was not increased from last year. There being no one else wishing to speak, Commissioner Michael Lenz closed the public hearing. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Kenneth Klotz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD No one wished to speak under the public comment period. Page 2 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Commissioner Thomas Curley asked for a moment of silence for former Fire Chief Vince Camarro. He said he served in the Fire Department from 1959 to 1995 and as chief from 1987 to 1995. He said his death he was a great loss to the community. MAYOR =S OFFICE 2003 National Girls High School Cross Country Champions Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he wanted to recognize the accomplishments of this team. He said they have won the national championship title for the 11th time in 17 years. He said the team will be honored at the next Council meeting. Heritage Area Program B Appointment Mayor Kenneth Klotz announced the appointment of Hillary McClellan to the Heritage Area Program Board and the reappointment of Janice Burns to the Heritage Area Program Board. Commissioner Stephen Towne said it was his understanding via Tony Izzo, Assistant City Attorney, that these appointments needed Council approval. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said it was his understanding that these were Mayoral appointments and did not need Council approval. Jeff Wait, City Attorney, said he found in his research that it had been done both ways. He said there was a management plan for the Urban Cultural Park that included the provision that the Commission would be appointed by the Mayor with Council approval. However, since that time, under former Mayor J. Michael O=Connell and Mayor Kenneth Klotz, the individuals have simply been appointed and announced at Council meetings. He said it was not a statutory requirement, but was part of the Urban Cultural Park=s management plan. He said he believed it was at the Council=s discretion. Commissioner Stephen Towne said that while he had no problem with the individuals being appointed to this Commission, he wanted to ensure that they were appointed appropriately. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said now that the question had been raised, he would look into the matter. Jeff Wait said it was probably a good idea for the Council to make decisions on appointments such as these and get it on the record. Capital Budget Mayor Kenneth Klotz reminded Council members that the capital budget also needs to be adopted by the end of November. He said the City is obligated for approximately $1.2 million in old debt. He said last year the revenue component of the capital budget was cut sharply. He said the City has already committed to the fire truck. He said the requests from the departments totaled nearly $10 million and it was obvious that the City would not be able to meet all of those needs in 2004. He said it is desirable that the City think long term and develop a six year projection. He said, though, it was necessary to think about developing revenue streams for these items as well. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said it was the Charter Commission=s desire that the Council review the general budget and the capital budget simultaneously and in fact, next year the City will move in that direction. He reminded Council members that the Connolly amendment limits the bonding limits for the City and the City currently has about $6.8 million available to bond. He said the City also has access to the Open Space bond. He said the Council will need to make some decisions by next week on what they would like included in the capital budget. He said it was his intent to have this information ready in the next day or two so it can be discussed at the budget workshop. Page 3 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 Increase for Substitute Meeting Secretaries (03-173) Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to approve the increase in fees for substitute secretaries for the various boards in the amount of $150 per meeting. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the regular Planning Board secretary has been out of the office and they are scrambling to find a secretary to fill in while she is away. He said they have been having a difficult time in finding someone at the $100 level and propose to increase that salary to $150. He said the money was within their budget to cover this increase. Ayes all. Gideon Putnam Cemetery Registrar of Historic Places Status Mayor Kenneth Klotz said he received a letter from the state concerning the Gideon Putnam Cemetery and they have informed the City that the cemetery will not appear on the registrar of historic places. He said it has also been forwarded to Washington, D.C., to request that it appear on the national register. He said by appearing on these registers, certain forms of funding from state and federal agencies becomes available. Donations to Recreation Department Linda Terricola presented a list (Attachment A) of donations that the Recreation Department has received from June 28 to October 20, 2003. Linda Terricola said as part of The Saratogian=s donation, they will print a full page ad listing these donors. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to accept the donations as presented (Attachment A). Ayes all. Change in fees for Open Adult Hockey Linda Terricola said because of the competition among other municipalities for ice rink time, the City is finding that their revenue stream has been decreasing. She suggested that the fees be lowered for adult hockey time to from $10 to $5 for seniors and $7 for all others. She said this proposal has been approved by the Recreation Commission. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded that the adult open hockey fees are decreased from $10 to $5 for seniors and $7 for all others. Commissioner Stephen Towne asked where were the competing rinks. Linda Terricola said Lake George, Glens Falls, Clifton Park and Schenectady. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked that these fees be tracked and reported the Council. Linda Terricola agreed. Ayes all. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Approval of November 5 meeting minutes Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the November 5 Council meeting minutes. Ayes all. Page 4 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 Appointment B Commissioner of Deeds Commissioner Stephen Towne announced the appointment of the following individuals as Commissioners of Deeds with a term of two years: Sheila Brooks, Accounts Department; Gary Perkins, Michael Biss, William Crandell & Warren Wildy, Police Department and J. Michael O=Connell, marriage officer. Asset Recognition Commissioner Stephen Towne withdrew this item from discussion. Hotel & Food Establishment Committee Ordinance Update Gavin Landry, chair, said this committee was appointed to review the existing ordinance and update the old text. He said the ordinance currently still includes text such as Aplucking live fowl@ in kitchens. He said while they will be addressing the entire ordinance, most of the revisions would likely be with the hotel portion. He said the definitions among all interested agencies need to be streamlined so that the process for business owners, when applying for licences, is more efficient. Gavin Landry said the next meeting would be held on December 1. He said they have established a subcommittee that looked at some of the definitions and categories and they have proposed varying threshold levels for categories such as the smaller bed and breakfast versus a hotel or motel. He said the ordinance will also be looked at in connection with the Department of Health regulations, fire code, building code and city code. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this potentially could be a very controversial issue and he wanted to be sure the committee was not just working in the abstract. Commissioner Stephen Towne said the committee has many members including city staff, business owners and members of various organizations. Gavin Landry said it is their hope to make the process more efficient and understandable for those applying for licenses. Commissioner Stephen Towne said this is the sixth ordinance that his department has reviewed and he has a clear understanding that some of the ordinances are more difficult than others. He said they have learned from that and have included interested parties. He said he would continue to keep the Council informed of the committee=s progress. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Payroll B Approval Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the following payrolls: November 7, 2003 -- $339,883.68 and November 14, 2003 -- $372,430.31. Ayes all. Warrants -- Approval Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the following warrants: 2NOV03- -- Warrant 2-46 General Fund $ 170,534.32 City Center Authority 9,391.34 Water Fund 10,812.46 Sewer Fund 5,415.99 Capital Project 14,032.95 Special Assessment District 200.00 West Avenue SAD -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development -0- $ 210,387.06 Page 5 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 MC031112 B Warrant 2 - 7 General Fund $ 52,942.81 City Center Authority 12,150.52 Water Fund 8,547.14 Sewer Fund 796.86 Capital Project -0- Special Assessment District -0- West Avenue SAD -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development 22.68 $ 74,460.01 Ayes all. Budget Transfers Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the budget transfers as presented (Attachment B). Commissioner Michael Lenz noted that the transfers included $20,416 from the contingency fund for the police cruiser damaged in a recent accident. He pointed out that those funds were the last of the contingency funds. Ayes all. Budget Amendments Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the budget amendments as presented (Attachment C). Ayes all. 2004 Budget Commissioner Michael Lenz said the Council=s initial requests for the proposed 2004 budget, when calculated, equaled more than a 70 percent tax rate increase. He said he believed that Council members would not be comfortable with that number and there needed to be some reductions. He said there was a workshop and a public hearing and he will take the comments from both of those and put together a preliminary budget. He said it was his hope to distribute that budget proposal tomorrow and to hold another workshop on Thursday. Commissioner Michael Lenz reviewed the highlights of the budget noting that there is a $1.3 million increase in the retirement payment, 20 percent increase in the health insurance, increase in liability insurance, increase in contractual obligations and money set aside for contract negotiations. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said if there are going to be significant cuts in the budget, the Council needed to be careful when considering pay increases. He suggested that be discussed in executive session. Commissioner Michael Lenz said that could be done. Commissioner Michael Lenz reminded everyone that a one percent tax rate increase is equal to $87,000. He said it was his plan to bring forward a budget for adoption at the Tuesday, November 25 special City Council meeting. He said there would be a public hearing scheduled at 6:00 p.m. and a special Council meeting directly after that hearing. Investment Policy (03-174) Page 6 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 Commissioner Michael Lenz said the investment policy was circulated with the agenda and it was nearly the same policy as was distributed on September 16. He said there had been some minor changes with names and dates. Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the investment policy with the minor changes. (Attachment D). Ayes all. Infrastructure Valuation B Approve RFP (03-175) Commissioner Michael Lenz said the proposal for the infrastructure valuation had been distributed to Council members. He said this pertained to the GASB34 requirements for fixed assets and depreciation. He said a proposal from RCI was received and reviewed by staff. He noted that the proposal stated that all work completed by this company would be compatible with the City=s MUNIS program and, therefore, could be added to the City=s computer system when complete. He thanked City staff for taking the time to assist Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown in developing the RFP and reviewing the material. He said the material had also been reviewed by the City=s independent auditors. Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the proposal from RCI for the infrastructure valuation in the amount of $18,750. He noted that this proposal met the City =s purchasing guidelines. He said this company was the only company responding to the RFP. Commissioner Stephen Towne said in the proposal there was an indication that this is a flat fee proposal, however, there were seven items listed as inclusions. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said the company felt the need to list the seven items and upon her review of the list, she believed everything had been included. She said there were some items discussed with the City Engineer that could potentially be an additional cost and those items will be continued to be explored. Commissioner Stephen Towne clarified that the company would have material available for the City sometime in January. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said yes. Ayes all. United Way Campaign Commissioner Michael Lenz informed everyone that it was United Way campaign time. He said the pledge forms will be distributed with the paychecks on Friday. He said anyone wishing to participate should return their forms to the Finance Office. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Safety Apparel for DPW Workers Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the purchase of zip up hooded sweatshirts from Masterman =s Company for $31.00 each and $1.00 each for printing the DPW logo. He said the hooded sweatshirts would be sold to DPW works for a portion of the cost. He noted that this was recommended by the Risk Manager to promote employee safety. Ayes all. Carousel B Todd Goings Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he would like to hire Todd Goings to come in and do some maintenance work on the carousel. He said Todd Goings will break down the carousel and its components to do maintenance work and at the same time will train City employees on maintenance of the carousel. He said there will also be some restoration work on the carousel horses. He said Todd Goings would be here for seven to ten days and the total amount of the contract was $6,600. Page 7 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the contract with Todd Goings for maintenance of the carousel in the amount of $6,600. Ayes all. Parillo Building on High Rock Avenue (03-176) Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he recently met with Frank Parillo concerning the use of his building on High Rock Avenue. He said Frank Parillo has agreed to allow the City to use the vacant building for storage of DPW equipment. He said the City will need to provide the appropriate insurance coverage. He said there will also be some minor maintenance and a little bit of labor involved in removing old lumber from the building. Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to approve the lease with Frank Parillo for the use of the vacant building on High Rock Avenue during the winter months. Commissioner Stephen Towne requested that the Risk Manager review this lease for insurance purposes. Ayes all. Indoor Recreation Facility Commissioner Thomas McTygue announced that he would meet with the Recreation Commission tomorrow evening concerning the indoor recreation facility. He encouraged the Council members to attend the meeting. He said he would also meet with the school board on this matter. DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY City Hall Security Commissioner Thomas Curley said last week during the budget negotiations there was some discussion on security in City Hall. He said by the Thursday budget workshop he would have better information and numbers and would discuss the options with the Council. He said because there are employees in the building late in the evening and over the weekend, there needs to be some security. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said there had been no funding in the budget for security. Commissioner Thomas Curley said he understood that and would discuss this matter at the workshop. Community Police Officer Update Commissioner Thomas Curley said his department had been working with both the Geyser Crest and south side neighborhoods on a community policing program. He said he met with the neighborhood associations and they have brought forth some good ideas and recommendations. He said DPS had distributed a survey to residents in these areas and he hoped to customize the needs of the area with the policing program. He said his department does not want to be reactive but proactive when working work with these residents on their concerns. He also noted that the Police Department has a relationship with the Housing Authority which adds to the success of this program. Victorian Streetwalk Commissioner Thomas Curley said this year they plan to close Broadway from Washington Street to Route 50 for the Victorian Streetwalk. He said parking will be restricted during the day. He said closing Broadway would accommodate the many thousands of people enjoying the evening. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked how much it would cost the City to close Broadway. Commissioner Thomas Curley said there was no additional costs other than what they normally charge the organization for this event. He said the City is reimbursed all of its expenses for this event. Page 8 of 9 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2003 SUPERVISORS Phil Klein said the County will hold a public hearing on November 25 at 5:30 p.m. on their budget. He said they anticipate holding their tax rate at $2.60 per thousand. He said for the average $150,000 home in the City of Saratoga Springs, the annual county tax would be $390. He said they also project the tax rate to be $2.60 per thousand in 2005. He explained that the general fund budget at the county is at $147,600,000. He said one of their main areas of concern is the infirmary budget. He said that budget alone is nearly $20,000,000. He said they need to take $5 million from the reserve and $3 million from the general fund to cover the infirmary budget. He said the largest expenses to the County budget are the social programs and public health and combined they total nearly $93,000,000. He said Saratoga County still maintains the lowest county tax rate in the state and does so with the fewest number of employees per capita. Anthony Scirocco said he is a member of the County Law and Finance Committee and also oversees the infirmary. He said the County has had to absorb serious shortfalls from medicaid reimbursements. He said some nursing homes are seeking higher paying patients to make up that cost, but Saratoga County does not. He said the County is still being reimbursed at the 1986 rate. He said because of the fund balance they have been able to avoid the double digit tax increases. He said the County has been able to maintain its services and also keep the lowest property tax rate in the area. He noted that the County recently acquired 1,200 acres of property for open space and they intend to purchase more. He said they too have experienced increases to their budget because of the decline n the stock market, increase in health insurance and the increase in retirement payments. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Kenneth Klotz adjourned the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk Approved: Page 9 of 9