City Council

CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2003 6:00 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 (arrived 7:10 p.m.) STAFF PRESENT : Joanne Carlow, DPW Erin Dreyer, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Christine Gillmett-Brown, Deputy Commissioner Finance Debbie Harper, Deputy Commissioner Accounts Hank Kuczynski, Deputy Mayor Bill McTygue, Director Utilities 2004 PROPOSED BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING Commissioner Michael Lenz said Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown met with DPS staff today to discuss and clarify some of their requests. He said they also received material from DPW and the Accounts Department on their budgets. He said he did not receive anything from the Mayor’s Office. He said there were some minor changes to the Recreation Department budget but it produced no budgetary impact. Commissioner Michael Lenz said he did not anticipate voting on the budget this evening because more discussions were needed. Therefore, he proposed that the Council meet again tomorrow evening to adopt a budget. Commissioner Michael Lenz opened the public hearing. Chief Ed Moore said the requests from their department were realistic requests and need to be put back into the budget. He said they had requests for the following items and requested they be restored: Hardware/software: This is necessary for their records system. He asked that it be restored to the appropriate levels. He said they had worked with Kevin Kling on the matter. Professional Services: He said there are annual maintenance fees for equipment that are fixed prices and needs to be restored. He noted that the fee for Admit Computer Service was moved from one line to another and it needs to be restored. Training: He said police officers need a minimum of 21 hours in service training. He said there is also specialized training that is required. He asked that it be restored to the appropriate levels. Supplies: He said the supply line is for fire arms, CPR equipment, etc., and it needs to be restored to the appropriate level. Contract obligations: He said under contractual obligations there are items such as tuition reimbursement and it needs to be restored. Books: He said they requested $4,000 for law books. He said they have not updated their books in several years and it was time to do so. Gas & Oil: He said it simply needed to be restored to the requested level. He said everyone is aware that the price of gas has increased. Investigations Travel: He said last year there were two homicides in the City, one of which is closed, but the second remains open. He said they are still actively working on this Page 1 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 case and it could require some travel out of the state and maybe even out of the country. Utilities: He said the utilities at the weigh station are fixed prices and it needs to be restored. Phones: He said the cell phones were an important part of their operation especially for incoming calls from informants. He said the cell phone bills are monitored and there is no abuse. Chief Moore said there is also a line for injured officers that needs to be maintained. He said there was no way of knowing if someone would be injured. Captain Mike Biss said he is in charge of the patrol division. He said their presence alone deters crimes. He said the two largest issues in his department are equipment and vehicles. He then reviewed vehicle problems noting that they are short one vehicle. He said there was a vehicle totaled earlier in the year and unfortunately because of the budgeting process, they were not able to access the insurance money. He said they have been operating down one vehicle all year. He then reviewed other vehicle issues as follows: a) This vehicle has 80,000 miles with bad steering, bad transmission and needs approximately $2,000 to maintain. b) This vehicle has 90,000 miles , bad undercarriage, bad steering and bad transmission and needs $3,000 to repair. c) This vehicle has 115,500 miles, has bad steering, bad transmission, bad rear end and needs $3,000 to repair d) This vehicle has 67,000 miles, weak engine, bad transmission and needs $2,000 to repair. He said including the totaled car they have five vehicles that need to be replaced. He said the officers understand budgetary concerns, but these cars are not safe. He asked that the level of $30,000 be restored. Captain Mike Biss said they requested an additional $20,000 for police equipment and that was reduced. He said there are items such as shot guns, radios, firearms, etc. that used to be included in the capital budget but now must be included in the general operating budget. Therefore, the equipment line item has increased. He also noted that they had requested and additional $12,500 to replace the vests. He said there had been notice that the vests do not meet minimum safety standards. He said for the safety of the officers and the citizens, the cuts should be restored. Asst. Chief, Jim Cornick, said his main area of concern was the central dispatch office. He reminded Council members that a few years ago, fire and police dispatch were combined. He said they have been operating all of the time down one dispatcher and one supervisor. He said because they do not have a full staff, overtime is necessary. He said there has been a 27 percent increase in calls to dispatching in the last three years with no increase in staff. Asst. Chief Jim Cornick also noted that they are on the road to enhancing the dispatching system with more intensive EMS calls. He explained that currently when an EMS call comes in, it is forwarded to the County and then the County in turn dispatches EMS, police & fire. He said if the City picks up the EMS calls, it would save a few minutes time. He said this requires additional training though. He asked that the levels be restored. Chief Bob Cogan, Fire Department, said their proposal had also been amended downward. He reviewed the line items as follows: Travel: He informed Council members they had increased their staff by four people in 2003 and it requires additional training. He said they requested $3,000 and it was reduced to $2,000. He also noted that existing staff requires additional training. Office Equipment: He said this line item had been reduced from $4,500 down to $3,000. He said they rely heavily on computers and they need to be updated and maintained. He noted that even though they have a state of the art exhaust system at the fire house, the fumes and dust still harms the computer equipment and shortens their life span. He said they also need to upgrade their software. He said they have a copier that is six years old and the repair and maintenance Page 2 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 bills are significant. He said they hoped to purchase another copier. Fire Equipment: He said they were grateful they were able to purchase the new aerial truck but theystill have equipment that needs to be maintained and/or replaced. He said the fire department, by the nature of their work, is very hard on equipment and things get broken. He said they had requested $10,000 and asked that it be restored to that level. EMS Supplies: He said they had requested $10,000 in that line. He said that last year they did 1,987 runs which breaks down to $5.03 per call for supplies. EMS Training: He said they requested $20,000 and that was decreased to $10,000. He said they have four new people and they need to be trained. He said they need at least 24 hours of training. Repairs & Mntnce: He said they have a five year track record of spending between $35,000 and $40,000 in this line item. He said the value of their fleet is about $4 million and this was a small amount to maintain the fleet. He also noted that they are subject to DOH and OSHA standards and certifications. He said they must maintain maintenance records on all of their vehicles. Utilities: He said they have no control over utilities and like everything else they are simply rising. Professional Services: He said they consolidated their payments into this one line item so the requested amount appeared large. He said they need the amount requested and it was not an increase but just a consolidation. He said this line is used for physicals and to pay Dr. Brooks. Equipment: He said they requested $2,000 and that was decreased. He said this was for the smaller stuff. Maintenance: He said they have a generator at the fire house that has a fixed price to maintain. He said the new aerial truck will need testing, the existing trucks have ladders that need to be tested and maintained and they have copiersthat need to be maintained. He said these are fixed costs that cannot be decreased. EMS Life Support He said that the City now has Paramedic status from DOH which requires mandated equipment. He said they must acquire more equipment and that equipment must be maintained and updated. He said that as the City improves its skills and the level of service increases, the cost goes up. He said they need refrigerated units, lockers for controlled substances, record keeping increases, etc. He said there was the initial expense of $1,400 for medication which will outfit four bags. He also noted there were requirements for life packs, batteries and other mandated DOH equipment. Chief Bob Cogan asked that what they be asked for be restored. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked about the totaled car and where was that insurance money. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown explained that during 2003 in the insurance recovery line $30,000 was budgeted, therefore, that level must be met before funds can be released. She noted, though, that at the last meeting, $20,000 from the contingency line was given to DPS to go toward the purchase of a vehicle. She said it was her understanding that they still need $8,000 and if those funds were to come into the City, they could be transferred to DPS. Commissioner Thomas McTygue suggested that the $20,000 be encumbered. Commissioner Thomas Curley informed Council members that his department had been covering all of the vehicle repair and maintenance from his budget because they did not have access to this money. Commissioner Michael Lenz said the money was taken from contingency and given to DPS to move this purchase along. Kate Colburn, Executive Director, Saratoga Center for the Family, said she was here this evening to advocate for their agency. She said the City had been generous in the past by funding $10,000 for their organization and she hoped that it would be continued. She said their agency has been in existence for 26 years. She said they have 25 partners throughout the County who use the Harriet M. West Child Advocacy Center to conduct Page 3 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 interviews and investigate allegations of child abuse and to hold prevention services though our groups and classes. She said they provide home based counseling, education and advocacy services. She said last year they provided services to 1,506 clients of which 438 resided in Saratoga springs. She said that number did not include the students who receive the prevention services in our school based programs. She said the Saratoga Center for the Family is a county wide agency with 29 percent of their clients residing in Saratoga Springs. She said in August 2002, the agency moved into its new home on 359 Ballston Avenue which heightened their visibility and community awareness. She said it resulted in a 98 percent increase in referrals from 256 in 2002 to 508 in 2003. She said they also provide services to 153 children against whom some crime has been committed. She said the Saratoga Center for the Family is a full service organization and she asked that the Council continue to fund them. Jackie Pardon, Media Center Project, said this organization appreciated the Council’s support in the past and hoped they would continue to support them. She reminded Council members that in June the Council funded a part time field organizer position for $12,000. She said they have since hired Steve Pierce who began work in October on phase one. She said they have not yet made a presentation to the Council on his work and hoped to do so in the near future. She said she hoped the Council would fund the next phase of this project in the spring. She said the yearly franchise fees should be used for this review process. She said the City received $250,000 yearly for that fee. She said the City may see additional fees if the recent court rulings hold up. She said those fees would come in 2005 and she would keep the Council posted. She also noted that the Saratoga Peace Alliance has funded the media center project which will enable them to attend a national conference. Ron Taylor said he was excited with the Media Center project and hoped the Council would continue to support it. He said it would be a great venue for local groups, organizations, artists, etc. Jason Cusper, Sunrise Drive, said he too was excited with the Media Center Project. He noted that in the most recent election there was about a 40 percent voter turnout. He said with local access to the airwaves, the public could be better informed and educated on such matters. He said the level of community awareness could be increased through this project. Laurie Dawson, said local access to the airwaves was a good way to publicize the difficulties in the community such as employment and it could also be used as an education tool. She urged the Council to their continue support of this project. David Bronner, 5 Royal Henley Court, said he knew this was a difficult budget year and he supported the comments from the police and fire departments. He said he did not mind paying for safety related matters, however suggested that some things should be cut from the capital budget such as the purchase of DPW vehicles and the west side infrastructure. He also expressed some concern with the salary increases. He said some of the increases are quite lucrative. He also suggested that the Council look at using some of the surplus to keep the tax rate low. Linda Terricola, Recreation Department, said she had met with Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett- Brown. She said the Recreation Department had kept their budget to a modest 4 percent increase. She said they worked hard to do that and asked that the items they requested, be funded. Mark Lawton reminded Council members that the budget they adopt must accommodate the new charter. He said the new charter has a lot of savings if certain actions are taken. He said one of the more critical aspects of the charter was a Human Resources Director. He urged the Council to make that a priority and to fill the position on January 1. He said that position is essential to future savings to the City. He also reminded Council members that revenue streams can be created as a result of avoiding costs. He said procedures should be consolidated that will allow savings. He said the Charter Commission developed a fiscal impact statement that listed 20 recommendations. He urged the Council to look at the budget from the point of avoiding costs and adopting procedures that can save money. He said he was available should Council members have any questions about the new charter. Page 4 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 Tony Fischer, DPW, General Foreman, said DPW was as important to the City as the police and fire departments. He pointed out that without DPW clearing the streets, police and fire vehicles go no where. He said DPW also needs to new equipment, roads need to be paved and accidents and spills need to be cleaned up, etc. He said their budget should not be cut. Joe Carey, President PBA & John Catone, Vice President, PBA, said as a union they are very concerned with this budget. He said he supports both the Chief’s and Captain’s comments and hoped that all of the items would be restored. He said it was for the safety of the citizens and the officers. Matt McCabe, Piping Rock Circle and Commissioner Elect, Finance Department, agreed with the proposed budget in that cuts are necessary. He said DPS and DPW cannot be jeopardized, but the City should not borrow to pay mandated costs. He said the money should be found for the mandated services and then the Council should vote on the other matters. He said the Council should consider slowing down the debt service increase. He said maybe the City would get lucky with a mild winter and less accidents. He said the proposed budget was the right thing to do fiscally for the City. Peter Looker, Jefferson Street, encouraged the Council to pass a resolution asking that the federal government refrain from invasions of countries and passing those costs onto citizens. He said letters should be sent to congressman and senators. He said the Council should take a long, hard look at this matter. (Phil Klein arrived, 7:10 p.m.) Barbara McFarland said she had lived on the west side and has waited 40 years for the west side infrastructure project. She said she hoped the Council would fund this project. Joanna O’Reilly said she recently spoke to the City Engineer on this project and he got their hopes up that the west side infrastructure project would come to fruition. She asked the Council to please consider funding this project. David Bronner said if the Council was going to consider passing a resolution on Peter Looker’s recommendation, the Council should at the same time pass a resolution in support of the troops in Iraq. Debbie LaBreche, Assistant City Engineer, said she was here this evening on two budget items. She said the first was the engineering technician position. She said they had requested to fund this position on a full time basis but it had not been funded at all. She said this position is critical in serving the public, assisting the City’s surveyor and maintaining the 911 files. She said they also recently purchased a scanner to be used to scan all of the old maps. She said this person was to take on this project. She asked the Council to consider funding this position. She said the second item of concern was the building department budget. She said the overtime line had been reduced from $10,000 to $5,000 and $20,000 had been eliminated all together to pay for a part time building inspector. She said the revenue line was also increased to $190,000. Commissioner Thomas McTygue questioned why she was bringing forth building department items when that was a Mayor’s function. Debbie LaBreche said the City Engineer’s office has historically managed that office so they believed it was appropriate to bring forth these requests. She said the bottom line is that the building inspectors won’t be able to keep up the pace if this building inspector position is not funded. Sonny Bonacio, Bonacio Construction, said recently the developers in this community agreed to a large increase in building fees as part of the package to reduce the building permit length of time. He said the time is still between 12 and 14 weeks which was unacceptable. There being no one else wishing to speak, Commissioner Michael Lenz closed the public hearing. Commissioner Thomas McTygue informed Council members that he was being asked to take less money in his budget in 2004 than he had in 2003. He said although it appears there is an increase in the DPW budget, there was not one. He said the transfer of the Engineering function gave the appearance of an increase. He Page 5 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 said the 2004 budget was actually $33,070 less than what he had in 2003. He said the Council, year after year, votes on contracts with increases, but when its budget time, they express their concern. He said under the capital budget he had requested a minimum amount of vehicles. He said they requested one front end loader, a dump truck and a small roller. He said the request for the infrastructure is long over due in this area. He said the people living in this area have been paying taxes year after year and it was time to do this work. He also noted that with this infrastructure improvement, there is vacant land that would likely be subdivided for homes, thereby increasing the City’s tax base. He said it was his intent to ask the Council for approval of this project this evening. He also noted that the Council recently just accepted quite a few new streets which increases the demand on their services. He reminded Council members that they just came off of one of the worst winters in many years and they came out in the black, unlike many other communities. He said the Council needs to look at the salaries in this City and consider negotiating down some of those contracts. Commissioner Thomas Curley thanked the fire and police personnel for attending this evening. He said they operate a very efficient budget but the demands during the tourist season, special events and catastrophic events are tremendous. He said things sometimes happens that cannot be anticipated. He suggested that DPW consider purchasing equipment in the same fashion that they purchased the aerial fire truck. He said with the increase in the services, in particular the paramedic status, costs increase. He said there continues to be the mandated training for firefighters and police officers. He said they need 100 hours of fire training and 24 hours of medical training. He said the supervisors also require additional training. He said they work with the County when they can, but it is still an expense they must maintain. He said they work all year to cut items and to maintain their budgets, but this was a quality of life issue. He said the proposed 2004 budget was cut by $214,000 from the 2003 budget. He said he understood the Finance Department’s position and Commissioner Elect Matthew McCabe thoughts, but this was a public safety matter for employees and residents of this community. Commissioner Michael Lenz said this is a difficult time for the Council. He said the Council is mandated to adopt a budget by November 30 and there is pressure to maintain services and to fund increases, but there is also the obligation to keep the tax rate increase to a minimum. He said it is a difficult task for Council members but a balance needed to be found. He said he had listen to all of these requests, but did not believe that a 30 or 40 percent tax rate increase would be acceptable. He said there needs to be a compromise from DPS and DPW and the City needs to tighten its belt as a whole. He said this will not be a budget that everyone is happy with, but his department was working very hard at coming up with a solution. He thanked Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown for her many hours of work on this budget. He said he hoped to have a budget available tomorrow morning. Commissioner Michael Lenz asked Council members to get all of their information to his department first this tomorrow morning so that a budget could be adopted tomorrow evening. He said it was imperative that they get all of the information first thing tomorrow morning. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Kenneth Klotz called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. MAYOR’S OFFICE Capital Budget Mayor Kenneth Klotz withdrew the capital budget and said he would bring it forward tomorrow evening. FINANCE DEPARTMENT General Operating Budget Page 6 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 Commissioner Michael Lenz withdrew the general operating budget and said he would bring it forward tomorrow evening. City Center Authority Budget Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to adopt the City Center Authority Budget as presented. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked what was the salary increase for the executive director. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said it showed as 6 percent. Council members agreed they were not ready to vote on this budget this evening. Commissioner Michael Lenz and Commissioner Stephen Towne agreed to withdraw the motion. Downtown Special Assessment District Mayor Kenneth Klotz said there had been an ongoing question from the state comptroller’s officer with the Downtown SAD on their putting money aside and how that would be handled. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said this could be handled in a number of ways and she was working with the SAD on how they would like to do that. She said there was a resolution available a few weeks ago, however, City Attorney Jeff Wait had some concerns that she was not sure would be resolved before the end of the year. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked if the money was currently being handled in the same way it had been. Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown said yes. Council members agreed they would hold this budget until tomorrow evening. West Avenue Special Assessment District (03-177) Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the West Avenue Special Assessment District budget as presented. Ayes all. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Water Budget (03-178) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to adopt the 2004 Water budget as presented. He noted there would be no increase in water rates. Ayes all. Sewer Budget (03-179) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to adopt the 2004 Sewer Budget as presented. He noted that there would be no increase in sewer rates. Ayes all. West Side Infrastructure Project (03-180) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the West Side Infrastructure Project. Debbie LaBreche, Assistant City Engineer, said the low bidder on this project was Delaney Construction in the amount of $2,277,200. She said they were requesting that the Council set aside $2.53 million which would include enough for change orders, final inspections and as builts. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked if any of the expenses could be carried over to 2005. Debbie LaBreche said it would be likely that the entire project would be completed in 2004. Commissioner Michael Page 7 of 8 City of Saratoga Springs City Council workshop meeting minutes Tuesday, November 25, 2003 Lenz said the project must be bonded in the year that it is completed. He said he had no problem approving this project and would work with the Mayor on the funding. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said this project was a long time in coming. He said it was good for the residents in this area and would also increase the City’s tax base. Chief Robert Cogan said he grew up in that neighborhood and lived their until 1991. He said there are many infrastructure concerns in this area one of which is water pressure. He said when the firefighters respond to a fire in this neighborhood, they bring their own water. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the water pressure would be fixed with the project. Commissioner Michael Lenz said that Paul Male had discussed the cost factor of this project in that by bidding both phases 3 and 4 at the same time it was more cost effective. He said Paul Male noted that if the project was bid separately, the cost would go up considerably. Ayes all. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Kenneth Klotz adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk Approved: Page 8 of 8