City Council

CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2003 7:00 P.M PRESENT : Commissioner Thomas Curley, DPS Kenneth Klotz, Mayor Commissioner Michael Lenz, Finance ABSENT: Commissioner Thomas McTygue, DPW Commissioner Stephen E. Towne, Accounts ALSO PRESENT : Phil Klein, Supervisor Anthony Scirroco, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT : Bruce Brown, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Erin Dreyer, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Christine Gillmett-Brown, Deputy Commissioner Finance Debbie Harper, Deputy Commissioner Accounts Hank Kuczynski, Deputy Mayor Jeff Wait, City Attorney PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Kenneth Klotz opened the public comment period. Barb Thomas, League of Women Voters, said during the most recent election, the League of Women Voters went to each polling location to look at handicapped accessibility. She said the good news was that 11 of the 25 locations were fully accessible. She said there were two districts that had steps which prohibit full access and another district with a side entrance with a very narrow path. She said that 12 polling places were barrier free except that the doors required that someone wait outside until they could be opened. She said more good news was that the poll watchers were trained to make the machines handicapped accessible. She suggested that urban renewal funds might be available to help make these locations accessible. She said while there were some handicapped accessibility problems, she was glad to see that nearly half passed. She said she hoped to return to the Council at a later time to make a more formal presentation. Dave Bronner, 5 Royal Henley Court, said he wanted to make some corrections to comments he made at the last Council meeting which were incorrectly reported in the local newspapers. He said he did not say that the City should “financially” support the troops but rather the Council should support their efforts. He said he also commended the Council for the solid budget which was recently passed, but was disappointed that it was not a unanimous vote. He said it was a good, solid budget that provided the basic services and capital improvements that the City needs. Cheryl Keyrouse, said she was unable to make the last Board of Supervisors meeting and would appreciate an update from the supervisors tonight if possible. MAYOR =S OFFICE Recognition: High School Girls Cross Country Team Page 1 of 7 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, December 2, 2003 Mayor Kenneth Klotz recognized the Saratoga Springs High School Girls Cross Country Team in their recent accomplishment of becoming national champions again this year which is the 11th time in the past 17 years. He commended coaches Art & Linda Kranick. Linda Kranick said there are 40 runners on this team all of whom are scholar athletes with a team average of 96 percent. She informed Council members that each and every runner on this team has gone onto college. She said it takes many individuals to make this team run so well. She also noted that this team was the national and state team of the decade in the 1990s. She then introduced some of the members as follows: Julia Lambalot, senior, captain; Allie Rowe, captain; Ruby Solomon, junior; Karen Delay, junior; Dane Woodcock, junior, Melissa Trout, junior; Liz Woodcock, freshman; Amanda Guitano, freshman and Lee Vereness, freshman. She thanked her husband Art Kranick for his work with the team. Design Review Commission Annual Report Mayor Kenneth Klotz said last week the DRC released their CLG report as required by the NYSOPRHP. Mimi Rayl, Assistant City Planner, said applications this past year increased from 104 to 114. She said that was likely due to the changes that went into effect in that some of the applications previously reviewed by the Planning Board for architectural review is now being reviewed by the DRC. She further noted that 57 percent of the applications are architectural review. She said this past year they held six training workshops. She also noted that the Gideon Putnam Cemetery has been listed on the state national historic register and has been forwarded to the federal government for the same designations. She said that a goal this coming year was a public outreach program. Mayor Kenneth Klotz thanked Mimi Rayl for this information. Public Land Acquisition Mayor Kenneth Klotz said at the instruction of the Council he recently signed nonbinding letters of intent showing the City’s interest in negotiating for a couple of pieces of properties. Jeff Olson said he had been trying to keep everyone posted via e-mail. He said the nonbinding letters are the first step in the negotiation process. He said the committee is now looking at the fair market price. He informed the Council that Saratoga Plan has now approached the committee with an application for the Spring Run Trail project. He said the committee has agreed that it is within their scope but they now need Council direction on how to proceed. He said they believe that this could be handled in-house rather than using the consultant. He said the committee did not want this process to be delayed with the change of administration and requested that the Council approve the addition of this parcel. He said it is a small parcel with an appraised value of less than $10,000. Mayor Kenneth Klotz said because there were two Council members missing this evening, he would like some time to review this with the City Attorney in order to get full Council approval. Commissioner Michael Lenz said the concept of adding the parcel to the list made sense, but how to proceed was the issues. Jeff Olsen said the committee was trying to keep in mind Commissioner Stephen Towne’s comments on doing the work in house when possible. Mayor Kenneth Klotz agreed to continue to work on this matter. Recreation Department 2004 Proposed Fees (03-185) Kathy Lanfear, Recreation Department, said the proposed 2004 fees were previously distributed to the Council. She said each year, the Recreation Department reviews their fee structure and recommended changes were appropriate. She said at the last meeting there were some minor adjustments to some fees. She said most fees will remain the same next year with the exception of the skate park members fee increase of $25, $5 increase in the summer ice rink time, $5 increase in the summer clinic registration fee. She noted that this fee schedule had been approved by the Recreation Commission. Page 2 of 7 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, December 2, 2003 Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the Recreation Department fee schedule as presented (Attachment A). Ayes all. Recreation Department -- Girls Basketball Coordinator Amended Salary Kathy Lanfear said the Recreation Department is proposing a $300 increase to the girls basketball coordinator salary. She said the funds were within their budget. She noted that the membership in this program has gone up considerably and those membership fees will cover this case. Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to approve the $300 increase in the girls basketball coordinator salary. Ayes all. Consultant Contract for Phase II of Outer Church Street Traffic Study (03-186) Mayor Kenneth Klotz said the Planning Board has requested that the City retain Traffic Engineer consultant for the outer Church Street corridor to Kirby Road. He said the Council authorized phase one of the potential traffic impact and the City went through the RFP process. He said a firm was selected and phase one of the study was completed. He said phase two was not done because there was no funding available. He said the developers have graciously offered to pay the cost of $13,300 for phase two. Therefore, Mayor Kenneth Klotz moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contract with Edwards and Kelcey in an amount not to exceed $13,300 for phase two of this study. He said this is contingent upon the developer placing those funds in an escrow account. Ayes all. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Approval of November 12 workshop meeting minutes Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the November 12, workshop meeting minutes. Ayes all. Approval of November 18 meeting minutes Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the November 18, meeting minutes. Ayes all. Approval of November 20 workshop meeting minutes Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the November 20 meeting minutes. Ayes all. Fixed Price for Natural Gas and Electricity (03-187) Commissioner Thomas Curley informed Council members that the City recently received offers from Select Energy to lock in on a fixed rate for natural gas pricing and from NYSEG Solutions to lock in on fixed rates for electricity pricing for the City SC-3 Accounts. Gordon Boyd, Salerni & Boyd, said this energy program is sponsored by the Chamber. He said this particular program will allow the City to lock in at competitive pricing. He said the biggest changes will be seen in the City’s SC-3 Accounts. He said locking into a fixed price gives the City some stabilization. He said because the Page 3 of 7 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, December 2, 2003 market is currently down, it is a good time to lock in. He recommended that the City lock in for a period of 12 months beginning January 1. Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to confirm the previous approval by memo that the City lock in on a fixed rate option for both natural gas and electricity pricing and authorize the Mayor to sign the contracts with NYSEG and Select Energy upon the City Attorney ’s review. These prices are effective January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004. Ayes all. Smoking Policy (03-188) Commissioner Thomas Curley said that on November 25, Commissioner Stephen Towne forwarded a draft version of the City’s updated smoking policy to all Council members for their review and approval. He said it was noted in that memo that the draft smoking policy had received unanimous endorsement from the City’s Safety Committee, was reviewed with the applicable unions and John Poklemba who has indicated that the policy is within the management rights of the City to propose and enact. Therefore, Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Commissioner Michael Lenz seconded to confirm the previous approval by memo to adopt the City ’s updated smoking policy (Attachment B). Ayes all. Fixed Asset Recognition Policy (03-189) Commissioner Thomas Curley said that on November 25, an updated Asset Recognition policy was forwarded to Council members by Commissioner Stephen Towne. In his memo he indicated that policy was adjusted to more comprehensively comply with the new charter Section 7.3.4., GASB 34 and to satisfy our insurance inventory requirements. He noted that the policy could be broken down as follows: B All assets with a dollar value of $50 or more will be inventoried. B All additions, deletions and transfer of assets will be recognized on a monthly basis. B An annual reconciliation of assets will be conducted at a time that is coincident with the close of the City’s December 31 fiscal year end. Therefore, Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to confirm the previous approval by memo to adopt the Asset Recognition Policy as distributed with an immediate effective date (Attachment C). Ayes all. Risk Management Report Marilyn Rivers said the City recently conducted snowplow training at the DPW garage on November 12 with approximately 80 employees in attendance. She said this training was conducted by Bill Watkins of NYSDOT Snowplow Division. She said Bill Watkins also gave snowplow training manuals to the City to be used in regular safety inspections and training initiatives. Marilyn Rivers informed Council members that the first meeting of the fire evacuation plan committee was held on November 24 with another meeting scheduled for December 3. She said each department was represented. She said the group will develop a fire evacuation plan under the supervision of Fire Department Chief Cogan. Marilyn Rivers said under the loss prevention survey, DPW is currently examining runoff from hillsides to prevent erosion in walkways, trip hazard areas continue to be identified and fixed as weather occurs, rubble had been placed in the walkway near Spit & Spat and fire extinguishers were rehung in the Casino. She said the walkway leading from Circular Street to Congress Park has been marked and closed from November 15 to April 15. She said that it clearly states “Danger B Icy Surfaces B Do Note Enter”. Page 4 of 7 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, December 2, 2003 Marilyn Rives said the new workers compensation requirement forms have been distributed to all departments. She said these forms are mandatory for any business wishing to obtain a license or permit or contract with the City. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Payroll -- Approval Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the following payrolls: November 21, 2003 -- $370,036.40 and November 28, 2003 -- $374,216.04. Ayes all. Warrants -- Approval Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the following warrants: 1DEC03- -- Warrant 2-30 General Fund $1,058,675.06 City Center Authority 34,274.52 Water Fund 64,437.00 Sewer Fund 26,638.37 Capital Project 23,702.00 Special Assessment District -0- West Avenue SAD 640.00 Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development 83,066.68 $1,291,433.63 MC031126 -- Warrant 2 - 6 General Fund $ 15,486.12 City Center Authority 138.08 Water Fund 1,420.16 Sewer Fund 1,039.54 Capital Project -0- Special Assessment District -0- West Avenue SAD -0- Trust Fund -0- Debt Service -0- Community Development 18,644.00 $ 36,727.90 Ayes all. Budget Transfers Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz seconded to approve the budget transfers as presented (Attachment D). 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. Page 5 of 7 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, December 2, 2003 Budget Amendments Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the budget amendments as presented (Attachment E). Ayes all. Traditional Blue Prescription Benefit Commissioner Michael Lenz announced the change to the prescription benefit program for the Traditional Blue medical coverage. He said there is a change in the prescription co-payments increase from $5 & $10 to $5 and $20. He said this is an increase the Council has no control over. He said that his department is in the process of notifying the 23 members of this plan that it will effect. He noted that it was only the out of state retirees which included 14 retirees and 9 dependents. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Mayor Kenneth Klotz announced the acceptance of the following streets for snowplowing only: a portion of Webster Street, the dead end off Jefferson Street; Elm Street Extension and Westbury Drive in Heritage Manor off of Buff Road. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Sidewalk Cleaning Commissioner Thomas Curley reminded residents that with the onset of the winter season, sidewalks are required to be cleared within 12 hours of a snow storm. Victorian Streetwalk Commissioner Thomas Curley said that, unfortunately, as previously reported at the last Council meeting, the City will not be able to close down Broadway for the Victorian Streetwalk. He said there was simply not enough barricades to allow this to happen. He said they have another whole year to put this plan in shape and hoped that next year the Broadway would be closed. He did note though that the City will close one lane in each direction. He urged those coming to the streetwalk event to not bring their pets. Commissioner Michael Lenz said that as a downtown business owner, he was excited with the possibility of closing Broadway. Commissioner Thomas Curley said he understood that, but there were not enough barrels and cones to do so. He said that rather than risk injury or any other problems they decided to not close the street completely. He said it is definitely something that can happen though and he hoped they could do it next year. Mayor Kenneth Klotz asked what would the route be if the street was closed. Commissioner Thomas Curley said the traffic would be moved one block off of Broadway. He said there would be an occasional opening across Broadway for the east/west traffic. Holiday Safety Commissioner Thomas Curley reminded residents of the fire hazards at this time of year with candles, overloading outlets and unapproved lighting fixtures and wires. He also reminded everyone that when socializing they keep it safe. SUPERVISORS Nothing at this time. Page 6 of 7 City of Saratoga Springs City Council meeting minutes Tuesday, December 2, 2003 ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Michael Lenz moved and Mayor Kenneth Klotz 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 7 of 7