City Council

CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2004 7:00 P.M. PRESENT: Commissioner Thomas Curley, DPS Michael Lenz, Mayor Commissioner Matthew McCabe, Finance Commissioner Thomas McTygue, DPW Commissioner Stephen Towne, Accounts PRESENT: Phil Klein, Supervisor ABSENT: Anthony Scirocco, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT: Matthew Dorsey, City Attorney Patrick Design, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Erin Dreyer, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Christine Gillmett-Brown, Deputy Commissioner Finance Debbie Harper, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Alicia Wardell, Deputy Mayor EXECUTIVE SESSION Council members adjourned to executive session at 6:00 p.m. to discuss land acquisition. Council members returned to regular session at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Michael Lenz reported that no action was taken. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Michael Lenz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Michael Lenz reviewed the public comment period rules. David Bronner 5 Royal Henley Court, supported the two acre zoning in the Gilbert Road area. He then expressed concern over comments made in the newspaper in the letter to the editor section where he was accused of berating and attacking Council members. He said he had not done so and asked that if Council members believed that he had, they inform him of the meeting at which it happened. He also said he was very dismayed at the remarks made in the letter to the editor concerning military personnel. He said it was unfortunate to see the nation’s military personnel denigrated. Susan Murtha, 24 Conver Drive, supported Commissioner Matthew McCabe’s proposal on the open space issue along Gilbert Road. The downtown area should be the center of the City and not the outlying areas. The zoning should be consistent with the comprehensive plan. Exit 14 is the last exit along the Northway that the City can control. She urged the Council to support his proposed motion. Jean Friday, 366 Lake Avenue, supported Commissioner Matthew McCabe’s proposal. Zoning laws are created to protect the community. Many residents did not support the Excelsior Avenue project and now there is this property with the same sort of proposal. The Andersons are only looking to maximize their profits. Who will really benefit? Council members should have the integrity and fortitude to maintain the city in the country atmosphere. This will have an impact on infrastructure, schools and taxes. James Stegmann, 30 Crommelin Drive, said the Council is flip-flopping on this issue. There was an agreement that this would be rural residential zoning in this area and now it is being revisited because of a developer. It’s Page 1 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 inexcusable to sacrifice this area for the developer’s interests. The proposal is at odds with the surrounding neighbors. Excelsior Park was approved with affordable housing and but it had since been removed from that package. All Council members should recuse themselves and bring in concerned individuals/citizens to address this matter. This is not about the citizens in this area, but rather it’s about the entire City. The owners of this parcel knew the restrictions when they purchased this parcel. The Council needs to put their foot down and maintain the standards. People in this community want quality of life and not the same suburban type developments that are in other communities. Stop back room politics and do the right thing. Bryan Nealon, CEO Wesley, 131 Lawrence Street, supported the Anderson proposal. Wesley has a significant payroll with employees who need affordable housing. Many of their employees do not live close to Wesley because the housing is not affordable. They used to have 30 percent of their employees living in the City but that has decreased to 15 percent. It is near crisis situation for their organization and other service industry related businesses. It takes vision and leadership and the City needs a workforce that lives in the City. Peter Looker, 45 Jefferson Street, thanked the Council for purchasing renewable energy. Exit 14 (Anderson parcel) was brought into compliance with the comprehensive plan last year. The three big property owners, Anderson, Morris and Dake contributed heavily to republican campaigns. He read from the public officials law on bribery noting that public officials receiving anything of value to influence them shall be fined or disqualified from office. He proposed that those Council members who received funds from those three individuals return the money, bring the zoning back into compliance with last year’s vote, and implement a plan for clean money and clean elections and/or resign. Dennis Brunnelle, EOC, 3 Holly Drive, said that as a member of the Workforce Housing partnership, a nonpartisan group representing more than 70 businesses in the City, they support this proposal. They believe the design is adequate and there is enough acreage in this area so as to not damage the city in the country theme. It’s important that the proposal contains 52 affordable housing units. It was unfortunate that the Excelsior Park project will not include the affordable units that were originally proposed. Since 1990, 2,195 housing units were created through major subdivisions, of that 85 were affordable to the work force and out of that 76 were for seniors. The net for affordable housing for the workforce was 18 units in 10 years. It is the Council’s responsibility to work to provided housing facilities for the City’s workforce. This issue is equally as important as any other issue in the City. Teresa Capazolla, 57 Gilbert Road, said the affordable housing issue needs attention but not in this fashion. The City is relying on the tax credit program to make certain that the proposed affordable housing is constructed. The City needs to work harder on the affordable housing issue. The affordable housing included in this project should not turn the community upside down. The Anderson parcel was thoroughly discussed during the charette process and it was determined that development of the parcel would create too much traffic and strain on the infrastructure and school system. They only included the affordable housing in this project to get this project through the process. By not acting, the Council is opening the entire parcel for development and not just the 44 acres. The residents of this area should be given the same opportunities that the developer is getting and they should be given the same respect. Jane Weihe, 44 White Street, said during the last election, the Council voted 5-0 to maintain this parcel as RR- 1 which is compliant with the comprehensive plan. All of the Council members have run on the city in the country platform. The City deserves both open space and affordable housing. She urged the Council to rezone the parcel to the RR-1 designation. Mayor Michael Lenz closed the public comment period. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Open Space Land Acquisition Commissioner Matthew McCabe said things change over time and the decision tonight was a tough one. He Page 2 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 said land acquisition needs to be thoroughly discussed including the true cost of the project, interested parties need to be included and the public needs to be kept informed. During next year, there should be some public discussion on the land acquisition topic. Mayor Michael Lenz said all of the Council members identified open space as a priority and they are making efforts to move in that direction. There have been multiple meetings with all of the interested committees and task forces. Nearly every Council meeting lately has had an executive session on land acquisition. The Council is currently in active negotiations with land owners. There is a commitment by the Council to move forward and significant process will be made by the end of their terms. Lake Avenue/Gilbert Road area - refer to the Planning Board (04-181) Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to accept the proposed amendment for the Lake Avenue/Gilbert Road area and to forward it to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said the vote this evening has far greater impact than just this project. The main issue this evening is that all Council members campaigned on the city in the country issue and the Council owes it to residents. This issue will not go away or stop with tonight’s vote. The Council needs to respect their duties and uphold the zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said no matter what happens this evening he wanted to make it clear to everyone that until a decision is made on the water source for the City, no more water connections will be allowed. As long as he is Commissioner of DPW, he will not allow the City to tap into the upper Hudson. He will bring forth information supporting their engineering studies. The City has spent nearly a half a million dollars on the Saratoga Lake water source alternative. Again, he said that no matter what happened this evening, DPW will not permit any more water connections within the City. Mayor Michael Lenz said this is an issue that all have struggled with. He agreed with comments from both sides. This involves more than 200 acres and the motion on the table is to refer the entire parcel to the Planning Board. It is a laudable goal to maintain the Exit 14 area, but the proposed project from the Andersons is for 40 acres. He said there was interesting discussion last evening with differing political backgrounds. There are valid concerns on affordable housing. There is a real need for affordable housing. There will be an affordable housing seminar on November 4 and 5. The Anderson plan has value. He would like the process to continue. He would like to see the parcel referred to the Planning Board except for the proposed development site of 35 or 40 acres. This does not preclude the Council from bringing the entire parcel back for review to RR1. Therefore, Mayor Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to amend the motion so that only that portion of land not to be used for the Anderson project, the remaining 160 acres, be referred to the Planning Board for an advisory opinion on the RR-1 zoning. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said he appreciated the compromise but he believed that this was an open window that needed to be closed and he would not support the amendment. Commissioner Thomas Curley said when the comprehensive plan was discussed, this was an issue that was not addressed. Once the incentive was taken away to complete the process it would be an arduous road for the developer. He spent eight years on the Planning Board and many years on the Council. He listens to the public and understands their passion. This issue needs to be brought to closure. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he would support the motion because he did not believe that Commissioner Matthew McCabe’s motion would pass. The City should consider purchasing the remainder of Page 3 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 the land through the bond act. This could be an opportunity for discussion with the Andersons. Mayor Michael Lenz said he did not have the comfort level at the last meeting. There was good dialogue last night and he believed that forwarding this to the Planing Board for their advisory opinion was the right thing to do. The option remains to refer the entire parcel for RR-1 zoning, however, the majority of the parcel will be RR-1. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said this motion does not preclude any Council member from bringing forth any motion. Apparently there will be no water hookups though. This issue is not going away. He will not support the amendment. Commissioner Stephen Towne said this is a hard issue. This is a successful community. Council members must put their personal opinions on the back burner and need to make good decisions for the entire community. The Weibel Avenue and Gilbert Road area has changed over the years. He was concerned with where the City is going and how it will impact the next generation. With this level of attention on this project the loopholes will be illuminated. They will come to a decision that is best for the community. He did not believe the entire parcel should be sent at this time to the Planning Board for review. There is more to this project and it needs to be fleshed out. He will support the amendment. Vote on amendment to the motion - ayes: four; nays: one (Commissioner Matthew McCabe). Motion carried. Vote on motion - ayes: four; nays: one (Commissioner Matthew McCabe). Motion carried. MAYOR’S OFFICE Roohan/Fallon Zoning Amendment Petition Commissioner Stephen Towne recused himself due to a potential conflict of interest. The Council has received a petition from J. Thomas Roohan and Thomas Fallon for a zoning map amendment that would change the classification of eight parcels of land from Urban Residential-2 (single-family and two- family) to Transect - 5 Neighborhood Center District (mixed use). These properties are 76, 82, 86, 93 and 94 Woodlawn Avenue. The petition also requests the rezoning for vacant parcel at 557 North Broadway from Urban Residential-1 to Transect 6 - Urban Core District. The Council needs to decide if it will accept this petition for study and forward it to the City Planning Board for the required advisory opinion. Mayor Michael Len moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to accept the petition for study and to send it to the City Planning Board for an advisory opinion. Ayes all. Commissioner Stephen Towne resumed his seat on the Council. Pedestrian and Transportation Help for Saratoga (PATHS) Teena Willard thanked DPW for installing two curb cuts along Broadway/Lake Avenue, however, they do not entirely meet NYS Highway Law standards. She asked that the problem be corrected immediately. She then asked the Council to develop a three to five year plan to bring the rest of the curb cuts on Broadway from Route 50 to the City Center into compliance with NYS Highway Law. She said she would be available to work with the City Engineer’s Office on this matter. She was informed by Mayor Michael Lenz and Commissioner Stephen Towne that the SAD may be the responsible party to pay for this work. She noted that NYS Highway Law states that is the responsibility of the local government. She asked that the Council bring the City into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act and NYS Highway Law. Page 4 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 Mayor Michael Lenz said he would work with DPW. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that a three to five year plan was viable. He said he was surprised though that the curb cut on Lake Avenue/Broadway was not adequate. Teena Willard said that it needed to be smoothed. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that could be fixed easily. Commissioner Stephen Towne said her request was reasonable. Appointment (04-182) Mayor Michael Lenz announced the appointment of Maureen Deane and Roger Caulkins to the Urban Heritage Area Board. October Disability Awareness Month Proclamation (04-183) Mayor Michael Lenz read the following proclamation: A PROCLAMATION OF THE CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS WHEREAS, an increasing number of people with disabilities are moving into the mainstream, pursuing education, employment and leisure activities and adding to the richness and diversity of communities; and WHEREAS, a disability is not an illness, but part of a person; and WHEREAS, advancements in assistive technology and adaptive devices as well as changes in the law have enabled people with disabilities to participate more fully and independently in their communities and in their jobs; and WHEREAS, about 20 percent of all New York citizens report some limitations in performing their daily activities and the number will increase as the general population ages; and WHEREAS, it is imperative that communities increase opportunities and equality for people with disabilities so that they may continue to contribute and participate fully in life; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Michael Lenz, proclaim the month of October, 2004 as Disability Awareness Month in the City of Saratoga Springs Railroad Alley Mayor Michael Lenz requested a public hearing be set for Tuesday, October 19 at 6:55 p.m. to sell a portion of Railroad Alley. Behan Association Land Acquisition Workshop Mayor Michael Lenz requested a workshop be scheduled for 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12 to discuss land acquisition. It will be followed by a workshop on the capital budget and comprehensive budget. Maple Dell Street Name Change (04-184) Mayor Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the name change from Avenue C to Maple Dell. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Page 5 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 September 21 City Council Minutes Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Mayor Michael Lenz seconded to approve the September 21 meeting minutes with one minor correction. Ayes all. Award of Bid - Sale of Used Trucks and Equipment Upon the recommendation of the Department of Public Works, Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to award the bid for the sale of used Trucks & Equipment to the following: Item #1 Lacy Equipment of Greenwich for $3,535; Item #2 Gateway Services of Amsterdam for $4,172.27; Item #3 donated to Greenfield at the last Council meeting; Item #4 Gateway Services of Amsterdam for $943.02; and Item #5 William Biers of Albany for $6,600. This bid has been reviewed by the Purchasing Department and meets the Purchasing Guidelines. Ayes all. Vote Registration Days - Salary Increase (04-185) Commissioner Stephen Towne said that per his memo of last week, there have been conversations between the Saratoga County Board of Elections and his staff and it was suggested by the Board of Elections that the City review the pay scale for our Voter Registration Inspectors. Currently the City pays $30 for the short day and $50 for the long day. Surrounding communities pay their inspectors at a higher rate. The City currently employees 12 individuals as Voter Registration Inspectors. The total dollar increase is $320 which is in the Accounts Department budget. Therefore, Commissioner Stephen Towne moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to increase the rate of pay for the City of Saratoga Springs Voter Registration Inspectors to $40 for the short day and $80 for the long day. Ayes all. Linell Lands Zoning Amendment Petition Commissioner Stephen Towne said that pursuant to the Council’s request of August 25, 2004, the Planning Board reviewed the proposed zoning text and map amendments submitted by the Linell Lands relating to a new Neighborhood Complementary Use District near the intersection of Spring and Court Streets. The Planning Board discussed the request at their September 29 meeting and the Board recommended that the petitioner’s request be slightly modified as presented. The Board concluded that it would be best to group this new zoning district with the other neighborhood commercial districts and call this one Neighborhood Complementary Use District B 3 and the other two similar districts, Neighborhood Complementary Use District-1 and Neighborhood Complementary Use District -2 respectively. For the NUCD-1 and NUCD-2 districts, there are no substantive changes only a new name. The petitioner expressed support for these amendments. The Planning Board voted 7-0 to issue a “favorable” advisory opinion on the proposed revised zoning text and map amendments. The Board found these revised amendments to be in accord with the Comprehensive Plan and with the general intent of the zoning ordinance. Commissioner Stephen Towne then set a public hearing for the next Council meeting on October 19 at 6:50 p.m. Peddling & Soliciting Ordinance On August 17, Commissioner Stephen Towne announced the formation of the Peddling & Soliciting Ordinance review committee (better known as the Vendor Ordinance). The committee, chaired by Mark Baker, held its first meeting on September 29. Members of the committee include: Joe Dalton, Chamber of Commerce; Tim Mabee, ATC; Gavin Landry, Saratoga Convention & Tourism Bureau; Cathy Hamilton, Putnam Market; Roger Goldsmith, Crafters Gallery; David Barker, Impressions; Will Pouch, Esperanto; George Hathaway, NYRA; Alicia Wardell, Deputy Mayor; Kevin Veitch, Code Enforcement; William McTygue, DPW; Erin Dreyer, DPS; Tony Izzo, Assistant City Attorney; Marilyn Rivers, Risk & Safety Manager; and Debbie Harper, Accounts. Page 6 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 They plan to review specific areas of the ordinance including: vending near the track, enforcement, design guidelines, fees and vending in the downtown area. They have also asked for input from those vendors who participated in the vending near the track this summer. The committee will continue to meet over the next month (October 14 at 8:30 a.m. and October 27 at 8:30 a.m.) and he encouraged Council members to forward any concerns or questions to Debbie Harper or to members of their department on this committee. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Payroll Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded to approve the payrolls as follows: September 24, 2004 -- $326,546.74 and October 1, 2004 B $386,265.25. Ayes all. Warrants Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the warrants as follows: 2004 regular warrant 10/5/04 1OCT04 $280,473.37 2004 mini warrant 9/29/04 MC040929 $387,517.47 Ayes all. Transfers Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Stephen Towne seconded to approve the 2005 Budget Transfers (Attachment A) previously distributed with Friday’s agenda as follows: Lines 1&2 B no explanation needed; Lines 3&4 B From the Office of Planning and Economic Development, for the purchase of a laptop and computer programs; Lines 5 thru 8 B From the Office of Planning and Economic Development, to defray the cost of the NY Planning Federation Conference in Lake Placid for members of the various Boards; Lines 9 thru 12 B no explanation necessary; Lines 13&14 B From the Mayor’s office, to pay for the cell phone plan for the remainder of 2004; Lines 15&16 B From the Mayor’s office, for the Spirit of Saratoga Awards Ceremony; Lines 17&18 B From the Mayor’s office, for labeling equipment, office and proclamation supplies; Lines 19 thru 21 B no explanation necessary; Lines 22&23 B From the Dept of Engineering, to cover phone bill and phone batteries through the end of 2004; Line 24&25 B no explanation necessary; Lines 26&27 B From the Debt Service Fund, to cover overtime payments to system administrator for time worked on system changes and upgrades; Lines 28&29 B From the Building Dept, to cover estimated phone charges through the end of 2004; Lines 30&31 B no explanation necessary; Lines 32 thru 35 B From the Dept of Accounts, to cover the cost of general operation expenses for office supplies; Lines 36&37 B From the Dept of Accounts, to cover the cost of general operating expenses for subscriptions; Lines 38&39 B From the Dept of Accounts, to cover the expense of hiring a part time clerk for data entry and filing; Lines 40&41 B From the Recreation Dept, soccer shirts are needed for players who paid for them in their registration fees; Lines 42 B From the Recreation Dept, the high number of participants in the Skate Park Skills Program required more supervision; Lines 43 thru 59 B From the Recreation Dept, due to the abnormal amount of rain this season, the number of rainy day activities increased; Lines 60&61 B no explanation necessary; Lines 62&63 B From the Dept of Public Safety, to cover the installation of new office equipment to improve working conditions for the code enforcement officers; Lines 64 thru 71 B no explanation necessary; Lines 72&73 B From the Dept of Public Works, more funds needed to pay for change order for Lake Ave. bore and Young and Sommer bills. They do not expect to do more work in house this year; and Lines 74 thru 76 B no explanation necessary. Ayes all. Amendments Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Thomas McTygue seconded to approve the Page 7 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 2005 budget amendments (Attachment B) previously distributed with Friday’s agenda as follows: Lines 1&2 B From the Dept of Public Works, because the recreation overtime account is running very low and requires reimbursement; Lines 3&4 B From the Dept of Public Safety, a check was received from New York State, Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee for overtime incurred on seat belt patrols (“Buckle Up New York Grant”); Lines 5&6 B From the Dept of Engineering, revenue was received from the sale of map and publication orders and will be used to remove the deficit in the budget expense line; Lines 7&8 B From the Mayor’s office, these funds will be used for volunteer recognition; Lines 9&10 B From the City Center, this is a transfer from the City Center Capital Reserve for the 2004 Operation Budget as approved by the City Center Authority on September 8, 2004; Lines 11&12 B From the Recreation Dept, this is due to the abnormal amount of bad weather, increased rainy day trips were needed; Line 13 B From the Recreation Dept, overtime was accumulated due to camp providing supervision for before and after care; and Lines 14&15 B From the Dept of Public Works, these are proceeds collected from the city auction. Ayes all. 384e Resolution (04-186) Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Thomas Curley seconded the following resolution: Resolution providing the benefits of Section 384-e for employees covered by Section 384d of the New York State Retirement and Social Security Law Fire Only BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Saratoga Springs does hereby elect to provide the additional pension benefits of Section 384-e of the Retirement and Social Security Law for any member of its Fire Department who duly elects Section 384-d of the Retirement and Social Security Law, as presently or hereafter amendment. IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED, that this election shall become effective beginning the 15th day of October 2004. Ayes all. Health Benefit and Co-pay Change Commissioner Matthew McCabe announced the mandatory change in prescription drug riders by MVP and CDPHP. MVP will change from a $4/$7 to $5/$10 effective January 1, 2005. CDPHP will move from a $5/$20 to a $5/$20/$35 effective January 1, 2005. The carrier mandates these changes and therefore we have no choice in the change. The Union presidents were notified by letter on September 23, 2004, a copy of which you received with Friday’s agenda. 2005 Requested and Comprehensive Budget Commissioner Matthew McCabe thanked Deputy Commissioner Christine Gillmett-Brown for gathering and assembling the information for the comprehensive budget. He said this is a real, honest budget that he is comfortable with. He noted that some proposed items had been left out. He then reviewed the highlights of the proposed comprehensive budget as follows: the comprehensive general fund budget calls for $134,999 less expenditures than the 2004 adopted budget; a 20 percent increase in health insurance premiums, a 7.6 percent increase in liability insurance; a 6.14 percent increase in salary and salary related items; no estimate for retirement payment because the payment will be due on February 1, 20067; all salary, benefit and insurance related expenses were retained; all other lines such as equipment, supplies and professional services were cut back to the 2004 adopted budget; gas and oil lines were increased by 20 percent and utilities by 5 percent; there is a combined tax levy of $12,414, 512 or $2,662,603 increase from 2004; a Page 8 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 combined tax rate decrease of 24.51 percent; new capital projects valued at $2,616.000; remaining debt limit of $6,794,364; additional debt payments of $117,720; increase in capital fund levy would be $279,470; and for every $165,000 causes a one percent change in the tax rate. Commissioner Matthew McCabe reminded Council members there is no contingency or surplus. Some items have been left out of the capital budget, in particular the DPS facilities. He did not want to ask taxpayers to pay a debt service when there is no project. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS FEIS Commissioner Thomas McTygue announced that the material is available for review at the City library and City Hall. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Creation of Sick Bank for Firefighter (04-187) Commissioner Thomas Curley moved and Mayor Michael Lenz seconded to create a sick bank for a firefighter and that firefighters contribute ten hours per person. Ayes all. Public Safety Awards Dinner Commissioner Thomas Curley announced the Public Safety Awards Dinner sponsored by the American Legion will be held on October 9 at the American Legion. He said the employees to be recognized include: Pat Rocco, Bob Williams, Tom Knight, Warren Wilde, John Kelly, Tony Strause, Mr. Weingarten and Linda Fox. Lake Avenue Fire Station Open House Commissioner Thomas Curley announced the Lake Avenue Fire Station Open House for Saturday, October 9 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. SUPERVISORS Phil Klein informed Council members that the more than 600 individuals were inoculated during the recent hepatitis outbreak. He said that 70 percent of those inoculated were County residents. The vaccine cost $29,474 with a budget impact of $17,000 some of which will be reimbursed by the restaurant. The County is also urging the Assembly and Senate to increase the medicaid allowance for residents. Currently they are able to keep $50/month and the county would like it increased to $100/month. The County authorized a contract for site improvements at the Saratoga Pump Station in the amount of $43,395 to Morris Excavating. The County also authorized a new satellite office near the mall for DMV. Public Health nurses will take over the space at the Woodlawn Avenue building. The County passed a resolution to hire Malcolm Pirnie and CT Male to work on the County’s water source project. They will begin the planning for the water treatment plant and the distribution system. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Michael Lenz opened the public comment period. There being no one wishing to speak, Mayor Michael Page 9 of 10 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, October 5, 2004 Lenz closed the public comment period. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Michael Lenz moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Michael Lenz adjourned the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk Approved Page 10 of 10